The Spanish Bride

3

It was not until between two and three in the afternoon, when Kempt and Picton were hotly engaged with the defenders of Arinez, that Vandeleur was at last ordered up. Dalhousie, whose advance had been delayed by two dilatory brigades, crossed the river some time after Picton, and directed his attack upon a village a quarter of a mile to the north of Arinez. He succeeded in driving the French out of it, but became involved in a sanguinary struggle with five battalions of Germans, serving under the Eagles, who were formed behind a stream protecting the village of La Hennendad.

‘What?’ said Cadoux. ‘Support the 7th? Well, of course we have heard that there is a 7th division, but we’ve never mit!’

The brigade marched off, crossing the Villodas bridge, and passing behind the rising ground from which Picton and Kempt were launching attack after attack upon the walled village of Arinez. As soon as the head of the column came under fire, Vandeleur sent Harry forward to report to Lord Dalhousie. Harry galloped off into the thick of the fray before La Hermandad, taking good care, as he went, to fix the lie of the land in his head. He came upon Dalhousie, talking earnestly to his QMG, and saluted. ‘Brigade-Major Smith, sir, sent by General Vandeleur for orders!’

The QMG, a Rifleman, and an old friend of Harry’s, exchanged a meaning look with him. Dalhousie said fussily: ‘Yes, yes, wait now! This is a little awkward, Drake!’ An order to wait, while his lordship tried to make up his mind what to do, was not at all to Harry’s taste. He made his horse fidget, himself in a fret of impatience, and words of advice on the tip of his insubordinate tongue. He could see that Drake was getting annoyed, and just as he was on the point of bursting into hasty speech, he heard Dalhousie say: ‘Better to take the village, Drake!’

That was quite enough for Harry, who had decided, when he first rode up, that the village ought to be taken without loss of time. ‘Certainly, my lord!’ he said briskly, and wheeling his horse, dashed off, deaf to the voices of Dalhousie and Drake, who both shouted to him to wait.

‘Take the village? Good!’ said Vandeleur.

Harry, having seen the 52nd deploying into line, and the Rifles spreading out in deadly little parties of sharpshooters, galloped off to the nearest battalion of the 7th division, and thrust his way up to the officer in command of it. ‘Lord Dalhousie desires you closely to follow this brigade of the Light division!’ he announced.

‘Who are you, sir?’ demanded the colonel, glaring at him.

‘Never mind that! Disobey my lord’s order at your peril!’ Harry snapped back at him, in his most reckless fashion.

Off he shot again, to join his brigade in its rush upon the village. He reached the brook before it amongst the foremost, but there he suffered a check, his horse refusing to put a hoof over the bank. Twice Harry brought him up to it, and twice he came to a slithering halt. A beautiful bay went past Harry, down the steep slope, and Harry, with a furious oath, kicked his feet clear of the stirrups, and vaulted out of the saddle, snatching at the bay

’s tail. He was dragged across the brook, and up the farther bank, and found that the bay’s rider was Cadoux.

‘Well, if it isn’t our esteemed Brigade-Major!’ said Cadoux. ‘And what might you have done with your horse, Pray?’

‘Abandoned the brute,’ said Harry.

‘How very like you!’ Cadoux sighed. ‘Now you’ll have to walk.’ ‘Who cares?’ retorted Harry. ‘I’ll go with your company.’

‘Honoured, Captain Smith!’ murmured Cadoux, bowing. ‘But in that case I’m afraid you’ll have to run, for you see we-er-we do like to be first in the field!’

First in the field they were, and in that furious rush upon the village, through ditches, over walls, in and out amongst the houses and me gardens, whatever doubts Harry had nursed of Cadoux’ quality were put to rest. Wherever the firing was hottest, there was Cadoux, not a hair out of place, deaf to the whistle of shots all round him, encouraging his men in his calm way. ‘Keep it steady, lads!’ he said, when the rifle-fire grew momentarily ragged. ‘Now, no untidiness! That’s right-that’s good shooting! We’ll move on, Sergeant: I really think we must dispossess those noisy, gentlemen in our front’

Harry, himself hoarse from cheering on the men, left him driving a party of voltigeurs out of the garden, where they had ensconced themselves, and made his way to Ross’s battery. He got a troop-horse from Ross, and plunged back into the fight for the village, catching a glimpse of Cadoux once, but not getting within speaking distance until they met on the farmer side of the river, dusty, dishevelled, and intent only on getting the men into order again after their impetuous sweep through the village.

Cadoux removed his shako, and shook the dust off it. Harry rode his trooper up to him, his eyes very bright between their narrowed lids, and his lean cheeks still flushed with excitement. Cadoux looked at him with a flickering smile. ‘Well, Captain Smith?’ he drawled. ‘Finished harrowing hell and raking up the devil?’

Harry laughed. ‘Oh, by God, if we are to talk of harrowing hell-!’ He stretched out his hand. “Thank you for the loan of your horse’s tail!’

Cadoux looked at him for an instant, his brows lifting in surprise. Then, with a little laugh, he held out his own hand, and shook Harry’s sinewy one. ‘Don’t mention it!’ he said, in his most finicking tone. ‘I do hope you didn’t pull any of his hairs out? Such a lovely creature, aren’t you, Barossa?’

‘Oh, is that the charger you got at Barossa?’ Harry asked. ‘Is it true you found the holster full of doubloons?’

‘Rumour, my dear fellow, rumour!’ Cadoux said, with an airy wave of his hand. ‘It was a nice battle, though: a very nice battle. Dear old Graham stood in the river, up to his waist, shouting almost as loudly as you, until one of our fellows said: ‘Do go and take care of yourself, old corporal, and get out of our way!’

Harry burst out laughing, and was still laughing when he got back to Vandeleur’s side. Lord Dalhousie had arrived in a great bustle, with Drake beside him. ‘Most brilliantly achieved indeed!’ Dalhousie told Vandeleur. ‘Where is the officer you sent to me for orders?’ Harry rode forward. ‘Here I am, my lord.’

Dalhousie looked him over. ‘Upon my word, sir! You receive and carry orders quicker than any officer I ever saw!’

Harry opened his eyes. ‘You said, “Take the village,”’ he protested. ‘My lord, there it is, guns and all!’

Dalhousie put up a hand to hide a smile, but Drake grinned openly, and said: ‘Well done, Harry!’