The Great White Army Part 29

I have told you that the sound of twinkling sleigh-bells arrested our attention. Minute by minute they grew louder; we heard the thud of hoofs upon the snow, and presently we discerned a troop of hors.e.m.e.n approaching at a trot, and amidst them a sleigh of unusual size drawn by no fewer than four horses abreast. This unexpected company made straight for the house, and drew rein only at its door. Who they were, or what country, whether friend or enemies, the wan light forbade us to say. Their master evidently rode in the sleigh, and no sooner had it pulled up than he sprang out upon the snow and in a twinkling was doffing his hat to Valerie St. Antoine. Such a merry old gentleman I had not met in Russia. Verily he did not cease to smile from the moment his troop first surrounded us until that other moment, less pleasing, when we were trussed like fowls and thrust headlong into other sleighs which followed in his wake.

Surely this was the most surprising adventure we had yet experienced in Russia.

Here was a merry old gentleman who knew nothing of us, but whose mere presence had scattered the moujiks like chaff; here was he riding up to the wretched house; clapping eyes upon Valerie and the child; hustling them headlong into his own sleigh; nodding to his troopers to fall upon us and carrying us away as though we were so many sheep for the block.

Never have I known such a surprise. I could have laughed aloud at the irony of it when my nephew and I found ourselves upon our backs in a wretched coracle and heard the crack of the whips which hurried us on to a Russian prison. a.s.suredly there could be no other destination.

We admitted as much to each other without any preface at all.

"They will be the Polish lancers from Orcha," said Leon. "I suppose the old man is one of their princes. Devilish unlucky, upon my word, mon oncle; we had done better with the peasants."

I told him that it was possible. The same thought was in both our minds. What of Valerie and the child? That the old man had been bewitched by Valerie's beauty there was no doubt whatever. Every gesture, every look marked him as a libertine from the moment when he first clapped eyes upon her until he had dragged her into his sledge and the horses had gone off at a gallop. Leon knew this as well as I, and his anger was a dreadful thing to see.

"I will shoot him like a dog, so help me G.o.d!" he said. And he strained with the strength of an ox to burst the ropes which bound him.

He might as well have tried to break a tree asunder. We were bound hand and foot, as though we had been the meanest of criminals. Our escort was a troop of some eighty men armed with lances and muskets, and plainly showing that they had their orders. There remained but the idle speculation upon that which must come after. Would this old man butcher us, fearing our tongues, or would he hand us over to the Cossacks at the first station we came to? We could not tell; the humiliation of our defeat was beyond all words insupportable, and our wrists bled with our efforts to free them. Valerie was in this man's power, and she had but us to look to. I could not have suffered more had my own sister's honour been at stake.

"The opportunity is not here," said I to Leon; "but it may come. Words will not help us. Take my advice and feign submission; it is better than being butchered. We shall not help Valerie that way. Let us remember what we have to do, and not act like children."

His answer was a frenzied outburst of rage which appalled me. So loud was it that the escort derided him, and the driver slashed back at him with his whip. When it had pa.s.sed I perceived the old Leon, whose wit was quick even under such an emergency. He lay back upon the boards of the sleigh and feigned sleep.

Day was breaking then, and a dim sun seeking to s.h.i.+ne. The country itself was the same G.o.d-forsaken wilderness that we had trod these many days. No man at the heart of the ocean could have discerned an horizon more hopeless. Everywhere the snow and the whitened pines and the ultimate desolation. Man seemed to have fled the wretched farms we pa.s.sed. Once upon the horizon we saw a troop of hors.e.m.e.n, but they disappeared from our view immediately. It was not until nightfall approached that we came without warning upon an unspeakable village, and this grim procession halted.

Here we saw the merry old gentleman's sleigh again, but it was now empty and obviously being driven to a stable. We ourselves, lifted by brawny arms, were hurled headlong into the cellar of a filthy inn, and there unbound and left for many hours in darkness. When the door next was opened the sergeant of the troop appeared carrying a lantern and a mess of mutton and potatoes. To our astonishment he greeted us in the German tongue, and seemed to have come upon a mission of reconciliation. Speaking in his master's name he apologised for what had happened to us.

"His Excellency regrets that you have been treated with so little ceremony," he said; "but, meine Herren, he has suffered much at the hands of your countrymen, and is in no mood for civilities. You were lucky to find him in a good humour. Give me your parole that you will make no attempt to escape, and he will carry you to Elbing and leave it with the general in command there to say what shall be done with you.

Otherwise, I fear that you will not go to Elbing at all." And he looked at us as one who shall say, "In that case he will deal with you here and now."

"As his Excellency pleases," said I. "If he prefers the Russians at Elbing to settle this affair, we are in his hands. But let him know that I am a surgeon upon His Majesty's staff, and that my nephew here is of the Guard. I think your master will be wise to remember that when the time comes."

The fellow said that our message should be delivered, and leaving the light with us, he withdrew and bolted the trap of the cellar behind him. His intimation that we were to go to Elbing seemed odd, and I could make little of it, nor Leon for that matter.

"With any luck we should find the marshal and the rear-guard there,"

said I. "On the other hand, if there has been an action and the Russians have taken Elbing, G.o.d help us. The old man must have heard something of the kind, or he would never be going there. What do you make of it, nephew? Was I wise to give him the parole, or should we have held our tongues?"

Leon was altogether at a loss.

"I am thinking of Valerie," said he. "Good G.o.d, what a thing to happen! All this would have been very different if we had remained with the army, mon oncle. Undoubtedly there has been a battle and Marshal Ney has been beaten. We shall find the Cossacks in Elbing, and G.o.d help us, as you say!"

Then he added very solemnly, "There is only one thing to hope, that I may yet meet this merry old gentleman. Let him look to himself if I do, for by the G.o.d above me I will kill him like a sheep."

The woman dictated his frenzy, and who could wonder? For myself, I had an extraordinary confidence in the wit of Valerie St. Antoine and was ready to match it against that of any old dotard in Russia. At the same time it was impossible to forget her situation--here in this cursed wilderness, alone amid a troop of savages and with no prospect at the far end of it but that of an unnameable submission. Naturally I said nothing of this to my nephew, nor encouraged his wild notion that we might escape from the cellar. They had caught us in the trap, and nothing but a miracle could get us out. Beyond that we had given our paroles, and well done or ill, the attempt to break them at such an hour would have been madness. So we slept upon it, and were awakened at dawn to be told that the sledges were ready.

We found a fine sunny morning and a dingy street full of gaping moujiks. Of the merry old gentleman, however, we heard nothing; nor had we any word from Valerie or the child. Our own escort was as it had been yesterday, a troop of Lithuanians well clad and armed, and apparently immune to the severities of the weather. Satisfied with our parole, they indicated our places in the sledge and made no attempt to bind us, and presently we all set out with a rattle of accoutrements and a tinkle of bells which would have been pleasant music had the circ.u.mstances permitted.

Soon it was plain that we were not very distant from the sea, and we travelled all that day towards the south-east as I judged. When night fell the spires of Elbing came to view upon the horizon, and a little after dusk we drew near to the city.

"And now," said I to Leon, "we shall know."

I did not add that it seemed a thousand chances to one against any hope of our ever seeing the French frontier again.

V

It was nearly ten o'clock at night when we entered the city. There were few people in its streets, and save some German hussars and a troop of dragoons, whose uniform was unknown to me, I saw no troops.

The hope that the remnant of the Grand Army had marched in was, therefore, shattered.

It may have been that we had come after our comrades had left. This was a very unpleasant supposition, which I feared to speak of, though Leon was quick to remember it.

"The fellows appear to have been speaking the truth," said he gloomily, as he looked at the silent house and wondered, I doubt not, which of them sheltered Valerie. "The marshal has been beaten, and we shall see no more Frenchmen in Elbing, mon oncle. What then? What are they going to do with us?"

I confessed my inability to answer. The Poles were our allies, and it was inconceivable that we should suffer a mischief at their hands.

Nevertheless, these were strange times, and G.o.d knows how little any man could be relied upon where French soldiers were concerned. If we had not misjudged the merry old gentleman our presence in Elbing could not but be inconvenient to him. I perceived this immediately, though I forbore to speak of it.

"We must carry it with a high hand," said I; "nothing will be done here by submission. Remember that we are of His Majesty's Guard, and let us take insults from no man quietly."

Leon smiled in his old way.

"To do you justice, mon oncle," said he, "that is not your habit."

The words were hardly spoken when the sledge stopped, and looking up, I saw the gates of the prison frowning upon us. So this was our merry friend's hospitality! Even my nephew perceived the drift of it now.

"The old rascal will trump up some charge against us and keep us out of the way," said he. "By G.o.d, mon oncle, this is too much! Parole or no parole, I mean to make a run for it."

I dissuaded him, pointing out the folly of it in the presence of the escort.

"Do not give them the satisfaction of shooting you," said I. "We have money with us, and will make ourselves heard. This is neither the place nor the time."

And so saying, I stepped out of the sledge and followed the captain of the hussars into the courtyard of the prison. Truly was it a remarkable predicament for two of the Guard to be in.

This scene will always remain in my memory. Even to-day I can recall every detail of it, the square courtyard, the guard-room upon the left-hand side, the inner gate with its portcullis and the gloomy buildings of the prison beyond. The astonis.h.i.+ng thing was that we seemed to be expected, and all preparations were made to receive us.

No sooner were we brought in and the gates shut than they conducted us to the guard-room and there brought us before a young captain of the garrison, who immediately made known the alleged reason of our arrest.

"You are accused of rendering help to the Emperor's enemies and of robbing French soldiers in this vicinity," said he. "The information is laid by Herrn Immo von Gustorf, the prefect of this city. The court will try you as soon as it can be const.i.tuted. Meanwhile I am to hold you here, as prisoners."

It was an amazing declaration, and even the young man seemed surprised when he looked at us. A soldier does not require to be told that another is of the same profession, and the young captain must already have perceived our condition. When upon this came my heated protest, and Leon's fiery threats, I could see that suspicion gave place to an apprehension which was very real.

"Herr Captain," said I, "your charge is preposterous. We wear His Majesty's uniform, and such crimes as you name are beneath us. Let me warn you very seriously of the consequences of that which you are about to do. His Majesty is careful of the reputation of his Guard, and he will know how to deal with such an outrage as this."

The threat moved him not at all. He declared that he but did his duty.

"If you are innocent, gentlemen," said he, "you can prove it to the court. My duty is to keep you here until you are tried. I may say, however, that if I can be of service to you in other ways, you have only to command me. This is not a house of hospitalities, but such as I can procure shall be offered to you."

To this I answered civilly that we were very much obliged to him, and bidding Leon hold his tongue, I said that we should remember any service of the kind when the French rode in--upon which I looked at him closely to see what he would make of it. When he did not contradict me, then I knew that the story of Marshal Ney's defeat was a lie, and for the first time since we had met the merry old gentleman I began to hope.

The young captain, meanwhile, had caught up a lantern and set out to cross the yard. We followed him to a tower on the eastern side, where in a considerable apartment upon the first floor he told us that we must be prepared to spend the night.

"I will send you what supper I can," said he. "Food is not readily to be had in Elbing; there has been no bread for three days. None the less, I will do what I can, messieurs." And setting the lantern upon the table, he commanded the sergeant to have beds made ready for us.

When he was gone and the door bolted, we began to examine the apartment with the eager eyes of men who did not submit to adversity readily.

Would our wits get us out of this cursed hole, or must we suffer the tragic farce to the end? Alas, it was soon evident that any hope of escape was out of the question. Not only were the windows grilled heavily with iron, but they looked upon a moat, whose further wall must have been thirty feet high, while beyond it stood a rampart patrolled by sentries. The door itself should have withstood artillery. We could dare nothing here, and we sat down in the dim light to remember that Valerie St. Antoine and Joan d'Izambert were still the "guests" of the villain who had entrapped us.