 16. In the Passes On the following day the French cavalry with a division of infantry took out their position beyond the town so as to cut off the retreat of the garrison who were then summoned to surrender. No reply was made but for the next 24 hours the defenders, although in no way attacked, kept up a random fire from the guns in the walls and with musketry to which no reply whatever was made by the French. On the following day the whole army having come up the town was again summoned and at once surrendered. When Solt who did not wish to be hampered with a mob of prisoners contemptuously allowed them to depart to their homes. After bringing up his sick from Chavez and discovering that the passes through the mountains were unoccupied and that the Portuguese army was at Braga, Solt on the 14th began to move in that direction both for the purpose of crushing for year and getting into communication with toy and being joined by his army from there. As soon as this movement was seen from the hill where Terrence's regiments had been for three days resting, preparations were made for marching and with haversacks well filled with bread and meat the troops started in good spirits. Terrence procured the services of a peasant well acquainted with the mountains and was led by pass used by shepherds across the hills and after a 12 hours toilsome journey came down into the defiles that the French were following. There he learned from peasants that with the exception of a small scouting party two days before there were no signs of any hostile force. The men were at once set to work to destroy a bridge across the torrent at the mouth of a defile. It was built of stone but was old and in bad repair and the men had little difficulty in prizing the stone to the sidewalls from their places and throwing them down into the stream. Another party made a hole over the key of an arch. A barrow powder was placed here and a train hadn't been laid was covered up by a pile of rocks. A third party formed a barricade six feet high across the end of the bridge and also two breast works each 50 yards away on either side so as to flank the approaches to the other end and the bridge. The troops were extended along the hill sides one battalion on each side of the defile under the shelter of the rocks and brush. While these preparations were being made the horses were taken up to the top of the hills by some paths known to the peasants of a little village near the mouth of the defile. The women and children following them. Terrence and Harara had a consultation and then the former called Bull and McWhitty to him. Now, he said, you understand that while we will defend this defile as long as we can we will run no risk of a defeat that might end in a rout. We shall inflict heavy loss upon them before they can repair the bridge and certainly force their cavalry to remain quiet until they bring up their infantry. Colonel Harara you with one company of the second battalion will hold the village and we shall sweep the column advancing along the bottom of the defile with a fire from each flank while they will also be exposed to your fire in front. When they succeed in making their way up to within charging distance you will evacuate the village and join McWhitty on the hill. They must attack us there on both sides for no troops can march through until the hill sides are cleared. It is probable that they may do this before they attempt to attack the village but in any case you must keep up a steady fire until they get within 50 yards to you then retire up the hill but leave a party to keep them in check until the rest have gained the crest and formed up in good order. By the time you do this they will have driven in your rear guard the French will be breathless with their exertions when they reach you. Wait till a considerable number have gained the crest then before they have time to form pour a heavy volley into them and charge and then sweep them with your fire until they reach the bottom. The next time they will no doubt attack in much greater force in that case we will move quietly off without waiting for them and will reunite at the village of Romare five miles in the rear. If we find as we near it that the French are in possession we will halt and I will send orders to the second regiment as to what is to be done. If the force is not too great we will attack them at night. How will you know where we shall be sir? McWhitty said. I have arranged with Colonel Harara that when you halt you shall light two fires a short distance from each other. I will reply by lighting one and the fires are then to be extinguished. This being arranged Terrence went down and applied a match to the train and then retired at a run. Three minutes later there was a heavy explosion rocks flew high in the air and when the smoke cleared away a cheer from the hillside told that the explosion had been successful. Terrence returned to the bridge a considerable portion of the arch had been blown away and putting 50 men to work the gap was soon carried across the road and widened so that there was a chasm 12 feet across. The parties who were to man the breastworks were now posted. Terrence himself took the command here. The defenders consisted of a company of Bull's Battalion. Half an hour later a deep sound was heard and as it grew louder the head of a column of cavalry was seen approaching. The hole of the forest on the hillside were hidden between rocks or brushwood not a head was shown above the breastworks. The cavalry however halted and an officer with four men rode forward when within 50 yards of the bridge a volley of 20 muskets flashed out from the work behind it. The officer and three men fell the other galloped back to the main body. He had seen nothing beyond the fact that there was a breastwork across the road and friends Jesse thinking that he had bought a small force of peasants in front of him ordered a squadron to charge and clear the obstacle. As before they were allowed to approach to within 50 yards of the bridge when from the breastwork in front and the two side readouts a storm of musketry was poured into them the effect was terrible the head of the squadron was swept away but a few men charged forward until close to the break in the bridge most of these fell but a few galloped back and the remains of the squadron then trotted off in good order no further moments took place for an hour and then a body of infantry some 2000 strong appeared as they passed the cavalry the first two companies were thrown out in skirmishing order and were soon swarming down towards the stream the banks of this although very steep were not impassable by infantry and the defenders of the two side readouts spread themselves along the bank and as the skirmishers approach open fire for a time the rattle of firearms was incessant when the main body of french infantry had as the commander thought ascertain the strength of the defenders the advance in solid order until near the bridge and then wheeled off on either flank in advance with loud shouts a horn was sounded and from the hill sides near a scattering fire of musketry opened at once the french however pushed forward without a pause terraces horn sounded again the men fell back from the bank and the whole company ran at full speed across the narrow valley and took their place with their comrades on the hill side the french crossed the stream under a heavy fire and dividing into two portions prepared to assault both hills simultaneously the combat was obstinate the french suffered heavily but pushed their way up unflinchingly the portuguese encouraged by the shells of their officers held their ground obstinately retreating only at the sound of their horns and renewing the combat the short distance higher up being sheltered by the rocks behind which they lay their loss was but trifling in comparison to that of the french who were forced to expose themselves as they advance and whose numbers would know so rapidly that when halfway up they were on both sides brought to a standstill and then taking shelter behind the rocks they maintained the context on more equal terms by this time a column of four thousand men was marching down to the stream and dividing like the first climb the hills the portuguese now fell back more rapidly their fire slackened and the french with loud shouts pressed up the hill presently the resistance ceased altogether and firing as they advanced at the flying figures of whom they caught an occasional glimpse the french pressed forward as rapidly as the nature of the ground would permit cheering loudly at last they reached the top of the hill and the leaders paused in doubt as they saw before them some 11 or 1200 men drawn up in line four deep at a distance of 50 yards every moment added to the number of the french and as they arrived their officers tried to form them into order when their numbers about equal those of the portuguese two heavy volleys were poured into them and then with loud shouts the portuguese rushed at them with level bayonets the charge was irresistible the french were hurled over the crest and went down the hill carrying confusion and dismay among those climbing up the portuguese pressed them hotly giving them no time to rally and forcing them down to the bottom of the hill without a check then at the signal they fell back to the post that they had held at the beginning of the fight the success was equal on both hill sides and the regiments cheered each other's victory with shouts which rose high above the roar of musketry with their usual discipline the french speedily rallied in spite of the heavy fire that from both sides swept their ranks and they prepared when joined by another regiment which was approaching at the double to their assistance to renew the assault tarence saw that this time the odds would be too great to withstand his horn sounded the retreat and the portuguese turned to make their way out the hill just as a french battery opened fire sheltered them on the rocks the infantry below were unconscious of the movement for on either side a company had been left to continue their fire until the main body gained the top of the hill when they too were summoned by the horns to fall back the wounded have been all taken out the hill and were laid in blankets and carried off by their comrades as the two regiments marched away from the crest of the defile the soldiers were in the highest spirits they had repulsed with heavy loss of french force of three times their own strength and they greeted tarence and bull as they rode together along the column with enthusiastic cheers the wounded in which the first battalion numbered 43 were dispatched with a party a hundred strong to a village four miles away among the mountains and the regiment marched on until it reached the point agreed upon two men were sent forward to reconquer the village and return with a report that had already been occupied by a very strong force of french cavalry half an hour later two reeds of smoke rose on the opposite hill sticks have been gathered in readiness and the answering signal was at once made two minutes later the smoke ceased to rise on either side tarence now received the reports of the captains of the six companies and found that 15 men have been killed and that his strength with us reduced by 58 the men were now told that they could lie down the companies keep you together so as to be ready for instant action trifling wounds of which there were some two or three and 20 were then attended to and bandaged some of these were quite serious enough to have warranted the men falling out but the delight and pride they felt at their success have been so great that they had refused to be taken off with their disabled comrades tarence made a round of the troops and addressed a few words to each company praising their conduct and thanking them for the readiness and quickness with which they had obeyed his orders you see my lads he said what can be done by discipline had it not been for the steady drill that you have had ever since we marched we could not have hoped to oppose the french and i should not have ventured to have done so now you see you have proved that you are as brave as the enemy and not only have you beaten them with heavy loss but the effect of this fight will be to render them more cautious in future and slower in their movements and the news of the blow you have struck will spirit your countrymen everywhere having nothing else to do until darkness fell tarence after finishing his round sat down and added an account of the fight to the report he had written up at their last halting place this was written in duplicate one copy being intended for general critic and the other for the portuguese authorities or the porto outposts have been thrown out towards the village as soon as they halted and after opening their haversacks eating a meal and quenching their thirst at a little rivulet that ran down to the village the men lay down to sleep tired with their long nights march and the excitement of the battle tarence was no exception to the general rule for although he had had his horse yet for the greater part of the distance he had marched on foot as the ruggedness of the ground traversed had in most places been too great to travel in safety on horseback in the dark when night fell all were on their feet again refreshed by a long sleep two men were now sent down to reconquer the village again the reported that it was still occupied by the cavalry the infantry as they could see by the fires along the road had bivouac there and one regiment at least had passed through the village and had occupied the road ahead tarence had already written out his instructions to hurrarah interpret and the three men were dispatched with ease they were warned to be extremely careful for the men who had first been sent had reported that the french had posted centuries out on their flanks one of the messengers was to make a long detour to cross the road half a mile ahead of the french and then to make his way along the opposite hillside to the spot where hurrarah was posted the other two were to make their way as best they could through the village pieces of paper they carried were rolled up into little balls and they were ordered that if notice and an alarm given these were once to be swallowed soon after 10 o'clock the regiment formed up tarence had given detailed orders to the captain of each company these were instructed to call up their men 20 at a time and to explain their orders to them so that every man should know exactly what to do no sound had been heard in the village and tarence felt sure that hurrarah must have received his orders and at a quarter past 10 he with one company moved slowly down towards the village bull with the main body of the force marching westward along the hills six men had volunteered for the service a silencing the french outposts and these leaving their muskets behind stole forward in the advance of the company which halted at some little distance from the french center in a quarter of an hour they returned eight french sentries had been surprised and killed the portchikis crawling up to them until near enough to spring upon and stabbed them without the slightest alarm being given the company now moves silently forward again until within a hundred yards of the village when they halted until the church clocks struck 11 then they rushed down into the village as they entered it shots were fired and an outcry rose from the other side showing that hurrarah had managed matters as well as they had the surprise was complete the street was full of horses while the soldiers had taken shelter in the houses a scene of the wildest confusion ensued the horses were shot for it was most important to cripple this most formidable arm of the french service and the men were attacked as they poured out of the houses bull with a hundred men made his way straight to the upper end of the village and repelled the desperate attempts of a squadron of horse that were posted beyond it in readiness for action to break through to the assistance of their comrades while terrence and hurrarah each with a hundred men held the road at the lower end of the village to check an infantry attack there it was not long before it was delivered the french infantry disciplined veterans accustomed to surprises had sprung to their feet when the first shot was fired and forming instantly into column came on at a run led by their officers terrence with 50 men four deep barred the way across the road the rest of his men were stationed along the high ground flanking it on one side while hurrarah with his hundred flanked the opposite side as the french came on the portuguese on the high ground remained silent and unnoticed but when a flash of fire ran across the road and a deadly volley was poured in upon the enemy those in the flanks at once opened fire for a moment the column paused in surprise and then opened fire at their unseen assailants whose fire was causing such gaps in the ranks the colonel and several other officers who bent at his head had fallen in the den no orders could be heard and for some minutes the head of the column wasted away under the rain of bullets then our general officer dashed up and another body of frenchman came along at a run terrence's horn rang out loudly the signal was repeated in the village the fire instantly ceased and when the french column rushed into their place not a full was to be seen but the street was choked up by dead horses and men these reinforcements did not pause but making their way over the obstacles pressed on to where a roar of fire in front showed how hotly the advance guard was engaged here the surprise had been rather less complete some of the outputs have given the alarm and the french were on their feet before after pouring terrible volleys into them a thousand men fell upon them on either side great numbers of the french fell under the fire and the long line was broken up into sections by the impetuous rush Portuguese nevertheless the french soldiers hung together and the combat raged desperately until the head of the relieving column came up then as suddenly as before the attack ceased not a gun was fired and as if by magic their assailants stole away into the darkness while the french opened a random fire after them an hour later the two portuguese regiments united on the road two miles in advance of the village their loss had been 84 killed in 150 wounded of which 70 were serious cases these were as before sent out to be cared for in the mountain villages the french loss as terrence afterward heard had been very heavy 300 of the cavalry had been killed and upwards of 400 infantry great was the enthusiasm when the two regiments met and after a short halt marched away together into the hills and encamped in a wood two miles from the road what next general leesamal herrara whose left arm had been broken by a bullet asked i think that we are done enough for the present terrence said we will leave it to the rest of the army to do a little fighting now we have lost and killed and wounded some 200 men and i don't wish to see the whole force dwindle away i propose that we do not go near braga i have no idea of putting myself under the commander for year i have seen enough of him already so we will travel by byroads till we get near a portal then we will find out how matters stand there my own idea is that when the french army approaches the huntess courage will ooze out of its finger ends and that the 50 000 peasants which it calls an army will bolt to the verge attack of the french so as i don't mean to be trapped there we will rest on our laurels until we see how matters go it was well for the core of the terrence abstain from joining the army at brega as the french entered the paths of brenda nova the peasants rushed furiously down upon them many broke into the french columns and fighting desperately were slain their survivors made their way up the hillside and then making a detour fell upon the rear of the column killed 50 stragglers and plunder the baggage this spontaneous action of the peasants was the only attempt made to bar the advance of the french and free air permitted them to pass through defile after defile without firing a shot his conduct arose the fury of his troops and the feeling was fanned by agents of the digit who had now become jealous of him and his men rushing upon him dragged him from a house in which he had taken refuge and slew him a fit end to the career of a man who approved himself as unpatriotic as he was incapable on the 18th soul to arrive near braga and the portuguese who are now commanded by even a german officer in the british service drew up to meet him the french began their advance on the 20th and half an hour later the portuguese army was a mob of fugitives the vanquished army lost 4 000 men in all their guns 400 only being taken prisoners the rest dispersed in all directions carrying tales of the invincibility of the french had it not been for the stout resistance offered by 3000 men placed on a position in the rear commanding the road which checked the pursuit of the cavalry and enabled the fugitives to make off scarce a man of the portuguese would have escaped to tell the tale terrence had approached the portal and encamped in a large wood when the fugitives brought him news of the crushing defeat that they had suffered the soldiers were so furious when they heard of the disgraceful rout that terrence and hurrara had difficulty in preventing them from killing the fugitives the results strengthened his position the troops on arriving at their present camping place were eager to be led into a portal terrence and hurrara had talked the matter over several times and agreed that such a step might be fatal standing as his town did on the north side of the river the only means of leaving it was the bridge of boats and if anything happened to this all retreat would be cut off the defeat at braga and once confirmed their opinion that the army of peasants that the bishop had gathered around a portal would be able to make but little resistance to the french attack it would be terrible hurrara said fifty thousand fugitives and a great portion of the inhabitants of the town all struggling to cross the bridge with the french cavalry pressing on their rear and the french artillery playing upon them it is not to be thought of the troops however have been full of confidence in the valor of their countrymen and from their own success against the french believe that the army of braga would certainly defeat salt and there have been some dissatisfaction that they had not been permitted to take part in the victory news brought by the fugitives that once dissipated the hopes that they had entertained they saw that their commander had acted wisely in refusing to join the army there and their feeling of content for the undisciplined ordinance and peasants equaled the confidence that they had before reposed in them terrence ordered the two regiments to form into a hollow square and address them soldiers he said i know that it was a disappointment to you that i did not take you to braga had i done so not one of you would have escaped for when the rest fled like a flock of sheep you could not alone have withstood the attack of the whole french army i know that you wish to enter a portal i have withstood that wish and now you must see that i was right in doing so the peasants gathered in its defense are even less disciplined than those at braga and salt will after two or three minutes fighting capture the place were you there you could not prevent such result you might hold the spot at which you were stationed but the french broken at any other point you would be surrounded and killed to a man what use would that be to portugal you could do more good by living and fighting another day even should you fall back with the other fugitives what chance of safety would there be you know that there is but one bridge of boats across the river and that will soon be blocked by a panic stricken crowd and your chance of crossing would be slight indeed the men who fought at braga those men who will fight before a portal are no more cowards than you are and had they gained as much discipline as you have i would march down with you at once and join in the defense but a mob cannot withstand discipline troops when the portuguese have learned to be soldiers they may fight with a hope of success until then it is taking them to slaughter to send them in line of battle against the french salt may be here in 24 hours therefore i propose to march you down to the river above a portal we are sure to find boats there and we will cross at once to the other side and encamp near the suburb at the south end of the bridge and when the fugitives pour over we will take our station there cover their retreat and prevent the french from crossing in pursuit a murmur of satisfaction broke from the soldiers and swelled into a shout soon after evening fell the core marched from the wood and two hours later came down on the bank of the duro as terence anticipated there were plenty of fishermen's boats hauled up and the rest was passed over by companies by three in the morning all were across and by five they were encamped in the wood beyond the steep hill rising behind the villa nova suburb on the left bank of the river as soon as he had seen the soldier settled terence burled the clothes of one of the men and putting these on instead of his uniform he sent for boland mcwitty and the two soldiers soon arrived they looked in astonishment at their officer i am going into town he said partly to judge for myself of the state of things there and partly on a little private business on my it is possible that i may get into trouble i hope that i shall not do so but it is well to be prepared for any emergency that might happen if then i do not return you are to look to colonel harara for orders when the french enter a portal which i am certain they will do as soon as they attack it you may gather your men at this end of the bridge cover the retreat and repulse all efforts of the french cross as soon as those attempts have ceased you will march with the two regiments for co-embra and report yourselves to the officer commanding there here are my dispatches to the general in which i've done full justice to your bravery and your conduct here is also a note to the officer commanding at co-embra i have spoken to him about your conduct and have asked him to allow you to continue with the portuguese until an order is received from sir john credit i've given colonel harara a duplicate of my dispatches and official orders in case you should be killed cannot we go with you sir blest i don't think so bol dresses you might you could hardly be taken for anything but an englishman your walk and your complexion to say nothing of your hair would betray you both at once the first person who happened to address you would discover that you were not natives and the chances are he would denounce you and that you would be torn to pieces before you could offer any explanation now i think i could pass readily enough the wind and rough weather have brought me to nearly the right color and i know how to speak portuguese well enough to ask any question without exciting suspicion but why not take two of the men with you mcwitty said they can do any talking that was necessary and should anyone suggest that you are not a native they could declare that you were a comrade from their own village bull strongly approved of the suggestion and terence though in some respects he would rather have been alone at last agreed to it they may as well take their arms not for use but to give them the appearance of two men from the camp who come down to make purchases in the city daylight was just breaking as the three crossed the bridge of boats into the town and passed through it up the hill to the great camp that had been established there it covered a large extent of ground and contained 10 sufficient for the whole of the 50 000 men assembled a short distance away was the line of entrenchments on which the peasants had been for some weeks engaged they consisted of forts crowning a succession of rounded hills and connected by earthen ramparts loophold houses ditches and anabattus of felled trees no less than 200 guns were in place on the forts it was a position that two thousand good troops should have been able to hold against an army it is a strong position terence said to the two men with him yes the french can never pass that one of them said exultingly that we shall see they ought not to certainly but whether they will or not is another matter they wandered about for a couple of hours once one of the portuguese joined a group of peasants and learned from them something of the state of things in the town representing the day but just arrived you are lucky you will see we shall destroy the french army our guns will sweep them away every man in the town is full of confidence and the traitors are all trembling in their houses when the news of the business at braga came yesterday and we learned the tragedy of our generals the people rose dragged fifteen suspected men of rank from the prison and killed them there is not a day that some of these traitors are not rooted out that as well the other said it is traitors that are brought us to this pass you will see how we shall fight when the french come the bishop himself has promised to come out in his rubs to give us his blessing and to call down the wrath of heaven on the french infidels after having finished his survey of the line terence returned to the city and following the instructions that he had received to the situation of the convent at santa maria he was not long in finding it it was a massive building the windows of the two lower stories were closely barred you cannot see any way of opening communications with his cousin or of devising any way of escape he however thought it might possibly be managed if you could send in a rope to her and a pulley with means of fixing it and that way he could lower her to the ground but all this would be very difficult to manage even if he had ample time at his disposal and in the present circumstances it was all together impossible he stared at the house for a long time in silence but no idea came to him and it was with a feeling of hopelessness that he recrossed the bridge and rejoined the truce i'm glad to see you back sir bull said heartily i have been in a funk all this morning that something might happen to you it is all gone off quietly i will now tell you and mcwitty what my business here is i may need your help and it is a matter in which none of the portuguese would dare to offer me any assistance i think they would do most anything for you sir mcquitty said they have that confidence in you they would go through fire and water where you to lead them they would do almost anything for what i want done now i have a cousin a young lady who is an heiress to a large fortune her father is dead and her mother a wealthy landowner has had her shut up in a convent where they are trying to force her against her will to become a nun she's come to prisoner on bread and water until she consents to sign a paper surrounding all her rights now what i want to do is to get her out it cannot be done by force that is out of the question it is a strong building and even if the men would consent to attack a convent which they would not do all the town would be up and we should have the whole populace on us so that force is out of the question now the french has sure to take the place when they do there will be an awful scene they will be furious at the resistance they have met with and at the losses that they have suffered they will be maddened and reasonably by the frightful torches inflicted upon prisoners who have fallen into the hands of the portuguese and you may be sure that for some time no quarter will be given the soldiers will be let loose upon the city and there will be no more respect for a convent than a dwelling house you may imagine how frightfully anxious i am if it had not been for the french i would have let the matter stand until our army entered a portal but as it is i must try and do something and as far as i can see the only chance will be in the frightful confusion that will take place when the french enter the town we stand by you mr o'connor you may be sure you have only got to tell us what to do and you may trust us to do it mcwitty who was a man a few words nodded mr o'connor knows that he said thank you both taren said heartily i must think out my plan and when i've decided upon it i will let you know end chapter 16 recording by charles app chapter 17 of with more at caruna by g a henty this is a liverbox recording all liverbox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit liverbox.org recording by charles app with more at caruna by g a henty chapter 17 and escape during his visit to the other side of the river taren said seen with great satisfaction that a powerful battery mounting fifty guns have been erected on the heights of vila nova and its fire he thought should effectively bar any attempt of the french to cross the bridge it would indeed be madness for them to attempt such an operation as the boat supporting the bridge could be instantly sunk by the concentrated fire of the battery he said nothing of this on his return to camp as it might have given rise to fresh agitation among the men where they to be aware that their presence was not really required for the defense of the bridge after a short stay in camp he again went down into the town with the idea that he was more likely to hit upon some plan of action there than he would be in the camp the two men again went with him another prolonged stare at the convent failed to inspire him with any scheme that was in the slightest degree practicable he fell back upon the conclusion he had mentioned to the two troopers that the only chance would be to take advantage of the wild confusion that would prevail upon the entry of the french the difficulty that presented itself to him was that the nuns would be so appalled by the approach of the french that it would be unlikely that they would think of leaving the protection such as it was at the convent and would shrink from encountering the wild turmoil in the streets even if they did so it would be too late for them to have any chance of getting across the bridge which would be wrong to appoint a suffocation by the mob of fugitives it might readily be destroyed by one or two of the boats being sunk by the french artillery the one thing evident was that he must arrange to get a boat and to station it at the end of some street going down to the river from the neighborhood of the convent that part of the city being some distance from the bridge the streets would soon be deserted and there would not be a wild rush of fugitives to the boat which would be the case were to be lying alongside anywhere near the bridge upon the other hand it would be less likely that the nuns would leave the convent if all was comparatively inclined in that neighborhood and did they do so it would be difficult in the extreme to carry off his cousin from their mists ignore two as he was of her appearance after looking for some time at the convent he returned to the more busy part of the town presently he heard a great shouting every window open and he saw a crowd coming along the street by the candles banners crucifixes and canopies it was evident that it was a religious procession he was about to turn off into a side street when the thoughts struck him that possibly it was the bishop himself on the way up to the camp therefore he remained in his place dovetas had and like all around him went down on one knee procession was a long and stately one and in the midst walking beneath the canopy came the bishop himself taryn's gaze that him fixedly in order to impress on his mind the features of the man whose ambition had cost portugal so dearly and at whose instigation so much blood of the most honest incapable men of the province had been shed the faiths fully justified the idea that he had formed on the man the bishop was of commanding presence and walked with an air of one who was accustomed to see all bow before him but on the other hand the faceboard traces of his violent character there was a set smile on his lips but his brow was heavy and frowning while his receding chin contradicted the strength of the upper part of his face there was to a look of anxiety and restlessness betrayed by a nervous twitching of the lips the scoundrel is a coward taryn said to himself he may profess absolute confidence but i don't think he feels it and i will bet odds that he won't be in the front when the time for fighting comes taryn's walked away after the procession had passed if one could get hold of the bishop he said to himself one might get an order on the superior of the convict to hand over mario connor to the bearer i don't see how that can possibly be managed of course he is surrounded by priests and officials all day and his palace will be guarded by any number of soldiers for he must have many enemies there must be scores relatives of men who have been killed by his orders who would assassinate him bishop though he is had they had a chance and even if i got an order and it seems to me impossible to do so it would not be made out in the name of mario connor i know that they changed their names when they go into nunneries and she may be sister angela or cecilia or anything else and i should not know in the slightest degree whether the name he put down was the one that she really goes by no that idea is out of the question returning to the camp he held council with harara the latter he knew had none of the bigotry so general among his countrymen he had before told him about his cousin being shut up against her will and of the letter that she had thrown out but had hitherto said nothing of his intention to bring about her escape if possible i had an idea that that was what was in your mind when you went off so early this morning o'connor i have high respect for the church but i have no respect for his abuses and the shutting up of a young lady and forcing her to take the veil in order to rob her of her property is as hateful to me as it can be to you so that i should have no hesitation in aiding you in your endeavor to bring about her escape have you formed any plan no i have thought it over again and again but i cannot think of any scheme if that is the case o'connor i fear that it is useless for me to try to do so you are so full of ideas always that if you cannot see your way out of the difficulty it is hopeless to expect that i could do so if you can contrive any plan i will promise to aid you in any way you can point out but as to inventing one i should never do so if i rack my brain ever so much there must be some way taryn said i used to get into all sorts of screets when i was a boy but found there was always some way out to them if one could but hit upon it the one thing that i could think of is the carrier off in the confusion when the french enter the town i should say that the nuns would never think of leaving their convent o'connor it is their best hope of safety to remain there no doubt it is but the french don't always respect the convents very much to the contrary indeed no i don't think that they would go out merely to rush into the street but they might go out if they thought that they could get over the bridge before the french arrived they might do that certainly indeed it would be the best thing they could do do you think that if one were to dress up as a priest or as one of the bishop's attendants and go as from him with an order to the lady superior to take the nuns at once across the bridge to the convent on the other side she would obey it not without some written order herara said the bishop would naturally send someone who would be known to her or if he did send a stranger he would give him a letter or some token she would recognize otherwise she could not know that it was his order that is what i was afraid of herara but it is what i shall try if i can see no other way indeed i see only one chance of getting over the difficulty the bishop is a tyrant of the worst kind now as far as i can remember tyrants of his sort that is to say tyrants who rule by working on the passions of the mob are always cowards i watched the bishop closely when i saw him today and i am convinced he is one also even in that kneeling crowd he could not conceal it there was a nervous twitching about his lips which to my mind showed that he was in the state of intense anxiety and that under all his swagger and show of confidence he was nevertheless in a horrible state of alarm that being so it seems to me extremely likely that when the fighting begins he will make a bolt of it he won't wait for the french to enter for he would know well enough that in their fury at their defeat the fugitives if they came upon him would be likely to tear him from limb to limb just as they have murdered dozens of infinitely better men so i think that he will make off beforehand i imagine that he will go secretly and with only two or three attendants but you can never carry him off without an alarm being raised if that is what you're thinking of o'connor no i'm not thinking of that but if i could say with bold and mcwitty suddenly attack him like three robbers we might carry off something that would serve as a sort of passport to the lady abyss for instance he had a tremendously big ring on i noticed as he held up his hands as if on purpose to show it off that was his episcopal ring around her left yes if you could get hold of that it would be a key that would open the door of any convent do you think she would hand my cousin over to me if i shoulder to her and gave her a message as from the bishop yes if you knew the name you see from the day she was made a nun she lost her former name altogether and certainly the bishop would send for her under her convent name that is what i was thinking myself that i must get them all out you have got to get the ring first have i said with a smile yes yes i mean if i get it but if the french have entered the town you can never get them across the bridge no i know that i mean to get a boat and have it lying off the end of some quiet street i could put a couple of our men into that for they would only regard it when i got her on the boat as an effort on my part to save one of the nuns from the french one thing to do would be to get the robe of a priest or the dress of one of the bishop's officials i rather thought for some time i think i could do that for you all conner of course i have a good many acquaintances on a portal among them some ladies i was attempting to go across this evening and see some of them and implore them to leave the town before it is too late one of these friends of mine might buy some robes for me a woman could do that sort of thing when a man cannot she can pretend that she wants to buy the robe as a present for the parish priest or her father confessor or something of that sort at any rate it is worth trying it is indeed harara and if you can manage it i should be greatly obliged to you i will go across at once i expect salt will be close out tomorrow morning or at any rate the next day it may be another couple of days before he gets his whole force concentrated but in four days anyhow his shop will be rattling down into the town i will go and see what i can do you would better get one of my troopers to get the boat for you harara did not return until early in the following morning i have managed it he said his parents who was getting very anxious about a ran forward to meet him there's one family in a portal whose eldest son is a brother officer of mine and have met them several times at lisbon indeed i may tell you frankly that had it not been for the troubles his sister would at this time had been a fiance to me i had hoped that they had left the town before this but they told me that any movement of that sort might bring disaster on them two of her brothers are in the army and the bishop could not therefore pretend that the father was a traitor to the country being an elderly man the latter has in fact held a loop altogether from politics he is certainly not of the bishops party and the bishop considers that all who are not with him are against him had they attempted to leave the town there is no doubt he would have made it a pretext for arresting the father and would certainly do so on the first opportunity however they quite believe that the great force that there is here would be sufficient to defend the fortifications and were completely taken aback when i told them that i was absolutely convinced that the place would fall at the first attack of the french they agreed to make all preparations for leaving at once their horses have been seized nominally that they should be used on the fortifications for really i have no doubt to prevent their leaving of course i told them all about what we have been doing in which they were intensely interested for all they know their house may be watched so they will come out and some of their servants close i told them that they must leave on the night before salt made his attack of course he will summon the town and the bishop will of course refuse to surrender and you may be sure the french will attack on the following day they left me alone with Lorenzo for a time and i took that opportunity of telling her about your plan and what she wanted and she promised to procure your the dress of an ecclesiastic tomorrow i told her that you were about my size and height she knew your cousin personally and was very fond of her and therefore enter all the more readily into our plans to get her out she said that she disappeared suddenly some months ago and that her mother had given out that she had been suddenly seized with the determination to enter a convent much against her own wishes Lorenzo felt sure that this was not true for she knew that your cousin had heard from her father much about the reformed religion and was in her heart disposed that way the mother is engaged to be married to a nobleman who was one of the bishop's warmest supporters and the general idea was that mario connor had been forced into a nunnery against her will i sat talking with them until late last night and they were not here by leaving especially as they said that the town was full of bands of ruffians who traversed the streets attacking and robbing anyone of respectable appearance as i had rather a fancy to try what a comfortable bed was like again i did not need much pressing thank you greatly i am indeed obliged to you things seem to look really helpful i have arranged with bolder mcquitty that on the evening before the attack is likely to take place we will watch all night at the end of the bridge the bishop won't leave until the last thing but i would wager any money he would do so that night he won't go farther than vila nova so as to be ready to cross again at once if the news comes that the friendship had been beaten off no doubt he will make the excuse that as an ecclesiastic he could take no active part in the defense but have been engaged in prayer which had done more towards gaining the victory than his presence could possibly have done i should not be surprised that that should be his cause herara said smiling at any rate for your sake i hope that it will be have you seen about a boat yes i spoke to a francisco nortes yesterday evening and told them that i wanted to hire a boat with two boatmen for the next week they were to be at his service night and day he was to tell them that he would not want it for fishing but that in any case by any possibility the friendship to town he should be able to go across and bring some friends over when i told him that money was no object he said that there would be no difficulty about it they will be glad enough to get a good week's pay and next to nothing to do for it two days passed quietly on the first day the news arrived that silvira had invested chavez on the day of the battle of braga and enforced the garrison which consists of but a hundred fighting men with 1200 sick to capitulate day after day news came of the advance of the french they had moved in three columns each had met with a stout resistance but had carried the passes and bridges at the severe loss one of the columns had been held for some time in check at the point of but had carried it at last we're upon the portuguese had murdered their general and dispersed on the 26th six days after the battle of braga francesi's cavalry were seen approaching the position in front of a porto the alarm bells rung the troops hurried to their positions but the day passed off quietly the confidence of the people being still further raised by the arrival of 2000 regular troops sent by biersford to their assistance as there were already seven or eight thousand regular troops in the camp it seemed to all that assault had but 20 000 men fit for action the defenses ought to be held against him for any length of time the majority indeed believed that he would not even venture to attack the town when upon his arrival he perceived his strength especially when they knew that he but a few guns with him his park of artillery being still a toy which was closely invested by the spaniards on the following day the whole french army settled down in front of the portuguese works and a wild and purplish fire was now opened by the defenders although the french were far beyond musket range salt sent in a message to the bidsard urging him to surrender he assured him that resistance was hopeless and that it was his earnest desire to say so great a city from the horrors of a storm the message was sent by a prisoner who was seized by the mob in spite of the flag of truth said he carried and would have been murdered had he not assured the people that he came with a message from salt to the effect that seeing the hopelessness of attacking the town or a marching back from the frontier in safety he wished to negotiate for a surrender for himself and his army at one point the portuguese displayed a white flag and shouted that they wished to surrender a french general advanced with another officer but when they reached the lines the portuguese fell upon him killed his companion and carried the general prisoner into the town the negotiations were prolonged until evening but the bishop declined all souls overtures and the fire from the entrenchments continued in the course of the evening merleys division in order to divert attention from the point sold headed fixed upon for the attack moved towards the portuguese left when a tremendous fire of artillery and musketry opened upon it the division made its way forward and occupied some hollow ground which shielded it from fire within a very short distance of the entrenchments feeling that the crisis was at hand tarrans had everything prepared the boatmen were told that they might be required that night and that they were to have the boat and rain as to start at any moment harara had warned his friends and went to their house with six of his men as soon as it became dusk to escort them over tarrans with his two troopers clad in the dresses of two of the tallest of the men and wrapped in cloaks with their broad heads pressed low down upon their foreheads went down to the end of the bridge as soon as it became quite dark the river was 300 yards broad but the sound of the confusion and alarm that prevailed in the city could be plainly heard although the evening had set in rough and tempestuous the shouts of the exciting mob mingled with the clanging of the church bells that does not sound like the confidence in victory tarrans remarked quite the other way sir i should say that after all their bragging every man in the place is in a blue funk a great many people especially women with children were making their way across a bridge about nine o'clock a little knot of five or six men following a tall figure past them that is the bishop tarrans whispered and in pursuance of the orders that he had previously given them the two men followed him as he fell in at a short distance behind the group these turned off from the main road and took one that led up to the seara convent standing on the crest of a rugged hill as soon as they had passed beyond the houses at the foot of the hill and the road was altogether deserted tarrans said to the men now is our time do you take the attendance i will manage the bishop they move forward quickly and silently until they were close to the group then they dash forward as the startled attendants turn round the troopers fell upon them and with heavy blows from their fists knocked them to the ground like nine pins the bishop turned around and shouted villains i am the bishop i know that tarrans exclaimed and sprang at him the prelate reeled and fell tarrans threw himself upon him and seizing his hand rested from at the episcopal ring then upon seeing that the bishop had fainted probably from fright tarrans leapt to his feet the five attendants were lying on the ground all right lads he said we have got what we wanted but just stripped off one of these fellows clothes take this one he is a priest it took but a minute for the two troopers to strip off the garment and pick up the three-quartered hat they reached the houses again without hearing so much as a cry from the astonished portuguese who as yet had but a vague idea of what had happened to them the capture of the clothes had been rendered necessary by harara's report two days before that the young lady had failed to get the clothes but the shopman had asked so many questions concerning them that she had said carelessly that it made no matter she had intended to give them as a present and a surprise but as there seemed a difficulty about it she would give money instead and let the priest choose his own clothes she had purposely entered a shop in the opposite end of the town from that in which her father lived so that there would be less chance of her being recognized harara said that she would try elsewhere but tarrans had once begged him to tell her not to do so the bishop is sure to have some of his priests with him he said and if i robbed him of his ring i might just as well rob one of them of his clothes i'm returning to the camp tarrans found that his comrade had already arrived with a gentleman and three ladies the tent haven't given up for the use of the latter harara had warned him not to say a word to the old gentleman of his adventure he and the others know nothing about it he said and it is just as well that they shouldn't for he is somewhat rigid in his notions and might be rather horrified at your assaulting the bishop however great a scoundrel he might be and would be especially so at the borrowing of his ring a twelve o'clock heavy peels of thunder were heard followed by a tremendous outbreak of firing from the entrenchments two hundred guns and a terrific musketary fire opening suddenly the french on attacking harara explained i don't think so tarrans replied it is more likely to be a false alarm the truce may have thought that the thunder was the roar of french guns souls would hardly make an attack at night or not knowing the nature of the ground behind the entrenchments his men would be falling into confusion and perhaps fire into each other as after a quarter for an hour a prodigious din the fire slackened and presently seized altogether it was evident that this supposition was a correct one the morning broke bright and still and an hour later the candidate began again tarrans at once after telling harara to form the troops up and march them down to the end of the bridge left the camp and after proceeding a short distance took off his uniform and dawned the attire of the ecclesiastic and then hurried down into the town he was accompanied by the two troopers in their peasant dresses these left him at the bridge the din was now tremendous every church bell was ringing furiously and frightened women were already crowding down towards the bridge their point of crossing had already been decided upon it was at the end of a street close to the convent and when tarrans reached the convent the two men were already standing at the end of the street awaiting him now you do your part of the business and i will do mine tarrans said and he moved forward to the door of the convent where he would be unseen should anyone look out the two troopers went to the middle of the street opposite the window which the officer described to tarrans and both shouted in a stentorian voice the shout was heard about the two moles of the battle and the din in the city and a head appeared at the window and looked down with a bewildered expression mario corner both shouted again a friend is here to rescue you you will leave the convent directly with the rest look out for us then they walked on and passed tarrans have you seen her face we have sir we will know her again never fear tarrans now sees the bell and rang it vigorously the door opened and a terrified face appeared at the window i have a message from the bishop to the lady superior the door was opened and was at once closed and barred behind him he was led along some passages to the room where the lady superior pale and agitated was awaiting him have the fridge entered the entrenchments she asked i trust they have not entered yet but they may do so at any moment the bishop is at the sarah convent and from there has a view over the town to the entrenchments he begs you to instantly bring the nuns across for they will be in safety there whereas no one can say what may happen in the town here is his episcopal ring improved that i am the bearer of his orders i pray you to hasten sister for a crowd of fugitives are already pouring over the bridge and there is not a moment to be lost the nuns are just coming down to prayer in the chapel and we will start instantly in two minutes upward of a hundred frightened women were gathered in the courtyard are all here terrorist asked the lady superior all of them i asked because i know that he is specially anxious that one who was a sort of prisoner should not fall into the hands of the french as that might cause serious trouble i know who you mean and she called out sister theresa there was no answer it's as well as you asked she said they have forgotten her she gave orders to one of the sisters who at once entered the house and returned in a minute with a young nun the door was now open and they moved out in procession terrorists could hear regular volleys amidst the roar guns and the incessant crack of muskets i fear that they have entered the entrenchments he said he's in sister or we shall be too late with hurried steps they passed along the deserted streets as they near the bridge a crowd of fugitives were hastening in that direction and when they approached his head they found it blocked by a struggling mass what is to be done the lady superior asked in consternation we must wait a minute or two they may clear off but every second the crowd increased and was soon thick behind them already the line of nuns was broken up by the pressure terrence had kept his eyes on the two tall figures who had followed at first behind them and then quicken their footsteps until a breast of the center of the line and to a satisfaction cell that they had one of the nuns between them and were forcing their way with her through the crowd behind at this moment a terrible cry arose from the crowd a troop of portuguese dragoons rode furiously down the street leading to the bridge and dashed into the crowd trampling all on their way in their reckless terror until they gained the end of the bridge as they rode on to it two of the boats already low in the water from the way upon them gave a surge and sank carrying with them hundreds of people the crowd recoiled with a cry of horror there was no escape now sister the parents said go back to the convent she cried in a loud shrill voice that made itself heard even over the screens of the drowning people and the whales and cries of the mob terrence placed himself before the lady superior and by main force made a way through the crowd which was the more easy as seeing their only escape cut off numbers were now beginning to disperse through their homes the movement was converted into a wild rush when a troop of french cavalry came sundering down to the bridge in a moment all was mad confusion and fright the nuns followed their superior and all thought of decorum being now lost fled with her like a flock of frightened sheep along the street leading to the convent terrence paused a moment he saw that the french troopers threw themselves from their horses and all animosity being for the moment forgotten in the horror of the scene set the work to endeavor to save the drowning wretches regardless of the fire which as soon as the french appeared was opened by the battery and the height of vila nova then he sped way after the nuns whom he soon passed he turned down the street next to the convent and on reaching the end saw the two troopers with a nun in a boat ten yards away mcwitty was standing covering the two boatmen with his pistols roll back to the store again he roared out in english and take off that gentleman there the men did not understand his words but they understood his gestures and a stroke or two took them alongside terrence lept in and told the men to roll across the river this is an unexpected meeting cousin he said to the girl they have been telling me who you are and how you have affected my rescue she said burst into tears how can i thank you well this is hardly a time for thanks he said and i am glad as you are that it is all turned out well i will tell you all about it as soon as we get across they were nearly over when he's claimed to the troopers the french have repaired the bridge with planks see they are crossing they sprang out on reaching the opposite shore a moment later a rattle of musketry broke out mcwitty he said i will give this young lady into your charge take her straight up to the camp there are three ladies there he said to his cousin and in the tent they have some clothes for you to change into it will not be long before i shall rejoin you but i must join my regiment now they are engaged with the enemy as he hurried along with bull he could hear above the sound musketry the sharp crack of the field guns from the opposite side of the river they are covering the passage bull as he came up he found that harara had taken possession of the houses near the end of the bridge a part of his troops filled the windows while the main body lined the quay the french were recoiling but a mass of the troops could be seen at the further end of the bridge and two field batteries were keeping up an incessant fire harara was posted with a company at the end of the bridge we had better fall back harara before they form a fresh column of attack we might repulse them again but they will be able to cross by boats elsewhere and we shall be taken in front and rear let us draw off in good order the infantry will be sure to march straight against the battery on the hill behind and it'll be half an hour before the cavalry can cross and by that time we shall be well underway whereas if we stop here until we are taken in flanker rear we should be cut to pieces i quite agree with you harara said and ordered the men with the horn standing beside him to sound the retreat the men near it once formed up and got in motion those in the houses poured out and in two minutes the whole force were going up the hill at a trot but still preserving their order five minutes later the head of the french column poured over the bridge just as the troops reached the place of encampment the fire of the battery ceased suddenly and the chapter 17 recording by charles sap chapter 18 of with more at karuna by gia henty this is the liverbox recording all liverbox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit liverbox dot org recording by charles sap with more at karuna by gia henty chapter 18 mary o'connor never was a large force of men driven from a very strong position carefully prepared and defended by a vast number of guns so quickly and easily as were the portuguese before a portal but bishop after rejecting salt summons and disregarding his prayers to save the city from ruin suddenly lost heart and after all his boasting slipped away after dark to the convent leaving the command to the generals of the army the faint which salt had made with merleys division the night before against the portuguese left succeeded perfectly the portuguese massing their forces on that side to resist the expected attack salt's real intentions however were to break through the center of the line and then to drive the portuguese right and left away from the town while he pushed a body of troops straight through the city to seize the bridge and thus cut off all retreat accordingly he commenced the attack on both wings the portuguese weakened their center to meet these and then the central division of the french rushed forward burst through the entrenchments and carried at once the two principal forts then two battalions marched into the town and made for the bridge while the rest fell on the portuguese rear the french right carried in succession a number of forts then two battalions marched into the town and made for the bridge while the rest fell on the portuguese rear the french right carried in succession a number of forts took 50 pieces of artillery and drove off a great mass of the portuguese from the town while merleys met with equal success on the other flank half the portuguese therefore were driven up the valley of the duro and the other half towards the sea maddened by terror some of them strove the swim across others to get over in small boats lima their general shouted to them that the river was too wide to swim and that those who took two bows would be shot down by the pursuing french whereupon his own troops turned upon him and murdered him although the french were about a couple of a hundred yards away they then renewed their attempt to cross and many perished similar scenes took place in the valley above the town but here the french cavalry interposed between the panic stricken fugitives in the river and so prevented them throwing away their lives in the hopeless attempt to swim across in the meantime incessant fireworks going on in the city the french column arriving at the bridge after doing their best to rescue the drowning people sacrificed to the heartless cowardice of the portuguese cavalry speedily repaired the break caused by the sinking bows and prepared to cross the river while others scattered through the town the inhibitors fired upon them from the roofs and windows and 200 men defended the britches palace to the last every house was the scene of conflict the french on entering one of the principal squares found a number of their comrades who had been taken prisoners and sent to the town still alive but horribly mutilated some of them having been blinded others having legs cut off and all mutilated in various ways this terrible site naturally goaded them to such a state of fury that salt in vain endeavored to stop the work of slaughter and pillage this continued for several hours and altogether the number of portuguese who perished by drowning and slaughter in the streets was estimated at 10 000 of which the number killed in the defense of the work's form but an insignificant portion terence on his arrival at the camp in the wood resumed his uniform herara had on the previous day purchased a light wagon and two horses for the use of the ladies and as soon as the men had strapped on the cloaks and blankets which they had left behind when they advanced to the defense of the bridge the retreat began not until he had seen the column fairly on his way the terrace right up to speak to the occupants of the wagon he had not been introduced by herara to his friends for on his return from his encounter with the bishop the ladies had already retired to their tent i must introduce myself to you don jose i am terrence o'connor an ensign in his britannic majesties regiment of maio fusiliers and an aid to camp a general critic a very humble personage though at present in command of these troops irregular regiments of the portuguese army luden and herara has told us so much about you senior o'connor that we have been looking forward with my pleasure to meeting you allow me to present you to my wife and daughters who have been as anxious as myself to meet an officer who has done such good services to the cause and to whom it is due at the present moment that we are here instead of being an immense of the terrible things that are no doubt at this moment being enacted in oporto terrence bowed deeply to the ladies and then said to his cousin i almost require introducing to you for i caught by the glimpse of you as we cross the river and you look so different now that you have got rid of that hideous attire that i don't think that i should have known you you have changed greatly too senior o'connor terrence burst into a laugh my dear cousin it is evident that you know very little of english customs though you speak english so well we don't call our cousins mr and miss you will have to call me terrence and i shall certainly call you mary mcquitty brought you back to camp all right yes but it was terrible to hear all that firing and i was wondering all the time whether you were being hurt there is a great deal of powder fired away to everyone that gets hit do you know what has happened in the town don jose asked i know no more than what my cousin has no doubt told you of that terrible scene at the bridge it is evident that the french burst through the lines without any difficulty as we saw no soldiers except those cowardly cavalrymen before the french arrived it is probable that the entrenchments were carried in the center and sold evidently sent a body of soldiers straight through the town to secure the bridge i think he must have cut off the main body of the defenders of the entrenchments from entering the town and must either have captured them or driven them off the fire of canon has ceased over there before we retired and it is clear from that that the whole of the entrenchments must have been captured there was however a heavy rattle of musketry in the town and i suppose that the houses and perhaps some barricades were being defended it was a mad thing to do for it would only excite the fury of the french troops and get them out of hand altogether if there have been no resistance the colons might have marched in in good order but even then i fear there might have been trouble for unfortunately your presence have behaved with such merciless cruelty to all stragglers who fell into their hands that the thirst for vengeance would in any case have been irrepressible still the officers might possibly have preserved order had there been no resistance shall we be pursued do you think senor don jose's wife asked i do not think so possibly parties of horse may scour the country for some distance round to see if there's anybody a troops here but we are all too strong to be attacked by any but a very numerous body of horse and if they should attempt it you may be sure that we can render a very good account of ourselves we have beaten off the french horse once and as since then we have had some stiff fighting i have no fear of the men being unsteady even if all french sessies cavalry came down upon us of that however there will be little chance the french had their hands full for some days and a few scouting parties are all that they are likely to send out you speak portuguese very well terence mario connor said in that language hesitating a little before she used his christian name i have been nearly nine months in the country during most of which i have been on the staff and have had to communicate with peasants and others and for the past two months i have spoken nothing else necessity is a good teacher besides which lieutenant harara has been good enough to take great pains in correcting my mistakes and teaching me the proper idioms another six months of this work and i have no doubt i should be able to pass as a native after marching 15 miles to call them halted terence feeling assured that the french would not push out their scouting parties more than three or four miles from vila nova they halted at the edge of a forest and a party under one of the officers was at once dispatched to a village two miles away and returned in an hour with a droja pigs that had been brought there and a cart laden with bread and wine fires had already been lightened and after seeing that the rations were divided among the various companies terence went to the tent harara was chatting with his friends and mary o'connor came out at once and joined him that is right mary we will take a stroll in the wood and have a talk together now tell me how have you got on i'd expected to find you quite thin and almost starving no i've had plenty to eat she laughed the sisters kept me well supplied i am sure that most of them were sorry for me and they used to hide away some of their own bread and bring it to me when they had a chance the lady superior was very hard and if i had had to depend entirely on what she sent me up i should have done very badly i always ate as much as i could as i wanted to keep up my strength for i knew that if i got weak i might give way and do what they wanted and i was quite determined that i would not if i could help it mcquitty told you i suppose how i came to hear where you were imprisoned yes he said that the officer had given you the letter that i dropped to him yet how did he come to know that you are my cousin it was quite an accident just the similarity of name we were chatting and he said casually i've supposed you have no relatives at a portal and i have once said i had for fortunately my father had been telling me about your father and you the last time i saw him that is four months ago he was badly wounded at the mirror an invalid at home then captain travers told me about getting your letter and what was in it and i felt sure that it was you and of course made up my mind to do what i could to get you out though at the time i did not think that i should be in a portal until i entered with the british army but i cannot think how you got us all the start and walked along with the lady superior as if you were a friend of hers mcquitty had not time to tell me that i was so frightened and bewildered with the dreadful noise and the strangeness of it all that it could not ask him any questions it was by virtue of this ring he said holding up his hand why she explained in surprise that is the bishops i noticed it on his finger when he came one day to me and scolded me and said that i should remain a prisoner if it was for years until my obstinate spirit was broken but how did you get it not with the bishops good will you may be sure mary terrence laughed and he told her how he had become possessed of it the girl looked quite scared it sounds dreadful doesn't it mary to think that i should have laid hands upon a bishop and such a bishop a man who regards himself as the greatest in portugal however there was no other way of getting the ring and i could not see how without it i could persuade the lady superior to leave her convent with you all and to tell you the truth i would rather he got it that way than any other the bishop is in my opinion a man who deserves no respect he has terrorized all the north of portugal has caused scores of better men than himself to be imprisoned or put to death and has now by his folly in ignorance costalized and no one knows how many thousand men and brought about the sack of a portal did you hear anything of my mother the girl asked no my portuguese was not good enough for me to ask questions without risking being detected as a foreigner at once she has behaved shamefully to you mary she never liked me the girl said simply she and father never got on well together and i think her dislike began by his taking to me am i liking to be with him in getting to talk english there was a terrible quarrel between the ones because she accused him of teaching me to be a protestant although he never did so he did give me a bible i used to ask him questions and he answered them that was all but as it did seem to me that he was much wiser in all things than she was i thought that he might be wiser religion too i would have given out the property directly they wanted me to if they will let me go away to england but when they took me to the convent and cut off my hair and forced me to become a nun i will not give way to them i never took the vows terence i would not open my lips but they went on with the service just the same i was determined i would not yield i thought that the english would come someday and that i might be freed then what would you have done in england if you had gone there mary i should have found your father out and gone to him father told me that your father was his greatest friend and just before he died he told me that he had privately sent over all his own money to a bank at cork and ordered it to be put in your father's name it was a good deal of money for he would not give up the business when he married my mother though she wanted him to but he said that he could not live in islas on her money and that he must be doing something and i know that he kept up the house in a portal while she kept up her place in the country he told me that the sum he had sent over was 20 000 pounds that will be enough to live on won't it plenty terence laughed i had no idea that i was rescuing such an eris i was sure that there was no chance that you're getting your mother's money at any rate as long as the bishop was leader of a portal however just your claim no judge would decide in your favor now tell me about yourself terence and your home in ireland and all about it my home has been the regiment mary my father has a few hundred acres and county mail and a tumbledown house that is to say it was a tumbledown house when i saw it four years ago but it had been shut up for a good many years and i should not be surprised if it has quite tumbled down now however my father was always talking of going to live there when he left the army the land is not worth much i think there are 500 acres and they led for about 100 a year however my father has been in the regiment now for about 18 years and as i was born in barracks i have only been three or four times to balanagra and then only because father took a fancy to have a look at the old house my mother died when i was 10 years old and i ran almost wild until i got my commission last june and how did you come to be a staff officer of the english general she asked i have had awfully good luck terence replied it happened in all sorts of ways please tell me everything she said i want to know all about you it is a long story mary so much the better she said i know nothing of what has passed for the last year and i dare say i should learn about it from your story you don't know how happy i am feeling to be out in the sun and in the air again and to see the country after being shot up in one room for a year suppose we sit down here and you tell me the whole story terence accordingly related the history of his adventure since he had left england the girl asked a great many questions and specially insisted upon hearing his own adventures very fully it is no use you're keeping on saying that it is all luck she said when he had finished your colonel could not have thought that it was luck when he wrote the report about that adventure at sea and your general could not have thought so either or he would not have praised you in his dispatch then you know general fame must have thought that it was quite out of the way or he would not have chosen you to be on a staff then afterwards the other general must have been pleased with you or he would not have put you on his staff and sent you off on a mission to general manna it is quite certain that these things who not have been all luck terence and anyhow you cannot pretend that it was luck that this regiment of yours fought so well against the french while none of the others seem to have fought at all i suppose that you will say next that it was all luck that you got me out of the convent there was a great deal luck in it mary if that cowardly bishop hadn't left a portal secretly after declaring that he would defend it until the last i could never got his ring you would have got me out some other way if he hadn't the girl said with confidence no terence you could say what you like but i shall always consider that you have been wonderfully brave and clever then you will always think quite wrong terence said bluntly i shall begin to think that you are a tyrant like the bishop of a portal if you speak in that positive way how old are you sir i was sixteen six months ago and i was sixteen three days ago she said that's a year commanding two thousand soldiers and only six months older than i am it is not i it is the uniform terence said they obey me when they won't obey their own officers because i am on the english general staff they know that we have thrashed the french and that their own officers know nothing at all about fighting and they have no respect whatever for them more than that they despise them because they know that they are always intriguing and that really although they may be called generals they are about politicians you will see when they get english officers to discipline them they will turn out capital soldiers but they think so little of their own that if anything goes wrong their first idea is that their officers must be traitors and so fall upon them and murder them you look older than i do mary you seem to be quite a woman while in spite of my uniform and my command and all that i am really only a boy i suppose i am almost a woman terence but i don't feel so you see out here girls often marry at sixteen i know father said once that he hoped i shouldn't marry until i was eighteen that he wanted to keep me young i never thought about getting almost a woman until the bishop told me one day that if i choose to marry a senior that he would choose for me he would get me absolution for my vows that i need not then resign my property the old blaggard terence exclaimed angrily and what did you say to him i said that in the first place i had never thought of marrying that in the second place i had not taken any vows and in the third place that when i did marry i would choose for myself he got into a terrible rage and said that i was an obstinate heretic and that someday when i was tired of my prison i would think better of it i would have hit the bishop hard if i had known about that terence grumbled if i ever fall in with him again i will pay him out for it well anyhow i may as well take off his ring it might lead to awkward questions if anyone noticed it i think that you had certainly better do so terence it might cost you your life the bishop is a bad man and he is a very dangerous enemy if he heard that an english officer was wearing an episcopal ring and upon inquiring found that that officer had been in a portal at his capture he would know at once that it was you who assaulted him and he would never rest until he had your life you had better throw it away all right here goes terence said carelessly and he threw the ring into a clump of bushes now mary it is getting dark and i should think supper must be waiting for us yes it is late we have been a long while indeed the girl said getting enough hastily i forgot all about time we are in plenty of time terence said looking as watch as we all had some cold meek for lunch as soon as we arrived i ordered dinner at six o'clock and it wants 20 minutes of that time now it is shocking according to our portuguese ideas she said demurely for a young lady and gentlemen to be talking together for nearly three hours without anyone to look after them it is not at all shocking according to irish ideas terence said laughing especially when the young lady and gentlemen happened to be cousins they walked on a short time in silence then she said i have obeyed you terence and haven't uttered a word of thanks for what you have done for me that shows that you are a good girl terence laughed good girls always do as they are told at least they're supposed to though as to the fact i never had any experience for i have no sisters and there were no girls and barracks still i am glad that you kept your promise and hope that you will always do so being a cousin of course it was natural that i should try to rescue you and you would not if i hadn't been a cousin no i don't say that i dare say i should have tried the same if i heard that any english or irish girl was shut up here from sure i should if i had seen you beforehand she colored a little of the compliment and said lightly father told me once that irish men were great hands of compliments he told me that there was some stone that people went to an old castle to kiss i think he called it the blarney stone and after that they be able to say all sorts of absurd things i have never kissed the blarney stone terence said laughing if i wanted to kiss anything it would be something a good deal softer than that they were now entering the camp and in a few minutes they arrived at the tent i began to think that you were lost okana harara said as they came up we had a lot to talk about terence replied my cousin has been assisting upon my telling her my whole history and all about what has passed here since she was shut up a year ago and as you may imagine it was rather a long story a few minutes later they sat down on the ground to a meal in which roast pork was the leading feature this is what we call in england a picnic seniora terence said to don jose's wife a picnic she repeated what does that mean it is a funny word i have no idea why it should be called sold terence said it means an open air party the ladies are supposed to bring the provisions and the gentleman the wine sometimes it is a boating party at other times they drive in carriages to the spot agreed upon it is always very jolly and much better than a formal meal indoors and you can play all sorts of tricks what sort of tricks seniora oh there are lots of them i was always having fun before i became an officer my father was one of the captains of the regiment and i was generally in for any amusement that there was once at a picnic i remember that i got hold of the salt sellers and mustard pots beforehand i filled up one with powdered ensign salts which are horribly nasty you know and i mixed the mustard with saiyan and pepper nobody could make out what had happened to the food they soon suspected the mustard but nobody thought of the salt for a long time the colonel was furious over it but fortunately they could not prove that i had any hand in the matter though i know that they suspected me for i did not get an invitation to a picnic for a long time afterwards the three girls laughed but don jose said seriously but you would have gotten into serious trouble if you had been found out would you not i should have gotten a licking no doubt senior but i was pretty accustomed to that and it did not trouble me in any way at any rate it did not cure me or my love of mischief i'm afraid i shall never be cured of that i used to have no end of fun in the regiment i think that it did us all good it takes some thinking to work out a bit of mischief properly i suppose if one can think one thing out well one can think out another it seems that you have succeeded well in your case anyhow hurrara laughed perhaps if it hadn't been for your playing that trick at the picnic you would never have taken command of that mob and we should never have gone to a portal and my friends and your cousin would be there now that is if they had not been killed it may have had something to do with it tarence admitted announcing your don jose said which way are you going to take us we shall go straight on to coenbra tarence said unless we come upon a british force before that two days long march will take us there as of that i must do as i am ordered my independent command will come to an end there i hope that i shall soon hear that my regiment has returned from england and what is to become of me i have not thought of asking mario connor said that must depend upon circumstances mary if i go down the lisbon i hope that we shall all travel together and i can then put you on board with transport returning to england i'm sure to find letters from my father there telling me where he is and whether he is coming back with the regiment we shall be very happy senor don jose said courteously to take tards of the senora until there's an opportunity for sending her to england i have of course many friends at lisbon and shall take a house there the instant i arrive and donna o'connor will be as one of my own family i'm extremely obliged to you don jose i have been wondering all day as i wrote along what should i do with my cousin if as is probable i'm obliged to stay at coenbra until i receive orders from lisbon your kind offer relieves me of a great anxiety i think that it will be prudent for her to take another name while she is at lisbon there will certainly be no inquiries after for the lady superior of the convent will of course conclude that she was accidentally separated from the others in the crush and that she was trampled on or killed and indeed there would be such confusion in a portal that the loss of a nun more or less would fail to attract attention at any rate it is likely to be a long time before any report the lady's superior will make to the bishop will reach him months perhaps for she is not likely to take any particular pains to tell him news that would certainly anger him still if he goes to lisbon as no doubt he will and by chance happens to hear that miss o'connor was one of those who had escaped from the sack of a portal he might make inquiries then all sorts of trouble might arise even if he did not have her carried off by force which would be easy enough in a place so disturbed as lisbon at present is I think you were right senior don jose said gravely at any rate it would be well to avoid any risk what shall we call her you could call her miss dylan senior that is the name of an officer in our regiment but the bishop might be turned the street by chance what then I don't think he would know me mario connor put in I have seen him but I don't suppose that he ever noticed me until he saw me in my nuns just and of course I look very different now still he is very sharp and I would take good care never to go out without a veil that will be the safest plan mary terrence said though I don't think anyone would recognize you of course he supposes that you are still snugly shut up in the convent still it is just as well not to run the slightest risk they made two long marches and reached coal and bra early on the third morning bringing the first news that had been received there of the storming of a porto terrence had once reported himself to the commanding officer I was wondering where these two regiments came from mr o'connor the colonel said I watched them march in and thought that they were the most orderly body that I have seen since we came out here whose core are they well colonel they are my core I will tell you about it presently it is a long story how strong are they the field state this morning made them two thousand three hundred and fifty five there were two thousand five hundred to begin with the rest are either killed or wounded oh you have had some fighting then we have had our share at any rate colonel and I think I can venture to say that no other portuguese corps shows so good a record we have a large number of tents in store and I will order a sufficient number to be served out to put all your men under canvas with the understanding that if the army advances this way the tents must be handed back to us there are quantities of uniforms also there have been shiploads sent over for the use of the portuguese militia who were to turn out in their hundreds of thousands but have yet to be discovered would you like some of them very much indeed colonel it would add very greatly to their appearance though as far as fighting goes I am bound to say that I could wish nothing better really then all I can say is you have made a very valuable discovery hitherto the fighting powers of the portuguese have been invisible to the naked eye but if you have found that they really will fight under some circumstances we may hope that now Lord Beersford has come out to take command of the portuguese army and is going to have a certain number of british officers to train and command them they will be of some utility instead of being simply a scourge to the country and a constant drain on our purse have you heard that a portal is captured sir no you don't say so captured in less than an hour from the time that the first gun was fired just what I expected when you have political bishops who not only pretend to govern a country but also assume the command of armies how can it be otherwise however you shall tell me about it presently I will go down with you at once to the stores and order the issue of the tents and uniforms my orders were that the uniforms were to be served out to militia and ordinaigas under which head do your men come the latter sir that is what they really were but they've hung the three men the who to send to command them and placed themselves in my hands and I have done the best I could with them with the assistance of lieutenant harara who as you may remember accompanying me in charge of the escort and my own two troopers and his men and between us we have really done much in the way of disciplining them two hours later the tents were pitched on a spot a half a mile distant from the town by the time this was done the cars with the uniforms came up to the great delight of the men I have to go to the commandant again now harara let the uniforms be served out to the men at once tell the captains to see to their fitting as well as possible I have no doubt that the colonel will come down to expect them this afternoon and will probably bring a good many officers with him so we must make as good a show as possible harara's friends and mario conner had on arriving at coenbra hired rooms as don jose had determined to stay for a few days before going on because his wife had been much shaken by the events that had taken place and his eldest daughter was naturally anxious to wait until she knew whether harara would be able to return to lisbon or would remain with the core by the time terrans returned to the colonel's quarters it was lunchtime you must come across the mess mr. o'connor the commandant said everyone is anxious to hear your news and will save your going over it twice if you will tell it after lunch I fancy every officer in the camp will be there end of chapter 18 recording by trial sap