!Tention Part 50

The part of the old workings to which they had retreated was almost in utter darkness, and just when the French were having their own way and the Spanish party were giving up in despair, their enemies came to a stand, the French officers hesitating to continue the pursuit, fearing a trap, or that they might be led into so dangerous a position that they might meet with another reverse.

They felt that where they were they thoroughly commanded the exit, and after a brief colloquy it was decided to give their men breathing-time while a party went back into the great cave, where the fire was still burning, and did what they could to contrive a supply of firebrands or torches before they made another advance.

Fortunately for the Spanish party, the cessation of the attack on the part of the French gave the former breathing-time as well; and, wearied out though he was, and rather badly wounded, the _contrabandista_ hurriedly gathered his men together, and though ready to upbraid them bitterly for the way in which they had yielded to the French attack, he busied himself instead in trying to prepare them for a more stubborn resistance when the encounter was resumed.

He had the advantage of his enemies in this, that they were all thoroughly well acquainted with the ramifications of the old mine, and it would be in his power, he felt, to lead the enemy on by giving way strategically and guiding them where, while they were meeting with great difficulties in tracing their flying foes, these latter would be able to escape through one of the old adits and carry with them the King and his followers.

The _contrabandista_, too, had this further advantage--that he could easily refresh his exhausted men, who were now suffering cruelly from hunger and thirst. To this end he gave his orders quickly to several, who hurried away, to return at the end of a short time bearing a couple of skins of wine and bread from their regular store. These refreshments were hurriedly distributed, the King and his party not being forgotten; and after all partook most hastily, the men's leader busied himself in seeing to the worst of the wounded, sending several of these latter into hiding in a long vault where the mules of the party were stabled ready to resume their loads when the next raid was made across the pa.s.ses.

"Now, my lads," he said, addressing his men, "I am not going to upbraid you with the want of courage you have shown, only to tell you that when the French come on again it will most likely be with lights. Those are what I believe they are waiting for. The poor fools think that torches will enable them to see us and shoot us down, but they will be to our advantage. We shall be in the darkness; they will be in the light; and I am going to lead you in such an attack that I feel sure if you follow out my instructions we can make them flee. Once get them on the run, it will be your duty to scatter them and not let them stop. Yes," he added, turning sharply in the darkness to some one who had touched him on the shoulder; "who is it?"

"It is I," said the officer who had taken the lead in the King's flight, and to whom the whole of the monarch's followers looked for direction.

"His Majesty wants to speak with you."

"I'll come," replied the _contrabandista_. "Do you know why he wants me?"

"Yes," replied the officer briefly.

"I suppose it is to find fault with me for our want of success."

"I believe that is the case," said the officer coldly.

"Ha!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the _contrabandista_. "I have as good a right to blame his Majesty for the meagreness of the help his followers have afforded me."

"I have done my best," said the officer gravely, "and so have the rest.

But this is no time for recriminations. I believe you, sir, are a faithful friend to his Majesty; and I believe you think the same of me."

"I do," replied the smuggler, "and his Majesty is not to blame for thinking hard of one who has brought him into such a position as this."

"Be brief, please," said the officer, "and be frank with me before you join the King. He feels with me that we are completely trapped, and but a short time back he went so far as to ask me whether the time had not come for us all to make a desperate charge upon the enemy, and die like men."

The smuggler uttered an e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n which the officer misconstrued.

"I meant for us, sir," he said bitterly, "for I suppose it is possible that you and your men are sufficiently at home in these noisome pa.s.sages to find hiding-places, and finally escape."

The smuggler laughed scornfully.

"You speak, sir," he said, "as if you believe that my men would leave his Majesty to his fate."

"Their acts to-day have not inspired him with much confidence in them,"

said the officer coldly.

"Well, no," said the smuggler; "but you must consider that my men, who are perfect in their own pursuits and able enough to carry on a guerilla-like fight against the Civil Guards in the mountains, have for the first time in their lives been brought face to face with a body of well-drilled soldiers ten times their number, and armed with weapons far superior to ours."

"That is true," said the officer quietly; "but I expected to have seen them do more to-day, and, with this strong place to hold, not so ready to give up as they were."

"You take it, then," said the smuggler, "that we are beaten?"

"His Majesty has been the judge, and it is his opinion."

"His Majesty is a great and good king, then," said the smuggler, "but a bad judge. We are not beaten. We certainly have the worst of it, and my poor fellows have been a good deal disheartened, and matters would have gone far worse with us if it had not been for the clever marksmanship of those two boys."

"Ah!" exclaimed the officer, "I may as well come to that. His Majesty speaks bitterly in the extreme about what he calls the cowardice which resulted in those two poor lads being mastered and taken prisoners, perhaps slain, before his eyes."

"Indeed!" said the smuggler sharply. "But I did not see that his Majesty's followers did more to save them than my men."

"There, we had better cease this unfruitful conversation. But before I take you to his Majesty, who is waiting for us, tell me as man to man, perhaps face to face with death, what is really our position? You are beaten, and unable to do more to save the King?"

The smuggler was silent for a few moments, busily tightening a bandage round his arm.

"One moment, sir," he said. "Would you mind tying this?"

"A wound!" said the officer, starting.

"Yes, and it bleeds more freely than I could wish, for I want every drop of blood to spend in his Majesty's service."

The officer sheathed his sword quickly, bent forward, and, in spite of the darkness, carefully tightened the bandage.

"I beg your pardon, Senor el Contrabandista. I trust you more than ever," he said. "But we are beaten, are we not?"

"Thanks, senor.--Beaten? No! When my fellows have finished their bread and wine they will be more full of fight than ever. We smugglers have plenty of the fox in our nature, and we should not treasure up our rich contraband stores in a cave that has not two holes."

"Ha! You put life into me," cried the officer.

"I wish to," said the smuggler. "Tell his Majesty that in a short time he will see the Frenchmen coming on lighting their way with torches, and that he and his followers will show a good front; but do as we do--keep on retreating farther and farther through the black pa.s.sages of this old copper-mine."

"But retreating?" said the officer.

"Yes; they will keep pressing us on, driving us back, as they think, till they can make a rush and capture us to a man--King, n.o.ble, and simple smuggler; and when at last they make their final rush they will capture nothing but the darkness, for we shall have doubled round by one of the side-pa.s.sages and be making our way back into the pa.s.ses to find liberty and life."

"But one moment," said a stern voice from the deeper darkness behind.

"What of the entrance to this great cavern-mine? Do you think these French officers are such poor tacticians that they will leave the entrance unguarded by a body of troops?"

"One entrance, sire," said the smuggler deferentially.

"Your Majesty!" said the officer, "I did not know that you were within hearing."

"I had grown weary of waiting, Count," said the King. "I came on, and I have heard all that I wished. Senor Contrabandista, I, your King, ask your pardon. I ask it as a bitterly stricken, hunted man who has been driven by his misfortunes to see enemies on every hand, and who has grown accustomed to lead a weary life, halting ever between doubt and despair."

"Your Majesty trusts me then," said the smuggler, sinking upon one knee to seize the hand that was extended to him and pressing it to his lips.

"Ha!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the monarch. "Your plans are those of a general; but there is one thing presses hard upon me. For hours I was watching the way in which those two boys held the enemy at bay, fighting in my poor cause like heroes; and again and again as I stood watching, my fingers tingled to grasp my sword and lead my few brave fellows to lend them aid. But it was ever the same: I was hemmed in by those who were ready to give their lives in my defence, and I was forced to yield to their a.s.surances that such an advance would be not merely to throw their lives away and my own, but giving life to the usurper, death to Spain."

"They spoke the truth, sire," said the smuggler gravely.

"But tell me," cried the King with a piteous sigh, "can nothing be done?

Your men, you say, will be refreshed. My friends here are as ready as I am. Before you commence the retreat, can we not, say, by a bold dash, drive them past where those two young Englishmen lie prisoners at the back of the little stonework they defended so bravely till the last cartridge was fired away? You do not answer," said the King.

"Your Majesty stung me to the heart," said the _contrabandista_, "in thinking that I played a coward's part in not rescuing those two lads."