CHAPTER XXXIII.

THE PASSAGE OF THE COA.

"THERE's a beautiful flight of rockets," some one observed, when we had recovered from our merriment. "With what intense fury they rush through the air, leaving a train of demoniac fire behind them in their fiend-like course."

"Woe betide the poor souls," said another, "that come within their deadly influence."

And hark," said a third, “to that shower of 24-pounders as they rattle against the old walls, tearing them to fragments, and pulverizing the very stones that compose them."

These words were scarcely uttered, when a sudden concussion of the ground upon which we were seated threw us in confusion upon one another, and we all jumped upon our feet, exclaiming, "An earthquake! an earthquake!

But, looking towards the unfortunate city, we beheld a vivid column of flame shoot up into the air, accompanied by a tremendous roaring sound, as if the great globe itself was suddenly rent asunder. Immediately after, a mass of light-coloured smoke hovered over Rodrigo, forming a strange unearthly contrast with the surrounding darkness, till, after several prismatic changes, it insensibly mingled with the sable aspect of the sky. A dismal silence fell upon the devoted city, as if all its inhabitants had perished in the fearful explosion, while three distinct hurrahs resounding from the besieging enemy up the high grounds we occupied, told but too plainly the nature of the disaster.

""Tis the principal magazine," said Middleton. "Poor Rodrigo is done for."

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If that's the case," said Dillon, "look out, gentlemen, we shall have some news before morning."

The accuracy of this prediction was evinced in half an hour after, when the clattering of a horse's feet up the rocky steep attracted our attention; and a German vidette, dashing forward, reported the immediate approach of the enemy. In ten minutes more we were engaged, and the whistling of some thousand rifle-balls succeeded our after-supper merriment in the olive-grove.

Day at length broke, and found us in statu quo; for we maintained our position against a very fierce attack by a reconnaissance of five cavalry regiments, a corps of infantry, and some field-pieces. Having failed in beating us up, their bugles sounded, and they retired; leaving a good many killed and wounded on the hill, with a comparatively trifling loss on our side.

But the explosion of the magazine having compelled the brave old Hervasti to capitulate on the 10th of July, the French, no longer detained by the siege, now advanced in overwhelming numbers; we

were consequently obliged to give up Gallegos, and retire upon the Coa.

A series of movements consequent on the fall of Rodrigo, now took place between the contending armies; for it was impossible to ascertain in what way Massena would follow up his success. The best arrangements were, however, made by Lord Wellington to meet every probable contingency; and, withdrawing the main body of his army a little in rear of his original position, the Light Division was still left in advance on the right bank of the Coa: but General Crawfurd was particularly directed to avoid a battle; and should the French advance in force, to give way at once, and retire across the river.

Retreat, however, was a word which the gallant Crawfurd seems to have expunged altogether from his vocabulary: for, instead of passing the Coa, as he might easily have done on the 21st of July, when apprised that the French were advancing in force, he drew up the Light Division in line, with the river in his rear; determined, apparently, to resist with his small body the forward and overwhelming movement of the enemy.

"This is beautiful," said Dillon to me in a whisper, as he led his company into the alignment. "You have now a double chance of promotion, Percy; for if I am not shot by the French, I shall be drowned in the Coa."

On the night of the 23rd of July, I was on outlying picket; and as our sentries were within pistol-shot of the enemy's, "ware hawk" was the word and no favours granted. The caution being given to lie close, every stump of a tree, or fragment of a rock covered its man; and every forage cap that made its appearance, had a musket or a rifle ball through it very speedily.

Not having, of course, slept a wink during the night, which was very sultry, my eyes began to get heavy towards morning. The profound silence that reigned in the enemy's lines having led me to imagine that all was right, for I had not yet learned to judge of events by the rule of contrary, I began to "nid, nid, nod," as I leaned standing against the trunk of an olive-tree; when I was effectually roused by a sudden rush, and a French "hourrah!" accompanied by a roar of musketry which ran along the whole front of our outposts.

The appropriate answer to this early salute was a thoroughly English Huzza!" and a corresponding roar of musketry, which doubtless carried death to many a stout heart: for the enemy's tirailleurs advanced in the grey of the morning, with all the effrontery peculiar to the French, as if determined to sweep us from the face of the earth. They were met, however, with a boldness that for a moment checked their vivacity: but their numbers were overwhelming; the centre of Crawfurd's position being attacked by an entire corps, amounting to eighteen thousand men, of whom three or four thousand were cavalry, with a numerous and well-appointed artillery.

They passed the Azava, a river in our front, about sunrise: and

their cavalry, driving in our advanced videttes, came on with great rapidity; three regiments on the direct road from Gallegos to Almeida, and two by a path to the left, with the view of turning our right flank. They were checked, but for a moment, by the fire of our horse-artillery, stationed at a small brook in the rear of Gallegos; and also by a gallant charge of German hussars; who, having sabred a number of the enemy, and driven them back across the stream, were received on their return by the cheers of the whole line, which had witnessed the exploit.

Still, however, the enemy continued to advance in numbers that could not be withstood; and our pickets between Villamula and Gallegos were driven back, skirmishing in beautiful order, and disputing every inch of ground: while the constant rattle of the rifles among the olive-trees, the rapid sounds of the bugles, and the shrill whistles of the officers made up a concert, which, if not so harmonious as one at Exeter Hall, was at least a thousand times more spiritstirring.

From Villamula to the Coa the country consisted of an extensive plain, intersected by garden walls and farm enclosures, which offered a fine field for light-infantry manoeuvres. Of these advantages we availed ourselves to the uttermost: obstinately maintaining every house, wall, and fence that presented itself; and constantly checking the advance of the enemy's light troops, whose ranks were evidently thinned by our rapid and continuous fire.

But the heavy masses, though excessively galled by our incessant attacks, still pushed on, and the centre of our position was seriously threatened. Therefore, though the whole division, Portuguese as well as English, fought gallantly, they were reluctantly compelled to yield before oppressive numbers; till Crawfurd, perceiving that he could no longer hold his ground, determined, at last, when almost too late, to cross the river. He accordingly despatched his cavalry and artillery to the opposite bank; leaving his infantry, meanwhile, to cover the movement, and keep the enemy at bay.

If ever there was a pang of self-reproach in the breast of this brave officer for an obstinate adherence to a wrong course, he must have felt it at this moment; with an overwhelming enemy in front, and a deep and rapid current in his rear, spanned by a narrow bridge, his only means of retreat, and which lay completely exposed to a sweeping fire from the French artillery. To add to his mortification, General Picton, who had come up alone from Pinhel, ungenerously refused him the support of the Third Division, which occasioned a pretty sharp altercation between these two gallant but irascible men.

There being now no alternative but a hasty and disadvantageous retreat, the infantry accordingly retired by an echelon movement to its left, covered by the skirmishers. The irregularity of the ground, and the frequency and height of the enclosures, rendered an orderly retreat almost impracticable, but the operation was boldly and coolly executed; while, to prevent the French from forcing the bridge, and allow time for the regiments to re-form, the 43rd and 95th, as they

gained the opposite bank, were drawn up in front of the pass, and directed to oppose to the last every attempt that the enemy should make to cross it. The latter, however, seemed equally determined; and being now collected in imposing force, a fierce and well-sustained attack produced one of the most desperate and sanguinary encounters to be found in the annals of modern warfare.

At this critical moment, the left wing of the 52nd, to which my company belonged, being the last on the field, was retiring in echelon of companies, the men loading as they went; but as the enemy were pressing rather close upon the rear, the word "double! was given, and we trotted on in the direction of the bridge, which was still crowded with the passing troops. We at length had got within two hundred yards of the welcome asylum, when we heard something like what the French call a hurricane of cavalry" behind us; and Major McLeod of the 43rd, turning his horse round, shouted in a voice of thunder:

Flank company 'bout face! Ready, present, fire! Port arms! Charge bayonets! Charge!"

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These words, given in rapid succession, produced corresponding actions on our sides, and never was manoeuvre more critical or better timed for the "hurricane we had heard was the rush of five or six squadrons of horse chasseurs, who in five minutes more would have cut us up like mouches, and behind our backs, too, as Jack Dillon remarked.

Our volley, however, thrown right into the midst of them, emptied a score of saddles, and for a moment checked their headlong speed. Our charge, also, desperately made as it was, amidst repeated cheers which were re-echoed by the enemy, added greatly to their astonishment; for an infantry charge upon cavalry is not a thing of everyday occurrence: but they speedily rallied, and rode over us in overwhelming numbers; sabreing right and left, and cutting us up without mercy.

A dashing-looking officer, in a splendid uniform, singled me out for his especial amusement; and raised himself in his stirrups, as he flourished his sabre to give me the coup de grace. I threw up my sword to guard my head; but a stray rifle-ball from the 95th snapped it like a bit of glass, at the very hilt, and knocked off my cap at the same time. I was thus doubly at the Frenchman's mercy, and expected in another instant to feel his sabre crashing through my brain; but he suddenly exclaimed: "Percy! c'est donc toi, cher Percy!" Then, letting his sabre hang by the chain that bound it to his wrist, he threw his arms about my neck, and kissed me on both cheeks.

It was Adolphe Berton!

"Not a moment to be lost," cried Adolphe, as he beckoned a chasseur to his side, and bade him alight; "mount, and keep close to me, or you are lost."

I instantly sprang into the saddle, and kept closer to my excellent friend, through all the current of the heady fight, than any aide-decamp ever did to his general. This I found was essentially neces

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sary; for we had peppered the chasseurs in a manner that made them quite savage, and many a vieux moustache looked disagreeably anxious to have a chop at my defenceless sconce.

This scene, now doubly terrible to me, was happily soon at an end; for our artillery on the other side of the Coa, having at length got the range, not only slaughtered a vast number of the chasseurs in a vain attempt to cross the bridge, but was knocking them over around me like rows of nine-pins. The order to retire was therefore issued, and we trotted off to the shelter of the French masses, a short distance from the sanguinary scene. But my company, alas! my cherished flank company, lay upon the field of their glory: they were sacrificed, but the regiment was saved; and, of eighty fine fellows who had composed it in the morning, only thirty-five rank and file repassed the Coa, with two officers out of five!

It was a deadly encounter; but though a needless expenditure of life was incurred, there was not a more brilliant affair during the whole war than_that_which crowned, on this memorable day, the gallant efforts of the Light Division.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE FRENCH BIVOUAC.

"BON DIEU! Bon Dieu!" cried Adolphe, as we rode together, with slackened rein, into the cavalry lines; "what a lucky shot it was, cher Percy, that knocked your cap off! Otherwise I might have done a deed for which I would never have forgiven myself."

"You would have been perfectly excusable," I replied, "and, indeed, altogether unconscious of your victim; for I should have fallen, of course, unnoticed and unknown in such a mélée."

"But, after all," said Berton, "it was a most singular escape, and proves upon what trivial chances our destinies hang in this miserable world."

"My estimable friend!" I exclaimed; "does it not rather prove the ever watchful care of Providence in the most desperate extremities ? "

Berton willingly assented to what, in fact, could not be controverted; and, on arriving at the quarters of his regiment, the 9th chasseurs à cheval, in which he was a captain, he introduced me to all his brother officers. Having told them how deeply indebted he had formerly been to me, they shook hands with me heartily all round; seemed delighted to know me, and in half an hour we were like so many schoolfellows together.

"I must now," said Berton, go and report you to the general of division, Le Feuvre, who is a friend and patron of mine, and see if I can't get permission to have you at my bivouac on parole: you'll give your parole, of course,'