I was again awakened to a sense of my misfortunes. At first I tried to fancy it was all a dream; then, that I might still be mistaken in the locket of my departed Alitéa; but a pocketbook, which, on further search, I discovered on the person of my ill-fated son, established the appalling fact, beyond the possibility of doubt.
I hastily dug a grave for my boy, but, ere returning the corse to its native clay, I vowed to revenge his death upon the heartless foreigners, who, having led me to commit this crime, and brought a dying curse upon my head, had scoffed at my grief and misery. I accordingly took the first opportunity of quitting the French army, and falling in with a gang of lawless freebooters, who, under the pretext of fighting the enemies of their country, robbed and plundered indiscriminately friend and foe, I enlisted, a willing recruit, into the quadrilla.[183]
In the matter of plunder, I believe that the best of the guerrilla bands, which now began to be formed throughout the country, were as little scrupulous as that of which I became a member, though they had not the honesty to admit it. Many, certainly, were the acts of atrocity committed by our band. We scoured the whole of Old Castile and Leon, levying contributions wherever we moved; we hung upon the flank of the English army in its retreat to Coruña, filling our pockets with doubloons, and our pouches with ammunition; we slaughtered any luckless, wearied, or wounded French straggler that came across our path, but sought not for opportunities of exchanging shots with our invaders.
In this latter respect, the plan of our leader was too timid for me, and I sometimes managed to join the red-coats in a skirmish with the common enemy. On one of these occasions my life was saved by one of your countrymen. From that day I have known how to value an Englishman, and have never neglected an opportunity of evincing my gratitude to the fellow-countrymen of my brave deliverer.
I had straggled away from our quadrilla, accompanied by two of my comrades, to take part in a skirmish which was going on at the passage of a small river, between the rear-guard of the English and their pursuing enemies. The object in view was, of course, merely to retard the advance of the French; since your army was in full retreat; and just as the signal was given for the skirmishers to retire, I received a carbine ball in my thigh which unhorsed me. My frightened charger galloped off, as did also my two companions, leaving me to the tender mercies of the advancing enemy. One of your countrymen happened, however, to look round, and seeing me doomed to destruction, though doing my best to hobble off, rode back amidst a shower of bullets to render me assistance. “John,” said he, “you’re a brave fellow; give me your hand and jump up behind me.” I did the first part of his bidding; but whilst in the act of climbing up in obedience to the second, a shot disabled his left arm. The gallant lad immediately seized me with his right hand, by the help of which I scrambled on his horse’s back, when another shot brought him to the ground. Poor fellow! one groan alone escaped him. I was obliged to fly, but did not do so until I had convinced myself that his life was extinct.
My own wound was but slight; and soon after this affair, thinking your army had thrown away all its treasure, we betook ourselves to the mountains of Asturias, returning along the northern coast of Spain into Navarre, and thence into Catalonia, where we commenced a more decided guerrilla warfare against the enemy; embracing every opportunity of attacking him when profit was to be gained without much risk.
I soon distinguished myself above the rest of the quadrilla by my daring and unscrupulousness; and my influence, particularly amongst the most reckless of the band, increased daily; so great, indeed, did it become, that the chief and his chosen associates regarded me with extreme jealousy. I was always urging them to leave the north of Spain, where we had numerous competitors in the field, and proceed to the less devastated province of Andalusia; for I longed for the opportunity of settling my outstanding accounts with divers priests, alcaldes, hidalgos, and others, for various little acts of kindness, shown me during my contrabandista career; and I was anxious also to pay off a debt of more serious amount, due to Don Benito; to explain which I must go back a little in my story.
The pocket-book which I had found on the person of my unfortunate Fernando contained several letters addressed to him by Don Benito, from which, together with information they led me to seek by making a short visit to Madrid, I learnt that my son had been removed from the care of Tia Dorotea, very soon after my transportation to Ceuta. About the same period, it appeared, Don Benito had been suddenly called to Madrid, from whence he had been sent as Corregidor to some town in Galicia.
None of the various letters I wrote to my boy had been permitted to meet his eye; and to his anxious inquiries after the fate of his convict father, answer was made, that I had fallen a sacrifice to the unhealthy climate of Africa.
On his removal from Olbera, Fernando had at once been sent to Salamanca for his education, and was yet studying at the celebrated university of that city, when the French invasion called the country to arms. With the enthusiasm natural to youth, he burned to join the ranks of the Patriots—as the ill-organized, worse directed, and in too many cases shamefully betrayed bands of peasantry were called—and Don Benito, whom it appeared had conceived a tardy affection for his grandson, had long combated this desire. After vainly attempting, however, to turn him from his purpose; and fearful, probably, by prolonged opposition, of being himself denounced as an Afrancesado, he at length acceded to Fernando’s wishes, and procured for him a commission in a regiment of cavalry, where he thought he would be less exposed to fatigue and hardships than as a foot-soldier.