The other speculation did not answer so well, for I believe they still took me for a General. They would not release me, and I was carried into the battalion, and then to General D’Armagnac (I believe), who was behind their attacking troops. They were leading me into the fire of our own people, when an officer ordered them up on one side. I said it would be very hard to get me killed by our own fire, and that they had better let me run across, and shoot at me themselves. Upon the whole they all behaved very civilly, and without any violence. I there met Mr. Jesse. I told our story to General D’Armagnac. He said we were very unlucky, and seemed good-humoured, ordering the captors to give me back two doubloons. After telling his aide-de-camp to take us to General Clausel, who commanded in chief there, and then to the rear, he said he would apply to get us exchanged (as that was now the fashion, and not to release civilians gratis) for two civil officers, friends of his, in England: and then lending me one of his horses to ride back upon, took leave of us. The soldiers told me that he had bought my horse for a trifle, and thus ended the fate of poor Blackey!
The whole was the work of half an hour. Whilst we were in the wood, our people had just given way across this road to superior numbers, and had thus left us exposed to this misfortune in a place where every one had passed in safety all the morning, and so again from an hour later all the evening. A little sooner, or a little later, we should not have been caught above a league within our lines of the morning. Such, however, was our fate!
We were then taken to General Clausel, and were instantly ordered back to his former head-quarters. There was then a great outcry for ammunition, which delayed the French some time, and, as they said, saved our last position on this hill. I found that they did not, however, know the country well, and tried to pump me as to what was beyond, both as to men and mountains, &c. I always pleaded ignorance as a civilian. They had contrived to get four small two-pounder field mountain-pieces up this difficult ascent, and kept them constantly in use, asking me why we, who were so ingenious, did not adopt the same practice? I said they had taught us the art of war, and I believe they had found their scholars had made very rapid progress, so that if these guns were really worth the labour, I had no doubt we should soon have some, but that such things were not to be found ready-made in the mountains, therefore they must wait a little. I soon gave up my horse to a wounded man, as they abounded on the road, and we descended and crossed the Bidassoa by the ford below the bridge, as I found our light division were still maintaining their ground near the bridge at Bera (or Vera,) and had kept the other side of the valley all the time secure.
A tremendous storm then began. We took shelter till five o’clock in a hovel, but at last proceeded, the storm continuing, up the mountain of La Rhüne, to the French position, and head-quarters—those of General Clausel. Mons. d’Arnot, an officer belonging to the latter, was extremely kind to us. He said our best prospects were not to stay and sleep in the hovel, where we should be starved and crowded by wounded, &c., but to go with him to the General’s hut on the top, where, if anything was to be had, we should have it. He also lent me a horse part of the way up again. We passed the French position to the entrenched camp, where amongst a variety of huts of boughs, earth, &c., were three rather better than the rest, consisting of a few feather-edged boards at top, and earth and fern on the sides and bottom. These were for Generals Clausel, Taupin, and D’Armagnac, for the attendants, &c. There were only two places where it had not rained in considerably, and we were wet through, without a change.
The General’s canteens were unpacked, and the aide-de-camp said, “If he returns, you will have some dinner, if not, we have some bread.” That and sour wine was all our fare for the night, and we laid down in our wet clothes on the ground. They first gave us up General Clausel’s dry inner chamber, but on a notice coming that he was returning, we were removed to the attendants’ hut. There I passed a sleepless night, our party being the two aides-de-camp, a colonel, a major, five of the gens-d’armes, or police corps, Henry, the General’s cook, a friend, two or three attendants, and about four wounded men who staggered in, and lay in the middle. The horses were all tied to the boards, out in the storm all night, and making a noise against our heads. The wounded were groaning; then came an oath from an officer against them as cowards, and asking how that noise made them any better? At last came a poor creature with a violent colic; this last filled us as close as we could lie, and constant quarrels ensued between those near the doors, or those who came every minute for shelter from the storm and rain, and to get help for their wounds. The lightning gave us a glimpse of the scene every five minutes. Now and then an observation escaped as to the rain swelling the Bidassoa, &c.
At three o’clock the firing began again close to us; at four the drum beat to arms, and at six we got a little cold meat and bread and wine, after the General’s breakfast, and about seven we were marched towards St. Jean de Luz with a party of prisoners and deserters. Amongst them were several of the Chasseurs Britanniques, who, with their red jackets, had, by deserting to the enemy, and then advancing with them, contributed to our being surprised and taken. We stopped half an hour in the wood below, and got a little brandy from the post of the gens-d’armes in the rear, and arrived at St. Jean de Luz about one o’clock,—three leagues. This was Marshal Soult’s head-quarters. Thither we went, and merely saw him in a crowd. We were then taken to Count Gazan, and then to the Commandant of the Police, &c. We were quartered at an inn with some gens-d’armes in the outer room; got some supper at seven at General Gazan’s, to whom I mentioned what had passed at Victoria; was allowed to write to head-quarters to let them know where we were, and to ask for money, clothes, &c., if we were not exchanged, and we were allowed to stay till next day to wait for an answer.
No answer came. It was intended to give us horses to carry us to Bayonne the next evening, but all were engaged in carrying away wounded men, including some troops of cavalry, so we marched on foot about three o’clock, five under a guard. We were delayed by the bad walking of some deserters, and were then again caught the last half league in a most furious thunder-storm, which soaked us through in five minutes. At nine, we reached this place, three long leagues, and were taken to the Nouveau Fort. The Marechal-de-logis gave us a bed between us, on the ground, in a room with two midshipmen and a sick and wounded officer of the 34th; and having got some bread and cheese, we went to bed, with a dry shirt which he lent us. I have ever since had rheumatism. We occupy a round tower here, and our soldier-prisoners are in the court below; the Spaniards are above, and some sailors in confinement, as their dress would enable them to escape. The two midshipmen were exchanged the next day. From Mr. Babou, the banker, a most liberal and generous man, we have got money, and therefore now go on well. How officers manage who have no money I cannot guess. Only three of the numbers the banker has given money to have had their bills protested, and he says that if it is poverty he shall never complain, otherwise he should wish to be paid. If I get back I have undertaken to speak to Lord Wellington on the subject.
13th September, Mont de Marsan.—On the 8th I received a most kind letter from Lord Wellington in his own handwriting, as to an old friend, telling me that he authorized me to tell the Duke of Dalmatia he would send back for me any one named by him, to be given in exchange.[6] I had just before received a notice to set out next day for Verdun. I went with a gens-d’armes instantly to the General of Division, Baron d’Huilliers, and to the Commandant-general Sol. To them I told my story, and showed my letter. They advised me to send my letter to the Duke of Dalmatia, and engaged to detain me until the answer came back. I also asked to write to the Duke myself. The other officers, who had already been to Moulins (where General Paget is), wrote also for leave to go to a nearer depôt than Verdun, on account of the expense they had been put to; they were of the 34th regiment, and they also were allowed to wait the answer. The other five officers of the 60th were dispatched with a feuille de route for Verdun. On the 9th, about seven o’clock, I went to the play with two Dutch officers of the 130th regiment, one of whom was with me when at La Rhüne in the camp, and had been all along very civil, and had called upon us and volunteered going with us to the theatre. I did this in order to pass the anxious time away till the answer to my letter came. The play I did not much enjoy, as you may suppose, though our two gens-d’armes were very well behaved, and went into a box opposite, leaving us with the officers.
At nine o’clock came an account that my letter was arrived. I ran home and eagerly opened it. I found it was a very civil answer from Count Gazan, full of good wishes, &c., but stating Marshal Soult had never had any proposal made to him for my exchange by our General, or that it would be done instantly; again assuring me that if any such should arrive I should be instantly sent back, and that in the mean time orders should be given that none of us should for the present cross the Garonne.
The next morning (the 10th) came an order to be at Mont de Marsan in four days, about seventy miles off, the chief town of the department of Landes, and there to wait orders. We also got a letter to give to the commandant there, to halt the others there, or to bring them back if they had passed that depôt. I prepared a letter to Lord Wellington, encouraged by his letter to me (I had before only written to the Adjutant-general), and stated to him how matters stood, thanking him for his kindness. This I enclosed in one to Count Gazan, in French, and begged him, as a last favour, to forward it by a flag of truce through the lines to Lord Wellington. I then hastily bought a few necessaries, and engaged with the other five officers to be conveyed to this place (Mont de Marsan) in a large coach with six mules, Henry in the driver’s tilt-cart in front. When I went home to pay our gens-d’arme, he was most unreasonable and broke his agreement; we would not pay him, so he locked us in. I said I had the General’s orders to march at one o’clock, and called upon him at his peril to release us, and to go with us to settle the matter. He would not, but released us, and would then take nothing. I then went off to General Sol, and told my story. He sent for the man in a hurry, but as he did not come instantly, asked what we proposed to give. I told him. He said if we were willing to pay that sum (which was according to our agreement), “Very well, leave it here, and you may set out; had you left it to me I should not have made you pay nearly so much.” Accordingly at two o’clock we started, and got, in four hours and a half, over four leagues of the country, or sixteen miles, to a small village on the river side, where we dined and slept. Our route was through Dax, but we had leave, as that was knee-deep in sand, to pass by Orthes.