Mary Huston Gregory - "Checking the Waste"

Jules Verne - "Les Cinq Cents Millions de la Begum"

John Charles Dent - "Canadian Notabilities, Volume 1"

Helen M. Winslow - "Concerning Cats"

Annual Bibliography of Commonwealth Literature 2007
This paper argues that discourses of love in Ghanaian market literature for youth offer a view into complex negotiations of agency and empowerment. Drawing on Deborah Durham's notion of youth as "social `shifters'" and Francis Nyamnjoh's conception of the "interconnectedness" of agency, I take Ghanaian market literature as one specific case of how African literature for youth foregrounds questions of continuity and change as African societies enter into increasingly complex global relations. In this literature for youth, received notions of love, often constructed out of impressions from American pop and hip hop music, carry new notions of agency that compete with existing "domesticated" forms. Authors like Ike Tandoh and Evelyn Tay employ discourses of love to offer youth alternative avenues for empowerment in a context of socio-economic disenfranchizement. In a creative process of "straddling", this writing both reveals and reproduces the contradictions that obtain in youth configurations of agency.

Under Wellington\'s Command

G >> G. A. Henty >> Under Wellington\'s Command




"It is very disgraceful, and greatly to be regretted, senor; but I
am bound to say that, as I have now gone through four campaigns,
and remember the conduct of the Spanish authorities to our troops
during our march to Talavera, our stay there, and on our retreat, I
am by no means surprised that among the soldiers, who are unable to
draw a distinction between the people and the authorities, there
should be a deep and lasting hatred. There is no such hatred for
the French.

"Our men fought the battle of Talavera when weak with hunger; while
the Spaniards, who engaged to supply them with provisions, were
feasting. Our men were neglected and starved in the hospitals, and
would have died to a man had not, happily for them, the French
arrived, and treated them with the greatest humanity and kindness.
Soldiers do not forget this sort of thing. They know that, for the
last three years, the promises of the Spanish authorities have
never once been kept, and that they have had to suffer greatly from
the want of transport and stores promised. We can, of course,
discriminate between the people at large and their authorities; but
the soldiers can make no such distinction and, deeply as I deplore
what has happened here, I must own that the soldiers have at least
some excuse for their conduct."

The two Spaniards were silent.

"I cannot gainsay your statement," the Count de Montego said.
"Indeed, no words can be too strong for the conduct of both the
central, and all the provincial juntas."

"Then, senor, how is it that the people do not rise and sweep them
away, and choose honest and resolute men in their place?"

"That is a difficult question to answer, colonel. It may be said,
why do not all people, when ill governed, destroy their tyrants?"

"Possibly because, as a rule, the tyrants have armies at their
backs; but here such armies as there are, although nominally under
the orders of the juntas, are practically led by their own
generals, and would obey them rather than the juntas.

"However, that is a matter for the Spanish people alone. Although
we have suffered cruelly by the effects of your system, please
remember that I am not in the smallest degree defending the conduct
of our troops; but only trying to show that they had, at least,
some excuse for regarding the Spaniards as foes rather than as
allies; and that they had, as they considered, a long list of
wrongs to avenge."

"There is truth in all you say, colonel. Unfortunately, men like
ourselves, who are the natural leaders of the people, hold aloof
from these petty provincial struggles; and leave all the public
offices to be filled with greedy adventurers, and have been
accustomed to consider work of any kind beneath us. The country is
paying dearly for it, now. I trust, when the war is over, seeing
how the country has suffered by our abstention from politics, and
from the affairs of our provinces, we shall put ourselves forward
to aid in the regeneration of Spain."

By this time they had arrived at the door of the count's house. The
street had been to some extent cleared; but shattered doors, broken
windows, portions of costly furniture, and household articles of
all sorts still showed how terrible had been the destruction of the
previous night. Large numbers of the poorer class were at work
clearing the roads, as the city authorities had been ordered, by
Lord Wellington, to restore order in all the thoroughfares.

The count led the way up to the drawing room. The countess and her
three daughters rose.

"I introduced our brave defender to you last night," the count
said, "but in the half-darkened room, and in the confusion and
alarm that prevailed, you could have had but so slight a view of
him that I doubt whether you would know him again."

"I should not, indeed," the countess said. "We have been speaking
of him ever since, but could not agree as to his appearance.

"Oh, senor, no word can tell you how grateful we feel to you for
your defence of us, last night. What horrors we should have
suffered, had it not been for your interposition!"

"I am delighted to have been of service to you, senora. It was my
duty, and it was a very pleasurable one, I can assure you; and I
pray you to say no more about it."

"How is it that you speak Spanish so well, senor?" the countess
asked, after her daughters had shyly expressed their gratitude to
Terence.

"I owe it chiefly to a muleteer of Salamanca. I was a prisoner
there last year, and he accompanied me for a month, after I had
made my escape from the prison. Also, I owe much to the guerilla
chief Moras, with whom I acted for six weeks, last autumn. I had
learned a little of your language before and, speaking Portuguese
fluently, I naturally picked it up without any great difficulty."

"Your name is not unknown to us, colonel," the count said. "Living
so close to the frontier as we do, we naturally know much of what
passes in Portugal; and heard you spoken of as a famous leader of a
strong Portuguese regiment, that seems to have been in the thick of
all the fighting. But we heard that you had been taken prisoner by
the French, at the battle of Fuentes d'Onoro."

"Yes, I had the misfortune to be captured by them, and was sent to
Salamanca; but I escaped by the aid of a girl who sold fruit in the
prison. A muleteer took me with him on a journey to Cadiz, and
thence I came round to Lisbon by ship."

"You seem very young to have seen so much service, if you will
excuse my saying so, colonel."

Terence smiled.

"I have had great luck, senor; extraordinary luck."

"Ah, colonel! We know how well you have deserved that luck, as you
call it; and you would never have been in command of such a
regiment if you had not done something very much out of the way to
attract the attention of your commanders."

"I was not appointed to the regiment. I raised it myself; that is
to say, I came upon a number of Portuguese who had been called out
for service, but who had neither leader nor arms. Being anxious to
fight for their country, they asked me to be their leader, and I
accepted the offer. I found them docile and obedient and, with the
aid of two British troopers with me, a Spanish officer, and twelve
of his troopers, I established something like order and discipline
and, as we were fortunate in our first affair with the enemy, they
had faith in me, and I was able to raise them to a point of
discipline which is, I think, now quite equal to that of our own
regiments. Seeing that I had made myself useful with my corps, I
was confirmed in my command, and obtained the rank of colonel in
the Portuguese service; and am now a major in our own."

"I hope, senor, that later on you will tell us the story of some of
your adventures. Be assured that the house and all in it are yours,
and that it is not for mere curiosity that we would hear your
story; but that, as we shall ever retain a grateful memory of what
you have done for us, everything relating to you is of deep
interest to us."

After chatting for another quarter of an hour, Terence went with
the Count de Montego to the house next door. Here he received an
equally warm welcome from the wife and son and daughter of the
marquis.

At both houses, he was warmly urged to take up his quarters there
during his stay at Ciudad; but explained that his place was with
his regiment. He promised that he would call frequently, when his
duties permitted him to do so.

The next day the two Spanish noblemen came to him and, after parade
was over, carried off the greater portion of the officers to be
also introduced to their families. From that time, three or four of
the officers were always invited to dinner at each house. Terence
and Ryan frequently spent their evenings there, and their hosts
introduced them to many of the leading people in the town.

The Spanish general, Carlos d'Espagna, was appointed governor of
Ciudad. Papers having been discovered, showing that many of the
inhabitants had acted as French emissaries, these he executed
without mercy. So rigorous, however, were his measures that it was
felt that more than sufficient blood had been shed and,
accordingly, several British deserters found in the town were
pardoned. Many others of these men had fallen, fighting desperately
in the breach; believing that there was no hope of mercy being
extended to them, if taken prisoners.

In the siege the allies lost 1200 men and 90 officers; among whom
were Generals Crawford and MacKinnon, both killed, and General
Vandeleur, badly wounded. Lord Wellington was created Duke of
Ciudad Rodrigo by the Spaniards, and Earl of Wellington by the
English. The French loss was 300 killed and wounded, 1500
prisoners, an immense store of ammunition, and 150 guns.

Thanks to the vigilance with which the Minho regiment had guarded
the line of the fords of the Yeltes, no news of the siege was
received by Marmont in time for him to interfere with it. The
bridge over the Aqueda had been thrown across on the 1st of
January, and the siege began on the 8th but, even on the 12th,
nothing was known at Salamanca of the advance of the British army;
and it was not until the 15th, three days after the town had
fallen, that news that the siege had begun reached Marmont at
Valladolid. He had ordered his army to concentrate on Salamanca,
but it was not until the 25th that 35,000 men were collected there
and, on the following day, the news arrived of the fall of Ciudad.

In the meantime large numbers of labourers were being employed in
repairing and strengthening the fortifications of that town, while
Wellington laboured in making preparations for the siege of
Badajoz. These, however, progressed but slowly, owing to the
refusal of the Portuguese government to supply transport for the
guns; or to furnish any facilities, whatever, for the supply of
food for the army. Wellington maintained his headquarters on the
Coa until the first week in March, and then moved south with the
greater part of the army; Ciudad being left entirely in the hands
of the Spaniards, the general supplying the governor with
provisions and stores, and explaining to him the object and
intention of the new works.

A very strong force was left to guard the frontier of Portugal from
an invasion by Marmont; 50,000 men, of whom 20,000 were Portuguese,
being scattered along the line and guarding all the passes--the
Minho regiment being ordered to take post, again, at Pinhel.

Terence left Ciudad with reluctance. He had all along been treated
as a dear friend, in the houses of the two Spanish noblemen, and
spent most of his evenings at one or other of them. He had been
obliged to tell, in full detail, all his adventures since he joined
the army. The rescue of his cousin from the convent at Oporto had
particularly excited the interest of the ladies, who asked
innumerable questions about her.

Ryan frequently accompanied him, but his very slight knowledge of
Spanish prevented him from feeling the same pleasure at the
familiar intercourse. Bull and Macwitty were absolutely ignorant of
the language and, although Herrara now and then accepted
invitations to dinner, Terence and Ryan were the only two officers
of the regiment who felt at home among the Spaniards.

Before the regiment marched off, each of the Portuguese officers
was presented with a handsome gold watch bearing an inscription
expressing the gratitude of the two Spanish noblemen, and their
families. Bull, Macwitty, and Herrara received, in addition, heavy
gold chains. Ryan received a splendid horse, with saddle, holsters,
and a brace of finely-finished pistols; and a similar present was
made to Terence.

On the day when he went to say goodbye, he found the ladies of both
families assembled at the Count de Montego's. His host said:

"You must consider the horses and equipment as a special present
from myself and the marquis, Colonel O'Connor; but the ladies of
our two families wish to give you a little memorial of their
gratitude."

"They are memorials only," his wife said, "and are feeble
testimonies, indeed, of what we feel. These are the joint presents
of the marquise and her daughter, and of myself and my girls," and
she gave him a small case containing a superb diamond ring, of
great value; and then a large case containing a magnificent parure
of diamonds and emeralds.

"This, senor, is for your future wife. She will value it, I am
sure, not so much for what it may be worth; but as a testimony of
the gratitude, of six Spanish ladies, for the inestimable services
that you rendered them. Perhaps they will have a special value in
her eyes, inasmuch as the stones all formed a small part of the
jewels of the two families that you saved from plunder. We have, of
course, had them reset; and there was no difficulty in getting this
done, for at present ours are, I believe, the only jewels in
Ciudad."

"My dear countess," Terence said, much moved, "I do not like taking
so valuable a present."

"What is it, in comparison to what you have done for us, senor? And
please do not suppose that we have seriously diminished our store.
Nowhere, I believe, have ladies such jewels as they have in Spain;
and few families can boast of finer ones than those of the marquise
and myself. And I can assure you that we shall value our jewels all
the more, when we think that some of their companions will be worn
by the wife of the gentleman who has preserved more than our
lives."

"That is a royal gift, indeed," Herrara said, when Terence showed
him the jewels. "I should be afraid to say what they are worth.
Many of the old Spanish families possess marvellous jewels, relics
of the day when the Spaniards owned the wealth of the Indies and
the spoils of half Europe; and I should imagine that these must
have been among the finest stones in the possession of both
families. If I were you, colonel, I should take the very first
opportunity that occurs of sending them to England."

"You may be sure that I shall do so, Herrara. They are not the sort
of things to be carried about in a cavalry wallet, and I have no
other place to stow them. As soon as we arrive at Pinhel, I will
get a strong box made to hold the two cases, and hand them over to
the paymaster there, to be sent down to Lisbon by the next convoy.
He sent home all the money that I did not want to keep by me, when
we were at Pinhel last."

Two other Portuguese regiments, and a brigade of British infantry,
were stationed at Pinhel in readiness, at any moment, to march to
Almeida or Guarda, should Marmont make a forward movement; which
was probable enough, for it was evident, by the concentration of
his troops at Salamanca and Valladolid, that he had no intention of
marching south; but intended to leave it to Soult, with the armies
of Estremadura, Castile, and Andalusia, to relieve Badajoz.

From time to time, news came from that town. The siege had begun on
the 17th of March, the attack being made on a fortified hill called
the Picurina; but at first the progress was slow. Incessant rain
fell, the ground became a swamp, and all operations had, several
times, to be suspended; while Phillipon, the brave officer who
commanded the garrison, made numerous sorties from the town, with
more or less success.

On the night of the 25th, an assault was made on the strong fort on
the Picurina; which was captured after desperate fighting, and the
loss of 19 officers and 300 men, killed and wounded. On the
following day the trenches were opened for the attack upon the town
itself. The assailants laboured night and day and, on the 6th, a
breach had been effected in the work called the Trinidad; and this
was to be attacked by the 4th and light divisions. The castle was
at the same time to be assailed by Picton's division, while General
Power's Portuguese were to make a feint on the other side of the
Guadiana, and San Roque was to be stormed by the forces employed in
the trenches.

The enterprise was well-nigh desperate. The breaches had not been
sufficiently cleared, and it was known that the enemy had thrown up
strong intrenchments behind them. Most of the guns were still in
position to sweep the breaches, and another week, at least, should
have been occupied in preparing the way for an assault. But
Wellington was forced here, as at Ciudad, to fight against time.
Soult was close at hand, and the British had not sufficient force
to give him battle, and at the same time to continue the siege of
the town; and it was therefore necessary either to carry the place
at once, at whatever cost of life, or to abandon the fruits of all
the efforts that had been made.

Had Wellington's instructions been carried out, there would have
been no occasion, whatever, for the assault to have been delivered
until the breaches were greatly extended, the intrenchments
destroyed, and the guns silenced. The Portuguese ministry, however,
had thwarted him at every turn; and the siege could not be
commenced until a fortnight after the date fixed by Wellington.
This fortnight's delay cost the lives of 4000 British soldiers.

Four of the assaults on the breaches failed. On the crest of these
Phillipon had erected a massive stockade, thickly bristling with
sabre blades. On the upper part of the breach, planks, similarly
studded, had been laid; while on either side a vast number of
shells, barrels of powder, faggots soaked in oil, and other
missiles and combustibles were piled, in readiness for hurling down
on the assailants; while the soldiers behind the defences had been
supplied with four muskets each.

Never did British soldiers fight with such dogged bravery as was
here evinced. Again and again they dashed up the breach, the centre
of a volcano of fire; shells burst among them, cannon poured
volleys of grape through their ranks, the French plied them with
musketry, fireballs lit up the scene as if by day, mines exploded
under their feet; yet again and again, they reached the terrible
breastwork. But all efforts to climb it were fruitless. Numbers of
those in front were pressed to death against the sabres, by the
eager efforts of those behind to get up and, for hours, the assault
continued. At last, seeing the impossibility of success, and
scorning to retreat, the men gathered at the foot of the breach,
and there endured, sternly and silently, the murderous fire that
was maintained by the enemy.

Picton, however, had gained possession of the castle. Walker, with
his command, had captured the bastion of San Vincenti; and part of
his command fought their way along the battlement towards the
breaches, while another marched through the town. Finding that the
town had been entered at several points, the defenders of the
breach gave way, and the soldiers poured into the town.

Here even more hideous scenes of murder and rapine were perpetrated
than at Ciudad Rodrigo, and went on for two days and nights,
absolutely unchecked. It has never been satisfactorily explained
why, after the events in the former town, no precautions were
taken, by the general commanding, to prevent the recurrence of
scenes that brought disgrace on the British army, and for which he
cannot be held blameless. Five thousand men and officers were
killed or wounded in the siege; of these, three thousand five
hundred fell in the assault.

The next three months passed without any action of importance. The
discipline of the army had, as might have been expected,
deteriorated greatly as a consequence of the unbridled license
permitted to the soldiers after the capture of the two fortresses,
and the absence of any punishment, whatever, for the excesses there
committed. Lord Wellington complained bitterly, in his letters
home, of the insubordination of the troops; of the outrages
committed upon the peasantry, especially by detached parties; and
of the general disobedience of orders. But he who had permitted the
license and excesses to be carried on, unchecked and unpunished,
cannot but be considered largely responsible for the natural
consequences of such laxity.

In May, heavy rains prevented any movement on either side; except
that the town of Almaraz, a most important position at the bridge
across the Tagus, permitting Soult and Marmont to join hands, was
captured by surprise by General Hill; the works, which had been
considered almost impregnable, being carried by assault in the
course of an hour. This was one of the most brilliant exploits of
the war.

Wellington had moved north, and was again on the Aqueda and, on the
13th of June, rain having ceased, he crossed the river and, on the
16th, arrived within six miles of Salamanca, and drove a French
division across the Tormes. On the 17th the river was crossed, both
above and below the town, and the forts defending it were at once
invested. Marmont had, that day, retired with two divisions of
infantry and some cavalry; and was followed immediately by a strong
British division.

The Minho regiment had been one of the first to take post on the
Aqueda, after Wellington's arrival on the Coa; and moved forward in
advance of the army, which was composed of 24,000 British troops,
with a Spanish division and several Portuguese regiments.

As soon as Marmont had retired, Salamanca went wild with joy;
although the circle of forts still prevented the British from
entering. The chief of these was San Vincenti, which stood on a
perpendicular cliff, overhanging the Tormes. It was flanked by two
other strong forts; from which, however, it was divided by a
ravine. The battering train brought with the army was altogether
inadequate--only four eighteen-pounders and three twenty-four-pound
howitzers were available--and the forts were far stronger than
Wellington had been led to expect.

A few guns had been sent forward by General Hill and, on the 18th,
seven pieces opened fire on San Vincenti. The next day some more
howitzers arrived, and a breach was made in the wall of the
convent; but the ammunition was exhausted, and the fire ceased
until more could be brought up.

That day, however, Marmont, with a force of 20,000 men, was seen
advancing to the relief of the forts. The British army at once
withdrew from the neighbourhood of the convent, and took up its
position, in order of battle, on the heights of San Christoval.

On the 21st, three divisions of infantry and a brigade of cavalry
joined Marmont, raising his force to 40,000 men. The French, the
next night, sent a portion of their force across the Tormes and,
when daylight broke, the German cavalry, which had been placed to
guard the ford, was seen retiring before 12,000 French infantry,
with twenty guns. Graham was also sent across the Tormes with his
division, which was of about the same strength as the French force
and, as the light division was also following, the French retired,
recrossed the ford, and rejoined the main body of their army.

The next night the batteries again opened fire on San Vincenti and,
on the 27th, the fort and convent were in a blaze. One of the other
forts was breached, and both surrendered, just as the storming
parties were advancing to the assault; and Marmont retreated the
same night across the Douro, by the roads to Tordesillas and Toro.

As soon as it was possible to enter Salamanca, Terence rode down
into the town, accompanied by Ryan. The forts had not yet
surrendered, but their hands were so full that they had no time to
devote to annoying small parties of British officers passing into
the town. Terence had noted down the address that Nita had given
him, and at once rode there; after having, with some difficulty,
discovered the lane in which the house was situated. An old man
came to the door. Terence dismounted.

"What can I do for you, senor?"

"I wanted to ask you if your niece, Nita, is still staying with
you?"

The man looked greatly surprised at the question.

"She has done no harm, I hope?" he asked.

"Not at all, but I wish to speak to her. Is she married yet to
Garcia, the muleteer?"

The old man looked still more surprised.

"No, senor. Garcia is away, he is no longer a muleteer."

"Well, you have not answered me if your niece is here."

"She is here, senor, but she is not in the house at this moment.
She returned here from her father's, last autumn. The country was
so disturbed that it was not right that young women should remain
in the villages."

"Will you tell her that a British officer will call to see her, in
half an hour, and beg her to remain in until I come?"

"I will tell her, senor."

Terence went at once to a silversmith's, and bought the handsomest
set of silver jewelry, such as the peasants wore, that he had in
his shop; including bracelets, necklaces, large filigree hairpin
and earrings, and various other ornaments.



Chapter 20: Salamanca.


"She is a lucky girl, Terence," Ryan said, as they quitted the
shop. "She will be the envy of all the peasant girls in the
neighbourhood, when she goes to church in all that finery, to be
married to her muleteer."

"It has only cost about twenty pounds, and I value my freedom at a
very much higher price than that, Dick. If I had not escaped, I
should not have been in that affair with Moras that got me my
promotion and, at the present time, should be in some prison in
France."

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