10. A Prisoner of Albuera (4)
An Invitation to Escape
After parting with Captain Cameron I returned to my bed under the wall, and being extremely fatigued, fell into a sound sleep. I was disturbed from it by a person who informed me he was sent by a Spanish gentleman in the town, to request I would get leave to go to his house. The French officer of the guard gave me permission, on my promising not to make my escape. This power of giving parole had been granted to him by General Gazan. I was conducted by the messenger to the house of his master, who received me with great cordiality, and leading me to a back room introduced me to his daughter and family. He sent immediately for a surgeon, who dressed my wounds. Curiosity led some of the ladies to watch the operation, but on the bandages being removed, some of them fainted at the horrid sight, and all hurried out. The daughter of this benevolent Spanish gentleman prepared a box with lint and salve for my use on the road. I was then taken into an adjoining room, where I found a most elegant supper laid for six people. All present appeared to be persons of rank, and they paid me every attention in their power. After supper the master of the house attended me to an excellent bedroom, wished me good-night and retired. I was soon asleep. Long before dawn I felt myself shaken, and was alarmed to find two men standing by my bed. Their dress was the large Spanish cloak and broad-brimmed hat: one carried a dark lantern, and both immense clubs.
I was at first at a loss to comprehend their intentions, but they soon made me understand that their mission was to effect my escape. For some time they positively insisted on my coming off with them. Finding all I could say of no avail, I sent one of them to the master of the house. As I did not speak Spanish sufficiently well to make myself clearly comprehended, I represented to him in Italian, which he well understood, that my escaping might bring destruction on him and his family, that my own honour was pledged, and that, although the opportunity was so favourable to escape, I must decline to take advantage of it. He agreed with me on the force of my arguments, yet from his kind solicitude for my safety it was long before I succeeded in persuading him and his friends to leave my room.
May 20th. In the morning I was roused by my host, and found chocolate ready prepared for me. Soon after the convoy began to move on, when he generously offered me his purse, which with many thanks I refused. He then took from it part of the contents, and pressed me to accept so much, but I again declined, although I possessed but the single dollar which Captain Cameron had left with me.
From Ribera we marched to Villa Garcia, the first town where the escort drew regular rations: from that time they were well supplied till they reached Seville. Though the town was large, we had not any place appointed for our accommodation. I met in the market-place a French colonel who spoke English very well. To him I related the distress of the prisoners, in not being allowed a house or billet to shelter us, and pointed out that, if my petition were not complied with, we should have to sleep in the street. I said that I should feel obliged if he would represent to General Gazan what I had told him. He went to the General, and in a short time returned to say that a house had been allotted for us, and put into possession of a captain of grenadiers who would conduct us to it. We remained waiting in the street two hours, when we heard at last that Captain Campbell of the 48th had actually taken the house destined for our use for himself and a wounded French officer whose horse he was riding. We went there and arranged ourselves as comfortably as we could for the night.
May 21st. This day we marched to Llerena, and were taken through the town to a small swampy field, with a wall round it and a little rivulet running through, a place so wet that to lie down was impossible. It added to our discomfort to see not far off shady trees on a rising ground, where we might well have been placed. My brother officers agreed with myself that this was very severe treatment, and begged I would represent to General Gazan the state we were placed in. He sent for me and inquired the cause of my complaint. I first set forth the grievance of the wretched swamp we had to rest in. I then told him that from the moment of my capture I had been treated cruelly in every respect. I said that, dreadfully wounded and retiring as a prisoner-of-war from the field, I had been cut down by one of their horse, plundered of everything, and in-humanly dragged over the ground. They had obliged me to walk for four days in a dreadful state of weakness caused by my two wounds: and during those four days I had received from the escort only an ounce and a half of rice and two ounces of mutton. The General replied that with regard to food they themselves had, till this day, only what the soldiers could gather in the fields. To this I answered that we prisoners had not even the power of going to the fields to seek food.
General Gazan finally offered us our parole, which we accepted: it was signed by all. That night he gave orders that I might have a horse, but I could not get one, as they had not even a sufficient number for their own use. For what reason I am ignorant, the General abused Captain Campbell at the meeting, using the most violent language, and calling him f——d, and many other improper names.
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