Two

most critical position in the crisis of the campaign. thousand French soldiers still held the castle of Burgos; a large French army was stretched along the north bank of the river on which Burgos is built; and, on the morning after Lord John's arrival, he himself witnessed from a high hill a heavy French column 7000 or 8000 strong, pushed forward to reconnoitre the position of the English. Towards evening the French were driven back, and Lord John returned to headquarters and dined with the Commander-in-Chief.

Lord Wellington was in good spirits: said we should have had the castle with a few more guns, and that it was the strongest place he ever saw in his life. He said it was made on a plan pointed out by a Frenchman twenty years ago, by which there was a superior fire in every direction.

On the following morning Lord John rode out to the British outposts, a league beyond Burgos; in returning in the evening, he learned that the army was to retire, and that he and his friends must not sleep that night in the town. The news did not prevent their eating an excellent dinner. But, in the confusion of the subsequent retreat

We got amongst a large brigade of mules, and the castle fired two or three shots over our heads. We next lost our way, but soon got back to the road. [After a night journey of three leagues to Estepar] we got into a large house, where there was a small place full of chopped straw, on which we three got a very good sleep.

Notwithstanding the retreat of the army, the travellers did not abandon all hope of wintering at Madrid: retracing their footsteps to Valladolid, they took the southern road to the Spanish capital; and, on the last day of October, after admiring the Roman aqueduct at Segovia, they entered San Ildefonso. Here

We were told that the French had entered, or were about to enter, Madrid. It may be imagined that we were not a little discomforted by this news, which so much clouded the brilliancy of our success, and, what was worse, deranged our own plans.

However, as the information came from a muleteer, who got it from a peasant, we were not quite sure of our misfortune, and determined to follow our former plan and go to San Rafael.

There, however, the news of the continuous retreat of the British and of the fresh entry of the French into Madrid was confirmed; and the travellers had nothing for it but to turn westwards to Salamanca and then take the great road by Ciudad Rodrigo, Alcantara, Badajoz, and Xeres to Seville and Cadiz.

The three friends remained at Cadiz from the middle of December to the end of January 1813. During their stay Lord Wellington arrived in the town 'to concert with the Government and the Cortes as to future measures.' His arrival was naturally the signal for great festivities.

Lord Wellington is here, and plays his part well to the Dons. He dines with the Regency to-day. But Infantado,1 notwithstanding the Champagne and Burgundy he got at Woburn, has not asked me. Shabby fellow ! It is clear he is unfit for the government of a great kingdom. The Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo 2 is not a bad figure here. He wears a blue hunting-coat at dinner with the embroidery of a Spanish captain-general and a star. The people here have received him coolly, but the grandee ladies are going to give him a grandee ball. The city of Cadiz, out of their great generosity, made him a speech to-day on his arrival.

January 1.-I wish you a Happy New Year. We had a grand ball at the Ambassador's the day before yesterday, where I stayed till seven o'clock. The Lord was there in his huntingcoat and flirted with the Marchioness of Santa Cruz. My partner was her sister. . . . To-morrow there is a magnificent grandee ball, which is to cost £3200. We go from here to Malaga and Granada, then to Alicante and Sicily. Next winter I expect to be at Grand Cairo, if there is no plague in Egypt and the war still goes on in Europe.

In the beginning of 1813, therefore, the travellers were reverting to their original programme, and deciding, after a

1 The Duc d'Infantado, a Spanish general, was at this time President of the Spanish Ministry. He had previously served as Spanish Minister in London. 2 The Duke of Wellington's Spanish title.

short stay in Spain, to go to Sicily, the East, and Egypt. On Wednesday, January 27, they left Cadiz, and crossed the field. of Barrosa, where the bodies of the slain were still lying unburied. Lord John, who had an especial interest in the field on which his brother Lord William had been engaged, loitered a little behind his companions. A covey of partridges tempted him to wander from the track in the hope of getting a shot at them.

. . .

Failing in this object, I found I had lost my road, and the short twilight of Spain was rapidly turning into night. So I thought I had better go back and regain the village I had left. In crossing the river I missed the road by which I had come down, and found myself on the sands of a river with which I was not acquainted. I got off my little black pony, and walked before him in order to find my way; but suddenly he did not follow, and, on looking round, I discovered to my horror that he had sunk in a quicksand, and nothing but his head and part of his neck was above the surface. I had no means of rescuing him from his helpless position, but fortunately soon reached the bank and was able to climb up to the village. I began to knock at the first door, but was told by a voice from inside 'I am the postman; I cannot leave the house.' At the next door I was answered, 'There is nobody but the married couple in the house; I cannot help you.' I then inquired from some one I met for the house of the Alcalde, and when I found him he presently collected some men with ropes and lanterns and we all set off down the road to the bank of the river. Here we presently found my unfortunate pony, and the men contrived to place their ropes under his body and lifted him up safe and sound. . . . The Alcalde gave me a billet in one of the best cottages, and I passed the night very comfortably. In the morning I set off on my road to Conil, where my friends had slept. They had wondered what had become of me, and were happy to see me again. I found that the river was a tidal river, and that the tide, in an hour or two more, would have covered my poor pony.1

...

Two days after this incident the friends reached Tarifa, and

1 From a memo. dictated to Lady Russell in 1869. In the diary the only reference to the incident is, 'Near the river at Conil I got my horse in a quicksand. An honest peasant gave me a lodging for the night. His mother was ill, and I did not get a very fine room; but they were all very civil.'

three days afterwards Gibraltar. They made the famous rock their headquarters from the last day of January to the last day but one of February, making, however, two excursions to Ceuta and Tetuan. On February 27 they left the Rock, intending to travel through South-eastern Spain to Malaga, Granada, Cordova, Cartagena, and Alicante the point of embarkation for Sicily. The first part of this plan was duly carried out. They reached Malaga on the 3rd; Granada, where they spent a week, on the 9th; and Cordova on the 20th, March. But at Cordova brighter news from the army. induced them to change their plans; and, instead of taking the direct road to the coast, they chose the high road to Madrid. Travelling steadily on, they reached La Mancha; and at the beginning of April went to see the great quicksilver mine at Almaden. Here, however, less favourable news reached them from the front; and Mr. Bridgeman and Mr. Clive returned through Cordova to Granada with the intention of making their way to Alicante. Not so Lord John.

Finding the French did not continue the retreat [so wrote Mr. Bridgeman to his mother], John Russell, my strange cousin and your Ladyship's mad nephew, determined to execute a plan which he had often threatened, but it appeared to Clive and me so very injudicious a one that we never had an idea of his putting it into execution. However, the evening previous to our leaving Almaden, he said, 'Well, I shall go to the army and see William,1 and I will meet you either at Madrid or Alicante.' We found he was quite serious, and he then informed us of his intentions. He said he should stay the next day at Almaden to sell his pony, and buy something bigger. He would not take his servant, but ordered him to leave out half-a-dozen changes of linen, and his gun loaded. He was dressed in a blue greatcoat, overalls and sword, and literally took nothing else except his dressing-case, a pair of pantaloons and shoes, a journal and an account-book, pens and ink, and a bag of money. He would not carry anything to reload his gun, which he said his principal reason for taking was to sell, should he be short of money, for we had too little to spare him any. The next morning he sold

1 Lord William had returned to Spain, and was serving on Lord Wellington's staff.

his pony, bought a young horse, and rode the first league with us. Here we parted with each other with much regret, and poor John seemed rather forlorn. God grant he may have reached headquarters in safety and health, for he had been far from well the last few days he was with us. He returned to Almaden, there to purchase some leathern bags to carry his clothes, and he was to start the following morning. Clive and I feel fully persuaded that we shall see him no more till we return to England.1

Lord John's own account is much shorter :

Sunday, April 4.-Clive and Bridgeman went off with the servants and mules towards Cordova, intending to proceed by Granada to Alicante. I separated from them, and took the road towards the English army, because I particularly wished to see. my brother William, whom I supposed to be at this time arrived at headquarters. It were unnatural had I not felt it a severe blow to separate from friends with whom I had been so long.

Lord Wellington's headquarters, when Lord John commenced this remarkable journey, were at Frenida on the Portuguese frontier, some 150 miles from Almaden. To reach them it was necessary to cross two rivers, the Guadiana and the Tagus, and to pass the two mountain ranges which intersect the province of Estremadura. It was reported, moreover, at Almaden, and Lord John's companions believed, that French cavalry were still picketed on the banks of the Tagus. The journey was performed alone, or with any peasant whom he picked up as a guide. On April 16 it was safely accomplished; and Lord John rode into Frenida.

A very poor village. Lord Fitzroy Somerset furnished me with a bed, and every one was very good-natured to me.

The next entry in his diary is as follows:

Tuesday, May 25.-I pass over my long stay at headquarters, which was entirely time spent with Englishmen. On the 22nd Lord Wellington moved to Ciudad Rodrigo, and on the 23rd to Tamames.

Two days afterwards Lord John parted from the army,

1 Mr. Bridgeman's Letters, pp. 96, 97.