A Marriage of Convenience Read Free

caused by the state ofthe roads had now ruled this out. The growing light was not his only reason for anxiety. As so often with similar expeditions against the Fenians, his column was acting on information sold to a resident magistrate and relayed back to the regiment from general headquarters in Dublin. Without these mercenary betrayals, the army would have had few successes against the groups of rebels operating in the countryside. Although Clinton had memorised the informer’s directions, and had added further details culled from army maps, he was still constantly worried in case they took a wrong turning. The information might of course be false; or worse still, a trap. For this reason every trooper rode with a loaded carbine held at the support ready for instant use.
    When they passed a disused limestone quarry, listed in the directions, and shortly afterwards entered a thin belt of trees, correctly described as mainly oaks and rowans, Clinton felt more confident. Five minutes later, his doubts were finally allayed. Ahead of them, at the bottom of a shallow depression, stood an isolated group of farm buildings, dominated by a large barn with a slate roof. No detail was wrong. Beside the barn was the farmhouse, with a lean-to shed against the side wall and one bricked-in window at ground level. The place looked derelict and would have seemed deserted were it not for a faint smear of turf smoke issuing from a chimney. As the informer had claimed, the buildings were surrounded by meadow grass and overgrown root-fields. In spite of this lack of close cover, Clinton was momentarily tempted to get it over and do what Lambert would have done in his place, namely order an immediate gallop across the fields and then the storming of the buildings. But he mastered the impulse. It was possible that lookouts posted in the woods had seen their approach and crept back unseen to the farm to alert the rest of the Fenians.
    Keeping the horse-gunners and his own troop with him, Clinton hastily conferred with Lambert before ordering him to have his men dismount and take up positions in subsections at the edge of the woods six hundred yards behind the buildings; from there, a few well directed volleys would thwart any attempted escape in that direction. Less than a mile to the right, across a rough tract of gorse and bracken, was a swollen river. In this area Clinton felt he could afford to be less vigilant. If driven down to the banks by mounted troops, the Irish would surely surrender there, rather than face the near certainty of being shot dead or wounded while swimming across. Having heard Clinton’s plan during their ride, Dick now conceded that the lie of the ground would be excellent for it if the vital first stage succeeded. Before riding off, he turned in the saddle.
    ‘Don’t forget, sir, my lot go in first if your bluff’s called.’
    ‘It won’t be.’
    Lambert raised his hand in salute and rode off at speed. As soon as he had gone, Clinton sent his sergeant-major and two troopers crawling into the root-field to get within hailing distance of the farmhouse. The light was better now, and the men made what use they could of the slanting line of a low wall for cover. The 9-pounder was already being unlimbered at a spot just in front of a spinney of straggling elders and blackthorn. From there, still partially hidden, it could be brought to bear on the large barn without endangering the farmhouse. While the gun was got ready, Clinton ordered his troop to form two lines and to draw sabres. Then he explained what he wanted of his subalterns. If the men inside the house did not surrender at once, but made a run for it towards the river, the front line, led by him, would ride through them and break any attempted stand; the second line were to take prisoners, only striking to kill those who fired on them. Since even disciplined infantry rarely turned to face cavalry at anything under company strength, he did not anticipate more than