Drums of War (7 page)

'Gentlemen,'
he began, looking around the blank Dutch faces, 'everything needful has been
done. I have reconnoitred the ground and made dispositions for an attack. I am
convinced that conscientiously, and as men of honour, we cannot now retire
without an action. Should we neglect this opportunity, we must be responsible
before God and man.' He heard the snort from Slangenberg and raised his voice.
'You see the confusion which pervades the ranks of the enemy and their
embarrassment at our manoeuvres. I leave you to judge whether we should attack
today or wait until tomorrow. It is indeed late, but you must consider that, by
throwing up entrenchments during the night, the enemy will render their
position far more difficult to force.'

Daniel
was impressed with his ardour and conviction but it had not won over his
allies. Some of the comments he heard in Dutch were not ones he cared to
translate for the commander- in-chief. General Slangenberg and his supporters
felt hurt that they had not been taken fully into Marlborough's confidence
before they had set out on the expedition. The argument waxed and waned then
waxed afresh. By the time it was four o'clock in the afternoon, all possibility
of action that day had completely vanished. The French had been let off the
hook. Afternoon merged into evening yet still the dispute went on. It was a
revelation to Daniel, the first time he had had some insight into the immense
difficulty of making decisions in a coalition army. His admiration for
Marlborough soared. In spite of the huge pressure on him, never once did he
lose his temper. At the end of the meeting, when the disgruntled Dutch
contingent had withdrawn, Daniel went across to the commander-in-chief.

'You
argued your case superbly, Your Grace,' he said.

Marlborough
was despondent. 'I failed, Daniel.'

'You
persuaded some of them. I heard them say as much.'

'There
was animosity in the eyes of the rest of them. General Slangenberg was more
obstructive than ever. What kind of a commander believes that his personal
baggage is more important than an artillery train? By causing that delay, he
wrecked the whole enterprise.'

'Perhaps
they'll agree to an attack tomorrow,' said Daniel.

'There's
not the slightest hope of that,' conceded Marlborough. 'If they're afraid to
attack the enemy when it's at its weakest and most disordered, they'll not even
consider action tomorrow. The French will be too well-fortified. No, Daniel,'
he continued, 'the only option for us is to withdraw and let Marshal Villeroi
claim a victory. The moment he sees us pull back, he'll write to King Louis to
boast that he scared us into an ignominious retreat.'

'But
that's not what happened at all.'

'That's
how it will be portrayed at Versailles and we can do nothing to stop it. I know
that you have Dutch blood in you,' said Marlborough, bitterly, 'and I hope
you'll not take offence at my opinion of your fellow-countrymen.'

'I'm
as much English as Dutch, Your Grace.'

'Then
I speak to you as an Englishman because I know that you fight like one. The
conduct of this war has nearly driven me insane.' Pursing his lips, he shook
his head dejectedly. "There are times - and this is certainly one of them
- when I'm forced to conclude that the Dutch, our allies, have caused us far
more trouble than the French.'

Johannes
Mytens was a big, fleshy man in his forties with heavy jowls that shook as he
talked. As a member of the States-

General,
the Dutch parliament, he had considerable influence and had garnered support
both inside and outside the chamber. A wealthy man, he lived in a large house
in the most fashionable quarter of The Hague. He was glad to welcome a visitor
from Amsterdam that day. They sat either side of a walnut table in the sombre
interior of the
voorhuis.

'How
is business, Willem?' asked Mytens.

'My
business is thriving,' replied Willem Ketel, 'and it would thrive even more if
we were not caught up in this damaging war. When roads are closed and enemy soldiers
sit on our borders, merchants like me are hemmed in. When will it end? That's
what I ask.'

'It's
a question we often discuss in the chamber.'

'Are
you any nearer to resolving the problem, Johannes?'

'No,'
admitted the other.

'Then
the war could drag on indefinitely.'

Mytens
sighed. "There's every indication that it might.'

'What
a sickening prospect!'

Ketel
was an old friend of the politician's. Short, angular and now in his fifties,
he had small darting eyes set in a wizened face. His wig covered a head that
was bald and mottled. While Mytens chose relatively flamboyant attire, Ketel
preferred dark clothing that gave him a clerical air. He had a habit of sucking
his teeth before he spoke.

'Nothing
of consequence was gained this year,' he said. 'We were all misled by the happy
outcome at the battle of Blenheim.'

'It
was happier for the Duke of Marlborough than it was for us, Willem,' observed
Mytens. 'He claimed all the glory while we lost a large number of men.'

'He's
never given our army any credit.'

'All
that we ever get from him are complaints. After the retreat from the River
Yssche, he had the gall to write to Heinsius to demand that General Slangenberg
be dismissed.'

'What
did the Grand Pensionary do?'

'He
foolishly acceded to the demand.'

Ketel
was outraged. 'He dismissed a man of the general's ability?'

'Slangenberg
was persuaded to retire. That kept his reputation intact and pacified the Duke.
In my view, Slangenberg would have made a better commander-in-chief.'

'We
need someone to
end
the war not to continue it.'

'What's
the feeling in Amsterdam?'

'We've
always been less hostile to France than you here in The Hague. We see the
advantages of trade with her. I used to export almost a third of my goods to
Paris. What we need is a peace treaty.'

'The
Duke will not hear of it.'

'That's
because he puts British interests before ours, Johannes. The French are ready
to parley. They have no wish for this war to go on. It's very costly and they've
suffered heavy casualties. I believe that King Louis wants peace as much as we
do.'

'On
what terms, Willem - there's the rub!'

"They
must be honourable terms that satisfy both sides.'

'There's
no such thing. Someone must lose and someone gain.'

'End
the fighting and we're all beneficiaries,' said Ketel, eyes blazing with
certainty. 'I know that the Duke will not give in until France renounces its
claim to the Spanish throne but that will never happen. It's pointless to hold
out for something that can never be attained.'

'I
felt at the start that it
could
be attained,' said Mytens, his jowls wobbling. 'The thought that France could
annexe Spain and take control of its empire was terrifying. It would have a
monopoly on trade in all those colonies.'

'Nobody
was more worried than me, Johannes. Yet now that it has happened - now that
Spain has a French king - it doesn't seem quite so terrible. Besides,' he went
on, adjusting his wig, 'we could gain concessions. Were we to sue for peace, we
could insert terms in the treaty that would protect our merchants. We're a
trading nation, for heaven's sake. That's our destiny. In fair competition,
we're the equal of anyone.'

'You
speak to the converted, Willem. For some time, I've been talking about the need
to open negotiations with France.'

'What's
been the response?'

'I
hear that tired old slogan - No peace without Spain!'

'We
strike too hard a bargain.'

The
door opened and the maidservant brought in a flagon of wine and two glasses on
a tray. When she had set the tray down on the table, Mytens dismissed her with
a flick of the wrist. He poured wine into both glasses then handed one to
Ketel.

'What
shall we drink to, Willem?' he asked.

'To
the only thing worth having,' said Ketel, 'and that's the prospect of peace.'

'It's
a very long way off, I fear. Unless the Duke is dismissed from his command,
there's no hope of an end to this war, even though it's killing our soldiers
and bleeding our coffers dry.'

'Then
the Duke must go. He's the barrier to peace.'

'Heinsius
will not hear of it.'

'Why
must the decision be left in
his
hands?'

'He'll
always overrule critics like me, Willem.'

'Then
let's find another way to remove the obstruction,' said Ketel, slyly. 'It's in
everyone's interest to do so, after all. Let me ask you a straight question,
Johannes.' He sucked his teeth. 'How far would you go to get rid of the Duke of
Marlborough?'

Mytens
met his gaze as he considered his reply. Instead of putting it into words,
however, he simply raised his glass in a silent toast. Ketel gave a thin smile.
They had sealed a bond.

Tom
Hillier had learnt his trade quickly. He had mastered the drum calls and could
march in step with the others. Since he'd begun to stand up for himself, life
in the army was much less of an ordeal. He no longer had cruel jokes played on
him every day and had started to feel accepted. Even though hostilities against
the French had now been suspended, the drummers did not rest. Like everyone
else in camp, they continued to go through their drills so that they would be
ready in the event of a sudden call to action. Longing to be tested in battle,
Hillier brought a youthful zest to his playing. Henry Welbeck watched him from
the shelter of some trees as his nephew marched up and down with the other
drummers. The sergeant was startled when a firm hand fell on his shoulder.

'I've
caught you, Henry,' said Daniel Rawson. 'In spite of what you pretended, I
knew
that you'd take an interest in the lad.'

'I
just happened to be passing, Dan.'

'You
never do anything by accident.'

'Very
well,' confessed Welbeck. 'Perhaps I was curious to see how Tom was getting on.
But that's all it was,' he added, wagging a finger. 'Curiosity.'

'And
what have you discovered?'

'He
seems to be faring quite well.'

'Things
have settled down now,' explained Daniel. 'Ever since he had that fight with
Hugh Dobbs, he's a different person.'

Welbeck
was bemused. 'Who might Hugh Dobbs be?'

'He's
one of the other drummers and he decided to make Tom's life a misery. You've
seen the kind of japes that new recruits have to suffer. Dobbs even stole his
drum and stuck it at the top of a tree.'

'How
do you know all this?'

'I
helped him to get the instrument down. I also advised him to give Dobbs a taste
of his own medicine. What I suggested was putting a dead rat in his boot but
Tom decided on something more drastic.'

'What
did he do?' asked Welbeck with genuine interest.

'He
challenged Dobbs to a fight and knocked him senseless. Tom may look spindly,'
said Daniel, 'but, like me, he grew up on a farm. He's tough and wiry. Doing
all those chores builds up your muscles. Also, of course, he comes from Welbeck
stock. He's got your will to win, Henry.'

'How
on earth did you get to hear about this fight, Dan?'

'He
came and told me. It cost him a black eye but the other lad fared much worse.
Dobbs won't bother him again.'

'I'm
glad that Tom is finding his feet.'

'You
might try talking to him yourself.'

'There's
no need. I have no responsibility towards him.'

'But
you do,' said Daniel. 'What really inspired him to join this regiment was that
letter you wrote to your sister after the battle of Blenheim.' Welbeck flushed
guiltily. 'I know your little secret, Henry. You
do
preserve family ties, after all.'

'I
write a few lines once in a blue moon.'

'You're
responsible for firing Tom's imagination and giving him the urge to be a
soldier. The least you can do is to be a proper uncle to the lad. He's not
asking for favours.'

'He'll
get none,' said Welbeck.

'Stop
treating him as a leper.'

'I've
got far too much on my hands to bother about him.'

'Do
you want him to go on thinking that his mother was right?' said Daniel. 'She
told her son that you'd hate him simply because he was related to you.
According to your sister, you never enjoyed being part of a family. It
embarrassed you.'

'That's
enough!' snapped Welbeck, interrupting him. 'I don't want to talk about my
past. It doesn't exist anymore. As for Tom, I'll.. .watch him from a distance.
It's all I'm prepared to do, Dan.' He took a last look at Hillier. 'In any case,
I don't need to speak to him when I've got you to do that for me.'