Lazarus Rising Revisited (9 + 10)

Chapter 9.

The church was emptying slowly. Lazarus could hear the comments from the men and women around him.

"He hasn't changed a bit." one said.

'Still so handsome" said another.

"Its a tragedy what happened" agreed a third.

Even the Metcalf's were talking about Robert Foxworth's miraculous return to Stelling Minnis.

"He hasn't aged a day" the doctor said in an envious way.

"Very handsome man" his wife agreed.

"Who is he?" asked Samuel.

"Well" started his father, "Its a long story."

"Please father?" begged the boy.

"Well, lets see if I can remember.* The doctor seemed to be accessing hidden memories, closing his eyes to focus on events that had happened a long time ago. Even Lazarus was listening intently because he wanted to know more about the family.

"Charles Foxworth married Abigail Bainbridge in 1787; she was the only daughter of the local squire and lord of the manor. A few months after they had wed, her father died in a hunting accident, fell off his horse and got trampled poor fellow. I was only a boy at the time.

Well Charles, as husband, inherited the lot. The luckiest man in the world he was. He made his fortune through slavery and then overnight became a land owner and Lord of the manor."

They had reached the doctor's house and as the family were preparing to enter Lazarus pulled the octor to one side. He was feeling confused about what he had seen and heard and the feeling of uneasiness that he had felt in the church had returned.

"I'm sorry doctor" he said, "Do you mind if I take a walk and clear my head?'

"Of course my friend, why don't you go and explore the village."

"Mr Lazarus", Samuel interrupted, "Can I show you around, like we talked about earlier?'

"Of course you can, I would be very happy if you did that, thank you."

"Come on then, what are we waiting for?"

"Easy now Samuel", his mother scolded him, "Remember Mr Lazarus is still recovering."

"Its fine Mrs Metcalf" Lazarus said, "Come on Sam, show me everything."

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The boy led him by the hand and they headed up the hill which Samuel told him would be the perfect place to start their adventure. It wasn't that steep or very high but the view was good and Lazarus could see the whole village.

So Samuel, where are we?" he asked.

"This is Maxwell hill, there used to be a windmill here but it burned down a few years ago."

He gazed down onto the village.

"There is my house" he pointed and smiled. "Theres the church and my school and you can see the green and everything. I love coming up here, especially on nice summer days like this one."

"That's the Foxworth house down there isn't it?" Lazarus asked quietly.

"Yes."

"If you dont mind Samuel, I want to go down there. You dont need to come with me, but I have to go and see it for myself."

"I dont understand Mr Lazarus."

"Since I came to Stelling Minnis, I cant stop thinking about it and because my memory is still foggy, I need to know why or I may go mad. Do you understand now?"

"I think so" the boy replied, "By finding out about the house, you will find out about yourself."

"Thats right. Thank you Sam, but I shall find my own way down. This is something I need to do alone."

"Alright Mr Lazarus, I shall go and find my friends, see you later."

With that the boy turned and ran down the hill with the energy and enthusiasm of youth. Lazarus watched him go and smiled to himself.

He took a deep breath and strode down the hill towards the big house in the woods.

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When he reached the foot of the hill he suddenly realized that there was no direct path to the house from his position and he decided to walk through the woods.

Although not big the forest was tightly packed and inside the canopy overheard had blocked out almost all the sunlight. The trees were old and gnarled and the air was very still.

Tree roots threatened to trip him with each step he took and rogue branches snagged him and tore his shirt. Another one hit him in the face and gave him a painful scratch on his cheek.

After what seemed like an age he stepped from the trees and found himself on the edge of what seemed to be the edge of a large ornamental garden. He looked around and saw that this garden had not been cared for in a long time. Plants were growing out of control and weeds covered the paths and patios. Hedges that had been carefully grown and sculpted were now messy and overgrown.

He realized that no one was about and that no one had stepped on this ground for a very long time. He walked slowly through the maze of paths that ran throughout the garden. He instinctively knew the shortest route towards the house although he had no recollection of being here before.

He turned into a more open area of the garden and there in the centre was a large ornamental pond. It was kidney shaped and at the centre was a marble statue of a woman holding a baby.

The sight made Lazarus shake with fear and he nearly stumbled. He remembered something; something bad, but he couldn't remember details, just feelings. A feeling of nausea was rising in his throat and sweat was beading his face in his panicked state.

He wanted to run but his legs had turned to jelly and he stumbled and fell onto his knees. He reached out with one arm and grabbed the marble edge of the pond and dragged himself up so that he was gazing down into the dark, grimy water.

His reflection looked back at him and seemed to laugh at his distress.

"What's the matter Lazarus?" the reflection mocked, "Feeling guilty?"

"Who am I?" he asked the reflection.

"No, no my friend. Its much more fun watching you suffer. You will discover your identity, but only when the time is right."

The reflection seemed to laugh at him again and Lazarus tried to grab at the face in the water but all he did was break the surface with a splash that drenched him in the smelly, dank water.

Chapter 10

The small group of men quietly made their way up the bank. When they reached the top of the incline, Robert held up a hand to indicate that he wanted them to stop. It was still dark although to the east, the first signs of the rising sun had started to brighten the horizon.
Robert had no concerns about the sunrise however, it was the fact that he and his men, who he was responsible for, were walking into the unknown. The Lieutenant had been very vague about what to expect and the men had been nervous, especially the two youngest.
Robert had taken Brian and Paddy aside and told them what to expect. He explained that their roles would be to hang back and use their sharp shooting skills to pick off any enemy  soldiers who would appear once Robert and the three other members of the unit engaged the enemy.
Albert, Jimmy and Alf were all excellent skirmishers and their close quarters combat with bayonet, sword or knife was incredible. Robert himself had superior hand to hand combat skills as well as being an excellent shot.
The young corporal peered over the crest of the small hill they had just climbed up and looked down into the small bowl shaped hollow. True to the Lieutenant's predictions a pair of French guns had been placed there and they were pointed, rather ominously, right at them. Robert knew that these guns' range could severely impact Sir Arthur Wellesly's plan and it was important that they were put out of commission before dawn. He scanned for French troops and he saw 4 men sitting around a camp fire. They were wearing the blue uniforms of French gunners and they also wore swords on their belts. He also saw three large tents beyond the guns and he guessed that the four men were on guard duty while the others slept.
He had no doubt in his men's ability to deal with the four men quickly and quietly but the tents meant their could be another ten men who could appear at any time. He gestured to Alf and the veteran slipped quietly over to his side.
"Alf, I don’t like this situation, but we have our orders. I want you and Albert to make your way down so you are behind the tents. Stay quiet and stay alert. When you hear my signal, you may have to act fast."
"What's the signal?"
"Me and Jimmy helping the Frogs reach paradise of course."
"Ah well" Alf mused, "I don’t think we will miss that."
"Good man. Head around the ridge and when you're in position, Jimmy and I will make our move."
"Good luck Robbie."
"You too."
"Come on Alby, lets go."
The two men slipped away into the gloom and Robert turned to the two youngsters.
"Paddy, Brian, Jimmy and I are going to give the Frogs a little wake up call. Paddy, you head up there." He pointed to a large outcrop of rock about 15 metres to their right.
"Brian, stay here. Its vital that you two keep your eyes open. If it looks like we are going to be outgunned, we need you two to cover us. Only fire though if you absolutely have to.'
Both men nodded their understanding. The whole troop knew that just a single shot could alert the other French troops in the area and the carefully planned covert operation wouldn't be very covert any more.
"OK Jimmy, feeling lucky?
"Well, my mother always said I would come to a sticky end corporal."
He unsheathed his knife which was sharp with an 8 inch blade. Robert knew that Jimmy would occasionally talk to the knife and he was glad that the London boy was on his side.
"Mary and me are going to be quiet" Jimmy said as he ran his fingers along the blade.
"I don’t know about the French Jimmy, but you scare seven shades of shit out of me. Lets go.'

Quickly and quietly the two men made their way down the gentle slope. Every now and then they would stop and lie still against the ground, their dark green uniforms proved to be excellent camouflage in these conditions.

Once they were sure they were not being watched, they would continue. They finally reached the bottom of the slope and Robert could see Albert and Alf just beyond the tents and looking back up the slope he could see Paddy and Brian.
The four French men were still sitting by the fire. They were speaking in their own language and even though Robert only knew enough to understand that they were talking about the boredom of sentry duty.

He almost felt sorry for them, they all looked to be young, raw recruits and he knew that very soon they would regret joining Bonaparte's army.  He gave the prearranged signal and he and Jimmy began to move slowly and silently into the French camp. As they moved Albert and Alf also started their approach. They were hidden by the French tents so they would not be seen but they had to move quietly over the rocky terrain.

Suddenly and without warning one of the soldiers stood up and in a loud voice made a crude comment about needing to piss. His colleagues laughed and one of them pointed roughly towards Robert's position. Robert dropped to the ground and took the only cover he could behind a large green shrub. Jimmy ducked back behind a large rock. Robert was horrified that the man was walking directly towards his position and was unbuttoning his trousers as he approached.

The Frenchman's cock was already in his hand when he stopped walking and he sent an amber stream through the air and to Robert's disgust  his jacket got sprayed. With a single thrust of his blade upward he stabbed the man through his balls and up into his abdomen. He jumped up quickly to muffle the mans cries. He held the man upright and used him to hide himself from the other French soldiers.

He could feel the the arterial blood pouring down onto his hand that still held his sword. He looked into the mans eyes and saw that he was still alive. His eyes showed a strange  mix of emotions, shock, fear and despair yes but also a profound sense of embarrassment. Robert took pity on him. He pulled his sword from the man and in one swift motion used it to cut his throat, ending his suffering quickly and quietly. He then signalled to the others to attack. Alf and Albert moved first and they were on the three remaining soldiers in the blink of an eye. Two of them died without even having a chance to draw their swords and the third had started to open his mouth to shout an alert to his sleeping comrades. No sound came though because Jimmy's bayonet had been shoved through the back of his neck severing his vocal chords and the carotid artery. The point of the bayonet was protruding from the mans mouth and the light from the campfire made it glint with a golden shine. As Jimmy pulled his bayonet out from the mans head, blood poured from the mans mouth along with a bubbly gargle.

The four British comrades quickly and without fuss advanced towards the tents. The initial encounter with the French had only lasted about two minutes. There were two tents, both large and grey in colour. They once again split into two groups and they stood on either side of the front flaps. Robert cleared his throat and in the best French voice he could muster he said "Les soldats, se levant et nous aident.'

Groans came from within and an angry voice complained about being woken. A head came poking out of the tent and a sword came flashing down that caught the man squarely on the back of his head cutting deep into the skull, killing him instantly. His body fell to the ground with a quiet thud and his brains leaked onto the stony ground.

As Jimmy wiped the blood from his blade, Robert pulled back the tent flap to reveal it was empty. He nodded to Albert who also used his more basic French to lure any Frenchmen within to their doom. The two men who appeared were quickly dispatched as they stepped from the tent. Finally the men could relax and Robert waved to Paddy and Brian to come down.

"Well done guys" Robert said with a smile on his face.
"Oy Albie" said Jimmy.
"What?"
"Can you smell French piss?"
"Yeah, yeah' said Robert and the men all laughed.
"Get some rest while we can. The other guys will be doing their bit. We need to be ready to move. Brian, keep an eye out just in case.'

The young man moved away and took up position at the centre of the camp. Robert and the other men went into the tents to get a well earned rest. 

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The explosion was huge, The entire mountain shook. The men in Robert's troop gathered together.

'What the fuck was that? Albert asked.

'That wasnt a cannon' Alf said.

'That sounded like a whole magazine going up' Robert said.

'Well seems like our nice , quiet little mission is over» Paddy commented.
'Come on men" Robert urged, "I know we are tired but lets go and see."
"Ah, what the hell" Jimmy said, picking up his rifle, "Nobody lives forever."
 and the path northwards towards the sound. Light was now streaming up from the horizon and a column of black smoke was rising up from behind the next hill.

They reached the hill top and gazed down into the small partially treed valley below. What they saw made their blood run cold. Several bodies were strewn around. French and British lieing together in death, mangled by the explosion. A few remaining French and British were fighting it out and Robert knew that French reinforcements would soon arrive. He pulled a small telescope from his tunic and scanned the valley floor.

He was shocked to see Alex down there still fighting but it seemed that most of his men were dead. He also saw the Lieutenant, who looked like he had been seriously wounded, propped up against a tree.
"Let's go" he ordered, "fix bayonets."
The men charged down the steep hill. Paddy screamed an Irish battle cry and the 6 companions threw themselves into the fray.

Rifle shots left three Frenchmen dead and Robert ducked quickly as a sword flashed past his ear. He raised his own rifle with the bayonet extending its reach by a foot. It slashed the belly of the Frenchman and Robert was sprayed by more blood. He kept moving though, not even looking to check if the French soldier was down. His eyes were fixed on the Lieutenant who was slumped over beside a gnarled looking tree with blood dripping from his arm.

He crossed the ground quickly to his side.
"Come on Sir, lets get out of here."
"No Foxworth, I will not leave my men"
"Sorry Sir, this is no time to argue."
The officer was still complaining as Robert hoisted him up onto his soldier and started to head back out of the valley. Unfortunately for both of them, two French Infantry men with swords stood in their way.
"And I thought this couldn't get any harder"

Robert gently lay the officer back to the ground.

"Pardon me Lieutenant, be with you in a moment."

He turned back to the French and waved his rifle with the bayonet pointed towards them.

"A bayonet is a good weapon for close combat, but against two swords, maybe not that good." His tone changed to one that was more menacing. "I'm going to kill one of you" he told them, "before the other kills me. So who feels lucky?"

The soldiers looked at him blankly and while they were still trying to work out what he had said, he attacked.

He swung his rifle like a cricket bat and smashed it into the face on the soldier on his left, unseen by the other he had pulled the bayonet from the end of his rifle and with his left hand gripping the blade he spun round and plunged it deep into the throat of the soldier. A strange gurgling sound came from the Frenchman and blood burst from his mouth in a frothy foam.

The soldier who had been hit in the face recovered and swung his sword at Robert catching him on the side of the face. Luckily it was a glancing blow but the pain was extreme and Robert went down onto his knees. He looked up at the Frenchman who had lifted his sword again to deliver the killing blow and made a short, silent prayer.

The sword did not fall though because another sword had been pushed through the man from behind so that  the point was sticking from the mans chest. The French soldier collapsed to reveal the Lieutenant who had grabbed the other soldiers sword and saved his life.

'Thank you Sir, now can we go?"

"With pleasure corporal."

Picking up the officer again he surveyed the scene.

All the French were dead. Two of his men, Alf and young Brian were also dead. Alex was standing with the others.

"Lets go guys" Robert said.

"You OK, Robbie?' Alex asked

"Yes, you?"

"No, it's all my fault, I disobeyed the Lieutenants orders, lost all my men."

"Never ind that now, lets get off this bloody mountain. Paddy, help me with the Lieutenant."

The small band made their way down the mountain and in a few hours were back at their camp. A few hours later the British had their victory and the French had turned and ran. The Lieutenant survived but was sent home. He made two recommendations to the Colonel. That Alex should be demoted and punished for his lack of discipline that nearly cost them the battle and that Robert be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant immediately.

These two decisions would change both their lives forever. Alex was flogged and had his green jacket removed and put on punishment duty with the pretty red coat of an infantryman, Robert got his commission and replaced the man he had saved as the head of the unit.