The Shadow of Tyburn Tree (62 page)

‘Our plight is bad, but not yet desperate,' countered Nordin.

‘I fear you are mistaken, Sir,' Roger cut in, and he then disclosed the Danish plan to swing south on Gothenburg.

As the Prebendary listened his expression became one of the deepest gloom, and when Roger had done, he muttered: ‘Since the Danes announced their intention to honour their treaty with Russia we have taken such measures as we could. 'Tis believed that they mean to invade us by way of the Friedrikshald gap. Our fortress of Quistrum, there, should hold them for a time; but once it is passed the province of Nordmark will be open to them. It is natural to anticipate that they would advance due east upon the capital, and His Majesty intends to deploy such forces as he can muster in their path. As he has little but a rabble of armed peasants with which to oppose them our case even then would be bad enough. But if their objective is Gothenburg our situation is indeed desperate; and nought but your Excellency's good offices, immediately applied, can save us.'

The British Minister nodded. ‘With Sweden now so weak the Danes must know that they have victory in their grasp before the war's begun; so 'twill be no easy task to induce them to throw away its fruits and agree a settlement. I can but try, and pray that they may be delayed in launching their attack. Are there no troops at all between them and Gothenburg?'

‘None but a small garrison at Uddevalla. The country was almost denuded of troops for the Finnish campaign, and most of our best regiments are still moribund there under His Majesty's second brother, the Duke of Ostrogothia. Yet, such is the King's courage and resource that on his return he refused to be dismayed by our new danger. Lacking adequate regular troops to form another army he resorted to an extraordinary
expedient. When his illustrious predecessor, Gustavus the First, was in a similar predicament he appealed to the Dalecarlians to rise and deliver Sweden from the Danish yoke, and these sturdy mine-workers achieved the seemingly impossible.'

‘Has His Majesty left Stockholm to do likewise, then?' asked Roger quickly.

The Prebendary nodded. ‘First, with his usual energy, he secured the adherence of the bourgeois in the capital. They were heartily sickened with the defection of the nobility and army, and the more readily pledged their loyalty to the King. In a short time we had raised three thousand burghers vowed to defend both their city and the throne. Having secured his rear from the risk of a
coup d'étât
by the nobles, His Majesty hurried to the Dales and is touring the mines, making a series of those patriotic orations of which he is such a master. From such news as reaches us I gather that the results are fully justifying his exertions, and that he has now raised several thousand Dalecarlians with whom he hopes to check the enemy's advance on Stockholm.'

‘Alas!' said Hugh Elliot. ‘I fear that this last desperate effort must now be brought to nought. In a pitched battle fought on their own soil these hardy partisans might possibly have repulsed the enemy; but by selecting Gothenburg instead of Stockholm for their objective the Danes will outflank His Majesty. Their forces will pass a hundred miles to the south of him, and long before he can bring his rude army that distance through the mountains his richest city will have fallen to the enemy. I trust that you can inform me of His Majesty's whereabouts, for I feel the urge more strongly than ever to place myself at his disposal without delay.'

‘When I last heard he was at Falum; and he will, I know, bless your Excellency's coming, as an omen that he has not been totally abandoned to his fate by those powers who have given him firm assurances of their friendship. The journey is all of one hundred and forty miles, but I will despatch a courier at once to ride on ahead of you and arrange relays of horses for your carriage.'

As he finished speaking Nordin left the room. When he returned some moments later he asked them to follow him, and led them across the landing to a dining-room where cold food had hastily been set out on the table. They knew that inns were very few and far between on the Swedish roads, and that it might be many hours before they got another decent meal, so they ate as heartily as they were able, while Nordin toyed with some fruit in gloomy silence.

It was nearly two o'clock when they went downstairs. Outside,
a closed carriage with six horses and an escort of four Hussars was waiting for them. They got in and drew the fur rugs about them; as they waved good-bye to the harassed Prebendary the carriage clattered away down the cobbled street.

The journey was a nightmare that seemed never-ending. The horses moved at a fast trot, and sometimes even at a canter, along all the flattish portions of the road, falling into a walk only when they were breasting or descending a steep hill. As the first half of the way lay through Sweden's lowest lying province these easings of the pace were few and far between, so that all through the afternoon and evening the travellers had to support an almost constant rocking, as the stout springs of the carriage reacted to the bumps of the road taken in such swift succession.

The highway wound for the most part along the shores of a succession of lakes and through farm lands in which the corn had already been harvested; but as dusk fell they entered more desolate country in which hills became more frequent and habitations lay farther apart. With the advance of night the gradients grew steeper, and there came longer intervals during which the carriage ceased its violent swaying, so its occupants were able to snatch quite considerable periods of fitful sleep.

When dawn came, they were winding their way down towards another plain, and having crossed it they reached a lake, on the north shore of which lay Falun. At seven o'clock they entered the little town with the satisfaction of knowing that they accomplished their long and wearisome journey in a bare seventeen hours. But, to their intense annoyance, they soon learned they had suffered to no purpose, as Gustavus had left the place three days before.

Having raised a company of volunteers the King had despatched them south-west to Annefors and ridden off himself ahead of them in that direction. After a meal and a change of horses Mr. Elliot and Roger followed, reaching the place at nightfall. But the King was still two days ahead of them, and reported to be fifty miles to the north-west at Malung.

Hugh Elliot, although trained for a soldier, had never been strong and was now suffering from a slight fever; so Roger insisted that they should pass the night where they were. On reaching Malung the following evening they learned that Gustavus had never been there at all so next morning they decided to head for Charlottenburg, on the frontier, as the most likely place that he would choose for his headquarters in an attempt to intercept the Danes.

Their route now lay crosswise to the chains of lakes and
mountains, necessitating many lengthy detours, so they did not reach the frontier town until the evening of the 27th. As Gustavus was not there, they pushed on further south next day, only to be met with the news that the Danes had opened hostilities on the 26th and were now pouring through the Friedrikshald gap, some thirty miles distant. Having come upon no indication that any Swedish forces had passed that way, they turned back and spent another night in Charlottenburg.

Fatigue, and the additional strain of knowing that the war he had sought to prevent was now in active progress, had increased Elliot's fever to such a degree that Roger refused to let him proceed further until they had something definite to go on. That night, the 29th, a courier informed them that Gustavus was at Carlstadt, on Lake Vener; but just as they were about to set out in the morning an officer came riding up, and as they learned later, suspecting that they might be spies, swore to them that the King was further north at Edeback.

Wearily they recrossed the chains of mountains, only to find two days later that they had been deceived, and have it confirmed that Gustavus had made Carlstadt his headquarters. A road down a long winding valley led south directly to the lake; and, making a great effort to catch the King before he moved again, they reached the town at dawn on the 3rd of October. Gustavus's camp was just outside it, and after eleven gruelling days and nights, on driving up before a little group of tents they found that they had at last run him to earth.

On alighting and stretching his limbs Roger was quite shocked by the appearance of the camp. The brave show that Gustavus's quarters had made in Finland was entirely lacking. A bare dozen tents were perched upon a knoll, and round about it spread hundreds of wretched-looking bivouacs, among which groups of hairy men clad in jerkins of sober black or grey were eating a meal that appeared to be distinctly scanty.

The guards were few and the formalities of approaching Gustavus of the simplest. Two minutes after their arrival they were shown into his tent. At the sight of them he sprang to his feet and, extending both his hands to Hugh Elliot, cried:

This is a surprise, indeed! But never was I more glad to see any man. Your Excellency's presence in our camp is worth an Army corps.' Then he turned to Roger and added: ‘Are you, Mr. Brook, bringer of good tidings. Are you come with Mr, Elliot to tell us that a British fleet is at last upon its way to our assistance?'

Gravely, and as gently as they could, they disabused him
of his hopes and told him the bitter truth. For a moment he was silent, then he said: ‘I might have guessed it, when I learned last night that two days since the Danes had taken Uddevalla. The cowardly surrender of Quistrum by Colonel Tranfelt on the 29th left the whole south-east open to them; yet I supposed that they had sent a column to Uddevalla only to secure their flank. 'Tis clear now that the town fell to their main army in its advance on Gothenborg. The city is Sweden's treasure-chest, and with it I'll lose my crown. So you find me, gentlemen, in much the same condition as your James the Second; and, like him, it seems that I'll be left no option but to spend my declining years as a pensioner of France.'

Ill and exhausted as he was, Hugh Elliot rose magnificently to the occasion, and cried with superb self-confidence: ‘Give me your crown, Sire, and I will return it to you with new lustre.'

‘What mean you?' muttered the despondent King.

Drawing himself up, the soldier-diplomat answered: ‘I pray, Sire, that you will never find yourself compelled to leave your Kingdom against your inclination; but that should you be forced to it you would give the preference to Britain. In fact, I am come to propose that your Majesty should cease to rely further at any time on King Louis' empty protestations of friendship, and lean henceforth when you have need upon the support of Britain, Prussia and the United Provinces.'

The King gave him a cynical glance. ‘I promised to do so months ago, but what have any of them done for me so far?'

‘ 'Tis not what they have done, Sire, but what they are both capable of and pledged to do, that merits your Majesty's consideration. France is so enervated from internal unrest that she no longer has the power to help you, whereas the Triple Alliance grows stronger every day, and is actively concerned to aid your Majesty in your difficulties. Before I left Copenhagen I saw the Prussian Minister, Count Von Rhoda, and we were entirely of one mind. The Count declared to me his intention of proceeding to Berlin to urge his government to exert pressure on the Danish court to cease from its attack upon you. My own government is too far removed for me to take a similar step; but, pending the receipt of fresh despatches, I am willing to take it on myself to use the prestige of the British Crown in your Majesty's interest, should you so desire.'

‘What! You are prepared to exert pressure on the Danes to cease hostilities?' cried the King, joyfully.

‘I can at least proceed to open negotiations with the Danish headquarters, should your Majesty give me your authority to do so.'

‘Go to it then, and may God prosper your endeavours; for 'tis clear now that an armistice alone will enable me to repair my shattered fortunes. You will be acting, too in a just cause, since their attack upon me was made in most treacherous fashion. In all these years it was never once hinted that they had pledged themselves to aid Catherine should a war break out between Sweden and Russia. Still worse, His Danish Majesty's brother-in-law, Charles of Hesse-Cassel. who now commands their army, came into Sweden and made a tour of my Southern provinces as an honoured guest, while their forces were already being prepared in Norway for this invasion. For a Prince and a General to have thus come ahead and, while pretending friendship, acted the part of spy is infamous; and I pray you tell him so.

Hugh Elliot shook his head. ‘I fear, Sire, that such matters, however reprehensible, will carry little weight when it comes to their deciding whether or no to carry the conflict to a final issue. The critical factor lies in the degree of loyalty that the garrison of Gothenburg may display to your Majesty; or rather the degree of resistance which the Danes expect to encounter from the city. If they believe that it can be had by a mere summons to surrender I doubt if aught that I can say will dissuade them from taking it, and your prestige among your own subjects will then be lost for good. But if the Danes think they will be put to a long and arduous siege they may be persuaded to give you an honourable accommodation rather than risk incurring the ill-will of Britain and Prussia.'

‘Your Excellency is right in that!' Gustavus's eyes suddenly showed their old fire. ‘While you proceed with these negotiations Gothenburg must be held at all costs. I have taken up my quarters here in order that the constant sight of their King may hearten my loyal Dalesmen, but I have two good regiments billeted in the town, and I will despatch them instantly to reinforce Gothenburg'

‘ 'Tis all of a hundred and seventy miles, Sire.' hazarded Roger. ‘And if the Danes captured Uddevalla three days ago their advance columns must already have penetrated as far as the outer defences of the city. I trust your Majesty has a reliable commander there, for if not he may be panicked into surrendering before the arrival of this help that you propose to send him.'