Soldier of Fortune Read Online Free

Churchill suavely, 'sentence will not be left to you. Indeed, you are more
likely to be facing justice than dispensing it. If I learn that you condoned
the actions of Sergeant Hoskins, you and your companion will answer to me. I'll
not tolerate rape or pillage. I saw enough of both in Tangier to last me my
whole life. Men who serve under me have a code of honour and I'll not let one
of them besmirch that code.' He pointed a peremptory finger. 'Wait outside.'
    'We
had no idea what the sergeant was doing, my lord.'
    'I
gave you an order!'
    'Yes,
my lord.'
    Drawing
himself the attention, the man mumbled an apology then left the room quickly.
Daniel and his mother could not believe what they had just witnessed. On the
way there, they had been warned by the two soldiers to say nothing at all
because they would not be believed. The least they could expect, they were
told, was lengthy imprisonment. Instead, Daniel had been listened to and
exonerated. Churchill had not merely understood what had happened at the farm,
he had spared Juliana the embarrassment of having to recount it in detail.
    'On
behalf of my men,' said Churchill gravely, 'I owe you my profound apologies.
You will be given ample time to gather your possessions together before you
quit the property. I give you my word that nobody will harass you. As for you,
    Daniel,'
he continued, picking up the sword from the table, 'I can think of only one way
to reward your valour. Take this sword as your own and wear it with more honour
than the man from whom you took it.'

In
the ensuing days, two names were heard on every side - those of Major-General
John Churchill and Colonel Percy Kirke. Nothing bad was spoken of the one and
nothing good of the other. While Churchill had enhanced his reputation as a
soldier and gentleman, Kirke had added to the long record of unrelieved cruelty
he had compiled while stationed in Tangier. Kirke's Lambs, so called in ironic
tribute to the atrocities they committed after the battle and in mocking
reference to the Paschal lamb emblazoned on their regimental crest, consisted
mainly of musketeers with a sprinkling of pikemen and grenadiers. Wherever they
went, they left a trail of misery and destruction behind them, torturing and
executing their captives at will.
    It
was not long before a third name was on everyone's lips and it soon eclipsed
the other two. George Jeffreys was a notably handsome man with a flair for
vicious cross- examination and a fondness for low company. Though still in his
thirties, he had risen to the exalted position of Lord Chief Justice and was
accordingly dispatched to the West Country by King James to supervise the
trials of those who had dared to raise their hands against their monarch. Under
the strict and merciless control of Judge Jeffreys, the Bloody Assizes
commenced.
    The
circuit began in Winchester and the trial of Dame Alice Lisle was a stark
warning of the horrors that were to follow. A widow of eighty, Dame Alice was
accused of harbouring two rebels, even though she had no idea who the men were
and had little sympathy for the Duke of Monmouth's cause. In a bruising
six-hour trial, Jeffreys frightened and confused the old woman so much that she
was unable to muster a proper defence. A reluctant jury was bullied into
bringing in a guilty verdict and Jeffreys gleefully sentenced her to be burnt
at the stake, the penalty for women convicted of high treason. Five days later,
after an appeal to the King, she was spared incineration and was instead
beheaded by an axe.
    Everyone
quaked when they heard the news. If an innocent old woman could suffer such a
fate, what would happen to those who had actually fought beside Monmouth? The
answer soon came. Gallows were erected successively in Winchester, Dorchester
and Exeter as the judges continued their assize circuit. When they reached
Taunton, Jeffreys and the rest of his judicial team had still not slaked their
thirst for blood. With a blatant disregard for any evidence