Stories of the Napoleonic Age

Five tales of battle, intrigue, the sea and adventure from the Napoleonic era

Conan Doyle was justifiably famous for his great detective Sherlock Holmes. But in fact Doyle's first love was historical fiction, and he had a particular interest in and affinity with the age of Napoleon. This led him after the 'demise' of Holmes to create another character much closer to his heart-the impossibly brave, boastful and not very bright, French hussar-Brigadier Gerard. That character's full adventures—complete with all the original magazine illustrations—is available as a Leonaur edition. Fortunately for the many enthusiastic aficionados of Doyle and the Napoleonic Age his efforts in that period of history did not end with Gerard. Here are Doyle's other classic novelettes and stories of the epoch of empires—each one a gem—brought together in a single volume available in soft cover and hard cover for collectors to enjoy over again. Includes Uncle Bernac, The Great Shadow, A Foreign Office Romance, A Straggler of 1815, The 'Slapping Sal' and Doyle's essay on his own Napoleonic history library.

We walked our horses along the path, therefore, with as unconcerned an air as we could assume; but a sharp exclamation made us glance suddenly round, and there was the woman standing on a hillock by the roadside and gazing down at us with a face that was rigid with suspicion. The sight of the military bearing of my companions changed all her fear into certainties. In an instant she had whipped the shawl from her shoulders, and was waving it frantically over her head. With a hearty curse Savary spurred his horse up the bank and galloped straight for the mill, with Gerard and myself at his heels.<br>
It was only just in time. We were still a hundred paces from the door when a man sprang out from it, and gazed about him, his head whisking this way and that. There could be no mistaking the huge bristling beard, the broad chest, and the rounded shoulders of Toussac. A glance showed him that we would ride him down before he could get away, and he sprang back into the mill, closing the heavy door with a clang behind him.<br>
'The window, Gerard, the window!' cried Savary.<br>
There was a small, square window opening into the basement room of the mill. The young hussar disengaged himself from the saddle and flew through it as the clown goes through the hoops at Franconi's. An instant later he had opened the door for us, with the blood streaming from his face and hands.<br>
'He has fled up the stair,' said he.<br>
'Then we need be in no hurry, since he cannot pass us,' said Savary, as we sprang from our horses. 'You have carried his first line of entrenchments most gallantly, Lieutenant Gerard. I hope you are not hurt?'<br>
'A few scratches, General, nothing more.'<br>
'Get your pistols, then. Where is the miller?'<br>
'Here I am,' said a squat, rough little fellow, appearing in the open doorway. 'What do you mean, you brigands, by entering my mill in this fashion? I am sitting reading my paper and smoking my pipe of coltsfoot, as my custom is about this time of the evening, and suddenly, without a word, a man comes flying through my window, covers me with glass, and opens my door to his friends outside. I've had trouble enough with my one lodger all day without three more of you turning up.'<br>
'You have the conspirator Toussac in your house.'<br>
'Toussac!' cried the miller. 'Nothing of the kind. His name is Maurice, and he is a merchant in silks.'<br>
'He is the man we want. We come in the Emperor's name.'<br>
The miller's jaw dropped as he listened.<br>
'I don't know who he is, but he offered a good price for a bed and I asked no more questions. In these days one cannot expect a certificate of character from every lodger. But, of course, if it is a matter of State, why, it is not for me to interfere. But, to do him justice, he was a quiet gentleman enough until he had that letter just now.'<br>
'What letter? Be careful what you say, you rascal, for your own head may find its way into the sawdust basket.'<br>
'It was a woman who brought it. I can only tell you what I know. He has been talking like a madman ever since. It made my blood run cold to hear him. There's someone whom he swears he will murder. I shall be very glad to see the last of him.'<br>
'Now, gentlemen,' said Savary, drawing his sword, 'we may leave our horses here. There is no window for forty feet, so he cannot escape from us. If you will see that your pistols are primed, we shall soon bring the fellow to terms.'<br>
The stair was a narrow winding one made of wood, which led to a small loft lighted from a slit in the wall.<br>
Some remains of wood and a litter of straw showed that this was where Toussac had spent his day. There was, however, no sign of him now, and it was evident that he had ascended the next flight of steps. We climbed them, only to find our way barred by a heavy door.<br>
'Surrender, Toussac!' cried Savary. 'It is useless to attempt to escape us.
A hoarse laugh sounded from behind the door.<br>
'I am not a man who surrenders. But I will make a bargain with you. I have a small matter of business to do to-night. If you will leave me alone, I will give you my solemn pledge to surrender at the camp to-morrow. I have a little debt that I wish to pay. It is only to-day that I understood to whom I owed it.'<br>
'What you ask is impossible.'<br>
'It would save you a great deal of trouble.'
'We cannot grant such a request. You must surrender.'<br>
'You'll have some work first.'<br>
'Come, come, you cannot escape us. Put your shoulders against the door! Now, all together?' <br>
There was the hot flash of a pistol from the keyhole, and a bullet smacked against the wall between us. We hurled ourselves against the door. It was massive, but rotten with age. With a splintering and rending it gave way before us. We rushed in, weapons in hand, to find ourselves in an empty room.