ke of Savoy, saying that the circumstances were much better than
were generally supposed; and that the French officers, ignorant of the
situation of the country, would be astonished at the difficulties that
would be opposed to them on advancing even after success; and that if
the siege were raised they would be forced to abandon Spain, while all
the western frontier would be clear for the progress of Lord Galway and
Das Minas to Madrid.

A few days after the retreat of Marshal Tesse, to Jack's great pleasure
Graham came into Barcelona. He had, in the confusion of the retreat, had
little difficulty in slipping away from his captors. His only danger had
been from the peasantry, at whose hands he had narrowly escaped death,
as they took him for a French officer; but, upon being convinced by his
assurances that he was an Englishman and an aide de camp of the Earl of
Peterborough, they had provided him with a horse to make his way back to
Barcelona.

CHAPTER XVI: INGRATITUDE

Barcelona rescued, Peterborough at once urged the king to march upon
Madrid and have himself proclaimed king in his capital. There was no
force which could oppose his advance, and Lord Galway and the Portuguese
could move unresisted from the west and meet him there. But it was a
long time before Charles and his counselors would listen to his advice;
and although at last they agreed to follow it, their resolution was
short. In the first place, they determined to leave so large a force
to garrison Catalonia that the army available for the advance on Madrid
would be very seriously weakened--fifteen hundred English and eleven
hundred Spaniards were to be left at Barcelona, sixteen hundred English
and Dutch and fifteen hundred Spanish at Gerona, eight hundred and fifty
Spanish and Dutch at Lerida, and five hundred Spanish at Tortosa.

This left but sixty-five hundred men available for service in the field,
and even this number was subsequently diminished by the vacillating
Charles to forty-five hundred.

As Peterborough wrote to Lord Halifax: "We have saved kingdoms in spite
of the king, who would abandon them, and we have waged more dangerous
war with ministers than with enemies. Lord Galway and the Portuguese
generals pass all understanding."

No wonder the earl was astounded by the incompetence of Lord Galway and
the Portuguese generals. They had twenty thousand men, while to oppose
them there were but five thousand under the Duke of Berwick;