How the Brigadier Played for a Kingdom

Name: How the Brigadier Played for a Kingdom
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

In “How the Brigadier Played for a Kingdom,” Colonel Etienne Gerard recounts how, after the Russian campaign, he is ordered to leave his weakened hussars on the Elbe and ride to France to organize recruits and remounts. Travelling through Germany with his mare Violette, he is disturbed by the hostility of villagers who once treated French soldiers warmly. He notices the letter T carved on trees and learns from a frightened contractor that it signifies the Tugendbund, a secret movement preparing a German rising against the French, aided by Lutzow’s nightriders. Soon afterward Gerard finds the dying Marquis of Château St. Arnaud, an officer of the Emperor’s new Guard of Honour. The Marquis has been attacked by the nightriders while carrying urgent papers to the Prince of Saxe-Felstein at Hof. He tells Gerard that the Prince remains loyal to France, though the Princess is trying to turn him against it; because of the Prince’s powerful family connections, his decision may influence all Germany. Gerard takes the Emperor’s papers and vows to deliver them that night. Nightriders fire on him when he tries to use the road, so he rides furiously across the moors. At Lobenstein, Violette loses a shoe, delaying him at the smithy. While waiting at an inn, Gerard hears a woman crying out among a hostile group of villagers. He rescues the beautiful Countess Palotta, a Polish woman who claims to be persecuted for favouring the French. Gerard shelters her, gives her wine, and is delighted by her admiration for his military exploits. He forgets his mission until the clock strikes eleven. When he tries to leave, the Countess appeals desperately for protection, then asks for water. Gerard rushes out to find it; on his return, she has vanished, taking with her the Emperor’s papers from inside his pelisse. Realizing that the supposed Countess and the innkeeper have tricked him, Gerard abandons a dangerous attempt to force information from the armed innkeeper and his servants. He resolves instead to go to Hof and deliver from memory the message he believes the papers contained: that the Emperor expects loyalty and can reward or destroy the Prince. At Hof, the town is in uproar, and Gerard forces his way into the Prince’s palace, where a great council is deciding whether to oppose France. The Princess who receives him is the very woman who robbed him at Lobenstein. Gerard accuses her, notices that her dress is muddy from riding, and breaks past her into the council chamber. He announces himself as the Emperor’s messenger but admits he has no papers. Though suspected of being a spy, he speaks directly to the Prince, warning that the Emperor is crossing the Rhine with two hundred thousand men and that disloyalty will bring ruin. The Prince calls for a German answer. The Princess invokes Lutzow’s nightriders, and the young poet Korner rises to sing of Germany’s past, her oppression, and her call for her children to fight. His song inflames the assembly. The Prince declares that he and his people will stand together against France, giving Gerard his answer. Outside the palace, nightriders seize Gerard and prepare to hang him at the gate so that the Prince will be committed beyond forgiveness. Korner intervenes, refusing to let them dishonour their cause by murdering an unarmed ambassador. Before the conflict can become a fight, the Princess arrives and frees Gerard, declaring him under her protection. In private, she admits that she was the false Countess Palotta. She explains that she stole the papers because their arguments might have kept the Prince faithful to France, and that she used deceit because she believed Germany’s fate demanded it. She praises Gerard’s courage and returns the papers, since the Prince’s decision is now irrevocable. Gerard departs with the despatches, reflecting on the Princess’s beauty, Korner’s song, and the strength of Germany. As dawn comes, the star he had invoked as the Emperor’s star fades pale in the western sky.

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle · First published 1895 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure Fiction, War Fiction · 10,106 words

First lines

It has sometimes struck me that some of you, when you have heard me tell these little adventures of mine, may have gone away with the impression that I was conceited. There could not be a greater mistake than this, for I have always observed that really fine soldiers are free from this failing. It is true that I have had to depict myself sometimes as brave, sometimes as full of resource, always as interesting; but, then, it really was so, and I had to take the facts as I found them. It would be an unworthy affectation if I were to pretend that my career has been anything but a fine one. The incident which I will tell you tonight, however, is one which you will understand that only a modest man would describe. After all, when one has attained such a position as mine, one can afford to speak of what an ordinary man might be tempted to conceal.

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How the Brigadier Played for a Kingdom is listed on Textopian as a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, dated 1895 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Date: 1895 CE
Language: English
Genres: Historical Fiction, Adventure Fiction, War Fiction, Military Fiction, Historical Adventure
Length: 10,106 words
Structure: 1 section, 143 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Genres

Historical Fiction — Set during the 1813 German Campaign after Napoleon's retreat from Russia, the story incorporates the Tugendbund, Lutzow's Free Corps, German nationalism, and the political collapse of Napoleonic dominance.
Adventure Fiction — The plot centers on a dangerous mounted journey, ambushes, a dying courier, stolen dispatches, espionage, pursuit, and escape from a threatened execution.
War Fiction — Its setting, characters, conflicts, and imagery are shaped by the Napoleonic Wars, including the disastrous Russian campaign, cavalry service, military intelligence, and an impending national uprising.
Military Fiction — The first-person narrator is Colonel Etienne Gerard, and the tale emphasizes cavalry life, uniforms, command, dispatches, strategy, guerrilla warfare, martial honor, and soldierly bravado.