Here for many generations his descendants lived, for the most part taking an active share in the wars and disturbances11 which, with scarcely an interval12 of rest, agitated13 the country.
The castle had continued to deserve its name until forty years before the time this story commences, when Cromwell's gunners had battered14 a breach15 in it, and left it a heap of smoking ruins. Walter Davenant had died, fighting to the last, in his own hall. At that time, the greater part of his estate was bestowed16 upon officers and soldiers in Cromwell's army, among whom no less than four million acres of Irish land were divided.
Had it not been that Walter Davenant's widow was an Englishwoman, and a relation of General Ireton, the whole of the estate would have gone; but his influence was sufficient to secure for her the possession of the ruins of her home, and a few hundred acres surrounding it. Fortunately, the dowry which Mrs. Davenant had brought her husband was untouched, and a new house was reared within the ruins of the castle, the new work being dovetailed with the old.
The family now consisted of Mrs. Davenant, a lady sixty-eight years old; her son Fergus, who was, when Cromwell devastated17 the land, a child of five years; his wife Katherine, daughter of Lawrence McCarthy, a large landowner near Cork; and their two sons, Walter, a lad of sixteen, and Godfrey, twelve years old.
Two miles west of the castle stood a square-built stone house, surrounded by solidly-constructed barns and outbuildings. This was the abode18 of old Zephaniah Whitefoot, the man upon whom had been bestowed the broad lands of Walter Davenant. Zephaniah had fought stoutly19, as lieutenant20 in one of Cromwell's regiments22 of horse, and had always considered himself an ill-treated man, because, although he had obtained all the most fertile portion of the Davenant estate, the old family were permitted to retain the castle, and a few hundred acres by the sea.
He was one of those who contended that the Amalekites should be utterly23 destroyed by the sword, and he considered that the retention24 of the corner of their domains25, by the Davenants, was a direct flying in the face of the providence26 who had given them into the hands of the faithful. Not that, had he obtained possession of the ruined castle, Zephaniah Whitefoot would have repaired it or set up his abode there. The followers of Cromwell had no eyes for the beautiful. They were too much in earnest to care aught for the amenities27 of life, and despised, as almost sinful, anything approximating to beauty, either in dress, person, or surroundings. The houses that they reared, in this land of which they had taken possession, were bare to the point of ugliness, and their interior was as cold and hard as was the exterior28. Everything was for use, nothing for ornament29. Scarce a flower was to be seen in their gardens, and laughter was a sign of levity30, to be sternly repressed.
Their isolation31, in the midst of a hostile population, caused them no concern whatever. They cared for no society or companionship, save that of their own households, which they ruled with a rod of iron; and an occasional gathering32, for religious purposes, with the other settlers of their own faith. They regarded the Irish as Papists, doomed33 to everlasting34 perdition, and indeed consigned35 to that fate all outside their own narrow sect36. Such a people could no more mix with the surrounding population than oil with water. As a rule, they tilled as much ground in the immediate37 vicinity of their houses as they and their families could manage, and the rest of the land which had fallen into their possession they let, either for a money payment, or, more often, for a portion of the crops raised upon it, to such natives as were willing to hold it on these terms.
The next generation had fallen away somewhat from their fathers' standards. It is not in human nature to stand such a strain as their families had been subjected to. There is an innate38 yearning39 for joy and happiness, and even the sternest discipline cannot keep man forever in the gloomy bonds of fanaticism40. In most cases, the immediate descendants of Cromwell's soldiers would gladly have made some sort of compromise, would have surrendered much of their outlying land to obtain secure and peaceful possession of the rest, and would have emerged from the life of gloomy seclusion41, in which they found themselves; but no whisper of any such feeling as this would be heard in the household of Zephaniah Whitefoot, so long as he lived.
He was an old man now, but as hard, as gloomy, and as unlovable as he had been when in his prime. His wife had died very many years before, of no disease that Zephaniah or the doctor he called in could discover, but, in fact, of utter weariness at the dull life of repression42 and gloom which crushed her down. Of a naturally meek43 and docile44 disposition45, she had submitted without murmuring to her husband's commands, and had, during her whole married life, never shocked him so much as she did the day before her death, when, for the first time, she exhibited the possession of an opinion of her own, by saying earnestly:
"You may say what you like, Zephaniah, but I do think we were meant to have some happiness and pleasure on earth. If we were intended to go through life without laughing, why should we be able to laugh? Oh, how I should like to hear one hearty46, natural laugh again before I die, such as I used to hear when I was a girl!"
Jabez Whitefoot inherited his mother's docility47 of disposition, and, even when he grew to middle age, never dreamt of disputing his father's absolute rule, and remained strictly48 neutral when his wife, the daughter of an old comrade of his father, settled a few miles away, fought stoutly at times against his tyranny.
"You are less than a man, Jabez," she would say to him, indignantly, "to put up, at your age, with being lectured as if you were a child. Parental49 obedience50 is all very well, and I hope I was always obedient to my father; but when it comes to a body not being permitted to have a soul of his own, it is going too far. If you had told me that, when I became your wife, I was to become the inmate51 of a dungeon52 for the rest of my existence, I wouldn't have had you, not if you had been master of all the broad lands of Leinster."
But, though unable to rouse her husband into making an effort for some sort of freedom, Hannah Whitefoot had battled more successfully in behalf of her son, John.
"You have had the management of your son, sir, and I will manage mine," she said. "I will see that he does not grow up a reprobate53 or a Papist, but at least he shall grow up a man, and his life shall not be as hateful as mine is, if I can help it."
Many battles had already been fought on this point, but in the end Hannah Whitefoot triumphed. Although her husband never, himself, opposed his father's authority, he refused absolutely to use his own to compel his wife to submission54.
"You know, sir," he said, "you had your own way with my mother and me, and I say nothing for or against it. Hannah has other ideas. No one can say that she is not a good woman, or that she fails in her duty to me. All people do not see life from the same point of view. She is just as conscientious55, in her way, as you are in yours. She reads her Bible and draws her own conclusions from it, just as you do; and as she is the mother of the child, and as I know she will do her best for it, I shall not interfere56 with her way of doing it."
And so Hannah won at last, and although, according to modern ideas, the boy's training would have been considered strict in the extreme, it differed very widely from that which his father had had before him. Sounds of laughter, such as never had been heard within the walls of the house, since Zephaniah laid stone upon stone, sometimes issued from the room where Hannah and the child were together alone, and Zephaniah was out with Jabez about the farm; and Hannah herself benefited, as much as did the child, by her rebellion against the authorities. Jabez, too, was conscious that home was brighter and pleasanter than it had been, and when Zephaniah burst into a torrent57 of indignation, when he discovered that the child had absolutely heard some fairy stories from its mother, Jabez said quietly:
"Father, I wish no dispute. I have been an obedient son to you, and will continue so to my life's end; but if you are not satisfied with the doings of my wife, I will depart with her. There are plenty who will be glad to let me a piece of land; and if I only work there as hard as I work here, I shall assuredly be able to support her and my boy. So let this be the last word between us."
This threat put an end to the struggle. Zephaniah had, like most of his class, a keen eye to the main chance, and could ill spare the services of Jabez and his thrifty58 and hard-working wife; and henceforth, except by pointed59 references, in the lengthy60 morning and evening prayers, to the backsliding in his household, he held his peace.
Between the Castle and Zephaniah Whitefoot there had never been any intercourse61. The dowager Mrs. Davenant hated the Cromwellite occupier of her estate, not only as a usurper62, but as the representative of the man who had slain63 her husband. She never alluded64 to his existence, and had always contrived65, in her rides and walks, to avoid any point from which she could obtain so much as a distant view of the square, ugly house which formed a blot66 on the fair landscape. She still spoke67 of the estate as if it extended to its original boundaries, and ignored absolutely the very existence of Zephaniah Whitefoot, and all that belonged to him. But when her son and Jabez grew to man's estate, at about the same period, they necessarily at times crossed each other's paths; and as in them the prejudices and enmities of their elders were somewhat softened68, they would, when they met on the road, exchange a passing nod or a brief "Good morning."
Another generation still, and the boys of the two houses met as friends. Thanks to his mother's successful rebellion, John Whitefoot grew up a hearty, healthy boy, with a bright eye, a merry laugh, and a frank, open bearing.
"One would think," his grandfather remarked angrily one day, as the boy went out, whistling gaily69, to fetch in a young colt Jabez was about to break, "that John was the son of a malignant70, or one of the men of Charles Stuart, rather than of a God-fearing tiller of the soil."
"So long as he fears God, and walks in the right way, he is none the worse for that, father," Jabez said stoutly; "and even you would hardly say that his mother has failed in her teachings in that respect. I do not know that, so long as one has the words of Scripture71 in his heart, he is any the better for having them always on his lips; in other respects, I regret not that the boy should have a spirit and a fire which I know I lack myself. Who can say what may yet take place here! The Stuarts are again upon the throne, and, with James's leaning towards Papacy, there is no saying whether, some day, all the lands which Cromwell divided among his soldiers may not be restored to their original possessors, and in that case our sons may have to make their way in other paths of life than ours; and, if it be so, John will assuredly be more likely to make his way than I should have done."
"We would never surrender, save with our lives, what our swords have won. We will hold the inheritance which the Lord has given us," the old man said fiercely.
"Yes, father; and so said those whose lands we have inherited. So said Walter Davenant, of whose lands we are possessed72. It will be as God wills it. He has given to us the lands of others, and it may be that he will take them away again. The times have changed, father, and the manners; and I am well pleased to see that John, while I am sure he is as true to the faith as I am myself, will take broader and, perhaps, happier views of life than I have done."
Zephaniah gave a snort of displeasure. He grieved continually at the influence which his daughter-in-law exercised over her son, and which now extended clearly to her husband; but Jabez was now a man of five-and-forty, and had lately shown that, in some respects at least, he intended to have his way, while Zephaniah himself, though still erect73 and strong, was well-nigh eighty.
"Remember, Jabez," he said, "that it goes hard with those who, having set their hands to the plough, turn aside."
"I shall not turn aside, father," Jabez said quietly. "I have gone too long along a straight furrow74 to change now; but I am not ill pleased that my son should have a wider scope. I trust and believe that he will drive his furrow as straight as we have done, although it may not be exactly in the same line."
But neither Zephaniah nor old Mrs. Davenant knew that their respective grandsons had made friends, although both the boys' fathers knew, and approved of it, although for somewhat different reasons.
"The Whitefoot boy," Mr. Davenant had said to his wife, "is, I fancy from what I have seen of him, of a different type to his father and grandfather. I met him the other day when I was out, and he spoke as naturally and outspokenly75 as Walter himself. He seems to have got rid of the Puritanical76 twang altogether. At any rate, he will do Walter no harm; and, indeed, I should say that there was a solid good sense about him, which will do Master Walter, who is somewhat disposed to be a madcap, much good. Anyhow, he is a better companion for the boy than the lads down in the village; and there is no saying, wife, how matters may go in this unhappy country. It may be that we may come to our own again. It may be that we may lose what is left to us. Anyhow, it can do no harm to Walter that he should have, as a friend, one in the opposite camp."
Somewhat similar was the talk between Hannah and Jabez, although, in their case, the wife was the speaker.
"John has told me, Jabez, that he has several times met young Davenant, and that the boy is disposed to be friendly with him; and he has asked me to speak with you, to know whether you have any objection to his making a friend of him."
"What do you say, Hannah?" Jabez asked cautiously. "My father, I fear, would not approve of it."
"Your father need know nothing about it, Jabez. He is an old man and a good man, but he clings to the ways of his youth, and deems that things are still as they were when he rode behind Cromwell. I would not deceive him did he ask; but I do not see that the matter need be mentioned in his presence. It seems to me that it will be good for John to be friends with this boy. He is almost without companionship. We have acquaintance, it is true, among the other settlers of our faith, but such companionship as he has there will not open his mind or broaden his views. We are dull people here for a lad. Had we had other children it might have been different.
"I have heard my mother speak of her life as a girl, in England, and assuredly it was brighter and more varied77 than ours; and it seems not to me that the pleasures which they had were sinful, although I have been taught otherwise; but, as I read my Bible, I cannot see that innocent pleasures are in any way denied to the Lord's people; and such pleasure as the companionship of the young Davenant can give John will, I think, be altogether for his good."
"But the lad is a Papist, Hannah."
"He is, Jabez; but boys, methinks, do not argue among themselves upon points of doctrine78; and I have no fear that John will ever be led from the right path, nor indeed, though it is presumption79 for a woman to say so, do I feel so sure as our ministers that ours is the only path to heaven. We believe firmly that it is the best path, but others believe as firmly in their paths; and I cannot think, Jabez, that all mankind, save those who are within the fold of our church, can be condemned80 by the good Lord to perdition."
"Your words are bold, Hannah, and I know not what my father and the elders of the church would say, were they to hear them. As to that I will not argue, but methinks that you are right in saying that the companionship of the young Davenant will do our boy no harm.
"But the lad must have his father's consent. Though I reckon that we could count pounds where they could count shillings, yet, in the opinion of the world, they assuredly stand above us. Moreover, as it is only in human nature that they should regard us as those who have despoiled81 them, John must have no dealings with their son without their consent. If that be given, I have nought82 to say against it."
And so John told Walter, next time they met, and learned in reply that Walter had already obtained his father's consent to going out rambles83 with him; so the boys became companions and friends, and each benefited by it. To John, the bright, careless ease and gaiety of Walter's talk and manner were, at first, strange indeed, after the restraint and gloom of his home; but in time he caught something of his companion's tone, until, as has been said, his altered manner and bearing struck and annoyed his grandfather.
On the other hand, the earnestness and solidity of John's character was of benefit to Walter; and his simple truthfulness84, the straightforwardness85 of his principles, and his blunt frankness in saying exactly what he thought, influenced Walter to quite as large an extent as he had influenced John.
So the companionship between the lads had gone on for two years. In fine weather they had met once or twice a week, and had taken long rambles together, or, throwing themselves down on the slopes facing the sea, had talked over subjects of mutual86 interest. Walter's education was far in advance of that of his companion, whose reading, indeed, had been confined to the Scriptures87, and the works of divines and controversialists of his own church, and whose acquirements did not extend beyond the most elementary subjects.
To him, everything that Walter knew was novel and strange; and he eagerly devoured88, after receiving permission from his mother, the books which Walter lent him, principally histories, travels, and the works of Milton and Shakespeare. As to the latter, Hannah had at first some scruples89; and it was only after setting herself, with great misgivings90 as to the lawfulness91 of the act, to peruse92 the book, that she suffered her son to read it. The volume only contained some ten of Shakespeare's plays; and Hannah, on handing the book to her son, said:
"I do not pretend, John, to understand all that is written there, but I cannot see that there is evil in it. There are assuredly many noble thoughts, and much worldly wisdom. Did I think that your life would be passed here, I should say that it were better for you not to read a book which gives a picture of a life so different from what yours would be; but none can say what your lot may be. And, although I have heard much about the wickedness of the stage, I can see no line in this book which could do harm to you. I do not see it can do you much good, John, but neither do I see that it can do you any harm; therefore, if you have set your mind on it, read it, my boy."
It was a stormy evening in the first week of November, 1688. The wind was blowing in fierce gusts93, making every door and casement94 quiver in Davenant Castle, while, between the gusts, the sound of the deep roar of the sea on the rocks far below could be plainly heard. Mrs. Davenant was sitting in a high-backed chair, on one side of the great fireplace, in which a pile of logs was blazing. Her son had just laid down a book, which he could no longer see to read, while her daughter-in-law was industriously95 knitting. Walter was wandering restlessly between the fire and the window, looking out at the flying clouds, through which the moon occasionally struggled.
"Do sit down, Walter," his mother said at last. "You certainly are the most restless creature I ever saw."
"Not always, mother; but I cannot help wondering about that ship we saw down the coast, making for the bay. She was about ten miles out, and seemed to be keeping her course when I saw her last, half an hour ago; but I can see, by the clouds, that the wind has drawn96 round more to the north, and I doubt much whether she will be able to gain the bay."
"In that case, Walter," his father said, "if her captain knows his business, he will wear round and run down for Waterford.
"I agree with you," he continued, after walking to the window and watching the clouds, "that a vessel97 coming from the south will hardly weather Bray Head, with this wind."
He had scarcely spoken when the door opened, and one of the servants entered.
"Your honour, a boy has just come up from the village. He says that John Considine sent him to tell you that a large ship is driving in to shore, and that he thinks she will strike not far from the village."
"The boy says her foremast is gone, and they have lost all management of her."
"In that case, God help them! There is little chance for them on this rocky coast. However, I will go down at once, and see if anything can be done.
"Katherine, do you see that there are plenty of hot blankets ready, in case any of the poor fellows are washed ashore99. I shall, of course, send them up here.
"I suppose, Walter, you will come down with me."
But Walter had already disappeared, having slipped off as soon as he had heard the message.
"I am afraid, mother, he is beyond me," her son said, with a smile. "No Davenant yet could ever keep out of mischief, and Walter is no exception. However, fortunately for us, we generally get out of scrapes as easily as we get into them."
"Not always, Fergus," she said, shaking her head.
"No, not always, mother; but exceptions, you know, prove the rule."
"Well, Godfrey, do you want to go?" he asked the younger boy, who had risen from the table, and was looking eagerly at him. "Of course you do; but, mind, you must keep close to me.
"Ah, Father John!" he broke off, as an ecclesiastic101, muffled102 up to the throat in wrappings, entered the room. "Are you going down, too?"
"Assuredly I am, Fergus. You don't think a trifle of wind would keep me from doing my duty?"
In another two minutes, the two men and Godfrey sallied out. They staggered as the wind struck them, and Godfrey clung to his father's arm. Not a word was spoken as they made their way down the steep descent to the village, which consisted of about a dozen fishermen's huts. Indeed, speaking would have been useless, for no word would have been heard above the howling of the storm.
The vessel was visible to them, as they made their way down the hill. She was a complete wreck103. The light of the moon was sufficient for them to see that she had, as the boy said, lost her foremast. Her sails were in ribbons, and she was labouring heavily in the sea, each wave that struck her breaking over her bows and sweeping104 along her deck. There was no hope for her. She could neither tack nor wear, and no anchor would hold for a moment on that rocky bottom, in such a sea.
On reaching the village, they joined a group of fishermen who were standing105 under the shelter of the end of a cottage.
"Can nothing be done, Considine?" Mr. Davenant shouted, in the ear of one of the fishermen.
"Not a thing, yer honour. She has just let drop one of her anchors."
"But they could not hope it would hold there," Mr. Davenant said.
"Not they, your honour, onless they were mad. They hoped it would hoult so as to bring her head round; but the cable went, as soon as the strain came. I saw her head go sharp up to the wind, and then fall off again; not that it would have made much difference in the end, though it would have given them half an hour longer of life."
"Could we get a boat off with a line, if she strikes?"
"Look at the sea, yer honour. Mr. Walter has been asking us; but there's no boat could get through that surf, not if all Ireland dipinded on it."
"Where is Walter?"
"Sure and I can't tell ye, yer honour. He was here a few minutes since; but what's come of him is more nor I can tell ye."
"He went off with Larry Doolan," a boy, who was standing next to the fisherman, shouted.
"Then, as sure as fate, they are up to some mischief," Mr. Davenant said. "Walter is bad enough by himself, but with Larry to help him, it would take a regiment21 to look after them."
"They can't be in much mischief tonight, yer honour," the fisherman said.
"Look, sir, she's coming in fast. She draws a power of water, and she will strike in a minute or two."
"She seems crowded with men. Can nothing be done to help them?" the priest asked.
"You are sure it's not possible to launch a boat, Considine?"
"Look for yourself, yer honour. There's not a boat on the coast that could get through them breakers."
"There she goes."
Even above the noise of the storm, a loud cry was heard, and the crash of breaking timber as, with the shock, the main and mizzen masts, weakened by the loss of the foremast, went over the sides. The next great wave drove the vessel forward two or three fathoms107.
"That's her last move," Considine said. "The rocks will be through her bottom, now."
"They are off," a boy shouted, running up.
"Who are off?" Considine asked.
"Off where?" Mr. Davenant exclaimed.
"Off in the curragh, yer honour. Me and Tim Connolly helped them carry it round the Nose, and they launched her there. There they are. Sure you can see them for yourself."
The party rushed out from the shelter, and there, a quarter of a mile along on the right, a small boat was seen, making its way over the waves.
"Be jabers, yer honour, and they have done it," the boatmen said, as Mr. Davenant gave a cry of alarm.
"I didn't think of the curragh, and if I had, she could not have been launched here. Mr. Walter has hit on the only place where there was a chance. Under the shelter of the Nose it might be done, but nowhere else."
The Nose was a formidable reef of rocks, running off from a point and trending to the south. Many a ship had gone ashore on its jagged edge, but, with the wind from the northeast, it formed somewhat of a shelter, and it was under its lee that Walter and Larry had launched the curragh.
The curragh is still found on the Irish coast. It is a boat whose greatest width is at the stern, so much so that it looks like a boat cut in two. The floor is almost flat, and rises so much to the bow that three or four feet are entirely109 out of water. They are roughly built, and by no means fast, but they are wonderfully good sea boats, for their size, and can live in seas which would swamp a boat of ordinary build.
Walter had, with the assistance of Larry Doolan, built this boat for going out fishing. It was extremely light, being a mere110 framework covered with tarred canvas. As soon as Walter had reached the village, and found that the fishermen considered that no boat could possibly be put out, he had found and held a consultation111 with Larry.
"Do you think the curragh could go out, Larry?"
"Not she, yer honour. She would just be broke up like an eggshell with them breakers."
"But she might float, if we got beyond them, Larry."
"She might that," Larry agreed, "seeing how light she is."
"Well, will you go with me, Larry?"
"Sure and I would go anywhere with yer honour, but she could never get out."
"I am thinking, Larry, that if we carry her along beyond the Nose, we might find it calmer there."
"Well, we might," Larry agreed. "At any rate, we can try."
So, calling together two or three other boys, they had lifted the light boat and carried it with its oars112 along the shore, until they got beyond the Nose; but even here, it was a formidable business to launch her, for, although the rocks broke the full force of the seas, throwing the spray hundreds of feet up in the air, the waves poured through the intervals113, and dashed over the lower rocks in such masses that formidable waves rolled in to the shore.
After much consultation, the boys agreed that their best plan was to scramble114 out on the rocks as far as possible, so as to launch the boat beyond the break of the surf.
It was a hazardous115 enterprise, and the whole party were, several times, nearly washed into the water as they struggled out. At last, they reached a spot beyond which they could go no farther, as a deep passage was here broken in the rock. But they were now beyond the line of breakers.
After several vain efforts to launch the boat, in each of which she narrowly escaped destruction, they agreed that the only plan was, after a wave passed, to drop her on to a flat rock, which then showed above the water, and to jump into her.
The two boys on shore were to hold the head rope, to prevent her being dashed towards the land by the next wave, while Larry worked with the oars to get her away from the ridge116. The moment the wave had passed under them, the head rope was to be thrown off.
This plan was carried out. The two boys had but just time to jump into the boat and get out their oars, when the next wave lifted the boat high on its crest. The lads holding the rope were nearly torn from the rock, but they held on till the strain ceased, then they threw in the rope, and Walter and Larry bent117 to their oars.
"Row easy, Larry," Walter said, as the next wave passed under them, "and put her head to each wave."
Terrible as was the sea, the curragh floated buoyantly over it, though several times, as she rose to the steep waves, Walter thought that she would be thrown right over. The worst part of their task was over, when they got beyond the end of the Nose, for up to that point they were forced to row across the course of the waves, and continually to turn the boat, to face the great masses of water which ran between the rocks. But once beyond the end of the reef they turned her head north, and rowed straight towards the ship.
"She has struck, Master Walter," Larry said, glancing over his shoulder, "and her masts are gone."
"Lay out, then, Larry, there's no time to lose."
But, in spite of their efforts, the boat moved but slowly through the water, for the wind caught her high bow with such force that, at times, it needed all their strength and skill to keep her head straight. At last they were close to the ship, which already showed signs of breaking up. They ranged up alongside of it.
"Fasten a line to a keg and throw it in," Walter shouted.
In a minute, a keg was thrown overboard with a line attached. As soon as it drifted a little way from the vessel's side, they hauled it into the boat.
"Now, back, Larry; these waves would sink us in a moment, if we turn our stern to them."
The wreck lay within a hundred yards of the shore, and the boat backed until close to the line where the waves toppled over in a torrent of foam118.
"Now, Larry, keep her steady. We are as near as we dare go."
Then Walter stood up in the boat, took the keg and a foot or two of line in his hand, and waited till the next wave passed under the boat. He swung the keg round his head, and hurled119 it towards the shore. Then he dropped into his seat, and gave two or three vigorous strokes, and, when safely beyond the line of breakers, sat quiet and watched the result.
"They have missed it the first time," he said. "Look! They are going to run into the surf for it."
The group on the shore joined hands, and the next time the keg was borne forward, in the tumble of foam, Considine ran forward and seized it. The back rush took him from his feet, but the others held on, and before the next wave came, the line was safely on the beach. A strong cable was soon pulled ashore and firmly fixed120. A light line was attached to it, and the sailors at once began to pass along.
"Shall we turn back now, Master Walter?"
"We will keep near the wreck for a few minutes longer, Larry. She can't hold together long, and maybe we can pick somebody up."
The vessel was indeed breaking up fast. Her stern was burst in, and the waves, as they poured in at the opening, smashed up the deck. Many of the crew had been washed overboard, and had instantly disappeared.
"Will your boat hold another?"
"Yes," Walter shouted back. "She will hold two more."
"I will try and swim to you," the officer said.
He threw off the long cloak, in which he was wrapped, and unbuckled his sword and let it drop, unbuttoned and took off his military coat, and, with some difficulty, got rid of his high boots.
"Can you come a bit nearer?" he shouted.
"We daren't," Walter said. "A touch from one of those floating timbers would send us to the bottom."
The officer waved his hand, and then sprang head foremost into the sea. So long was he in the water, that Walter began to think he must have struck against something, and was not coming up again; when suddenly he appeared, within twenty yards of the boat. They rowed towards him, instantly.
"You must get in over the stern," Walter said.
The officer was perfectly122 cool, and, placing his hands on the stern, drew himself partly over it, and Walter, grasping his hand, dragged him in. No sooner was he in, than Walter again hailed the wreck.
"We can carry one more."
"There is a big un coming now," Larry exclaimed. "That will finish her."
A wave, towering far above its fellows, was indeed approaching. Higher and higher it rose. There was a wild cry from the wreck as it surged over it. When it had passed, the sea was covered with floating timbers, but the vessel was gone.
"We can do nothing now," Walter said. "We daren't go in among that wreckage124, and any who get hold of floating planks125 will drift ashore.
"Now, Larry, back quietly, and let her drift down round the Nose. We must keep her head to the waves."
Ten minutes, and they were abreast126 of the reef. As soon as they were past it, Walter gave the word, and they rowed along, under its shelter, to the point where they had embarked127.
"Now, sir," Walter said, "we will back her up to that rock. When we are close enough, you must jump."
This was safely accomplished128.
"Now, Larry, row alongside when the next wave comes. We must both scramble out as well as we can."
But by this time help was at hand. The boat had been anxiously watched from the shore, and when, on the disappearance129 of the wreck, she was seen to be making her way back to the Nose, Mr. Davenant, with Considine and the priest, and the boys who had assisted in getting her afloat, hurried along the shore to meet her, the rest of the fishermen remaining behind, to aid any who might be washed up from the wreck.
As soon as it was seen that they intended to land at the spot where they had started, Considine and Mr. Davenant made their way along the rock, and joined the officer just as he leapt ashore. The boat came alongside on the top of the wave, and as this sank it grazed the rock and capsized, but Walter and Larry grasped the hands stretched out to them, and were hauled on to the rock, while the next wave dashed the curragh in fragments on the beach.
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1
bray
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| n.驴叫声, 喇叭声；v.驴叫 | |
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2
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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3
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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4
landmark
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| n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标 | |
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5
mariners
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| 海员，水手（mariner的复数形式） | |
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6
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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7
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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10
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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11
disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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13
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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14
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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15
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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16
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
devastated
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| v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的 | |
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18
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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19
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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20
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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21
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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22
regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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23
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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24
retention
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| n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力 | |
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25
domains
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| n.范围( domain的名词复数 )；领域；版图；地产 | |
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26
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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27
amenities
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| n.令人愉快的事物；礼仪；礼节；便利设施；礼仪( amenity的名词复数 )；便利设施；（环境等的）舒适；（性情等的）愉快 | |
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28
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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29
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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30
levity
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| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
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31
isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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32
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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33
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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34
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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35
consigned
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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36
sect
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| n.派别，宗教，学派，派系 | |
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37
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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38
innate
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| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
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39
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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40
fanaticism
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| n.狂热，盲信 | |
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41
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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42
repression
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| n.镇压，抑制，抑压 | |
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43
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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44
docile
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| adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的 | |
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45
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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46
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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47
docility
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| n.容易教，易驾驶，驯服 | |
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48
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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49
parental
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| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
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50
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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51
inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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52
dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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53
reprobate
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| n.无赖汉；堕落的人 | |
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54
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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55
conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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56
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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57
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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58
thrifty
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| adj.节俭的；兴旺的；健壮的 | |
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59
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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60
lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
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61
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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62
usurper
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| n. 篡夺者, 僭取者 | |
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63
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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64
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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66
blot
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| vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍 | |
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67
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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68
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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69
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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70
malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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71
scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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72
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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73
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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74
furrow
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| n.沟；垄沟；轨迹；车辙；皱纹 | |
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75
outspokenly
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76
puritanical
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| adj.极端拘谨的；道德严格的 | |
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77
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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78
doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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79
presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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80
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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81
despoiled
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| v.掠夺，抢劫( despoil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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82
nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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83
rambles
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的第三人称单数 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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84
truthfulness
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| n. 符合实际 | |
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85
straightforwardness
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| n.坦白，率直 | |
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86
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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87
scriptures
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| 经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典 | |
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88
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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89
scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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90
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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91
lawfulness
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| 法制，合法 | |
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92
peruse
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| v.细读，精读 | |
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93
gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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94
casement
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| n.竖铰链窗；窗扉 | |
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95
industriously
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96
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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97
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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98
tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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99
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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100
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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101
ecclesiastic
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| n.教士，基督教会；adj.神职者的，牧师的，教会的 | |
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102
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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103
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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104
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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105
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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106
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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107
fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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108
squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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109
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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110
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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111
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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112
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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113
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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114
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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115
hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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116
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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117
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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118
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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119
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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120
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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121
shrouds
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| n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 )；寿衣；遮蔽物；覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 )；保密 | |
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122
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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123
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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124
wreckage
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| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
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125
planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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126
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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127
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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128
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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129
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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