‘So,’ said he, pressing his seal above the fastening of the string, ‘I see that your horse is ready for you outside. You had best make your way round by Nether7 Stowey and the Bristol Channel, for we have heard that the enemy’s horse guard the roads on the far side of Wells. Here is your packet.’
I bowed and placed it in the inside of my tunic8.
‘It is a written order as suggested in the council. The Duke’s reply may be written, or it may be by word of mouth. In either case guard it well. This packet contains also a copy of the depositions9 of the clergyman at The Hague, and of the other witnesses who saw Charles of England marry Lucy Walters, the mother of his Majesty10. Your mission is one of such importance that the whole success of our enterprise may turn upon it. See that you serve the paper upon Beaufort in person, and not through any intermediary, or it might not stand in a court of law.’
I promised to do so if possible.
‘I should advise you also,’ he continued, ‘to carry sword and pistol as a protection against the chance dangers of the road, but to discard your head-piece and steel-front as giving you too warlike an aspect for a peaceful messenger.’
‘I had already come to that resolve,’ said I.
‘There is nothing more to be said, Captain,’ said the lawyer, giving me his hand. ‘May all good fortune go with you. Keep a still tongue and a quick ear. Watch keenly how all things go. Mark whose face is gloomy and whose content. The Duke may be at Bristol, but you had best make for his seat at Badminton. Our sign of the day is Tewkesbury.’
Thanking my instructor11 for his advice I went out and mounted Covenant12, who pawed and champed at his bit in his delight at getting started once more. Few of the townsmen were stirring, though here and there a night-bonneted head stared out at me through a casement13. I took the precaution of walking the horse very quietly until we were some distance from the house, for I had told Reuben nothing of my intended journey, and I was convinced that if he knew of it neither discipline, nor even his new ties of love, would prevent him from coming with me. Covenant’s iron-shod feet rang sharply, in spite of my care, upon the cobblestones, but looking back I saw that the blinds of my faithful friend’s room were undrawn, and that all seemed quiet in the house. I shook my bridle15, therefore, and rode at a brisk trot17 through the silent streets, which were still strewn with faded flowers and gay with streamers. At the north gate a guard of half a company was stationed, who let me pass upon hearing the word. Once beyond the old walls I found myself out on the country side, with my face to the north and a clear road in front of me.
It was a blithesome18 morning. The sun was rising over the distant hills, and heaven and earth were ruddy and golden. The trees in the wayside orchards19 were full of swarms20 of birds, who chattered21 and sang until the air was full of their piping. There was lightsomeness and gladness in every breath. The wistful-eyed red Somerset kine stood along by the hedgerows, casting great shadows down the fields and gazing at me as I passed. Farm horses leaned over wooden gates, and snorted a word of greeting to their glossy-coated brother. A great herd22 of snowy-fleeced sheep streamed towards us over the hillside and frisked and gambolled23 in the sunshine. All was innocent life, from the lark24 which sang on high to the little shrew-mouse which ran amongst the ripening25 corn, or the martin which dashed away at the sound of my approach. All alive and all innocent. What are we to think, my dear children, when we see the beasts of the field full of kindness and virtue26 and gratitude27? Where is this superiority of which we talk?
From the high ground to the north I looked back upon the sleeping town, with the broad edging of tents and waggons28, which showed how suddenly its population had outgrown29 it. The Royal Standard still fluttered from the tower of St. Mary Magdalene, while close by its beautiful brother-turret30 of St. James bore aloft the blue flag of Monmouth. As I gazed the quick petulant31 roll of a drum rose up on the still morning air, with the clear ringing call of the bugles32 summoning the troops from their slumbers33. Beyond the town, and on either side of it, stretched a glorious view of the Somersetshire downs, rolling away to the distant sea, with town and hamlet, castle turret and church tower, wooded coombe and stretch of grain-land — as fair a scene as the eye could wish to rest upon. As I wheeled my horse and sped upon my way I felt, my dears, that this was a land worth fighting for, and that a man’s life was a small thing if he could but aid, in however trifling34 a degree, in working out its freedom and its happiness. At a little village over the hill I fell in with an outpost of horse, the commander of which rode some distance with me, and set me on my road to Nether Stowey. It seemed strange to my Hampshire eyes to note that the earth is all red in these parts — very different to the chalk and gravel35 of Havant. The cows, too, are mostly red. The cottages are built neither of brick nor of wood, but of some form of plaster, which they call cob, which is strong and smooth so long as no water comes near it. They shelter the walls from the rain, therefore, by great overhanging thatches36. There is scarcely a steeple in the whole country-side, which also seems strange to a man from any other part of England. Every church hath a square tower, with pinnacles37 upon the top, and they are mostly very large, with fine peals38 of bells.
My course ran along by the foot of the beautiful Quantock Hills, where heavy-wooded coombes are scattered39 over the broad heathery downs, deep with bracken and whortle-bushes. On either side of the track steep winding40 glens sloped downwards41, lined with yellow gorse, which blazed out from the deep-red soil like a flame from embers. Peat-coloured streams splashed down these valleys and over the road, through which Covenant ploughed fetlock deep, and shied to see the broad-backed trout42 darting43 from between his fore16 feet.
All day I rode through this beautiful country, meeting few folk, for I kept away from the main roads. A few shepherds and farmers, a long-legged clergyman, a packman with his mule44, and a horseman with a great bag, whom I took to be a buyer of hair, are all that I can recall. A black jack45 of ale and the heel of a loaf at a wayside inn were all my refreshments46. Near Combwich, Covenant cast a shoe, and two hours were wasted before I found a smithy in the town and had the matter set right. It was not until evening that I at last came out upon the banks of the Bristol Channel, at a place called Shurton Bars, where the muddy Parret makes its way into the sea. At this point the channel is so broad that the Welsh mountains can scarcely be distinguished47. The shore is flat and black and oozy48, flecked over with white patches of sea-birds, but further to the east there rises a line of hills, very wild and rugged49, rising in places into steep precipices50. These cliffs run out into the sea, and numerous little harbours and bays are formed in their broken surface, which are dry half the day, but can float a good-sized boat at half-tide. The road wound over these bleak51 and rocky hills, which are sparsely52 inhabited by a wild race of fishermen, or shepherds, who came to their cabin doors on hearing the clatter53 of my horse’s hoofs54, and shot some rough West-country jest at me as I passed. As the night drew in the country became bleaker55 and more deserted56. An occasional light twinkling in the distance from some lonely hillside cottage was the only sign of the presence of man. The rough track still skirted the sea, and high as it was, the spray from the breakers drifted across it. The salt prinkled on my lips, and the air was filled with the hoarse57 roar of the surge and the thin piping of curlews, who flitted past in the darkness like white, shadowy, sad-voiced creatures from some other world. The wind blew in short, quick, angry puffs58 from the westward59, and far out on the black waters a single glimmer60 of light rising and falling, tossing up, and then sinking out of sight, showed how fierce a sea had risen in the channel.
Riding through the gloaming in this strange wild scenery my mind naturally turned towards the past. I thought of my father and my mother, of the old carpenter and of Solomon Sprent. Then I pondered over Decimus Saxon, his many-faced character having in it so much to be admired and so much to be abhorred61. Did I like him or no? It was more than I could say. From him I wandered off to my faithful Reuben, and to his love passage with the pretty Puritan, which in turn brought me to Sir Gervas and the wreck62 of his fortunes. My mind then wandered to the state of the army and the prospects63 of the rising, which led me to my present mission with its perils64 and its difficulties. Having turned over all these things in my mind I began to doze65 upon my horse’s back, overcome by the fatigue66 of the journey and the drowsy67 lullaby of the waves. I had just fallen into a dream in which I saw Reuben Lockarby crowned King of England by Mistress Ruth Timewell, while Decimus Saxon endeavoured to shoot him with a bottle of Daffy’s elixir68, when in an instant, without warning, I was dashed violently from my horse, and left lying half-conscious on the stony69 track.
So stunned70 and shaken was I by the sudden fall, that though I had a dim knowledge of shadowy figures bending over me, and of hoarse laughter sounding in my ears, I could not tell for a few minutes where I was nor what had befallen me. When at last I did make an attempt to recover my feet I found that a loop of rope had been slipped round my arms and my legs so as to secure them. With a hard struggle I got one hand free, and dashed it in the face of one of the men who were holding me down; but the whole gang of a dozen or more set upon me at once, and while some thumped73 and kicked at me, others tied a fresh cord round my elbows, and deftly74 fastened it in such a way as to pinion75 me completely. Finding that in my weak and dazed state all efforts were of no avail, I lay sullen76 and watchful77, taking no heed78 of the random79 blows which were still showered upon me. So dark was it that I could neither see the faces of my attackers, nor form any guess as to who they might be, or how they had hurled80 me from my saddle. The champing and stamping of a horse hard by showed me that Covenant was a prisoner as well as his master.
‘Dutch Pete’s got as much as he can carry,’ said a rough, harsh voice. ‘He lies on the track as limp as a conger.’
‘Ah, poor Pete!’ muttered another. ‘He’ll never deal a card or drain a glass of the right Cognac again.’
‘There you lie, mine goot vriend,’ said the injured man, in weak, quavering tones. ‘And I will prove that you lie if you have a flaschen in your pocket.’
‘If Pete were dead and buried,’ the first speaker said, ‘a word about strong waters would bring him to. Give him a sup from your bottle, Dicon.’
There was a great gurgling and sucking in the darkness, followed by a gasp81 from the drinker. ‘Gott sei gelobt,’ he exclaimed in a stronger voice, ‘I have seen more stars than ever were made. Had my kopf not been well hooped82 he would have knocked it in like an ill-staved cask. He shlags like the kick of a horse.’
As he spoke83 the edge of the moon peeped over a cliff and threw a flood of cold clear light upon the scene. Looking up I saw that a strong rope had been tied across the road from one tree trunk to another about eight feet above the ground. This could not be seen by me, even had I been fully84 awake, in the dusk; but catching85 me across the breast as Covenant trotted86 under it, it had swept me off and dashed me with great force to the ground. Either the fall or the blows which I had received had cut me badly, for I could feel the blood trickling87 in a warm stream past my ear and down my neck. I made no attempt to move, however, but waited in silence to find out who these men were into whose hands I had fallen. My one fear was lest my letters should be taken away from me, and my mission rendered of no avail. That in this, my first trust, I should be disarmed88 without a blow and lose the papers which had been confided89 to me, was a chance which made me flush and tingle90 with shame at the very thought.
The gang who had seized me were rough-bearded fellows in fur caps and fustian91 jackets, with buff belts round their waists, from which hung short straight whinyards. Their dark sun-dried faces and their great boots marked them as fishermen or seamen92, as might be guessed from their rude sailor speech. A pair knelt on either side with their hands upon my arms, a third stood behind with a cocked pistol pointed93 at my head, while the others, seven or eight in number, were helping94 to his feet the man whom I had struck, who was bleeding freely from a cut over the eye.
‘Take the horse up to Daddy Mycroft’s,’ said a stout95, black-bearded man, who seemed to be their leader. ‘It is no mere96 dragooner hack,[Note I. Appendix] but a comely97, full-blooded brute98, which will fetch sixty pieces at the least. Your share of that, Peter, will buy salve and plaster for your cut.’
‘Ha, houndsfoot!’ cried the Dutchman, shaking his fist at me. ‘You would strike Peter, would you? You would draw Peter’s blood, would you? Tausend Teufel, man! if you and I were together upon the hillside we should see vich vas the petter man.’
‘Slack your jaw99 tackle, Pete,’ growled100 one of his comrades. ‘This fellow is a limb of Satan for sure, and doth follow a calling that none but a mean, snivelling, baseborn son of a gun would take to. Yet I warrant, from the look of him, that he could truss you like a woodcock if he had his great hands upon you. And you would howl for help as you did last Martinmas, when you did mistake Cooper Dick’s wife for a gauger101.’
‘Truss me, would he? Todt und Holle!’ cried the other, whom the blow and the brandy had driven to madness. ‘We shall see. Take that, thou deyvil’s spawn102, take that!’ He ran at me, and kicked me as hard as he could with his heavy sea-boots.
Some of the gang laughed, but the man who had spoken before gave the Dutchman a shove that sent him whirling. ‘None of that,’ he said sternly. ‘We’ll have British fair-play on British soil, and none of your cursed longshore tricks. I won’t stand by and see an Englishman kicked, d’ye see, by a tub-bellied, round-starned, schnapps-swilling, chicken-hearted son of an Amsterdam lust-vrouw. Hang him, if the skipper likes. That’s all above board, but by thunder, if it’s a fight that you will have, touch that man again.’
‘All right, Dicon,’ said their leader soothingly103. ‘We all know that Pete’s not a fighting man, but he’s the best cooper on the coast, eh, Pete? There is not his equal at staving, hooping, and bumping. He’ll take a plank104 of wood and turn it into a keg while another man would be thinking of it.’
‘Oh, you remember that, Captain Murgatroyd,’ said the Dutchman sulkily. ‘But you see me knocked about and shlagged, and bullied105, and called names, and what help have I? So help me, when the Maria is in the Texel next, I’ll take to my old trade, I will, and never set foot on her again.’
‘No fear,’ the Captain answered, laughing. ‘While the Maria brings in five thousand good pieces a year, and can show her heels to any cutter on the coast, there is no fear of greedy Pete losing his share of her. Why, man, at this rate you may have a lust-haus of your own in a year or two, with a trimmed lawn, and the trees all clipped like peacocks, and the flowers in pattern, and a canal by the door, and a great bouncing house-wife just like any Burgomeister. There’s many such a fortune been made out of Mechlin and Cognac.’
‘Aye, and there’s many a broken kopf got over Mechlin and Cognac,’ grumbled106 my enemy. ‘Donner! There are other things beside lust-houses and flower-beds. There are lee-shores and nor’-westers, beaks107 and preventives.’
‘And there’s where the smart seaman108 has the pull over the herring buss, or the skulking109 coaster that works from Christmas to Christmas with all the danger and none of the little pickings. But enough said! Up with the prisoner, and let us get him safely into the bilboes.’
I was raised to my feet and half carried, half dragged along in the midst of the gang. My horse had already been led away in the opposite direction. Our course lay off the road, down a very rocky and rugged ravine which sloped away towards the sea. There seemed to be no trace of a path, and I could only stumble along over rocks and bushes as best I might in my fettered110 and crippled state. The blood, however, had dried over my wounds, and the cool sea breeze playing upon my forehead refreshed me, and helped me to take a clearer view of my position.
It was plain from their talk that these men were smugglers. As such, they were not likely to have any great love for the Government, or desire to uphold King James in any way. On the contrary, their goodwill112 would probably be with Monmouth, for had I not seen the day before a whole regiment113 of foot in his army, raised from among the coaster folk? On the other hand, their greed might be stronger than their loyalty114, and might lead them to hand me over to justice in the hope of reward. On the whole it would be best, I thought, to say nothing of my mission, and to keep my papers secret as long as possible.
But I could not but wonder, as I was dragged along, what had led these men to lie in wait for me as they had done. The road along which I had travelled was a lonely one, and yet a fair number of travellers bound from the West through Weston to Bristol must use it. The gang could not lie in perpetual guard over it. Why had they set a trap on this particular night, then? The smugglers were a lawless and desperate body, but they did not, as a rule, descend4 to foot-paddery or robbery. As long as no one interfered115 with them they were seldom the first to break the peace. Then, why had they lain in wait for me, who had never injured them? Could it possibly be that I had been betrayed? I was still turning over these questions in my mind when we all came to a halt, and the Captain blew a shrill116 note on a whistle which hung round his neck.
The place where we found ourselves was the darkest and most rugged spot in the whole wild gorge117. On either side great cliffs shot up, which arched over our heads, with a fringe of ferns and bracken on either lip, so that the dark sky and the few twinkling stars were well-nigh hid. Great black rocks loomed118 vaguely119 out in the shadowy light, while in front a high tangle120 of what seemed to be brushwood barred our road. At a second whistle, however, a glint of light was seen through the branches, and the whole mass was swung to one side as though it moved upon a hinge. Beyond it a dark winding passage opened into the side of the hill, down which we went with our backs bowed, for the rock ceiling was of no great height. On every side of us sounded the throbbing121 of the sea.
Passing through the entrance, which must have been dug with great labour through the solid rock, we came out into a lofty and roomy cave, lit up by a fire at one end, and by several torches. By their smoky yellow glare I could see that the roof was, at least, fifty feet above us, and was hung by long lime-crystals, which sparkled and gleamed with great brightness. The floor of the cave was formed of fine sand, as soft and velvety122 as a Wilton carpet, sloping down in a way which showed that the cave must at its mouth open upon the sea, which was confirmed by the booming and splashing of the waves, and by the fresh salt air which filled the whole cavern123. No water could be seen, however, as a sharp turn cut off our view of the outlet124.
In this rock-girt space, which may have been sixty paces long and thirty across, there were gathered great piles of casks, kegs and cases; muskets125, cutlasses, staves, cudgels, and straw were littered about upon the floor. At one end a high wood fire blazed merrily, casting strange shadows along the walls, and sparkling like a thousand diamonds among the crystals on the roof. The smoke was carried away through a great cleft126 in the rocks. Seated on boxes, or stretched on the sand round the fire, there were seven or eight more of the band, who sprang to their feet and ran eagerly towards us as we entered.
Have ye got him?’ they cried. ‘Did he indeed come? Had he attendants?’
‘He is here, and he is alone,’ the Captain answered. ‘Our hawser127 fetched him off his horse as neatly128 as ever a gull129 was netted by a cragsman. What have ye done in our absence, Silas!’
‘We have the packs ready for carriage,’ said the man addressed, a sturdy, weather-beaten seaman of middle age. ‘The silk and lace are done in these squares covered over with sacking. The one I have marked “yarn” and the other “jute”— a thousand of Mechlin to a hundred of the shiny. They will sling130 over a mule’s back. Brandy, schnapps, Schiedam, and Hamburg Goldwasser are all set out in due order. The ‘baccy is in the flat cases over by the Black drop there. A plaguey job we had carrying it all out, but here it is ship-shape at last, and the lugger floats like a skimming dish, with scarce ballast enough to stand up to a five-knot breeze.’
‘Any signs of the Fairy Queen?’ asked the smuggler111.
‘None. Long John is down at the water’s edge looking out for her flash-light. This wind should bring her up if she has rounded Combe-Martin Point. There was a sail about ten miles to the east-nor’-east at sundown. She might have been a Bristol schooner131, or she might have been a King’s fly-boat.’
‘A King’s crawl-boat,’ said Captain Murgatroyd, with a sneer132. ‘We cannot hang the gauger until Venables brings up the Fairy Queen, for after all it was one of his hands that was snackled. Let him do his own dirty work.’
‘Tausend Blitzen!’ cried the ruffian Dutchman, ‘would it not be a kindly133 grass to Captain Venables to chuck the gauger down the Black drop ere he come? He may have such another job to do for us some day.’
‘Zounds, man, are you in command or am I?’ said the leader angrily. ‘Bring the prisoner forward to the fire! Now, hark ye, dog of a land-shark; you are as surely a dead man as though you were laid out with the tapers134 burning. See here’— he lifted a torch, and showed by its red light a great crack in the floor across the far end of the cave —‘you can judge of the Black Drop’s depth!’ he said, raising an empty keg and tossing it over into the yawning gulf135. For ten seconds we stood silent before a dull distant clatter told that it had at last reached the bottom.
‘It will carry him half-way to hell before the breath leaves him,’ said one.
‘It’s an easier death than the Devizes gallows136!’ cried a second.
‘Nay, he shall have the gallows first!’ a third shouted. ‘It is but his burial that we are arranging.’
‘He hath not opened his mouth since we took him,’ said the man who was called Dicon. ‘Is he a mute, then? Find your tongue, my fine fellow, and let us hear what your name is. It would have been well for you if you had been born dumb, so that you could not have sworn our comrade’s life away.’
‘I have been waiting for a civil question after all this brawling137 and brabbling,’ said I. ‘My name is Micah Clarke. Now, pray inform me who ye may be, and by what warrant ye stop peaceful travellers upon the public highway?’
‘This is our warrant,’ Murgatroyd answered, touching138 the hilt of his cutlass. ‘As to who we are, ye know that well enough. Your name is not Clarke, but Westhouse, or Waterhouse, and you are the same cursed exciseman who snackled our poor comrade, Cooper Dick, and swore away his life at Ilchester.’
‘I swear that you are mistaken,’ I replied. ‘I have never in my life been in these parts before.’
‘Fine words! Fine words!’ cried another smuggler. ‘Gauger or no, you must jump for it, since you know the secret of our cave.’
‘Your secret is safe with me,’ I answered. ‘But if ye wish to murder me, I shall meet my fate as a soldier should. I should have chosen to die on the field of battle, rather than to lie at the mercy of such a pack of water-rats in their burrow139.’
‘My faith!’ said Murgatroyd. ‘This is too tall talk for a gauger. He bears himself like a soldier, too. It is possible that in snaring140 the owl71 we have caught the falcon141. Yet we had certain token that he would come this way, and on such another horse.’
‘Call up Long John,’ suggested the Dutchman. ‘I vould not give a plug of Trinidado for the Schelm’s word. Long John was with Cooper Dick when he was taken.’
‘Aye,’ growled the mate Silas. ‘He got a wipe over the arm from the gauger’s whinyard. He’ll know his face, if any will.’
‘Call him, then,’ said Murgatroyd, and presently a long, loose-limbed seaman came up from the mouth of the cave, where he had been on watch. He wore a red kerchief round his forehead, and a blue jerkin, the sleeve of which he slowly rolled up as he came nigh.
‘Where is Gauger Westhouse?’ he cried; ‘he has left his mark on my arm. Rat me, if the scar is healed yet. The sun is on our side of the wall now, gauger. But hullo, mates! Who be this that ye have clapped into irons? This is not our man!’
‘Not our man!’ they cried, with a volley of curses.
‘Why, this fellow would make two of the gauger, and leave enough over to fashion a magistrate’s clerk. Ye may hang him to make sure, but still he’s not the man.’
‘Yes, hang him!’ said Dutch Pete. ‘Sapperment! is our cave to be the talk of all the country? Vere is the pretty Maria to go then, vid her silks and her satins, her kegs and her cases’? Are we to risk our cave for the sake of this fellow? Besides, has he not schlagged my kopf — schlagged your cooper’s kopf — as if he had hit me mit mine own mallet142? Is that not vorth a hemp143 cravat144?’
‘Worth a jorum of rumbo,’ cried Dicon. ‘By your leave, Captain, I would say that we are not a gang of padders and michers, but a crew of honest seamen, who harm none but those who harm us. Exciseman Westhouse hath slain145 Cooper Dick, and it is just that he should die for it; but as to taking this young soldier’s life, I’d as soon think of scuttling146 the saucy147 Maria, or of mounting the Jolly Roger at her peak.’
What answer would have been given to this speech I cannot tell, for at that moment a shrill whistle resounded148 outside the cave, and two smugglers appeared bearing between them the body of a man. It hung so limp that I thought at first that he might be dead, but when they threw him on the sand he moved, and at last sat up like one who is but half awoken from a swoon. He was a square dogged-faced fellow, with a long white scar down his cheek, and a close-fitting blue coat with brass149 buttons.
‘It’s Gauger Westhouse!’ cried a chorus of voices. ‘Yes, it is Gauger Westhouse,’ said the man calmly, giving his neck a wriggle150 as though he were in pain. ‘I represent the King’s law, and in its name I arrest ye all, and declare all the contraband151 goods which I see around me to be confiscate152 and forfeited153, according to the second section of the first clause of the statute154 upon illegal dealing155. If there are any honest men in this company, they will assist me in the execution of my duty.’ He staggered to his feet as he spoke, but his spirit was greater than his strength, and he sank back upon the sand amid a roar of laughter from the rough seamen.
‘We found him lying on the road when we came from Daddy Mycroft’s,’ said one of the new-comers, who were the same men who had led away my horse. ‘He must have passed just after you left, and the rope caught him under the chin and threw him a dozen paces. We saw the revenue button on his coat, so we brought him down. Body o’ me, but he kicked and plunged156 for all that he was three-quarters stunned.’
‘Have ye slacked the hawser?’ the Captain asked.
‘We cast one end loose and let it hang.’
‘’Tis well. We must keep him for Captain Venables. But now, as to our other prisoner: we must overhaul157 him and examine his papers, for so many craft are sailing under false colours that we must needs be careful. Hark ye, Mister Soldier! What brings you to these parts, and what king do you serve? for I hear there’s a mutiny broke out, and two skippers claim equal rating in the old British ship.’
‘I am serving under King Monmouth,’ I answered, seeing that the proposed search must end in the finding of my papers.
‘Under King Monmouth!’ cried the smuggler. ‘Nay, friend, that rings somewhat false. The good King hath, I hear, too much need of his friends in the south to let an able soldier go wandering along the sea coast like a Cornish wrecker in a sou’-wester.’
‘I bear despatches,’ said I, ‘from the King’s own hand to Henry Duke of Beaufort, at his castle at Badminton. Ye can find them in my inner pocket, but I pray ye not to break the seal, lest it bring discredit158 upon my mission.’
‘Sir,’ cried the gauger, raising himself upon his elbow, ‘I do hereby arrest you on the charge of being a traitor159, a promoter of treason, a vagrant160, and a masterless man within the meaning of the fourth statute of the Act. As an officer of the law I call upon you to submit to my warrant.’
‘Brace up his jaw with your scarf, Jim,’ said Murgatroyd. ‘When Venables comes he will soon find a way to check his gab161. Yes,’ he continued, looking at the back of my papers, ‘it is marked, as you say, “From James the Second of England, known lately as the Duke of Monmouth, to Henry Duke of Beaufort, President of Wales, by the hand of Captain Micah Clarke, of Saxon’s regiment of Wiltshire foot.” Cast off the lashings, Dicon. So, Captain, you are a free man once more, and I grieve that we should have unwittingly harmed you. We are good Lutherans to a man, and would rather speed you than hinder you on this mission.’
‘Could we not indeed help him on his way!’ said the mate Silas. ‘For myself, I don’t fear a wet jacket or a tarry hand for the cause, and I doubt not ye are all of my way of thinking. Now with this breeze we could run up to Bristol and drop the Captain by morning, which would save him from being snapped up by any land-sharks on the road.’
‘Aye, aye,’ cried Long John. ‘The King’s horse are out beyond Weston, but he could give them the slip if he had the Maria under him.’
‘Well,’ said Murgatroyd, ‘we could get back by three long tacks162. Venables will need a day or so to get his goods ashore163. If we are to sail back in company we shall have time on our hands. How would the plan suit you, Captain?’
‘My horse!’ I objected.
‘It need not stop us. I can rig up a handy horse-stall with my spare spars and the grating. The wind has died down. The lugger could be brought to Dead Man’s Edge, and the horse led down to it. Run up to Daddy’s, Jim; and you, Silas, see to the boat. Here is some cold junk and biscuit — seaman’s fare, Captain — and a glass o’ the real Jamaica to wash it down an’ thy stomach be not too dainty for rough living.’
I seated myself on a barrel by the fire, and stretched my limbs, which were cramped164 and stiffened165 by their confinement166, while one of the seamen bathed the cut on my head with a wet kerchief, and another laid out some food on a case in front of me. The rest of the gang had trooped away to the mouth of the cave to prepare the lugger, save only two or three who stood on guard round the ill-fated gauger. He lay with his back resting against the wall of the cave, and his arms crossed over his breast, glancing round from time to time at the smugglers with menacing eyes, as a staunch old hound might gaze at a pack of wolves who had overmatched him. I was turning it over in my own mind whether aught could be done to help him, when Murgatroyd came over, and dipping a tin pannikin into the open rum tub, drained it to the success of my mission.
‘I shall send Silas Bolitho with you,’ said he, ‘while I bide167 here to meet Venables, who commands my consort168. If there is aught that I can do to repay you for your ill usage —’
‘There is but one thing, Captain,’ I broke in eagerly. ‘It is as much, or more, for your own sake than mine that I ask it. Do not allow this unhappy man to be murdered.’
Murgatroyd’s face flushed with anger. ‘You are a plain speaker, Captain Clarke,’ said he. ‘This is no murder. It is justice. What harm do we here? There is not an old housewife over the whole countryside who does not bless us. Where is she to buy her souchong, or her strong waters, except from us! We charge little, and force our goods on no one. We are peaceful traders. Yet this man and his fellows are ever yelping169 at our heels, like so many dogfish on a cod170 bank. We have been harried171, and chivied, and shot at until we are driven into such dens172 as this. A month ago, four of our men were bearing a keg up the hillside to Farmer Black, who hath dealt with us these five years back. Of a sudden, down came half a score of horse, led by this gauger, hacked173 and slashed174 with their broad-swords, cut Long John’s arm open, and took Cooper Dick prisoner. Dick was haled to Ilchester Gaol175, and hung up after the assizes like a stoat on a gamekeeper’s door. This night we had news that this very gauger was coming this way, little knowing that we should be on the look-out for him. Is it a wonder that we should lay a trap for him, and that, having caught him, we should give him the same justice as he gave our comrades?’
‘He is but a servant, I argued. ‘He hath not made the law. It is his duty to enforce it. It is with the law itself that your quarrel is.’
‘You are right,’ said the smuggler gloomily. ‘It is with Judge Moorcroft that we have our chief account to square. He may pass this road upon his circuit. Heaven send he does! But we shall hang the gauger too. He knows our cave now, and it would be madness to let him go.’
I saw that it was useless to argue longer, so I contented176 myself with dropping my pocket-knife on the sand within reach of the prisoner, in the hope that it might prove to be of some service to him. His guards were laughing and joking together, and giving little heed to their charge, but the gauger was keen enough, for I saw his hand close over it.
I had walked and smoked for an hour or more, when Silas the mate appeared, and said that the lugger was ready and the horse aboard. Bidding Murgatroyd farewell, I ventured a few more words in favour of the gauger, which were received with a frown and an angry shake of the head. A boat was drawn14 up on the sand, inside the cave, at the water’s edge. Into this I stepped, as directed, with my sword and pistols, which had been given back to me, while the crew pushed her off and sprang in as she glided178 into deep water.
I could see by the dim light of the single torch which Murgatroyd held upon the margin179, that the roof of the cave sloped sheer down upon us as we sculled slowly out towards the entrance. So low did it come at last that there was only a space of a few feet between it and the water, and we had to bend our heads to avoid the rocks above us. The boatmen gave two strong strokes, and we shot out from under the overhanging ledge72, and found ourselves in the open with the stars shining murkily180 above us, and the moon showing herself dimly and cloudily through a gathering181 haze182. Right in front of us was a dark blur183, which, as we pulled towards it, took the outline of a large lugger rising and falling with the pulse of the sea. Her tall thin spars and delicate network of cordage towered above us as we glided under the counter, while the creaking of blocks and rattle184 of ropes showed that she was all ready to glide177 off upon her journey. Lightly and daintily she rode upon the waters, like some giant seafowl, spreading one white pinion after another in preparation for her flight. The boatmen ran us alongside and steadied the dinghy while I climbed over the bulwarks185 on to the deck.
She was a roomy vessel186, very broad in the beam, with a graceful187 curve in her bows, and masts which were taller than any that I had seen on such a boat on the Solent. She was decked over in front, but very deep in the after part, with ropes fixed188 all round the sides to secure kegs when the hold should be full. In the midst of this after-deck the mariners189 had built a strong stall, in which my good steed was standing190, with a bucket full of oats in front of him. My old friend .shoved his nose against my face as I came aboard, and neighed his pleasure at finding his master once more. We were still exchanging caresses191 when the grizzled head of Silas Bolitho the mate popped out of the cabin hatchway.
‘We are fairly on our way now, Captain Clarke,’ said he. ‘The breeze has fallen away to nothing, as you can see, and we may be some time in running down to our port. Are you not aweary?’
‘I am a little tired,’ I confessed. ‘My head is throbbing from the crack I got when that hawser of yours dashed me from my saddle.’
‘An hour or two of sleep will make you as fresh as a Mother Carey’s chicken,’ said the smuggler. ‘Your horse is well cared for, and you can leave him without fear. I will set a man to tend him, though, truth to say, the rogues192 know more about studding-sails and halliards than they do of steeds and their requirements. Yet no harm can come to him, so you had best come down and turn in.’
I descended the steep stairs which led down into the low-roofed cabin of the lugger. On either side a recess193 in the wall had been fitted up as a couch.
‘This is your bed,’ said he, pointing to one of them. ‘We shall call you if there be aught to report.’ I needed no second invitation, but flinging myself down without undressing, I sank in a few minutes into a dreamless sleep, which neither the gentle motion of the boat nor the clank of feet above my head could break off.
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1
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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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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nether
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| adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会 | |
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8
tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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9
depositions
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| 沉积（物）( deposition的名词复数 )； （在法庭上的）宣誓作证； 处置； 罢免 | |
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10
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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instructor
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| n.指导者，教员，教练 | |
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12
covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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13
casement
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| n.竖铰链窗；窗扉 | |
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14
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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15
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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16
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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17
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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18
blithesome
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| adj.欢乐的，愉快的 | |
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19
orchards
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| （通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 ) | |
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swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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21
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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22
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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23
gambolled
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| v.蹦跳，跳跃，嬉戏( gambol的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
lark
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| n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏 | |
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25
ripening
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的现在分词 )；熟化；熟成 | |
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26
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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27
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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28
waggons
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| 四轮的运货马车( waggon的名词复数 )； 铁路货车； 小手推车 | |
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29
outgrown
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| 长[发展] 得超过（某物）的范围( outgrow的过去分词 )； 长[发展]得不能再要（某物）； 长得比…快； 生长速度超过 | |
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30
turret
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| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
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31
petulant
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| adj.性急的，暴躁的 | |
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32
bugles
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| 妙脆角，一种类似薯片但做成尖角或喇叭状的零食； 号角( bugle的名词复数 )； 喇叭； 匍匐筋骨草； （装饰女服用的）柱状玻璃（或塑料）小珠 | |
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33
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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34
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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35
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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36
thatches
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| n.（稻草、芦苇等盖的）茅草屋顶( thatch的名词复数 )；乱蓬蓬的头发，又脏又乱的头发 | |
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37
pinnacles
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| 顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 )； 顶点； 尖顶； 小尖塔 | |
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38
peals
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| n.（声音大而持续或重复的）洪亮的响声( peal的名词复数 )；隆隆声；洪亮的钟声；钟乐v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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39
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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40
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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41
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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42
trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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43
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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44
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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45
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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46
refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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47
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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48
oozy
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| adj.软泥的 | |
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49
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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50
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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51
bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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52
sparsely
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| adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地 | |
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53
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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54
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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55
bleaker
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| 阴冷的( bleak的比较级 )； （状况）无望的； 没有希望的； 光秃的 | |
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56
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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57
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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58
puffs
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| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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59
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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60
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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61
abhorred
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| v.憎恶( abhor的过去式和过去分词 )；（厌恶地）回避；拒绝；淘汰 | |
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62
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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63
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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64
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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65
doze
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| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
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66
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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67
drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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68
elixir
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| n.长生不老药，万能药 | |
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69
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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70
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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71
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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72
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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73
thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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75
pinion
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| v.束缚；n.小齿轮 | |
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76
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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77
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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78
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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79
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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80
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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81
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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82
hooped
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| adj.以环作装饰的；带横纹的；带有环的 | |
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83
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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84
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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85
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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86
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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87
trickling
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| n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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88
disarmed
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| v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒 | |
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89
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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90
tingle
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| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
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91
fustian
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| n.浮夸的；厚粗棉布 | |
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92
seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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93
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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94
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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96
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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97
comely
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| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
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98
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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99
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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100
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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101
gauger
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| n.收税官 | |
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102
spawn
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| n.卵，产物，后代，结果；vt.产卵，种菌丝于，产生，造成；vi.产卵，大量生产 | |
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103
soothingly
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| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
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104
plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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105
bullied
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| adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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107
beaks
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| n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者 | |
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108
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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109
skulking
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的现在分词 ) | |
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110
fettered
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| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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111
smuggler
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| n.走私者 | |
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112
goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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113
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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114
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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115
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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116
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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117
gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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118
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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119
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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120
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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121
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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122
velvety
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| adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的 | |
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123
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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124
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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125
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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126
cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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127
hawser
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| n.大缆；大索 | |
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128
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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129
gull
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| n.鸥；受骗的人；v.欺诈 | |
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130
sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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131
schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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132
sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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133
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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134
tapers
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| （长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛 | |
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135
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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136
gallows
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| n.绞刑架，绞台 | |
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137
brawling
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| n.争吵，喧嚷 | |
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138
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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139
burrow
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| vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞 | |
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140
snaring
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| v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的现在分词 ) | |
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141
falcon
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| n.隼，猎鹰 | |
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142
mallet
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| n.槌棒 | |
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143
hemp
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| n.大麻；纤维 | |
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144
cravat
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| n.领巾，领结；v.使穿有领结的服装，使结领结 | |
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145
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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146
scuttling
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| n.船底穿孔，打开通海阀（沉船用）v.使船沉没( scuttle的现在分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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147
saucy
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| adj.无礼的；俊俏的；活泼的 | |
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148
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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149
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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150
wriggle
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| v./n.蠕动，扭动；蜿蜒 | |
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151
contraband
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| n.违禁品，走私品 | |
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152
confiscate
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| v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公 | |
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153
forfeited
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| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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154
statute
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| n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例 | |
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155
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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156
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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157
overhaul
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| v./n.大修，仔细检查 | |
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158
discredit
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| vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑 | |
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159
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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160
vagrant
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| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
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161
gab
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| v.空谈，唠叨，瞎扯；n.饶舌，多嘴，爱说话 | |
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162
tacks
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| 大头钉( tack的名词复数 )； 平头钉； 航向； 方法 | |
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163
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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164
cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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165
stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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166
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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167
bide
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| v.忍耐；等候；住 | |
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168
consort
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| v.相伴；结交 | |
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169
yelping
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) | |
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170
cod
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| n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗 | |
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171
harried
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| v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰 | |
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172
dens
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| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
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173
hacked
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| 生气 | |
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174
slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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175
gaol
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| n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢 | |
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176
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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177
glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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178
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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179
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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180
murkily
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| adv.阴暗地；混浊地；可疑地；黝暗地 | |
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181
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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182
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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183
blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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184
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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185
bulwarks
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| n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 )；保障；支柱；舷墙 | |
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186
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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187
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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188
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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189
mariners
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| 海员，水手（mariner的复数形式） | |
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190
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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191
caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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192
rogues
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| n.流氓( rogue的名词复数 )；无赖；调皮捣蛋的人；离群的野兽 | |
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193
recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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