We were, I found, not only becalmed, but hemmed7 in by a dense8 fog-bank which rolled in thick, choking wreaths all round us, and hid the very water beneath us. We might have been a ship of the air riding upon a white cloud-bank. Now and anon a little puff9 of breeze caught the foresail and bellied10 it out for a moment, only to let it flap back against the mast, limp and slack, once more. A sunbeam would at times break through the dense cloud, and would spangle the dead grey wall with a streak12 of rainbow colour, but the haze13 would gather in again and shut off the bright invader14. Covenant15 was staring right and left with great questioning eyes. The crew were gathered along the bulwarks16 and smoking their pipes while they peered out into the dense fog.
‘God den2, Captain,’ said Dicon, touching17 his fur cap. ‘We have had a rare run while the breeze lasted, and the mate reckoned before he turned in that we were not many miles from Bristol town.’
‘In that case, my good fellow,’ I answered, ‘ye can set me ashore18, for I have not far to go.’
‘We must e’en wait till the fog lifts,’ said Long John. ‘There’s only one place along here, d’ye see, where we can land cargoes19 unquestioned. When it clears we shall turn her head for it, but until we can take our bearings it is anxious work wi’ the sands under our lee.’
‘Keep a look-out there, Tom Baldock!’ cried Dicon to a man in the bows. ‘We are in the track of every Bristol ship, and though there’s so little wind, a high-sparred craft might catch a breeze which we miss.’
‘Sh!’ said Long John suddenly, holding up his hand in warning. ‘Sh!’
We listened with all our ears, but there was no sound, save the gentle wash of the unseen waves against our sides.
‘Call the mate!’ whispered the seaman20. ‘There’s a craft close by us. I heard the rattle21 of a rope upon her deck.’
Silas Bolitho was up in an instant, and we all stood straining our ears, and peering through the dense fog-bank. We had well-nigh made up our minds that it was a false alarm, and the mate was turning back in no very good humour, when a clear loud bell sounded seven times quite close to us, followed by a shrill22 whistle and a confused shouting and stamping.
‘It’s a King’s ship,’ growled23 the mate. ‘That’s seven bells, and the bo’sun is turning out the watch below.’
‘It was on our quarter,’ whispered one.
‘Nay, I think it was on our larboard bow,’ said another.
The mate held up his hand, and we all listened for some fresh sign of the whereabouts of our scurvy24 neighbour. The wind had freshened a little, and we were slipping through the water at four or five knots an hour. Of a sudden a hoarse25 voice was heard roaring at our very side. ‘‘Bout ship!’ it shouted. ‘Bear a hand on the lee-braces, there! Stand by the halliards! Bear a hand, ye lazy rogues27, or I’ll be among ye with my cane28, with a wannion to ye!’
‘It is a King’s ship, sure enough, and she lies just there,’ said Long John, pointing out over the quarter. ‘Merchant adventurers have civil tongues. It’s your blue-coated, gold-braided, swivel-eyed, quarter-deckers that talk of canes29. Ha! did I not tell ye!’
As he spoke30, the white screen of vapour rolled up like the curtain in a playhouse, and uncovered a stately war-ship, lying so close that we could have thrown a biscuit aboard. Her long, lean, black hull31 rose and fell with a slow, graceful32 rhythm, while her beautiful spars and snow-white sails shot aloft until they were lost in the wreaths of fog which still hung around her. Nine bright brass33 cannons34 peeped out at us from her portholes. Above the line of hammocks, which hung like carded wool along her bulwarks, we could see the heads of the seamen35 staring down at us, and pointing us out to each other. On the high poop stood an elderly officer with cocked hat and trim white wig36, who at once whipped up his glass and gazed at us through it.
‘Ahoy, there!’ he shouted, leaning over the taffrail. ‘What lugger is that?’
‘The Lucy,’ answered the mate, ‘bound from Porlock Quay37 to Bristol with hides and tallow. Stand ready to tack38!’ he added in a lower voice, ‘the fog is coming down again.’
‘Ye have one of the hides with the horse still in it,’ cried the officer. ‘Run down under our counter. We must have a closer look at ye.’
‘Aye, aye, sir!’ said the mate, and putting his helm hard down the boom swung across, and the Maria darted39 off like a scared seabird into the fog. Looking back there was nothing but a dim loom40 to show where we had left the great vessel. We could hear, however, the hoarse shouting of orders and the bustle41 of men.
‘Look out for squalls, lads!’ cried the mate. ‘He’ll let us have it now.’
He had scarcely spoken before there were half-a-dozen throbs42 of flame in the mist behind, and as many balls sung among our rigging. One cut away the end of the yard, and left it dangling43; another grazed the bowsprit, and sent a puff of white splinters into the air.
‘Warm work, Captain, eh?’ said old Silas, rubbing his hands. ‘Zounds, they shoot better in the dark than ever they did in the light. There have been more shots fired at this lugger than she could carry wore she loaded with them. And yet they never so much as knocked the paint off her before. There they go again!’
A fresh discharge burst from the man-of-war, but this time they had lost all trace of us, and were firing by guess.
‘That is their last bark, sir,’ said Dicon.
‘No fear. They’ll blaze away for the rest of the day,’ growled another of the smugglers. ‘Why, Lor’ bless ye, it’s good exercise for the crew, and the ‘munition is the King’s, so it don’t cost nobody a groat.’
‘It’s well the breeze freshened,’ said Long John. ‘I heard the creak o’ davits just after the first discharge. She was lowering her boats, or I’m a Dutchman.’
‘The petter for you if you vas, you seven-foot stock-fish,’ cried my enemy the cooper, whose aspect was not improved by a great strip of plaster over his eye. ‘You might have learned something petter than to pull on a rope, or to swab decks like a vrouw all your life.’
‘I’ll set you adrift in one of your own barrels, you skin of lard,’ said the seaman. ‘How often are we to trounce you before we knock the sauce out of you?’
‘The fog lifts a little towards the land,’ Silas remarked. ‘Methinks I see the loom of St. Austin’s Point. It rises there upon the starboard bow.’
‘There it is, sure enough, sir!’ cried one of the seamen, pointing to a dark cape44 which cut into the mist.
‘Steer for the three-fathom creek45 then,’ said the mate. ‘When we are on the other side of the point, Captain Clarke, we shall be able to land your horse and yourself. You will then be within a few hours’ ride of your destination.’
I led the old seaman aside, and having thanked him for the kindness which he had shown me, I spoke to him of the gauger46, and implored47 him to use his influence to save the man.
‘It rests with Captain Venables,’ said he gloomily. ‘If we let him go what becomes of our cave?’
‘Is there no way of insuring his silence?’ I asked. ‘Well, we might ship him to the Plantations48,’ said the mate. ‘We could take him to the Texel with us, and get Captain Donders or some other to give him a lift across the western ocean.’
‘Do so,’ said I, ‘and I shall take care that King Monmouth shall hear of the help which ye have given his messenger.’
‘Well, we shall be there in a brace26 of shakes,’ he remarked. ‘Let us go below and load your ground tier, for there is nothing like starting well trimmed with plenty of ballast in the hold.’
Following the sailor’s advice I went down with him and enjoyed a rude but plentiful49 meal. By the time that we had finished, the lugger had been run into a narrow creek, with shelving sandy banks on either side. The district was wild and marshy50, with few signs of any inhabitants. With much coaxing51 and pushing Covenant was induced to take to the water, and swam easily ashore, while I followed in the smuggler’s dinghy. A few words of rough, kindly52 leave-taking were shouted after me; I saw the dinghy return, and the beautiful craft glided53 out to sea and faded away once more into the mists which still hung over the face of the waters.
Truly Providence54 works in strange ways, my children, and until a man comes to the autumn of his days he can scarce say what hath been ill-luck and what hath been good. For of all the seeming misfortunes which have befallen me during my wandering life, there is not one which I have not come to look upon as a blessing55. And if you once take this into your hearts, it is a mighty56 help in enabling you to meet all troubles with a stiff lip; for why should a man grieve when he hath not yet determined57 whether what hath chanced may not prove to be a cause of rejoicing? .Now here ye will perceive that I began by being dashed upon a stony58 road, beaten, kicked, and finally well-nigh put to death in mistake for another. Yet it ended in my being safely carried to my journey’s end, whereas, had I gone by land, it is more than likely that I should have been cut off at Weston; for, as I heard afterwards, a troop of horse were making themselves very active in those parts by blocking the roads and seizing all who came that way.
Being now alone, my first care was to bathe my face and hands in a stream which ran down to the sea, and to wipe away any trace of my adventures of the night before. My cut was but a small one, and was concealed59 by my hair. Having reduced myself to some sort of order I next rubbed down my horse as best I could, and rearranged his girth and his saddle. I then led him by the bridle60 to the top of a sandhill hard by, whence I might gain some idea as to my position.
The fog lay thick upon the Channel, but all inland was very clear and bright. Along the coast the country was dreary61 and marshy, but at the other side a goodly extent of fertile plain lay before me, well tilled and cared for. A range of lofty hills, which I guessed to be the Mendips, bordered the whole skyline, and further north there lay a second chain in the blue distance. The glittering Avon wound its way over the country-side like a silver snake in a flower-bed. Close to its mouth, and not more than two leagues from where I stood, rose the spires62 and towers of stately Bristol, the Queen of the West, which was and still may be the second city in the kingdom. The forests of masts which shot up like a pinegrove above the roofs of the houses bore witness to the great trade both with Ireland and with the Plantations which had built up so flourishing a city.
As I knew that the Duke’s seat was miles on the Gloucestershire side of the city, and as I feared lest I might be arrested and examined should I attempt to pass the gates, I struck inland with intent to ride round the walls and so avoid the peril64. The path which I followed led me into a country lane, which in turn opened into a broad highway crowded with travellers, both on horseback and on foot. As the troublous times required that a man should journey with his arms, there was naught65 in my outfit66 to excite remark, and I was able to jog on among the other horsemen without question or suspicion. From their appearance they were, I judged, country farmers or squires67 for the most part, who were riding into Bristol to hear the news, and to store away their things of price in a place of safety.
‘By your leave, zur!’ said a burly, heavy-faced man in a velveteen jacket, riding up upon my bridle-arm. ‘Can you tell me whether his Grace of Beaufort is in Bristol or at his house o’ Badminton?’
I answered that I could not tell, but that I was myself bound for his presence.
‘He was in Bristol yestreen a-drilling o’ the train-bands,’ said the stranger; ‘but, indeed, his Grace be that loyal, and works that hard for his Majesty’s cause, that he’s a’ ower the county, and it is but chance work for to try and to catch him. But if you are about to zeek him, whither shall you go?’
‘I will to Badminton,’ I answered, ‘and await him there. Can you tell me the way?’
‘What! Not know the way to Badminton!’ he cried, with a blank stare of wonder. ‘Whoy, I thought all the warld knew that. You’re not fra Wales or the border counties, zur, that be very clear.’
‘I am a Hampshire man,’ said I. ‘I have come some distance to see the Duke.’
‘Aye, so I should think!’ he cried, laughing loudly. ‘If you doan’t know the way to Badminton you doan’t know much! But I’ll go with you, danged if I doan’t, and I’ll show you your road, and run my chance o’ finding the Duke there. What be your name?’
‘Micah Clarke is my name.’
‘And Vairmer Brown is mine — John Brown by the register, but better knowed as the Vairmer. Tak’ this turn to the right off the high-road. Now we can trot69 our beasts and not be smothered70 in other folk’s dust. And what be you going to Beaufort for?’
‘On private matters which will not brook71 discussion,’ I answered.
‘Lor’, now! Affairs o’ State belike,’ said he, with a whistle. ‘Well, a still tongue saves many a neck. I’m a cautious man myself, and these be times when I wouldna whisper some o’ my thoughts — no, not into the ears o’ my old brown mare72 here — for fear I’d see her some day standing73 over against me in the witness-box.’
‘They seem very busy over there,’ I remarked, for we were now in full sight of the walls of Bristol, where gangs of men were working hard with pick and shovel74 improving the defences.
‘Aye, they be busy sure enough, makin’ ready in case the rebels come this road. Cromwell and his tawnies found it a rasper in my vather’s time, and Monmouth is like to do the same.’
‘It hath a strong garrison75, too,’ said I, bethinking me of Saxon’s advice at Salisbury. ‘I see two or three regiments76 out yonder on the bare open space.’
‘They have four thousand foot and a thousand horse,’ the farmer answered. ‘But the foot are only train-bands, and there’s no trusting them after Axminster. They say up here that the rebels run to nigh twenty thousand, and that they give no quarter. Well, if we must have civil war, I hope it may be hot and sudden, not spun77 out for a dozen years like the last one. If our throats are to be cut, let it be with a shairp knife, and not with a blunt hedge shears78.’
‘What say you to a stoup of cider?’ I asked, for we were passing an ivy-clad inn, with ‘The Beaufort Arms’ printed upon the sign.
‘With all my heart, lad,’ my companion answered. ‘Ho, there! two pints79 of the old hard-brewed! That will serve to wash the dust down. The real Beaufort Arms is up yonder at Badminton, for at the buttery hatch one may call for what one will in reason and never put hand to pocket.’
‘You speak of the house as though you knew it well,’ said I.
‘And who should know it better?’ asked the sturdy farmer, wiping his lips, as we resumed our journey. ‘Why, it seems but yesterday that I played hide-and-seek wi’ my brothers in the old Boteler Castle, that stood where the new house o’ Badminton, or Acton Turville, as some calls it, now stands. The Duke hath built it but a few years, and, indeed, his Dukedom itself is scarce older. There are some who think that he would have done better to stick by the old name that his forebears bore.’
‘What manner of man is the Duke?’ I asked.
‘Hot and hasty, like all of his blood. Yet when he hath time to think, and hath cooled down, he is just in the main. Your horse hath been in the water this morning, vriend.’
‘Yes,’ said I shortly, ‘he hath had a bath.’
‘I am going to his Grace on the business of a horse,’ quoth my companion. ‘His officers have pressed my piebald four-year-old, and taken it without a “With your leave,” or “By your leave,” for the use of the King. I would have them know that there is something higher than the Duke, or even than the King. There is the English law, which will preserve a man’s goods and his chattels80. I would do aught in reason for King James’s service, but my piebald four-year-old is too much.’
‘I fear that the needs of the public service will override81 your objection,’ said I.
‘Why it is enough to make a man a Whig,’ he cried. ‘Even the Roundheads always paid their vair penny for every pennyworth they had, though they wanted a vair pennyworth for each penny. I have heard my father say that trade was never so brisk as in ‘forty-six, when they were down this way. Old Noll had a noose82 of hemp83 ready for horse-stealers, were they for King or for Parliament. But here comes his Grace’s carriage, if I mistake not.’
As he spoke a great heavy yellow coach, drawn84 by six cream-coloured Flemish mares, dashed down the road, and came swiftly towards us. Two mounted lackeys85 galloped86 in front, and two others all in light blue and silver liveries rode on either side.
‘His Grace is not within, else there had been an escort behind,’ said the farmer, as we reined87 our horses aside to let the carriage pass. As they swept by he shouted out a question as to whether the Duke was at Badminton, and received a nod from the stately bewigged coachman in reply.
‘We are in luck to catch him,’ said Farmer Brown. ‘He’s as hard to find these days as a crake in a wheatfield. We should be there in an hour or less. I must thank you that I did not take a fruitless journey into Bristol. What did you say your errand was?’
I was again compelled to assure him that the matter was not one of which I could speak with a stranger, on which he appeared to be huffed, and rode for some miles without opening his mouth. Groves88 of trees lined the road on either side, and the sweet smell of pines was in our nostrils89. Far away the musical pealing90 of a bell rose and fell on the hot, close summer air. The shelter of the branches was pleasant, for the sun was very strong, blazing down out of a cloudless heaven, and raising a haze from the fields and valleys.
‘’Tis the bell from Chipping Sodbury,’ said my companion at last, wiping his ruddy face. ‘That’s Sodbury Church yonder over the brow of the hill, and here on the right is the entrance of Badminton Park.’
High iron gates, with the leopard91 and griffin, which are the supporters of the Beaufort arms, fixed92 on the pillars which flanked them, opened into a beautiful domain93 of lawn and grass land with clumps94 of trees scattered95 over it, and broad sheets of water, thick with wild fowl96. At every turn as we rode up the winding97 avenue some new beauty caught our eyes, all of which were pointed98 out and expounded99 by Farmer Brown, who seemed to take as much pride in the place as though it belonged to him. Here it was a rockery where a thousand bright-coloured stones shone out through the ferns and creepers which had been trained over them. There it was a pretty prattling100 brook, the channel of which had been turned so as to make it come foaming101 down over a steep ledge102 of rocks. Or perhaps it was some statue of nymph or sylvan103 god, or some artfully built arbour overgrown with roses or honeysuckle. I have never seen grounds so tastefully laid out, and it was done, as all good work in art must be done, by following Nature so closely that it only differed from her handiwork in its profusion104 in so narrow a compass. A few years later our healthy English taste was spoiled by the pedant105 gardening of the Dutch with their straight flat ponds, and their trees all clipped and in a line like vegetable grenadiers. In truth, I think that the Prince of Orange and Sir William Temple had much to answer for in working this change, but things have now come round again, I understand, and we have ceased to be wiser than Nature in our pleasure-grounds.
As we drew near the house we came on a large extent of level sward on which a troop of horse were exercising, who were raised, as my companion informed me, entirely106 from the Duke’s own personal attendants. Passing them we rode through a grove63 of rare trees and came out on a broad space of gravel107 which lay in front of the house. The building itself was of great extent, built after the new Italian fashion, rather for comfort than for defence; but on one wing there remained, as my companion pointed out, a portion of the old keep and battlements of the feudal108 castle of the Botelers, looking as out of place as a farthingale of Queen Elizabeth joined to a court dress fresh from Paris. The main doorway109 was led up to by lines of columns and a broad flight of marble steps, on which stood a group of footmen and grooms110, who took our horses when we dismounted. A grey-haired steward111 or major-domo inquired our business, and on learning that we wished to see the Duke in person, he told us that his Grace would give audience to strangers in the afternoon at half after three by the clock. In the meantime he said that the guests’ dinner had just been laid in the hall, and it was his master’s wish that none who came to Badminton should depart hungry. My companion and I were but too glad to accept the steward’s invitation, so having visited the bath-room and attended to the needs of the toilet, we followed a footman, who ushered112 us into a great room where the company had already assembled.
The guests may have numbered fifty or sixty, old and young, gentle and simple, of the most varied113 types and appearance. I observed that many of them cast haughty114 and inquiring glances round them, in the pauses between the dishes, as though each marvelled115 how he came to be a member of so motley a crew. Their only common feature appeared to be the devotion which they showed to the platter and the wine flagon. There was little talking, for there were few who knew their neighbours. Some were soldiers who had come to offer their swords and their services to the King’s lieutenant116; others were merchants from Bristol, with some proposal or suggestion anent the safety of their property. There were two or three officials of the city, who had come out to receive instructions as to its defence, while here and there I marked the child of Israel, who had found his way there in the hope that in times of trouble he might find high interest and noble borrowers. Horse-dealers, saddlers, armourers, surgeons, and clergymen completed the company, who were waited upon by a staff of powdered and liveried servants, who brought and removed the dishes with the silence and deftness117 of long training.
The room was a contrast to the bare plainness of Sir Stephen Timewell’s dining-hall at Taunton, for it was richly panelled and highly decorated all round. The floor was formed of black and white marble, set in squares, and the walls were of polished oak, and bore a long line of paintings of the Somerset family, from John of Gaunt downwards118. The ceiling, too, was tastefully painted with flowers and nymphs, so that a man’s neck was stiff ere he had done admiring it. At the further end of the hall yawned a great fireplace of white marble, with the lions and lilies of the Somerset arms carved in oak above it, and a long gilt119 scroll120 bearing the family motto, “Mutare vel timere sperno.” The massive tables at which we sat were loaded with silver chargers and candelabra, and bright with the rich plate for which Badminton was famous. I could not but think that, if Saxon could clap eyes upon it, he would not be long in urging that the war be carried on in this direction.
After dinner we were all shown into a small ante-chamber121, set round with velvet68 settees, where we were to wait till the Duke was ready to see us. In the centre of this room there stood several cases, glass-topped and lined with silk, wherein were little steel and iron rods, with brass tubes and divers122 other things, very bright and ingenious, though I could not devise for what end they had been put together. A gentleman-inwaiting came round with paper and ink-horn, making notes of our names and of our business. Him I asked whether it might not be possible for me to have an entirely private audience.
‘His Grace never sees in private,’ he replied. ‘He has ever his chosen councillors and officers in attendance.’
‘But the business is one which is only fit for his own ear,’ I urged.
‘His Grace holds that there is no business fit only for his own ear,’ said the gentleman. ‘You must arrange matters as best you can when you are shown in to him. I will promise, however, that your request be carried to him, though I warn you that it cannot be granted.’
I thanked him for his good offices, and turned away with the farmer to look at the strange little engines within the cases.
‘What is it?’ I asked. ‘I have never seen aught that was like it.’
‘It is the work of the mad Marquis of Worcester,’ quoth he. ‘He was the Duke’s grandfather. He was ever making and devising such toys, but they were never of any service to himself or to others. Now, look ye here! This wi’ the wheels were called the water-engine, and it was his crazy thought that, by heating the water in that ere kettle, ye might make the wheels go round, and thereby123 travel along iron bars quicker nor a horse could run. ‘Oons! I’d match my old brown mare against all such contrivances to the end o’ time. But to our places, for the Duke is coming.’
We had scarce taken our seats with the other suitors, when the folding-doors were flung open, and a stout124, thick, short man of fifty, or thereabouts, came bustling125 into the room, and strode down it between two lines of bowing clients. He had large projecting blue eyes, with great pouches126 of skin beneath them, and a yellow, sallow visage. At his heels walked a dozen officers and men of rank, with flowing wigs127 and clanking swords. They had hardly passed through the opposite door into the Duke’s own room, when the gentleman with the list called out a name, and the guests began one after the other to file into the great man’s presence.
‘Methinks his Grace is in no very gentle temper,’ quoth Farmer Brown. ‘Did you not mark how he gnawed128 his nether129 lip as he passed?’
‘He seemed a quiet gentleman enough,’ I answered. ‘It would try Job himself to see all these folk of an afternoon.’
‘Hark at that!’ he whispered, raising his finger. As he spoke the sound of the Duke’s voice in a storm of wrath130 was heard from the inner chamber, and a little sharp-faced man came out and flew through the ante-chamber as though fright had turned his head.
‘He is an armourer of Bristol,’ whispered one of my neighbours. ‘It is likely that the Duke cannot come to terms with him over a contract.’
‘Nay,’ said another. ‘He supplied Sir Marmaduke Hyson’s troop with sabres, and it is said that the blades will bend as though they were lead. Once used they can never he fitted back into the scabbard again.’
‘The tall man who goes in now is an inventor,’ quoth the first. ‘He hath the secret of some very grievous fire, such as hath been used by the Greeks against the Turks in the Levant, which he desires to sell for the better fortifying131 of Bristol.’
The Greek fire seemed to be in no great request with the Duke, for the inventor came out presently with his face as red as though it had been touched by his own compound. The next upon the list was my honest friend the farmer. The angry tones which greeted him promised badly for the fate of the four-year-old, but a lull132 ensued, and the farmer came out and resumed his seat, rubbing his great red hands with satisfaction.
‘Ecod!’ he whispered. ‘He was plaguy hot at first, but he soon came round, and he hath promised that if I pay for the hire of a dragooner as long as the war shall last I shall have back the piebald.’
I had been sitting all this time wondering how in the world I was to conduct my business amid the swarm133 of suppliants134 and the crowd of officers who were attending the Duke. Had there been any likelihood of my gaining audience with him in any other way I should gladly have adopted it, but all my endeavours to that end had been useless. Unless I took this occasion I might never come face to face with him at all. But how could he give due thought or discussion to such a matter before others? What chance was there of his weighing it as it should be weighed? Even if his feelings inclined him that way, he dared not show any sign of wavering when so many eyes were upon him. I was tempted135 to feign136 some other reason for my coming, and trust to fortune to give me some more favourable137 chance for handing him my papers. But then that chance might never arrive, and time was pressing. It was said that he would return to Bristol next morning. On the whole, it seemed best that I should make the fittest use I could of my present position in the hope that the Duke’s own discretion138 and self-command might, when he saw the address upon my despatches, lead to a more private interview.
I had just come to this resolution when my name was read out, on which I rose and advanced into the inner chamber. It was a small but lofty room, hung in blue silk with a broad gold cornice. In the centre was a square table littered over with piles of papers, and behind this sat his Grace with full-bottomed wig rolling down to his shoulders, very stately and imposing139. He had the same subtle air of the court which I had observed both in Monmouth and in Sir Gervas, which, with his high bold features and large piercing eyes, marked him as a leader of men. His private scrivener sat beside him, taking notes of his directions, while the others stood behind in a half circle, or took snuff together in the deep recess140 of the window.
‘Make a note of Smithson’s order,’ he said, as I entered. ‘A hundred pots and as many fronts and backs to be ready by Tuesday; also six score snaphances for the musqueteers, and two hundred extra spades for the workers. Mark that the order be declared null and void unless fulfilled within the time appointed.’
‘It is so marked, your Grace.’
‘Captain Micah Clarke,’ said the Duke, reading from the list in front of him. ‘What is your wish, Captain?’
‘One which it would be better if I could deliver privately141 to your Grace,’ I answered.
‘Ah, you are he who desired private audience? Well, Captain, these are my council and they are as myself. So we may look upon ourselves as alone. What I may hear they may hear. Zounds, man, never stammer142 and boggle, but out with it!’
My request had roused the interest of the company, and those who were in the window came over to the table. Nothing could have been worse for the success of my mission, and yet there was no help for it but to deliver my despatches. I can say with a clear conscience, without any vainglory, that I had no fears for myself. The doing of my duty was the one thought in my mind. And here I may say once for all, my dear children, that I am speaking of myself all through this statement with the same freedom as though it were another man. In very truth the strong active lad of one-and-twenty was another man from the grey-headed old fellow who sits in the chimney corner and can do naught better than tell old tales to the youngsters. Shallow water gives a great splash, and so a braggart143 has ever been contemptible144 in my eyes. I trust, therefore, that ye will never think that your grandad is singing his own praises, or setting himself up as better than his neighbours. I do but lay the facts, as far as I can recall them, before ye with all freedom and with all truth.
My short delay and hesitation145 had sent a hot flush of anger into the Duke’s face, so I drew the packet of papers from my inner pocket and handed them to him with a respectful bow. As his eyes fell upon the superscription, he gave a sudden start of surprise and agitation146, making a motion as though to hide them in his bosom147. If this were his impulse he overcame it, and sat lost in thought for a minute or more with the papers in his hand. Then with a quick toss of the head, like a man who hath formed his resolution, he broke the seals and cast his eyes over the contents, which he then threw down upon the table with a bitter laugh.
‘What think ye, gentlemen!’ he cried, looking round with scornful eyes; ‘what think ye this private message hath proved to be? It is a letter from the traitor148 Monmouth, calling upon me to resign the allegiance of my natural sovereign and to draw my sword in his behalf! If I do this I am to have his gracious favour and protection. If not, I incur149 sequestration, banishment150, and ruin. He thinks Beaufort’s loyalty151 is to be bought like a packman’s ware152, or bullied153 out of him by ruffling154 words. The descendant of John of Gaunt is to render fealty155 to the brat156 of a wandering playwoman!’
Several of the company sprang to their feet, and a general buzz of surprise and anger greeted the Duke’s words. He sat with bent157 brows, beating his foot against the ground, and turning over the papers upon the table.
‘What hath raised his hopes to such mad heights?’ he cried. ‘How doth he presume to send such a missive to one of my quality? Is it because he hath seen the backs of a parcel of rascally158 militiamen, and because he hath drawn a few hundred chawbacons from the plough’s tail to his standard, that he ventures to hold such language to the President of Wales? But ye will be my witnesses as to the spirit in which I received it?’
‘We can preserve your Grace from all danger of slander159 on that point,’ said an elderly officer, while a murmur160 of assent161 from the others greeted the remark.
‘And you!’ cried Beaufort, raising his voice and turning his flashing eyes upon me; ‘who are you that dare to bring such a message to Badminton? You had surely taken leave of your senses ere you did set out upon such an errand!’
‘I am in the hands of God here as elsewhere,’ I answered, with some flash of my father’s fatalism. ‘I have done what I promised to do, and the rest is no concern of mine.’
‘You shall find it a very close concern of thine,’ he shouted, springing from his chair and pacing up and down the room; ‘so close as to put an end to all thy other concerns in this life. Call in the halberdiers from the outer hall! Now, fellow, what have you to say for yourself?’
‘There is naught to be said,’ I answered.
‘But something to be done,’ he retorted in a fury. ‘Seize this man and secure his hands!’
Four halberdiers who had answered the summons closed in upon me and laid hands on me. Resistance would have been folly162, for I had no wish to harm the men in the doing of their duty. I had come to take my chance, and if that chance should prove to be death, as seemed likely enough at present, it must be met as a thing foreseen. I thought of those old-time lines which Master Chillingfoot, of Petersfield, had ever held up to our admiration163 —
Non civium ardor164 prava jubentium
Non vultus instantis tyranni
Mente quatit solida.
Here was the ‘vultus instantis tyranni,’ in this stout, be-wigged, lace-covered, yellow-faced man in front of me. I had obeyed the poet in so far that my courage had not been shaken. I confess that this spinning dust-heap of a world has never had such attractions for me that it would be a pang11 to leave it. Never, at least, until my marriage — and that, you will find, alters your thoughts about the value of your life, and many other of your thoughts as well. This being so, I stood erect165, with my eyes fixed upon the angry nobleman, while his soldiers were putting the gyves about my wrists.
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1
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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2
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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3
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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4
berths
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| n.（船、列车等的）卧铺( berth的名词复数 )；（船舶的）停泊位或锚位；差事；船台vt.v.停泊( berth的第三人称单数 )；占铺位 | |
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5
lockers
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| n.寄物柜( locker的名词复数 ) | |
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6
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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7
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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8
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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9
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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10
bellied
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| adj.有腹的，大肚子的 | |
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11
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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12
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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13
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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14
invader
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| n.侵略者，侵犯者，入侵者 | |
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15
covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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16
bulwarks
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| n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 )；保障；支柱；舷墙 | |
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17
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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18
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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19
cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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20
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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21
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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22
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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23
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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24
scurvy
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| adj.下流的，卑鄙的，无礼的；n.坏血病 | |
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25
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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26
brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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27
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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28
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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29
canes
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| n.（某些植物，如竹或甘蔗的）茎( cane的名词复数 )；（用于制作家具等的）竹竿；竹杖 | |
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30
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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31
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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32
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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33
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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34
cannons
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| n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 ) | |
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35
seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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36
wig
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| n.假发 | |
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37
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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38
tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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39
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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40
loom
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| n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近 | |
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41
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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42
throbs
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| 体内的跳动( throb的名词复数 ) | |
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43
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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44
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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45
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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46
gauger
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| n.收税官 | |
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47
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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49
plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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50
marshy
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| adj.沼泽的 | |
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51
coaxing
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应 | |
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52
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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53
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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54
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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55
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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56
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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57
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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58
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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59
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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60
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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61
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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62
spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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63
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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64
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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65
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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66
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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67
squires
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| n.地主，乡绅( squire的名词复数 ) | |
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68
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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69
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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70
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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71
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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72
mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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73
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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74
shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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75
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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76
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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77
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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78
shears
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| n.大剪刀 | |
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79
pints
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| n.品脱( pint的名词复数 )；一品脱啤酒 | |
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80
chattels
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| n.动产，奴隶( chattel的名词复数 ) | |
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81
override
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| vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于 | |
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82
noose
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| n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑 | |
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83
hemp
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| n.大麻；纤维 | |
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84
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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85
lackeys
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| n.听差( lackey的名词复数 )；男仆（通常穿制服）；卑躬屈膝的人；被待为奴仆的人 | |
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86
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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87
reined
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| 勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理 | |
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88
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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89
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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90
pealing
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| v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的现在分词 ) | |
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91
leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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92
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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93
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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94
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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95
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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96
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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97
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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98
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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99
expounded
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| 论述，详细讲解( expound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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100
prattling
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| v.（小孩般）天真无邪地说话( prattle的现在分词 )；发出连续而无意义的声音；闲扯；东拉西扯 | |
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101
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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102
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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103
sylvan
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| adj.森林的 | |
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104
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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105
pedant
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| n.迂儒；卖弄学问的人 | |
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106
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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107
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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108
feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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109
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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110
grooms
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| n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗 | |
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111
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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112
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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113
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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114
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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115
marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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116
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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117
deftness
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118
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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119
gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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120
scroll
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| n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡 | |
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121
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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122
divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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123
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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125
bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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126
pouches
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| n.（放在衣袋里或连在腰带上的）小袋( pouch的名词复数 )；（袋鼠等的）育儿袋；邮袋；（某些动物贮存食物的）颊袋 | |
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127
wigs
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| n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 ) | |
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128
gnawed
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| 咬( gnaw的过去式和过去分词 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物 | |
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129
nether
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| adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会 | |
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130
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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131
fortifying
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| 筑防御工事于( fortify的现在分词 )； 筑堡于； 增强； 强化（食品） | |
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132
lull
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| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
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133
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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134
suppliants
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| n.恳求者，哀求者( suppliant的名词复数 ) | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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136
feign
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| vt.假装，佯作 | |
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137
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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138
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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139
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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140
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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141
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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142
stammer
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| n.结巴，口吃；v.结结巴巴地说 | |
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143
braggart
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| n.吹牛者；adj.吹牛的，自夸的 | |
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144
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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145
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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146
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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147
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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148
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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149
incur
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| vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇 | |
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150
banishment
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| n.放逐，驱逐 | |
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151
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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152
ware
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| n.(常用复数)商品，货物 | |
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153
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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154
ruffling
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| 弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱 | |
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155
fealty
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| n.忠贞，忠节 | |
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156
brat
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| n.孩子；顽童 | |
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157
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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158
rascally
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| adj. 无赖的，恶棍的 adv. 无赖地，卑鄙地 | |
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159
slander
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| n./v.诽谤，污蔑 | |
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160
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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161
assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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162
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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163
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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164
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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165
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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