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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d2b5db2 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50598 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50598) diff --git a/old/50598-8.txt b/old/50598-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 02d9d7d..0000000 --- a/old/50598-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8292 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dark Frigate, by Charles Boardman Hawes - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Dark Frigate - -Author: Charles Boardman Hawes - -Release Date: December 3, 2015 [EBook #50598] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DARK FRIGATE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE DARK FRIGATE - - Wherein is told the story of _Philip Marsham_ - who lived in the time of King Charles - and was bred a sailor - but came home to England after many hazards - by sea and land and fought for the King at Newbury - and lost a great inheritance and departed for Barbados - in the same ship, by curious chance, in which - he had long before adventured - with the pirates. - - BY CHARLES BOARDMAN HAWES - - _Frontispiece in Color by_ - ANTON OTTO FISCHER - - _AN ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS BOOK_ - LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY - BOSTON - - _Copyright, 1923_, - BY THE TORBELL COMPANY - (Publishers of _The Open Road_) - - _Copyright, 1923_, - BY THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS, INC. - - _Copyright, 1934_, - BY LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY - - _All rights reserved_ - - _Twentieth Printing_ - - THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS BOOKS - ARE PUBLISHED BY - LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY - IN ASSOCIATION WITH - THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY COMPANY - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - [Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any - evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - -[Illustration: _With her great sails spread she thrust her nose into the -heavy swell._] - - - - - TO - GEORGE W. CABLE - WITH WARM ADMIRATION AND FILIAL AFFECTION - - - - - From _curious old books, many of them forgotten save - by students of archaic days at sea, I have taken - words and phrases and incidents. The words and phrases - I have put into the talk of the men of the Rose of Devon; - the incidents I have shaped and fitted anew to serve my - purpose_. - - C. B. H. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I FLIGHT 3 - - II A LEAL MAN AND A FOOL 11 - - III TWO SAILORS ON FOOT 26 - - IV THE GIRL AT THE INN 35 - - V SIR JOHN BRISTOL 45 - - VI THE ROSE OF DEVON 57 - - VII THE SHIP'S LIAR 75 - - VIII STORM 83 - - IX THE MASTER'S GUEST 94 - - X BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND MORNING 101 - - XI HEAD WINDS AND A ROUGH SEA 108 - - XII THE PORCUPINE KETCH 120 - - XIII A BIRD TO BE LIMED 137 - - XIV A WONDERFUL EXCELLENT COOK 144 - - XV A LONESOME LITTLE TOWN 158 - - XVI THE HARBOUR OF REFUGE 171 - - XVII WILL CANTY 182 - - XVIII TOM JORDAN'S MERCY 192 - - XIX A MAN SEEN BEFORE 198 - - XX A PRIZE FOR THE TAKING 208 - - XXI ILL WORDS COME TRUE 215 - - XXII BACK TO THE INN 231 - - XXIII AND OLD SIR JOHN 237 - - XXIV AND AGAIN THE ROSE OF DEVON 242 - - - - -THE DARK FRIGATE - - - - -CHAPTER I - -FLIGHT - - -Philip Marsham was bred to the sea as far back as the days when he was -cutting his milk teeth, and he never thought he should leave it; but -leave it he did, once and again, as I shall tell you. - -His father was master of a London ketch, and they say that before the -boy could stand unaided on his two feet he would lean himself, as a -child does, against the waist in a seaway, and never pipe a whimper -when she thrust her bows down and shipped enough water to douse him -from head to heels. He lost his mother before he went into breeches and -he was climbing the rigging before he could walk alone. He spent two -years at school to the good Dr. Josiah Arber at Roehampton, for his -father, being a clergyman's son who had run wild in his youth, hoped -to do better by the lad than he had done by himself, and was of a mind -to send Philip home a scholar to make peace with the grandparents, in -the vicarage at Little Grimsby, whom Tom Marsham had not seen in twenty -years. But the boy was his father over again, and taking to books with -an ill grace, he endured them only until he had learned to read and -write and had laid such foundation of mathematics as he hoped would -serve his purpose when he came to study navigation. Then, running away -by night from his master's house, he joined his father on board the -Sarah ketch, who laughed mightily to see how his son took after him, do -what he would to make a scholar of the lad. And but for the mercy of -God, which laid Philip Marsham on his back with a fever in the spring -of his nineteenth year, he had gone down with his father in the ketch -Sarah, the night she foundered off the North Foreland. - -Moll Stevens kept him, while he lay ill with the fever, in her alehouse -in High Street, in the borough of Southwark, and she was good to him -after her fashion, for her heart was set on marrying his father. But -though she had brought Tom Marsham to heel and had named the day, -nothing is sure till the words are said. - -When they had news which there was no doubting that Tom Marsham was -lost at sea, she was of a mind to send the boy out of her house the -hour he was able to walk thence; and so she would have done, if God's -providence had not found means to renew his strength before the time -and send him packing in wonderful haste, with Moll Stevens and certain -others after him in full cry. - -For the third day he had come down from his chamber and had taken the -great chair by the fire, when there entered a huge-bellied countryman -who carried a gun of a kind not familiar to those in the house. - -"Ah," Phil heard them whispering, as he sat in the great chair, "here's -Jamie Barwick come back again." Then they called out, "Welcome, Jamie, -and good-morrow!" - -Philip Marsham would have liked well to see the gun himself, since a -taste for such gear was born in him; but he had been long bedridden, -and though he could easily have walked over to look at it, he let well -enough alone and stayed where he was. - -They passed it from one to another and marvelled at the craftsmanship, -and when they let the butt fall on the floor, the pots rang and the -cans tinkled. And now one cried, "Have care which way you point the -muzzle." But the countryman who brought it laughed and declared there -was no danger, for though it was charged he had spent all his powder -and had not primed it. - -At last he took it from them all and, spying Moll Stevens, who had -heard the bustle and had come to learn the cause, he called for a can -of ale. There was no place at hand to set down his gun so he turned to -the lad in the chair and cried, "Here, whiteface with the great eyes, -take my piece and keep it for me. I am dry--Oh, so dry! Keep it till -I have drunk, and gramercy. A can of ale, I say! Hostess! Moll! Moll! -Where art thou? A can of ale!" - -He flung himself down on a bench and mopped his forehead with his -sleeve. He was a huge great man with a vast belly and a deep voice and -a fat red face that was smiling one minute and frowning the next. - -"Ho! Hostess!" he roared again. "Ale, ale! A can of ale! Moll, I say! A -can of ale!" - -A hush had fallen upon the room at his first summons, for he had been -quiet so long after entering that his clamour amazed all who were -present, unless they had known him before, and they now stole glances -at him and at one another and at Moll Stevens, who came bustling in -again, her face as red as his own, for she was his match in girth and -temper. - -"Here then!" she snapped, and thumped the can down before him on the -great oaken table. - -He blew off the topmost foam and thrust his hot face into the ale, but -not so deep that he could not send Phil Marsham a wink over the rim. - -This Moll perceived and in turn shot at the lad a glance so -ill-tempered that any one who saw it must know she rued the day she had -taken him under her roof in his illness. He had got many such a glance -since word came that his father was lost, and more than glances, too, -for as soon as Moll knew there was nothing to gain by keeping his good -will she had berated him like the vixen she was at heart, although he -was then too ill to raise his head from the sheet. - -It was a sad plight for a lad whose grandfather was a gentleman -(although he had never seen the old man), and there had been times when -he would almost have gone back to school and have swallowed without a -whimper the Latin and Greek. But he was stronger now and nearer able to -fend for himself and it was in his mind, as he sat in the great chair -with the gun, that after a few days at longest he would pay the score -in silver from his chest upstairs, and take leave for ever of Moll -Stevens and her alehouse. So now, giving her no heed, he began fondling -the fat countryman's piece. - -The stock was of walnut, polished until a man could see his face in it, -and the barrel was of steel chased from breech to muzzle and inlaid -with gold and silver. Small wonder that all had been eager to handle -it, the lad thought. He saw others in the room furtively observing the -gun, and he knew there were men not a hundred leagues away who would -have killed the owner to take it. He even bethought himself, having no -lack of conceit in such matters, that the man had done well to pick -Phil Marsham to keep it while he drank his ale. - -The fellow had gone to the opposite corner of the room and had taken a -deep seat just beneath the three long shelves on which stood the three -rows of fine platters that were the pride of Moll Stevens's heart. - -The platters caught the lad's eye and, raising the gun, he presented -it at the uppermost row. Supposing it were loaded and primed, he -thought, what a stir and clatter it would make to fire the charge! He -smiled, cocked the gun, and rested his finger on the trigger; but he -was over weak to hold the gun steady. As he let the muzzle fall, his -hand slipped. His throat tightened like a cramp. His hair, he verily -believed, rose on end. The gun--primed or no--went off. - -He had so far lowered the muzzle that not a shot struck the topmost -row of platters, but of the second lower row, not one platter was -left standing. The splinters flew in a shower over the whole room, -and a dozen stray shots--for the gun was charged to shoot small -birds--peppered the fat man about the face and ear. Worst of all, by -far, to make good measure of the clatter and clamour, the great mass of -the charge, which by grace of God avoided the fat man's head although -the wind of it raised his hair, struck fairly a butt of Moll Stevens's -richest sack, which six men had raised on a frame to make easier the -labour of drawing from it, and shattered a stave so that the goodly -wine poured out as if a greater than Moses had smitten a rock with his -staff. - -Of all in the room, mind you, none was more amazed than Philip Marsham, -and indeed for a moment his wits were quite numb. He sat with the gun -in his hands, which was still smoking to show who had done the wicked -deed, and stared at the splintered platters and at the countryman's -furious face, on which rivulets of blood were trickling down, and at -the gurgling flood of wine that was belching out on Moll Stevens's -dirty floor. - -Then in rushed Moll herself with such a face that he hoped never to -see the like again. She swept the room at a single glance and bawling, -"As I live, 't is that tike, Philip Marsham! Paddock! Hound! Devil's -imp!"--at him she came, a billet of Flanders brick in her hand. - -He was of no mind to try the quality of her scouring, for although she -knew not the meaning of a clean house, she was a brawny wench and her -hand and her brick were as rough as her tongue. Further, he perceived -that there were others to reckon with, for the countryman was on his -feet with a murderous look in his eye and there were six besides him -who had started up. Although Phil had little wish to play hare to their -hounds, since the fever had left him fit for neither fighting nor -running, there was urgent need that he act soon and to a purpose, for -Moll and her Flanders brick were upon him. - -Warmed by the smell of the good wine run to waste, and marvellously -strengthened by the danger of bodily harm if once they laid hands on -him, he got out of the great chair as nimbly as if he had not spent -three weeks in bed, and, turning like a fox, slipped through the door. - -God was good to Philip Marsham, for the gun, as he dropped it, -tripped Moll Stevens and sent her sprawling on the threshold; the fat -countryman, thinking more of his property than his injury, stooped for -the gun; and those two so filled the door that the six were stoppered -in the alehouse until with the whoo-bub ringing in his ears Phil had -got him out of sight. He had the craft, though they then came after him -like hounds let slip, to turn aside and take to earth in a trench hard -by, and to lie in hiding there until the hue and cry had come and gone. -In faith, he had neither the wind nor the strength to run farther. - -It was "Stop thief!"--"Murder's done!"--"Attach the knave!"--"Help! -Help!" - -Who had dug the trench that was his hiding-place he never knew, but it -lay not a furlong from the alehouse door, and as he tumbled into it and -sprawled flat on the wet earth he gave the man an orphan's blessing. -The hue and cry passed him and went racing down the river; and when -the yells had grown fainter, and at last had died quite away, he got -up out of the trench and walked as fast as he could in the opposite -direction, stopping often to rest, until he had left Moll Stevens's -alehouse a good mile behind him. He passed a parish beadle, but the -fellow gave him not a single glance; he passed the crier calling for -sale the household goods of a man who desired to take his fortune and -depart for New England, and the crier (who, one would suppose, knew -everything of the public weal) brushed his coat but hindered him not. -In the space of a single furlong he met two Puritans on foot, without -enough hair to cover their ears, and two fine gentlemen on horseback -whose curls flowed to their shoulders; but neither one nor other gave -him let. The rabble of higglers and waggoners from the alehouse, headed -by the countryman, Jamie Barwick, and by Moll Stevens herself, had -raced far down the river, and Phil Marsham was free to go wherever else -his discretion bade him. - -Now it would have been his second nature to have fled to the docks, -for he was bred a sailor and could haul and reef and steer with any -man; but they whom he had no wish to meet had gone that way and in -his weakness it had been worse than folly to beard them. His patrimony -was forfeit, for although his father had left him a bag of silver, it -lay in his chest in Moll Stevens's alehouse, and for fear of hanging -he dared not go back after it. She was a vindictive shrew and would -have taken his heart's blood to pay him for his blunder. His father was -gone and the ketch with him, and, save for a handful of silver the lad -had about him, he was penniless. So what would a sailor do, think you, -orphaned and penniless and cut off from the sea, but set himself up for -a farmer? Phil clapped his hand on his thigh and quietly laughed. That -a man needed money and skill for husbandry never entered his foolish -head. Were not husbandmen all fond fellows whom a lively sailor man -might fleer as he pleased? Nay, they knew not so much as one rope from -another. Why, then, he would go into the country and set him up as a -kind of prince among husbandmen, who had, by all reports, plenty of -good nappy liquor to drink and bread and cheese and meat to eat. - -With that he turned his back on the sea and London and on Moll Stevens, -whom he never saw again. His trafficking with her was well ended, and -as well ended his father's affair, in my belief; for the woman had a -bitter temper and a sharp tongue, and there are worse things for a -free-hearted, jovial man such as Tom Marsham was, than drowning. The -son owed her nought that the bag in his chest would not repay many -times over, so he set out with all good courage and with the handful of -silver that chanced to be in his pocket and, though his legs were weak -and he must stop often to rest, by nightfall he had gone miles upon his -way. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -A LEAL MAN AND A FOOL - - -Clouds obscured the sun and a gusty wind set the road-side grasses -nodding and rustled the leaves of oak and ash. Phil passed between -green fields into a neat village, where men and women turned to -look after him as he went, and on into open country, where he came -at last to a great estate and a porter's lodge and sat him down and -rested. There was a hoarse clamour from a distant rookery, and the -wind whispered in two pine trees that grew beside the lodge where a -gentleman of curious tastes had planted them. A few drops of rain, -beating on the road and rattling on the leaves of a great oak, -increased the loneliness that beset him. Where he should lie the night -he had no notion, or whence his supper was to come; but the shower blew -past and he pressed on till he came to a little hamlet on the border of -a heath, where there was a smithy, with a silent man standing by the -door. - -As he passed the smithy the lad stumbled. - -The man looked hard at him as if suspecting some trickery; but when -Phil was about to press on without a word the man asked in a low voice, -who the de'il gaed yonder on sic like e'en and at sic like hoddin' gait. - -At this Phil sat down on a stone, for his weakness had grown on him -sorely, and replied that whither he was going he neither knew nor -cared. Whereupon the man, whom he knew by his tongue to be a Scot, -cried out, "Hech! The lad's falling!" And catching the youth by the -arm, he lifted him off the stone and led him into the smithy. - -Phil found himself in a chair with straight back and sides, but with -seat and backing woven of broad, loose straps, which seemed as easy as -the best goose-feathers. "It is nought," he said. "A spell of faintness -caught me. I'll be going; I must find an inn; I'll be going now." - -"Be still. Ye'll na be off sae soon." - -The man thrust a splinter of wood into the coals, and lighting -therewith a candle in a lanthorn, he began rummaging in a cupboard -behind the forge, whence he drew out a quarter loaf, a plate of cheese, -a jug, and a deep dish in which there was the half of a meat pie. -Placing before his guest a table of rough boards blackened with smoke, -a great spoon, and a pint pot, he poured from the jug a brimming potful -of cider, boiled with good spices and fermented with yeast. - -"A wee healsome drappy," said he, "an' then the guid vittle. Dinna be -laithfu'." - -Raising the pot to his lips the lad drank deep and became aware he was -famished for food, although he had not until then thought of hunger. As -he ate, the quarter loaf, the cheese, and the half of a meat pie fell -victims to his trenchering, and though his host plied the jug to fill -his cup, when at last he leaned back he had left no morsel of food nor -drop of drink. - -Now, for the first time, he looked about him and gave heed to the -smoking lanthorn, the dull glow of the dying sea-coals in the forge, -the stern face of the smith who sat opposite him, and the dark recesses -of the smithy. Outside was a driving rain and the screech of a gusty -wind. - -It was strange, he thought, that after all his doubts, he was well fed -and dry and warm. The rain rattled against the walls of the smithy -and the wind howled. Only to hear the storm was enough to make a man -shiver, but warmed by the fire in the forge the lad smiled and nodded. -In a moment he was asleep. - -"Cam' ye far?" his host asked in a rough voice. - -The lad woke with a start. "From London," he said and again he nodded. - -The man ran his fingers through his red beard. "God forgie us!" he -whispered. "The laddie ha grapit a' the way frae Lon'on." - -He got up from his chair and led Phil to a kind of bed in the darkest -corner, behind the forge, and covered him and left him there. Going to -the door he looked out into the rain and stood so for a long time. - -Two boys, scurrying past in the rain, saw him standing there against -the dim light of the lanthorn, and hooted in derision. The wind swept -away their voices so that the words were lost, but one stooped and, -picking up a stone, flung it at the smithy. It struck the lintel above -the man's head and the boys with a squeal of glee vanished into the -rain and darkness. The blood rushed to the man's face and his hand -slipped under the great leathern apron that he wore. - -By morning the storm was gone. The air was clean and cool, and though -puddles of water stood by the way, the road had so far dried as to give -good footing. All this Philip Marsham saw through the smithy door, upon -waking, as he raised himself on his elbow. - -He had slept that night with his head behind the cupboard and with his -feet under the great bellows of the forge, so narrow was the space in -which the smith had built the cot; and where his host had himself -slept there was no sign. - -The smith now stood in the door. "Na, na," he was saying, "'tis pitch -an' pay--siller or nought. For the ance ye hae very foully deceived me. -Ye shall hence-forth hae my wark for siller; or, an ye like--" - -A volley of rough laughter came booming into the smithy, and then a -clatter of hoofs as the man without rode away; but the face of the -smith was hot as flame when he turned to the forge, and, as he thrust -his fingers through his red beard, an angry light was in his eyes. -Reaching for the handle of the bellows, he blew the fire so fiercely -that the rockstaff and the whole frame swayed and creaked. He then took -up a bar of metal and, breaking it on the anvil with a great blow of -the up-hand sledge, studied the grey surface and smiled. He thrust the -bar into the white coals and with the slicer he clapped the coals about -it. - -Now drawing out the bar a little way to see how it was taking its heat, -and now thrusting it quickly back again, he brought it to the colour -of white flame, and, snatching it out with his pliers and laying it on -the face of the anvil, he shaped it with blow after blow of the hand -hammer, thrust it again into the coals and blew up the fire, again laid -it on the anvil, and, smiting it until the sparks flew in showers, -worked it, with a deftness marvellous in the eyes of the lad, who sat -agape at the fury of his strokes, into the shape of a dagger or dirk. - -At last, heating it in the coals to the redness of blood and throwing -it on the floor to cool, he paced the smithy, muttering to himself. -After a time he took it up again and with the files in their order--the -rough, the bastard, the fine and the smooth--worked it down, now -trying the surface with fingertips, now plying his file as if the Devil -were at his elbow and his soul's salvation depended upon haste, until -the shape and surface pleased him. - -He then thrust it again into the coals and blew up the fire softly, -watching the metal with great care till it came to blood-red heat, when -he quenched it in a butt of water and, laying it on the bench, rubbed -it with a whetstone until the black scurf was gone and the metal was -bright. Again he laid it in the coals and slowly heated it, watching -with even greater care while the steel turned to the colour of light -gold and to the colour of dark gold; then with a deft turn of the -pliers he snatched it out and thrust it deep into the water. - -As he had worked, his angry haste had subsided and now, drawing out the -metal, he studied it closely and smiled. Then he looked up and meeting -the eyes of Philip Marsham, who had sat for an hour watching him, he -gave a great start and cried, "God forgie us! I hae clean forgot the -lad!" - -Laying aside his work he pushed before the chair the smoke-stained -table he had used the night before, placed on it a bowl and a spoon, -and, setting a small kettle on the forge, blew up the fire until the -kettle steamed. He then poured porridge from the kettle into the bowl, -and bringing from the cupboard a second quarter-loaf, nodded at the lad -and, as an afterthought, remarked, "There's a barrel o' water ahint the -smiddy, an ye'd wash." - -Rising, Phil went out and found the barrel, into which he thrust head -and hands to his great refreshment; and returning, he sat down to the -bread and porridge. - -While Phil ate, the smith worked at a bit of bone which he shaped to -his desire as a handle for the dirk. - -With light taps of the riveting-hammer he drove it into place and bound -it fast with ferules chosen from a box under the cot. He then sat -looking a long time at Phil, nodded, smiled, ran his fingers through -his beard, smiled again and, with a fine tool, fell to working on the -ferules. There had been a friendly look in the lad's eyes, and of -friendly looks the smith had got few in England. People bought his work -because he was a master craftsman, but the country folk of England -had little love for the Scots who came south in King James's time and -after, and a man had need to look sharp lest he fall victim to theft -or worse than theft. He stopped and again looked at his guest, ran his -fingers through his beard and demanded suddenly, "Thy name, laddie?" - -"Philip Marsham." - -"Ye'll spell it out for me?" - -This Phil did. - -After working a while longer he said as if in afterthought, "Ye'll bide -wi' me a while?" - -"No, I must be on my way." - -The man sighed heavily but said only, "I hae ta'en a likin' to ye." - -Rising, the lad thrust his hand into his bosom and stood as if to take -his leave. - -"Na, na! Dinna haste! I'll ask ye to gie me help wi' a bit that's yet -to be done." - -The smith turned his work over and over. He had made a dirk with a -handle of bone bound with silver, and, as he turned it, he examined it -with utmost care. "'Twill do," he said at last, "and noo for the wark -that takes twa pair o' hands." - -He pointed to a great grindstone. - - 'He that will a guid edge win, - Maun forge thick an' grind thin.' - -Sitting down at the grindstone, the lad began to turn it while the -smith, now dashing water over it, now putting both hands to the work, -ground the dirk. An hour passed, and a second, with no sound save the -whir of steel on stone and now and again the muttered words:-- - - 'He that will a guid edge win, - Maun forge thick an' grind thin.' - -Leaning back at last, he said "'Tis done! An' such wark is better -suited to a man o' speerit than priggin' farriery." - -He tried the edge with his thumb and smiled. From a chip he sliced a -thin circular shaving that went with and across and against the grain. -Laying a bit of iron on a board, he cut it clean in two with the dirk -and the edge showed neither nick nor mark. - -Phil rose now, and drew from inside his shirt his small pouch of -silver. "I'll pay the score," he said. - -The Scot stared at him as if he would not believe his ears, then got up -as if to thrust the dirk between the lad's ribs. - -"Those are very foul words," he said thickly. "Nae penny nor plack -will I take, and were ye a man bearded, I'd leave ye a pudding for the -hoodie-craw." - -The lad reddened and stammered, "I--I--why, I give you thanks and ask -your pardon." - -The smith drew himself up and was about to speak harshly, but he saw -the lad's eyes filling and knew no harm was intended. He caught his -breath and bit his beard. "'Tis forgi'en an' forgot," he cried. "I hae -ta'en a likin' to ye an' here's my hand on't. I hae made ye the dirk -for a gift an' sin ye maun be on your way, ye shall hae my ane sheath, -for I've no the time to mak' ye the mate to it e'er ye'll be leavin' -me." - -With that he drew out his dirk, sheath and all, and placing the new -blade in the old leather, handed it to the lad, saying, "'Tis wrought -o' Damascus steel and there's not twa smiths in England could gi'e ye -the like." - -So with few words but with warm friendliness they parted, and Philip -Marsham went away over the heath, wondering how a Scottish smith came -to be dwelling so many long leagues south of the border. In those days -there were many Scots to be found in England, who had sought long since -to better their fortunes by following at the heels of their royal -countryman; but he had chanced to meet with few of them. - -Not until he had gone miles did he draw the dirk and read, cut in fine -old script on the silver ferule, the legend, _Wrought by Colin Samson -for Philip Marsham_. There are those who would say it was a miracle out -of Bible times, but neither Philip Marsham nor I ever saw a Scot yet -who would not share his supper with a poorer man than himself. - -At the end of the day he bought food at a cottage where the wife did -not scruple to charge him three times the worth of the meal, and -that night he lay under a hedge; the day thereafter he chanced upon -a shepherd with whom he passed the night on the hills, and the third -day he came to an inn where the reckoning took all but a few pence of -his silver. So as he set out upon his way in the morning, he knew not -whence his supper was to come or what roof should cover his head. - -It was a fine day, with white clouds blowing across a blue sky and all -the colors as bright as in a painted picture, and there was much for a -sailor to marvel at. The grass in the meadows waved in the great wind -like running water. The river in the valley was so small and clear and -still that, to a man bred at sea, it appeared to be no water at all but -a toy laid between hills, with toy villages for children on its banks. -Climbing with light quick steps a knoll from which there was a broader -prospect, Phil came unawares upon a great thick adder, which lay -sunning its tawny flanks and black-marked back but which slipped away -into a thicket at the jar of footsteps. The reptile gave him a lively -start, but it was soon gone, and from the knoll he saw the valley -spread before him for miles. - -It was a day to be alive and, though Philip Marsham was adrift in a -strange world, with neither chart nor compass to show the way, his -strength had at last come back to him and he had the blithe spirit that -seasons a journey well. His purse was light but he was no lad to be -stayed for lack of wind, and seeing now a man far ahead of him on the -road, and perceiving an opportunity to get sailing directions for the -future, he leaped down from the knoll and set off after the fellow as -hard as he could post. - -The man had gone another mile before Phil overhauled him and by then -Phil was puffing so loudly that the fellow, who carried a huge book -under his arm and bore himself very loftily, turned to see what manner -of creature was at his heels. Although he had the air of a great man, -his coat was now revealed as worn and spotted and his wristbands were -dirty. He frowned, bent his head, and pursued his journey in silence. - -"Good morrow to you!" Phil cried and fell into step beside him. - -The man answered not a word but frowned and hugged his book and walked -the faster. - -At that Phil bustled up and laid hand on his dirk. "Good morrow, I say. -Hast no tongue between thy teeth?" - -The fellow hugged his book the tighter and frowned the darker and -fiercely shook his head. "Never," he cried, "was a man assaulted with -such diversity of thoughts! Yet here must come a lobcock lapwing and -cry 'Good morrow!' I will have you know I am one to bite sooner than to -bark." - -Already he was striding at a furious gait, yet now, giving a hitch to -his mighty book, he made shift to lengthen his stride and go yet faster. - -Unhindered by any such load, Phil pressed at his heels. - -"'A lobcock'? 'A lapwing'?" he cried. "Thou puddling quacksalver--" - -Stopping short and giving him a look of dark resentment, the fellow -sadly shook his head. "That was a secret and most venomous blow." - -"I gave you good morrow and you returned me nought but ill words." - -"The shoe must be made for the foot. I have no desire to go posting -about the country with a roystering coxcomb but--well--as I say, I have -no liking for thy company, which consorts ill with the pressure of many -thoughts; but since you know what you know (and the Devil take him who -learned you it!), like it or not, I must even keep thy company with -such grace as may be. Yea, though thou clappest hand to thy weapon -with such facility that I believe thee sunk to thy neck in the Devil's -quagmire, bogged in thy sin, and thy hands red with blood." - -With that, he set out again but at an ordinary pace, and Phil, -wonderfully perplexed by his words, fell into his step. - -Again the fellow shook his head very sadly. "A secret and most venomous -blow! Th' art a Devon man?" - -"Nay, I never saw Devon." - -The fellow shot him a strange glance and shifted the book from one arm -to the other. - -"And have never seen Devon? Never laid foot in Bideford, I'll venture." -There was a cunning look in his eyes and again he shifted the book. - -"'Tis even so." - -"A most venomous blow! This wonderfully poseth me." After a time he -said in a very low voice, "There is only one other way. Either you have -told me a most wicked lie or Jamie Barwick told you." - -The fellow, watching like a cat at a rat-hole, saw Phil start at the -sound of Jamie Barwick's name. - -"I knew it!" he cried. "He'd tell, he'd tell! He's told before--'twas -he took the tale to Devon. He's a tall fellow but I'll hox him yet. It -was no fault of mine--though I suppose you'll not believe that." - -Upon the mind of Philip Marsham there descended a baffling array of -memories. The name of the big countryman with the gun carried him back -to that afternoon in Moll Stevens's alehouse, whence with good cause -he had fled for his life. And now this stray wight, with a great folio -volume under his arm, out of a conglomeration of meaningless words had -suddenly thrown at the lad's head the name of Jamie Barwick. - -"We must have this out between us," the fellow said at last, breathing -hard. "I'll not bear the shadow longer. Come, let us sit while we -talk, for thereby we may rest from our travels. You see, 'twas thus -and so. Jamie Barwick and I came out of Devon and took service with -Sir John--Jamie in the stables, for he has a way with horses, and I as -under-steward till my wits should be appreciated, which I made sure, -I'd have you know, would be soon, for there are few scholars that can -match my curious knowledge of the moon's phases and when to plant corn -or of the influence of the planets on all manner of husbandry; and -further, I have kept the covenant of the living God, which should make -all the devils in hell to tremble; and if England keeps it she shall -be saved from burning. So when I made shift to get the ear of Sir -John, who hath a sharp nose in all affairs of his estate, said I,--and -it took a stout heart, I would have you know, for he is a man of hot -temper,--said I, if he would engage a hundred pounds at my direction I -would return him in a year's time a gain of a fourth again as much as -all he would engage. - -"'Aha!'" quoth he, "'this is speech after mine own heart. A hundred -pounds, sayest thou? 'Tis thine to draw upon, and the man who can turn -his talents thus shall be steward of all mine estates. But mind,'--and -here he put his finger to his nose, for he hath keen scent for a -jest,--'thou shalt go elsewhere to try the meat on the dog, for I'll be -no laughingstock; and if thou fail'st then shalt thou go packing, bag -and baggage, with the dogs at thy heels. Is 't a bargain?' - -"Now there was that in his way of speech which liked me little, for I -am used to dealing with quieter men and always I have given my wits to -booklearning and to Holy Writ rather than to bickering. But I could -not then say him nay, for he held his staff thus and so and laughed in -his throat in a way that I have a misliking of. So I said him yea, and -took in my own name fifty acres of marsh land, and paid down more than -thirty pound sterling, and expended all of eight pound sterling for the -ploughing and twice that for the burning, and sowed it with rape-seed -at ninepence the acre, and paid twelve pound for the second ploughing -and eleven pound for the fencing--all this did I draw from Sir John, -who, to pay the Devil his due, gave it me with a free hand; and if -God had been pleased to send the ordinary blessing upon mine acres I -should have got from it at harvest three hundred or four hundred or -even five hundred quarters of good rape-seed. And what with reaping and -threshing and all, at four and twenty shillings the quarter I should -have repaid him his hundred pounds, threefold or fourfold. All this by -the blessing of God should I have done but for some little bugs that -came upon mine acres in armies, and the fowls of the air that came in -clouds and ate up my rape-seed and my tender young rape, so that I lost -all that I laid out. And Sir John would not see that in another year I -ought, God favouring me, to get him back his silver I had lost, even as -the book says. He is a man of his word and, crying that the jest was -worth the money, he sent me out the gate with the dogs at my heels and -with Jamie Barwick laughing till his fat belly shook, to see me go; for -I was always in terror of the dogs, which are great tall beasts that -delight to bark and snap at me. And the last word to greet my ears, ere -I thought they would have torn me limb from limb, was Sir John bawling -at me, 'Thou puddling quacksalver!' which Jamie Barwick hath told in -Bideford, making thereby such mirth that I can no longer abide there -but must needs flit about the country. And lo! even thou, who by speech -and coat are not of this country at all, dost challenge me by the very -words he used." - -Phil lay meditating on the queer fate that had placed those words in -his mouth. "Who," he said at last, "is this Sir John?" - -"'Who is Sir John?'" The fellow turned and looked at him. "You have -come from farther than I thought, not to know Sir John Bristol." - -"Sir John Bristol? I cannot say I have heard that name." - -"Hast never heard of Sir John Bristol? In faith, thou art indeed a -stranger hereabouts. He is a harsh man withal, and doubtless my ill -harvest was the judgment of God upon me for hiring myself to serve -a cruel, blasphemous knight who upholdeth episcopacy and the Common -Prayer book." - -"And whom," asked the lad, "do you serve now?" - -"Ah! I, who would make a skillful, faithful, careful steward, am -teaching a school of small children, and erecting horoscopes for -country bumpkins, so low has that harsh knight's ill-considered jest -cast me. ''Twas worth the money,' quoth he; but it had paid him in -golden guineas had he had the wit and patience to wait another year." -The fellow closed his eyes, tossed back his long hair, and pressed his -hands on his forehead. "Never, never," he cried, "was a man assaulted -with such diversity of thoughts!" - -Philip Marsham contemplated him as if from a distance and thought that -never was there a long-haired scarecrow better suited for the butt of a -thousand jests. - -There were people passing on the road, an old man in a cart, a woman, -and two men carrying a jug between them, but Phil was scarcely aware -of them, or even of the lank man beside him, so absorbing were his -thoughts, until the man rose, clasping his book in both hands and -running his tongue over his lips. - -His mouth worked nervously. "I must be off, I must be off. There they -are again, and the last time I thought I should perish ere I got free -of them. O well-beloved, O well-beloved! they have spied me already. If -I go by the road, they'll have me; I must go by wood and field." - -Turning abruptly, he plunged through a copse and over a hill, whence, -his very gait showing his fear, he speedily disappeared. - -And the two men, having set their jug down beside the road, were -laughing till they reeled against each other, to see him go. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -TWO SAILORS ON FOOT - - -As the two men roared with laughter by the wayside so that the noise -of it made people a quarter-mile away turn round to see what was the -matter, those who passed eyed them askance and gave them the width of -the road. But to the few passers the two paid no heed at all. Pointing -whither the lank fellow with the book had gone, they roared till they -choked; then they fell on each other's necks, and embracing, whispered -together. - -Separating somewhat unsteadily, they now looked hard at Philip Marsham -who knew their kind and feared them not at all. Shifting his dirk -within easy reach of his hand, and so drawing his knees together that -he could spring instantly to one side or the other, he coolly waited -for them to come nearer, which they did. - -The foremost was a fat, impudent scoundrel with very red cheeks and a -very crafty squint. The other was thin and dark, less forward, but if -one were to judge by his eyes, by far the braver. Both had put on long -faces, which consorted ill with their recent laughter, and both, it was -plain, were considerably the worse for strong drink. - -The first glanced back over his shoulder at the second, who gave him a -nudge and pushed him forward. - -"Ahem," he began huskily. "You see before you, my kind young gentleman, -two shipwrecked mariners who have lost at sea all they possess and are -now forced to beg their way from London into Devon Port where, God -willing, they will find a berth waiting for them. They--ahem--ahem--" -He scratched his head and shut his eyes, then turning, hoarsely -whispered, "Yea, yea! So far is well enough, but what came next?" - -The other scowled blackly. "Bear on," he whispered. "Hast forgot the -tale of calamities and wrecks and sharks?" - -"Yea, yea! Troubles, my kind young gentleman, have somewhat bepuzzled -my weary wits. As I was about to say, we have journeyed into those -far seas where the hot sun besetteth a poor sailor with calentures, -and nasty rains come with thunder and flash, and the wind stormeth -outrageously and the poor sailor, if he is spared falling from the -shrouds into the merciless waves,--for he must abide the brunt of -those infectious rains upon the decks to hand in the sails,--goeth wet -to his hammock and taketh aches and burning fevers and scurvy. Yea, -we have seen the ravenous shark or dog-fish (which keepeth a little -pilot-fish scudding to and fro to bring it intelligence of its prey) -devour a shipmate with its double row of venomous teeth. Surely, then, -young gentleman, kind young gentleman, you for whom we have brought -home curious dainties from that strange and fearful sea, will give us a -golden guinea to speed us on our way; or if a guinea be not at hand, a -crown; or sparing a crown, a shilling; or if not a shilling, sixpence. -Nought will come amiss--nay, even a groat will, by the so much, help -two poor sailors on their way." - -As the two looked down at Philip Marsham, a score of old tales he had -heard of worthless sailors who left the sea and went a-begging through -the kingdom came to his mind. It was a manner of life he had never -thought of for himself, nor had he a mind to it now. But he knew their -game and, which was more, he knew that he held a higher trump than -they. He leaned back and looked up at them and very calmly smiled. - -"How now!" the spokesman blustered. "Dost laugh at a tale so sad as -mine? I ha' killed an Italian fencing-master in my time. I ha' fought -prizes at half the fairs in England." - -His companion laid a hand on his arm and whispered in his ear. - -"Nay," he retorted angrily, "'tis nought but a country fellow. I'll -soon overbear him." - -Again Phil smiled. "Hast thou never," he said in a quiet voice, "heard -the man at the mainmast cry, 'A liar, a liar!' and for a week kept -clean the beakhead and chains? Nay, I'll be bound thou hast sat in -bilbowes or been hauled under the keel. The marshal doubtless knew thee -well." - -The faces of the two men changed. The fat man who had been the -spokesman opened his mouth and was at loss for words, but the thin, -dark man began to laugh and kept on laughing till he could hardly stand. - -"We ha' reached for a pheasant and seized a hawk," he cried. "Whence -came you, my gay young gallant, and what are you doing here?" - -"Why, I am here to set myself up for a farmer. I had a reason for -leaving London--" - -Again the thin man burst out laughing. "Why, then," quoth he, "we are -three men of like minds. So had Martin and I a reason for leaving -London, too. And you are one who hath smelt salt water in your time. -Nay, deny it not. Martin's sails are still a-flutter for wind, so -sorely did you take him aback. 'Twas a shrewd thrust and it scored. -Why, now, as for farming,"--he spread his hands and lifted his -brows,--"come with us. There's a certain vessel to sail from Bideford -on a certain day, and for any such tall lad as thou I'll warrant -there'll be a berth." - -Leaning back against a little hill, the lad looked from the red, -impudent face of the fat man to the amused, lean, daring face of his -companion and away at the hills and meadows, the green trees and -ploughed fields, and the long brown road that would lead the man who -followed its windings and turnings, however far afield they might -wander, all the way across England from the Channel to the Severn. He -had made port, once upon a time, in Bristol and he remembered lifting -Lundy's Island through the fog. A fair countryside lay before him, with -the faint scent of flowered meadows and the fragrance of blossoming -fruit-trees on the wind, but the sea was his home and the half-witted -creature with the book and the ranting talk of ploughing and planting -had made the lad feel the more his ignorance of country matters, a -suspicion of which had been growing on him since first he left the town -and port behind him. These were not men he would have chosen, but he -had known as bad and he was lost in a wilderness of roads and lanes -and never-ending hills and meadows and woods, with villages one after -another. Any port in a storm--any pilot who knew his bearings! And -for the matter of that, he had seen rough company before. Though his -grandparents were gentlefolk, his father had led a rough life and the -son had learned from childhood to bear with low humour and harsh talk. - -The lean man still smiled, and though Martin was angry still, neither -the lad nor the man heeded him. - -"I could bear you company, but--" A doubt crept on him: when sober they -might be of quite another mind. - -"Nay, say us no buts." - -"I have neither money nor gear for a journey." - -"Nor we--come!--Nay, I am not so deep in my cups that I do not know my -own mind." The man chuckled, perceiving that his intuition had fathomed -the lad's hesitation. - -Rising, Phil looked at the two again. He was as tall as they, if not -so broad. After all, it was only Martin whose head was humming with -liquor; the lean man, it now appeared, was as sober as he pleased to be. - -"And if I have no money?" - -"We are the better matched." - -They returned to the highway, where Martin and the thin man took up -the jug between them, each holding by his forefinger one of its two -handles, and together all three set out. But the jug was heavy and they -progressed slowly. - -"In faith, the day's warm and the road is dusty and I must drink -again," said Martin at last. - -They stopped and set the jug down in the road. - -"You must pay," said the thin man. - -Taking from his pocket a penny, Martin handed it to his companion and -filling a great cup, drained it to the bottom. He then shook the jug, -which showed by the sound that there was little left. - -They walked on a while; then the thin man stopped. "I'll take a bit of -something myself," he said. He took the penny out of his pocket, handed -it to Martin, filled the cup and drained it. - -Both then looked at Phil. "It is tuppence a quantum," said the thin -man. "Have you tuppence?" - -Phil shook his head, and the three went on together. - -Three times more they stopped. The penny changed hands and one or the -other drank. Martin's speech grew thicker and his companion's face -flushed. - -"Neither one of us nor the other," said the thin man, with a flourish -of his hand, "is often seen in drink. There is a reason for it this -time, though. 'If any chuff,' say I, 'can buy good wine for a half -crown the jug and sell it at profit for tuppence the can, why cannot -we?' So we ha' laid down our half crown and set out upon the road to -peddle our goods, when Martin must needs drink for his thirst, which, -as the Scripture hath it, endureth forever. 'But,' quoth I, 'for every -pot a penny to him and a penny to me.' 'Why,' quoth he,"--lowering his -voice, the thin man whispered to Phil, "He is a rare fool at times," -then resumed in his ordinary voice,--"'Why,' quoth he, 'here's thy -penny for thee.' So, presently, I to him: his penny for the wine that I -drink. Before we have gone far it comes upon me as a wondrous thrifty -thought, that the more we drink the more we earn."--Again he whispered -to Phil, drawing him aside, "When I had drunk a few cans, which much -enlivened my wits, I saw he was not so great a fool as I had thought;" -and resumed his ordinary voice--"'Tis little wonder that all the world -desires to keep an alehouse or a tavern!" - -Never was there plainer example of befuddled wits! Passing back and -forth, from one to the other, the single penny, the two had consumed -their stock in trade, believing that they were earning great profit on -their investment. Perceiving that the jug was nearly empty, Phil waited -with quiet interest for the outcome. - -They stopped again in the road. Martin handed the penny to the thin -man and poured from the jug into the cup. There was a gurgle or two and -the jug was empty. The cup was but half full. - -"'Tis not full measure," he muttered, "but let it be." He emptied the -cup and wiped his lips. - -"Now," said the thin man, his face by this time fully as red as his -fellow's, "where's thy store of silver? Count and share, count and -share." - -"Thou hast it, pence and pounds." - -Martin's eyes half closed and his head nodded. Breathing hard, he sat -down beside the road. - -"Nay, th'art drunk. Come, now, thy purse and a just division." Out of a -fog of wild notions the befuddled thin man had pitched upon this alone, -that Martin withheld from him their common profit from their adventure -into trade. He had keen mind and strong will, and his head had long -resisted the assaults of the wine; but wine is a cunning, powerful foe -and not easily discouraged, which by sapping and mining can accomplish -the fall of the tallest citadel; and now, although steadier on his -feet, the fellow was nearly as drunk as his mate and in no condition to -perceive the flaw in his own logic. - -To all this Martin gave no heed at all. He covered his eyes with his -hands and uttering a prolonged groan, cried thickly,--apparently to -Phil,--"And did you ever see a man dance on air! Ah, a hanging is a -sight to catch the breath in your throat and make an emptiness in a -man's belly!" - -"Tush!" the thin man cried. Leaning over Martin he thrust his hands -into pocket, pouch and bosom. "Where hast thou hid it?" he fiercely -whispered. - -Martin tried to stand and fell weakly back, but slapped the thin man -across the face as he did so. - -In an instant the thin man had out a knife and was pressing the point -firmly against Martin's ribs. - -Over Martin's florid face there came a ghastly pallor. "Let me go!" -he yelled. "Take away thy knife, thou black-hearted, thrice accurst -old goat! I've nought of thine. O Tom, to use me thus basely!" And -sprawling on his back, he wriggled under the knife like a great, -helpless hog. - -The thin man smiled. To Phil Marsham his face seemed to have grown -like pictures of the Devil in old books. He held the knife against -the shrieking fat man's breast and pressed it the harder when Martin -clutched at his wrist, then with a fierce "Pfaw!" of disgust released -his victim and stood erect. "Pig!" he whispered. "See!" The point of -the knife was red with blood. "Th'art not worth killing. Thy thin blood -would quench the fire of a fleshed blade." - -With that, he deliberately spat in the man's face, and turning, went -off alone. - -They were two sober men that watched him go, for the fumes of liquor -had fled from the fat man's brain as he lay with the knife at his -heart, and of their wine Phil Marsham had taken not a drop. Striding -away, the thin man never looked behind him; and still showing them only -his back, he passed out of sight. - -Martin remained as pale as before he had been red. He rubbed his sore -breast where the knife had pricked him, and gulped three or four times. -"Ah-h-h!" he breathed. "God be praised, he's gone!" He made the sign of -the cross, then cast a sharp glance at Phil to see if he had noticed. -"God be praised, he's gone! He hath a cruel humour. He will kill for a -word, when the mood is on him. I thought I was a dead man. Ah-h-h!" - -The colour returned to his round face and the sly, crafty look returned -to his eyes. "We'll find him at Bideford, though, and all will go well -again. He'll kill for a word--nay, for a thought! But he never bears a -grudge--against a friend. We'll lie tonight, my lad, with a roof over -our heads, and by dawn we'll take the road." - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE GIRL AT THE INN - - -As they came at nightfall to the inn whither Martin had been determined -they should find their way, a coach drawn by two horses clattered down -the village street and drew up at the inn gate before them. There was -calling and shouting. Hostlers came running from the stables and stood -by the horses' heads. The landlord himself stood by the coach door to -welcome his guests and servants unloaded their boxes. The coachman in -livery sat high above the tumult, his arms folded in lofty pride, and -out of the coach into the light from the inn door there stepped an -old gentleman who gallantly handed down his lady. The hostlers leaped -away from the bridles, the coachman resumed the reins, and when the -procession of guests, host, and servants had moved into the great room -where a fire blazed on the hearth, the horses, tossing their heads, -proceeded to the stable. - -All this the two foot-weary travellers saw, as unobserved in the bustle -and stir, they made their way quietly toward the rear of the building. -When they passed a dimly lighted window Martin glanced slyly around and -with quick steps ran over to it and peeped in. Whatever he sought, he -failed to find it, and he returned with a scowl. The two had chosen the -opposite side of the house from the stable and no one perceived their -cautious progress. Martin repeated his act at a second window and at a -third, but he got small satisfaction, as his steadily darkening frown -indicated. - -They came at last to a brighter window than any of the others, and this -he approached with greater caution. He crouched under it and raised -his great head slowly from the very corner until one eye saw into the -room, which was filled with light and gave forth the clatter and hum of -a great domestic bustling. Here he remained a long time, now ducking -his head and now bobbing it up again, and when he came away a smile had -replaced his frown. "She's here," he whispered. "From now on we've a -plain course to sail, without rock or sandbar." - -They retraced their steps and went boldly round the inn to the kitchen -door. There were lights in the stable and men talking loudly of one -thing and another. From the kitchen door, which stood ajar, came -the rattle of dishes and the smell of food and a great bawling and -clamouring as the mistress directed and the maids ran. - -With a jaunty air and an ingratiating smile, Martin boldly stepped to -the door. He knocked and waited but no one heeded his summons. A scowl -replaced his smile and he knocked with redoubled vigour. The sound rang -out clearly in the inn yard. Several men came to the door of the stable -to see what was the matter and the clamour in the kitchen ceased. Steps -approached, a firm hand threw wide the door, and a woman cried with -harsh voice, "Well, then, what'll you have, who come to the back when -honest folk go to the front?" - -There was for a moment a disagreeable cast in Martin's eyes, but his -facile mouth resumed its easy smile. "An it please you, mistress, there -are two gentlemen here would have a word with Nell Entick." - -"Gentlemen!" she cried with a great guffaw. "Gentry of the road, I make -no doubt, who would steal away all the girl has--it's little enough, -God knows." - -A couple of men came sauntering out of the stable and the kitchen maids -stood a-titter. - -Martin sputtered and stammered and grew redder than before, which she -perceiving, bawled in a great voice that rang through the kitchen and -far into the house, "Nell Entick, Nell Entick! Devil take the wench, -is she deaf as an adder? Nell Entick, here's a 'gentleman' come to the -kitchen door to see thee, his face as red as a reeky coal to kindle a -pipe of tobacco with." - -A shrill chorus of women's laughter came from the kitchen, echoed by -a chorus of bass from the stable, and Phil Marsham stepped back in -the dark, unwilling to be companioned with the man who had drawn such -ridicule upon himself. But as Martin thrust himself forward with a show -of bluster and bravado, the click of light footsteps came down the -passage, and through the kitchen walked a girl whose flush of anger -wondrously became her handsome face. - -"Where is the wretch," she cried, and stepping on the doorstone, stood -face to face with Martin. - -"So, 'tis thou," she sneered. "I thought as much. Well--" she suddenly -stopped, perceiving Phil, who stood nearly out of sight in the shadow. -"Who is that?" she asked. - -The mistress had returned to the kitchen, the girls to their work, the -men to the stable. - -"Th'art the same wench," Martin cried in anger, seizing at her hand. -"Hard words for old acquaintance, and a warm glance for a strange face." - -She snatched her hand away and cuffed him on the ear with a force that -sent him staggering. - -Though he liked it little, he swallowed his wrath. - -"Come, chuck," he coaxed her, "let bygones lie. Tell me, will he turn -his hand to help his brother?" - -She laughed curtly. "The last time he spoke your name, he said he would -put his hand in his pocket to pay the sexton that dug your grave and -would find pleasure in so doing; but that he'd then let you lie with -never a stone to mark the place, and if the world forgot you as soon as -he, the better for him." - -"But sure he could not mean it?" - -"He did." - -Martin swore vilely under his breath. - -From the kitchen came the landlady's voice. "Nell Entick, Nell, I say! -Gad-about! Good-for-nought!" - -"Go to the stable," she whispered, "and tell them I sent you to wait -there. She'll be in better humour in an hour's time. It may be I can -even bring you in here." - -She shot another glance over Martin's shoulder at the slim form of Phil -Marsham and went away smiling. - -Few in the stable looked twice at the two strangers in worn coats and -dusty shoes who entered and sat on a bench by the wall, for there is -as much pride of place in a stable as in a palace. There was talk -of racing and hunting and fairs, and the beasts champed their oats, -and everywhere was the smell of horses and harness. Presently there -came from the inn a coachman in livery and him they greeted with nods -and good-morrows, for he was sleek and well fed and, after a manner, -haughty, which commanded their respect. He sat down among them affably, -as one conscious of his place in the world but desiring--provided they -recognized him as a man of position--to be magnanimous to all; and -after inquiring into the welfare of his horses he spoke of the weather -and the roads. - -"Hast come far?" a wrinkled old man asked. - -"Aye, from Larwood." - -"The horses stood the day's travel well?" - -"Aye, they are good beasts. But much depends on proper handling. It -makes a deal of difference who holds the reins." He looked about with -an air of generous patronage. "That, and their meat." He nodded toward -one of the men. "'Tis well, though, when at night they are well fed, to -fill the rack with barley-straw or wheat ere leaving them, as I showed -thee, that perceiving it is not pleasant they may lie down and take -their rest, which is in itself as good as meat for the next day's work." - -A general murmur of assent greeted this observation. - -"Goest far?" another asked. - -"Aye, to Lincoln." - -A rumble of surprise ran about the stable and the deference of the -stablemen visibly increased. - -"Hast been long away?" - -"Aye, six weeks to the day." - -"It do take a deal of silver to travel thus." - -"Aye, aye." He condescended to smile. "But there are few of the clergy -in England can better afford a journey to the Isle o' Wight than the -good Dr. Marsham, and he is one who grudges nought when his lady hath -been ill. 'Tis wonderful what travel will do for the ailing. Aye, he -hath visited in many great houses and I have seen good company while we -have been on the road." - -Phil had looked up. "Where is this Doctor Marsham's home?" he asked. - -All frowned at the rash young man's temerity in thus familiarly -accosting the powerful personage in livery, and none more accusingly -than the personage himself; but with a scornful lift of his brows -he replied in a manner to tell all who were present that such as he -were above mere arrogance. "Why, young man, he comes from a place you -doubtless never heard of, keeping as you doubtless do, so close at -home: from Little Grimsby." - -Martin glanced at Phil. "The name, it seems, is thine own. Hast ever -been at Little Grimsby?" - -"Never." - -And with that they forgot Philip Marsham, or at all events treated him -as if he had never existed. - -"'Tis few o' the clergy ride in their own coaches," someone said, with -an obsequiousness that went far to conciliate the magnificent coachman. - -"Aye, very few," he said smiling, "but Dr. Marsham is well connected -and a distant relation some years since left him a very comfortable -fortune--not to mention that in all England there are few better -livings than his. There is no better blood in the country than runs in -his veins. You'd be surprised if I was to tell you of families he's -connected with." - -So the talk ran. - -Presently a little boy appeared from the darkness beyond the door and -hunting out Martin, touched his shoulder and beckoned. Martin, having -long nursed his ill temper, rose. "It is time," he said, "yea, more -than time." With swagger and toss he elbowed his way out past the -liveried coachman; but missing Phil he turned and saw him still sitting -on the bench, his eyes fixed on the harness hanging on the opposite -wall. - -"Come, come," he called loudly. "Come, make haste! Where are thy wits? -Phil, I say!" - -Starting suddenly awake from his revery, Phil got up and followed -Martin out of the stable, seeing no one, and so blindly pressed at his -heels, so little heeded what went on about him, that the sudden burst -of laughter his absence of mind had occasioned passed unheard over his -head. - -In the kitchen, whither the boy led them, they found places laid at one -end of a great table and Nell Entick waiting to serve them, who gave -Martin cold glances but looked long and curiously at Phil Marsham. The -mistress and the other girls were gone. The boy sat in the corner, by -the great fireplace where the roast had been turning on the now empty -spit. Nell set before them a pitcher of beer and all that was left of a -venison pasty. - -Martin ate greedily and whispered to her and talked in a mumbling -undertone, but she gave him short answers till his temper flew beyond -his grasp and he knocked over his beer in reaching for her. "Witch!" he -snarled. "Yea, look him in the eye! His wits are a-wandering again." - -Looking up, Phil met her eyes staring boldly into his. He leaned back -and smiled, for she was a comely lass. - -"Have the two guests who came tonight in a coach gone yet to bed?" he -asked. - -"How should I know that?" - -His question baffled her and she looked at him from under her long -lashes, half, perhaps, in search of some hidden meaning in his words, -but certainly a full half because she knew that her eyes were her best -weapons and that the stroke was a telling one. She made little of his -meaning but her thrust scored. - -He looked at her again and marked the poise of her shapely head, -the curves of neck and shoulders, the full bosom, the bare arms. But -his mind was still set on that other matter and he persisted in his -design. "I want," he said slowly, "to see them--to see them without -their knowing or any one's knowing--except you and me." Here he met her -at her own game, and he was not so far carried away but that he could -inwardly smile to see his own shot tell. - -"They have supped in the little parlor and are sitting there by the -fire," she whispered. "It may cost me my place--but--" - -Again she looked at him under her long lashes. He gave her as good as -she sent, and she whispered, "Come, then--come." - -Martin gave an angry snort over his beer, but she returned a hot glance -and an impatient gesture. With Phil pressing close at her heels she -led the way out of the kitchen and down a long passage. Stopping with -her finger on her lips, she very quietly opened a door and motioned -him forward. Again her finger at her lips! With her eyes she implored -silence. - -Without so much as the creaking of a board he stepped through the door. -A second door, which stood ajar, led into the little parlor and through -the crack he saw an old man with long white hair and beard--an old man -with a kindly face mellowed by years of study, perhaps by years of -disappointment and anxiety. The old man's eyes were shut, for he was -dozing. In a chair on the other side of the hearth a lady sat, but only -the rich border of her gown showed through the partly open door. - -The lad stood there with a lump in his throat and a curious mingling -of emotions in his heart and head. It had happened so suddenly, -so strangely, he felt that baffling sense of unreality which comes -sometimes to all of us. He touched the wall to make sure he was not -dreaming. Had he but stayed in school, as his father had desired, and -gone back to Little Grimsby, who knew what might have come of it? But -no! He was a penniless vagabond, a waif astray on the highroads of -England. He was now of a mind to speak out; now of a mind to slip like -a fox to earth. His gay, gallant ne'er-do-weel of a father was gone. He -was alone in the world save for his chance acquaintance of the road, -which was perhaps worse than being entirely alone. What madness--he -wondered as he looked at the kindly face of the drowsy old man--had led -Tom Marsham away from his home? Or was it more than a mere mad prank? -Had the manners of a country vicarage so stifled him that he became -desperate? As Phil thought of Martin drinking in the kitchen, a wave -of revulsion swept over him; but after all, his father had kept such -company in his own life, and though he had brought up the boy to better -things, the father's reckless and adventurous nature, in spite of his -best intentions, had drawn the son into wild ways. Something rose in -Phil's throat and choked him, but the hot pride that came straightly -and honestly from his father now flamed high. He knew well enough that -Tom Marsham had had his faults, and of a kind to close upon him the -doors of such a home as the vicarage at Little Grimsby; but he had been -a lovable man none the less and Tom Marsham's son was loyal. - -The girl, daring not speak, was tugging at Phil's coat in an agony of -misgivings. He stepped softly back, closed the door on a world he might -have entered, and carried away with him the secret that would have -brought peace--if a sad, almost bitter peace--to two lonely souls. - -He paused in the passage and the girl stopped beside him. There was -no one in sight or hearing, and he kissed her. Such is the curious -complexity with which impressions and emotions crowd upon one, that -even while the vicarage at Little Grimsby and his dead father were -uppermost in his thoughts, he was of a mind then and for many a long -day thereafter to come back and marry her. Since he had closed the door -through which he might have passed, this was a golden dream to cling to -in hard times and glad, he thought. For he had caught her fancy as well -as she his and she kissed him full on the lips; and being in all ways -his father's son, he fell victim to a kitchen wench's bright eyes at -the very moment when Little Grimsby was within his reach, as has father -had done before him. Then they walked out into the kitchen, trying to -appear as if nothing had happened, and Martin, perceiving their red -cheeks, only sneered. - -"You must sleep on the hay," she whispered; and to Martin, "I'll send -him word before morning and give you his reply." - -So they again followed the little boy through the darkness to the -stable by a back way, and climbed a ladder to the great mow and crawled -behind a mountain of hay, and lay with their thoughts to bear them -company while men far below talked of country affairs, horses were -trampling uneasily in their stalls, and the little boy was off through -the night with a message. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -SIR JOHN BRISTOL - - -There was not a cloud in the sky at dawn. Cocks crowed lustily, near -and loud or far and faint. The blue light grew stronger and revealed -the sleeping village and the rambling old inn and the great stable, -where the horses stood in their stalls and pulled at the hay and -pease in the racks or moved uneasily about. The stars became dim and -disappeared. The rosy east turned to gold and the dark hills turned to -blue and the village stirred from its sleep. - -The master of the inn came down, rubbing his eyes and yawning, to the -great room where one of the maids, bedraggled with sleep, was brushing -the hearth and another was clearing a table at which two village -roysterers had sat late. The master was in an evil temper, but for the -moment there was no fault to be found with the maids, so he left them -without a word and went through the long passage to the kitchen. - -Seeing there a candle, which had burned to a pool of tallow, still -guttering faintly in its socket, he cried out at the waste and reached -to douse the feeble flame, then stopped in anger, for in a chair by the -table, on which he had rested his head and arms, the little boy sat -fast asleep. - -"Hollo!" the master bawled. - -Up started the little boy, awake on the instant and his eyes wide with -fear. - -"What in the fiend's name hast thou been up to, this night?" quoth the -master in a fierce bellow. - -The little boy burst into tears. "He'll have nought to do with him," -he wailed. "'Twas a long way and fearful dark but I went it, every -step, and ferreted him out and gave him the message; and he swore most -wickedly and bade me tell the man go to a place I don't like to name, -and bade me tell Nell Entick he took it ill of her to traffic with such -as that brother of his." - -"Ah-ha!" cried the host, belting his breeches tighter. "Most shrewdly -do I suspect there have been strange doings hereabouts. Where's Nell -Entick? Nell Entick, I say, Nell Entick!" His voice went through the -house like thunder. The sashes rattled and the little boy quaked. - -Down came the hostess and in came the maids--all but Nell Entick. - -"Nell Entick! Where's Nell Entick, I say! Fiend take the wench--where's -Nell Entick?" - -Then in came the sleepy hostlers, and the coachman, his livery all awry -from his haste--but not Nell Entick. For Nell Entick, a-tremble with -well-founded apprehensions, having gone late to bed and slept heavily, -had risen just after the host, had followed him down the passage and, -after listening at the door until she made sure her worst fears were -realized, had darted back along the passage and out through the inn -yard to the stable where as loudly as she dared, but not loudly enough -to rouse the weary sleepers above, she was calling, "Martin! Martin! -Awake, I say, or they'll all be upon thee! Martin, awake!" - -The host in fury seized the little boy by the ear and dragged him -shrieking across the table. "Now, sirrah," quoth he, "of whom mak'st -thou this squalling and squealing? A stick laid to thy bum will -doubtless go far to keep thy soul from burning." - -"Unhand me!" he squalled. "She'll kill me, an I tell." - -"An thou tellest not, thou slubbering noddy, I'll slice thee into -collops of veal." And still holding the unhappy child by the ear, the -host, making a ferocious face, reached for a long and sharp knife. - -"I'll tell--I'll tell--'Tis the two men that slept in the hay." - -"Ha! The hounds are in cry." - -And with that the host released his victim and dashed, knife in hand, -out the kitchen door. The household trailed at his heels. The sleeping -guests woke in their chambers and faces appeared at curtained windows. - -Nell Entick fled from the stable as he came roaring, but seeing her -not, he mounted the ladder and plunged into the hay with wild thrusts -of his knife in all directions. "Hollo! Hollo!" he yelled. "At 'em, -dogs, at 'em!" And the two sleepers in the far corner of the mow, as -the household had done before them, started wide awake. - -For the second time since they had met, Martin, crouching in the hay, -crossed himself, then shot a scared glance at Phil. Martin was white -round the lips and his hands were shaking like the palsy. "Said he -aught of hanging?" he whispered. But Philip Marsham was then in no -mood to heed his chance companion, whose bubble of bluster he had seen -pricked three times. - -What had occurred was plain enough and the two were cornered like rats; -but Phil got up on his toes, shielded from sight by a mound of hay, -and squatting low, got in his arms as much of the hay as he could grasp. - -Bawling curses and thrusting this way and that with his knife, the host -came steadily nearer. He passed the mound. He saw the two. Knife in -hand he plunged at them over the hay, with a yell of triumph. But his -footing was none of the best, and as he came, Phil rose with a great -armful of hay to receive the knife-thrust and sprang at him. - -Thus thrown off his balance, the man fell and the lad, catching his -wrist and dexterously twisting it, removed the knife from his hand and -flung it into the darkest corner of the great mow. - -"Help! Treason! Murder! Thieves!" - -With his hand on the host's throat, Phil shoved him deeper in the hay -and held him at his mercy, but Martin was already scrambling over the -mow, and with a last thrust Phil left the blinded and choking host to -dig himself out at his leisure and followed, dirk in hand. As the two -leaped down on the stable floor, the flashing dirk bought them passage -to the rear, whither they fled apace, and out the door and away. - -They passed Nell Entick at the gate, her hands clasped in terror, who -cried to Martin, "He'll have nought of you. Hard words were all he -sent." - -To Phil she said nothing but her glance held him, and he whispered, "I -will come back and marry you." - -She smiled. - -"You will wait for me?" he whispered, and kissed her. - -She nodded and he kissed her again ere he fled after Martin. - -When they had left the village behind them they stopped to breathe and -rest. - -Leaning against a tree, Martin mopped the sweat from his brow. "Had -I but a sword," he cried, "I'd ha' given them theme for thought, the -scurvy knaves!" - -"It seems thy brother, of whom we were to have got so much, bears thee -little love." And Phil smiled. - -For this Martin returned him an oath, and sat upon a stone. - -On the left lay the village whence they had come, and, though the sun -was not yet up, the spire of the church and the thatched roofs of the -cottages were very clearly to be seen in the pure morning air. Smoke -was rising from chimneys and small sounds of awakening life came out to -the vagabonds on the lonely road, as from the woods at their back came -the shrill, loud laugh of the yaffle, and from the marsh before them, -the croaking of many frogs. - -Martin's shifty eyes ranged from the cows standing about the straw rack -in a distant barton in the east to a great wooded park on a hill in the -west. "I will not go hungry," he cried with an oath, "because it is his -humour to deny me. We shall see what we shall see." - -He rose and turned west and with Phil at his heels he came presently to -the great park they had seen from a distance. - -"We shall see what we shall see." - -With that he left the road and following a copse beside a meadow -entered the wood, where the two buried themselves deep in the shade -of the great trees. The sun was up now and the birds were fluttering -and clamouring high overhead, but to the motion and clamour of small -birds they gave no heed. From his pocket Martin drew a bit of strong -thread, then, looking about, he wagged his head and pushed through the -undergrowth. "Hare or pheasant, I care not which. Here we shall spread -our net--here--and here." Whereupon he pulled down a twig and knotted -the thread and formed a noose with his fingers. "Here puss shall run," -he continued, "and here, God willing, we shall eat." - -Having thus set his snare, he left it, and sulkily, for the sun was -getting up in the sky and they had come far without breaking their -fast. So Phil followed him and they lay on a bank, with an open vale -before them where yellow daffodils were in full bloom, and nursed their -hunger. - -After a while Martin slipped away deftly but returned with a face -darker than he took, and though he went three times to the snare and -scarcely stirred a leaf,--which spoke more of experience in such -lawless sports than some books might have told,--each time his face, -when he returned, was longer than before. - -"A man must eat," he said at last, "and here in his own bailiwick and -warren will I eat to spite him. Yea, and leave guts and fur to puzzle -him. But there's another way, quicker and surer, though not so safe." - -So they went together over a hill and down a glade to a meadow. - -"Do thou," he whispered, "lie here in wait." - -With a club in his hand and a few stones in his pocket he circled -through the thicket, and having in his manner of knowing his business -and of commanding the hunt, resumed his old bravado, he now made a -great show of courage and resourcefulness; but Phil, having flung -himself down at full length by the meadow, smiled to hear him puffing -through the wood. - -Off in the wood wings fluttered and Martin murmured under his breath. -Presently a stone rapped against a tree-trunk and again there was the -sound of wings. - -Then the lad by the meadow heard a stone rip through the leaves and -strike with a soft thud, whereupon something fell heavily and thrashed -about in the undergrowth, and Martin cried out joyously. - -He had no more than appeared, holding high a fine cock-pheasant, with -the cry, "Here's meat that will eat well," when there was a great noise -of heavy feet in the copse behind him, and whirling about in exceeding -haste, he flung the pheasant full in the face of the keeper and bolted -like a startled filly. Thereupon scrambling to his feet, Phil must -needs burst out laughing at the wild look of terror Martin wore, though -the keeper was even then upon him and though he himself was of no mind -to run. He lightly stepped aside as the keeper rushed at him, and -darting back to where Martin had dropped his cudgel, snatched it up -and turned, cudgel in hand. He was aware of a flash of colour in the -wood, and the sound of voices, but he had no leisure to look ere the -keeper was again at him, when for the first time he saw that the keeper -was the selfsame red-faced countryman who had brought the gun to Moll -Stevens's alehouse by the Thames--that it was Jamie Barwick. - -Now the keeper Barwick was at the same moment aware of something -familiar about his antagonist, but not until he was at him a second -time in full tilt did he recollect where and when he had last seen him. -He then stopped short, so great was his amazement, but resumed his -attack with redoubled fury. His stick crashed against the cudgel and -broke, and ducking a smart rap, he dived at Phil's knees. - -To this, Phil made effective reply by dropping the cudgel and dodging -past the keeper to catch him round the waist from behind (for his arms, -exceeding long though they were, were just long enough to encompass -comfortably the man's great belly), and the lad's iron clutch about the -fellow's middle sorely distressed him. As they swayed back and forth -the keeper suddenly seized Phil's head over his own shoulder and rose -and bent forward, lifting Phil from the ground bodily; then he flung -himself upon his back and might have killed the lad by the fall, had -Phil not barely wriggled from under him. - -Both were on their feet in haste, but though the keeper was breathing -the harder, Philip Marsham, having come far without food, was the -weaker, and as Barwick charged again, Phil laid hands on his dirk, but -thought better of it. Then Barwick struck from the shoulder and Phil, -seizing his wrist, lightly turned and crouched and drew the man just -beyond his balance so that his own great weight pitched him over the -lad's head. It is a deft throw and gives a heavy fall, but Phil had not -the strength to rise at the moment of pitching his antagonist,--which -will send a man flying twice his length,--so Barwick, instead of taking -such a tumble as breaks bones, landed on his face and scraped his nose -on the ground. - -He rose with blood and mud smearing his face and with his drawn knife -in his hand; and Philip Marsham, his eyes showing like black coals set -in his stark white face, yielded not a step, but snatched out his dirk -to give as good as he got. - -Then, as they shifted ground and fenced for an opening, a booming -"Holla! Holla!" came down to them. - -They stopped and looked toward the source of the summons, but Phil, a -shade the slower to return to his antagonist, saw out of the corner of -his eye that Barwick was coming at him. He leaped back and with his arm -knocked aside Barwick's blow. - -"Holla, I say! Ha' done, ha' done! That, Barwick, was a foul trick. -Another like that, and I'll turn you out." - -A crestfallen man was Barwick then, who made out to stammer, "Yea, Sir -John--yea, Sir John, but a poacher--'e's a poacher, Sir John, and a -poacher--" - -"A foul trick is a foul trick." - -The speaker wore a scarlet cloak overlaid with silver lace, and his -iron-grey hair crept in curls from under a broad hat. His face, when he -looked at Barwick, was such that Barwick stepped quietly back and held -his tongue. The man had Martin by the collar (his sleek impudence had -melted into a vast melancholy), and there stood behind them a little -way up the bank, Phil now saw, a lady no older than Phil himself, who -watched the group with calm, dark eyes and stood above them all like a -queen. - -"Throw down those knives," the knight ordered, for it took no divining -to perceive that here was Sir John Bristol in the flesh. "Thrust them, -points into the ground. Good! Now have on, and God speed the better -man." - -To Philip Marsham, who could have expected prison at the very least, -this fair chance to fight his own battle came as a reprieve; and though -he very well knew that he must win the fight at once or go down from -sheer weakness and want of food, his eyes danced. - -The knight's frown darkened, observing that Barwick appeared to have -got his fill, and he smote the ground with his staff. Then Barwick -turned and Philip Marsham went in upon him like a ray of light. Three -times he threw the big man, by sheer skill and knowledge, for the other -by his own weight hindered himself, but after the third time the world -went white and the lad fell. - -He sat up shortly and looked into Sir John's face. - -"'Tis the lack of food," he stammered, "or I'd out-last him as well as -out-wrestle him." - -Sir John was laughing mightily. "You gave him full measure, and thank -God you are fresh from a fast or I'd ha' lost a keeper. As for food, we -shall remedy that lack. Two things I have to say: one to you, Barwick. -You attempted a foul trick. I'll have none such in my service. If it -happens again, you go. And as for you, you white-livered cur, that -would leave a boy to a beating and never turn a hand to save him, I'll -even take you in hand myself." - -And with that, Sir John flung back his cloak and raising his staff with -one hand while with the other he kept hold of Martin's coat-collar, -he thrashed the man till he bellowed and blubbered--till his coat was -split and his shirt was bloody and his head was broken and his legs -were all welts and bruises. - -"Help! Help! O Holy Mary! Saints in Heaven! Help! O Jamie, Jamie, -Jamie! O sir! Kind sir! let me go! Let me go!" - -Sir John flung him away with a last whistling stroke of the great -staff. "That," said he, "for cowardice." - -And Jamie Barwick, having already forgotten his own rebuke, was broadly -smiling. - -Sir John turned then and looked Philip Marsham in the eye. "It was a -good fight," he said, and smiled. "Courage and honour will carry a man -far." - -He then looked away across his wide acres to the distant village. For a -while he was lost in revery and the others waited for him, but he came -to himself with a start and turned brusquely, though not unkindly, to -Philip Marsham. - -"Come now, begone, you vagabond cockerel! If a farm is robbed from -here to the Channel, or a hundred miles the other way, I'll rear the -county upon your track and scour the countryside from the Severn to -the Thames. I'll publish the tale of you the country over and see you -hanged when they net you." - -He stood there looking very fierce as he spoke, but there was a laugh -in his eyes, and when Phil turned to go, he flung the lad a silver coin. - -Phil saw the gesture and picked the money from the air, for he was -quick with his fingers, but before he caught it Sir John seemed to have -forgotten him; for he bent his head and walked away with his eyes on -the ground. There was something in the knight's manner that stung the -lad, who looked at the coin in his hand and almost as quick as thought -hurled it back at Sir John. - -"How now?" cried Sir John, turning about. - -"I'll take no money that is thrown me," Phil replied. - -"So!" Sir John stood looking at him. "I have a liking for thee," he -said, and smiled. But he then, it seemed, again forgot that there was -such a lad, for he once more bent his head and walked away with the -lady who had stood above them in the wood. - -As for Phil, he did not so lightly forget Sir John. He watched him -until he had fixed in his mind every line of his tall, broad figure, -every gesture of his hand and every toss of his head. He then walked -off, and when he turned to look back a last time Sir John was gone. - -"What was that he said of hanging?" Martin whispered. - -The fellow's face was so white and his lips and his bruises were so -blue that Phil laughed at him before his eyes, who thereupon lost his -temper and snarled, "It's all well enough to take things lightly, you -who got no beating; but hanging is no laughing matter." - -He then looked cautiously around and ran back the way they had come. -When he returned he held between thumb and forefinger the silver coin -Phil had thrown back at the burly knight. Martin bought food with it -and Phil, though he thought it would have choked him, helped him eat -it; and so they survived the day. - -"That keeper, Barwick," Martin said that evening as the two tramped -west along the highway, "is my brother, and an ungrateful wretch he is." - -"I knew he was your brother," Phil said. But he was not thinking of -Martin or his brother. He was thinking of the old knight in the scarlet -cloak so bravely decked with silver lace. There was only one man Philip -Marsham had ever known, who had such a rough, just, heavy-handed humour -as Sir John Bristol or any such indomitable sense of fair play, and -that man was Phil's dead father. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE ROSE OF DEVON - - -They came to Bristol over the hills that lie to the south of the town. -They had lost time on the way and had grown weary and sore of foot; and -finding at last that there was little hope of overtaking at Bideford -the thin man with whom they had parted on the road, they had turned -north in Somerset at the end of Polton Hill. They passed first across -a lonely waste where for miles the only human being they saw was an -aged man gathering faggots; then over the Mendip Hills and through -rough valleys and rougher uplands, and so at last to the height whence -Bristol and Avon Valley and Bristol Channel in the east lie spread in a -vast panorama. - -Far away in Hungroad and Kingroad ships were anchored, but the vessels -at the wharves of Bristol lay with their keels in mud, for the tide was -out and the tides of Bristol, as all know, have a wonderful great flow -and ebb. - -The two went on into the town, where there were seafaring men standing -about and talking of ships, which gave Phil Marsham a feeling of being -once more at home after his inland travels; and passing this one tavern -and another, they came to a square where there was a whipping-post and -a stocks, and a man in the stocks. - -Now a man in stocks was a pleasing sight to Phil, for he was not so old -that he missed the humour of it, and he paused to grin at the unlucky -wight who bore with ill grace the jeers of the urchins that had -assembled to do him honour; but when Martin saw the fellow he looked a -second time and turned very hastily round. Straightway seizing Phil by -the arm he whispered hoarsely, "Come now, we must hie us away again, -and that speedily." - -"Why in so great haste?" Phil returned. "Here is a pleasant jest. Let -us stay a while. Who knows but some day we may ourselves sit in the -bilboes and yonder ballad-maker may take his fill of pleasure at our -misfortune. Why, then, turn about is fair play. Let us enjoy his while -there's time." And he waited with quiet glee for Martin's angry reply. - -"Fool!" Martin whispered. "Stay and be hanged, an thou wilt." - -Thereupon Martin posted in all haste back the way he had come and Phil, -of no mind to be left now, since they had journeyed together thus far, -followed at his heels with a curiosity that he was intent on satisfying. - -"'Sin,' according to the proverb," he called after Martin, "'begins -with an itch and ends with a scar,' but methinks thy scars, which are -numerous, are all an-itch." - -"Hist, fool," Martin snarled. "Be still! For ha'pence I'd slit thy -throat to still thy tongue. I swear I can already feel the hemp at my -weasand. It burns and spreads like a tetter." And he made haste up out -of the town till despite his great weight and short wind he had Phil -puffing at his heels. - -"This is queer talk of ropes and hangings. It buzzeth through thy -noddle like bees in clover. In faith, though thy folly be great, yet it -sorely presses upon thee, for I have seldom seen a man walk faster. Yet -at thine ordinary gait a tin-pedlar's broken-down jade can set a pace -too fast for thee to follow." - -"Yea, laugh at me! Wouldst thou stay for sugared pills of pleasure with -the hangman at thy heels?" - -"What has a poor devil in stocks to do with the hangman, prithee? And -why this fierce haste?" - -"Th' art no better than a gooseling--fit for tavern quarrels. And did -you never see a man dance on air? 'Tis a sight to catch the breath in -the throat and make an emptiness in a man's belly." - -"There be no hangings without reason." - -"Reason? Law, logic, and the Switzers can be hired to fight for any -man, they say. 'Tis true, in any event, of the law. I've seen the -learned men in wigs wringing a poor man's withers and shaping the -halter to his neck." - -They had talked breathlessly at long intervals in their hasty flight, -and thus talking they had come out of the town and up from the valley; -nor would Martin stay to rest till from the southern hill that had -given them their first prospect of Bristol city they looked back upon -the houses and the river and the ships. Martin breathed more easily -then and mopped his forehead and sat down until his wildly beating -heart was quieter. - -"To Bideford we must go, after all," said he, "and 'twere better by far -had we never turned from the straight road." - -"I am of no mind to go farther," Phil replied, looking back. "There -will be more vessels sailing out of Bristol than out of Bideford. A man -can choose in which to go." - -Martin gulped and rubbed his throat. "Nay, I'll not hear to it. Daniel -went but once into the lion's den." - -He sighed mightily as he thought of begging his long way through -Somerset and Devon, for he was a big heavy man and lazy and short of -wind; but he would not go back, though he refused to speak further of -his reason for it; and Phil, though in truth he liked Martin little, -was too easy-going to part thus with his companion of the road. The lad -was young, and the world was wide, and it was still spring in England. - -So they turned toward the hills, which were blue and purple in the -setting sun,--a shepherd, did he but know it, lives in halls more -splendid than a king's,--and set forth upon their journey through the -rough lands of Somerset. They went astray among the mines but found -their way to Wells where, as they came out from the town, they passed -a gallows, which gave Martin such a start that he stopped for neither -breath nor speech until he had left that significant emblem of the law -a mile behind him. They went through Glastonbury, where report has it -that Joseph of Arimathea and King Arthur and King Edgar lie buried, -and through Bridgewater, where to their wonder there was a ship of a -hundred tons riding in the Parret. They went through Dulverton on a -market day, and crossed the Dunsbrook by the stone bridge and so passed -into Devon. They went on over heath and hill and through woods and -green valleys until at the end of seven days from Bristol--for time and -again they had lost their way, and a sailor on shore is at best like a -lame horse on a rough road--they crossed the Taw at Barnstable. Again -going astray, they went nearly to Torrington before they learned their -blunder and turned down the valley of the Torridge. But all things -come to an end at last, and one pleasant evening they crossed the -ancient bridge built on stately Gothic arches into the populous town of -Bideford. - -At the river front there lay a street the better part of a mile long, -in which were the custom house and a great quay, and there they saw -ships of good burden loading and unloading in the very bosom of the -town, as the scribe hath it. Thither Phil would have gone straightly -but Martin shook his head. So turning up from the river, they passed -another long street, where the houses of wealthy merchants stood, and -this, too, Martin hastened quickly by. He shot glances to one side and -the other as if fearing lest he see faces that he knew, and led his -companion by an obscure way, as night was falling, to a cottage whence -a dim light shone through a casement window. - -Standing on the rough doorstone under the outcropping thatch, which -projected beyond the line of the eaves to shield the door from rain, he -softly knocked. There was no answer, no sound, but the door presently -moved ajar as if by its own will. - -"Who knocks?" an old woman whispered. "'Tis that dark I cannot see thy -face." - -"'Tis thine eyes are ailing. Come, open the door and bid us enter." - -"Thy voice hath a familiar ring but I know thee not. Who art thou?" - -"We be two honest men." - -"Ah, two honest men? And what, prithee, are two honest men doing here?" - -"Yea, 'tis a fair thrust and bites both ways! Thou old shrew, dost bar -the door to Martin Barwick?" - -"So 'tis thou. I believe it even is. Enter then, ere the watch spy -thee. Th' art a plain fool to stand here quibbling thus, though 'tis to -be expected, since thou wert ever quicker of thy tongue than thy wit. -But who's thy fellow?" - -"Nay, thou old shrew, open to us. He is to be one of us, though a -London man by birth." - -"One of us, say'st thou? Enter and welcome, then, young sir. Mother -Taylor bids thee welcome. One of us? 'Tis the more pity so few of the -gentlemen are left in port." - -"The Old One?" - -"He hath sailed long since." She closed the door behind them, and the -three stood together in the dark passage. "Hast money?" - -"Not a groat." - -She sighed heavily. "I shall be ruined. Seven o' the gentlemen ha' -sailed owing me." - -"Yea, thou old shrew, had I a half--nay, had I the tenth part of the -gold thou hast taken from us and laid away wherever thy hiding-places -are, I'd go no more to sea. But thou know'st what thou know'st, and -there's not one among us but will pay his score. The wonder is that of -them thou could'st hang by a word none has slit thy scrawny throat." - -"Aye, they pay, they pay. And the gentlemen bear Mother Taylor nought -but love. How else could they do their business but for good Mother -Taylor?" She led them into a little back room where there was a fire -and a singing kettle; and as she scuttled with a crooked, nimble gait -from one window to another to make sure that every shutter was fast -closed, in her cracked old voice she bade them sit. - -To his prudent companion, whose quick glance was marking every door -and window,--for who knows when a man shall have need to leave in -haste a sailor's inn?--quoth Martin, "The old witch is a rare hand to -sell a cargo got--thou can'st guess well enough how; and the man who -would bring a waggon-load of spirits past the customs on a dark night -or would bargain with a Dartmoor shepherd for wool secretly sheared, -can lay the matter before her and go his way, knowing she will do his -business better than he could do it himself. Yea, a man's honour and -life are safer with her than with any lord in England." - -She showed by a grunt that she had heard him but otherwise paid no -attention to what he said. She brought food from a cupboard and laid -the table by the fire, and going into a back room, she drew a foaming -pitcher of beer. - -"No wine?" cried Martin. "Mother Taylor has no wine? Come, thou old -beldame, serve us a stronger tipple." - -She laughed shrilly. "The beer," said she, "is from Frome-Selwood." - -"Why, then, I must needs drink and say nought, since it is common -report that the gentry choose it, when well aged, rather than the wine -of Portugal or France. But my heart was set on good wine or stronger -spirits." - -"He who sails on the morning tide must go sober to bed else he may rue -his choice. Aye, an' 'tis rare fine beer." - -Her old bent back fitted into her bent old chair. Her face settled into -a myriad wrinkles from which her crooked nose projected like a fish in -a bulging net. She was very old and very shrewd, and though there was -something unspeakably hard in her small, cold eyes, Martin trusted her -as thus far he had trusted no one they had met. Even to Phil she gave -an odd sense of confidence in her complete loyalty. - -At Phil she cast many glances, quick and sharp like a bird's, but she -never spoke to him nor he to her. - -It was Martin who again spoke up, having blunted the edge of his -hunger. "And now, you old witch, who's in port and where shall we find -the softest berths? For you've made it plain that since trust us you -must, you will trust us little--that is to say, it is not in thy head -that our score shall mount high." - -She chuckled down in her skinny old crop. "Let us see. The Old One has -gone and that's done. You were late." - -"'Tis a long road and we went astray." - -"There's the Nestor and the Essay. They will be off soon; the one to -Liverpool for salt, t' other to Ireland for wool." - -Martin thereupon set down his pot of beer and significantly rubbed his -throat, at which the old woman cackled with shrill laughter. "Aye, th' -art o'er well known in Liverpool. Well, let us consider again. There's -the Rose of Devon, new come from Plymouth. I hear she's never touched -at Bideford before and her master hails from Dorset." - -"His name?" - -"'Tis Candle." - -Martin laughed boisterously. "A bright and shining name! But I know him -not and will chance a singeing. What voyage does she make?" - -"She goeth to fetch cod from Newfoundland." The old woman saw him -hesitate. "A barren voyage, think'st thou? Nay, 'twere well for one of -the gentlemen to look into that trade. Who knows?" - -"True, old mother witch, who knows?" Martin tapped the table. "Can'st -arrange it?" - -"Nay. But I can start the wedge." - -"We'll go," said Martin at last. "But now for bed. We've been a weary -while on the road." - -It was a great bed in a small room under the thatch; and as they lay -there on the good goose-feathers in the dark, Martin said, "We'll sail -in this Rose of Devon, lad." - -Phil, already nearly asleep, stirred and roused up. "Any port in a -storm," he mumbled. Then, becoming wider awake, he asked, "What is all -this talk of 'the gentlemen' and who, prithee, is the Old One?" - -"Ah, a natural question." Though the room was dark as Egypt, Phil knew -by Martin's voice--for he could recognize every inflection and change -in tone--that the sly, crafty look was creeping over his fat, red face. -"Well," Martin continued after a moment of silence, "by 'the gentlemen' -she means a few seafaring men that keep company together by custom and -stop here when ashore--all fine, honest fellows as a man may be proud -to know. I have hopes that some day you'll be one of us, Phil my lad, -and some day I'll tell you more. As for the Old One, it very curiously -happens that you have met with him. Do you recall to mind the thin man -I quarrelled with, that first day?" - -"Yea." - -"That is the Old One, and Tom Jordan is his proper name." - -It was Martin, after all, who fell asleep first, for Phil lay in the -great bed in the small room, thinking of all that had happened since -the day he fled from Moll Stevens's alehouse. There was Colin Samson, -whose dirk he wore; there was the wild-eyed, black-haired man with the -great book and the woeful tale; there were Martin, and Tom Jordan, "the -Old One"; there were the inn and the old lady and gentleman--it all -seemed so utterly unreal!--and Nell Entick, and Sir John Bristol. He -fell asleep thinking of Nell and Sir John and dreamed of marrying Nell -and keeping a tavern, to which the bluff old knight came in the guise -of a very aged gentleman from Little Grimsby with a coachman who went -poaching pheasants in the tavern yard. - -It was early morning when Mother Taylor called them down to breakfast -at a table burdened with good food such as they had not eaten for many -long days. She sat by the fire, a bent old woman in a round-backed -little chair, watching them with keen small eyes while they ate, and -smiling in a way that set her wrinkles all a-quiver to see them empty -dish after dish. - -"Th' art a good old witch, Mother Taylor, though the Devil cry nay," -said Martin. "Though thy score be high never did'st thou grudge a man -the meat he ate." - -"'Tis not for nought the gentlemen love Mother Taylor," she quavered. -"What can a woman do when her beauty's gone but hold a man by the food -she sets before him? 'Tis the secret of blessed marriage, Martin, and -heaven send thee a wife as knows it like I!" - -"Beauty, thou old beldame! What did'st thou ever know of beauty? But -beauty is a matter of little moment. Hast thou prepared the way for us?" - -She laughed in shrill delight at his rough jesting. "Aye, I ha' sent a -messenger. Seek out the Rose of Devon and do thy part, and all shall be -well." - -"And whence does good Captain Candle expect his men?" - -"Say to Captain Candle that thou and this handsome young gentleman who -says so little are come from the Mersey, where thy vessel, the Pride o' -Lancashire, lies to be repaired, and that Master Stephen Gangley sent -thee." - -She looked at Phil, who had learned long before to hold his tongue in -strange places, and he smiled; but Martin laughed hoarsely. "Th' art -the Devil's own daughter. And does this Master Stephen Gangley in all -truth dwell in Liverpool?" - -"Dost think my wits are wandering, Martin? Nay, I be old, but not so -old as that. Go hastily through the town lest thou be seen and known. -Thou, of all the gentlemen, most needs make haste." - -The two stopped just inside the door. "You have chalked down the score -against us?" - -She laughed in her skinny throat. "I be old, but not so old as to -forget the score. The gentlemen always pay." - -She pushed Martin out and shut the door behind him, then, seizing Phil -by the arm, she whispered, "Leave him." - -Martin angrily thrust the door open again and she gave Phil a shove -that sent him stumbling over the threshold. The door slammed shut and -they heard the bolt slide. - -"They pay," Martin muttered. "Yea, they pay in full and the old witch -hath got rich thereby, for 'tis pay or hang. So much does she know of -all that goes on at sea! In faith, I sorely mistrust she is a witch in -all earnest; but even be it so, a most useful witch." - -As the two came into the town they saw at a distance a crowd gathering. -Dogs barked and boys shouted and men came running and laughing, which -seemed to give promise of rare sport of one kind or another. - -"See!" cried Phil, catching Martin by the arm. "Here's a game. Come, -let us join the cry." - -"Thou art a very pattern of blockishness," quoth Martin. "Would'st see -us in pillory, egged, turnipped, nay, beaten at the post?" - -"Come, old frog, I for one will run the hazard." - -"Old frog, is it?" Martin's face flamed redder than before. "An we -loiter there'll be sharp eyes upon us. My very throat is itching at the -thought. Justice is swift. Who knows but we'll swing by sundown? Hast -never considered the pains of hanging? The way they dance and twitch is -enough to take the sap out of a man's legs." - -Martin's fears were an old story and the lad heeded them so little, -save when he would make game of them, that he never even smiled. "See!" -he cried. "There's a man in their midst. Stay! Who is he? He is--yea, -he is the very one, come back to Bideford despite his fears. And it -seems the townsfolk know him well." - -The jeering mob parted and revealed a lank man with a great book. His -voice rose above their clamour, "O well beloved, O well beloved, never -was a man perplexed with such diversity of thoughts!" - -But Martin was gone, and Phil hastening after him saw a face in a -window, which was watching Martin hurry through the town. And when Phil -pursued Martin the eyes in the window scanned the lad from head to foot. - -They found lying at the quay the vessel they sought, and a brave -frigate she was, with high poop and nobly carved fiddlehead and sharp, -deep cutwater. The gun-deck ports were closed, but on the main deck was -a great show of ordnance with new carriages and new yellow breechings. -There were swivel-guns on the forecastle and the quarter-deck and there -was a finely wrought lantern of bronze and glass at the stern. But as -they came up to her, a cloud hid the sun and the gilded carving ceased -to shine and the bright colours lost their brilliance and her black, -high sides loomed up sombrely, and to Phil she seemed for the moment -very dark and forbidding. - -Of this Martin appeared to have no perception, for he smiled and -whispered, "Mother Taylor hath done well by us. This Rose of Devon is a -tall ship and by all the signs she will be well found." - -There were men standing about the capstan on the main deck and voices -came from the forecastle; but on the poop there leaned against the rail -to watch the two come down the quay a single man, of an age in the -middle-thirties, with a keen, strong face, who wore a good coat on his -back and had the manner of a king in a small island. - -They stepped under the poop and Martin doffed his hat, having assumed -his most ingratiating smile. "An it please you, sir," said he, "have I -the honour to address Captain Candle of the Rose of Devon frigate?" - -"I am Captain Candle." - -"Good morrow to thee, sir, and Master Stephen Gangley of Liverpool sent -us--" - -"Yea, I received his letter. I know him not, but it seems he knows -friends of mine. You are over heavy for a good seaman but your fellow -takes my eye." - -Martin stammered and flamed up with anger, and perceiving this, the -captain smiled. - -"Let it be," he said. "I can make room for the two, and to judge by -your looks, if you are slow aloft at handling and hauling, we can use -you to excellent purpose as a cook. Of good food and plenty it is plain -you know the secret." - -He watched policy contend with anger in Martin's face and his own -expression gave no hint of what went on in his mind; but there was that -about him which made Phil believe he was inwardly laughing, and Phil -had an instant liking for the man, which, if one might judge by the -captain's glance or two, was returned. - -"You may sign the articles in the tavern yonder," he said. "You are -none too early, for we sail in an hour's time to get the tide." - -As Phil followed Martin into the tavern he saw a bustle and flurry in -the street, but it passed and while they waited by the fire for the -captain and the agent to come with the articles he thought no more of -it. - -They came at last, and other seamen with them, and spread the articles -on the oaken table where one man might sign after another. And when -Martin's turn was come, he tried to speak of wages, but the captain -named the figure and bade him sign, and before he thought, he had done -so. He stood back, cursing under his breath, and when the captain named -a higher wage for Phil, Martin's cursing became an audible mumble, -which drew from master and agent a sharp glance. Though Martin smiled -and looked about as if to see whence the sound came, he deceived no one. - -The men filed out of the tavern, walking soberly behind the master, and -proceeded down the quay to their ship. Their feet clattered on the -cobbles and they swung along at a rolling gait. Some were sober and -some were drunk; and some were merry and some were sad. Some eyed one -another with the curiosity that a man feels if he must sit, for months -to come, at cheek and jowl with strangers; and some bent their eyes on -the ground as if ill at ease and uncertain of their own discretion in -thus committing themselves to no one knew what adventures in distant -seas and lands. - -Thus they came to the ship, following at the master's heels, and thus -they filed on board, while Captain Candle stood at one side and looked -them over as they passed. - -To a young fellow leaning over the waist one of the men called, "Well -met, Will Canty!" - -Looking up, Phil himself then caught the eye of a lad of his own years -who was returning the hail of a former shipmate, and since each of the -youths found something to his taste in the appearance of the other, on -the deck of the ship they joined company. - -"You come late," said the one who had answered to the name of Will -Canty. "Unless I am much mistaken, you were not on board yesterday." - -He was tall and slender and very straight, and he carried his head with -an erectness that seemed at first glance to savour of vanity. His face, -too, was of a sober cast and his expression restrained. Yet he seemed a -likable fellow, withal, and one whom a man could trust. - -"I have not until now set foot on this deck," Phil replied. "But -having seen many vessels in my time, I venture that the Rose of Devon -is a staunch ship, as Captain Candle, it is plain to see, is a proper -master." - -"Yea, both sayings are true. I know, for I have sailed before in this -ship with Captain Candle." - -An order bawled from the quarter-deck caused a great stir, and for the -moment put an end to their talk, but they were to see more of each -other. - -Casting off the moorings in answer to the word of command, the men -sprang to the capstan. It was "Heave, my bullies!" and "Pull, my hearts -of gold!" Some, in a boat, carried out an anchor and others laboured -at the capstan. The old frigate stirred uneasily and slipped away from -the wharf, rolling slightly with the motion of the sea, and thus they -kedged her into the tide. - -"Bend your passeree to the mainsail!" - -Back came a roaring chorus, "Yea, yea!" - -"Get your sails to the yards there--about your gear on all hands!" - -"Yea, yea!" men here and there replied. - -"Hoist sails half-mast high--make ready to set sail!" - -"Yea, yea!" - -"Cross your yards!" - -"Yea, yea!" - -"Bring the cable to the capstan--Boatswain, fetch the anchor -aboard!--Break ground!--Up there, a hand to the foretop and loose the -foretopsail!" - -"Yea, yea!" And the first man to set foot on the ratlines was running -up the rigging. - -It was Philip Marsham, for to him the sea was home and there was no -night so dark he could not find his way about a ship. Nor did his -promptness escape the sharp eye of Captain Candle. - -Now, while the captain stood with folded arms at the poop, his mate -cried, "Come, my hearts, heave up your anchor! Come one and all! Who -says _Amen_? O brave hearts, the anchor a-peak!" - -"Yea, yea!" - -"Heave out your topsails!--Haul your sheets!--Let fall your -foresail!--You at the helm, there, steer steady before the wind!" - -On all the vessels in the harbour, and all along the quay and the -streets, men had stopped their work to see the Rose of Devon sail. But -though most of them stood idle and silent, there was a sudden flurry -on the quay where but now she had been lying, and two men burst out, -calling after her and waving their arms. - -"'Tis the beadle and the constable," the men muttered. "Who of us hath -got to sea to escape the law?" - -The mate turned to the master, but the master firmly shook his head. -"Come, seize the tide," he called. "We will stay for no man." - -"Heave out the foretopsail--heave out the main topsail--haul home your -topsail sheets!" - -The men aloft let the lesser sails fall; the men on deck sheeted them -home and hoisted them up. The mate kept bawling a multitude of orders: -"Haul in the cable there and coil it in small fakes! Haul the cat! A -bitter! Belay! Luff, my man, luff! You, there, with the shank painter, -make fast your anchor!" - -Then came the voice of the master, which always his mate echoed, "Let -fall your mainsail!" - -And the echo, "Let fall your mainsail!" - -"Yea, yea!" - -"On with your bonnets and drabblers!" - -And again came the echo from the mate, "On with your bonnets and -drabblers!" - -"Yea, yea!" - -The great guns ranged along the deck--each bound fast by its new -breechings--with their linstocks and sponges and ladles and rammers, -made no idle show of warlike strength. There was too often need to let -their grim voices sound at bay, for those were wild, lawless days. - -Such a ship as the Rose of Devon frigate, standing out for the open -sea, is a sight the world no longer affords. Those ships are "gone, -gone, gone with lost Atlantis." Their lofty poops, their little -bonaventure masts, their lateen sails aft, their high forecastles -and tall bowsprits with the square spritsail flaunted before the -fiddlehead, came down from an even earlier day; for the Rose of Devon -had been an ancient craft when King James died and King Charles -succeeded to the throne. But she was a fine tall ship and staunch -notwithstanding her years, and there was newly gilded carving on bow -and stern and a new band of crimson ran her length. With her great -sails spread she thrust her nose into the heavy swell that went rolling -up the Bristol Channel, and nodding and curtseying to old Neptune, she -entered upon his dominions. - -She was, as I have said, a brave tall ship, yet, despite her gilded -carving and her band of crimson, her towering sides which were painted -black gave her a singularly dark appearance, and she put to sea like a -shadow out of older days. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE SHIP'S LIAR - - -Death by land is a sobering thing and works many changes; but to my -thought death at sea is more terrible, for there is a vast loneliness, -with only a single ship in the midst of it, and an empty hammock for -days and weeks and even months, to keep a man in mind of what has -happened; and death at sea may work as many changes as death by land. - -Now the Rose of Devon was a week from England when a footrope parted -and the boatswain pitched down, clutching at the great belly of the -sail, and plunged out of sight. And what could a man do to save him? -They never saw him after that first wild plunge. There, aloft, was the -parted rope, its ends frayed out and hanging. Below decks was the empty -berth. The blustering old boatswain, with his great roaring voice and -his quick ear for a tune, had gone upon the ultimate adventure which -all must face, each man for himself; but they only said, "Did you see -the wild look in his eyes when he fell?" And, "I fear we shall hear his -pipe of nights." And, "'Tis a queer thought that Neddie Hart is to lie -in old Davy Jones's palace, with the queer sea-women all about him, -awaiting for his old shipmates." - -Presently the master's boy came forward into the forecastle, where the -men off duty were sitting and talking of the one who had fallen so -far, had sunk so deep, had gone on a journey so long that they should -never see him again; and quietly--for the boy was much bedevilled and -trembled with fright to think of putting his head, as it were, into the -mouth of the lion--he crept behind Philip Marsham and whispered in his -ear, "The master would see thee in the great cabin." - -They sat at close quarters in the forecastle of the Rose of Devon, and -the boy had barely room to pass the table and the benches, for the -men had crowded in and put their heads together; but for once they -were too intent on their own thoughts to heed his coming or his going, -which gave him vast comfort. (Little enough comfort the poor devil got, -between the men forward and the officers aft!) - -So Phil rose and followed. - -The great cabin, when he entered, was empty. He stood at loss, waiting, -but curiously observed meanwhile the rich hangings and the deep chairs -and the cupboards filled with porcelain ware. There was plate on the -cabin table and a rich cloak lay thrown loosely over a chair; and he -thought to himself that those deep-sea captains lived like princes, as -indeed they did. - -He shifted his weight from foot to foot in growing uneasiness. The boy -had disappeared. There was no sound of voice or step. Then, as the ship -rolled and Phil put out a foot to brace himself, a door swung open and -revealed on the old-fashioned walk that ran across the stem under the -poop, the lean, big-boned figure of Captain Francis Candle. - -The master of the Rose of Devon stood with folded arms and bent head, -but though his head was bent, his eyes, the lad could see, were peering -from under his heavy brows at the horizon. He swayed as the ship -rolled, and remained intent on his thoughts, which so absorbed him that -he had quite forgotten sending the boy for Philip Marsham. - -So Phil waited; and the broad hat that hung on the bulkhead scraped -backward and forward as the ship plunged into the trough and rose on -the swell; and Captain Candle remained intent on his thoughts; and a -sea bird circled over the wake of the ship. - -After a long time the master turned about and walked into the cabin -and, there espying Philip Marsham, he smiled and said, "I was remiss. I -had forgotten you." He threw aside the cloak that lay on the chair and -sat down. - -"Sit you down," he said with a nod. "You are a practised seaman, no -lame, decrepit fellow who serves for underwages. Have you mastered the -theory?" - -"Why, sir, I am not unacquainted with astrolabe and quadrant, and on -scales and tables I have spent much labour." - -"So!" And his manner showed surprise. Then, "Inkpot and quill are -before you. Choose a fair sheet and put down thereon the problem I -shall set you." - -The captain leaned back and half closed his eyes while Phil spread the -paper and dipped the quill. - -"Let us say," he finally continued, "that two ships sail from one port. -The first sails south-south-west a certain distance; then altering -her course, she sails due west ninety-two leagues. The second ship, -having sailed six-score leagues, meets with the first ship. I demand -the second ship's course and rhomb, and how many leagues the first ship -sailed south-south-west. Now, my man, how go you to work?" - -Phil studied the problem as he had set it down, and wrinkled his brows -over it, while Captain Candle lay back with a flicker of a smile on his -lips and watched the lad struggle with his thoughts. - -After a time Phil raised his head. "First, sir," said he, "I shall -draw the first ship's rhomb thus, from A unto E, which shall be -south-south-west. Then I shall lay a line from A unto C as the ninety -leagues that she sailed west. Next I shall lay my line from C to D, and -further, as her south-west course. Then I shall lay from A a line that -shall correspond to the six-score leagues the second ship sailed, which -cuts at D the line I drew before." As he talked, he worked with his -pen, and the master, rising as if in surprise, bent over the table and -watched every motion. - -The pen drew lines and arcs and lettered them and wrote out a problem -in proportions. Hesitating, the point crawled over columns of figures. - -"The rhomb of the second ship," said Phil at last, "is degrees -sixty-seven, and minutes thirty-six. Her course is near -west-south-west. And the first ship sailed forty-nine leagues." - -Tapping the table, as one does who meditates, Captain Candle looked -more sharply at the lad. "You are clever with your pen." - -"'Tis owing to the good Dr. Arber at Roehampton," Phil replied. "Had I -abode with him longer, I had been cleverer still, for he was an able -scholar; but there was much in school I had no taste for." - -The captain's eyes searched his face. "I sent for you," he said, -"because I was minded to make you my boatswain. But now, if my mate -were lost, I swear I'd seat you at mine own table." - -Phil rose. - -"Go then, Master Boatswain. But stay! You and your comerado make a -strange pair. How came you bedfellows?" - -"Why, sir, we met upon the road--" - -"Yea, not at sea! Not at sea! Enough is said. Begone, Master Boatswain, -begone!" - -"How now," cried Martin when Phil passed him on the deck. "Art thou -called before the mast?" And he laughed till he shook. - -"Nay, he hath made me his boatswain." - -"Thou?" - -"Yea, comerado." - -"Thou? A mere gooseling? The master's on the road to Bedlam! Why here -am I--" Martin's red face flamed hot. - -"Yea, he spoke of thee." - -"Ah!" - -"Quoth he, thou art a fine fellow, but hot-tempered, Martin, and -overbold." - -"Ah!" The crafty, sly look came upon Martin's face and he puffed with -pride; but Phil, delighting to see the jest take effect, laughed before -his eyes, which sorely perplexed him. - -"A fine fellow, but overbold," Martin muttered, as he coiled the cable -in neat fakes. "Yea, I did not believe he thought so well of me. From -the glances he hath bestowed upon me, it was in my mind he was a narrow -man,--" Martin smiled and dallied over his work,--"one with no eye for -a mariner of parts and skill. 'A fine fellow, but overbold!' Nay, that -is fair speech and it seems he hath a very searching observation." - -Standing erect, Martin folded his arms and swelled like a turkey-cock. -His eyes being on the horizon and his back toward the watchful mate, he -remained unaware that he had attracted the mate's attention. - -"A fine fellow, but overbold," he repeated and smiled with a very -haughty air. - -The mate, casting his eyes about the deck, picked up a handy end of -rope and made a knot in it. One man and another and another became -aware of the play that the mate and Martin were about to set and, -grinning hugely, they paused in their work to watch, even though they -risked getting themselves into such a plight as Martin's. The captain -came to the break of the quarter-deck and, perceiving the fun afoot, -leaned on the swivel-gun. Slowly his humour mastered his dignity and a -smile twitched at his lips. - -"A fine fellow, but overbold," Martin was murmuring for the fourth -time, when the rope whistled and wound about his ribs and the knot -fetched up on his belly with a thump that knocked his wind clean out. - -He made a horrible face, gasping for breath, and his ruddy colour -darkened to purple. Reaching for his knife he whirled round and drew -steel. - -"What rakehell muckworm, what base stinkard, what--" He met the cold -eye of the mate and for a moment flinched, then, burning with his -own folly, he cried, "Thou villain, to strike thus a man the captain -himself called a fine fellow but overbold!" - -A snicker grew in the silence and swelled into a rumble of laughter; -then, by the forecastle bulkhead, a man began to bawl, "A liar! A liar!" - -The mate stopped short and his hand fell. - -A score of voices took up the cry--"A liar! A liar!"--and Martin turned -pale. - -Captain Candle on the quarter-deck was laughing softly and the mate in -glee slapped his thigh. "Thou yerking, firking, jerking tinker," said -he, "dost hear the cry? 'Tis a Monday morning and they are crying thee -at the mainmast." - -"A liar! A liar!" the men bawled, crowding close about. - -"But 'tis no lie. Or this foully deceitful comerado, this half-fledged -boatswain--" It came suddenly upon Martin that he had been sorely -gulled, and that to reveal the truth would fix upon him the lasting -ridicule of his shipmates. He swelled in fury and gave them angry -glances but they only laughed the louder, then, rope in hand, the mate -stepped toward him. - -Though he made a motion as if to stand his ground, at sight of the rope -Martin's hand shook in his haste to thrust his knife back into the -sheath. - -It was the old custom of the sea that they should hail as a liar the -man first caught in a lie on a Monday morning and proclaim him thus -from the mainmast, and unhappy was the man thus hailed, for thereby -he became for a week the "ship's liar" and held his place under the -swabber. - -"For seven days, thou old cozzener," said the mate, "thou shalt keep -clean the beakhead and the chains, and lucky art thou to be at sea. -Ashore they would have whipped thee through the streets at the cart's -tail." - -Again a great wave of laughter swept the deck and by his face Martin -showed his anger. But though he was "a fine fellow" and "overbold," he -kept his tongue between his teeth; and whatever he suspected of Philip -Marsham, he held his peace and went over the bow with ill grace and -fell to scraping the chains, which was a task to humble the tallest -pride. There was that in the laughter of the crew which had taught -discretion to even bolder men than Martin Barwick. - -"I have seen his kind before," a voice said low in Phil's ear. "But -though there be much of the calf in him, beware lest you rouse him to -such a pitch that he will draw and strike." - -It was Will Canty, the youth who had already won the young boatswain's -liking, spoke thus. He was a comerado more to Phil's taste than was -the luckless Martin; but fate is not given to consulting tastes, and -necessity forces upon a traveller such bedfellows as he meets by the -way. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -STORM - - -The storm brewed long in gray banks of cloud that hung in the west and -north. It drew around the Rose of Devon from north to east with a slow, -immutable force, as yet perceived rather than felt, till she sailed in -the midst of a circle of haze. At night the moon was ringed. The sun -rose in a bank of flaming red and the small sea-birds that by their -presence, mariners say, tell of coming gales, played over the wake. - -Captain Candle from the poop sniffed at the damp air: and studying -the winds as they veered and rose in brisk flourishes and fell to the -merest whisper of a breeze, he puckered his lips, which was his way -when thoughts crowded upon him. Martin on the beakhead pursued his -noisome task of cleaning it under the watchful eye of the swabber -(who took unkind joy in exacting from him the utmost pains), and cast -furtive glances at the gray swell that came shouldering up from the -east. - -"Holla, boatswain," the captain cried. - -"Yea, yea!" - -"Our foresail is old and hath lost its goodness. Look to thy stores and -see if there be not another. Have it ready, then, to bend in haste if -there be need." - -"Yea, yea!" - -"And lay out thy cordage, boatswain, that if sheet or halyard or -tackling shall part, we may be ready to bend another in its place." - -Descending thereupon into the forehold with his boatswain's mate to -fetch and carry, Boatswain Marsham fell to work overhauling the bolts -of sail-cloth and the hanks of cordage and the coils of rope, till he -had found a new foresail and laid it under the hatch, and had placed -great ropes and such cordage as headlines and marlines and sennets so -that a man could lay hands on them in a time of haste and confusion. -For the Rose of Devon was heavily pitching and the seas crashed on her -three-inch planks with a noise like thunderclaps; and when she lifted -on the swell, the water rumbled against her bilge and gurgled away past -her run. - -Very faintly he heard a sailor's voice, "The pump is choked." There -was shouting above for a time, then the cry arose, which brought -reassurance to all, "Now she sucks," and again there was quiet. - -Climbing through the hatch and passing aft along the main deck, he -heard for himself the _suck-suck_ from the pump well, then the rattle -of tiller and creak of pintle as the helmsmen eased her off and brought -her on to meet a rising sea. - -"Holla, master!" - -"Holla, is all laid ready below?" - -"Yea! Ropes and cordage and sail are laid ready upon the main deck and -secured against the storm." - -"And seemeth she staunch to one in the hold?" - -"Yea, master." - -"Then, boatswain, call up the men to prayer and breakfast, for we shall -doubtless have need of both ere the day is done. Boy, fetch my cellar -of bottles, for I would drink a health to all, fore and aft, and I -would have the men served out each a little sack." - -By midday the veering winds had settled in the east and the overcast -sky had still further darkened. The ship, labouring heavily, held her -course; but as the wind blew up a fresh gale, the after sails took the -wind from the sails forward, which began to beat and thresh. Swarming -aloft, the younkers handed the fore-topsail-steering-sail, the fore and -main topsails, and the main-topsail-staysail. But as they manned the -foreyard, the ship yawed in such a manner that the full force of the -wind struck the old foresail and split it under their fingers. - -Philip Marsham on the weather yardarm, with the grey seas breaking in -foam beneath him at one minute and with the forecastle itself seeming -to rise up at him the next minute, so heavily did the old ship roll, -was reaching for the sail at the moment it tore to ribands; and a -billow of grey canvas striking him in the face knocked him off the -yard; but as he fell, he locked his legs round the spar and got finger -hold on the earing, and crawled back to the mast as the sailors stood -by the ropes to strike the yard and get in the threshing tatters of the -sail. - -The mate, going aft, was caught in the waist when the ship gave a -mighty lurch, and went tumbling to lee-ward where the scupper-holes -were spouting like so many fountains all a-row. The fall might well -have ended his days, had he not bumped into the capstan where he clung -fast with both arms, and twice lucky he was to stay his fall thus, for -a sea came roaring over the waist and drowned the fountains in the -scuppers and in a trice the decks were a-wash from forecastle to poop. -But the old ship shook her head and righted and Captain Francis Candle, -leaning against the wind, his cloak flapping in the gale and his hat -hauled hard down over his eyes, descended from the poop and braced -himself in its lee. - -"The wind blows frisking," the mate cried, scrambling up the ladder and -joining the master. - -"Yea, it is like to over-blow. She took a shrewd plunge but now. We -shall further our voyage by striking every sail. Go thou, mate, and -have them secure the spritsail-yard, then take thy station on the -forecastle." - -For an hour or two the old Rose of Devon went plunging through the -seas; and there was much loosing and lowering of sails. For a while, -then, the wind scanted so that there was hope the storm had passed, and -during the lull they bent and set the new foresail and must needs brace -and veer and haul aft. But ere long the gale blew up amain, and in the -late afternoon Captain Candle, sniffing the breeze, called upon all to -stand by and once more to hand both foresail and mainsail. - -"Cast off the topsail sheets, clew garnets, leechlines and buntlines!" -The order came thinly through the roar of the wind. - -"Yea, yea!" a shrill voice piped. - -"Stand by the sheet and brace--come lower the yard and furl the -sail--see that your main halyards be clear and all the rest of your -gear clear and cast off." - -"It is all clear." - -"Lower the main yard--haul down upon your down-haul." As the yard -swayed down and the men belayed the halyards, one minute staggering to -keep their feet, the next minute slipping and sliding across the decks, -the captain's sharp voice, holding them at their work, cut through the -gale, "Haul up the clew garnets, lifts, leechlines and buntlines! -Come, furl the sail fast and secure the yard lest it traverse and gall!" - -"'Twas a fierce gust," an old sailor cried to Phil, who had reached -for the rigging and saved himself from going down to the lee scuppers. -"We best look the guns be all fast. I mind, in the Grace and Mary, my -second Guinea voyage, a gun burst its breechings--" - -"Belay the fore down-haul!" the mate thundered, and leaving his tale -untold, the old man went crawling forward. - -The men heard faintly the orders to the helmsman, "Hard -a-weather!--Right your helm!--Now port, port hard! More hands! He -cannot put up the helm!" - -Then out of the turmoil and confusion a great voice cried, "A sail! A -sail!" - -"Where?" - -"Fair by us." - -"How stands she?" - -"To the north'ard." - -She lay close hauled by the wind and as the Rose of Devon, scudding -before the sea, bore down the wind and upon her, she hove out signs to -speak; but though Captain Candle passed under her lee as near as he -dared venture and learned by lusty shouting that she was an English -ship from the East Indies, which begged the Rose of Devon for God's -sake to spare them some provisions, since they were eighty persons on -board who were ready to perish for food and water, the seas ran so -high that neither the one vessel nor the other dared hoist out a boat; -and parting, the men of the Rose of Devon lost sight of her in the -gathering dusk. - -Still more and more the storm increased. Darkness came, but there was -no rest at sea that night. - -Thanks to the storm, and the labour and anxiety it brought all hands, -Martin, the latter part of that day, escaped the duties of ship's liar, -and glad was he of the chance to slip unobserved about the deck with -no reminder of his late humiliation. But by night he was blue with -the cold, and drenching wet and so hungry that he gnawed at a bit of -biscuit when he needed both hands to haul on a rope. - -Finding Phil Marsham at his shoulder and still resenting bitterly the -jest to which he had fallen victim, he shot at him an ill-tempered -glance and in sullen silence turned his back. - -"Belay!" - -A line of struggling men tripped and stumbled as they secured the rope -and went swaying and staggering across the deck when the ship rolled; -for the weight of her towering superstructure and her cannon would set -her wallowing fearfully in the merest seaway. One caught up the rope's -end in loose coils; another, having fallen, got clumsily on his feet -and staunched his bleeding nose; the rest shivered as the icy wind -struck through their wet shirts. - -Martin again turned his back on the boatswain and hugged himself, but -to little profit, although his fat arms covered a goodly area. Phil -laughed softly at Martin's show of spleen and was about to warm the -man's temper further by a thrust well calculated to stir him to fury, -when the ship rose with a queer lurch and descended into a veritable -gulf. - -They saw above them a sea looming like a black cloud. It mounted slowly -up, hung over them, curled down a dark tongue of water and, before -the Rose of Devon had righted from her plunge into the trough, broke -upon the ship and overwhelmed her. The waist was flooded from the head -of the forecastle to the break of the poop. Water, licking across the -quarter-deck, rose in a great wave that drenched the captain to his -thighs and poured into the steerage room, momentarily blinding the men -at the helm,--for in those old ships they stood with their faces on -a level with the quarter-deck,--and, following whipstaff and tiller, -spilled into the main deck and hold. - -Philip Marsham, as the water washed him off his feet, made shift to lay -hands on the shrouds, and though he had no footing and was washed far -out over the side, his grasp was strong and he held himself against the -rush of water as the ship rose like a dog shaking its head and coming -up through a wave. In very truth she seemed to shake her head and -struggle up to the black night above. But as Phil saved himself he saw -Martin cowering by a gun and striving to reach the breeching; and as -the ship rose, the lad half felt, half saw, some great body washed past -him and over the side. - -There was no one beside the gun: Martin was gone. - -Though a man were a knave and liar, Phil Marsham had no stomach to -see him drown thus; and though he held old Martin in contempt and -bedevilled him night and day, yet he had a curious liking for the -fellow. Overhead there hung from the maintop a loose rope. He faintly -saw it swinging against the leaden-black sky. By a nimble leap there -was a fair chance a man might reach it and if it did not part, an -active man might by a stroke of fortune regain the ship. All this Phil -saw in the falling of a single grain of sand, then the rope swung -within reach of his hand and he seized it. Spared the hazard of -leaping for it, he let go the shrouds and swung with all his strength -out into the night. - -Swinging high over the sea he saw for an instant, while he was in -mid-air, the Rose of Devon surging away from under him. The single -great lanthorn was burning on her poop, and dim lights in forecastle -and cabin showed that those parts of the ship, at least, had come up -through the sea unflooded. He thought he saw a cloaked figure like a -shadow on the quarter-deck. Then he slid down into darkness till the -rope burned his hands, then he struck the water and went under, gasping -at the shock, for the sea was as cold as a mountain stream. He caught -a last glimpse of the great ship, now looming high above him, then -clutching fast the rope with one hand and wildly kicking out, he felt -with his knees what might be a man's body. - -With his free hand he reached for the body. He snatched at an arm and -missed it, then felt hair brushing his fingers and tangled them in it -and gripped it. He went down and down; then the drag of the water, for -the ship was scudding fast, raised him to the surface. The ship rolled -toward him and he again went under, overshadowed by the lofty poop -which leaned out so far that notwithstanding the tumble home he thought -the poop would come down and crush him. The ship then rolled away from -him, and the rope brought up on his arm so hard that he feared the -bones would pull from their sockets; but if he died in doing it he was -bound he would hold the rope and keep his man. - -The ship rolled till he bumped against her side and was lifted half out -of water. - -"Help!" he cried. "Help or we die!" - -He heard voices above and felt the rope move as if some one had seized -it, then the looming bulk of the ship rolled back and drove him again -down into the sea. - -He had no wind left for calling when he came up as once more the ship -rolled, but the man he held had come to life and was clinging like a -leech to the rope, which vastly lightened the strain, and some one -above was hauling on it. For a moment the two swung in air with the sea -beneath them, then the ship rolled farther and their weight rested on -planks, and hands from within the ship reached down and lifted them on -board. - -The man--and it was indeed Martin--coughed like one who is deathly -sick, as well he might be, and went rolling down the deck with a boy to -help him. But Phil, having kept his head and having swallowed no great -quantity of salt water, was able after breathing deeply a few times to -stand alone beside Will Canty whose hands had drawn him to safety, and -to perceive that waist, boat, capstan, windlass and sheet anchor were -washed away. - -He then heard a pounding and shouting aft. "What in the fiend's name -hath befallen us?" he demanded. - -"'Tis even worse than doth appear," Will cried. "The sea hath a free -passage into the hold between the timber heads. They are pumping with -both pumps. The captain hath ordered the mizzenmast cut away, the -better to keep us before the wind. Hear you not the sound of axes? -And--" - -Out of the darkness burst the mate. "Come, my hearts! Below there! Cram -blankets and hammocks into the leak, yea, the shirts from off your -backs! And then to the pumps to take your turn. And pray Almighty God -to give us sight of another day." - -There was running on the deck and shadows passed forward and aft. - -From the quarter-deck a clear voice, so sharp that it pierced the noise -of the storm, was calling, "Port the helm! Ease her, ease her! Now up! -Hard up! Ease her, ease her!" - -As the boatswain dropped through the hatch, he saw very dimly the -captain crouching under the poop, his cloak drawn close about him. - -There was wild confusion below, for as the ship rolled to starboard the -sea burst in through the great gap along the timber heads and pushed -through the gap and into the ship the blankets and rugs that were -stuffed in place. Though the men leaped after them and came scrambling -back to force them again into place between the timbers, and though -they tore down hammocks and jammed them in with the blankets to fill -the great opening, yet as the ship again rolled and the sea once more -came surging against the barrier, they again fled before it, and again -the sea cleared the gap and came flooding in upon the deck. It was a -sight to fill a brave man with despair. - -The more hands made faster work, and though the labour seemed spent in -vain they stuffed the gap anew. But now when the ship again rolled to -starboard an old seaman raised his hand and roared, "Every man to his -place and hold against the sea! Stay! Hold fast your ground!--Come, -bullies, hold hard!--Good fellows! See, we have won!" - -They had perceived his meaning and braced themselves and with their -hands they had held the stuffing in the gap until the pressure ceased, -which was more of a feat than a man might think, since despite their -every effort the sea had found passage in great strong streams, yet -they held to the last; and when the ship rolled back, Boatswain Marsham -cried out:-- - -"Now, Master Carpenter, quick! Bring great nails and hammer and a plank -or two. Yare, yare!" - -"Yea, yea," the carpenter cried, and came running down the deck. - -The men held the planking and the carpenter drove home the nails -and thus they made the plank fast along the timbers behind the gap, -where it would serve to brace the stuffing. Between the plank and the -stuffing they forced a great mass of other wadding, and though the ship -rolled ever so deeply the plank held against the sea. They left it so; -but all that night, which seemed as long as any night they had ever -seen, no man slept in the Rose of Devon, for they still feared lest the -sea should batter away the plank and work their undoing. - -All night long they kept the pumps going and all night long they feared -their labour would be lost. But at four in the morning one of the pumps -sucked, which gave them vast comfort, and at daybreak they gave thanks -to God, who had kept them safe until dawn. - -The storm had passed and the sky was clear, and Phil and Martin met at -sunrise. - -"Since thou hast haled me out of the sea by the hair of my head," quoth -Martin, after the manner of one who swallows a grievance he can ill -stomach, "I must e'en give thee good morrow." - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE MASTER'S GUEST - - -"A sail! A sail!" - -The seas had somewhat abated and the Rose of Devon was standing on her -course under reefed mainsail when the cry sounded. - -The vessel they sighted lay low in the water; and since she had one -tall mast forward and what appeared to be a lesser mast aft they -thought her a ketch. But while they debated the matter the faint sound -of guns fired in distress came over the sea; and loosing the reef of -their mainsail and standing directly toward the stranger, the men in -the Rose of Devon soon made her out to be, instead, a ship which had -lost her mainmast and mizzenmast and was wallowing like a log. While -the Rose of Devon was still far off, her men saw that some of the -strange crew were aloft in the rigging and that others were huddled on -the quarter-deck; and when, in the late afternoon, she came up under -the stranger's stern, the unknown master and his men got down on their -knees on the deck and stretched their arms above their bare heads. - -"Save us," they cried in a doleful voice, "for the Lord Jesus' sake! -For our ship hath six-foot water in the hold and we can no longer keep -her afloat." - -In all the Rose of Devon there was not a heart but relented at their -lamentable cry, not a man but would do his utmost to lend them aid. - -"Hoist out thy boat and we will stand by to succour thee," Captain -Candle called. "We can do no more, for we ha' lost our own boat in the -storm." - -It appeared they had but one boat, which was small, so they must needs -divide the crew to leave their vessel, part at one time and part at -another; and the seas still ran so high, though wind and wave had -moderated, that it seemed impossible they could make the passage. With -men at both her pumps the Rose of Devon lay by the wind, wallowing and -plunging, and her own plight seemed a hard one. But the poor stranger, -though ever and again she rose on the seas so that the water drained -from her scupper-holes, lay for the most part with her waist a-wash -and a greater sea than its fellows would rise high on the stumps of -mainmast and mizzenmast. Her ropes dragged over the side and her -sails were a snarl of canvas torn to shreds, and a very sad sight she -presented. - -Three times they tried to hoist out their boat and failed; but the -fourth time they got clear, and with four men rowing and one steering -and seven with hats and caps heaving out the water, they came in the -twilight slowly down the wind past the Rose of Devon and up into her -lee. - -The men at the waist of the ship saw more clearly, now, the features -of those in the boat, and the one in the stern who handled the great -steering oar had in the eyes of Philip Marsham an oddly familiar look. -Phil gazed at the man, then he turned to Martin and knew he was not -mistaken, for Martin's mouth was agape and he was on the very point of -crying out. - -"Holla!" Martin yelled. - -The man in the stern of the boat looked up and let his eyes range -along the waist of the ship. Not one of all those in sight on board -the Rose of Devon escaped his scrutiny, which was quick and sure; -but he looked Martin coldly in the face without so much as a nod of -recognition; and though his brief glance met Phil's gaze squarely and -seemed for the moment to linger and search the lad's thoughts, it then -passed to the one at Phil's side. - -It was the thin man who had been Martin's companion on the road--it was -Tom Jordan--it was the Old One. - -Martin's face flamed, but he held his tongue. - -A line thrown to the boat went out through the air in coils that -straightened and sagged down between the foremost thwarts. A sailor -in the boat, seizing the line, hauled upon it with might and main. -The Old One hotly cursed him, and bellowed, "Fend off, fend off, thou -slubbering clown! Thy greed to get into the ship will be the means of -drowning us all." - -Some thrust out oars to fend away from the side of the ship and some -held back; but two or three, hungering for safety, gave him no heed and -hauled on the rope and struggled to escape out of their little boat, -which was already half full of water. The Old One then rose with a look -of the Fiend in his eyes and casting the steering oar at the foremost -of them, knocked the man over into the sea, where he sank, leaving a -blotch of red on the surface, which was a terrible sight and brought -the others to observe the Old One's commands. - -Some cried "Save him!" but the Old One roared, "Let the mutinous dog -go!" - -Perhaps he was right, for there are times when it takes death to -maintain the discipline that will save many lives. At all events it -was then too late to save either the man or the boat, for although they -strove thereafter to do as the Old One bade them, the boat had already -thumped against the side of the ship and it was each man for himself -and the Devil take the last. The men above threw other ropes and bent -over to give a hand to the poor fellows below, and all but the man who -had sunk came scrambling safe on board. - -The Old One leaned out and looked down at the boat, which lay full of -water, with a great hole in her side. - -"I would have given my life sooner than let this happen," he said. -"There are seven men left on board our ship, who trusted me to save -them. Indeed, I had not come away but these feared lest without the -master you should refuse to take them. What say ye, my baw-cocks, shall -we venture back for our shipmates?" - -Looking down at the boat and at the gaping holes the sea had stove by -throwing her against the Rose of Devon, the men made no reply. - -"Not one will venture back? Is there no one of ye?" - -"'Twere madness," one began. "We should--" - -"See! She hath gone adrift!" - -And in truth, her gunwales under water, the boat was already drifting -astern. At the end of the painter, which a Rose of Devon's man still -held, there dangled a piece of broken board. - -"Let us bring thy ship nigh under the lee of mine," the Old One cried -to Captain Candle. "It may be that by passing a line we can yet save -them." - -"It grieves me sorely to refuse them aid, but to approach nearer, with -the darkness now drawing upon us, were an act of folly that might well -cost the lives of us all. Mine own ship is leaking perilously and in -this sea, were the two to meet, both would most certainly go down." - -The Old One looked about and nodded. "True," said he. "There is no -recovering the boat and darkness is upon us. Let us go as near to -the ship as we may and bid them have courage till morning, when, God -willing, we shall try to get aboard and save them." - -"That we will. And I myself will con the ship." - -Leaning over the rail, Tom Jordan, the Old One, called out, "Holla, my -hearts! The boat hath gone adrift with her sides stove; but do you make -a raft and keep abroad a light until morning, when God helping us, we -will endeavor to get you aboard." - -Perceiving for the first time that the boat was gone and there was -no recovering her, those left on board the wreck gave a cry so sad -that it pierced the hearts of all in the Rose of Devon, whose men saw -them through the dusk doing what they could to save themselves; and -presently their light appeared. - -Working the Rose of Devon to windward of the wreck, Captain Candle lay -by, but all his endeavours could not avail to help them, for about ten -o'clock at night, three hours after the Old One and his ten men had got -on board the Rose of Devon, their ship sank and their light went out -and seven men lost their lives. - -The Old One, standing beside Captain Candle, had watched the light to -the last. "It is a bitter grief to bear," he said, "for they were seven -brave men. A master could desire no better mariners. 'Tis the end of -the Blue Friggat from Virginia, bound for Portsmouth, wanting seven -weeks." - -"A man can go many years to sea without meeting such a storm." - -"Yea! Three days ago when the wind was increasing all night we kept -only our two courses abroad. At daybreak we handed our main course, -but before we had secured it the storm burst upon us so violently that -I ordered the foreyard lowered away; but not with all their strength -could the men get it down, and of them all not one had a knife to cut -away the sail, for they wore only their drawers without pockets; so the -gale drove us head into the sea and stopped our way and a mighty sea -pooped us and filled us and we lay with only our masts and forecastle -out of the water. I myself, being fastened to the mizzenmast with a -rope, had only my head out of water. Yea, we expected to go straight -down to the bottom, but God of his infinite goodness was pleased to -draw us from the deep and another sea lifted up our ship. We got down -our foresail and stowed it and bored holes between the decks to let -the water into the hold and by dint of much pumping we kept her afloat -until now. In all we have lost eight lives this day and a sad day it -is." - -"From Virginia, wanting seven weeks," Captain Candle mused. - -Captain Jordan stole a swift glance at him but saw no suspicion in his -face. - -"Yea, from Virginia." - -"You shall share mine own cabin but I fear you have come only from one -wreck to another." - -The two captains sat late that night at the table in the great cabin, -one on each side, and ate and drank. There was fine linen on the table, -and bread of wheat flour with butter less than two weeks from the -dairy, and a fine old cheese, and a mutton stew, and canary and sack -and aqua vitæ. At midnight they were still lingering over the suckets -and almonds and comfits that the boy had set before them; and the boy, -nodding in uncontrollable drowsiness as he stood behind his master's -chair, strove to keep awake. - -The murmuring voices of the men at the helm came faintly through the -bulkhead, and up from below the deck came the creak of whipstaff and -tiller. The moon, shining through the cabin window, added its wan light -to the yellow radiance from the swinging lanthorns, and stars were to -be seen. So completely had wind and weather changed in a night and a -day that, save for the long rolling swell, the great gap where waist -and boat and capstan had gone, the hole stuffed with blankets and -rugs and hammocks, the stump of a mizzenmast, and the rescued men on -board--save for these, a man might have forgotten storms and wrecks. - -"You are well found," said Captain Thomas Jordan, tilting his glass -and watching the wine roll toward the brim; "yea, and we are in good -fortune." His thin face, as he lifted his brows and slightly smiled at -his host, settled into the furrowed wrinkles that had won him the name -of the Old One. - -"We can give such entertainment as is set before you," his host drily -replied. Francis Candle was too shrewd a man to miss his guest's -searching appraisal of the cabin and its furnishings. In his heart he -already distrusted the fellow. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND MORNING - - -Through the main deck to the gun-room and up into the forecastle there -drifted smoke from the cookroom in the hold, which was the way of those -old ships. At times it set choking the men at the pumps; it eddied -about the water cask before the mainmast and about the riding butts by -the heel of the bowsprit, and went curling out of the hawse pipes. It -crept insidiously into the forecastle, and the men cursed fluently when -their eyes began to smart and their noses to sting. - -There were seven men in the forecastle and Martin Barwick was one of -the seven, although his watch was on deck and he had no right to be -there. Philip Marsham, whose watch was below, had stayed because he -suspected there was some strange thing in the wind and was determined -to learn if possible what it was. Two of the others were younkers of -the Rose of Devon, who suspected nothing, and the remaining three were -of the rescued men. - -There was a step above and a round head appeared in the hatch. The dim -smoky light gave a strange appearance to the familiar features. - -"Ho, cook!" Martin cried, and thumped on the table. "Come thou down -and bring us what tidings the boy hath brought thee in the cookroom. -Yea, though the cook labour in the very bowels of the ship, is it not a -proverb that he alone knows all that goes on?" - -Slipping through the hatch, the cook drew a great breath and sat him -down by the table. "She was the Blue Friggat, I hear, and seven weeks -from Virginia--God rest the souls of them who went down in her!" - -"From Virginia!" quoth Martin. "Either th' art gulled, in truth, or th' -art the very prince of liars. From Virginia! Ho ho!" And Martin laughed -loud and long. - -Now it was for such a moment that Philip Marsham was waiting, nor had -he doubted the moment would come. For although Martin had gone apart -with the men who had come from the foundered ship, the fellow's head, -which was larger than most heads, could never keep three ideas in -flourish at the same time. To learn what game was in the wind there was -need only to keep close at Martin's heels until his blunders should -disclose his secrets. - -"The Devil take thee, thou alehouse dog!" the cook cried in a thick, -wheezy voice. "Did not the boy bring me word straight when he came down -for a can of boiling water with which this Captain Jordan would prepare -a wondrous drink for Captain Candle?" - -"And did not I part with this Captain Jordan not--Wow-ouch!" With a -yell Martin tipped back in his chair and went over. Crawling on his -feet, he put on a long face and rubbed his head and hurled a flood of -oaths at the sailor beside him, a small man and round like an apple, -who went among his fellows--for he was one of those the Rose of Devon -had rescued--by the name of Harry Malcolm. - -"Nay," the little round man very quietly replied, "I fear you not, for -all your bluster. Put your hand on your tongue, fellow, and see if -you cannot hold it. I had not intended to tip you over. It was done -casually." - -"And why, perdy, did'st thou jam thy foot on mine till the bones -crunched? I'll have thy heart's blood." - -"Nay," the man replied, so quietly, so calmly that he might have been -a clerk sitting on his stool, "you have a way of talking overmuch, -fellow, and I have a misliking of speech that babbles like a brook. It -can make trouble." - -Martin stopped as if he had lost his voice, but continued to glare at -the stranger, who still regarded him with no concern. - -"It is thy weakness, fellow," he said, "and--" he looked very hard at -Martin--"it may yet be the occasion of thine untimely end." - -For a moment Martin stood still, then, swallowing once or twice, he -went out of the dimly lighted forecastle into the darkness of the deck. - -"He appears," the little man said, addressing the others, "to be an -excitable fellow. Alas, what trouble a brisk tongue can bring upon a -man!" - -The little man, Harry Malcolm, looked from one to another and longest -at Phil. - -Now Phil could not say there had been a hidden meaning in the hard look -the little man had given Martin or in the long look the little man had -given Phil himself. But he knew that whether this was so or not, there -was no more to be got that night from Martin, and he in turn, further -bepuzzled by the little man's words and after all not much enlightened -by Martin's blunder, left the forecastle to seek the main deck. - -Passing the great cannon lashed in their places, and leaving behind him -the high forecastle, he came into the shadow of the towering poop on -which the lantern glowed yellow in the blue moonlight, and continued -aft to the hatch ladder. Already it was long past midnight. - -He imagined he heard voices in the great cabin, and although he well -enough knew that it was probably only imagination,--for the cabin door -was closed fast,--the presence of the Old One on board the Rose of -Devon was enough to make a man imagine things, who had sat in Mother -Taylor's cottage and listened to talk of the gentlemen who sailed from -Bideford. He paused at the head of the ladder and listened, but heard -nothing more. - -An hour passed. There were fewer sounds to break the silence. There is -no time like the very early morning for subtle and mysterious deeds. - -Boatswain Marsham was asleep below and Captain Candle was asleep aft, -when Captain Jordan arose and stretched himself, and in a voice that -would have been audible to Captain Candle if he had been awake but that -was so low it did not disturb his sleep, vowed he must breathe fresh -air ere he could bury his head in a blanket for the night. - -Emerging from the great cabin, Captain Jordan climbed first to the -poop, whence he looked down on the brave old ship and the wide space of -sky and darkly heaving sea within the circle of the horizon. To look -thus at the sea is enough to make a philosopher of a thinking man, and -this Captain Thomas Jordan was by no means devoid of thought. - -But whereas many a one who stands under the bright stars in the small -morning hours feels himself a brother with the most trifling creatures -that live and is filled with humility to consider in relation to the -immeasurable powers of the universe his weakness during even his brief -space of life--whereas such a one perceives himself to be, like the -prophets of ancient times, in a Divine Presence, the Old One, his -face strangely youthful in its repose, threw back his head and softly -laughed, as if there high on the poop he were a god of the heathen, who -could blot out with his thumb the ship and all the souls that sailed -in her. His face had again a haunting likeness to the devils in the -old wood-cuts; and indeed there is something of the devil in the very -egotism of a man who can thus assert his vain notions at such an hour. - -Presently descending from the poop and with a nod passing on the -quarter-deck the officer of the watch, he paced for a time the -maintop-deck. He pretended to absorb himself in the sea and the damage -the storm had done to the waist; but he missed nothing that happened -and he observed the whereabouts of every man in the watch. - -Edging slowly forward, he stood at last beside a big man who was -leaning in the shadow of the forecastle. - -"We meet sooner than you thought," he said in a low voice. - -"Yea, for we were long on the road and entangled ourselves wonderfully -among those byways and high-ways which cross the country in a manner -perplexing beyond belief." - -"Saw you your brother?" - -"In all truth I saw him--and the Devil take him!" - -The Old One laughed softly. - -"It is plain thy brother hath little love for a shipwrecked mariner," -quoth he, "yet there is a most memorable antiquity about the use of -ships, and even greater gluttons than thy brother have supped light -that worthy seamen might not go hungry to bed. We will speak of him -another time. What think you of this pretty pup we have met by the -way?--Ah, thine eye darkens! Methinks thou hast more than once felt the -rough side of his tongue." - -"He bears himself somewhat struttingly--" Martin hesitated, but added -perforce, since he had received a friendly turn he could not soon -forget, "yet he hath his good points." - -"He was one too many for thee! Nay, confess it!" - -"Th' art a filthy rascal!" Martin's face burned with anger. - -"I knew he would be too cunning for thy wool-gathering wits. Truly I -believe he is a lad after my own heart. I have marked him well." - -"But hast thou plumbed his inclination with thy sounding lead?" - -"Why, no. At worst, he can disappear. It has happened to taller men -than he, and in a land where there are men at arms to come asking -questions." - -"Hgh!" - -"This for thy whining, though: we shall play upon him lightly. Some are -not worth troubling over, but this lad is a cunning rogue and hath book -learning." - -"Came you in search of this ship?" - -"It was chance alone that brought us across her course. Chance alone, -Martin, that brought your old captain back to you." - -Watching Martin, as he spoke, the Old One again laughed softly. - -"Yea, Martin, it touches the heart of your old captain to see with what -pleasure you receive him." - -"Th' art a cunning devil," Martin muttered, and babbled oaths and -curses. - -"We must sleep, Martin--sleep and eat, for we are spent with much -labour and many hardships, and it is well for them to sail our ship for -us a while longer. But the hour will come, and do you then stand by." - -The Old One went aft. The ship rolled drowsily and the watch nodded. -Surveying her aloft and alow, as a man does who is used to command, and -not as a guest on board might do, the Old One left the deck. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -HEAD WINDS AND A ROUGH SEA - - -"Lacking the mizzen she labours by the wind, which hath veered sadly -during the night," quoth Captain Jordan in a sleepy voice, as with his -host he came upon deck betimes. - -"I like it little," the master replied. - -"It would be well to lay a new course and sail on a new voyage. There -is small gain to be got from these fisheries. A southern voyage, now, -promises returns worth the labour." - -To this Captain Candle made no reply. He studied the sore damage done -to the ship, upon which already the carpenter was at work. - -"With a breadth of canvas and hoops to batten the edges fast, and -over all a coating of tar, a man might make her as tight and dry as -you please," said the Old One. He smiled when he spoke and his manner -galled his host. - -"It was in my own mind," Captain Candle replied, with an angry lift -of his head. There are few things more grievously harassing than the -importunity and easy assurance of a guest of whom there is no riddance. -It puts a man where he is peculiarly helpless to defend himself, and -already Captain Candle's patience had ebbed far. "Bid the boatswain -overhaul his canvas, mate, and the carpenter prepare such material as -be needful. Aye, and bid the 'liar' stand ready to go over the side. -'Twill cool his hot pride, of which it seems he hath full measure." - -"Yea, yea!" - -As the master paced the deck, back and forth and back and forth, -the Old One walked at his side--for he was a shrewd schemer and had -calculated his part well--until the master's gorge rose. "I must return -to the cabin," he said at last, "and overhaul my journal." - -"I will bear you company." - -"No, no!" - -The Old One smiled as if in deprecation; but as the master turned away, -the smile broadened to a grin. - -Boatswain Marsham and the one-eyed carpenter who wore a beard like -a goat's were on their way to the forehold. The cook and his mate -were far down in the cookroom. Ten men in the watch below were sound -asleep--but Martin Barwick, the eleventh man in the watch, was on deck, -_and of the eleven rescued men not one was below_. With Captain Candle -safe in his cabin and busied over his journal, there were left from the -company of the Rose of Devon eight men and the mate, and one man of the -eight was at the helm. These the Old One counted as he took a turn on -the quarter-deck. - -The Old One and his men were refreshed by a night of sleep and restored -by good food. To all appearances, without care or thought to trouble -them, they ruffled about the deck. One was standing just behind the -mate; two were straying toward the steerage. - -"Thy boatswain is a brave lad," the Old One said to the mate, and -stepping in front of him, he spread his legs and folded his arms. - -The mate nodded. He had less liking for their guest, if it were -possible, than the captain. - -"A brave lad," the Old One repeated. "I can use him." - -"You?" - -"Yea, I." - -The mate drew back a step, as a man does when another puts his face too -near. He was on the point of speaking; but before his lips had phrased -a word the Old One raised his hand and the man behind the mate drove -six inches of blue steel into the mate's back, between his ribs and -through his heart. - -He died in the Old One's arms, for the Old One caught him before he -fell, and held him thus. - -"Well done," the Old One said to his man. - -"Not so well as one could wish," the man replied, wiping his knife on -the mate's coat. "He perished quietly enough, but the knife bit into a -rib and the feeling of a sharp knife dragging upon bone sets my teeth -on edge." - -The Old One laughed. "Thy stomach is exceeding queasy," he said. "Come, -let us heave him over the side." - -All this, remember, had happened quickly and very quietly. There were -the three men standing by the quarter-deck ladder--the Old One and his -man and the mate--and by all appearances the Old One merely put out -his hands in a friendly manner to the other, for the knife thrust was -hidden by a cloak. But now the mate's head fell forward in a queer, -lackadaisical way and four of the Old One's men, perceiving what they -looked for, slipped past him through the door to the steerage room, -where they clapped down the hatch to the main deck. One stood on the -hatch; two stood by the door of the great cabin; and the fourth, -stepping up to the man at the helm, flashed a knife from his sleeve -and cut the fellow down. - -It was a deft blow, but not so sure as the thrust that had killed the -mate. The helmsman dropped the whipstaff and, falling, gave forth a -yell and struck at his assailant, who again let drive at him with the -knife and finished the work, so that the fellow lay with bloody froth -at his lips and with fingers that twitched a little and then were still. - -The man who had killed him took the whipstaff and called softly, -"Holla, master! We hold the helm!" then from his place he heard a -sailor cry out, "The mate is falling! Lend him aid!" - -Then the Old One's voice, rising to a yell, called, "Stand back! Stand -off! Now, my hearts!" - -There came a quick tempest of voices, a shrill cry, the pounding of -many feet, then a splash, then a cry wilder and more shrill than any -before, "Nay, I yield--quarter! Quarter, I say! Mercy! God's mercy, I -beg of you! Help--O God!" - -There was at the same time a rumble of hoarse voices and a sound of -great struggling, then a shriek and a second splash. - -The man at the helm kicked the dead helmsman to one side and listened. -In the great cabin, behind the bulkhead at his back, he heard a sudden -stir. As between the mainmast and the forecastle the yells rose louder, -the great cabin door burst open and out rushed Captain Francis Candle -in a rich waist with broad cuffs at his wrists, his hair new oiled -with jessamine butter, and gallant bows at his knees, for he was a -fine gentleman who had first gone to sea as a lieutenant in the King's -service. As he rushed out the door the man lying in wait on the left -struck a fierce blow to stab him, but the knife point broke on a steel -plate which it seemed Captain Candle wore concealed to foil just such -dastardly work. - -Thereupon, turning like a flash, Captain Candle spitted the scoundrel -with his sword. But the man lying in wait on the right of the door saw -his fellow's blow fail and perceived the reason, and leaping on the -captain from behind, he seized his oiled hair with one hand and hauled -back his head, and reaching forward with the other hand, drove a knife -into the captain's bare throat. - -Dark blood from a severed vein streamed out over Captain Candle's -collar and his gay waist. He coughed and his eyes grew dull. He let go -his sword, which remained stuck through the body of the man who had -first struck at him, clapped his hand to his neck, and went down in a -heap. - -The yells on deck had ceased and the man who had killed Francis Candle, -after glancing into the great cabin where the captain's cloak lay -spread over the chair from which he rose to step out of his door and -die,--where the captain's pen lay across the pages of the open journal -and a bottle of the captain's wine, which he had that morning shared -with his guest, Captain Thomas Jordan, stood beside the unstoppered -bottle of ink,--walked forth upon the deck and nodded to the Old One, -who stood with his hand on the after swivel gun. - -There were a few splotches of blood on the deck and three men of the -Rose of Devon's crew lay huddled in a heap; there were left standing -three other men of the Rose of Devon, and sick enough they looked; -Martin Barwick was stationed by the ladder to the forecastle, where -he stood like a pigeon cock with his head haughtily in the air and his -chest thrust out; and the little round apple of a man, Harry Malcolm, -who had broken in upon Martin the night before, bearing now a new -and bloody gash across his forehead, was prowling among the guns and -tapping the breech rings with a knowing air. - -The Old One from the quarter-deck looked down at the new comer. - -"Rab took the steel," the fellow said. - -"Rab!" the Old One cried. "Not Rab, you say?" - -"Yea, he struck first but the master wore an iron shirt which turned -the point and he was then at him with his sword." - -"We have lost nine good men by this devil-begotten storm, but of them -all Rab is the one I am most loath to see go to the sharks." The Old -One paced the deck a while and the others talked in undertones. "Yea, -Martin," he called at last, "nine good men. But we have got us a ship -and I have great hopes of our boatswain, who may yet make us two of -Rab. At all events, my bullies, we must lay us a new course, for I have -no liking of these northern fisheries. Hark! They are pounding on the -hatch." - -The sound of knocking and a muffled calling came from the main hatch, -whereat the men on deck looked at one another and some of them smiled. - -"It were well--" the little round man began. He glanced at the huddled -bodies and shrugged. - -"True, true!" the Old One replied, for he needed no words to complete -the meaning. "You men of the Rose of Devon, heave them into the sea." - -The three looked at one another and hesitated, and the youngest of the -three turned away his face and put his hand on his belly, and sick -enough he looked, at which a great laugh went up. - -"Go, Harry," the Old One cried to the little round man, "and tell them -at the hatch to be still, for that we shall presently have them on -deck. We must learn our brave recruits a lesson." - -Again a roar of laughter rose, and as the little man went in to -the hatch, the others drew about the three who cowered against the -forecastle ladder, as well they might. - -"Come, silly dogs," said the Old One, "in faith, you must earn your -foolish lives. Lay hands on those carcasses and heave them to the -fishes." - -They looked into the faces of the men about them, but got small comfort -as they edged toward their unwelcome task. - -"It is hard to use thus a shipmate of three voyages," the oldest of -them muttered. - -"True," replied the Old One, "but so shall you buy your way into a -goodlier company of shipmates, who traffic in richer cargoes than -pickled codfish and New England herrings." - -The three picked up the bodies, one at a time, each with its arms and -legs dragging, and carried them to the waist and pushed them over. But -the youngest of the three was trembling like a dead weed in November -when they had finished, and the Old One chuckled to see the fellow's -white face. - -"Have courage, bawcock," the Old One cried; "there shall soon be -a round of aqua vitæ to warm thy shaking limbs and send the blood -coursing through thy veins. Now, Mate Harry, lift off the hatch and -summon our good boatswain and carpenter." - -"As you please, as you please," came the quick, gentle voice of the -little round man. "But there are two of 'em left still--Rab and the -captain--and there's a deal of blood hereabouts." - -They heard the hatch creak as the little man pried it off. They heard -his quick sentences pattering out one after another: "Hasten out on -deck--nay, linger not. The master would have speech of thee. Nay, -linger not. Ask me no questions! There's no time for lingering." - -Then out burst Phil Marsham with the older carpenter puffing at his -heels. - -"What's afoot?" cried Phil. "Where's the master?--what--where--" - -So speedily had they hurried from the hatch (and so cleverly had the -little round man interposed himself between the hatch and the two -bodies at the cabin door) that in the dim light of the steerage room -the two had perceived nothing amiss. But now, looking about for the -source of the fierce cries and yells they had heard, they saw red -stains on the deck, and men with scared white faces. - -All looked toward the Old One as if awaiting his reply; and when -Phil Marsham, too, looked toward him, he met such another quizzing, -searching, understanding gaze as he had long ago met when he had taken -the words from Martin's lips on the little hill beside the road. - -"Why, I am master now, good boatswain." - -"But Captain Candle--" - -"His flame is out." - -The lad glanced about him at the circle of hard old sea dogs--for they -were all of them that, were their years few or many--and drew away till -he stood with the waist at his back. Laying hands on his dirk, he said -in a voice that slightly trembled, "And now?" - -"Why," quoth the Old One, "you have sat in Mother Taylor's kitchen and -heard talk of the gentlemen. You know too many secrets. Unless you are -one of us--" He finished with a shrug. - -"You ask me, then, to join you?" - -"Yea." - -"I refuse." He looked the Old One in the eye. - -"Why, then," said the Old One, "you are the greater fool." - -The circle drew closer. - -"What then?" - -"'Tis but another candle to be snuffed." - -With hand on dirk and with back against the waist, the boatswain looked -one and another and then another in the eye. "Why, then," said he, "I -must even join you, as you say. But I call upon you all to witness I am -a forced man." And he looked longest and hardest at the three men from -the old crew of the Rose of Devon. - -The Old One looked back at the lad and there was, for the first time, -doubt in his glance. He stood for a while pondering in silence all that -had taken place and studying the face of his boatswain; but his liking -of the lad's spirit outweighed his doubts, for such bold independence, -whether in friend or foe, was the one sure key to Tom Jordan's heart. -"So be it," he said at last. "But remember, my fine young fellow, that -many a cockerel hath got his neck wrung by crowing out of season." He -turned to the carpenter. "And what say you? We can use a man of your -craft." - -"I am thy man!" the fellow cried. The stains on the deck had made him -surpassingly eager, and his one eye winked and his beard wagged, so -eager was he to declare his allegiance. - -"Well said!" the Old One responded. "And now, Master Harry, have them -up from below--the sleepers, and the cook and his mate, and all! We -have taken a fine ship--a fine ship she will be, at all events, once -our good carpenter has done his work--and well found. We needs must -sign a crew to sail and fight her." - -They heard the little round man calling down the hatch and at a great -distance in the ship they heard the voices of men grumbling at being -summoned out of sleep. But the grumbling was stilled when one by one -the men came out on deck; and of them all, not a man refused to cast -his lot with the Old One and the rest. The mere sight of a little blood -and of the hard faces that greeted them was enough for most. And two or -three, of whom Will Canty was one, must fain perceive how futile would -be present resistance. Indeed, in the years since the old Queen had -died, and the navy had gone to the dogs, and merchantmen had come to -sail from the Downs knowing they were likely enough to meet a squadron -of galleys lying in wait fifty leagues off the Lizard, many a sailor -had taken his fling at buccaneering; and those that had not, had heard -such great tales of galleons laden with treasures of the Indies and -with beautiful dames of Spain that their palates were whetted for a -taste of the life. - -The cook smiled broadly and clapped the boy on the back and cried out -that as a little lad he had sailed with John Jennings what time John -Jennings's wench had turned his luck, and that having begun life in -such brave company, he would gladly end it in a proper voyage if it -was written that his time was near. They all laughed to see the boy -turn white and tremble, and they huzzaed the cook for his gallant -words. But Will Canty met Phil's eyes and there passed between them a -look that made the Old One frown, for he was a man who saw everything. - -The Rose of Devon, although close-hauled by the wind, rolled heavily, -which was the way of those old tall ships; but the adverse winds and -high seas she had encountered were of fancy as well as of fact. The sun -was shining brightly and sky and sea were a clear blue; but despite -sun and sky and sea no weatherwise man could have believed the dark -days of the Rose of Devon were at an end. Like so many iron bars the -shadows of the ropes fell blue on the sails, and the red blotches on -the deck matched the dull red paint of the stanchions and the waist. -The carpenter, who had come up with his plane in his hand, fingered the -steel blade. The boy turned his back on the bloody deck and looked away -at the sea, for he was a little fellow and not hardened by experience -of the world. - -"Come, my hearts," cried the Old One, and gaily enough he spoke. -"We are banded together for the good of all. There is no company of -merchants to profit by our labour and our blood. God hath placed in -our keeping this brave ship, which will be staunch and sea-worthy -when our carpenter hath done his work. Harry Malcolm is our mate -and master gunner as of old, and Phil Marsham shall continue as our -boatswain--nay, grumble not! He came with Martin Barwick and he hath -sat in Mother Taylor's kitchen, where may we all sit soon and raise our -cans and drink thanks for a rich voyage. There is work to be done, for -all must be made clean and tight--yea, and Rab is to be buried." - -The little round man was still wandering from gun to gun and smiling -because the guns pleased him. They were demiculverins of brass, bored -for a twelve-pound ball and fit to fight the King's battles; but alas! -they had shown themselves powerless against a foe from within the ship. -And as the Rose of Devon rolled along in the bright sun, alone in a -blue sea, the body of Francis Candle lay forgotten in the steerage -room. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE PORCUPINE KETCH - - -Looking down from the quarter-deck the Old One spied the cook, who had -come up to warm his bald head and fat face in the sun and to clear the -smoke from his nostrils. "Ho, cook," quoth he, "I have a task for thee. -Break out from the cabin stores rice and currants and cinnamon and the -finest of thy wheaten flour. Seek you also a few races of green ginger. -It may chance there is even a little marchpane, for this man Candle had -a gentle palate. Spare not your old cheese, and if you unearth a cask -of fine wine fail not to tell of it. In a word, draw forth an abundance -of the best and make us such a feast as a man may remember in his old -age." - -The cook smiled and rubbed his round paunch (yet cringed a little), for -he was of a mind, being never slow in such matters, to filch from the -cabin table whatever he might desire and his heart warmed to hear the -good victuals named. "Yea, master," he cried, "for thee and for Mate -Malcolm?" - -"Nay, thou parsimonious dog! Think you that such are the manners of -gentlemen mariners? Times have changed. Though I be master, there is no -salt at my board. One man is as good as another and any man may rub his -shoulder with mine." - -The Old One's own men chuckled at the cook's blank face and the boy -shivered when he thought that he must wait on them all, of whom one was -as likely as another to fetch him a blow on the head. But the cook -went down below and they heard him bawling to his mate to come and help -break out the cabin stores, and word went through the ship of what -was afoot. And though Will Canty and the boatswain, meeting, glanced -dubiously each at the other, as did others of the Rose of Devon's old -company,--for matters are in a sad way in a ship when the master feasts -the men,--all the foolish fellows were clapping one another on the back -and crying that here was a proper captain, and there was none quite so -mad as to dispute them in so many words. - -The smoke grew thick between the decks, and after a while there rose -the smell of baking and roasting, and the foolish ones patted their -bellies and smacked their lips. They whispered about that the boy was -spreading with a linen cloth the table in the great cabin and that the -cook's mate was staggering under weight of rich food; and when the cook -called for men to hoist out a cask of such nectar as poor sailors know -not the like of, a great cheer went up and there were more hands to -haul than there was room on the rope. - -The Old One, leaning on the poop, smiled and Harry Malcolm, coming to -join him, smiled too; for they knew well the hearts of sailormen and -did nothing without a purpose. - -So the table was laid and the feast was spread and in came the men. -Only one remained at the helm, for the wind was light, which made -light his task; six remained on deck to watch and stand by, with Harry -Malcolm curled against the light gun on the quarter-deck to command -them; and the cook and his mate, resting from their labours far down in -the hold, gorged themselves on good food and drank themselves drunk -on nappy liquor from a cask they had cannily marked for their own -among the cabin stores. Of the rest, all that could find room crowded -into the great cabin, and all that could find no room in the cabin -squatted on the deck outside the door on the very spot where Francis -Candle had fallen dead. They sat with their backs against bulkheads and -stanchions, where they, too, could join in the feast and the council; -and the boy, when all were fed, gathered meat from under the table like -old King Adoni-bezek of unhappy memory. - -It was a sight to remember, for very merry they were and save as they -were rough, hard-featured men, a man would never have dreamed they bore -blood on their hands and murder on their hearts. The Old One sat at the -head of the table and took care that neither food nor wine was stinted. -The carpenter, his one eye twinkling with pleasure and his beard -waggling in his haste lest another should get ahead of him at trencher -work, sat on the Old One's right, which was accorded him as a mark of -honour since he had accomplished marvels in restoring the planking the -storm had torn asunder. A stout seaman of the rescued men, Paul Craig -by name--it was he who had needed two blows to kill the helmsman--sat -at the Old One's left and squared his big shoulders over his meat and -ate like a hog till he could hold no more, for he was an ox of great -girth and short temper and little wit, who ate by custom more than did -him good. Another of gaunt frame, Joseph Kirk by name, sat smiling at a -man here and a man there and tippled till his head wagged; and off in -a corner there sat a keen little man with a hooked nose, who was older -than most of those in the cabin yet had scarcely a wrinkle to mar the -smoothness of his shaven face save above and behind his eyes, where a -few deep lines gave him the wild look of a hawk. - -When he spoke, which was seldom, thick gutturals confused his words, -and always he sat in corners. Does not a man looking out of a corner, -with a wall on two sides of him and no one behind him, see more than -another? His Christian name was Jacob and most of them knew him by no -other; but mocking him they called it "Yacob." Further than that, which -he took with a wry smile, they refrained from mocking him, for though -he spoke little, his silence said much. - -The Old One rose and very sober he was as he held high a brimming can, -and so steady was his hand that not a drop spilled. For a space he -paused and looked around at the rough company seated at the long table -and crouching in the mellow shadows beyond the door, then, "To the -King!" he cried. - -Those not knowing him well, who stared in perplexity at such a toast -in such a place and time, saw his eyes twinkle and perceived he was -looking at old Jacob in the corner. Then old Jacob, smiling as at a -familiar jest, rose in turn and raised his can likewise, and pausing to -look about him, cried back at the Old One in his thick foreign voice, -"The King and his ships--be damned!" - -A yell of laughter and derision shook the cabin. The one-eyed carpenter -leaped up first, then such of the rescued men as were not too drunk to -stand, then here and there men of the Rose of Devon's company, some -eagerly in all earnestness, others having a mind to keep their throats -in one piece, for they perceived that like enough the unholy toast was -but to try their allegiance. - -The Old One's eyes leaped from man to man and his cold voice cut -through the noisy riot of drunken mirth. "I had said Will Canty was a -man of spirit, but his can hugs the table when these tall fellows are -drinking confusion to the King." - -"A hand-napper, a hand-napper! Have him away, my hearts, to the Halifax -engine," Joe Kirk bawled with a drunken leer. - -"Why," said Will Canty, and his face was white, but with a red spot on -either cheek, "my can, since you say what you say, was dry; and for the -matter of that, I am no prating Puritan who wishes ill to the King." - -Over the rumble of voices the Old One's voice rose loudest: "See you, -then, religious cobblers or preaching button-makers among us?" - -"And there are others yet besides prating Puritans, mine friend, that -drink our toast!" cried Jacob. - -The Old One then smiled, for he was no man to drive a nail with a -two-hand sledge. But although he changed his manner as fast and often -as light flickers on running water, under the surface there flowed a -strong, even current of liking or ill will, as sooner or later all men -that had dealings with him must learn, some to their wonder and some to -their sorrow. "Enough, enough!" said he. "Will's a good lad and he'll -serve us well when there's powder smoke to snuff. Be you not offended, -Will. In all faith our ship is a king's ship and more, for are we not -thirty kings, to fight our own battles and heave out our own flag -before the world and take such treasures as will buy us, each and all, -a king's palace and all the wives a king could wish? Nay, God helping -us, my hearts, we shall carry home to good Mother Taylor riches that -will serve for a sponge to wipe the chalk from every black post in -Cornwall and in Devon, and Will Canty shall drink with us there." - -There rose a thunder of fists beating the board and a rumble of -"Yea's," and the Old One made no end of smiling, but there were some -whom his smile failed to deceive. - -"Come, boy, with thy pitcher of sack! Pour sack for all!" he cried. -"Come, ply thy task and let no man go wanting. Fill you Will Canty's -pot." He gulped down a mighty draught and wiped his moustaches with -thumb and forefinger. "And now, brave lads, let us have our heads -together: though we lie but a hundred leagues off these banks of -Newfoundland, what say you? Shall we turn our backs on them and take a -fling at a braver trade? Or shall we taste of fat lobsters and great -cod, and perchance pluck the feathers from some of these New England -towns concerning which there hath lately been such a buzz of talk -in old England--at Cape Ann, let us say at venture, or Naumkeag, or -Plymouth Colony?" - -"Yea, yea! I am for Cape Ann," cried Joe Kirk, and his head rolled -drunkenly above his great shoulders as he bolstered his opinion with -curses. "Did not my brother go thither, years and years agone, for the -company of Dorchester merchants? Yea, and told rare tales of succulent -great fish, which are a marvelous diet." - -"Nay, thy brother was as great a sot as thou," a voice put in, and Joe -rose in anger, but a general clamour drowned his retort and he lapsed -back into a sodden lethargy. - -"As for me," bellowed Martin with bluster and bravado, "I say go we -to Plymouth and rap the horns of these schismatic Puritans. Tell me -not but that they've mines of rich gold hid away. Did'st ever see a -Roundhead knave would brave the wild lions of America unless he thought -there was gold in't?" - -"Thou thyself art fool as well as knave," quoth the Old One. "Did'st -thou not once cry the whole ship's company out of sleep to see a -mermaid that would entice thee to thy peril? And when sober men had -come on deck there was nought there but a seal-fish at play. Lions -forsooth! In Africa even I have heard a lion roar, but not in America. -Much searching of tracts hath stuffed thy head." - -The drunken Joe roused sleepily up. "My brother saw a lion at Cape Ann -plantation. My brother--" He drew a knife and wildly flourished it, but -fell back in a stupor before the laughter died. - -Martin's bluster, as was its way when a man boldly confronted it, broke -like a pricked bubble, but his sullen glare caught the Old One's eye. - -Leaning over the table, the Old One said in a low, taunting voice, "And -did you never see a man dance on air? Ah, there's a sight to catch the -breath in your throat and make an emptiness in a man's belly!" - -As often happens when there has been a great noise and a man speaks in -a low voice, there was a quick lull and the words came out as clear as -the ringing of a half crown. Phil Marsham, looking across the table -into the Old One's cold blue eyes, which were fixed on Martin, saw in -them a flicker of calculating amusement; then he saw that Martin was -swallowing as if he had a fishbone in his throat. - -In truth Martin wore the sickly smile that a man affects when he is -cornered and wishes to appear braver than he is. He tried to speak but -succeeded only in running his tongue over his lips, which needed it if -they were as dry as they were blue. - -"Come, come, we get no place!" - -"Yacob! Yacob!" they cried at the sound of his voice, "Up on thy feet, -Yacob!" - -He rose and stood in his corner. His long hair was brushed back from -a forehead so high that it reached to a great lump on the crown of -his head. His brows were knit with intense earnestness. His big nose -and curled lips and small chin were set in what might have seemed in -another place and another time scholarly intentness. They did him -honour by waiting in silence for his words. - -"This bickering and jangling brings us no place. Shall we go on or -shall we go back? Shall we go north or shall we go south? Those are -questions we must answer. Now I will tell you. If we go on, we shall -find little fishing ships, with fish and no chinks, and we shall get -tired of eating fish. If we go back in this fine ship that God in his -goodness hath given us, we shall hang. We may yet go back to Mother -Taylor, but we must go back in another ship. You know why. Now, brave -hearts, if we go on to New England it shall profit us nothing. For the -New-English are poor. They live in little huts. The savages come down -out of the woods and kill. Whether there be lions I do not know and I -do not care; those savages I have seen and they are a very ugly sight. -The English plantations are cold in winter like the devil. They are -poor. The English, they play with poverty. - -"And if we go south? Ah-h-h! There are the Spains! They have sun and -warmth and fruits and spices! They have mines of gold and silver -and stones of great price. While the English play with poverty, the -Spains play with empires! In New England we shall eat salt cods or -starve--which is much the same, for salt cods are a poor diet. But in -the South we shall maybe catch a galleon with a vast treasure." And -with that, very serious and sure of his rightness, he sat down. - -"Yea, Yacob! Yea, Yacob!" they bawled and delighting in the -alliteration cried it again, over and over. - -Paul Craig, heavy with sated gluttony, piped a shrill "Yea, Yacob," -and the Old One pounded the table and grinned, for he had sailed many -seas in Jacob's company. Phil Marsham--nay, and even Will Canty, -too!--pricked ears at the sound of Spanish galleons; for the blue -Caribbean and the blue hills of the main were fabled, as all knew, to -hold such wealth as according to the tales of the old travellers was to -be found in Cathay or along the banks of the first of the four rivers -out of Paradise. And was not a Spanish ship fair prey for the most -law-abiding of English mariners? - -There was a hubbub of talk as they sat there, and there was no doubt -but they were of one mind to turn their backs on the bleak northern -coast and seek a golden fortune in the south. But the council arrived -suddenly at an end when down from the deck came the lingering call, "A -sa-i-l! A sa-i-l!" - -Up, then, the Old One leaped, and he raised his hand. "A sail is cried. -What say you?" - -"Let us not cast away what God hath offered us!" - -"Yea, Yacob!" - -"Up, you dogs in the steerage! A hall, a hall!" - -One fell over on the table in drunken torpor. Another rushed out the -door and tumbled over a sleeper at the threshold. - -"Up, you dogs! How stands he?" - -They poured out of the cabin to the deck. - -"He stands on the lee bow!" - -"Bear up the helm! A fresh man at the helm!" the Old One thundered. He -squinted across the sea. "Come, Harry--here on the poop--and tell me if -she be not a ketch. Now she lifts--now she falls. 'Twill be a chase, I -take it." - -The round little mate came nimbly up the ladder. - -"Helm a-luff!" said he in his light, quick voice, which at first the -helmsman failed to hear. "Helm a-luff! A-luff, man! Art deaf? The -courses hide her. There she lifts! Yea, a ketch. Let us see. It is now -an hour to sunset. If we stand across her bows and bear a sharp watch -we shall come up with her in early evening and a very proper moment it -will be." - -His light, incisive speech, so unlike the boisterous ranting of the Old -One, in its own way curiously influenced even the Old One himself. A -man who has a trick of getting at sound reasons, unmoved by bluster or -emotion, can hold his own in any company; and many a quiet voice can -fire a ship's crew to action as a slow match fires a cannon. - -"Now, young men," Martin roared, "up aloft and loose fore and main -topsails. And oh that our stout mizzenmast were standing yet!" - -"No, no, no!" cried Harry Malcolm and he almost raised his voice. "Thy -haste, thou pop-eyed fool, would work the end of us all. Think you, if -they see us fling every sail to the wind, they will abide our coming -without charging their guns and stationing every gunner with linstock -and lighted match? Nay, though she be but a ketch, let us go limping -across her bows as lame as a pipped hen." - -"True, and with every man lying by the side of his gun, where they -shall not see him until we haul up the ports and show the teeth of -the good ship." It was Jacob who spoke thus as he climbed to Harry -Malcolm's side. - -The Old One, looking down at the deck below, touched his mate's arm. - -"Yea, I see them. What do you want?" - -"It seems," said the Old One, "that our boatswain hath a liking for the -fellow." - -"And that the fellow hath a liking for our boatswain, think you?" - -"Well?" - -Jacob thrust his long nose between them. "'Well,' you say, by which you -mean 'not well.' It proves nothing that a man will not drink damnation -to a king." - -The three heads met, high on the poop, and now and again they glanced -down at the two lads who stood by the waist and watched the distant -sail, which grew black as the sun set behind it. - -The sun set and the sea darkened and a light flamed up on board the -chase, which appeared to show her good faith by standing toward the -Rose of Devon. - -There was a rumble of laughter among the men when they perceived she -had changed her course. The sober wrung oaths from the drunk by dashing -bucketfuls of cold water in their faces. The gunners moved like shadows -among the guns. And high on the poop, three shadows again merged into -one. - -"Master Boatswain," the Old One called, but softly, "do thou take it -upon thyself, although it lies outside thine own province, to make -sure that powder and balls and sponges and ladles and rammers are laid -ready." - -Hunching his bent shoulders, Mate Malcolm came nimbly down the ladder -and from the chest of arms drew forth muskets and pistols. - -"Come, my bullies below there, knock open your ports!" It was the Old -One's voice, but so softly and briskly did he speak that it might have -been Harry Malcolm. - -As the dim figures on deck moved cautiously about, the subdued voice -again floated down to them:-- - -"Let all the guns be loose in tackles and stand by to run them out when -the word is given. Port your helm! Every man to his quarters. Now, my -hearts, be ready to show your courage and we'll have this wandering -ketch for a consort to our good Rose of Devon." - -Then Harry Malcolm came in haste along the deck. "Who's to this gun? -And who to this? Nay, you've a man too many there. Here, fellow, come -hither! Here a man is lacking. You there, who are playing the part of -gunner, have you ever heard these bulldogs bark? And understand you the -business? Good, good!" And he passed on up the deck. Nought escaped -him. In the silence they heard the sound of his voice and the quick -pattering of his feet when they could see no more than that he was -still moving among the guns. - -They had come so near the stranger that they must soon hail or be -hailed, when a figure emerging from the steerage room in the darkness -came upon Phil Marsham by the quarter-deck ladder and gave a great -start. As Phil turned, the fellow whispered, "God be thanked it is -thou! I thought it was another. Come with me to the side--here by the -shrouds." - -The two stepped lightly under the shadow of the quarter-deck to the -waist, where the carpenter had nailed in place new planks not twelve -hours since, and together they raised a bundle. It was on the larboard -side, and since all had gathered for the moment to starboard to watch -the strange ketch, there was no man to observe them. Some one moved -above them and they hesitated, then they heard slow steps receding and -thick undertones that they recognized as Jacob's. When he had gone, -the one who had brought the bundle whispered, "Heave it far out," and -together they hove it. - -Still in the shadow of the quarter-deck, the two slipped silently back, -unseen, and when Harry Malcolm came hurrying from one side, and Jacob -from the other, to see what had made the splash, there was no one there -nor could any man answer their questions. - -"Have you done as you said?" Phil asked in a breathless whisper. - -"That I have." And it was Will Canty who spoke. - -"Then we shall like enough be hanged; but thou art a tall fellow and I -love thee for it." - -There came over the water a voice distinctly calling, "Whence your -ship?" - -"Back to your guns, ye dogs!" cried Mate Malcolm in a voice that could -be heard the length of the deck, yet that was not loud enough to be -heard on board the stranger. - -"Of England," the Old One called from the quarter-deck. "And whence is -yours?" - -There was a space of silence, in which the two vessels came nearer each -other, and I would have you know that hearts ever so courageous were -thumping at a lively pace. - -"And yours?" the Old One cried the second time. - -There came voices and a hoarse laugh from the stranger, then, "Are you -merchants or men of war?" - -"Of the sea," cried the Old One in a voice so like thunder that a man -would not think it could have come from his lean throat. "Run out -your guns, O my hearts! Let him have the chase guns first. The chase -guns--the chase guns!" - -Now one bawled down the main hatch, and another below echoed his cry, -then there sounded the quick _boom-boom_ from the bows. The guns had -spoken and the fight was on. - -"Up your helm--up your helm! Hold your fire now, my hearts, and have at -them!" the Old One cried. - -And now the voice came again over the restless sea. "Our ship is the -Porcupine ketch and our quills are set." - -The dark sea tossed and rolled between the vessels and little that -happened on board either was visible to the other, so black was the -night; but the light of the sky, which the water reflected, made of -each a black shape clear-cut as of jet but finer than the most cunning -hand could carve, in which a man might trace every line and rope. - -And now from on board the ketch jets of flame burst out and after them -came smartly the crack of muskets. - -"Now, lads," the Old One thundered, "give fire and make an end of this -petty galling. Give fire!" - -A gun on the maintop-deck boomed and another followed; but there -was confusion and stumbling and all were slow for want of practice -together, and there was time lost ere the third gun spoke. Then, while -Mate Malcolm was storming up the deck and the Old One was storming -down, they heard the strange master calling to his gunners; then, to -the vast amazement of the men of the Rose of Devon, who had cherished -the delusion that their chase was a weak craft and an easy prize, on -board the ketch as many as a dozen guns belched flame. Their thunder -shook the sea and their balls sang through the rigging, and a lucky -shot struck the Rose of Devon in the forecastle and went crashing -through the bulkhead. - -The ketch then tacked as if to give fire with her other broadside but -deftly swung back again and before the Old One or Harry Malcolm had -fathomed the meaning of it there rose from on board her, the cries of -"Bear up and close with him!"--"Board him on his quarter!" "Have ready -your graplins!" - -"Sheer off, sheer off!" old Jacob roared. "Our powder is good for -nought. Yea, she is in all truth a prickly porcupine." - -"If we foul, cut anything to get clear!" cried the Old One. "Put down -your helm! Veer out your sheets! Cast off weather sheets and braces! -Aloft, there, and clear the main yard where the cut tacklings foul it! -Good lad, boatswain, good lad!" - -For on the yardarm Phil had drawn dirk and cut at the snarl of ropes, -where a chance ball had wrought much mischief. Then, as the two vessels -swung side by side he looked squarely into the eyes of a bearded man in -the rigging of the ketch. - -The Old One--give the Devil his due!--was handling his ship in a proper -manner and by luffing he had kept abreast of those guns in the ketch -which had spent their charges. But it was plain that the Rose of Devon -had caught a tartar. In all truth, she had run upon a porcupine with -quills set, for though a smaller vessel, the ketch, it now appeared, -carried as many men or more, and every man knew his place and duty. -Looking down on her deck, Phil saw her gun crews toiling with sponges -and rammers to load anew. - -She was herself, it seemed, a sea rover athirst for blood and in those -wild, remote seas there was no fraternity among thieves. As the main -yardarm of the Rose of Devon swung toward her rigging when the ship -rolled, the bearded man ran a rope about the spar and in a moment the -vessels were locked abeam and were drifting together till their sides -should touch. - -Philip Marsham again drew the dirk that Colin Samson had wrought for -him and leaning far out struck at the fellow's breast, who swung back -to avoid the thrust, which pricked him but did no more. Then the fellow -sprang to the attack with his own knife in hand, for he had thrown -a knot in the rope, which creaked and tightened; and with a yell of -triumph he struck at the lad, who swung to one side and struck back. - -It was a brave fight in the empty air, and the two were like warring -spiders as they circled and swung in the darkness and thrust each at -the other. But the lad was many years the younger, and by so much the -more nimble, and his dirk--for which all thanks to Colin Samson!--smote -the fellow a slashing blow in the thigh. And while the fellow clung to -the shrouds, weak with pain, a second Rose-of-Devon's man came crawling -over Phil who hung below from the yard, and slashed the rope. - -"We are clear! We are clear! God be thanked!" the Old One yelled. - -Meanwhile the men of the Rose of Devon had succeeded in firing -three guns of the larboard broadside, which by the grace of Divine -Providence wrought such ruin in the stranger's running gear that the -one crew of rascals was enabled to escape fit retribution at the hands -of the other. The peak of her great foresail fell and in a moment her -cut halyards were swept into a snarl that needed time and daylight for -untangling. - -So the Rose of Devon slipped past the ketch, whose men were striving -to clear the rigging and come about in pursuit, and having once evaded -her erstwhile chase, the old ship ran away in the night. With her -lights out and all the sail spread that she could carry, and favoured -by clouds and fog, she made good her escape; but there was grumbling -forward and grumbling aft, and there was a dead man to heave over the -side. - -It served Philip Marsham better than he knew that he had fought a duel -on the yardarm; for dark though the night had been, there had happened -little that escaped the Old One's eye; and bitter though Tom Jordan's -temper and angry his mood, he was always one to give credit where he -believed it due. - -When he wiped the blood from the dirk, Phil remembered with gratitude -the good smith, Colin Samson. Then he thought of the old lady and -gentleman at the inn, and of Nell Entick, and bluff Sir John. He would -have been glad enough to be out of the Rose of Devon and away, but for -better or worse he had cast his lot in the ship, and though he little -liked the lawless turn her affairs had taken, a man cannot run away by -night from a ship on the high seas. - -All hands stood watch till dawn as a tribute to the war of one pirate -upon another, and not until the sun had risen and shown no sail in -sight did the Old One himself go into the great cabin. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -A BIRD TO BE LIMED - - -A lad being called into council by such a man as Tom Jordan might well -think himself a fine fellow, and rare enough were lads whom Tom Jordan -would thus have summoned. But although Philip Marsham, it seemed, had -taken the Old One's eye and won his heart long before on the little -hill beside the road, when Phil had drawn the wind from Martin's sails, -and although it had not escaped Tom Jordan that Phil's hand moved -easily toward his weapon, the old proverb has it "a man that flattereth -his neighbor, spreadeth a net for his steps"; and "he that whistleth -merrily, spreadeth his nets cunningly and hunteth after his prey -greedily." - -So, "Come, boatswain, and lend us thy wits," cried Tom. "Four heads -shall provide more wisdom than three." And with that, he clapped Phil -on the back and drew him into the cabin where Jacob and the mate sat -deep in talk of the night's adventures. - -"A hawk, when she is first dressed and ready to fly," said Jacob, "is -sharp set and hath a great will upon her. If the falconer do not then -follow it, she will be dulled for ever after. So, master, a man! Yea, -and a ship." - -"A great will, sayest thou?" quoth the Old One, and his voice revealed -his sullen anger. "Why then, in God's name, did ye not rake them with -a broadside or twain?" With which he turned on Harry Malcolm, thus to -include him in the charge. - -"For one thing," replied Malcolm, and testily, for ill temper prevailed -both aft and forward, "we gave the gunners no firing to learn them -their guns. For another thing, the powder failed us. For yet another, -since you say what you say, and be cursed for it, 'twere a mad, foolish -notion to run afoul a strange ship, for we have but a half the company -we need to work a ship and fight. And finally, to cap our woeful -proverbs, we know what we know--yea," and he shot a dark glance from -under bent brows, "we know what we know; there be those who come toward -us with their feet, but go from us with their hearts." His voice, as -always, was light and quick, but there was a rumble in it, such as one -may sometimes hear in a dog's throat. - -As the three men looked first at one and then at another, there came to -Boatswain Marsham, sitting as it were outside their circle, the uneasy -throbbing of their suspicion. - -"Of the powder," said Jacob coolly, "I have taken a little from each -barrel." He laid on the table seven packages wrapped in leaves from an -old book. Regarding closely the notes he had written on each package, -he opened them one by one and placed them in a row. - -"This," said he, "is from the barrel that good Harry Malcolm served -out to the men and that doubtless this man Candle hath used from in -old days. It hath lost its strength by long lying. Press it with thy -fingers and thou shalt feel it soft to the touch. Here upon this white -sheet of paper I lay four corns of this powder. This other powder"--and -he chose a second package--"is from a barrel new opened. Press it and -thou shalt see how firm and hard is each corn. And this, too, is firm -and of a fair azure. And so, also, this. But this--" and he first put -his eyes close to the notes on each remaining packet, then held them -far off, for his sight, although good at a great distance, made out -with difficulty things near at hand, "this is from a barrel that hath -lost its strength by moisture; and this hath a fault I shall tell you -of." - -Taking a pinch of each, as he spoke, he had laid the corns, each some -three fingers distant from the next, in a circle on the paper. He then -struck tinder, and lighting a match made of twisted cords of tow boiled -in strong lye-ashes and saltpetre, he held it over a corn of the good -powder. There was a flash and puff, and the ring of powder was gone. -The corns of good powder had fired speedily and left only a chalky -whiteness in their place, nor had they burned the paper or given off -smoke; but the corns of poor powder had burned slowly, and some had -scorched the paper and some had given forth smoke. - -The Old One softly swore. "And have we, then," asked he, "but three -barrels of good powder?" - -"Nay, there are more than three. This last is weak because they have -neglected to turn the barrels upside down, so the petre has settled -from top to bottom, as is its way. We shall find the bottom as strong -as the top is weak, and by turning the barrel we shall renew its -strength evenly." - -"As for the powder that hath spoiled by long lying," cried Philip -Marsham, "I will undertake to make it as good as new." - -"Do you, boatswain, mind your sails and cordage," said old Jacob, -with a wry smile. "An you wish to grind it in the mortar, that you -may; but it is I who will measure the petre. Nay, I will make you, if -you wish it for a wonder to show friends, a powder of any colour you -please--white, red, blue, or green." - -Of the three who leaned over the packets of powder, old Jacob was the -only one who bore with even temper the sad reverse of the night before; -for master and mate glared at each other in such wrath as had thrown a -shadow over every soul in the ship. - -Some had waked with aching heads, for which they had their own folly -to thank; some were like men who dream they have got a great treasure -but wake to find pebblestones or worse under the pillow: since the -Porcupine ketch had yielded them no gold and had stung them instead -with her quills. In all truth the ship was by the ears, for in -extremities your sea sharks are uncertain friends, as a touch of foul -weather will manifest to any man's satisfaction. - -"Enough of this," said the Old One, and he pushed aside the packets and -folded his arms. "We lose time. There is a thief amongst us." - -"A thief, you say?" And the hot red of anger burned its way across the -boatswain's face, for the three had turned and looked hard at him. - -The Old One and Harry Malcolm then exchanged quick glances, and Jacob -shut his small mouth tight and knotted his brows. - -"Well," cried Phil, "would you charge me with theft?" - -"Some one," said the Old One, lingering over each word, "hath wrought a -clever plot against us." - -"Say on, say on!" - -"He is a man, I make no doubt, whose buttons are breaking with venom." - -There was heavy silence in the cabin. Jacob, pursing his lips and -knotting his brows, looked from one of them to another, and Phil, -vaguely on the defensive, drew back and gave them a gaze as steady as -they sent. - -"He is doubtless a very cunning rascal," Harry Malcolm put in, "who -hath cut his cloth by his wits; but he is making a suit that will -throttle him by its narrowness about the neck." - -The master and mate once more exchanged glances and the Old One then -smiled lightly, as if again there were sunlight rippling over dark -water. - -"Nay, Philip, we think no ill of thee. But do thou have care to thy -company. A foul trick hath been done with a mind to render us helpless -at sea, so that we must crawl to the nearest land, where some base -dunghill spirit is doubtless of a mind to leave our company. But we -have resources; yea, and of thee, Philip, we think no ill." - -Despite their fair words, though, they were watching Philip Marsham -like three old tomcats watching a sparrow, and he, being no fool, knew -the reason why. - -Three hard faces they showed: the one, handsome in a devilish way and -keen; the second, unassuming, yet deeply astute and marked by a deeper -rooted, if less frank, selfishness; the third, older, wiser, more -self-centred. - -The eyes of master and mate were coldly cruel; but old Jacob was too -intent on his own thoughts to be cruel save by indifference. - -All that day Jacob squatted on the deck and toiled with tools and wood. -From the wood he chose certain long pieces, fine-grained and straight -and dry and free from knots, and certain shorter and broader pieces -that were suited to his purpose, and bade the carpenter plane them -smooth. He laid out scales, working with a small square and a pair -of compasses, and engraved them with utmost care. He wrought brass -into curious shapes by a plan he made, and from morning till night he -kept at the task, frowning and ciphering and sitting deep in thought. -He called for charcoal and a mortar, and beat the charcoal to a fine -powder and tempered it with linseed oil. This he rubbed into the wood -he had shaped to his liking, and watched it a long while, now and again -touching it to try it; then with oil from a phial he had found in a -chest in the great cabin he rubbed the wood clean, and there were left -in the wood, set off neatly in black, the gradations and figures he had -so exactly etched. - -Taking his work into the great cabin, he toiled on by lanthorn light -until a late hour, and there through the open door men as they passed -might see him hunched over the table with his medley of tools about -him. But when at last he leaned back and drew a long breath of relief, -very serious and very wise, his work was done, and curiously and deftly -contrived it was. - -On the table before him there lay a cross-staff, a nocturnal and a -Gunter's scale, "with which," said he, to the Old One, who sat opposite -him quietly taking tobacco and sipping wine, "and with what instruments -the thief hath left us, a man can navigate a ship where he will." - -Examining closely the nocturnal, which was intricately carved and -engraved, the Old One muttered, as if ignoring Jacob's words, "I will -yet lime that bird." - -"Though he be never so mad a callant, I misdoubt he will put his head -into a noose," said Jacob in his thick, serious voice. - -"Be he the one we think or not the one we think, I will set him such -a trap," said the Old One, "as will take the cunningest fox that ever -doubled on the hounds." And the thin face smiled in a way that was not -pleasant to see. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -A WONDERFUL EXCELLENT COOK - - -If an astrologer or an Arabian enchanter could say to a man, "Beware -of this or that, for it is a thing conceived of the Devil to work thy -ruin," there would be reason for studying the stars or smiting the -sand. And this, indeed, they do, according to the old tales. But if a -sailor seek out an astrologer to learn things that shall profit him, -he is more likely to find a man grown foolish by much study, who will -stroke his chin sagely and say, "Come, let us look into this matter. -Under Capricorn are all diseases in the knees and hams, leprosies, itch -and scales and schirrous tumors, fallow grounds and barren fields, -ox-houses and cow-houses, low dark places near the ground, and places -where sails and materials for ships be laid." And while he talks of -fixed angles and of the Lord of the Ascendant being in the fourth week, -some small unsuspected thing may be the very egg on which the Devil is -sitting like an old black hen to hatch forth a general calamity. - -Thus certain incidents that shortly thereafter happened are to the -point, for although they appeared of little moment at the time, they -turned the tide of men's lives and made a stir that has to do with the -current of my tale. - -Now the men of the Rose of Devon sighted a sail at high noon when they -were a week on their way south, and though she showed her heels and -ran, and though the Rose of Devon lacked her mizzenmast, the strange -vessel was but a small pink and so slow that they laid her aboard two -hours before dark. In her crew she had only a dozen men, and sorely -frightened they were, as they tossed in the lee of the dark frigate. -So to save themselves from a more cruel fate there was scarcely one of -them but leaped at the chance to join the Rose of Devon's crew. They -tumbled up their small cargo of salt fish for Bilbao and hoisted it on -board the ship, together with their shallop, and casting their pink -adrift, they forbore from complaining when their new master and his men -stole whatever pleased them, from the new men's rings and knives to the -very clothes on their backs. So, with her plunder and her recruits, the -Rose of Devon again squared her yards and continued on her course. - -There was, to be sure, one fellow of mean spirit who whined dolefully, -upon conceiving his present extremity to be distasteful. But another -got comfort by knocking him on the head when no one was looking; and -finding him dead, the Old One hove him over-board and there was no -further trouble from the fishermen. - -Yet it was no secret that there was grumbling and complaining forward -among the gentlemen of the Rose of Devon, so the Old One sent the -boatswain to summon them aft when the watches were changing. - -He leaned against the swivel gun on the quarter-deck, and looking down -into their faces, smiled disagreeably. "It hath come to my ears," said -he, "that one hath a sad tale to tell because we failed to take the -Porcupine, which, though a mere ketch, outnumbered us in guns and men. -And another hath a sad tale to tell because this pink that late became -our prize is small and of little worth, though we got from her eleven -brave fellows who shall be worth a store of fine gold." He looked from -one of his men to another, for they were all there,--Martin and the -cook, and Philip Marsham and Will Canty, and Paul Craig and Joe Kirk, -the one-eyed carpenter and the rest,--and his thin face settled into -the many wrinkles that had got him his name. There was none of them, -unless it might be Harry Malcolm or Old Jacob, who could say surely at -one time or another what thoughts were uppermost in Tom Jordan's shrewd -head. - -"Come, now, my hearts of gold," he cried, "let us have an end of such -folly. Said I not that these northern fisheries were meat for crows? -And that we must go south to find prey for eagles? We will choose a -fine harbour by some green island where there's rich fruit for the -picking and fat fish for the catching, and we will build there a town -of our own. We will take toll from the King of Spain's ships; we will -take us wives and women and gold and wine from the dons of the islands -and the main. Yea, we will lay up a great store of riches and live in -fullness of bread and abundance of idleness." - -Some were pleased, but some doubted still, which the Old One -perceiving, for he read their faces, cried, "Nay, speak up, speak up! -Let us have no fair-protesting friends with hollow and undermining -hearts." - -"Yea, it is a fair tale," cried one, in a surly voice, "but thus far we -have blows to show for our pains--blows and a kettle of fish." - -"And methinks," another growled, "we shall see more of salt fish and -buccaned meat, than of fine wines and gold and handsome women." - -"'Tis a swinish thought," the Old One retorted; but he smiled when he -said it, so that they took no offense, for of such grumbling he had no -fear. He was set to catch a bird of quite another feather. - -Then old Jacob rose and they were silent to hear him. "Let us make an -end of talk," said he slowly. "We are on our way south and to stop or -turn aside would be nothing but foolishness." And with that, although -they had expected him to say more, he turned away. - -Then, of a sudden, "Come, Will," the Old One cried, singling out his -man from all the rest, "what say you?" - -If Will Canty's face changed at all, it was a whit the paler as he met -the Old One's eyes. "I say," he replied, "that since we have fish on -board, we are sure of fish and would do well to eat fish ere we lose -it." - -"There is sooth in thy words," quoth the Old One, and he smiled in -friendly wise. (But despite his smile, he liked the words little, as -any shrewd man might have known by his eyes, and Will Canty was no -fool.) "Come, cook, and boil us a great kettle of fish." - -The rumble of low voices changed to laughter and the cook boldly cried, -"Yea, yea, master!" - -"For our much voyaging and many pains," cried the men, as they went -about their work, "we have got a kettle of fish." And they laughed -mightily, for though it was the very thing that before had made them -grumble, now they saw it as a droll affair and made of it many jests, -of which a few were good and more bad, after the manner of jests. - -As for the cook, he called his mate and bade him break out a drum of -fish and set a kettle to boil, and cuffed him this way and that, till -the poor fellow's ears were swollen. - -And the Old One said to Harry Malcolm, "Saw you not how deftly the -fellow twisted out of the corner, and with a sly remark that no one can -take amiss? Oh, he is a slippery dog and I am minded to cut his throat -out of hand!" - -"Now, that would be very foolish, for where there's one of them, -there's always two, and the one will toll the other on until there are -two dogs by the heels instead of one." - -At that the Old One laughed harshly, and the two, who were after a -left-handed fashion uncommonly congenial, went off well pleased with -their conceit. - -Down in the hold the kettle boiled right merrily, and the cook swelled -with pride that he had a mate to carry and fetch. He cuffed the poor -fellow this way, and he cuffed him that. He threw a pan at him when the -fire smoked worse than common, and he thrust a fistful of flour into -his face and down his neck when he let the fire lag. He flung him his -length on the floor for spilling a pint of water; and when in despair -the lad fled for his life, the cook seized him by the hair and haled -him back and put a long knife at his breast and swore to have his -heart's blood. Oh, the cook was in a rare and merry mood, for he had -drunk more sack than was good for him from the cask he had marked as -his own; but as he had waxed exceeding gay and haughty, the sack had -dulled his wits and he was drunker than he knew. - -"Come, thou pig! Thou son of a swine!" he yelled. "Ladle out the fish -and choose of the best for the cabin. Yea, choose in abundance and -summon the master's boy and bid him haste. And do thou bestir thyself -and carry to the men." And with that, he fetched the poor fellow a blow -on his head, which knocked him off his feet. - -The fellow ran to do the work and the cook, in vast satisfaction at -having so well acquitted himself, sat down with a goblet of sack and -tippled and nodded, and kept an ill-tempered eye on the master's boy -and his own, as with shrewd fear of broken heads they scurried back and -forth. - -"It is most wonderful excellent sack," quoth the cook, and with his -sleeve he mopped his fiery bald head. "It was by a happy stroke I -marked it for my own. Truly, I had rather be cook than master, for here -I sit with mine eye upon the cabin stores, from which I can choose and -eat at will, and the captain, nay, the Lord High Admiral of England, -is himself none the wiser. Fish, sayest thou? Nay, fish is at best a -poor man's food. I will have none of it." And thus he ran on foolishly, -forgetting as he drank sack, that there was no one to hear him, not -even his mate. "Truly, I am a wonderful excellent cook. I may in time -become a captain. I may even become the governor of a plantation and -take for a wife some handsome Spanish woman with a wonderful rich -dowry. She must have an exceeding rich dowry if she will marry me, -though. Yea, I am a wonderful excellent cook." And the more he drank -the more foolish he became. - -After a while, he cocked his head upon one side; and quoth he, "I hear -them calling and shouting! It seemeth they are singing huzza for me. -I hear them coming down to do me honour. Truly, I am a most wonderful -excellent cook and the fish hath pleased them well. Foolish ones that -they are to eat it!" - -The silly fellow sat with his head on one side and smiled when they -burst in upon him. "Hast come for more fish?" he cried. "Yonder stands -the kettle. Nay, what's that? What's that thou sayest? Nay, fellow, -th' art mad? Thou know'st not to whom thou speakest." - -"Fool! Knave! Scoundrel! Swine!" they yelled. "Oh, such a beating as -thy fat carcase will get. Hear you not the uproar? Think you to cozzen -us?" - -With that they seized him, two by the head and two by the feet, and -dragged him to the ladder. They threw a rope about him and knotted it -fast and tossed the ends to men at the hatch above, who hauled him, -squealing and kicking like an old hog, up on deck. To the cabin they -dragged him, with all the men shrieking curses at him and pelting him -with chunks of fish, and in the cabin they stood him before the table -where the Old One and Harry Malcolm sat, and very angry were they all. - -"Dog of a cook," said the Old One, "for a relish to conclude our meal, -we shall see thee eat of this fish that the boy hath brought us." And -he thrust before the cook a great dish. "Eat it, every shred, bones and -all," said he, "or I'll have thee butchered and boiled in place of it." - -"Why, now," said the cook, somewhat sobered by rough handling and a -trifle perplexed, but for all that still well pleased with himself, "as -for the bones, they are liable to scrape a man's throat going down. I -am reluctant to eat bones. But the meat is good. I rejoice to partake -of it, for so diligently have I laboured to prepare it that I have -denied myself, yea, though I hungered greatly." - -"Eat," said the Old One and widely he grinned. - -Looking suspiciously about him, for there was something in their manner -that he failed to understand, the cook thrust his hand into the dish -and took from it a great slice of fish, which he crammed into his mouth. - -"Eat," said the Old One, "eat, O thou jewel among cooks!" - -A curious look came over the cook's face and he raised his hand as if -to take the fish out of his mouth. - -"Nay, swallow it down," said the Old One. "Be not sparing. There is -abundance in the dish. Yea, thou shalt stand there eating for a long -time to come." And though he smiled, his look made it plain that he was -in no trifling mood. - -The cook turned pale and choked and gasped. "Water!" he cried thickly, -for his mouth was too full for easy speech. - -"Nay, much drinking hath wrought havoc with thy wits. Eat on, eat on!" - -Prodigious were the gulps by which the cook succeeded at last in -swallowing his huge mouthful, and great was his distress, for the salt -in it nearly choked him. "Water, water!" he weakly cried. "Nay, temper -thine heart with mercy, master! I beg for water--I beseech for water." - -"Eat on," said the Old One grimly. - -Then Harry Malcolm chuckled and the men in the door roared with -laughter, but the cook plunked down on his fat knees and thrust out -both his hands. "Nay, master, I cannot hold it down!" - -"Eat on, O jewel among cooks!" - -"Nay, master--" - -"Come, then, lads, and cram it down his hungry throat." - -Three of them seized him, and one, when he shut tight his mouth, thrust -a knife between his teeth. - -"Blub-bub-blah!" he yelled. "I'll eat! I'll eat!" - -They let him go and he rose and ate. Time and again he gasped for water -and they laughed; time and again he lagged and the Old One cried, "Eat -on!" When at last he stood miserably in front of the empty dish, the -Old One said, "For a day and a night shalt thou sit in bilboes with a -dry throat, which will be a lesson to learn thee two things: first, -before cooking a kettle of fish, do thou bear it well in mind to soak -out the salt so that the fish be fit for food; and second, by way of -common prudence, do thou sample for thyself the dishes that are cooked -for the cabin." - -They haled him forward and locked the shackles on his feet and placed -beside him a great dish of the fish, that whoever wished might pelt him -with it; and there they left him to repent of his folly and forswear -drunkenness and whimper for water. - -As the weary hours passed, the sun tormented him in his insufferable -thirst; but nightfall in a measure brought relief and he nodded in the -darkness and fell asleep. - -Waking, he would rub his head, which sadly throbbed and would seek by -gulping to ease his parched throat; and sleeping again, he would dream -of great buckets of clear water. The voices that he heard buzzed in his -ears as if they were the droning of flies, and hunching himself down -in his shackles at one end of the iron bar, he forgot the world and -was forgotten, since his fat carcase lay inertly in a black shadow and -there was nothing to make a man keep him in mind. - -He heard at last a voice saying, "But nevertheless it becomes you to -walk lightly and carefully," and another replying, "I fear him not, for -all his subtle ways. Much that goes on escapes him." - -He stirred uneasily, and opening his eyes, saw that there were two men -leaning side by side against the forecastle. - -"In the matter of wit, you grant him less than his due," said the first -speaker. "And in another matter you charge him with a heavier burden -than he needs bear." - -The cook stirred and groaned and the first speaker chuckled, at which -the cook's gorge rose from anger. - -"O jewel among cooks!" one of the two called softly, and the unhappy -man knew by the voice that the speaker was Philip Marsham. - -Naming no names and talking in roundabout phrases as people do when -they wish one to know their meaning and another not to, the two -continued with no heed at all to the cook, whom they thought a mere -drunken lout. And indeed, their undertones were scarcely audible; but -anger sharpened the cook's ears and his wits, and he lay and ruminated -over such chance sentences as he got. - -"It puzzled me from the first," said the other, "to see how easily you -bore with your comrade of the road." - -"Why, he is a good soul in his way." - -The other gave a grunt of disgust. - -"Nay, it is a wonder to me that a lad with your nice notions ever found -his way to sea," Phil retorted. - -"And I might never have gone, had not Captain Francis Candle been my -godfather." - -"As for me, I have seen both sides of life; and, but for a certain -thing that happened, I might be well enough contented where I am." - -"And that?" - -Phil hesitated, for though they had talked freely, as young men will, -the question searched a side of Phil's life to which as yet he had -given no clue. "Why," said he, lowering his voice, "for one thing, I -saw for the first time my own grandfather; and for another, I saw a -certain old knight who quite won my fancy from such a man as a certain -one we know. Come, let us stroll together." And as they walked the deck -that night, arm in arm, Phil told his companion what his life had been -and what it might have been, and mentioned, in passing, the girl at the -inn. - -Left to his miseries and his thoughts, of which the first were little -better company than the second, the woeful cook turned over and over -in his fat head such fragments of their talk as he had succeeded in -overhearing, and to say truth, he made little more out of it all than -the speakers had intended. But his parched throat teased his wits to -greater effort, and being come to such a state that he would have -bartered his immortal soul for water, had chance offered, he bethought -him of a plan by which, if luck held good, he might escape from his -shackles. - -The moment for which he waited was a long time coming and he suffered -a great variety of increasing miseries before it arrived; but when -the watches changed, he saw among the men newly arrived on deck his -erstwhile dearest friend, and somewhat reluctantly forgiving his dear -friend for belabouring him over the head with a whole salt fish, the -cook softly called the man by name. - -The fellow came snickering, which made it none the easier to bespeak -his aid; but the cook nevertheless swallowed his wrath as well as with -his dry throat he could, and whispered to the fellow that he must make -haste and tell the master there was news to be imparted in secret. - -At this the fellow held up his hand with thumb thrust between first and -second fingers. - -"Give me no fico," wailed the most excellent cook. "Nay, I have -stumbled upon a black and hidden matter. Go thou, and in haste, and it -will pay thee well." - -For a time they bickered in the dark, but there was in the cook's -despair a sincerity that finally made the fellow believe the tale; and -finding, upon stealing aft, that there was still a light in the great -cabin, he mustered up his courage and knocked. - -"Enter," cried a hard voice. - -The fellow opened the door and peeped in and found the Old One sitting -alone at the table. Glancing hastily about, and the more alarmed to -meet the cold eye of Harry Malcolm who lay on the great bed in the -corner of the cabin, he closed the door at his back and whispered, "He -swears it's true--that there's foul work afoot. 'Tis the cook who hath -told me--yea, and hath bade me tell you. He would say no more--the -cook, I mean." - -"Oh, my good friend, our most excellent cook!" Meditating, the Old -One looked the fellow up and down. "Here," said he, "strike off his -shackles and send him in with the key." And he threw the fellow the key -to the locks. - -After a while the cook came weakly in and shut the door behind him and, -throwing the key on the table, fell into a chair. - -"Ah," said the Old One, "what is this tale I have heard news of?" - -"Water!" gasped the cook. For though he had managed, by pausing at the -butt on his way, to drink nearly a quart, he had no mind the Old One -should know of it. - -The Old One smiled. "Go, drink, if thy tale be worth it; but mind, if -I deem thy tale not worth it, thou shalt pay with a drop of blood for -every drop of water." - -The cook shot a doubting glance at the Old One, but went none the less, -and came back wiping his lips. - -"Have at thy tale," said the Old One. - -There was a quaver in the cook's voice, for he was by no means sure of -how great a tale he could make, and the master's face gave him small -encouragement, for from the beginning of the tale to the end the Old -One never altered his cold, cruel smile. - -"It was the boatswain and young Canty," he said. - -"Ah!" - -"They was leaning on the forecastle and walking the deck arm in arm and -talking of one thing and another." - -"And what did they say?" - -"They talked about some one's slow wit--I could not make sure whose, -for they scoffed at me bitterly--and Canty was bepuzzled by the -boatswain's ways, and he wanted him to do something or other." - -"Go on." The Old One, grinning coldly, leaned back and watched the -labouring cook, who wracked his few brains to make a worthier story. - -"Nay, but I heard little else. Yet, said I, the master must know at all -costs." - -"What a thick head is thine and how easily seen through and through!" -The Old One laughed. "Think you all this is worth a second thought? I -am of the mind to have you skinned and salted. But I forgive you, since -I have a milkish heart that is easy moved to pity. Get you down to your -berth and sleep." - -The cook departed in haste, but with a fleeting glance at Harry Malcolm -whom he feared less only than the master. He was aware that for some -reason he did not understand, his broken tale had served his purpose. - -When he had gone the Old One turned about. "You heard him. What think -you?" said he. - -From the great bed in the corner, Harry Malcolm raised his head and -laughed silently. "Our able cook was hard pressed for an excuse to get -out of his ankle rings. Did you hear him slopping at the butt the first -time passing? As for his tale, we know what we knew, and no more." - -"'Slow wits'! I wonder." - -"At Baracao we shall see," said Harry Malcolm. "Neither one nor a dozen -can harm us before we raise land." - -"And after raising land, which by God's mercy will be soon now, we -shall see whose wits will nick first when the edges crack together." - -The Old One stretched and yawned and Harry Malcolm softly laughed. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -A LONESOME LITTLE TOWN - - -A light seen in the middle watch gave warning of an unexpected -landfall, and calling up the Old One, who had a store of knowledge -gained by much cruising in those seas, they lay off and on until dawn, -when they made out an island of the Bahamas. It seemed, since by their -reckoning they were still a day's sail from land, that there was some -small fault in their instruments; but to this they gave little heed, -and which island it was and what occasioned the light they never knew, -though some ventured one guess and some another as they bore past it -and lifted isle beyond isle. For two days, with the Old One conning the -ship, they worked their way among the islands, and thus at last they -came to a deep bay set among hills, which offered a commodious and safe -anchorage, notwithstanding that on the point that guarded the bay there -was the wreck of a tall ship. - -In the shallop they had taken from the fishing pink, the Old One and -Jacob, with four men to row them, went out to the wreck and returned -well pleased with what they had found. - -"God is good to us," cried the Old One, perceiving that Harry Malcolm -waited at the waist for their coming. "Though her foremast and mainmast -be sprung, yet her mizzen is sound as a nut." - -"And is it to be fetched out of her unharmed?" - -"Yea, that it is! Come, Master Carpenter, haul out our broken old stump -of a mizzen. By this time on the morrow our good Rose of Devon will -carry in its place as stout a stick as man can wish. Faith, the ill -fortune of them whose ship lies yonder shall serve us well." - -There was a great bustle in the old frigate, for work was to be done -that needed many hands. Some went to the wreck to save masts and spars, -and others, led by the one-eyed carpenter, toiled to haul out the -stump. Boatswain Marsham and his mate laid ready ropes and canvas; and -the most of the company being thus busied with one task or another, -Martin and the cook caught a store of fresh fish, which the cook--who -had now become a chastened, careful man--boiled for supper, while -Martin went onshore for fruit that grew wild in abundance and for fresh -water from a sandy spring. It was three days instead of one before the -work was finished; but meanwhile there was fresh food and water aft and -forward, and having spent at sea many weary weeks, the men rejoiced to -pass time so pleasantly in a snug haven. - -Indeed, a man might have passed a long life in comfort on such an -island, and there were many who cried yea, when Joseph Kirk declared -himself for building a town there, to which they might return with a -store of wives and wines, and from which they could sally forth when -their supplies of either got low, and get for themselves others out of -the King of Spain's ships and plantations. But the Old One laughed and -cried nay. "I shall show you a town," said he, "in a land as fair as -this, but with houses built and ready for us, and with gold piled up -and waiting, and with great cellars of wine and warehouses filled with -food." - -So they sailed from the island one morning at dawn and for a week they -picked their way down the windward passages. At times they lay hidden -in deep harbours of which the Old One knew the secret; and again they -stood boldly out to sea and put behind them many leagues of their -journey. And thus progressing, one night, as they worked south against -a warm breeze scented with the odour of flowers, they sighted on the -horizon a dark low land above which rose dimly the shape of a distant -mountain. - -The men gathered about master and mate and Jacob, then Harry Malcolm -went swarming up the rigging and from the maintopsail yard studied the -dim bulk of the mountain. After a time he cried down to them, "Douse -all lights and hold her on her course!" - -For an hour they stood toward the land, then Malcolm came down from -aloft smiling, and there ran through the ship a great wave of talk. -Though a man had never sailed those seas before, he would not have -found the reason for their talk hard to guess, since there were few -secrets on board. Time and distance had made less the grumbling -occasioned by the disastrous brush with the Porcupine and by the -littleness of the profit got from the pink, and they had warmed their -hearts with the Old One's tales. - -Bearing to the west, the Rose of Devon skirted the dark shore for -miles; but the master and mate were growing anxious lest dawn overtake -them before they should reach the hiding-place they sought; and when -they rounded a certain wooded point and sailed into a deep, secluded -bay where a ship might lie for a year unseen,--which put an end to -their fears,--they let go their anchors with all good will and furled -their sails; and at break of day they kedged the ship into a cove that -might have been a dock, so straight were the shores and so deep the -water. - -"Mind you, Ned," or "Mind you, Hal, the night we landed on Hispaniola?" -the men from the Blue Friggat were saying. And "'Twas thou at my side -when we stole down through the palms and bottled the garrison in the -little fort." And "Ah, what wine we got that night!" - -"Yea, and how drunk we got! So that Martin Barwick was of a mind to go -fight a duel with the captain of the soldiers. And then they burst out -and drove us all away, and there was an end of our taking towns for a -long, long while." - -"I will have you know that I was no drunker than any man else," Martin -snarled, and they laughed uproariously. - -"Come," cried another, "since we have laid our ship in her chosen -berth, let us sleep while the idlers watch. We shall be off in the cool -of the afternoon." - -"Nay, in the morning!" - -"Afternoon or morning matters little," said old Jacob thickly, in the -corner where he sat watching all the men. "The hour is near when we -shall lay in the hold a goodly cargo. I know well _this_ town. We need -only find two more such towns to get the money to keep us the rest of -our lives like so many dukes, each of us in a great house in England, -with a park full of deer, and the prettiest tavern wenches from all the -country round to serve us in the kitchen." - -That day, while the men slept in such cool places as they could find, -the cook and the carpenter stood watch; and a very good watch they -kept, for they were prudent souls and feared the Old One and dared -not steal a wink of sleep. But though there was much need that the men -should sleep, there was small need of a watch, for the ship lay in that -deep cove in the little round bay, with masses of palms on the high -banks, which hid her from waterline to truck. - -At mid-afternoon, as the Old One had bade them, the cook and the -carpenter called the men, who came tumbling up, quickly awake and -breathing heavily, since there was work to be done ere another morning -broke, and, like enough, blood to be spilled. - -From a chest of arms Harry Malcolm handed out muskets and pistols and -pikes. "This for you," he said--"and this for you--and here's a tall -gun for Paul Craig. Nay, curse not! Prayers, Paul, shall profit thee -more than curses." - -"I tell ye what, I'll not carry this great heavy gun," quoth he, and -turned a dull red from anger. - -"Blubububububub!" one cried, and all laughed. - -"'Tis lucky, Paul," retorted Harry Malcolm, "that Tom Jordan is an -easy, merciful man, or there's more than one back would bear a merry -pattern in welts." He took up another musket--cumbersome, unwieldy -weapons they were, which a man must rest for firing--and handed it to -another. "And this for you." - -Jacob was turning over and over on his palm powder from a newly opened -barrel, and the Old One was leaning on the quarter-deck rail, whence -he sleepily watched the small groups that were all the time gathering -and parting. Will Canty, his face a little whiter than ordinary and his -hand holding his firelock upright by the barrel, stood ill at ease by -the forecastle. The boys lurked in corners, keeping as much as possible -out of the way, but watching with wide eyes the many preparations. -And indeed it was a rare sight, for the staunch old ship, her rigging -restored and her many leaks stopped, lay in her little cove where a -cool breeze stirred the ropes, and the afternoon sun shone through the -palms brightly on the deck, and the men moved about bare-armed and -stripped to their shirts. - -"It would save much labour," said the carpenter, "were we to use this -fair breeze to go by sea." - -"True, carpenter, but a ship coming in from sea is as easy spied by -night as by day, whereas a company of men descending from the hills by -night will have the fort before the watchdogs bark. And who is there -will grudge labour in such a cause?" The Old One looked about and the -carpenter himself nodded assent. - -Only Paul Craig grumbled, and at him the others laughed as they ate and -drank. - -They slept again till just before dawn, then, running a plank to the -shore, they gathered under the palms, for there was need of a last -council before leaving the ship. - -"We are forty men," said the Old One, "and forty men are all too few; -but though it is little likely that any will stumble on the ship in our -absence, it is a matter of only common prudence that we post a guard -ere we go." - -"Yea, a guard!" cried Paul Craig. "I, now, am a very watchful man." - -"Nay, but think, Paul, how great a meal thou can'st eat when thou hast -climbed up hill and down with thy gun, and how much thou can'st drink. -'Twould be no kindness to leave thee. We must leave some lithe, supple -lad who hath no need for the tramp." And the Old One chuckled. "Come, -Paul and Martin, you shall lead our van." - -Harry Malcolm met his eye, and he nodded. - -"I name to guard our ship," said he, "the cook and Joe Kirk and Will -Canty. Do you, lads, load the swivel guns and keep always at hand two -loaded muskets apiece. Fire not unless the need is urgent, and keep the -ship with your lives, for who knows but the lives of us all are staked -upon your watchfulness and courage? You, Harry, since you know best the -road, shall lead, with Paul and Martin upon either hand; the rest shall -follow, and Jacob and I will guard the rear." He turned to the three -who were to stay. "If there is good news, I will send men to bring the -ship round to the harbour where, God willing, we shall load her to the -deck with yellow chinks. If bad news,--why, you may see us in one day, -or three, or five,--or maybe never." - -He arched his brows and tossed his piece to his shoulder, and with -Jacob at his side, he followed the others, who were already labouring -under the weight of their weapons as they filed up the steep acclivity. -The Old One and Jacob slowly climbed the wild, rough hill and paused -until the marching column was out of hearing. - -"You are a strange man," said Jacob. "I would wring his neck without -thought." - -"That were a mere brutal jest such as affordeth little joy," the Old -One replied. "I will wind him in a tangle of his own working, then I -will take the breath from his nostrils deliberately and he will know, -when he dies, that I know what I know." - -"You are a strange man." - -"I can keep order among the gentlemen better than could any captain in -the King's service; and such a game as this sharpens a man's wits. We -shall see what we shall see." - -Jacob slipped away by himself and the Old One followed his men. - -All that morning, unseen and unsuspected, Jacob sat behind a rock -within earshot of the ship. The palms shielded him and shaded him and -he got himself into such a corner that no one could approach him from -behind or see him without being seen. And all that morning he neither -heard nor saw aught worthy of mark until about noon a voice in the ship -cried out so that Jacob could plainly understand the words, "One should -watch from land. Now a man on the hilltop could serve us well." - -To which a second voice replied, "Go thou up, Will, go thou up! We are -of no mind to stir." - -There came the sound of steps on a plank, then a rattle of pebbles -and a rustle of leaves; and Jacob rose quickly and followed at a safe -distance a man who passed his corner on the way up the acclivity. - -Reaching the summit, of the hill, where he was safely out of sight from -the ship, the fellow--and it was indeed Will Canty--searched the sea -from horizon to horizon; but Jacob, hunting deliberately as was his -manner, found a seat a great way off, yet so situated among the trees -that he could watch without being seen. For an hour he sat thus in a -niche in the rocks below and watched Will on the flat ledge above; then -he saw him start up of a sudden and look around him very carefully and -cautiously, and whip his shirt off his back and wave it in the air. - -For a good half-hour Will waved the shirt, stopping now and then to -rest; but it seemed that nothing came of his waving, for with a sad -face he put on his shirt and again sat down and presently he returned -to the ship. - -Jacob dozed a while longer where he was, having seen all that; for he -was a man who could put two and two together as well as another, and -he had learned what he wished to know. Then he got up, and seeking out -the place where the Old One and his men had passed, he followed after -them at a serious, steady gait, which seemed not very fast yet which -kept plodding so surely up hill and down hill and through gullies and -over ledges and along beside the sea, that in two hours he had covered -the distance the others, burdened with guns and pikes and swords, had -covered in three; and before nightfall, following the marks they had -left for him, he overtook them resting in a ravine. - -Night, which comes so suddenly in the tropics, was about to darken the -world, when Jacob gave them a great start by walking silently in upon -them as they sat talking in low voices, with their guns lying by their -sides and their minds on the work that was before them. He nodded at -the Old One, who knew well enough what his nod meant, and sat quietly -down among them. - -There was but a small moon, and when at nearly midnight they bestirred -themselves and ate the last of the sea bread they had brought, the -light was dim. But their plans were laid and the hour was come and the -Old One and Harry Malcolm and Jacob knew the ways they were to go. - -They were more than thirty, and they straggled out in a long line as -they climbed the precipitous hill. But those ahead waited at the top -for those behind and together, marching in close array, they crossed a -ridge and came into sight of a little town that lay below them among -hills and mountains. - -It was a dark and silent town, whose houses had a ghostly pallor in -the faint light from the crescent moon, and it lay beside a harbour -which shone like silver. There were no lights in the houses and in all -the place nothing stirred; but in the harbour a ship lay anchored, -concerning which they speculated in whispers. - -"The road lies yonder under the rock," said Harry Malcolm. - -"And one man has strayed," Jacob whispered. "I will fetch him." - -He stepped back the way they had come, and returned with Paul Craig who -dragged his gun by the muzzle. - -The fellow's manner betrayed his cowardice and the Old One pushed the -point of a knife against his breast. "If again you stray or loiter," -he whispered, "this blade will rip you open like a hog fat for the -killing." - -Though the words were uttered very softly, others heard them, and -Martin Barwick, whose courage was none of the staunchest, rubbed his -throat and swallowed hard. - -"Gold without stint is ours for the taking," said the Old One. - -"I have a misliking of yonder ship." - -"Nay, she is but one more prize." - -They moved down the mountain path toward the town. - -"There are twelve houses," said Jacob. "Two men to a house leaves ten -for the fort." In the dim light he had missed his count, for the men as -they approached the gate of the village had crowded together. - -"No one sleeps in the fort," quoth Harry Malcolm in a low voice. "They -go to the fort only when they are attacked by dogs of English or wicked -pirates." - -Some one laughed softly. - -"Two men to a house," the Old One was saying. "Kill, plunder, and -burn!" Then as they stood in the very gate a dog barked. - -They jumped at the sound, but higher by far did they jump when from the -ship lying in the harbour there came a loud hail in Spanish. - -"Ha! The dogs are wakeful!" the Old One cried in double meaning, and -with that he plunged forward through the shadows. Though for the most -part he showed himself a shrewd, cautious man, he was not one to turn -back when his blood was up; and quicker than thought he had raised his -voice to a yell:-- - -"Come, my hearts, and burn them in their beds!" - -"Nay, nay!" cried Jacob. "Come back while there is yet time! They -cannot yet know who we are or from whence we come. Another day, another -month, will be best!" But they had gone. With a yell the Old One had -led the way, and they had followed at his heels. Jacob was left alone -in the dark, and being a rarely prudent man and of no mind to risk his -neck lightly, he stayed where he was. - -As the Old One stormed the first house, there came a shot from the -darkness and he gave a howl of pain and rage. Turning, Phil Marsham saw -a stranger cross the road behind him, but he had no time to consider -the matter, since the first cries had waked the town. A dozen men were -exchanging musket-shots with the fort, wherein they were folly-blind, -for their shots went wild in the dark and their guns took a long time -loading; and the Old One, thinking to further the attack and not -considering that the light would reveal their whereabouts and their -weakness, struck fire to dry grass, which blazed up and caught wood, -but went out, hissing, under a bucket of water from within a house. -Here a Rose-of-Devon's man took the steel and died, and there another -went down, hit by a musket-ball. In a lull in the firing--for the -charges of their guns were soon spent--they heard plainly the sound of -oars and saw that two boats were bringing men from the vessel in the -harbour, and from the far side of the place others came charging with -pikes and swords. In all truth, the town was aroused and the game was -over, so they took to their heels and ran for their lives, since they -were outnumbered and outfought and no other course was left them. - -All who escaped gathered on the hill, for though a man might wish in -his heart to leave the Rose of Devon for ever, he could find no refuge -in the nest of hornets they had stirred to fury, since in the eyes of -the enemy one must appear as guilty as another. So, leaving ten of -their number behind them, dead or wounded or captured, every man who -could walk started back for the Rose of Devon with the thought to cheer -him on, that after daybreak in all likelihood the howling pack would be -at his heels. - -They bickered and wrangled and cursed, and one whispered to Philip -Marsham that if they had an abler captain their luck would turn, which -was a great folly and cost him a broken head. - -"That for thy prattle," the Old One cried, for he had been walking just -behind. And with a club he struck the fellow a blow that sent him to -the ground. Indeed, the Old One had intended to kill him, and had he -not been so weary, he would doubtless have stayed to complete his work, -for his temper was torn to rags. - -Uphill and down they went, through thickets and streams, over ledges -and sandy slides, round dank old fallen logs and along firm beaches, -back to their dark frigate, with their labour for their pains. And so, -by broad daylight, weary and hungry and too angry for civil speech, -they came to the Rose of Devon. The younkers trotted along, dog-tired, -and the men tramped in as best they could. There were hard words on -this side and hard words on that, and hands were clapped on knives for -no cause at all. - -They thought it queer, when in the gray morning they came sliding down -to the ship, with a rattle of pebbles and loose earth, that they found -her so still, and only the cook on her deck, and himself in a cold -sweat of fear. - -"I would have nought to do with it," he cried, and being still mindful -of his thirsty hours in bilboes, he shook in his shoes lest they fix -upon him a share of the blame for that which had occurred in their -absence. - -"With what and whom would'st thou have nought to do?" the Old One -demanded, and he showed a face that made the cook's teeth rattle. - -"With them--they've gone." - -"Who hath gone?" - -"Will Canty and Joe Kirk. They took the shallop and bread and beer." - -"It seems," said the Old One, and in a strangely quiet voice, "that the -edge that is nicked is not Will Canty's. Is it thine, Jacob, or mine?" - -The cook thought that either he or the Old One had lost his wits, for -he made no sense of the words; but Harry Malcolm and Jacob knew what -was meant, and Philip Marsham made a sharp guess at it. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -THE HARBOUR OF REFUGE - - -It was up anchor and away, for they needs must flee ere the hunters -find them. They stood along the coast with a light breeze in the early -morning, when the sun was rising over the sea and tipping with gold -the branches of the dark palms; but the Rose of Devon was a hawk with -clipped wings. - -A company of twenty-nine or thirty men in a staunch ship with a -goodly number of brass cannon and with powder and balls in abundance -(which provident merchants had bought to defend their venture against -pirates!) might have done very well on a merchant voyage or fishing. If -there are not too many to share in the adventure, a man can earn his -wages by the one; or if he would go to the banks of Newfoundland or to -Massachusetts Bay, his lay of a fishing voyage will doubtless bring -him enough golden chinks to drink in strong ale or sack the health of -every fair maiden of Plymouth ere he must be off to fill his pockets -anew. Though the times be ever so hard, he is a feckless sailor who -cannot earn in such a company the price of drinking the three outs. -But to work a ship and lay aboard a rich prize, with perhaps need to -show heels to a King's cruiser or to fight her, is quite another game; -and the Old One and Harry Malcolm, who had their full share of the -ill-temper that prevailed throughout the ship, cursed their fortune, -each in his own way, and wrangled together and quarrelled with the men. - -And indeed, among all the men of the Rose of Devon there were only two -or three who that morning remained unperturbed by their misadventures -of the night. One was Jacob, who sat in this corner or that and eyed -all comers coldly and as if from a distance. A second was Philip -Marsham, who did not, like Jacob, appear to lose his warmer interest in -the ship and her company, but whose interest had been always less as -for himself alone. - -Meeting in groups of three or five, the men ripped out oaths and told -of how one captain or another had once taken a ship or a town with -vast bloodshed and plunder, and thus they stormed about the deck at -intervals until an hour after sunrise, when Phil from the forecastle -and Old Jacob from his corner under the quarter-deck, having observed -them for some time putting their heads together and conversing in -undertones, heard them crying out, "Yea, yea! Go on, go on! We are -all with you!" Four of the men then started through the steerage room -to the great cabin and the rest gathered in a sullen half circle just -under the quarter-deck. - -Jacob raised his head and listened; his face was very thoughtful and -his small mouth was puckered tight. At the sounds that issued from the -cabin, Phil himself drew nearer. - -"Well," cried the Old One in a voice that seemed as full of wonder as -of wrath,--they heard him plainly,--"what in the Devil's name mean ye -by this?" - -"We ha' lost a dozen men and our shallop by this foolish march, and -from this rich town of which you have promised much we have got only -blows and balls for our labour." The speaker's voice was loud and -harsh, and he larded his speech with such oaths and obscene bywords -as are not fit for printing. "We are of a mind to change captains. You -shall go forward and Paul Craig shall come aft. Speak up, Paul! Tell -your tale of no marching to wear out a man's feet--" - -There came a string of oaths in the Old One's voice and a wild stamping -and crashing; then out they burst, jostling one another in their haste, -and after them the Old One with a clubbed musket. - -He subdued his fury, when he faced the ring of sullen men, as if he had -taken it with his hands and pushed it down. But they feared him none -the less, and perhaps the more. A man looking at him must perceive that -his mind was keen and subtle, which made his quietness, when he was -angry, more terrible than a great show of wrath. - -"I have sailed before with mad, fickle crews," said he; "yea, once -with a crew so mad that it would send a gentleman post unto the King -with a petition of grievances because a King's ship had chased us from -the South Foreland to the Lizard. But never saw I a more mad crew than -this, which is enough to give a man a grievous affliction of the colic -and stone by the very excess of its madness." - -"As for madness," cried a man who stood at a safe distance behind the -rest, "I charge thee with worse than madness. We have lost two fights -and many men and have got to show for it--a kettle of fish." - -Some laughed, but more muttered angrily. - -"Why--we have had our ill fortunes. But what gentlemen of the sea have -not? Come, make an end of this talk. Come out, you who spoke, and let -us consider the matter. Nay? He will not come, though by his speech he -is a bold man?" - -Again some of them laughed, but in a mean way, for he had cowed them by -his show of violence and they feared more than ever that subtle spirit -which over-leaped their understanding. - -"Listen, then, my hearts of gold: we will come about and sail back. -We will lie tonight by the very town that last night we stormed. We -will seek it out as a harbour of refuge. We will tell them a tale of -meeting pirates who captured our shallop and part of our men. We will -give them such a story that they will think we have met the very men -they themselves last night beat off, and will welcome us with open arms -to succour our distress. Who knows but that we can then take them by -assault? Or if for the time they are too strong for us, we will mark -well the approaches and the defenses, and some night we will again come -back." - -The idea caught their fancy, and though a few cried nay and whispered -that it was the sheerest madness yet, more cried yea and argued there -was little risk, for if worst should come to worst, they could turn -tail and run as run they had before. As they talked, they forgot their -many woes and whispered about that none but the Old One would ever -think of such a scheme. - -Harry Malcolm and the Old One went off by themselves and put their -heads together and conversed secretly, and throughout the ship there -was a great buzz of voices. Only Jacob, who sat in his corner and -watched now one and now another, and Philip Marsham, who watched Jacob, -kept silence amidst the hubble-bubble. - -So they wore ship, and returning along the palm-grown shores, came -again at the end of the afternoon into sight of the flat mountain they -had seen first by night; and though the wind fell away at times until -the sails hung in listless folds, they gathered speed with the evening -breeze and came at nightfall into a fine landlocked harbour with the -town at its head, where there were lights shining from the houses and a -ship still lying at anchor. - -Upon their coming there was a great stir in the town. They saw lights -moving and heard across the water voices calling; but though the men -of the Rose of Devon stood by their guns, ready to lift the ports at a -word and run out their pieces, they laughed in their sleeves at their -own audacity whereby they hoped greatly to enrich their coffers. - -Then one in the fort hailed them in Spanish, and while the Old One -made answer in the same tongue, those who understood it whispered to -the rest that he was giving the men in the fort a sad tale of how the -Rose of Devon had fallen in with a band of sailors of fortune who had -killed part of her men and would have killed them all had not the Old -One himself by a bold and clever stroke eluded them. The Old One and -the man in the fort flung questions and answers back and forth; and as -they talked, the men at the guns relaxed and softly laughed, and Martin -whispered to Philip Marsham, "Yea, they are telling of a band of roving -Englishmen who last night singed their very whiskers; and being clever -men and learning that them whom we ourselves have met and fought were -lawless English dogs, they perceive we needs have met the very rascals -that made them so much trouble." Again Martin listened, then slapped -his thigh. "They are sending us boats!" he exclaimed. "Though they -perceive we are English, it seemeth they bear an Englishman no ill will -because he is English. Truly, a fool shall be known by his folly!" - -Most of the men were elated, but old Jacob watched and said nought. His -black, bright eyes and his nose, which came out in a broad curve, made -him look like an old, wise rat. - -As the boats came over the dark water, with the soft splash of oars, -there was hurried talking on the quarter-deck, then the Old One came -swiftly. "Good boatswain," said he, "these foolish fellows have bade us -ashore to break bread with them and share a bottle of wine. Now I am -of a mind to go, and Harry Malcolm is of a mind to bear me company. We -will take twelve men and so arrange it that they shall not surprise us. -Yea, I am too old a dog to be caught by tricks. It may be we can strike -them again tonight, and a telling blow. It may be not. But do you and -Jacob keep watch on board, with every man at his station in case of -need." - -So the Rose of Devon let go her anchors and swung with the tide a -cable's length from the unknown ship, which lay dark and silent and -apparently deserted. - -The strange boats came up in the shadow of the poop and the Old One and -Harry, with their men mustered about them, exchanged greetings with the -oarsmen below, in rough English and in rougher Spanish, as each side -strove to outdo the other in civility. - -The men--heavily armed--slid down into the boats and the Old One -smiled as he watched them go, for he was himself well pleased with -the escapade. Such harebrained adventures were his bread of life. He -followed the men, the cabin lanthorn in his hand, and after him came -Harry Malcolm, as cool as a man could desire, and watched very sharply -all that went on while the boats rowed slowly away toward the land. - -Then Jacob came out of his corner and spoke to Phil. "I will watch -first," said he. "The cook hath laid a fine supper on the cabin table. -Go you down and eat your fill, then come up and keep the deck and I -will go down and eat in my turn." - -At something in the man's manner, which puzzled him, Phil hesitated; -but the thought was friendly, and he said, "I will not be long." - -"Do not hurry." - -When Phil turned away, old Jacob cleared his throat. - -"Boatswain--" - -"Yea?" - -"Do not hurry." - -As Phil sat at the table in the great cabin, which was so dark that he -could scarcely see the plate in front of him (although he ate with no -less eagerness because of the darkness), the planks and timbers and -transoms and benches were merged into an indiscriminate background -of olive-black, and there hung before him by chance a mirror on the -forward bulkhead, in which the reflection of the yellow sky threw into -sharp outline the gallery door at his back. Having no means at hand for -striking a light, he was hungrily eating and paying little heed to his -surroundings, when in the mirror before his eyes, against the yellow -western sky the silhouette of a head wearing a sweeping hat appeared -over the gallery rail. - -There was not the faintest noise, and no slightest motion of the ship -was perceptible in the brown stillness of the evening. The head, darkly -silhouetted, appeared in the mirror as if it were a thing not of this -earth, and immediately, for he was one who always kept his wits about -him, Phil slipped silently off the bench, and letting himself down -flat on the deck, slid back into the darkest corner of all, which lay -to the starboard of the gallery door. There, without a sound, he rose -to his feet. - -The black silhouette reflected in the mirror grew larger until it -nearly blocked the reflection of the door, then a board in the gallery -gently creaked and Phil knew that the man, whoever he was, was coming -into the cabin. Presently in the subdued light he could dimly see the -man himself, who stood by the table with his back toward Phil and -glanced about the cabin from one side to the other. Knowing only that -he was a stranger and therefore had no right to enter the great cabin -of the Rose of Devon, Phil had it in mind to jump and seize him from -behind, for so far as he could appraise the man's figure, the two were -a fair match in weight and height. But when Phil was gathering himself -for the leap, he saw in the mirror the reflection of a second head, and -then of a third. - -Again the gallery creaked, for the newcomers, like the first, were -on their way into the cabin. By the door they stood for a moment -listening, and in the silence Phil heard a boat gently bumping against -the side of the ship. He was first of a mind, naturally, to cry an -alarm; but were he to call for help, he would learn no more of their -errand. They drew together beside the table and conversed in whispers -of which Phil could distinguish nothing, although he was near enough -to reach out his hand and seize hold of the curls and brave hat of the -nearest of them. To attack them single-handed were an act of plain -folly, for they wore swords and doubtless other weapons; but when he -perceived that the first had got out flint and steel, he knew that they -must soon discover him. - -"Whence and for what have you come?" he said in a low voice. - -They turned quickly but with admirable composure: there were never seen -three calmer men. The first struck light to a slow match and held over -it the wick of a candle drawn from his pocket, upon which the flame -took hold and blazed up, throwing curious shadows into the corner of -the cabin and half revealing the hangings and weapons. The man raised -the candle and the three drew close about Phil and looked at him -steadily. - -"So a watch is set in the cabin, I perceive," the man holding the -candle said with a quiet, ironical smile. - -By mien and speech Phil knew upon the instant that they were Englishmen -and it took no great discernment to see that they were gentlemen and -men of authority. - -They pressed closer about him. - -"Whence and for what have you come?" he repeated. - -They made no reply but stood in the brown light, holding high their -candle and looking him hard in the face. - -Again he heard the boat bumping against the side of the ship and -now the murmur of the wind aloft. Far away he heard a faint sound -of calling which was growing constantly louder. The three exchanged -glances and whispering to one another, moved toward the gallery; but as -they started to go, the one turned back and held the candle to Phil's -face. - -"Of this be assured, my fine fellow," said he, "I shall know you well -if ever I see you again." - -Phil was of a mind to call after them, to pursue them, to flee with -them; but as it is easy to understand, there were strong reasons -for his staying where he was, and there had been little welcome in -their faces. He stood for a moment by the table and noticed that the -sky in the mirror had turned from a clear olive to a deep gray and -that the lines of the door and the gallery rail had lost their sharp -decisiveness and had blurred into the dark background. Then he darted -out of the cabin through the steerage and called sharply, "Jacob! -Jacob!" - -The men watching at the guns stirred in suppressed excitement and -turned from whispering uneasily. - -"There are strange sounds yonder, boatswain," called one. - -"And shall we knock out the ports and loose the tacklings?" another -asked. - -"Be still! Jacob, Jacob!" Phil cried, running up on the quarter-deck. - -There was no one on the quarter-deck; there was no one on the poop. The -wind was blowing up into a fair breeze and small waves were licking -against the dark sides of the Rose of Devon. But the after decks were -deserted. - -"Jacob!" Phil cried once more, and sent his voice out far across the -water. But there was still no answer. Jacob had gone. - -For a moment the lad stood by the rail and intently listened. The -calling on shore had ceased, but a boat was rowing out from the town -and the beat of oars was quick and irregular. Further, to swell his -anxiety, there was a great bustle on board the unknown ship, which had -been lying hitherto with no sign of human life. - -Then Philip Marsham took the fate of the Rose of Devon in his hands and -leaned out over the quarter-deck gun. "Holla, there!" he called, but -not loudly, "Let the younkers lay quietly aloft and lie ready on the -yards to let the sails fall at a word." - -Seeming encouraged and reassured by a summons to action, the younger -men went swarming up the rigging, and as quietly as one could wish; but -even the low sound of their subdued voices drummed loud in the ears of -the lad on the quarter-deck. - -Jacob had gone! The boatswain, for one, remembered old tales of rats -leaving ships of ill fortune. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -WILL CANTY - - -They saw a boat coming a long way off, with her men rowing furiously, -but by that time there were all manner of sounds on the shore whence -the boat had launched forth. Shouts and yells in English and Spanish, -with ever the booming of guns, echoed across the harbour. Beacons -flamed up and for a while danced fitfully, only to die away when those -who tended the fires left them unwatched and with flaming brands joined -in the cry; and in the wake of the furiously rowing boat came others -that strove with a great thresh of oars to overhaul the fugitive. - -The activity and tumult were very small and faint under the bright -stars in that harbour girdled about with palms. Though the rugged -slopes of wild mountains, rising like escarpments above the harbour, -by day completely dwarfed it, yet the stars made the mountains seem by -night mere pigmy hills, and even the many sounds, which a great echoing -redoubled, seemed smaller and fainter in the presence of the vast -spaces that such a night suggests. - -Although the men in the foremost boat rowed out of time and clumsily, -their fierce efforts kept them their lead, and they were still far in -advance of their pursuers when they tossed up their oars and crouched -panting on the thwarts in the shadow of the ship. - -"Ropes, you fools!" the Old One called. "Cast us ropes! Ropes! Bind -fast this bird we've caught and trice him up! Now, my hearts, swing him -aloft--there he swings and up he goes! Well done! I'll keep him though -I risk my neck in doing it. Make fast a rope at bow and at stern! Good! -Every man for himself! Up, thou! And thou! Up go we all! Come, tally on -and hoist the boat on board! And the men are aloft? Well done, Jacob! -Haul up the anchor and let fall the courses!" - -It was plain from their manner that those who came swarming up -the sides had a story to tell, but there was little time then for -story-telling. The pursuing boats lifted their oars and swung at a -distance with the tide, since it was plain for all to see that they -were too late to overhaul the fugitives. Although on board the stranger -ship there were signs and sounds of warlike activity, she too refrained -from aggression; and the Old One, having no mind to traffic with them -further, paced the deck with a rumble of oaths and drove the men alow -and aloft to make sail and be gone. - -It was "Haul, you swine!" - -And "Heave, you drunken dogs!" - -And "Slacken off the weather braces! Leap for your lives!" - -And "Haul, there, haul! A touch of the rope's end, boatswain, to stir -their spirits!" - -And "Come, clear the main topsail! Up aloft to the topsail yard, young -men! A knife, you dog, a knife! Slash the gaskets clear! A touch of the -helm, there! Harder! Harder! There she holds! Steady!" - -Then Harry Malcolm called from the quarter-deck in his quiet, quick -voice, "The swivel gun is loaden, Tom. I'll chance a shot upon the -advantage." - -"Good, say I!" quoth the Old One. "And if the first shot prove ill, -amend it with a second." - -They saw moving on the forecastle the light of a match, and after such -brief space of time as a spark takes to go from brace-ring to touchhole -the gun, which was charged with small shot for sweeping the deck if an -enemy should board the ship, showered the distant boats with metal. -They saw by the splashing that the charge had carried well and that -Malcolm's aim was true, and a yell and a volley of curses told them as -well as did the splash, which was dimly seen by starlight, that the -shot had scored a hit. - -While a sailor sponged the gun, Harry Malcolm gave a shog to the full -ladle of powder, and keeping his body clear of the muzzle, put the -ladle home to the chamber, where he turned it till his thumb on the -ladle-staff was down, and gave it a shake to clear out the powder, and -haled it forth again. Then with the rammer he put the powder home and -drove after it a good wad and in anger and haste called for a shot. - -Then the Old One laughed through his teeth. "Go thou down, Jacob," -cried he, "and give them a ball from the stern chaser. To sink one of -those water snakes, now, would be a message worthy of our parting. -Jacob! Jacob, I say!" - -There was no answer from old Jacob. - -It was Boatswain Marsham who cried back, "He hath gone." - -"Gone?" quoth the Old One. His face, as the starlight revealed it, was -not for the reading, but despite him there was something in his voice -that caught the attention of the men. - -"Gone?" the Old One repeated, and leaned down in the darkness. The -shadows quite concealed his face when he was bent over so far that no -light from above could fall on it, but he raised his hand and beckoned -to the boatswain in a way there was no mistaking. - -In response to the summons of the long forefinger, Phil climbed the -ladder to his side. - -"You say he hath gone," the Old One quietly repeated. "When did he go?" - -"I do not know. He kept the deck when I went below for supper." - -"How did he go?" - -"Nor do I know that. But three men came into the cabin by way of the -gallery while I was there--" - -"Three men, say you? Speak on." The Old One leaned back and folded his -arms, and though he smiled, he listened very carefully to the story the -boatswain told. - -"And when you came on deck he was gone." The Old One tapped the rail. -"You have booklearning. Can you navigate a ship?" - -"I can." - -"Yea, it may well be that now we shall have need of such learning. -It was an odd day when you and I met beside the road. I shall not -soon forget that ranting fool with the book, who was as good as a -bear-baiting to while away an afternoon when time hung heavy. Oft ha' -we left him fallen at the crest, in the old days when he dwelt in -Bideford, but Jacob saw no sport in it, nor could he abide the fellow." -The Old One looked Phil frankly in the eye and smiled. "In faith, I -had a rare game that day with Martin, whose wits are but a slubbering -matter at best. But that's all done and away with. And Jacob hath gone! -Let him go. Betide it what may, there is one score I shall settle -before my hour comes. Go forward, boatswain, and bear a sharp watch at -sea, and mind you come not abaft the mainmast until I give you leave." - -The Old One spoke again when Phil was on the ladder. "Mind you, -boatswain: come not abaft the mainmast until I give you leave. I bear -you nought but love, but I will have you know that in what I have to do -I will brook no interruption." - -Though Tom Jordan had spoken him kindly, the lad was not so blunt of -wit that he failed to detect suspicion in the man's manner. He stopped -by the forecastle, and looking back saw that the Old One was giving -the helmsman orders, for the ship had cleared the harbour, to all -appearances unpursued, and was again bearing up the coast. The Old One -then came down from the quarter-deck, and, having spoken to several of -the men in turn, called, "Come, Martin; come, Paul, bring the fellow -in." - -And with that, he went into the great cabin, where they heard him -speaking to Harry Malcolm. - -As for Martin Barwick and Paul Craig, they went over to where the one -had all this time been lying whom they had trussed up in ropes and -hoisted on board. All the time he had been in the ship he had neither -moved nor spoken, nor did he speak now as they picked him up, one at -his head and one at his feet, and carried him into the cabin. The door -shut and for a long time there was silence. - -There were some to whom the matter was a mystery, and the boatswain was -among them; but the whispering and nodding showed that more knew the -secret than were ignorant of it. The ship thrust her nose into a heavy -swell and pitched until her yards knocked on the masts; the breeze -blew up and whipped the tops off the waves and showered the decks with -spray; the sky darkened with clouds and threatened rain. But in the -ship there was such a deep silence as stifles a man, which endured and -seemed--were it possible--to grow minute by minute more intense until a -low cry burst from the cabin. - -The men sitting here and there on deck stirred and looked at one -another; but Philip Marsham leaped to his feet. - -"Sit down, lad," said the carpenter. - -"Drop your hand!" - -"Nay, it is better that I keep my hand on your arm." - -"Drop your hand! Hinder me not!" - -"Nay, I am obeying orders." - -There came a second cry from the cabin, and Phil laid his free hand on -his dirk. - -"Have care, boatswain, lest thy folly cost thee dear. There are others -set to watch the deck as well as I." - -And now three men who had been sitting by the mainmast rose. They were -looking toward Phil and the carpenter, and one of them slowly walked -thither. - -Though Philip Marsham had no fear of hard fighting, neither was he an -arrant fool, and instantly he perceived that he was one man against -many under circumstances that doubled the odds. His heart beat fast and -a cold sweat sprang out on his forehead. - -"What are they doing to him?" he demanded. - -"Nothing that he hath not richly earned," said the man who had come -near the two. - -Scarcely conscious of his own thought, Phil glanced toward the dark and -distant shore; but, slight though his motion, the carpenter's one eye -saw it and his none too nimble wit understood it. - -"Nay," said he, "it is a mad conceit." - -The carpenter thrust his fingers through his beard, and, being a kindly -soul in his own way and having a liking for the boatswain, he wished -himself rid of his responsibilities. But since there was no escape from -the situation he drew a deep breath and squared his shoulders to make -the best of it. "I heard of a man once, when I was a little lad," he -said, "who was cast ashore on the main, in Mexico or some such place. -Miles Philips was his name and the manner of his suffering at the hands -of the Indians and the Spaniards may serve as a warning. For they flung -him into prison where he was like to have starved; and they tortured -him in the Inquisition where he was like to have perished miserably; -and many of his companions they beat and killed or sent to the galleys; -and himself and certain others they sold for slaves. So grievous was -his suffering, he was nigh death when he heard news of Sir Francis -Drake being in those seas and ran away to join him. Yet again they -caught him--caught this Miles Philips and clapped him into prison with -a great pair of bolts on his legs; and yet once more did he escape, for -God willed it, and filed off his irons and got him away and so betook -him back to England after such further suffering from the Indians and -the mosquitoes and the Spaniards and the dogs of the Inquisition as few -men have lived to tell the tale of. All this, I have heard from an old -man who knew him, is told in Master Hakluyt's book, where any scholar -of reading may find it for himself. Though not a man of reading, yet -have I taken it to heart to beware of straying from a ship into a -strange land." - -Of all the fellow had said Philip Marsham had heard no more than half, -for the cry that had twice sounded still rang in his ears, although -since it had died away the second time there was only silence on the -deck save for the carpenter's rambling talk. The lad's mind leaped -nimbly from one occurrence to another in search for an explanation of -the cry. - -"Tell me," said he, "what happened on shore?" - -At this the carpenter laughed, pleased with believing he had got the -boatswain's thoughts off the affair of the moment. "Why, little enough. -They would have persuaded us to leave our weapons at the door, but the -Old One was too wise a horse to be caught by the rattle of oats. And -whilst he was ducking and smiling and waving hands with the Spaniards, -I myself, my ears being keen, heard one cry in Spanish, for I have a -proper understanding of Spanish which I got by many pains and much -listening--as I was saying, I heard one cry in Spanish, 'Yea, that is -he.' And said I to myself, 'Now Heaven keep us! Where have I heard -that voice?' And then it came upon me and I cried in English, 'Who of -us knew the dog, Will Canty, could talk Spanish?' Whereat the Old One, -hearing me, turned and caught a glimpse of Will in the darkness. You -know his way--a shrewd blade, but hot-tempered. 'There,' cries he, 'is -my man! Seize him!' And with that I, being nearest, made a leap. And -they, being at the moment all oil to soothe our feelings and hood our -eyes, were off their guard. So the Old One, who likely enough had heard -for himself Will Canty's saying, since he too hath a curious knowledge -of Spanish, cries, 'Back to the boat, my lads!' For seest thou, if Will -Canty was pointing out this one or that, there was treacherous work in -the wind. So down through them we rushed, all together, bearing Will -with us by the suddenness and audacity of our act, and so away in a -boat before they knew our thought." - -"And who were the other Englishmen?" - -The carpenter gave the lad a blank look. "Why, there were none." - -Rising, Phil paced the deck while the carpenter and the others watched -him. Some scowled and whispered suspicions, and others denied them, -until Phil himself heard one crying, "Nay, nay, he's a true lad. 'Tis -only he hath a liking for the fellow." - -The carpenter neither smiled nor frowned, for though he knew no -loyalty deeper than his selfish interests, and though he felt no qualm -regarding that which was going on in the cabin (since he had little -love for the poor wretch who was the victim), he had a very kindly -feeling toward those who got his liking; and it sorely troubled him -that Philip Marsham should suffer thus, though it were at second hand. - -"Come, lad," said he, "sit down here and take comfort in the fine -night." - -Laying his elbows on the rail, Phil thrust his hands through his hair -and bit his two lips and stared at the distant shore of Cuba. He feared -neither Indians nor insects nor the Inquisition. There were other -things, to his mind, more fearful than these. - -The gasping sound that then came from the cabin was one thing more than -he could abide. He turned with the drawn dirk in his hand, but the -carpenter was on him from behind, whispering, "Come, lad, come!" And -because he could not but be aware of the carpenter's honest good will, -he could not bring himself to use the dirk, yet only by using the dirk -could he have got out of the long arms that held him fast. For a moment -they swayed back and forth; then, when others were hurrying to aid the -carpenter, the door of the great cabin opened. - -A rumble of laughter issued, then the Old One's voice, "Lay him here -in the steerage and shackle him fast to the mizzen. He may well be -thankful that I am a merciful man." - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -TOM JORDAN'S MERCY - - -They anchored that noon in a great bay surrounded by forests and -mountains, which formed a harbour wherein a thousand sail of tall ships -might have lain. Through the long afternoon, while the Rose of Devon -swung at her anchor, the wind stirred the palms and a wild stream, -plunging in a succession of falls down a mountainside, shone like a -silver thread. But Paul Craig sat guard over Will Canty, who lay in the -steerage chained to the mizzenmast, and there was no chance for any -one of the men to speak with Will. And on deck the carpenter measured -and sawed and planed for his purpose; and having shaped his stock he -wrought a coffin. - -First he threw nails in a little heap on the deck, then, kneeling, -he drove them home into the planed boards. It was rap-rap-rap, and -rap-rap-rap. The noise went through the ship, while the men looked at -one another; and some chuckled and said that the Old One was a rare -bird; but the Old One, coming out of the great cabin without so much -as a glance at the lad who lay chained to the mast, stood a long time -beside the carpenter. He kept a grave face while he watched him work, -and very serious he looked when he turned away and came and stood -beside Philip Marsham. - -"There are men that would slit the fellow's throat," he said, "or burn -him at stake, or flay him alive; but I have a tender heart and am by -nature merciful. Though he broke faith and dipped his hands in black -treachery, I bear him no ill will. I must needs twist his thumbs to -wring his secrets out of him and I can no longer keep him about me; -yet, as I have said, I bear him no ill will. Saw you ever a finer -coffin than the one I have ordered made for him?" - -What could a man reply? Although there had been complaining and revolt -before, the Old One again held the ship in the palm of his hand, for -they feared his irony more than his anger. - -Darkness came and they lowered the coffin into the boat, whither man -after man slid down. - -"Come, boatswain," said the Old One, in a quiet, solemn voice. "There -is an oar to pull." - -And what could a man do but slide with the others down into the -boat and rest on the loom of an oar? Phil shared a thwart with the -carpenter, and raised his oar and held it upright between his knees. - -The coffin lay across the boat amidships, and there were four oars, -two on the one side and two on the other; but a man sat beside each -oarsman, two more crowded into the bow, and two sat in the stern sheets -with the Old One. Then they lowered Will Canty to the bottom in front -of the Old One, where he lay bound hand and foot. - -Shoving off from the ship, the oarsmen bent to their task and the Old -One steered with a sweep; but the boat was crowded and deep in the -water, and they made slow progress. - -Mosquitoes swarmed about them and droned interminably. The water licked -at the boat and lapped on the white beach. The wind stirred in the -palms. The great bay with its mountains and its starry sky was as fair -a piece of land and sea as a man might wish to look upon in his last -hour; but there are few men whose philosophy will stand by them at such -a moment, and there is an odd quirk in human nature whereby a mere -droning mosquito can drive out of mind the beauty of sea and land--nay, -even thoughts of an immeasurable universe. - -The men beat at mosquitoes and swore wickedly until the Old One bade -them be silent and row on, for although they had come near the shore -the water was still deep under the boat, which tossed gently in the -starlight. - -A time followed in which the only sounds were of the wind and the -waves and the heavy breathing of the men. Some were turning their -heads to see the shore and the Old One had already risen to choose a -landing-place, when Will Canty--who, although bound hand and foot, had -all the while been edging about in the stern unknown to the others till -he had braced his feet in such a way that he could get purchase for a -leap--gave a great spring from where he lay, and thus threw himself up -and fell with his back across the gunwale, whence, wriggling like a -worm, he strove to push himself over the side. - -The Old One sprang forward in fury to seize and hold him, and caught -him by the wrist; but one of the men in zeal to have a hand in the -affair drove the butt of his gun against Will Canty's chin, and in -recovering the piece he stumbled and pushed the Old One off his -balance. So the Old One lost his hold on Will Canty's wrist and before -the rest knew what was happening Will had slipped into the deep water -and had sunk. That he never rose was doubtless the best fortune that -could have befallen him, and likely enough it was the blow of the gun -that killed him. But the Old One was roused to such a pitch of wrath at -being balked of his revenge that he was like a wild beast in his fury. - -Quicker than thought, he turned on the man who had pushed against him, -and reaching for the coffin that was made to Will's measure--a great, -heavy box it was!--raised it high and flung it at the fellow. - -It gashed the man's forehead and fell over the side and floated away, -and the man himself, with a string of oaths, clapped his hand to the -wound, whence the blood trickled out between his fingers. - -"Swine! Ass!" the Old One snarled. "I was of a mind to lay thee in Will -Canty's bed. But let the coffin go. Th' art not worthy of it." The boat -grated on white sand, and leaping to his feet the Old One cried with a -high laugh as he marked his victim's fear, "Get thee gone! If ever I -see thy face again, I will slit thy throat from ear to ear." - -"Nay, nay, do not send me away! Do not send me away!" the man wailed. -"O God! No, not that! I shall perish of Indians and Spaniards! The wild -beasts will devour me. Nay! Nay!" - -The Old One smiled and reached for a musket, and the poor fellow, his -face streaked with gore, was overcome by the greater terror and fled -away under the palms. No shot was fired and neither knife nor sword was -drawn ere the echo of the fellow's wailing died into silence; but the -Old One then fired a single shot after him, which evoked a last scream. - -"Come, Martin, take the scoundrel's oar," quoth the Old One, and he -turned the head of the boat to sea. - -They said little and were glad to row briskly out to the ship. Action -is ever welcome at the time when a man desires most of all to get away -from memory and thought. - -That night, when they were all asleep, Martin leaped out on the deck -and woke them by shrieking like a lunatic, until it seemed they were -all transported into Bedlam. He then himself awoke, but he would say -only, "My God, what a dream! Oh, what a dream!" And he would rub his -hands across his eyes. - -The grumblers continued quietly to grumble, for that is a joy no -power on earth can take away, but there was no more talk of another -captain. Some said that now the luck would change and told of prizes -they had taken and would take, and recalled to mind the strong liquors -of Bideford and the pasties that Mother Taylor would make for them. -Others, although they said little, shook their heads and appeared to -wish themselves far away. But whether a man felt thus or otherwise, -there was small profit of their talking. - -For another day and night they lay at anchor and ate and drank and -sprawled out in the sun. The Rose of Devon, as they had earlier had -occasion to remark, was richly found, and they had still no need to -bestir themselves for food and drink. But any man with a head on his -shoulders must perceive that with old Jacob, who had gone so wisely -about his duties and had so well held his own counsel in many things, -the ship had lost something of stability and firm purpose even in her -lawless pursuits. - -And Will Canty, too, was gone! As the old writer has it, "One is choked -with a fly, another with a hair, a third pushing his foot against the -trestle, another against the threshold, falls down dead: So many kind -of ways are chalked out for man, to draw towards his last home, and -wean him from the love of earth." Though Will Canty had died a hard -death, he had escaped worse; and as Priam, numbering more days than -Troilus, shed more tears, so Philip Marsham, outliving his friend, -faced such times as the other was spared knowing. - -Of all this he thought at length, and fearing his own conscience more -than all the familiars of the Inquisition, in which he was singularly -heartened by remembering the stout old knight in the scarlet cloak, he -contrived a plan and bode his time. - -In the darkness of the second night, when the Old One had somewhat -relaxed his watchfulness, Boatswain Marsham slipped over the bow and -lowered himself silently on a rope he had procured for the purpose, -and very carefully, lest the noise be heard on board the ship, seated -himself in Tom Jordan's boat and rowed for shore. An honest man can go -so far in a company of rogues and no farther. - -Reaching the land and hauling the boat up on the beach in plain sight -of those left in the Rose of Devon, where they might swim for it if -they would, he set off across the hills and under the palms. Upon -reaching the height he looked back and for a moment watched the old -ship as she swung with the tide on the still, clear water. He hoped he -should never see her again. Then he looked down at the tremulous and -shimmering bay where Will Canty lay dead, and was glad to plunge over -the hill and leave the bay behind him. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -A MAN SEEN BEFORE - - -There was sullen anger and worse in the Rose of Devon when day broke, -for the boatswain, too, had gone and the boat lay in sight upon the -beach whereby all might know the means of his going. - -One watching from the mountain would have seen the Rose of Devon spread -her sails and put to sea like a great bird with white wings. But there -was no one on the mountain to watch, and when the ship had sailed, -no human being remained to interrupt the placid calm that overspread -the bay that summer morning. The sun blazed from a clear sky, and the -green palms rustled and swayed beside the blue water, and in all the -marvelously fair prospect of land and sea no sign or mark of violence -remained. - -Phil Marsham had gone in the night over the hills and across the narrow -peninsula between two bays. Though the way was rough, the land was high -and--for the tropics--open, and he had put the peninsula behind him by -sunrise. He had then plunged down into a swampy region, but, finding -the tangle of vines and canes well nigh impassable in the dark, he had -struggled round it and had again come to the shore. - -There, finding once more a place where a man could walk easily, he had -pressed on at dawn through a forest of tall trees in infinite number -and variety, with flowers and fruits in abundance, and past a plain of -high grass of wonderful greenness. - -A short time after sunrise he drank from a spring of water and ate -ship's bread from the small store with which he had provided himself. -But he dared not linger, and resuming his journey he came upon two huts -where nets and fishing-tackle were spread in the sun to dry. The heat, -which seemed to swell from the very earth, by then so sorely oppressed -him that he stopped for a while in a shady place to rest. But still he -dared not stay, and although upon again arising he saw that dark clouds -were covering the sky, he once more stepped forth with such a stout -heart as had carried him out of London and all the long way to Bideford -in Devon. - -It gave him a queer feeling to be tramping through an unknown land with -no destination in his mind, yet he vowed to himself that, come what -might, he would never go back to the Rose of Devon. There is a time -when patience and forbearance are enough to earn a man a hempen halter, -and thinking thus, he faced the storm and renewed his determination. - -The wind rose to a furious gale; the clouds overswept the sky and -thunder shook the earth and heavens. The rain, sweeping down in -slanting lines, cut through the palm leaves like hundreds upon hundreds -of thrusting swords; and lightning flamed and flashed, and leaped from -horizon to horizon, and hung in a sort of continual cloud of deathly -blue in the zenith, blazing and quivering with appalling reverberations -that went booming off through the mountains and came rolling back in -ponderous echoes. It was enough to make a brave man think the black -angels were marshalling for the last great battle; it was such a -storm as a boy born in England and taught his seamanship in northern -waters knew only by sailors' tales. The rain beat through the poor -shelter that he found and drenched him to the skin, and the roaring and -thundering of the tempest filled him with awe. And when the storm had -passed, for it lasted not above three quarters of an hour, the sun came -out again and filled the air with a steamy warmth that was oppressive -beyond description. - -Then the woods came to life and insects stirred and droned, and -mosquitoes, issuing from among the leaves and grasses, plagued him to -the verge of madness. - -One who has lived always in a land where mosquitoes return each year in -summer is likely to have no conception of the venomous strength with -which their poison can work upon one who has not, by much experience of -their bites, built up a measure of resistance against it. Phil's hands -swelled until he could not shut them, and the swelling of his face so -nearly closed his eyes that he could hardly see. When two hours later, -all but blinded, and thirsting and hungry, he came again to the shore -and made out in the offing, by squinting between swollen eyelids, the -same Rose of Devon from which he had run away and to which he had vowed -he would never return, his misery was such that he would have been glad -enough to be on board her and away from such torment, though they ended -the day by hanging him. But the Rose of Devon sailed away over the blue -sea on which the sun shone as calmly and steadily as if there had been -no tempest, and Philip Marsham sat down on a rock and gave himself up -as a man already dead. - -There two natives of the country found him, and by grace of God, who -tempered their hearts with mercy, carried him to their poor hut and -tended him with their simple remedies until he was in such measure -recovered of the poison that he could see as well as ever. He then set -out once more upon his way to he knew not where, having rubbed himself -with an ointment of vile odour, which they gave him in goodly quantity -to keep off all pestiferous insects, and on the day when he ate the -last morsel of the food with which the natives had provided him he saw -from the side of a high hill a strange ship at anchor in a cove beneath. - -Now a ship might mean one thing or she might mean another; and a man's -life might depend on the difference. - -Drinking deeply from a stream that ran over the rocks and through the -forest, and so at last into the cove, Philip Marsham returned into the -wood and sat upon a fallen tree. He saw a boat put out from the ship -and touch on the shore a long way off, where some men left her and -went out of sight. After an hour or two they came back, and, entering -the boat, returned to the ship. He saw men working on deck and in the -rigging; he heard the piping of a whistle, and now and again, as the -wind changed, he heard more faintly than the drone of insects the -voices of the men. - -Being high above the shore, he found the mosquitoes fewer and the wind -helped drive them away; yet they plagued him continually, despite his -ointment, of which little was left, and made him miserable while he -stayed. He would have hurried off had he dared; but the chance that the -ship would be the means of saving his life withheld him from pursuing -his journey, while doubt concerning the manner of craft she was -withheld him from making known his presence. - -In mid-afternoon he saw far away a sail, which came slowly in across -the blue plain of the sea; and having clear eyes, trained by long -practice, he descried even at that great distance the motion of a -heavily rolling ship. From his seat high on the hill he could see a -long way farther than the men in the ship in the cove, and a point of -land shut off from them an arc of the sea that was visible from the -hill; so when night fell they were still unaware of the sail. - -Though he had watched for hours the ship in the cove, the runaway -boatswain of the Rose of Devon had discovered no sign of what nation -had sent her out or what trade her men followed; but there came a time -when his patience could endure suspense no longer. He picked his way -down to the shore, following the stream from which he had been drinking -during his long watch, and cautiously moved along the edge of the water -till he came to the point of land nearest the anchored ship, whence he -could very plainly hear voices on board her. There were lights on the -stern and on deck, and through an open port he got sight of hammocks -swinging above the guns on the main deck. - -At last he took off the greater part of his clothes and piled them -on a rock; then, strapping his dirk to his waist, he waded silently -into the water. Reaching his depth, he momentarily hesitated, but -fortifying his resolution with such philosophy as he could muster, he -began deliberately and silently to swim. Letting himself lie deep in -the water and moving so slowly that he raised no wake, he came into the -shadow of the ship. It was good to feel her rough planking. He swam -aft under the quarter, and coming to the rudder laid hands on it and -rested. Above him he could see, upon looking up, a lighted cabin-window. - -His own body seemed ponderous as he slowly lifted himself out of -water. He raised one hand from the tip of the rudder just above the -tiller to the carving overhead and got grip on a scroll wrought in -tough oak. He put his foot on the rudder, and feeling above him with -his other hand seized fast the leg of a carved dragon. Very thankful -for the brave ornaments with which the builder had bedecked the ship, -he next got hold of the dragon's snout, and clinging like a fly, unseen -and unsuspected, above the black water that gurgled about the rudder -and the hull, he crawled silently up the stern. - -Coming thus to the lighted cabin window, he peeked in and found the -place deserted. On the table a cloth was laid, and on the cloth such a -dinner service as he could scarce have dreamed of. There were glasses -of rare tints, with a few drops of wine left in them, which glowed -like garnets under the bright candles. There were goblets of silver, -and even, he believed, of gold. There were wonderfully delicate plates -crusted with gold about the edges. There was an abundance of silver to -eat with and a great decanter, wrought about with gold and precious -stones, such as simple folk might not expect to see this side of Heaven. - -At the sound of steps, Phil drew back and hung over the water on the -great stern of the ship. - -A boy came into the cabin and stepped briskly about clearing the table. -Voices came down from above--and they were speaking in English! What -a prize she would have made for the Rose of Devon, Phil thought, and -grimly smiled. - -"Boy!" a voice bellowed from somewhere in the bowels of the ship. - -"Yea, yea, master," cried the boy, and with that he scurried from the -cabin like a startled chick. - -Phil raised his head and renewed his hold, for he could not cling there -forever; yet how to introduce himself on board the ship was a question -that sorely puzzled him. He threw a bare leg over the sill, the more -easily to rest, and revolved the problem in his mind. They were plainly -honest Englishmen, and right glad would he have been to get himself in -among them. Yet if he came like a thief in the night, they must suspect -him of evil intentions without end. While he thus attacked the problem -from one side and from the other, it occurred to him that the best way -was to crawl down again into the water and swim back to the shore from -whence he had come. There, having donned his clothes, he would call for -help. Surely there was no one so hard of heart as to refuse a lad help -in escaping from the pirates. - -He raised his leg to swing it out of the window again and put his -scheme into practice, when he felt--and it startled him nearly out of -his skin--a hand lay hold on his ankle. - -If you will balance yourself on the outside of any window with one foot -over the sill, you will find it exceedingly difficult to pull your foot -away from some one inside the window without throwing yourself off the -wall, and Phil for the moment was reluctant to make the plunge. Slowly -at first he twisted and pulled, but to no purpose. With waxing vigour -he struggled and yanked and kicked and jerked, but completely failed to -get his ankle out of the hand that held it. - -It seemed that a gentleman who had been sitting at a little desk, so -placed that Phil could not have seen it without thrusting his head all -the way into the cabin, had looked up, and, perceiving to his mild -surprise a naked foot thrust in through the window, had nimbly arisen, -and stepping lightly toward the foot, had seized the ankle firmly at -the moment when Phil was about to withdraw it. - -The gentleman marvelled much at what he had discovered and purposed to -get at the reason for it. Not only did he succeed with ease in holding -the ankle fast against his captive's somewhat cautious first kicks; -he anticipated a more desperate effort by getting firm hold with both -hands, so that when his captive decided to risk all, so to speak, and -tried with might and main to fling himself free and into the water by -a great leap, the gentleman kept fast his hold and held the lad by his -one leg, who dangled below like a trapped monkey. - -Very likely it was foolish of Philip Marsham to attempt escaping, -but as I have said he was of no mind to be caught thus like a thief -entering in the night, and he was so completely surprised that he had -no time at all to collect his wits before he acted. Yet caught he was, -and, for a bad bargain, hung by the heels to boot. - -"Boy," the gentleman said, and his voice indicated that he had a droll -humour, "call Captain Winterton." - -The boy, further sounds revealed, who had come silently and in leisure, -departed noisily and in haste. - -Heavy steps then approached, and a gruff voice cried, "What devilish -sort of game is this?" - -"Take his other leg, Charles, and we shall soon have him safe on board. -I am not yet prepared to say what sort of game it is, beyond saying -that it is a rare and curious game." - -Thereupon a second pair of hands closed on Philip Marsham's other -ankle, and, would he or would he not, he was hauled speedily through -the cabin window. - -"Young man," said the gentleman who had first seized him, "who and what -are you, and from whence have you come?" - -"I am Philip Marsham, late boatswain of the Rose of Devon frigate. I -came to learn from what country this ship had sailed and to ask for -help. I myself sailed from Bideford long since in the Rose of Devon, -but, falling into the hands of certain sailors of fortune who killed -our master and took our ship, I have served them for weary months as a -forced man. Having at last succeeded in running away from them, I have -come hither by land, as you can see, suffering much on the way, and I -ask you now to have compassion on me, in God's name, and take me home -to England." - -"Truly," said the gentleman, "those devilish flies have wrought their -worst upon him. His face is swelled till it is as thick-lipped as a -Guinea slave's." He spoke lightly and with little thought of Phil's -words, for his humour was uppermost in him. He was in every way the -fine gentleman with an eye for the comical, accustomed to having all -things done for him and as little likely to feel pity for this nearly -naked youth as to think it wrong that the little cabin boy should stand -till morning behind his chair, lest by chance, desiring one thing or -another, he must compromise his dignity by fetching it for himself. - -But now the other, Captain Winterton, a tall, grave man, with cold face -and hard cold eyes, stepped forward, and speaking for the first time -said: "Do you remember me?" - -Phil looked him in the eye and felt his heart sink, but he was no -coward. "I do," he replied. - -Captain Winterton smiled. He was the first of the three men who had -come on board the Rose of Devon by way of her gallery, and had entered -the great cabin the night when Phil Marsham sat there at supper. - -It then burst upon Phil that in the whole plain truth lay his only hope. - -"I ran away from them--they had forced me into their service!--a week -since. Nay, it is true! I am no liar! And it will pay you well to keep -a sharp watch this night, for a vessel like enough to the Rose of Devon -to be her twin is this minute lying behind yonder point." - -"Ah! And you sailed, I believe you said, from Bideford. Doubtless you -have kept the day in mind?" - -"Why, 'twas in early May. Or--stay! 'Twas--" - -"Enough! Enough! The master of--" - -"But though I marked neither the day of the week nor the day of the -month, I remember the sailing well." - -"Doubtless," quoth the captain dryly, "but it will save time and serve -thy cause to speak only when I bid thee. Interrupt me not, but tell me -next the name of the lawful master in whose charge thy most excellent -ship sailed from Bideford." - -This keen and quiet captain in the King's service was of no mind that -his prisoner should tell with impunity such a story as he might make -up on the moment. Accordingly he proceeded to draw forth by question -after question such particular parts of the story as he himself desired -to hear, now attacking the matter from one angle and now from another, -watching his prisoner closely the while and all the time standing in -such a place that the lad had no chance at all of escaping through the -open window. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -A PRIZE FOR THE TAKING - - -"We shall see," said Captain Winterton, when he had listened to all -of the tale that he would hear. He turned about. "Boy," he cried, "go -speedily and send Mr. Rance in to me." - -The boy departed in haste and in a moment there entered a junior -officer, who stared in frank curiosity at the three in the cabin. - -"Mr. Rance," said the captain, "go aloft in person to the main truck -and look about you sharply. Come back and report what you see." - -"Yea, yea, sir," the young man replied, and with that he was gone. - -The captain stood by the cabin window and frowned. Plainly he had small -confidence in the good faith of the prisoner and regarded his story as -at best an attempt to save himself at the expense of his friends. The -gentleman of the humours, somewhat sobered by the captain's manner of -grave concern, returned to his desk, but sat tapping his fingers and -watching Philip Marsham. - -It had instantly, of course, dawned upon the runaway boatswain that -his peril was more serious than he had had reason earlier to believe. -For supposing the unknown sail should in all truth be the Rose of -Devon,--and since she was cruising idly thereabouts nothing was more -probable,--he stood between the Devil, or at all events the Devil's -own emissary, Thomas Jordan, and a deeper sea than any ship has ever -sailed: the sea upon which many a man with less plain evidence of -piracy against him has embarked from a yardarm with a hempen collar -about his neck and a black cap over his eyes. - -Who, pray, would accept for sober truth such a tale as any scoundrel -would make out of whole cloth to save himself from hanging? Despite all -he could do or say, he now saw plainly, he must stand convicted, in -their minds, of being at the very least a spy sent to learn the state -of affairs on board this tall ship in which he was now a prisoner. - -Then back to the cabin came young Mr. Rance and very much excited did -he appear. - -"Sir," he exclaimed, and stood in the door. - -"Tell your tale." - -"A ship lieth two cable's lengths from land on the farther side of the -point, and a boat hath set out from her and is following the shore as -if to reconnoitre." - -"Ah," said the captain, "it is quite as I thought. No drums, mind you, -nor trumpets, Mr. Rance. Call the men to quarters by word of mouth. -Make haste and put springs on the cables if there be time before the -boat rounds the point. Bid the gunner make all preparations for action -and order a sharp watch kept; but order also that there be no sound or -appearance of unusual activity. Send me a corporal and a file of men, -and the master." - -The gentleman at the desk chuckled. - -"Come, boy, clear the table," said the captain. - -The boy jumped and returned to his work. - -The master came first, but the corporal and his men were close at the -master's heels. - -"Take this fellow to the gun room, clap him into irons, and set a man -to watch him." - -"Yea, yea. Come, fellow, march along." - -And thus sending before them Boatswain Marsham, erstwhile of the Rose -of Devon frigate, the corporal and his men departed from the cabin. - -There were guns on the right hand and the left--ordnance of a size to -sink the Rose of Devon with a broadside. There were sailormen thronging -between-decks in numbers to appall the young prisoner who came down -among them nearly naked from his swim. Though no greater of burthen -than the Rose of Devon, the ship was better armed and better manned, -and all signs told of the stern discipline of a man-of-war. - -The alternatives that Phil Marsham faced, as he sat in shackles with no -spirit to reply to the jibes of the sailors and watched men stripped to -the waist and moving deftly among the guns, were not those a man would -choose. If his old shipmates took this tall and handsome ship, a blow -on the head and a burial over the side was the kindest treatment he -could expect of them. And if not--the gallows loomed beyond a Court of -Admiralty. For hours the hum of voices went up and down the main deck -and for hours Boatswain Marsham sat with the bolts upon his legs and -wrists and saw the life of the ship go on around him. The men leaped -here and there at a word, or lolled by their guns waiting for orders. -The night wore on, and nodding, Phil thought of the two ships lying -one on each side of the point of land and by all appearances two quiet -merchantmen. Yet one, he knew to his sorrow, smelled devilishly of -brimstone; and the other, in which he now sat a prisoner, though her -ports were closed and her claws sheathed, was like some great tiger -watching through half-shut eyes a bold, adventurous goat. - -As the night wore on, he dared hope that the reconnoitering boat had -returned to her ship with news that had sent her away in haste, whereby -there was a chance that his tale might yet be taken for the truth that -it was; and the longer he waited the higher rose his hope, and with -the better reason. But an hour or more after midnight he heard men -beginning to talk as if there was something new in the wind, and the -nearest gunner put his ear to a cat-hole. - -"The dogs are out; I hear oars," he whispered. "Yea, though they are -rowing softly, I swear I can hear oars." - -A hush came over the ship and those below heard faintly a hail given on -deck. - -Distant sounds came and went like whispers out of the sky, then -somewhere outside the ship a great shouting arose and one of the men at -a starboard gun cried gleefully, with a round oath, "Verily they are -bent on boarding us, lads! Their foolish audacity seasons the term of -all our weary waiting." - -"Hark! They are hailing!" cried another. - -"Come, strike your flag. Have an end of all this talk," a distant voice -called. Whereat Philip Marsham, who knew the voice, thought that though -their audacity cost him his life it was in its own mad way superb. - -The reply was inaudible below, but a boat crashed against the ship. - -There was a burst of yelling, followed by a rattle of musketry, then a -voice boomed down, "Haul up your ports and run out your guns!" - -At that the men beside the guns sprang up with running and calling and -the ports flew open and the sounds from without became suddenly louder -and clearer. On the one hand were boys handing up filled budge-barrels; -on the other were gunners with linstocks ready and powder for the -priming. Then, "Ho, Master Gunner," a great voice roared, "withhold -your fire! The boats are under the guns and too near for a fair shot!" -It was such a moment as a man remembers always, for there was the smoke -of powder in the air, with a din of splashing and cursing, and overhead -a great hubbub, then silence save for the quick beat of oars. - -"See! See!" cried the men. "There go their boats, splintered and all -but sunk! And see! There go ours! To your oars, lads, to your oars, ere -their ship hath time to flee! See! There they go! Yea, and there go we!" - -The Old One had made his last blunder. He had come by night, thinking -to board a peaceful merchantman laden with a rich cargo, and had found -himself at the head of his score of men on the deck of a man-of-war. - -To all those below, but most of all to Philip Marsham chained in the -gun room, it was a blind, confusing affair; but the sounds told the -story; and though darkness hid the blood that was spilled, there was no -mistaking the cries for quarter and the shrieks of agony. - -Nor was there need for haste to reach the Rose of Devon, since the -men left as keepers of the ship were too few to make sail. Captain -Charles Winterton of the King's navy himself boarded the dark frigate -by starlight, and a capital lark he found it, for behind his stern mien -was a lively taste for such adventure. With lusty shouting he swept -the handful of men from her deck, and having put a prize crew and his -lieutenant in charge of her, he brought back a few more prisoners to -join company with the luckless boarders he had sent down to be locked -in irons below. - -They were sad and angry gentlemen, for there are those to whom the -laughter of a hundred sailors is worse than death by the sword. The -first of them all to enter the gun room was Tom Jordan. His cheek -was gashed and his hair was singed and blood smeared his shirt from -shoulder to shoulder and one arm hung limp and broken; but though he -was in great pain he smiled, and when they led him into the gun room -and he saw Philip Marsham with bolts on wrists and ankles, he laughed -aloud. - -The fellow was a very mark and pattern of a scoundrel, but he had -the courage and spirit of a hero, and had he first gone to sea under -another king than James or Charles he might in some overwhelming danger -have saved England. Great admirals are made of such timber--bold, -resolute, utterly dauntless--and any bold man might have fallen into -the same trap that had caught Tom Jordan. (Nay, had nothing warned -Captain Winterton or aroused his suspicions, there was a fighting -chance for Tom Jordan to have taken his ship from him even so.) But -Tom Jordan had gone to sea in the days when the navy was going to the -dogs, and, like many another lad of spirit who left the King's service -to join the pirates, he had adventured with the Algerians before he led -the gentlemen of Bideford. And at last, hazarding a final effort to -retrieve his luck, he had unwittingly thrust his head into the halter. - -Yet, though they had broken his body, they had failed to touch his -courage; despite his pain, he could smile and even laugh. Turning his -great grief into a jest, he cried, "Holla, O bravest of boatswains! -This is a joy I had not looked for. It seems that, if hang I must, I -shall not hang alone." And laughing again, right merrily, he swooned -away, which Captain Charles Winterton, having himself come down with -the others to see them all shackled, watched with quiet interest. - -They brought down the carpenter, who was shaking like a man with an -ague, and his beard waggled as he shook. They brought down Martin -Barwick, whose face was drawn and haggard, and his hand rubbed his -throat, for it itched in a prophetic manner. Then came Harry Malcolm, -who stopped before Phil and spat at him and cursed him, and Paul Craig, -who had neither eye nor thought for any one besides himself, and a -dozen others of whom there was not one that failed to revile at their -erstwhile boatswain. A hapless time of it Philip Marsham had among -them, but it added little to his great burden of misery. - -Nor, for the matter of that, did reviling content them; for toward -morning, when the others were dozing, Harry Malcolm, whom they had -locked to a longer chain, crawled over to where Phil lay and very -craftily tried to kill him with bare hands. The guard cried out, but -instead of stopping, the man redoubled his efforts to throttle the lad -whom he had seized from behind when he was asleep; whereupon the guard -struck a sharp blow with the butt of his musket, and when the corporal -had come running and had felt of Harry Malcolm's wrist and had listened -for his heart and had turned him over on his back, he cursed the guard -with fluent oaths for robbing the gallows. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -ILL WORDS COME TRUE - - -To the Isle of Wight, and thence to Spithead and Deptford, came in -time the Sybil of forty-four guns, Captain Charles Winterton, and -accompanying her, in the hands of a prize crew, the Rose of Devon -frigate. There, bundling certain unhappy gentlemen of fortune out of -the ship, they sent them expeditiously up to London and deposited them -for safe keeping in the Marshalsea prison, a notable hostelry which has -harboured great rogues before and since. - -In the fullness of time, the Lord High Admiral of England, "who holds -his court of justice for trials of all sea causes for life and goods," -being assisted by the Judge of Admiralty and sundry others, officers -and advocates and proctors and civilians, was moved to proceed against -the aforesaid gentlemen of fortune. So they heard their names cried in -the High Court of Admiralty and were arraigned for piracy and robbery -on the high seas and charged with seizing the frigate Rose of Devon, -the property of Thomas Ball and others, and murdering her master, -Francis Candle, and stealing supplies and equipment to the value of -eight hundred pounds. Nor was that the whole tale of charges, for it -seemed that the Lords of Admiralty laid to the discredit of those -particular gentlemen of fortune numerous earlier misdeeds of great -daring and wickedness and an attempt to take His Majesty's ship Sybil, -which had cost the lives of certain of His Majesty's seamen and had -occasioned His Majesty much grief and concern. - -He who read the indictment spoke in a loud and solemn voice, such as -might of itself make a man think of his sins and fear judgment; but -they were already cowed and fearful, save only the Old One, who still -held his head high and very scornfully smiled. The cook bent his head -and shivered and dared not look the jury in the face. The carpenter -wept and Martin Barwick was like a man struck dumb and Paul Craig kept -working his mouth and biting at his lips. - -There was a great concourse of people, for who would not seize upon -the chance to see a band of pirates? But a very poor show the pirates -made, save the Old One; for though they had talked much and often of -their valour and had represented themselves as tall fellows who feared -nothing in life or death, they were now and for all time revealed as -cowards to the marrow of their bones. - -Quietly and expeditiously the officers of the Court swore their first -witness, who smelled of pitch and tar and bore himself in such wise -that he was to be known for a sailor wherever he might turn. - -To their questions he replied with easy assurance, for he was not one -of those fellows who cope with great gales and storms at sea only to be -cowed by a great person on land. "Yea, sir," quoth he, "there is among -mariners common talk of a band of sea sharks that hath long resorted -to His Majesty's port of Bideford. Yea, my lord.--And have I met with -them? That I have, and to my sorrow. This month two years I was master -in a likely snow, the Prosperous of three hundred tons, which fell -afoul of that very company, as their boasting and talk discovered -to us, who took our ship and set me adrift in a boat with seven of -mine own men, whereby, God being merciful unto us, we succeeded after -many hardships in winning to the shore of Ireland, whence the Grace -of Bristol bore us home to England.--The fate of the others in our -company? In faith, some, I am told, joined themselves with that same -band of sea sharks. The rest were slaughtered out of hand.--Nay, my -lord, the night was black and my sight of the scoundrels was brief. I -much misdoubt if I should know them again." - -"Come, come," quoth His Lordship, tapping the papers spread on his -great table, "look at these prisoners gathered here at the bar and tell -me if there be one among them of whom you can say, 'This man was there; -this man did thus and so.'" - -So the witness came, with the air of a man who is pleased to be seen -of many people, and looked them over, one and all; but at the end of -his looking he sadly shook his head. "Nay, my lord, the night was dark -and sight was uncertain; and though I should rejoice--none more than -I!--to see a pirate hanged, I am most loath to swear away the life of -an innocent man. There is no man here of whom I can truly say I have -seen him before." - -His Lordship frowned and the proctors shook their heads; the prisoners -sighed and breathed more freely. The tale was at an end, and bearing -away with him his smell of pitch and tar the fellow returned to his -place. - -Four witnesses were then summoned, one after another, and told tales -like the first. One had been in a ship that was seized and sunk in -Bristol Channel; the second had received a gaping wound in the shoulder -off St. David's Head, and had known no more until he found himself -alone on the deck of a plundered flyboat; the third had fallen into -evil company in Plymouth, which beat him and robbed him and left him -for dead, and from the talk of his murderous companions he had learned, -before they set upon him that they were certain gentry of Bideford; -and the last of the four told of the murderous attack of a boarding -party, which had taken a brig and tumbled him over the side into a -boat. "Yea, my lord," he cried, "and I fear to think upon what befell -our captain's little son, for of all our crew only three men were left -alive and as they sailed away from us three we heard the boy shrieking -pitifully." One by one the witnesses wove with their tales a black -net of wickedness, but they could not or would not say they knew this -prisoner or that. - -The Judge frowned darkly from his bench and the people in the seats -opened their mouths in wonder and excitement at the stories of robbery -and murder. But the net was woven loosely and without knots, for thus -far there had been no one to pick out this man or that and say, "It -was he who did it." So the cook and the carpenter took heart; and the -colour returned to Martin Barwick's face; and the Old One, leaning -back, still smiled scornfully. Yet the Judge and the advocates seemed -in no way discouraged, from which the men of the Rose of Devon might -have drawn certain conclusions; for as all the world knows, judges and -advocates with a band of pirates under the thumb are, for the honour of -the law, set upon making an example of them. - -There was long counselling in whispers, then a bustle and stir, and an -officer cried loudly, "Come, make haste and lead her in." - -A murmur passed over the court and the people turned their heads to -look for the meaning of the cry. Then a door opened and an officer -appeared, leading by the arm a very old woman. - -Phil Marsham felt his heart leap up; he saw Martin raise his hand to -his throat with a look of horror. But when he stole a glance at the -Old One, he saw, to his wonder, that the Old One was smiling as calmly -as before: truly the man was a marvel of unconcern and a very cool and -desperate rascal. - -"Is this the woman?" quoth my Lord the Judge, who raised his head and -lifted his brows to see her the better. - -"Yea, my lord." - -"Hm! Let us look into this matter!" There was silence in the room -except for the sound of shuffling papers. "This woman, commonly known -as Mother Taylor, is to be hanged this day sennight, I believe." - -"Yea, my lord." - -"And it hath been suggested that if she can lay before us such evidence -as is needful, she will be commended to the King's mercy and doubtless -reprieved from the gallows. Hath all this been made plain and clear to -her?" - -"Yea, my lord." - -"Hm! It appears by these papers, woman, that keeping a house to which -rogues of all descriptions have resorted is the least of your crimes." - -A strange, cracked old voice burst shrilly upon the still court. "'Tis -a lie, my lord! Alas, my lord, that wicked lies should take away my -good name, and I tottering on the edge of the grave!" - -There were cries of "Silence!" And the officer at the old woman's side -shook her by the arm. - -"And to continue from the least to the greatest, you have disposed of -all manner of stolen goods, and have prepared slow poisons to be sold -at a great price and have stained your hands with murder." - -"Alas, my lord, it is a wicked lie--!" - -They shook her into silence, but her lips continued to move, and as she -stood between the officers her sharp little eyes ranged about the court. - -There was further counselling among the proctors, then one cried -sharply, "Come, old woman, remember that the hangman is ready to don -his gown, and answer me truly before it is too late: on such and such a -day you were at your house in Bideford, were you not?" - -"Nay, sir, I am old and my wits are not all they were once and I cannot -remember as I ought." - -"Come, now, on such a day, did not a certain man come to your house in -Bideford and abide there the night?" - -"It may be--it may be--for one who keepeth a tavern hath many guests." - -"Look about you, old woman, and tell us if you see the man." - -"Nay, good sir, my wits wander and I do not remember as I used." - -As Philip Marsham watched her hard face, so very old and crafty, he -paid little heed to the low voices of the proctors and the Judge. But -the sharp command, "Look this man in the face and tell us if you have -ever seen him before," came to the erstwhile boatswain of the Rose of -Devon like the shock of cold water to a man lying asleep. - -They led her before Tom Jordan--before the Old One himself--and the two -looked each other full in the face, yet neither fluttered an eye. In -all truth they were a cool pair; it had taken a Solomon to say which of -them was now the subtler. - -"Nay, my lord, how should I know this man? He hath the look of an -honest fellow, my lord, but I never saw him ere this." - -Thereupon the officers exchanged glances and the proctors whispered -together. - -They led her before Martin Barwick and again she shook her old white -head. "Nay, my lord, I know him not." But Martin was swallowing hard, -as if some kind of pip had beset him, and this did not escape the -notice of the Court. - -Down the line of accused men she came and, though she walked in the -shadow of the gallows, she said of each, in her shrill, quavering old -voice, "Nay, my lord, I know him not." - -Of some she spoke thus in all truth; of others, though she knew it -would cost her life, she craftily and stoutly lied. And at last she -came to Philip Marsham, whose heart chilled when he met the sharp eyes -that had looked so hard into his own in Bideford long before. "Nay, -my lord, he is a handsome blade, but I never saw him ere this." Some -smiled and sniggered; but the old woman shrugged, and lifted her brows, -and stood before the Court, wrinkled and bent by years of wickedness. -Say what you will of her sins, her courage and loyalty were worthy of a -better cause. - -In despair of pinning her down, they led her away at last to a bench -and there she sat with officers to guard her. Now she watched one man -and now she watched another. Often Philip Marsham felt a tremor, almost -of fear, at seeing her eyes looking hard into his own. But though of -the old woman the Court had made nothing, the exultation that showed -in the faces of some of the prisoners was premature, for the Lords of -Admiralty had other shafts to their bow, as any gentleman of fortune -might have known they would. - -Again there was a stir among the ushers, and in the door appeared one -at whose coming Tom Jordan ceased to smile. - -The fellow's chin sagged and his eyes were wild and he ducked to His -Lordship as if some one had pulled a string; and when they called on -him to give the Court his name he cried very tremulously, "Yea, yea! -Joseph Kirk, an it please you, my lord!" - -"Come now, look about you at these men who are arraigned for piracy. -Are there any there whom you have seen elsewhere?" - -"Yea, yea, that there be! There! And there! And there!" - -"Ah! Hm! Men you have seen elsewhere! Tell us who they are." And His -Lordship smiled dryly. - -"It is not to count against me, my lord? I have repented--yea, I have -repented! 'Twill not undo the King's pardon?" - -The very Judge on the bench gave a grunt as in disgust of the abject -terror the fellow showed, and a murmur of impatience went through the -room; but though he afforded a spectacle for contempt, they reassured -him and urged him on. - -"Yea, yea! That one there--he at the end--was our captain, and Tom -Jordan his name. It was he who led us against a vast number of prizes, -which yielded rich profit. It was he and Harry Malcolm--why, Harry -Malcolm is not here. Huh! 'Tis passing strange! He hath so often stole -beside them, I had thought he would hang beside them too. Yea, and as -I was saying--Let us consider! Yea, yea, it was he and Harry Malcolm -who contrived the plan for killing Captain Candle and taking the Rose -of Devon. Yea, they called me apart on the forecastle and tempted me to -sin and forced me with many threats. He it was--" - -Tom Jordan was on his feet. "You lie in your throat, you drunken dog! -It was you who struck him down with your own hand!" - -"Nay, nay! I did him no harm! It was another--I swear it was another!" - -"It seems," said His Lordship, when they had thrust Tom Jordan back in -his seat and had somewhat abated their witness's terror of his one-time -chief, "it seems this fellow's words have touched a sore. Go on." - -"And there is Martin Barwick--nay, hold him! Nay, if I am to go on, I -must have protection!--and there Paul Craig and there our boatswain, -Philip Marsham--" And so he continued to name the men and told a tale -of shameful acts and crimes for the least of which a man is hanged. -Indeed, Philip Marsham himself knew enough of their history to send -them one and all to the gallows, but he had not heard a tenth part -of the story of piracy and robbery and murder and black crimes unfit -for the printed page that this renegade pirate told to the full Court -of Admiralty. The fellow made a great story of it, yet kept within a -bowshot of the truth; but he was a villain of mean spirit and, though -he did for the Court the work it desired, he bought his life at cost of -whatever honour he may have had left. - -And then came Captain Charles Winterton, who rose, bowing in stately -wise to His Lordship, and with a composed air and an assured voice -very quietly drew tight the purse-strings of the net that Joe Kirk had -knotted. In his grand and dignified manner he bowed now and then to His -Lordship and to the proctors, who asked him questions with a deference -in their bearing very different from their way with the other witnesses. - -"Yea, these pirate rogues boarded His Majesty's ship Sybil and killed -three of His Majesty's men before they perceived the blunder they had -made and gave themselves up.--How many lives did the boarders lose? -Probably twelve or fourteen. Several bodies fell into the water and -were not recovered. It was useless to hunt for them, my lord. Great -sharks abound in those waters.--Yea, this Thomas Jordan led them in -person. In truth, there is little distinction between them in the -matter of guilt. The man Marsham, whom the previous witness named a -boatswain, was the first to board the Sybil. He entered the great cabin -by way of the stem, apparently to spy out the situation on board. He -declared himself a forced man who had run away from the pirates. Who -could say? The situation in which he was taken was such, certainly, -as to incriminate him; though 'twere cause for sorrow, since he was a -brave lad and had given no trouble during the voyage home." - -There was a great whispering among the people, who thought it was a -shame for so likely a lad to hang with a pack of pirates. But it was -plain by now to the greatest dullard among those unhappy gentlemen of -fortune that hang they must; and for Philip Marsham, who sat as white -as death from the shame of it, there was no slightest spark of hope. -The net was woven and knotted and drawn, and the end of it all was at -hand. - -When, according to the custom of the time, they called on Tom Jordan -for his defense, he rose and said, "Alas, my lord, the ropes are laid -that shall hang me. Already my neck aches. This, though, I will say: -whatever these poor men have done, it is I that compelled them into it, -and I, my lord, will stand to answer for it." - -Some gave one defense and some another; and meanwhile there was much -legal talk, dry and long and hard to understand. And so at last they -called on Philip Marsham to rise and speak for himself if he had -anything to say in his own defense. - -He rose and stood before them, very white of face, and though his voice -trembled, which was a thing to be expected since he saw before him a -shameful death, he told them his true story, beginning with the day he -sailed from Bideford, very much as I have told it here. But when they -asked him about affairs on board the Rose of Devon that concerned the -others and not him, he replied that each man must tell his own tale and -that though he swung for it he must leave the others to answer those -questions for themselves. - -"Come," quoth His Lordship, leaning forward and sharply tapping his -table, "you have heard the question asked. Remember, young man, that -you stand in a place exceeding slippery. It shall profit you nothing to -hold your peace." - -"My lord," said he, "the tale hath been told in full. There is no need -that I add to it, and were I to speak further I should but carry with -me to the grave the thought that I had done a treacherous thing. Though -I owe these men for nought save hard usage, yet have I eaten their -bread and drunk their wine, and I will not, despite their sins, help to -hang them." - -It was doubtless very wrong for him to reply thus, as any moralist -will point out, since it is a man's duty to help enforce the laws by -bringing criminals to justice. But he answered according to his own -conscience; and after the craven talk of Joseph Kirk, the lad's frank -and honest statement pleased perhaps even my Lord the Judge, sitting -high above the court, who frowned because his position demanded frowns. -Surely loyalty ranks high among the virtues and great credit is due to -a keen sense of personal honour. But there then came from his talk a -result that neither he nor any other had foreseen. - -Up sprang Tom Jordan. "My lord," he cried, "I pray thee for leave to -speak!" - -To the frowns and chidings of the officers who forced him down again, -he paid no heed. A tumult rose in the room, for they had hurled the Old -One back and clapped hands over his mouth; but out of the struggle came -again the cry, "My lord! My lord!" and His Lordship, calling in a loud -voice for order and silence, scowled and gave him the leave he asked. - -As Martin had said long before, Tom Jordan was an ugly customer when -his temper was up and hot, but no man to nurse a grudge. - -"I thank you, my lord," said he, the while smoothing his coat, which -had wrinkled sadly in the scuffle. "Though I must hang I desire to see -justice done. It lay in the power of this Philip Marsham to have added -to the tale of our sins and the sum of our woes; wherefore, since he -hath had the spirit to refrain from doing thus, why, my lord, I needs -must say that he hath spoken only the truth. He was a forced man, and -having a liking for him, since he is a lad of spirit, I would have -had him join us heart and soul. 'Tis true likewise that he ran away -from our ship and turned his hand against us, and for that I would have -let him hang with these other tall fellows but for the brave spirit he -hath shown. But as for yonder swine--yea, thou, Joe Kirk! Quake and -stare!--he hath done more mean, filthy tricks to earn a hanging than -any other gentleman of fortune, I believe, that ever sailed the seas." - -"Not so, my lord!" Joe Kirk yelled. "He fears me for my knowledge of -his deeds! Help! Hold him--hold him!" - -Tom Jordan swore a great oath and Joe Kirk leaped up in his seat, white -and shaking, and cried over and over that it was all a lie, and there -was a merry time of it before the attendants restored peace. - -And then, to the further amazement of all in the court, Captain Charles -Winterton again rose. - -"If I may add a word, my lord? Thank you, my lord. I observed that when -the prisoners went below their manner toward this man Marsham was such -as to lend a certain plausibility to his story. They took, in short, so -vindictive a delight in his misfortunes that even then it seemed not -beyond reason that his tale was true and that he had indeed left them -without leave. That, of course, proves nothing with regard to his being -a forced man; but it is a matter of common justice to say that, in -consideration of all that I have seen before and of that which I have -this day heard, I believe he hath told the truth both then and now. -Thank you, my lord." - -Such a hullabaloo of talk as then burst forth among the spectators, and -such learned argument as passed between the proctors and the Lieutenant -of Admiralty and His Lordship the Judge, surpass imagination. Some -quoted the Latin and the Greek, while others of less learning voiced -their opinions in the vulgar tongue, so that all in all there was -enough disputation to fuddle the wits of a mere layman by the time they -gave the case to the jury. - -Then the jury, weighing all that had been said, put together its twelve -heads, while such stillness prevailed in the court that a man could -hear his neighbor's breathing. It seemed to those whose lives were at -stake that the deliberations took as many hours as in reality they took -minutes. There are times when every grain of sand in the glass seems -to loiter in falling and to drift through the air like thistledown, as -if unwilling to come to rest with its fellows below. Yet the sand is -falling as fast as ever, though a man whose life is weighing in the -balance can scarcely believe it; so at last the jury made an end of its -work, which after all had taken little enough time in consideration of -the matter they must decide. - -"You have reached with due and faithful care a verdict in this matter?" -quoth His Lordship. - -"We have, my lord." - -"You will then declare your verdict to the Court." - -"Of these fourteen prisoners at the bar of justice, my lord, we find -one and all guilty of the felonies and piracies that are charged -against them, save only one man." In the deathly silence that fell upon -the room the name sounded forth like the stroke of a bell. "We acquit, -my lord, Philip Marsham." - - * * * * * - -There and then Philip Marsham parted company with the men of the Rose -of Devon. His hands shook when he rose a free man, and when many spoke -to him in all friendliness he could find no voice to reply. - -Never again did he see their faces, but he heard long afterward of how, -a week from the day of their trial, they went down the river to Wapping -in wherries, with the bright sun shining on the ships and on the shore -where a great throng had assembled to see them march together up the -stairs to Execution Dock. - -Though they had always made themselves out to appear great and fierce -men, yet on that last day they again showed themselves cravens at -heart--except Tom Jordan. The Old One, stern, cold, shrewd, smiled at -his fellows and said, "It is to be. May God have mercy on me!" And -though he stood with the black cap over his eyes and the noose round -his neck, he never flinched. - -As for Martin Barwick, his face grey with fear, he strove to break -away, and cried out in English and in Spanish, and called on the -Virgin. Sadly, though, had he fallen from the teachings of the Church, -and little did his cries avail him! He came at the last to the end -he had feared from the first; and his much talk of hanging was thus -revealed to have been in a manner prophecy, although it sprang from no -higher oracle than his own cowardly heart. - -One told Philip Marsham that Mother Taylor was hanged; another said -they let her go, to die a natural death in the shadow of the gallows -that stood by the crossroads in her native town of Barnstable. Either -tale is likely enough, and Phil never learned which was true. - -For aught I know to the contrary, she may have found an elixir of life -as good as the one discovered by the famous Count de Saint-Germain, -and so be living still. - -Whatever the end she came to, Phil Marsham was far away when they -determined her fate. For the day he stepped out in the streets of -London, a free man once more and a loyal subject of the King, he took -the road to the distant inn where he was of a mind to claim fulfillment -of Nell Entick's promise. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -BACK TO THE INN - - -If this were a mere story to while away an idle hour, I, the scribe, -would tie neatly every knot and leave no Irish pennants hanging from -my work. But life, alas, is no pattern drawn to scale. The many -interweaving threads are caught up in strange tangles, and over them, -darkly and inscrutably, Atropos presides. Who cannot recall to mind -names and faces still alive with the friendship of a few weeks or -months,--a friendship pleasant in memory,--a friendship that promised -fruitful years, but that was lost for ever when a boy or man drifted -out of sight for one reason or another, and on one tide or another of -the projects that go to make up life? To Philip Marsham, tramping again -the high roads of England, there came, mingled with many other desires, -a longing to see once more the Scottish smith who had wrought the dirk -that had tasted blood for his protection in those dark adventures at -sea. But when he came to the smithy beside the heath he found it open -and empty. The wind blew the door on rusty hinges; brown leaves had -drifted in and lay about the cold forge; the coals were dead, the -bellows were broken, and the lonely man who had wrought iron on the now -rusty anvil had taken his tools and gone. - -The day was still young, for the wayfarer, starting early and in the -fullness of his strength, had this day covered three miles in the time -that one had taken him when he walked that road before. So he left the -smithy and pushed on across the heath and far beyond it, marking each -familiar farm and village and country house, until night had fallen and -the stars had come out, when he laid him down under a hedge and slept. - -He was thinking, when he fell asleep, of Nell Entick. He remembered -very well her handsome face, her head held so high, her white throat -and bare arms. He was going back to the inn to claim fulfillment of -her promise and he pictured her as waiting for him there. In most ways -he was a bold, resolute youth who had seen much of life; but in some -ways, nevertheless, he was a lad of small experience, and if he thought -at all that she had been a little overbold, a little overwilling, he -thought only that she was as honestly frank as he. - -Waking that night upon his bed of leaves, he saw far away on a hill the -dancing flames of a campfire, concerning which he greatly wondered. -For, having been long out of England, he had small knowledge of -the ups and downs of parliaments and kings; and in the brief time -since his return, of which he had spent nearly all in prison, he had -heard nothing of the tumultuous state of the kingdom, save a few -words dropped here or there while he was passing through hamlets and -villages, and seen nothing thereof save such show of arms as in one -place or another had caught his eye but not his thought. Although he -knew it not, since he was a plain lad with no gift of second-sight, he -lay in a country poised on the brink of war and his bed was made in the -field where a great battle was to be fought. - -He went on at daylight, and going through a village at high noon -saw a preacher in clipped hair and sober garb, who was calling on -the people to be valiant and of good courage against those wicked -men who had incited riot and rebellion among the Roman Catholics in -Ireland, whereby the King might find pretext for raising a vast army to -devastate and enslave England. Sorely perplexed by this talk, of which -he understood little, Phil besought a sneering young fellow, who stood -at no great distance, for an explanation; to which the fellow replied -that it was talk for them that wore short hair and long ears, and that -unless a man kept watch upon his wits his own ears would grow as long -from hearing it as those of any Roundhead ass in the country. At this -Phil took umbrage; but the fellow cried Nay, that he would fight no -such keen blade, who was, it seemed, a better man than he looked. And -with a laugh he waved the matter off and strolled away. - -So to the inn Phil came in due time, having meditated much, meanwhile, -on the talk of the King and war and the rights of Parliament, which was -in the mouths and ears of all men. But he put such things out of his -mind when at last he saw the inn, for the moment was at hand when his -dreams should come true and he should find waiting for him the Nell -Entick he remembered from long ago. - -Surely a lad of enterprise, who had ventured the world over with -pirates, could find in any English village something to which he could -turn his hand. Indeed, who knew but some day he might keep the inn -himself--or do better? Who knew? He remembered Little Grimsby and drew -a long breath. Caught in a whirl of excitement that set the blood -drumming in his ears, he strode into the house and, boldly stepping up -to the public bar, called loudly, "Holla, I say! I would have speech of -Mistress Nell Entick." - -From a tall settle in the corner, where he sat taking tobacco, there -rose a huge man with red and angry face. - -"Who in the Devil's name art thou," he roared, "that comes ranting into -an honest house and bawls out thus the name of Mistress Nell Entick?" - -There were as usual a couple of countrymen sitting with pots of ale, -who reared their heads in vast amazement, and in the noisy kitchen -down the passage a perceptible hush followed the loud words. The house -seemed to pause and listen; the countrymen set down their pots; there -was a sound of creaking hinges and of lightly falling feet. - -Very coolly, smiling slightly, Philip Marsham met the eyes of the big, -red-faced man. "It seems," said he, "thou art riding for another fall." - -A look of recognition, at first incredulous, then profoundly -displeased, dawned on the red face and even greater anger followed. - -"Thou banging, basting, broiling brogger!" he thundered. "Thou -ill-contrived, filthy villain! Out the door! Begone!" - -"It seems, Jamie Barwick, that thy wits are struck with years. Have -care. Thy brother is already on the road to Wapping--they have signed -and sealed his passage." - -The fat man came to Phil with the slow gait and the low-hung head of a -surly dog. He thrust his red face close to Phil's own. - -"Yea, it is thou," he sneered. "I am minded to beat thee and bang thee -till thou goest skulking under the hedges for cover. But it seems thou -hast good news. What is this talk of the hangman's budget?" - -"It is true. By now thine excellent brother hath in all likelihood -donned the black cap and danced on air. As for beating and -banging--scratch thy head and agitate thy memory and consider if I have -given thee reason to hope for quietness and submission." - -There was a flicker of doubt in the man's small eyes, whereby it seemed -his memory served him well. - -"And what meanest thou by saying thou would'st have speech of Mistress -Nell Entick?" he asked suspiciously. - -"That concerns thee not." - -"Ha!" He scowled darkly. "Methinks it concerns me nearly!" - -And then a high voice cried, "Who called my name?" - -They turned and Phil Marsham's face lighted, for she stood in the door. -She was not so fair as he had pictured her--what lad's memory will not -play such tricks as that?--and he thought that when he had taken her -away from the inn she need never again wear a drabbled gown. But it -was she, the Nell Entick who had so lightly given him her promise and -kissed him as he fled, and he had come for her. - -"Back again, John? Nay, John was not thy name. Stay! No, it hath -escaped me, but I remember well thy face. And shall I bring thee ale? -Or sack? We have some rare fine sack." - -He stared at her as if he could not believe his ears had told him -right. "I have come," he said, "to claim a certain promise--" - -She looked bewildered, puzzled, then laughed loudly. "Silly boy!" she -cried. "I am these six months a wife." - -"A wife!" - -"Yea, and mine," cried Barwick. "Come, begone I I'll have no puppies -sniffling at her heels." - -At something in the man's manner, the full truth dawned on Philip -Marsham. "I see. And you have taken the inn?" - -"Yea, that I have! Must I split thy head to let in knowledge? Begone!" - -She laid her hand on Barwick's wrist. "The lad means no harm," she -whispered. "Come, it is folly to drive trade away." And over Barwick's -shoulder she cast Phil such a glance that he knew, maid or matron, she -would philander still. - -But Phil had seen her with new eyes and the old charm was broken. -(Perhaps if Tom Marsham had waited a year before he leaped into -marriage, I had had no story to tell!) All that was best in the father -had come down to the son, and Phil turned his back on the siren with -the bold, bright eyes. He turned his back on the inn, too, and all the -dreams he had built around it--a boy's imaginings raised on the sands -of a moment's fancy. Nay, he turned his back on all the world he had -hitherto known. - -With a feeling that he was rubbing from his face a spider's web of -sordidness,--that he was cutting the last cord that bound him to his -old, wild life,--stirred by a new and daring project, he went out of -the inn and turned to the left and took the road in search of Sir John -Bristol. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -AND OLD SIR JOHN - - -Sir John Bristol! There, gentlemen, was a brave, honest man! A man of -spirit and of a humour! If you crossed him, if you toyed with him, his -mirth was rough, his hand was hard, he was relentless as iron. But for -a man who stood his ground and fought a bold fight and met squarely the -old man's eyes, there was nothing Sir John would not do. - -After all his weary travels by land and sea, Philip Marsham had at last -come back to find a man whom he had seen but once and for a brief time. -Yet in that man he had such complete confidence as he had never had in -any other, and since Jamie Barwick had left the man's service and taken -the inn--who knew? - -Striding over the same rolling country road that he had tramped with -Martin long before, and coming soon to the park, he skirted it and -pressed on, keeping meanwhile his eyes and wits about him, until -he perceived a gate and a porter's lodge. He went to the gate and -finding it ajar slipped through and made haste up a long avenue with -overarching trees. A man from the lodge came out and angrily called -after the intruder, but Phil never looked back. The avenue turned to -the left and he saw at a distance the great house; he was of no mind to -suffer hindrance or delay. - -The sunset sky threw long, still shadows across the grass, and -countless wandering branches of ivy lay like a dark drapery upon the -grey walls of the old house. A huge dog came bounding and roaring down -the avenue, but when the lad smiled without fear and reached a friendly -hand toward him, the beast stopped clamouring and came quietly to heel. -Lights shone from the windows and softly on the still evening air the -thin, sweet music of a virginal stole over the broad terraces and lawns. - -The clamour of the dog, it seemed, had attracted the attention of those -within, for a grey-haired servant met the stranger in the door. He -stood there suspiciously, forbiddingly, and with a cold stare searched -the young man from head to heel. - -"I would have speech of Sir John Bristol," said Phil. - -The servant frowned. "Nay, you have blundered," he replied haughtily. -"The servants' hall--" - -"I said Sir John." - -"Sir John? It is--ahem!--impossible." - -"I said Sir John." - -The servant moved as if to shut the door. - -"Come," said Phil quietly, "enough of that! I will have speech of Sir -John Bristol." - -For a moment the servant hesitated, then from within a great voice -cried, "Come, Cobden, what's afoot?" - -In haughty disapproval of the lad without, the servant turned his back, -but to the man within he spoke with deference, as if apologizing. "Yea, -Sir John. The fellow is insistent, but I shall soon have him off." - -"Go, Cobden. Leave him to me." - -The servant moved away and disappeared. - -The virginalling had ceased, and on the lawns and the avenue and the -park, which stretched away into the dark valley, a deep silence had -come with the twilight. The sun had set and the long shadows across -the grass were lost in the greater shadow of evening. As the world -without had grown darker, the lights within seemed to have grown -brighter. - -"Come, fellow, come into the hall. So! Have I not seen thee before?" - -"Yea, Sir John." - -"Ha! I can remember faces. Aye, there are few that escape me. Let us -consider. Why, on my life! This is the lad that gave Barwick such a -tumbling that the fellow walked lame for a month. Speak up! Have I not -placed thee right?" - -"Though I was faint for want of food, I was quicker on my feet than he." - -The old man laughed until his brave curls shook. - -"In faith, and it is said with moderation. And what now, lad? What hath -brought thee hither?" - -"Since Barwick hath left your service--" - -"That he hath, that he hath!" - -"It seemed there might be a place for a keeper." - -"For a keeper? Ha, ha, ha! Nay, th' art too spirited a lad to waste -away as keeper. Mark my word, lad, the King will shortly have need for -such courageous gallants as thou. Unless I mistake thy spirit, we shall -soon see thee riding among the foremost when we chase these dogs of -Roundheads into the King's kennels and slit their noses and prick their -ears as a warning to all of weak mind and base spirit." - -"I have a taste for such sport, and God knows I am the King's man." - -"Good, say I!" Sir John's clear eyes searched the frank eyes of the -lad, and the old man was pleased with what he found. "Come, the cook -shall fill thy belly and Cobden shall find thee a bed. Cobden! Cobden, -I say!" - -"Yea, Sir John." - -"Make place for this good fellow in the servants' hall and see that he -hath all that he can eat and drink." - -"Yea, Sir John." - -"But stay a moment. Thy name, fellow." - -"Philip Marsham." - -"Philip Marsham?" The heavy brows knotted and Sir John spoke musingly. -"Philip Marsham! I once knew a man of that name." - -Silence fell upon the hall. Grey Cobden stood a little behind his -master, and when Phil looked past Sir John he saw standing in a door -the tall, quiet girl he had seen with the old knight that day in the -wood so long since. Doubtless it was she who had played upon the -virginal. Her dark eyes and fine dignity wove a spell around the lad--a -spell of the magic that has come down from the beginning of time--the -magic that is always young. - -Take such spells, such magic, as lightly as you please; yet they have -overturned kingdoms and not once, but many times, have they launched a -thousand ships. - -"Did you ever hear of Dr. Marsham of Little Grimsby?" Sir John asked, -and he watched the lad very closely. - -"Yea." - -"And what have you heard of him?" - -"He is my grandfather." - -"So!" The old knight stepped back and bent his brows. "Verily," he -said, "I believe the lad hath spoken truth. Go, Cobden. There is no -place in the hall for this lad." - -The servant departed and the girl stepped nearer. - -"Your father's name?" Sir John said. - -"My father's name was Thomas Marsham." - -"Doubtless he bred you to the sea." - -"He did." - -"He broke the hearts of his father and his mother." - -Phil stood silent in the hall and looked Sir John in the eye. Since -there seemed to be no reply, he waited for the knight to speak again. - -"Tom Marsham's father and mother are dead, but within the year, lad, -they stood where you are standing now. It was the last time I saw them." - -What could a young man say? Phil Marsham remembered well the one time -he had himself seen them. Who knew what might have happened had he -spoken? But the chance was gone, and for ever. - -"There is no place for Philip Marsham in my servants' hall," said Sir -John. "His father--but no! Let the dead lie. There is no place for -Philip Marsham in my servants' hall. Under my roof he is my guest." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -AND AGAIN THE ROSE OF DEVON - - -The story of Philip Marsham and of Sir John Bristol, and of the fortune -left by the good Doctor Marsham of Little Grimsby,--how it came to his -grandson and was lost in the war that brought ruin to many a noble -family,--is a tale that may some day be worth the telling. Of that, I -make no promises. - -The years that followed were wild and turbulent, but during their -passage Phil chanced upon one reminder and another of his earlier days -of adventuring. He saw once again the long, ranting madman who had -carried the great book. He might not have known the fellow, who was in -a company of Brownists or Anabaptists, or some such people, had he not -heard him crying out in his voice like a cracked trumpet, to the great -wonder and admiration of his fellows, "Never was a man beset with such -diversity of thoughts." There was Jacob, too, who had sneaked away -like a rat on the eve of the day when Tom Jordan's schemes fell about -his ears: Phil once came upon him face to face, but when their eyes -met Jacob slipped round a corner and was gone. He was a subtle man and -wise, and of no intention to be reminded of his days as a pirate. - -Philip Marsham went to the war with Sir John Bristol, and fought for -the King, and rose to be a captain; and with the story of Philip -Marsham is interwoven inseparably the story of Anne Bristol and of her -father, Sir John. For Sir John Bristol died at the second battle of -Newbury with his head on Philip Marsham's knees; and in his grief at -losing the brave knight who had befriended him, the lad prayed God for -vengeance on the Roundhead armies. - -And yet, though his grief was bitter, he had too just a mind to see -only one side of a great war. Once, when they sent him from the King's -camp on a secret mission, the enemy ran him to cover, and he escaped -them only by doubling back and hiding in the garret of a cottage -where he lay high under the thatch and watched through a dusty little -window the street from the Red Boar Inn down the hill to the distant -meadows, without being himself seen. He heard far away a murmur as -of droning bees. Minutes passed and he heard the drone settle into a -hollow rumble, from which there emerged after a time the remote sound -of rattling drums and the occasional voices of shouting men. Then, of a -sudden, there broke on the air a sound as of distant thunder, in which -he made out a chorus:-- - - "His staff and rod shall comfort me, - His mantle e'er shall be my shield; - My brimming cup I hold in fee - Of him who rules the battlefield." - -The voices of the singing men came booming over the meadows. They were -deep, strong voices and there was that in their volume and fierce -earnestness which made a man shiver. - -Phil heard a dog barking; he saw a woman standing in the door of a -cottage; he saw a cloud of dust rise above the meadow; then they came. - -First a band of men on foot in steel caps, with their firelocks -shouldered, swinging out in long, firm strides. Then a little group -of kettledrums, hammering away in a fierce rhythm. Then a number of -horsemen, with never a glint of gold on their bridles and never a curl -from under their iron helms. Then, rank behind rank, a solid column of -foot that flowed along the dusty road over hillock and hollow, dark and -sombre, undulating like a torpid stream of something thick and slow -that mightily forces a passage over every obstacle in its way. - -They came up the hill, turning neither to right nor to left, up the -hill and over it, and away to the north, where King Charles and all his -armies lay. - -It was a fearful sight, for they were stern, determined men. There -was no gallant flippancy in their carriage; there was no lordly show -of ribbands and linen and gold and silver lace. They frowned as they -marched, and looked about them little. They bore so steadily on, they -made one feel they were men of tempered metal, men of no blood and no -flesh, men with no love for the brave adventures of life, but with a -streak of iron in their very souls. - -Philip Marsham had heard the men of the Rose of Devon go into battle -with cries and shouting, and laugh when they killed; he had seen old -Sir John Bristol throw back his head proudly and jest with the girls of -the towns on their march; but these were men of another pattern. - -He became aware, as he watched them go by--and he then knew the meaning -of fear, safely hidden though he was, behind the dirty and small window -in the gable; for had one man of those thousands found him there, it -would have ended the fighting days of Philip Marsham--he became aware -that here was a courage so stubborn there was no mastering it; that -here was a purposeful strength such as all the wild blades in his -master's camp could never match. Their faces showed it; the marching -rhythm of the never-ending column was alive with it. - -Behind the first regiments of infantry, horsemen came, and, at an -interval in the ranks of the cavalry, five men rode together. The eyes -of one, who led the four by a span or two, were bent on the road, and -his face was stern and strong and thoughtful. As Phil watched him, -the first hesitating surmisal became conviction, and long afterward -he learned that he had been right. From his gable window he had seen -Oliver Cromwell go by. - -All that afternoon the column streamed on, and in the early darkness -Philip fell asleep to the sound of men marching. In the morning they -were gone, and he went on his way and fulfilled his mission; but though -the King's men fought with a gallantry that never lessened, the cause -of the King was lost, and the day broke when Philip Marsham was ready -to turn his back on England. - -So he came a second time to the harbour of Bideford, in Devon, and had -it in his mind to take ship for some distant land where he could forget -the years of his youth and early manhood. He was in the mood, then, -to envy Sir John Bristol and all the gallant company that had died on -the fields of Naseby and Newbury, and of many another great battle; -for he was the King's man, and great houses of the country had fallen, -and many lords and gentlemen whose estates had gone to pay the cost of -Cromwell's wars had as much reason as he, and more, to wonder, at the -sight of deep water, whether it were better to die by one's own hand -or to seek new fortunes beyond the sea. - -There were many vessels in the harbour and his gaze wandered over -them, ships and pinks and ketches and a single galliot from the Low -Countries, until his eyes came at last to one of singularly familiar -aspect. He looked at her a long time, then strolled down to the quay -and accosted an aged man who was warming his rheumatic limbs in the sun. - -"What ship is that," said Captain Marsham, "which lies yonder, in line -with the house on the farther shore to the right of the three trees?" - -The aged man squinted over the harbour to pick up the bearings his -questioner had given him and cleared his throat with a husky cough. - -"Why, that," he said, "beës the frigate they call Rose of Devon." - -"The Rose of Devon--nay, she cannot be the Rose of Devon!" - -"Can and beës. Why does 'ee look so queer, sir?" - -"Not the Rose of Devon!" - -"Art 'ee addled?" He laughed like a cackling hen. "Aye, an' yon's her -master." - -The master turned when the young captain accosted him, and replied, -with reasonable civility, "Yea, the Rose of Devon, Captain Hosmer, at -your service, sir. Passage? Yea, we can take you, but you're a queer -sort to ask passage ere you know whither she sails. Is it murder or -theft?" - -"Neither. The old order is changing and I would go abroad." - -"To the colonies?" - -"They tell me all the colonies are of a piece with these Roundheads -here, and that as many psalms are whined in Boston in New England as in -all the conventicles in London." - -He laughed in good humour. "You are rash," said he. "Were I of the -other side, your words might cost you your head. But we're going south -to Barbados, and there you'll find men to your own taste." - -Captain Philip Marsham wished no more than that. So he struck a bargain -for passage, and paid with gold, and sailed from England for the second -time in the old Rose of Devon, the dark frigate that by God's grace had -come back to Bideford in the hour when he most needed her. - - -THE END - - * * * * * - - - - - THE DARK FRIGATE - - _By_ CHARLES BOARDMAN HAWES - - -The frigate _Rose of Devon_ rescues from a wreck in mid-ocean twelve -men who show their gratitude by seizing the _Rose_, killing her captain -and sailing toward the Caribbean where they hope to plunder Spanish -towns and galleons. Mistaking an English man-of-war for a merchantman, -they are captured and brought back to England for trial. Only one, -an English lad, Philip Marsham, a member of the original crew of the -_Rose_, is acquitted; and he, after adventures in the forces of King -Charles, tires of Cromwell's England and sails for Barbados once more -on the _Rose of Devon_. - -"The Dark Frigate" has long been a favorite story for boys and in -1924 was awarded the John Newbery Medal, given annually "for the most -distinguished contribution to American literature for children." - -When "The Dark Frigate" was first published F. F. Van deWater in _The -New York Tribune_ said: "No one, we think, has written so perfect a -pirate tale since 'Treasure Island'." - -_With frontispiece in full color by_ ANTON OTTO FISCHER - - * * * * * - - - - - THE MUTINEERS - - _By_ CHARLES BOARDMAN HAWES - - -This rousing pirate story of the Pacific has proved even more popular -than the author's Newbery Prize-winning "The Dark Frigate." Originally -published as an Atlantic Monthly Press Book in 1920, it has delighted -thousands of adventure-loving boys (and girls too!). From the moment -when young Benjamin Lathrop of Salem signs up with Captain Whidden of -the _Island Princess_ the reader embarks on a reading voyage of high -and gleaming excitement. - -"There is the atmosphere of the old-time ships and the spirit of the -sailors of a century ago--such as you find in the pages of Dana and -Stevenson.... Here is a story that stands out with distinction among -all the sea stories of many years."--_Boston Herald_ - -_With frontispiece in full color by_ ANTON OTTO FISCHER - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Dark Frigate, by Charles Boardman Hawes - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DARK FRIGATE *** - -***** This file should be named 50598-8.txt or 50598-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/5/9/50598/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Dark Frigate - -Author: Charles Boardman Hawes - -Release Date: December 3, 2015 [EBook #50598] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DARK FRIGATE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="311" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - - -<h1>THE -DARK FRIGATE</h1> - -<p>Wherein is told the story of <i>Philip Marsham</i><br /> -who lived in the time of King Charles<br /> -and was bred a sailor<br /> -but came home to England after many hazards<br /> -by sea and land and fought for the King at Newbury<br /> -and lost a great inheritance and departed for Barbados<br /> -in the same ship, by curious chance, in which<br /> -he had long before adventured<br /> -with the pirates.</p> - -<p>BY CHARLES BOARDMAN HAWES</p> - -<p><i>Frontispiece in Color by</i><br /> -ANTON OTTO FISCHER</p> - -<p><i>AN ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS BOOK</i><br /> -LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY<br /> -BOSTON</p> - - -<p><i>Copyright, 1923</i>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">By The Torbell Company</span><br /> -(Publishers of <i>The Open Road</i>)</p> - -<p><i>Copyright, 1923</i>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">By The Atlantic Monthly Press, Inc.</span></p> - -<p><i>Copyright, 1934</i>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">By Little, Brown and Company</span></p> - -<p><i>All rights reserved</i></p> - -<p><i>Twentieth Printing</i></p> - -<p>THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS BOOKS<br /> -ARE PUBLISHED BY<br /> -LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY<br /> -IN ASSOCIATION WITH<br /> -THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY COMPANY</p> - -<p>PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any<br /> -evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>TO<br /> -GEORGE W. CABLE<br /> -WITH WARM ADMIRATION AND FILIAL AFFECTION</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>From <i>curious old books, many of them forgotten save<br /> -by students of archaic days at sea, I have taken<br /> -words and phrases and incidents. The words and phrases<br /> -I have put into the talk of the men of the Rose of Devon;<br /> -the incidents I have shaped and fitted anew to serve my purpose</i>.</p> - -<p>C. B. H.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/front.jpg" width="356" height="500" alt=""/> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>With her great sails spread she thrust her nose into the -heavy swell.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">CONTENTS</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents"> -<tr><td></td><td align="left">CHAPTER</td><td align="right">PAGE</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">I </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Flight</span> </td><td align="right">3</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">II </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Leal Man and a Fool</span> </td><td align="right">11</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">III </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Two Sailors on Foot</span> </td><td align="right">26</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">IV </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Girl at the Inn</span> </td><td align="right">35</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">V </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Sir John Bristol</span> </td><td align="right">45</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">VI </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Rose of Devon</span> </td><td align="right">57</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">VII </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Ship's Liar</span> </td><td align="right">75</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">VIII </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Storm</span> </td><td align="right">83</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">IX </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Master's Guest</span> </td><td align="right">94</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">X </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Between Midnight and Morning</span> </td><td align="right">101</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">XI </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Head Winds and a Rough Sea</span> </td><td align="right">108</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">XII </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Porcupine Ketch</span> </td><td align="right">120</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">XIII </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Bird to Be Limed</span> </td><td align="right">137</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">XIV </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Wonderful Excellent Cook</span> </td><td align="right">144</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">XV </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Lonesome Little Town</span> </td><td align="right">158</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">XVI </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Harbour of Refuge</span> </td><td align="right">171</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">XVII </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Will Canty</span> </td><td align="right">182</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">XVIII </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Tom Jordan's Mercy</span> </td><td align="right">192</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">XIX </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Man Seen Before</span> </td><td align="right">198</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">XX </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Prize for the Taking</span> </td><td align="right">208</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">XXI </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Ill Words Come True</span> </td><td align="right">215</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">XXII </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Back to the Inn</span> </td><td align="right">231</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">XXIII </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">And Old Sir John</span> </td><td align="right">237</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">XXIV </a></td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">And Again the Rose of Devon</span> </td><td align="right">242</td></tr> -</table></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h1>THE DARK FRIGATE</h1> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a><br /> -<small>FLIGHT</small></h2> - - -<p>Philip Marsham was bred to the sea as far back as the days when he was -cutting his milk teeth, and he never thought he should leave it; but -leave it he did, once and again, as I shall tell you.</p> - -<p>His father was master of a London ketch, and they say that before the -boy could stand unaided on his two feet he would lean himself, as a -child does, against the waist in a seaway, and never pipe a whimper -when she thrust her bows down and shipped enough water to douse him -from head to heels. He lost his mother before he went into breeches and -he was climbing the rigging before he could walk alone. He spent two -years at school to the good Dr. Josiah Arber at Roehampton, for his -father, being a clergyman's son who had run wild in his youth, hoped -to do better by the lad than he had done by himself, and was of a mind -to send Philip home a scholar to make peace with the grandparents, in -the vicarage at Little Grimsby, whom Tom Marsham had not seen in twenty -years. But the boy was his father over again, and taking to books with -an ill grace, he endured them only until he had learned to read and -write and had laid such foundation of mathematics as he hoped would -serve his purpose when he came to study navigation. Then, running away -by night from his master's house, he joined his father on board the -Sarah ketch, who laughed mightily to see how his son took after him, do -what he would to make a scholar of the lad. And but for the mercy of -God, which laid Philip Marsham on his back with a fever in the spring -of his nineteenth year, he had gone down with his father in the ketch -Sarah, the night she foundered off the North Foreland.</p> - -<p>Moll Stevens kept him, while he lay ill with the fever, in her alehouse -in High Street, in the borough of Southwark, and she was good to him -after her fashion, for her heart was set on marrying his father. But -though she had brought Tom Marsham to heel and had named the day, -nothing is sure till the words are said.</p> - -<p>When they had news which there was no doubting that Tom Marsham was -lost at sea, she was of a mind to send the boy out of her house the -hour he was able to walk thence; and so she would have done, if God's -providence had not found means to renew his strength before the time -and send him packing in wonderful haste, with Moll Stevens and certain -others after him in full cry.</p> - -<p>For the third day he had come down from his chamber and had taken the -great chair by the fire, when there entered a huge-bellied countryman -who carried a gun of a kind not familiar to those in the house.</p> - -<p>"Ah," Phil heard them whispering, as he sat in the great chair, "here's -Jamie Barwick come back again." Then they called out, "Welcome, Jamie, -and good-morrow!"</p> - -<p>Philip Marsham would have liked well to see the gun himself, since a -taste for such gear was born in him; but he had been long bedridden, -and though he could easily have walked over to look at it, he let well -enough alone and stayed where he was.</p> - -<p>They passed it from one to another and marvelled at the craftsmanship, -and when they let the butt fall on the floor, the pots rang and the -cans tinkled. And now one cried, "Have care which way you point the -muzzle." But the countryman who brought it laughed and declared there -was no danger, for though it was charged he had spent all his powder -and had not primed it.</p> - -<p>At last he took it from them all and, spying Moll Stevens, who had -heard the bustle and had come to learn the cause, he called for a can -of ale. There was no place at hand to set down his gun so he turned to -the lad in the chair and cried, "Here, whiteface with the great eyes, -take my piece and keep it for me. I am dry—Oh, so dry! Keep it till -I have drunk, and gramercy. A can of ale, I say! Hostess! Moll! Moll! -Where art thou? A can of ale!"</p> - -<p>He flung himself down on a bench and mopped his forehead with his -sleeve. He was a huge great man with a vast belly and a deep voice and -a fat red face that was smiling one minute and frowning the next.</p> - -<p>"Ho! Hostess!" he roared again. "Ale, ale! A can of ale! Moll, I say! A -can of ale!"</p> - -<p>A hush had fallen upon the room at his first summons, for he had been -quiet so long after entering that his clamour amazed all who were -present, unless they had known him before, and they now stole glances -at him and at one another and at Moll Stevens, who came bustling in -again, her face as red as his own, for she was his match in girth and -temper.</p> - -<p>"Here then!" she snapped, and thumped the can down before him on the -great oaken table.</p> - -<p>He blew off the topmost foam and thrust his hot face into the ale, but -not so deep that he could not send Phil Marsham a wink over the rim.</p> - -<p>This Moll perceived and in turn shot at the lad a glance so -ill-tempered that any one who saw it must know she rued the day she had -taken him under her roof in his illness. He had got many such a glance -since word came that his father was lost, and more than glances, too, -for as soon as Moll knew there was nothing to gain by keeping his good -will she had berated him like the vixen she was at heart, although he -was then too ill to raise his head from the sheet.</p> - -<p>It was a sad plight for a lad whose grandfather was a gentleman -(although he had never seen the old man), and there had been times when -he would almost have gone back to school and have swallowed without a -whimper the Latin and Greek. But he was stronger now and nearer able to -fend for himself and it was in his mind, as he sat in the great chair -with the gun, that after a few days at longest he would pay the score -in silver from his chest upstairs, and take leave for ever of Moll -Stevens and her alehouse. So now, giving her no heed, he began fondling -the fat countryman's piece.</p> - -<p>The stock was of walnut, polished until a man could see his face in it, -and the barrel was of steel chased from breech to muzzle and inlaid -with gold and silver. Small wonder that all had been eager to handle -it, the lad thought. He saw others in the room furtively observing the -gun, and he knew there were men not a hundred leagues away who would -have killed the owner to take it. He even bethought himself, having no -lack of conceit in such matters, that the man had done well to pick -Phil Marsham to keep it while he drank his ale.</p> - -<p>The fellow had gone to the opposite corner of the room and had taken a -deep seat just beneath the three long shelves on which stood the three -rows of fine platters that were the pride of Moll Stevens's heart.</p> - -<p>The platters caught the lad's eye and, raising the gun, he presented -it at the uppermost row. Supposing it were loaded and primed, he -thought, what a stir and clatter it would make to fire the charge! He -smiled, cocked the gun, and rested his finger on the trigger; but he -was over weak to hold the gun steady. As he let the muzzle fall, his -hand slipped. His throat tightened like a cramp. His hair, he verily -believed, rose on end. The gun—primed or no—went off.</p> - -<p>He had so far lowered the muzzle that not a shot struck the topmost -row of platters, but of the second lower row, not one platter was -left standing. The splinters flew in a shower over the whole room, -and a dozen stray shots—for the gun was charged to shoot small -birds—peppered the fat man about the face and ear. Worst of all, by -far, to make good measure of the clatter and clamour, the great mass of -the charge, which by grace of God avoided the fat man's head although -the wind of it raised his hair, struck fairly a butt of Moll Stevens's -richest sack, which six men had raised on a frame to make easier the -labour of drawing from it, and shattered a stave so that the goodly -wine poured out as if a greater than Moses had smitten a rock with his -staff.</p> - -<p>Of all in the room, mind you, none was more amazed than Philip Marsham, -and indeed for a moment his wits were quite numb. He sat with the gun -in his hands, which was still smoking to show who had done the wicked -deed, and stared at the splintered platters and at the countryman's -furious face, on which rivulets of blood were trickling down, and at -the gurgling flood of wine that was belching out on Moll Stevens's -dirty floor.</p> - -<p>Then in rushed Moll herself with such a face that he hoped never to -see the like again. She swept the room at a single glance and bawling, -"As I live, 't is that tike, Philip Marsham! Paddock! Hound! Devil's -imp!"—at him she came, a billet of Flanders brick in her hand.</p> - -<p>He was of no mind to try the quality of her scouring, for although she -knew not the meaning of a clean house, she was a brawny wench and her -hand and her brick were as rough as her tongue. Further, he perceived -that there were others to reckon with, for the countryman was on his -feet with a murderous look in his eye and there were six besides him -who had started up. Although Phil had little wish to play hare to their -hounds, since the fever had left him fit for neither fighting nor -running, there was urgent need that he act soon and to a purpose, for -Moll and her Flanders brick were upon him.</p> - -<p>Warmed by the smell of the good wine run to waste, and marvellously -strengthened by the danger of bodily harm if once they laid hands on -him, he got out of the great chair as nimbly as if he had not spent -three weeks in bed, and, turning like a fox, slipped through the door.</p> - -<p>God was good to Philip Marsham, for the gun, as he dropped it, -tripped Moll Stevens and sent her sprawling on the threshold; the fat -countryman, thinking more of his property than his injury, stooped for -the gun; and those two so filled the door that the six were stoppered -in the alehouse until with the whoo-bub ringing in his ears Phil had -got him out of sight. He had the craft, though they then came after him -like hounds let slip, to turn aside and take to earth in a trench hard -by, and to lie in hiding there until the hue and cry had come and gone. -In faith, he had neither the wind nor the strength to run farther.</p> - -<p>It was "Stop thief!"—"Murder's done!"—"Attach the knave!"—"Help! -Help!"</p> - -<p>Who had dug the trench that was his hiding-place he never knew, but it -lay not a furlong from the alehouse door, and as he tumbled into it and -sprawled flat on the wet earth he gave the man an orphan's blessing. -The hue and cry passed him and went racing down the river; and when -the yells had grown fainter, and at last had died quite away, he got -up out of the trench and walked as fast as he could in the opposite -direction, stopping often to rest, until he had left Moll Stevens's -alehouse a good mile behind him. He passed a parish beadle, but the -fellow gave him not a single glance; he passed the crier calling for -sale the household goods of a man who desired to take his fortune and -depart for New England, and the crier (who, one would suppose, knew -everything of the public weal) brushed his coat but hindered him not. -In the space of a single furlong he met two Puritans on foot, without -enough hair to cover their ears, and two fine gentlemen on horseback -whose curls flowed to their shoulders; but neither one nor other gave -him let. The rabble of higglers and waggoners from the alehouse, headed -by the countryman, Jamie Barwick, and by Moll Stevens herself, had -raced far down the river, and Phil Marsham was free to go wherever else -his discretion bade him.</p> - -<p>Now it would have been his second nature to have fled to the docks, -for he was bred a sailor and could haul and reef and steer with any -man; but they whom he had no wish to meet had gone that way and in -his weakness it had been worse than folly to beard them. His patrimony -was forfeit, for although his father had left him a bag of silver, it -lay in his chest in Moll Stevens's alehouse, and for fear of hanging -he dared not go back after it. She was a vindictive shrew and would -have taken his heart's blood to pay him for his blunder. His father was -gone and the ketch with him, and, save for a handful of silver the lad -had about him, he was penniless. So what would a sailor do, think you, -orphaned and penniless and cut off from the sea, but set himself up for -a farmer? Phil clapped his hand on his thigh and quietly laughed. That -a man needed money and skill for husbandry never entered his foolish -head. Were not husbandmen all fond fellows whom a lively sailor man -might fleer as he pleased? Nay, they knew not so much as one rope from -another. Why, then, he would go into the country and set him up as a -kind of prince among husbandmen, who had, by all reports, plenty of -good nappy liquor to drink and bread and cheese and meat to eat.</p> - -<p>With that he turned his back on the sea and London and on Moll Stevens, -whom he never saw again. His trafficking with her was well ended, and -as well ended his father's affair, in my belief; for the woman had a -bitter temper and a sharp tongue, and there are worse things for a -free-hearted, jovial man such as Tom Marsham was, than drowning. The -son owed her nought that the bag in his chest would not repay many -times over, so he set out with all good courage and with the handful of -silver that chanced to be in his pocket and, though his legs were weak -and he must stop often to rest, by nightfall he had gone miles upon his -way.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a><br /> -<small>A LEAL MAN AND A FOOL</small></h2> - - -<p>Clouds obscured the sun and a gusty wind set the road-side grasses -nodding and rustled the leaves of oak and ash. Phil passed between -green fields into a neat village, where men and women turned to -look after him as he went, and on into open country, where he came -at last to a great estate and a porter's lodge and sat him down and -rested. There was a hoarse clamour from a distant rookery, and the -wind whispered in two pine trees that grew beside the lodge where a -gentleman of curious tastes had planted them. A few drops of rain, -beating on the road and rattling on the leaves of a great oak, -increased the loneliness that beset him. Where he should lie the night -he had no notion, or whence his supper was to come; but the shower blew -past and he pressed on till he came to a little hamlet on the border of -a heath, where there was a smithy, with a silent man standing by the -door.</p> - -<p>As he passed the smithy the lad stumbled.</p> - -<p>The man looked hard at him as if suspecting some trickery; but when -Phil was about to press on without a word the man asked in a low voice, -who the de'il gaed yonder on sic like e'en and at sic like hoddin' gait.</p> - -<p>At this Phil sat down on a stone, for his weakness had grown on him -sorely, and replied that whither he was going he neither knew nor -cared. Whereupon the man, whom he knew by his tongue to be a Scot, -cried out, "Hech! The lad's falling!" And catching the youth by the -arm, he lifted him off the stone and led him into the smithy.</p> - -<p>Phil found himself in a chair with straight back and sides, but with -seat and backing woven of broad, loose straps, which seemed as easy as -the best goose-feathers. "It is nought," he said. "A spell of faintness -caught me. I'll be going; I must find an inn; I'll be going now."</p> - -<p>"Be still. Ye'll na be off sae soon."</p> - -<p>The man thrust a splinter of wood into the coals, and lighting -therewith a candle in a lanthorn, he began rummaging in a cupboard -behind the forge, whence he drew out a quarter loaf, a plate of cheese, -a jug, and a deep dish in which there was the half of a meat pie. -Placing before his guest a table of rough boards blackened with smoke, -a great spoon, and a pint pot, he poured from the jug a brimming potful -of cider, boiled with good spices and fermented with yeast.</p> - -<p>"A wee healsome drappy," said he, "an' then the guid vittle. Dinna be -laithfu'."</p> - -<p>Raising the pot to his lips the lad drank deep and became aware he was -famished for food, although he had not until then thought of hunger. As -he ate, the quarter loaf, the cheese, and the half of a meat pie fell -victims to his trenchering, and though his host plied the jug to fill -his cup, when at last he leaned back he had left no morsel of food nor -drop of drink.</p> - -<p>Now, for the first time, he looked about him and gave heed to the -smoking lanthorn, the dull glow of the dying sea-coals in the forge, -the stern face of the smith who sat opposite him, and the dark recesses -of the smithy. Outside was a driving rain and the screech of a gusty -wind.</p> - -<p>It was strange, he thought, that after all his doubts, he was well fed -and dry and warm. The rain rattled against the walls of the smithy -and the wind howled. Only to hear the storm was enough to make a man -shiver, but warmed by the fire in the forge the lad smiled and nodded. -In a moment he was asleep.</p> - -<p>"Cam' ye far?" his host asked in a rough voice.</p> - -<p>The lad woke with a start. "From London," he said and again he nodded.</p> - -<p>The man ran his fingers through his red beard. "God forgie us!" he -whispered. "The laddie ha grapit a' the way frae Lon'on."</p> - -<p>He got up from his chair and led Phil to a kind of bed in the darkest -corner, behind the forge, and covered him and left him there. Going to -the door he looked out into the rain and stood so for a long time.</p> - -<p>Two boys, scurrying past in the rain, saw him standing there against -the dim light of the lanthorn, and hooted in derision. The wind swept -away their voices so that the words were lost, but one stooped and, -picking up a stone, flung it at the smithy. It struck the lintel above -the man's head and the boys with a squeal of glee vanished into the -rain and darkness. The blood rushed to the man's face and his hand -slipped under the great leathern apron that he wore.</p> - -<p>By morning the storm was gone. The air was clean and cool, and though -puddles of water stood by the way, the road had so far dried as to give -good footing. All this Philip Marsham saw through the smithy door, upon -waking, as he raised himself on his elbow.</p> - -<p>He had slept that night with his head behind the cupboard and with his -feet under the great bellows of the forge, so narrow was the space in -which the smith had built the cot; and where his host had himself -slept there was no sign.</p> - -<p>The smith now stood in the door. "Na, na," he was saying, "'tis pitch -an' pay—siller or nought. For the ance ye hae very foully deceived me. -Ye shall hence-forth hae my wark for siller; or, an ye like—"</p> - -<p>A volley of rough laughter came booming into the smithy, and then a -clatter of hoofs as the man without rode away; but the face of the -smith was hot as flame when he turned to the forge, and, as he thrust -his fingers through his red beard, an angry light was in his eyes. -Reaching for the handle of the bellows, he blew the fire so fiercely -that the rockstaff and the whole frame swayed and creaked. He then took -up a bar of metal and, breaking it on the anvil with a great blow of -the up-hand sledge, studied the grey surface and smiled. He thrust the -bar into the white coals and with the slicer he clapped the coals about -it.</p> - -<p>Now drawing out the bar a little way to see how it was taking its heat, -and now thrusting it quickly back again, he brought it to the colour -of white flame, and, snatching it out with his pliers and laying it on -the face of the anvil, he shaped it with blow after blow of the hand -hammer, thrust it again into the coals and blew up the fire, again laid -it on the anvil, and, smiting it until the sparks flew in showers, -worked it, with a deftness marvellous in the eyes of the lad, who sat -agape at the fury of his strokes, into the shape of a dagger or dirk.</p> - -<p>At last, heating it in the coals to the redness of blood and throwing -it on the floor to cool, he paced the smithy, muttering to himself. -After a time he took it up again and with the files in their order—the -rough, the bastard, the fine and the smooth—worked it down, now -trying the surface with fingertips, now plying his file as if the Devil -were at his elbow and his soul's salvation depended upon haste, until -the shape and surface pleased him.</p> - -<p>He then thrust it again into the coals and blew up the fire softly, -watching the metal with great care till it came to blood-red heat, when -he quenched it in a butt of water and, laying it on the bench, rubbed -it with a whetstone until the black scurf was gone and the metal was -bright. Again he laid it in the coals and slowly heated it, watching -with even greater care while the steel turned to the colour of light -gold and to the colour of dark gold; then with a deft turn of the -pliers he snatched it out and thrust it deep into the water.</p> - -<p>As he had worked, his angry haste had subsided and now, drawing out the -metal, he studied it closely and smiled. Then he looked up and meeting -the eyes of Philip Marsham, who had sat for an hour watching him, he -gave a great start and cried, "God forgie us! I hae clean forgot the -lad!"</p> - -<p>Laying aside his work he pushed before the chair the smoke-stained -table he had used the night before, placed on it a bowl and a spoon, -and, setting a small kettle on the forge, blew up the fire until the -kettle steamed. He then poured porridge from the kettle into the bowl, -and bringing from the cupboard a second quarter-loaf, nodded at the lad -and, as an afterthought, remarked, "There's a barrel o' water ahint the -smiddy, an ye'd wash."</p> - -<p>Rising, Phil went out and found the barrel, into which he thrust head -and hands to his great refreshment; and returning, he sat down to the -bread and porridge.</p> - -<p>While Phil ate, the smith worked at a bit of bone which he shaped to -his desire as a handle for the dirk.</p> - -<p>With light taps of the riveting-hammer he drove it into place and bound -it fast with ferules chosen from a box under the cot. He then sat -looking a long time at Phil, nodded, smiled, ran his fingers through -his beard, smiled again and, with a fine tool, fell to working on the -ferules. There had been a friendly look in the lad's eyes, and of -friendly looks the smith had got few in England. People bought his work -because he was a master craftsman, but the country folk of England -had little love for the Scots who came south in King James's time and -after, and a man had need to look sharp lest he fall victim to theft -or worse than theft. He stopped and again looked at his guest, ran his -fingers through his beard and demanded suddenly, "Thy name, laddie?"</p> - -<p>"Philip Marsham."</p> - -<p>"Ye'll spell it out for me?"</p> - -<p>This Phil did.</p> - -<p>After working a while longer he said as if in afterthought, "Ye'll bide -wi' me a while?"</p> - -<p>"No, I must be on my way."</p> - -<p>The man sighed heavily but said only, "I hae ta'en a likin' to ye."</p> - -<p>Rising, the lad thrust his hand into his bosom and stood as if to take -his leave.</p> - -<p>"Na, na! Dinna haste! I'll ask ye to gie me help wi' a bit that's yet -to be done."</p> - -<p>The smith turned his work over and over. He had made a dirk with a -handle of bone bound with silver, and, as he turned it, he examined it -with utmost care. "'Twill do," he said at last, "and noo for the wark -that takes twa pair o' hands."</p> - -<p>He pointed to a great grindstone.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">'He that will a guid edge win,</div> -<div class="verse">Maun forge thick an' grind thin.'</div> -</div></div> - -<p>Sitting down at the grindstone, the lad began to turn it while the -smith, now dashing water over it, now putting both hands to the work, -ground the dirk. An hour passed, and a second, with no sound save the -whir of steel on stone and now and again the muttered words:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">'He that will a guid edge win,</div> -<div class="verse">Maun forge thick an' grind thin.'</div> -</div></div> - -<p>Leaning back at last, he said "'Tis done! An' such wark is better -suited to a man o' speerit than priggin' farriery."</p> - -<p>He tried the edge with his thumb and smiled. From a chip he sliced a -thin circular shaving that went with and across and against the grain. -Laying a bit of iron on a board, he cut it clean in two with the dirk -and the edge showed neither nick nor mark.</p> - -<p>Phil rose now, and drew from inside his shirt his small pouch of -silver. "I'll pay the score," he said.</p> - -<p>The Scot stared at him as if he would not believe his ears, then got up -as if to thrust the dirk between the lad's ribs.</p> - -<p>"Those are very foul words," he said thickly. "Nae penny nor plack -will I take, and were ye a man bearded, I'd leave ye a pudding for the -hoodie-craw."</p> - -<p>The lad reddened and stammered, "I—I—why, I give you thanks and ask -your pardon."</p> - -<p>The smith drew himself up and was about to speak harshly, but he saw -the lad's eyes filling and knew no harm was intended. He caught his -breath and bit his beard. "'Tis forgi'en an' forgot," he cried. "I hae -ta'en a likin' to ye an' here's my hand on't. I hae made ye the dirk -for a gift an' sin ye maun be on your way, ye shall hae my ane sheath, -for I've no the time to mak' ye the mate to it e'er ye'll be leavin' -me."</p> - -<p>With that he drew out his dirk, sheath and all, and placing the new -blade in the old leather, handed it to the lad, saying, "'Tis wrought -o' Damascus steel and there's not twa smiths in England could gi'e ye -the like."</p> - -<p>So with few words but with warm friendliness they parted, and Philip -Marsham went away over the heath, wondering how a Scottish smith came -to be dwelling so many long leagues south of the border. In those days -there were many Scots to be found in England, who had sought long since -to better their fortunes by following at the heels of their royal -countryman; but he had chanced to meet with few of them.</p> - -<p>Not until he had gone miles did he draw the dirk and read, cut in fine -old script on the silver ferule, the legend, <i>Wrought by Colin Samson -for Philip Marsham</i>. There are those who would say it was a miracle out -of Bible times, but neither Philip Marsham nor I ever saw a Scot yet -who would not share his supper with a poorer man than himself.</p> - -<p>At the end of the day he bought food at a cottage where the wife did -not scruple to charge him three times the worth of the meal, and -that night he lay under a hedge; the day thereafter he chanced upon -a shepherd with whom he passed the night on the hills, and the third -day he came to an inn where the reckoning took all but a few pence of -his silver. So as he set out upon his way in the morning, he knew not -whence his supper was to come or what roof should cover his head.</p> - -<p>It was a fine day, with white clouds blowing across a blue sky and all -the colors as bright as in a painted picture, and there was much for a -sailor to marvel at. The grass in the meadows waved in the great wind -like running water. The river in the valley was so small and clear and -still that, to a man bred at sea, it appeared to be no water at all but -a toy laid between hills, with toy villages for children on its banks. -Climbing with light quick steps a knoll from which there was a broader -prospect, Phil came unawares upon a great thick adder, which lay -sunning its tawny flanks and black-marked back but which slipped away -into a thicket at the jar of footsteps. The reptile gave him a lively -start, but it was soon gone, and from the knoll he saw the valley -spread before him for miles.</p> - -<p>It was a day to be alive and, though Philip Marsham was adrift in a -strange world, with neither chart nor compass to show the way, his -strength had at last come back to him and he had the blithe spirit that -seasons a journey well. His purse was light but he was no lad to be -stayed for lack of wind, and seeing now a man far ahead of him on the -road, and perceiving an opportunity to get sailing directions for the -future, he leaped down from the knoll and set off after the fellow as -hard as he could post.</p> - -<p>The man had gone another mile before Phil overhauled him and by then -Phil was puffing so loudly that the fellow, who carried a huge book -under his arm and bore himself very loftily, turned to see what manner -of creature was at his heels. Although he had the air of a great man, -his coat was now revealed as worn and spotted and his wristbands were -dirty. He frowned, bent his head, and pursued his journey in silence.</p> - -<p>"Good morrow to you!" Phil cried and fell into step beside him.</p> - -<p>The man answered not a word but frowned and hugged his book and walked -the faster.</p> - -<p>At that Phil bustled up and laid hand on his dirk. "Good morrow, I say. -Hast no tongue between thy teeth?"</p> - -<p>The fellow hugged his book the tighter and frowned the darker and -fiercely shook his head. "Never," he cried, "was a man assaulted with -such diversity of thoughts! Yet here must come a lobcock lapwing and -cry 'Good morrow!' I will have you know I am one to bite sooner than to -bark."</p> - -<p>Already he was striding at a furious gait, yet now, giving a hitch to -his mighty book, he made shift to lengthen his stride and go yet faster.</p> - -<p>Unhindered by any such load, Phil pressed at his heels.</p> - -<p>"'A lobcock'? 'A lapwing'?" he cried. "Thou puddling quacksalver—"</p> - -<p>Stopping short and giving him a look of dark resentment, the fellow -sadly shook his head. "That was a secret and most venomous blow."</p> - -<p>"I gave you good morrow and you returned me nought but ill words."</p> - -<p>"The shoe must be made for the foot. I have no desire to go posting -about the country with a roystering coxcomb but—well—as I say, I have -no liking for thy company, which consorts ill with the pressure of many -thoughts; but since you know what you know (and the Devil take him who -learned you it!), like it or not, I must even keep thy company with -such grace as may be. Yea, though thou clappest hand to thy weapon -with such facility that I believe thee sunk to thy neck in the Devil's -quagmire, bogged in thy sin, and thy hands red with blood."</p> - -<p>With that, he set out again but at an ordinary pace, and Phil, -wonderfully perplexed by his words, fell into his step.</p> - -<p>Again the fellow shook his head very sadly. "A secret and most venomous -blow! Th' art a Devon man?"</p> - -<p>"Nay, I never saw Devon."</p> - -<p>The fellow shot him a strange glance and shifted the book from one arm -to the other.</p> - -<p>"And have never seen Devon? Never laid foot in Bideford, I'll venture." -There was a cunning look in his eyes and again he shifted the book.</p> - -<p>"'Tis even so."</p> - -<p>"A most venomous blow! This wonderfully poseth me." After a time he -said in a very low voice, "There is only one other way. Either you have -told me a most wicked lie or Jamie Barwick told you."</p> - -<p>The fellow, watching like a cat at a rat-hole, saw Phil start at the -sound of Jamie Barwick's name.</p> - -<p>"I knew it!" he cried. "He'd tell, he'd tell! He's told before—'twas -he took the tale to Devon. He's a tall fellow but I'll hox him yet. It -was no fault of mine—though I suppose you'll not believe that."</p> - -<p>Upon the mind of Philip Marsham there descended a baffling array of -memories. The name of the big countryman with the gun carried him back -to that afternoon in Moll Stevens's alehouse, whence with good cause -he had fled for his life. And now this stray wight, with a great folio -volume under his arm, out of a conglomeration of meaningless words had -suddenly thrown at the lad's head the name of Jamie Barwick.</p> - -<p>"We must have this out between us," the fellow said at last, breathing -hard. "I'll not bear the shadow longer. Come, let us sit while we -talk, for thereby we may rest from our travels. You see, 'twas thus -and so. Jamie Barwick and I came out of Devon and took service with -Sir John—Jamie in the stables, for he has a way with horses, and I as -under-steward till my wits should be appreciated, which I made sure, -I'd have you know, would be soon, for there are few scholars that can -match my curious knowledge of the moon's phases and when to plant corn -or of the influence of the planets on all manner of husbandry; and -further, I have kept the covenant of the living God, which should make -all the devils in hell to tremble; and if England keeps it she shall -be saved from burning. So when I made shift to get the ear of Sir -John, who hath a sharp nose in all affairs of his estate, said I,—and -it took a stout heart, I would have you know, for he is a man of hot -temper,—said I, if he would engage a hundred pounds at my direction I -would return him in a year's time a gain of a fourth again as much as -all he would engage.</p> - -<p>"'Aha!'" quoth he, "'this is speech after mine own heart. A hundred -pounds, sayest thou? 'Tis thine to draw upon, and the man who can turn -his talents thus shall be steward of all mine estates. But mind,'—and -here he put his finger to his nose, for he hath keen scent for a -jest,—'thou shalt go elsewhere to try the meat on the dog, for I'll be -no laughingstock; and if thou fail'st then shalt thou go packing, bag -and baggage, with the dogs at thy heels. Is 't a bargain?'</p> - -<p>"Now there was that in his way of speech which liked me little, for I -am used to dealing with quieter men and always I have given my wits to -booklearning and to Holy Writ rather than to bickering. But I could -not then say him nay, for he held his staff thus and so and laughed in -his throat in a way that I have a misliking of. So I said him yea, and -took in my own name fifty acres of marsh land, and paid down more than -thirty pound sterling, and expended all of eight pound sterling for the -ploughing and twice that for the burning, and sowed it with rape-seed -at ninepence the acre, and paid twelve pound for the second ploughing -and eleven pound for the fencing—all this did I draw from Sir John, -who, to pay the Devil his due, gave it me with a free hand; and if -God had been pleased to send the ordinary blessing upon mine acres I -should have got from it at harvest three hundred or four hundred or -even five hundred quarters of good rape-seed. And what with reaping and -threshing and all, at four and twenty shillings the quarter I should -have repaid him his hundred pounds, threefold or fourfold. All this by -the blessing of God should I have done but for some little bugs that -came upon mine acres in armies, and the fowls of the air that came in -clouds and ate up my rape-seed and my tender young rape, so that I lost -all that I laid out. And Sir John would not see that in another year I -ought, God favouring me, to get him back his silver I had lost, even as -the book says. He is a man of his word and, crying that the jest was -worth the money, he sent me out the gate with the dogs at my heels and -with Jamie Barwick laughing till his fat belly shook, to see me go; for -I was always in terror of the dogs, which are great tall beasts that -delight to bark and snap at me. And the last word to greet my ears, ere -I thought they would have torn me limb from limb, was Sir John bawling -at me, 'Thou puddling quacksalver!' which Jamie Barwick hath told in -Bideford, making thereby such mirth that I can no longer abide there -but must needs flit about the country. And lo! even thou, who by speech -and coat are not of this country at all, dost challenge me by the very -words he used."</p> - -<p>Phil lay meditating on the queer fate that had placed those words in -his mouth. "Who," he said at last, "is this Sir John?"</p> - -<p>"'Who is Sir John?'" The fellow turned and looked at him. "You have -come from farther than I thought, not to know Sir John Bristol."</p> - -<p>"Sir John Bristol? I cannot say I have heard that name."</p> - -<p>"Hast never heard of Sir John Bristol? In faith, thou art indeed a -stranger hereabouts. He is a harsh man withal, and doubtless my ill -harvest was the judgment of God upon me for hiring myself to serve -a cruel, blasphemous knight who upholdeth episcopacy and the Common -Prayer book."</p> - -<p>"And whom," asked the lad, "do you serve now?"</p> - -<p>"Ah! I, who would make a skillful, faithful, careful steward, am -teaching a school of small children, and erecting horoscopes for -country bumpkins, so low has that harsh knight's ill-considered jest -cast me. ''Twas worth the money,' quoth he; but it had paid him in -golden guineas had he had the wit and patience to wait another year." -The fellow closed his eyes, tossed back his long hair, and pressed his -hands on his forehead. "Never, never," he cried, "was a man assaulted -with such diversity of thoughts!"</p> - -<p>Philip Marsham contemplated him as if from a distance and thought that -never was there a long-haired scarecrow better suited for the butt of a -thousand jests.</p> - -<p>There were people passing on the road, an old man in a cart, a woman, -and two men carrying a jug between them, but Phil was scarcely aware -of them, or even of the lank man beside him, so absorbing were his -thoughts, until the man rose, clasping his book in both hands and -running his tongue over his lips.</p> - -<p>His mouth worked nervously. "I must be off, I must be off. There they -are again, and the last time I thought I should perish ere I got free -of them. O well-beloved, O well-beloved! they have spied me already. If -I go by the road, they'll have me; I must go by wood and field."</p> - -<p>Turning abruptly, he plunged through a copse and over a hill, whence, -his very gait showing his fear, he speedily disappeared.</p> - -<p>And the two men, having set their jug down beside the road, were -laughing till they reeled against each other, to see him go.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a><br /> -<small>TWO SAILORS ON FOOT</small></h2> - - -<p>As the two men roared with laughter by the wayside so that the noise -of it made people a quarter-mile away turn round to see what was the -matter, those who passed eyed them askance and gave them the width of -the road. But to the few passers the two paid no heed at all. Pointing -whither the lank fellow with the book had gone, they roared till they -choked; then they fell on each other's necks, and embracing, whispered -together.</p> - -<p>Separating somewhat unsteadily, they now looked hard at Philip Marsham -who knew their kind and feared them not at all. Shifting his dirk -within easy reach of his hand, and so drawing his knees together that -he could spring instantly to one side or the other, he coolly waited -for them to come nearer, which they did.</p> - -<p>The foremost was a fat, impudent scoundrel with very red cheeks and a -very crafty squint. The other was thin and dark, less forward, but if -one were to judge by his eyes, by far the braver. Both had put on long -faces, which consorted ill with their recent laughter, and both, it was -plain, were considerably the worse for strong drink.</p> - -<p>The first glanced back over his shoulder at the second, who gave him a -nudge and pushed him forward.</p> - -<p>"Ahem," he began huskily. "You see before you, my kind young gentleman, -two shipwrecked mariners who have lost at sea all they possess and are -now forced to beg their way from London into Devon Port where, God -willing, they will find a berth waiting for them. They—ahem—ahem—" -He scratched his head and shut his eyes, then turning, hoarsely -whispered, "Yea, yea! So far is well enough, but what came next?"</p> - -<p>The other scowled blackly. "Bear on," he whispered. "Hast forgot the -tale of calamities and wrecks and sharks?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea! Troubles, my kind young gentleman, have somewhat bepuzzled -my weary wits. As I was about to say, we have journeyed into those -far seas where the hot sun besetteth a poor sailor with calentures, -and nasty rains come with thunder and flash, and the wind stormeth -outrageously and the poor sailor, if he is spared falling from the -shrouds into the merciless waves,—for he must abide the brunt of -those infectious rains upon the decks to hand in the sails,—goeth wet -to his hammock and taketh aches and burning fevers and scurvy. Yea, -we have seen the ravenous shark or dog-fish (which keepeth a little -pilot-fish scudding to and fro to bring it intelligence of its prey) -devour a shipmate with its double row of venomous teeth. Surely, then, -young gentleman, kind young gentleman, you for whom we have brought -home curious dainties from that strange and fearful sea, will give us a -golden guinea to speed us on our way; or if a guinea be not at hand, a -crown; or sparing a crown, a shilling; or if not a shilling, sixpence. -Nought will come amiss—nay, even a groat will, by the so much, help -two poor sailors on their way."</p> - -<p>As the two looked down at Philip Marsham, a score of old tales he had -heard of worthless sailors who left the sea and went a-begging through -the kingdom came to his mind. It was a manner of life he had never -thought of for himself, nor had he a mind to it now. But he knew their -game and, which was more, he knew that he held a higher trump than -they. He leaned back and looked up at them and very calmly smiled.</p> - -<p>"How now!" the spokesman blustered. "Dost laugh at a tale so sad as -mine? I ha' killed an Italian fencing-master in my time. I ha' fought -prizes at half the fairs in England."</p> - -<p>His companion laid a hand on his arm and whispered in his ear.</p> - -<p>"Nay," he retorted angrily, "'tis nought but a country fellow. I'll -soon overbear him."</p> - -<p>Again Phil smiled. "Hast thou never," he said in a quiet voice, "heard -the man at the mainmast cry, 'A liar, a liar!' and for a week kept -clean the beakhead and chains? Nay, I'll be bound thou hast sat in -bilbowes or been hauled under the keel. The marshal doubtless knew thee -well."</p> - -<p>The faces of the two men changed. The fat man who had been the -spokesman opened his mouth and was at loss for words, but the thin, -dark man began to laugh and kept on laughing till he could hardly stand.</p> - -<p>"We ha' reached for a pheasant and seized a hawk," he cried. "Whence -came you, my gay young gallant, and what are you doing here?"</p> - -<p>"Why, I am here to set myself up for a farmer. I had a reason for -leaving London—"</p> - -<p>Again the thin man burst out laughing. "Why, then," quoth he, "we are -three men of like minds. So had Martin and I a reason for leaving -London, too. And you are one who hath smelt salt water in your time. -Nay, deny it not. Martin's sails are still a-flutter for wind, so -sorely did you take him aback. 'Twas a shrewd thrust and it scored. -Why, now, as for farming,"—he spread his hands and lifted his -brows,—"come with us. There's a certain vessel to sail from Bideford -on a certain day, and for any such tall lad as thou I'll warrant -there'll be a berth."</p> - -<p>Leaning back against a little hill, the lad looked from the red, -impudent face of the fat man to the amused, lean, daring face of his -companion and away at the hills and meadows, the green trees and -ploughed fields, and the long brown road that would lead the man who -followed its windings and turnings, however far afield they might -wander, all the way across England from the Channel to the Severn. He -had made port, once upon a time, in Bristol and he remembered lifting -Lundy's Island through the fog. A fair countryside lay before him, with -the faint scent of flowered meadows and the fragrance of blossoming -fruit-trees on the wind, but the sea was his home and the half-witted -creature with the book and the ranting talk of ploughing and planting -had made the lad feel the more his ignorance of country matters, a -suspicion of which had been growing on him since first he left the town -and port behind him. These were not men he would have chosen, but he -had known as bad and he was lost in a wilderness of roads and lanes -and never-ending hills and meadows and woods, with villages one after -another. Any port in a storm—any pilot who knew his bearings! And -for the matter of that, he had seen rough company before. Though his -grandparents were gentlefolk, his father had led a rough life and the -son had learned from childhood to bear with low humour and harsh talk.</p> - -<p>The lean man still smiled, and though Martin was angry still, neither -the lad nor the man heeded him.</p> - -<p>"I could bear you company, but—" A doubt crept on him: when sober they -might be of quite another mind.</p> - -<p>"Nay, say us no buts."</p> - -<p>"I have neither money nor gear for a journey."</p> - -<p>"Nor we—come!—Nay, I am not so deep in my cups that I do not know my -own mind." The man chuckled, perceiving that his intuition had fathomed -the lad's hesitation.</p> - -<p>Rising, Phil looked at the two again. He was as tall as they, if not -so broad. After all, it was only Martin whose head was humming with -liquor; the lean man, it now appeared, was as sober as he pleased to be.</p> - -<p>"And if I have no money?"</p> - -<p>"We are the better matched."</p> - -<p>They returned to the highway, where Martin and the thin man took up -the jug between them, each holding by his forefinger one of its two -handles, and together all three set out. But the jug was heavy and they -progressed slowly.</p> - -<p>"In faith, the day's warm and the road is dusty and I must drink -again," said Martin at last.</p> - -<p>They stopped and set the jug down in the road.</p> - -<p>"You must pay," said the thin man.</p> - -<p>Taking from his pocket a penny, Martin handed it to his companion and -filling a great cup, drained it to the bottom. He then shook the jug, -which showed by the sound that there was little left.</p> - -<p>They walked on a while; then the thin man stopped. "I'll take a bit of -something myself," he said. He took the penny out of his pocket, handed -it to Martin, filled the cup and drained it.</p> - -<p>Both then looked at Phil. "It is tuppence a quantum," said the thin -man. "Have you tuppence?"</p> - -<p>Phil shook his head, and the three went on together.</p> - -<p>Three times more they stopped. The penny changed hands and one or the -other drank. Martin's speech grew thicker and his companion's face -flushed.</p> - -<p>"Neither one of us nor the other," said the thin man, with a flourish -of his hand, "is often seen in drink. There is a reason for it this -time, though. 'If any chuff,' say I, 'can buy good wine for a half -crown the jug and sell it at profit for tuppence the can, why cannot -we?' So we ha' laid down our half crown and set out upon the road to -peddle our goods, when Martin must needs drink for his thirst, which, -as the Scripture hath it, endureth forever. 'But,' quoth I, 'for every -pot a penny to him and a penny to me.' 'Why,' quoth he,"—lowering his -voice, the thin man whispered to Phil, "He is a rare fool at times," -then resumed in his ordinary voice,—"'Why,' quoth he, 'here's thy -penny for thee.' So, presently, I to him: his penny for the wine that I -drink. Before we have gone far it comes upon me as a wondrous thrifty -thought, that the more we drink the more we earn."—Again he whispered -to Phil, drawing him aside, "When I had drunk a few cans, which much -enlivened my wits, I saw he was not so great a fool as I had thought;" -and resumed his ordinary voice—"'Tis little wonder that all the world -desires to keep an alehouse or a tavern!"</p> - -<p>Never was there plainer example of befuddled wits! Passing back and -forth, from one to the other, the single penny, the two had consumed -their stock in trade, believing that they were earning great profit on -their investment. Perceiving that the jug was nearly empty, Phil waited -with quiet interest for the outcome.</p> - -<p>They stopped again in the road. Martin handed the penny to the thin -man and poured from the jug into the cup. There was a gurgle or two and -the jug was empty. The cup was but half full.</p> - -<p>"'Tis not full measure," he muttered, "but let it be." He emptied the -cup and wiped his lips.</p> - -<p>"Now," said the thin man, his face by this time fully as red as his -fellow's, "where's thy store of silver? Count and share, count and -share."</p> - -<p>"Thou hast it, pence and pounds."</p> - -<p>Martin's eyes half closed and his head nodded. Breathing hard, he sat -down beside the road.</p> - -<p>"Nay, th'art drunk. Come, now, thy purse and a just division." Out of a -fog of wild notions the befuddled thin man had pitched upon this alone, -that Martin withheld from him their common profit from their adventure -into trade. He had keen mind and strong will, and his head had long -resisted the assaults of the wine; but wine is a cunning, powerful foe -and not easily discouraged, which by sapping and mining can accomplish -the fall of the tallest citadel; and now, although steadier on his -feet, the fellow was nearly as drunk as his mate and in no condition to -perceive the flaw in his own logic.</p> - -<p>To all this Martin gave no heed at all. He covered his eyes with his -hands and uttering a prolonged groan, cried thickly,—apparently to -Phil,—"And did you ever see a man dance on air! Ah, a hanging is a -sight to catch the breath in your throat and make an emptiness in a -man's belly!"</p> - -<p>"Tush!" the thin man cried. Leaning over Martin he thrust his hands -into pocket, pouch and bosom. "Where hast thou hid it?" he fiercely -whispered.</p> - -<p>Martin tried to stand and fell weakly back, but slapped the thin man -across the face as he did so.</p> - -<p>In an instant the thin man had out a knife and was pressing the point -firmly against Martin's ribs.</p> - -<p>Over Martin's florid face there came a ghastly pallor. "Let me go!" -he yelled. "Take away thy knife, thou black-hearted, thrice accurst -old goat! I've nought of thine. O Tom, to use me thus basely!" And -sprawling on his back, he wriggled under the knife like a great, -helpless hog.</p> - -<p>The thin man smiled. To Phil Marsham his face seemed to have grown -like pictures of the Devil in old books. He held the knife against -the shrieking fat man's breast and pressed it the harder when Martin -clutched at his wrist, then with a fierce "Pfaw!" of disgust released -his victim and stood erect. "Pig!" he whispered. "See!" The point of -the knife was red with blood. "Th'art not worth killing. Thy thin blood -would quench the fire of a fleshed blade."</p> - -<p>With that, he deliberately spat in the man's face, and turning, went -off alone.</p> - -<p>They were two sober men that watched him go, for the fumes of liquor -had fled from the fat man's brain as he lay with the knife at his -heart, and of their wine Phil Marsham had taken not a drop. Striding -away, the thin man never looked behind him; and still showing them only -his back, he passed out of sight.</p> - -<p>Martin remained as pale as before he had been red. He rubbed his sore -breast where the knife had pricked him, and gulped three or four times. -"Ah-h-h!" he breathed. "God be praised, he's gone!" He made the sign of -the cross, then cast a sharp glance at Phil to see if he had noticed. -"God be praised, he's gone! He hath a cruel humour. He will kill for a -word, when the mood is on him. I thought I was a dead man. Ah-h-h!"</p> - -<p>The colour returned to his round face and the sly, crafty look returned -to his eyes. "We'll find him at Bideford, though, and all will go well -again. He'll kill for a word—nay, for a thought! But he never bears a -grudge—against a friend. We'll lie tonight, my lad, with a roof over -our heads, and by dawn we'll take the road."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a><br /> -<small>THE GIRL AT THE INN</small></h2> - - -<p>As they came at nightfall to the inn whither Martin had been determined -they should find their way, a coach drawn by two horses clattered down -the village street and drew up at the inn gate before them. There was -calling and shouting. Hostlers came running from the stables and stood -by the horses' heads. The landlord himself stood by the coach door to -welcome his guests and servants unloaded their boxes. The coachman in -livery sat high above the tumult, his arms folded in lofty pride, and -out of the coach into the light from the inn door there stepped an -old gentleman who gallantly handed down his lady. The hostlers leaped -away from the bridles, the coachman resumed the reins, and when the -procession of guests, host, and servants had moved into the great room -where a fire blazed on the hearth, the horses, tossing their heads, -proceeded to the stable.</p> - -<p>All this the two foot-weary travellers saw, as unobserved in the bustle -and stir, they made their way quietly toward the rear of the building. -When they passed a dimly lighted window Martin glanced slyly around and -with quick steps ran over to it and peeped in. Whatever he sought, he -failed to find it, and he returned with a scowl. The two had chosen the -opposite side of the house from the stable and no one perceived their -cautious progress. Martin repeated his act at a second window and at a -third, but he got small satisfaction, as his steadily darkening frown -indicated.</p> - -<p>They came at last to a brighter window than any of the others, and this -he approached with greater caution. He crouched under it and raised -his great head slowly from the very corner until one eye saw into the -room, which was filled with light and gave forth the clatter and hum of -a great domestic bustling. Here he remained a long time, now ducking -his head and now bobbing it up again, and when he came away a smile had -replaced his frown. "She's here," he whispered. "From now on we've a -plain course to sail, without rock or sandbar."</p> - -<p>They retraced their steps and went boldly round the inn to the kitchen -door. There were lights in the stable and men talking loudly of one -thing and another. From the kitchen door, which stood ajar, came -the rattle of dishes and the smell of food and a great bawling and -clamouring as the mistress directed and the maids ran.</p> - -<p>With a jaunty air and an ingratiating smile, Martin boldly stepped to -the door. He knocked and waited but no one heeded his summons. A scowl -replaced his smile and he knocked with redoubled vigour. The sound rang -out clearly in the inn yard. Several men came to the door of the stable -to see what was the matter and the clamour in the kitchen ceased. Steps -approached, a firm hand threw wide the door, and a woman cried with -harsh voice, "Well, then, what'll you have, who come to the back when -honest folk go to the front?"</p> - -<p>There was for a moment a disagreeable cast in Martin's eyes, but his -facile mouth resumed its easy smile. "An it please you, mistress, there -are two gentlemen here would have a word with Nell Entick."</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen!" she cried with a great guffaw. "Gentry of the road, I make -no doubt, who would steal away all the girl has—it's little enough, -God knows."</p> - -<p>A couple of men came sauntering out of the stable and the kitchen maids -stood a-titter.</p> - -<p>Martin sputtered and stammered and grew redder than before, which she -perceiving, bawled in a great voice that rang through the kitchen and -far into the house, "Nell Entick, Nell Entick! Devil take the wench, -is she deaf as an adder? Nell Entick, here's a 'gentleman' come to the -kitchen door to see thee, his face as red as a reeky coal to kindle a -pipe of tobacco with."</p> - -<p>A shrill chorus of women's laughter came from the kitchen, echoed by -a chorus of bass from the stable, and Phil Marsham stepped back in -the dark, unwilling to be companioned with the man who had drawn such -ridicule upon himself. But as Martin thrust himself forward with a show -of bluster and bravado, the click of light footsteps came down the -passage, and through the kitchen walked a girl whose flush of anger -wondrously became her handsome face.</p> - -<p>"Where is the wretch," she cried, and stepping on the doorstone, stood -face to face with Martin.</p> - -<p>"So, 'tis thou," she sneered. "I thought as much. Well—" she suddenly -stopped, perceiving Phil, who stood nearly out of sight in the shadow. -"Who is that?" she asked.</p> - -<p>The mistress had returned to the kitchen, the girls to their work, the -men to the stable.</p> - -<p>"Th'art the same wench," Martin cried in anger, seizing at her hand. -"Hard words for old acquaintance, and a warm glance for a strange face."</p> - -<p>She snatched her hand away and cuffed him on the ear with a force that -sent him staggering.</p> - -<p>Though he liked it little, he swallowed his wrath.</p> - -<p>"Come, chuck," he coaxed her, "let bygones lie. Tell me, will he turn -his hand to help his brother?"</p> - -<p>She laughed curtly. "The last time he spoke your name, he said he would -put his hand in his pocket to pay the sexton that dug your grave and -would find pleasure in so doing; but that he'd then let you lie with -never a stone to mark the place, and if the world forgot you as soon as -he, the better for him."</p> - -<p>"But sure he could not mean it?"</p> - -<p>"He did."</p> - -<p>Martin swore vilely under his breath.</p> - -<p>From the kitchen came the landlady's voice. "Nell Entick, Nell, I say! -Gad-about! Good-for-nought!"</p> - -<p>"Go to the stable," she whispered, "and tell them I sent you to wait -there. She'll be in better humour in an hour's time. It may be I can -even bring you in here."</p> - -<p>She shot another glance over Martin's shoulder at the slim form of Phil -Marsham and went away smiling.</p> - -<p>Few in the stable looked twice at the two strangers in worn coats and -dusty shoes who entered and sat on a bench by the wall, for there is -as much pride of place in a stable as in a palace. There was talk -of racing and hunting and fairs, and the beasts champed their oats, -and everywhere was the smell of horses and harness. Presently there -came from the inn a coachman in livery and him they greeted with nods -and good-morrows, for he was sleek and well fed and, after a manner, -haughty, which commanded their respect. He sat down among them affably, -as one conscious of his place in the world but desiring—provided they -recognized him as a man of position—to be magnanimous to all; and -after inquiring into the welfare of his horses he spoke of the weather -and the roads.</p> - -<p>"Hast come far?" a wrinkled old man asked.</p> - -<p>"Aye, from Larwood."</p> - -<p>"The horses stood the day's travel well?"</p> - -<p>"Aye, they are good beasts. But much depends on proper handling. It -makes a deal of difference who holds the reins." He looked about with -an air of generous patronage. "That, and their meat." He nodded toward -one of the men. "'Tis well, though, when at night they are well fed, to -fill the rack with barley-straw or wheat ere leaving them, as I showed -thee, that perceiving it is not pleasant they may lie down and take -their rest, which is in itself as good as meat for the next day's work."</p> - -<p>A general murmur of assent greeted this observation.</p> - -<p>"Goest far?" another asked.</p> - -<p>"Aye, to Lincoln."</p> - -<p>A rumble of surprise ran about the stable and the deference of the -stablemen visibly increased.</p> - -<p>"Hast been long away?"</p> - -<p>"Aye, six weeks to the day."</p> - -<p>"It do take a deal of silver to travel thus."</p> - -<p>"Aye, aye." He condescended to smile. "But there are few of the clergy -in England can better afford a journey to the Isle o' Wight than the -good Dr. Marsham, and he is one who grudges nought when his lady hath -been ill. 'Tis wonderful what travel will do for the ailing. Aye, he -hath visited in many great houses and I have seen good company while we -have been on the road."</p> - -<p>Phil had looked up. "Where is this Doctor Marsham's home?" he asked.</p> - -<p>All frowned at the rash young man's temerity in thus familiarly -accosting the powerful personage in livery, and none more accusingly -than the personage himself; but with a scornful lift of his brows -he replied in a manner to tell all who were present that such as he -were above mere arrogance. "Why, young man, he comes from a place you -doubtless never heard of, keeping as you doubtless do, so close at -home: from Little Grimsby."</p> - -<p>Martin glanced at Phil. "The name, it seems, is thine own. Hast ever -been at Little Grimsby?"</p> - -<p>"Never."</p> - -<p>And with that they forgot Philip Marsham, or at all events treated him -as if he had never existed.</p> - -<p>"'Tis few o' the clergy ride in their own coaches," someone said, with -an obsequiousness that went far to conciliate the magnificent coachman.</p> - -<p>"Aye, very few," he said smiling, "but Dr. Marsham is well connected -and a distant relation some years since left him a very comfortable -fortune—not to mention that in all England there are few better -livings than his. There is no better blood in the country than runs in -his veins. You'd be surprised if I was to tell you of families he's -connected with."</p> - -<p>So the talk ran.</p> - -<p>Presently a little boy appeared from the darkness beyond the door and -hunting out Martin, touched his shoulder and beckoned. Martin, having -long nursed his ill temper, rose. "It is time," he said, "yea, more -than time." With swagger and toss he elbowed his way out past the -liveried coachman; but missing Phil he turned and saw him still sitting -on the bench, his eyes fixed on the harness hanging on the opposite -wall.</p> - -<p>"Come, come," he called loudly. "Come, make haste! Where are thy wits? -Phil, I say!"</p> - -<p>Starting suddenly awake from his revery, Phil got up and followed -Martin out of the stable, seeing no one, and so blindly pressed at his -heels, so little heeded what went on about him, that the sudden burst -of laughter his absence of mind had occasioned passed unheard over his -head.</p> - -<p>In the kitchen, whither the boy led them, they found places laid at one -end of a great table and Nell Entick waiting to serve them, who gave -Martin cold glances but looked long and curiously at Phil Marsham. The -mistress and the other girls were gone. The boy sat in the corner, by -the great fireplace where the roast had been turning on the now empty -spit. Nell set before them a pitcher of beer and all that was left of a -venison pasty.</p> - -<p>Martin ate greedily and whispered to her and talked in a mumbling -undertone, but she gave him short answers till his temper flew beyond -his grasp and he knocked over his beer in reaching for her. "Witch!" he -snarled. "Yea, look him in the eye! His wits are a-wandering again."</p> - -<p>Looking up, Phil met her eyes staring boldly into his. He leaned back -and smiled, for she was a comely lass.</p> - -<p>"Have the two guests who came tonight in a coach gone yet to bed?" he -asked.</p> - -<p>"How should I know that?"</p> - -<p>His question baffled her and she looked at him from under her long -lashes, half, perhaps, in search of some hidden meaning in his words, -but certainly a full half because she knew that her eyes were her best -weapons and that the stroke was a telling one. She made little of his -meaning but her thrust scored.</p> - -<p>He looked at her again and marked the poise of her shapely head, -the curves of neck and shoulders, the full bosom, the bare arms. But -his mind was still set on that other matter and he persisted in his -design. "I want," he said slowly, "to see them—to see them without -their knowing or any one's knowing—except you and me." Here he met her -at her own game, and he was not so far carried away but that he could -inwardly smile to see his own shot tell.</p> - -<p>"They have supped in the little parlor and are sitting there by the -fire," she whispered. "It may cost me my place—but—"</p> - -<p>Again she looked at him under her long lashes. He gave her as good as -she sent, and she whispered, "Come, then—come."</p> - -<p>Martin gave an angry snort over his beer, but she returned a hot glance -and an impatient gesture. With Phil pressing close at her heels she -led the way out of the kitchen and down a long passage. Stopping with -her finger on her lips, she very quietly opened a door and motioned -him forward. Again her finger at her lips! With her eyes she implored -silence.</p> - -<p>Without so much as the creaking of a board he stepped through the door. -A second door, which stood ajar, led into the little parlor and through -the crack he saw an old man with long white hair and beard—an old man -with a kindly face mellowed by years of study, perhaps by years of -disappointment and anxiety. The old man's eyes were shut, for he was -dozing. In a chair on the other side of the hearth a lady sat, but only -the rich border of her gown showed through the partly open door.</p> - -<p>The lad stood there with a lump in his throat and a curious mingling -of emotions in his heart and head. It had happened so suddenly, -so strangely, he felt that baffling sense of unreality which comes -sometimes to all of us. He touched the wall to make sure he was not -dreaming. Had he but stayed in school, as his father had desired, and -gone back to Little Grimsby, who knew what might have come of it? But -no! He was a penniless vagabond, a waif astray on the highroads of -England. He was now of a mind to speak out; now of a mind to slip like -a fox to earth. His gay, gallant ne'er-do-weel of a father was gone. He -was alone in the world save for his chance acquaintance of the road, -which was perhaps worse than being entirely alone. What madness—he -wondered as he looked at the kindly face of the drowsy old man—had led -Tom Marsham away from his home? Or was it more than a mere mad prank? -Had the manners of a country vicarage so stifled him that he became -desperate? As Phil thought of Martin drinking in the kitchen, a wave -of revulsion swept over him; but after all, his father had kept such -company in his own life, and though he had brought up the boy to better -things, the father's reckless and adventurous nature, in spite of his -best intentions, had drawn the son into wild ways. Something rose in -Phil's throat and choked him, but the hot pride that came straightly -and honestly from his father now flamed high. He knew well enough that -Tom Marsham had had his faults, and of a kind to close upon him the -doors of such a home as the vicarage at Little Grimsby; but he had been -a lovable man none the less and Tom Marsham's son was loyal.</p> - -<p>The girl, daring not speak, was tugging at Phil's coat in an agony of -misgivings. He stepped softly back, closed the door on a world he might -have entered, and carried away with him the secret that would have -brought peace—if a sad, almost bitter peace—to two lonely souls.</p> - -<p>He paused in the passage and the girl stopped beside him. There was -no one in sight or hearing, and he kissed her. Such is the curious -complexity with which impressions and emotions crowd upon one, that -even while the vicarage at Little Grimsby and his dead father were -uppermost in his thoughts, he was of a mind then and for many a long -day thereafter to come back and marry her. Since he had closed the door -through which he might have passed, this was a golden dream to cling to -in hard times and glad, he thought. For he had caught her fancy as well -as she his and she kissed him full on the lips; and being in all ways -his father's son, he fell victim to a kitchen wench's bright eyes at -the very moment when Little Grimsby was within his reach, as has father -had done before him. Then they walked out into the kitchen, trying to -appear as if nothing had happened, and Martin, perceiving their red -cheeks, only sneered.</p> - -<p>"You must sleep on the hay," she whispered; and to Martin, "I'll send -him word before morning and give you his reply."</p> - -<p>So they again followed the little boy through the darkness to the -stable by a back way, and climbed a ladder to the great mow and crawled -behind a mountain of hay, and lay with their thoughts to bear them -company while men far below talked of country affairs, horses were -trampling uneasily in their stalls, and the little boy was off through -the night with a message.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a><br /> -<small>SIR JOHN BRISTOL</small></h2> - - -<p>There was not a cloud in the sky at dawn. Cocks crowed lustily, near -and loud or far and faint. The blue light grew stronger and revealed -the sleeping village and the rambling old inn and the great stable, -where the horses stood in their stalls and pulled at the hay and -pease in the racks or moved uneasily about. The stars became dim and -disappeared. The rosy east turned to gold and the dark hills turned to -blue and the village stirred from its sleep.</p> - -<p>The master of the inn came down, rubbing his eyes and yawning, to the -great room where one of the maids, bedraggled with sleep, was brushing -the hearth and another was clearing a table at which two village -roysterers had sat late. The master was in an evil temper, but for the -moment there was no fault to be found with the maids, so he left them -without a word and went through the long passage to the kitchen.</p> - -<p>Seeing there a candle, which had burned to a pool of tallow, still -guttering faintly in its socket, he cried out at the waste and reached -to douse the feeble flame, then stopped in anger, for in a chair by the -table, on which he had rested his head and arms, the little boy sat -fast asleep.</p> - -<p>"Hollo!" the master bawled.</p> - -<p>Up started the little boy, awake on the instant and his eyes wide with -fear.</p> - -<p>"What in the fiend's name hast thou been up to, this night?" quoth the -master in a fierce bellow.</p> - -<p>The little boy burst into tears. "He'll have nought to do with him," -he wailed. "'Twas a long way and fearful dark but I went it, every -step, and ferreted him out and gave him the message; and he swore most -wickedly and bade me tell the man go to a place I don't like to name, -and bade me tell Nell Entick he took it ill of her to traffic with such -as that brother of his."</p> - -<p>"Ah-ha!" cried the host, belting his breeches tighter. "Most shrewdly -do I suspect there have been strange doings hereabouts. Where's Nell -Entick? Nell Entick, I say, Nell Entick!" His voice went through the -house like thunder. The sashes rattled and the little boy quaked.</p> - -<p>Down came the hostess and in came the maids—all but Nell Entick.</p> - -<p>"Nell Entick! Where's Nell Entick, I say! Fiend take the wench—where's -Nell Entick?"</p> - -<p>Then in came the sleepy hostlers, and the coachman, his livery all awry -from his haste—but not Nell Entick. For Nell Entick, a-tremble with -well-founded apprehensions, having gone late to bed and slept heavily, -had risen just after the host, had followed him down the passage and, -after listening at the door until she made sure her worst fears were -realized, had darted back along the passage and out through the inn -yard to the stable where as loudly as she dared, but not loudly enough -to rouse the weary sleepers above, she was calling, "Martin! Martin! -Awake, I say, or they'll all be upon thee! Martin, awake!"</p> - -<p>The host in fury seized the little boy by the ear and dragged him -shrieking across the table. "Now, sirrah," quoth he, "of whom mak'st -thou this squalling and squealing? A stick laid to thy bum will -doubtless go far to keep thy soul from burning."</p> - -<p>"Unhand me!" he squalled. "She'll kill me, an I tell."</p> - -<p>"An thou tellest not, thou slubbering noddy, I'll slice thee into -collops of veal." And still holding the unhappy child by the ear, the -host, making a ferocious face, reached for a long and sharp knife.</p> - -<p>"I'll tell—I'll tell—'Tis the two men that slept in the hay."</p> - -<p>"Ha! The hounds are in cry."</p> - -<p>And with that the host released his victim and dashed, knife in hand, -out the kitchen door. The household trailed at his heels. The sleeping -guests woke in their chambers and faces appeared at curtained windows.</p> - -<p>Nell Entick fled from the stable as he came roaring, but seeing her -not, he mounted the ladder and plunged into the hay with wild thrusts -of his knife in all directions. "Hollo! Hollo!" he yelled. "At 'em, -dogs, at 'em!" And the two sleepers in the far corner of the mow, as -the household had done before them, started wide awake.</p> - -<p>For the second time since they had met, Martin, crouching in the hay, -crossed himself, then shot a scared glance at Phil. Martin was white -round the lips and his hands were shaking like the palsy. "Said he -aught of hanging?" he whispered. But Philip Marsham was then in no -mood to heed his chance companion, whose bubble of bluster he had seen -pricked three times.</p> - -<p>What had occurred was plain enough and the two were cornered like rats; -but Phil got up on his toes, shielded from sight by a mound of hay, -and squatting low, got in his arms as much of the hay as he could grasp.</p> - -<p>Bawling curses and thrusting this way and that with his knife, the host -came steadily nearer. He passed the mound. He saw the two. Knife in -hand he plunged at them over the hay, with a yell of triumph. But his -footing was none of the best, and as he came, Phil rose with a great -armful of hay to receive the knife-thrust and sprang at him.</p> - -<p>Thus thrown off his balance, the man fell and the lad, catching his -wrist and dexterously twisting it, removed the knife from his hand and -flung it into the darkest corner of the great mow.</p> - -<p>"Help! Treason! Murder! Thieves!"</p> - -<p>With his hand on the host's throat, Phil shoved him deeper in the hay -and held him at his mercy, but Martin was already scrambling over the -mow, and with a last thrust Phil left the blinded and choking host to -dig himself out at his leisure and followed, dirk in hand. As the two -leaped down on the stable floor, the flashing dirk bought them passage -to the rear, whither they fled apace, and out the door and away.</p> - -<p>They passed Nell Entick at the gate, her hands clasped in terror, who -cried to Martin, "He'll have nought of you. Hard words were all he -sent."</p> - -<p>To Phil she said nothing but her glance held him, and he whispered, "I -will come back and marry you."</p> - -<p>She smiled.</p> - -<p>"You will wait for me?" he whispered, and kissed her.</p> - -<p>She nodded and he kissed her again ere he fled after Martin.</p> - -<p>When they had left the village behind them they stopped to breathe and -rest.</p> - -<p>Leaning against a tree, Martin mopped the sweat from his brow. "Had -I but a sword," he cried, "I'd ha' given them theme for thought, the -scurvy knaves!"</p> - -<p>"It seems thy brother, of whom we were to have got so much, bears thee -little love." And Phil smiled.</p> - -<p>For this Martin returned him an oath, and sat upon a stone.</p> - -<p>On the left lay the village whence they had come, and, though the sun -was not yet up, the spire of the church and the thatched roofs of the -cottages were very clearly to be seen in the pure morning air. Smoke -was rising from chimneys and small sounds of awakening life came out to -the vagabonds on the lonely road, as from the woods at their back came -the shrill, loud laugh of the yaffle, and from the marsh before them, -the croaking of many frogs.</p> - -<p>Martin's shifty eyes ranged from the cows standing about the straw rack -in a distant barton in the east to a great wooded park on a hill in the -west. "I will not go hungry," he cried with an oath, "because it is his -humour to deny me. We shall see what we shall see."</p> - -<p>He rose and turned west and with Phil at his heels he came presently to -the great park they had seen from a distance.</p> - -<p>"We shall see what we shall see."</p> - -<p>With that he left the road and following a copse beside a meadow -entered the wood, where the two buried themselves deep in the shade -of the great trees. The sun was up now and the birds were fluttering -and clamouring high overhead, but to the motion and clamour of small -birds they gave no heed. From his pocket Martin drew a bit of strong -thread, then, looking about, he wagged his head and pushed through the -undergrowth. "Hare or pheasant, I care not which. Here we shall spread -our net—here—and here." Whereupon he pulled down a twig and knotted -the thread and formed a noose with his fingers. "Here puss shall run," -he continued, "and here, God willing, we shall eat."</p> - -<p>Having thus set his snare, he left it, and sulkily, for the sun was -getting up in the sky and they had come far without breaking their -fast. So Phil followed him and they lay on a bank, with an open vale -before them where yellow daffodils were in full bloom, and nursed their -hunger.</p> - -<p>After a while Martin slipped away deftly but returned with a face -darker than he took, and though he went three times to the snare and -scarcely stirred a leaf,—which spoke more of experience in such -lawless sports than some books might have told,—each time his face, -when he returned, was longer than before.</p> - -<p>"A man must eat," he said at last, "and here in his own bailiwick and -warren will I eat to spite him. Yea, and leave guts and fur to puzzle -him. But there's another way, quicker and surer, though not so safe."</p> - -<p>So they went together over a hill and down a glade to a meadow.</p> - -<p>"Do thou," he whispered, "lie here in wait."</p> - -<p>With a club in his hand and a few stones in his pocket he circled -through the thicket, and having in his manner of knowing his business -and of commanding the hunt, resumed his old bravado, he now made a -great show of courage and resourcefulness; but Phil, having flung -himself down at full length by the meadow, smiled to hear him puffing -through the wood.</p> - -<p>Off in the wood wings fluttered and Martin murmured under his breath. -Presently a stone rapped against a tree-trunk and again there was the -sound of wings.</p> - -<p>Then the lad by the meadow heard a stone rip through the leaves and -strike with a soft thud, whereupon something fell heavily and thrashed -about in the undergrowth, and Martin cried out joyously.</p> - -<p>He had no more than appeared, holding high a fine cock-pheasant, with -the cry, "Here's meat that will eat well," when there was a great noise -of heavy feet in the copse behind him, and whirling about in exceeding -haste, he flung the pheasant full in the face of the keeper and bolted -like a startled filly. Thereupon scrambling to his feet, Phil must -needs burst out laughing at the wild look of terror Martin wore, though -the keeper was even then upon him and though he himself was of no mind -to run. He lightly stepped aside as the keeper rushed at him, and -darting back to where Martin had dropped his cudgel, snatched it up -and turned, cudgel in hand. He was aware of a flash of colour in the -wood, and the sound of voices, but he had no leisure to look ere the -keeper was again at him, when for the first time he saw that the keeper -was the selfsame red-faced countryman who had brought the gun to Moll -Stevens's alehouse by the Thames—that it was Jamie Barwick.</p> - -<p>Now the keeper Barwick was at the same moment aware of something -familiar about his antagonist, but not until he was at him a second -time in full tilt did he recollect where and when he had last seen him. -He then stopped short, so great was his amazement, but resumed his -attack with redoubled fury. His stick crashed against the cudgel and -broke, and ducking a smart rap, he dived at Phil's knees.</p> - -<p>To this, Phil made effective reply by dropping the cudgel and dodging -past the keeper to catch him round the waist from behind (for his arms, -exceeding long though they were, were just long enough to encompass -comfortably the man's great belly), and the lad's iron clutch about the -fellow's middle sorely distressed him. As they swayed back and forth -the keeper suddenly seized Phil's head over his own shoulder and rose -and bent forward, lifting Phil from the ground bodily; then he flung -himself upon his back and might have killed the lad by the fall, had -Phil not barely wriggled from under him.</p> - -<p>Both were on their feet in haste, but though the keeper was breathing -the harder, Philip Marsham, having come far without food, was the -weaker, and as Barwick charged again, Phil laid hands on his dirk, but -thought better of it. Then Barwick struck from the shoulder and Phil, -seizing his wrist, lightly turned and crouched and drew the man just -beyond his balance so that his own great weight pitched him over the -lad's head. It is a deft throw and gives a heavy fall, but Phil had not -the strength to rise at the moment of pitching his antagonist,—which -will send a man flying twice his length,—so Barwick, instead of taking -such a tumble as breaks bones, landed on his face and scraped his nose -on the ground.</p> - -<p>He rose with blood and mud smearing his face and with his drawn knife -in his hand; and Philip Marsham, his eyes showing like black coals set -in his stark white face, yielded not a step, but snatched out his dirk -to give as good as he got.</p> - -<p>Then, as they shifted ground and fenced for an opening, a booming -"Holla! Holla!" came down to them.</p> - -<p>They stopped and looked toward the source of the summons, but Phil, a -shade the slower to return to his antagonist, saw out of the corner of -his eye that Barwick was coming at him. He leaped back and with his arm -knocked aside Barwick's blow.</p> - -<p>"Holla, I say! Ha' done, ha' done! That, Barwick, was a foul trick. -Another like that, and I'll turn you out."</p> - -<p>A crestfallen man was Barwick then, who made out to stammer, "Yea, Sir -John—yea, Sir John, but a poacher—'e's a poacher, Sir John, and a -poacher—"</p> - -<p>"A foul trick is a foul trick."</p> - -<p>The speaker wore a scarlet cloak overlaid with silver lace, and his -iron-grey hair crept in curls from under a broad hat. His face, when he -looked at Barwick, was such that Barwick stepped quietly back and held -his tongue. The man had Martin by the collar (his sleek impudence had -melted into a vast melancholy), and there stood behind them a little -way up the bank, Phil now saw, a lady no older than Phil himself, who -watched the group with calm, dark eyes and stood above them all like a -queen.</p> - -<p>"Throw down those knives," the knight ordered, for it took no divining -to perceive that here was Sir John Bristol in the flesh. "Thrust them, -points into the ground. Good! Now have on, and God speed the better -man."</p> - -<p>To Philip Marsham, who could have expected prison at the very least, -this fair chance to fight his own battle came as a reprieve; and though -he very well knew that he must win the fight at once or go down from -sheer weakness and want of food, his eyes danced.</p> - -<p>The knight's frown darkened, observing that Barwick appeared to have -got his fill, and he smote the ground with his staff. Then Barwick -turned and Philip Marsham went in upon him like a ray of light. Three -times he threw the big man, by sheer skill and knowledge, for the other -by his own weight hindered himself, but after the third time the world -went white and the lad fell.</p> - -<p>He sat up shortly and looked into Sir John's face.</p> - -<p>"'Tis the lack of food," he stammered, "or I'd out-last him as well as -out-wrestle him."</p> - -<p>Sir John was laughing mightily. "You gave him full measure, and thank -God you are fresh from a fast or I'd ha' lost a keeper. As for food, we -shall remedy that lack. Two things I have to say: one to you, Barwick. -You attempted a foul trick. I'll have none such in my service. If it -happens again, you go. And as for you, you white-livered cur, that -would leave a boy to a beating and never turn a hand to save him, I'll -even take you in hand myself."</p> - -<p>And with that, Sir John flung back his cloak and raising his staff with -one hand while with the other he kept hold of Martin's coat-collar, -he thrashed the man till he bellowed and blubbered—till his coat was -split and his shirt was bloody and his head was broken and his legs -were all welts and bruises.</p> - -<p>"Help! Help! O Holy Mary! Saints in Heaven! Help! O Jamie, Jamie, -Jamie! O sir! Kind sir! let me go! Let me go!"</p> - -<p>Sir John flung him away with a last whistling stroke of the great -staff. "That," said he, "for cowardice."</p> - -<p>And Jamie Barwick, having already forgotten his own rebuke, was broadly -smiling.</p> - -<p>Sir John turned then and looked Philip Marsham in the eye. "It was a -good fight," he said, and smiled. "Courage and honour will carry a man -far."</p> - -<p>He then looked away across his wide acres to the distant village. For a -while he was lost in revery and the others waited for him, but he came -to himself with a start and turned brusquely, though not unkindly, to -Philip Marsham.</p> - -<p>"Come now, begone, you vagabond cockerel! If a farm is robbed from -here to the Channel, or a hundred miles the other way, I'll rear the -county upon your track and scour the countryside from the Severn to -the Thames. I'll publish the tale of you the country over and see you -hanged when they net you."</p> - -<p>He stood there looking very fierce as he spoke, but there was a laugh -in his eyes, and when Phil turned to go, he flung the lad a silver coin.</p> - -<p>Phil saw the gesture and picked the money from the air, for he was -quick with his fingers, but before he caught it Sir John seemed to have -forgotten him; for he bent his head and walked away with his eyes on -the ground. There was something in the knight's manner that stung the -lad, who looked at the coin in his hand and almost as quick as thought -hurled it back at Sir John.</p> - -<p>"How now?" cried Sir John, turning about.</p> - -<p>"I'll take no money that is thrown me," Phil replied.</p> - -<p>"So!" Sir John stood looking at him. "I have a liking for thee," he -said, and smiled. But he then, it seemed, again forgot that there was -such a lad, for he once more bent his head and walked away with the -lady who had stood above them in the wood.</p> - -<p>As for Phil, he did not so lightly forget Sir John. He watched him -until he had fixed in his mind every line of his tall, broad figure, -every gesture of his hand and every toss of his head. He then walked -off, and when he turned to look back a last time Sir John was gone.</p> - -<p>"What was that he said of hanging?" Martin whispered.</p> - -<p>The fellow's face was so white and his lips and his bruises were so -blue that Phil laughed at him before his eyes, who thereupon lost his -temper and snarled, "It's all well enough to take things lightly, you -who got no beating; but hanging is no laughing matter."</p> - -<p>He then looked cautiously around and ran back the way they had come. -When he returned he held between thumb and forefinger the silver coin -Phil had thrown back at the burly knight. Martin bought food with it -and Phil, though he thought it would have choked him, helped him eat -it; and so they survived the day.</p> - -<p>"That keeper, Barwick," Martin said that evening as the two tramped -west along the highway, "is my brother, and an ungrateful wretch he is."</p> - -<p>"I knew he was your brother," Phil said. But he was not thinking of -Martin or his brother. He was thinking of the old knight in the scarlet -cloak so bravely decked with silver lace. There was only one man Philip -Marsham had ever known, who had such a rough, just, heavy-handed humour -as Sir John Bristol or any such indomitable sense of fair play, and -that man was Phil's dead father.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a><br /> -<small>THE ROSE OF DEVON</small></h2> - - -<p>They came to Bristol over the hills that lie to the south of the town. -They had lost time on the way and had grown weary and sore of foot; and -finding at last that there was little hope of overtaking at Bideford -the thin man with whom they had parted on the road, they had turned -north in Somerset at the end of Polton Hill. They passed first across -a lonely waste where for miles the only human being they saw was an -aged man gathering faggots; then over the Mendip Hills and through -rough valleys and rougher uplands, and so at last to the height whence -Bristol and Avon Valley and Bristol Channel in the east lie spread in a -vast panorama.</p> - -<p>Far away in Hungroad and Kingroad ships were anchored, but the vessels -at the wharves of Bristol lay with their keels in mud, for the tide was -out and the tides of Bristol, as all know, have a wonderful great flow -and ebb.</p> - -<p>The two went on into the town, where there were seafaring men standing -about and talking of ships, which gave Phil Marsham a feeling of being -once more at home after his inland travels; and passing this one tavern -and another, they came to a square where there was a whipping-post and -a stocks, and a man in the stocks.</p> - -<p>Now a man in stocks was a pleasing sight to Phil, for he was not so old -that he missed the humour of it, and he paused to grin at the unlucky -wight who bore with ill grace the jeers of the urchins that had -assembled to do him honour; but when Martin saw the fellow he looked a -second time and turned very hastily round. Straightway seizing Phil by -the arm he whispered hoarsely, "Come now, we must hie us away again, -and that speedily."</p> - -<p>"Why in so great haste?" Phil returned. "Here is a pleasant jest. Let -us stay a while. Who knows but some day we may ourselves sit in the -bilboes and yonder ballad-maker may take his fill of pleasure at our -misfortune. Why, then, turn about is fair play. Let us enjoy his while -there's time." And he waited with quiet glee for Martin's angry reply.</p> - -<p>"Fool!" Martin whispered. "Stay and be hanged, an thou wilt."</p> - -<p>Thereupon Martin posted in all haste back the way he had come and Phil, -of no mind to be left now, since they had journeyed together thus far, -followed at his heels with a curiosity that he was intent on satisfying.</p> - -<p>"'Sin,' according to the proverb," he called after Martin, "'begins -with an itch and ends with a scar,' but methinks thy scars, which are -numerous, are all an-itch."</p> - -<p>"Hist, fool," Martin snarled. "Be still! For ha'pence I'd slit thy -throat to still thy tongue. I swear I can already feel the hemp at my -weasand. It burns and spreads like a tetter." And he made haste up out -of the town till despite his great weight and short wind he had Phil -puffing at his heels.</p> - -<p>"This is queer talk of ropes and hangings. It buzzeth through thy -noddle like bees in clover. In faith, though thy folly be great, yet it -sorely presses upon thee, for I have seldom seen a man walk faster. Yet -at thine ordinary gait a tin-pedlar's broken-down jade can set a pace -too fast for thee to follow."</p> - -<p>"Yea, laugh at me! Wouldst thou stay for sugared pills of pleasure with -the hangman at thy heels?"</p> - -<p>"What has a poor devil in stocks to do with the hangman, prithee? And -why this fierce haste?"</p> - -<p>"Th' art no better than a gooseling—fit for tavern quarrels. And did -you never see a man dance on air? 'Tis a sight to catch the breath in -the throat and make an emptiness in a man's belly."</p> - -<p>"There be no hangings without reason."</p> - -<p>"Reason? Law, logic, and the Switzers can be hired to fight for any -man, they say. 'Tis true, in any event, of the law. I've seen the -learned men in wigs wringing a poor man's withers and shaping the -halter to his neck."</p> - -<p>They had talked breathlessly at long intervals in their hasty flight, -and thus talking they had come out of the town and up from the valley; -nor would Martin stay to rest till from the southern hill that had -given them their first prospect of Bristol city they looked back upon -the houses and the river and the ships. Martin breathed more easily -then and mopped his forehead and sat down until his wildly beating -heart was quieter.</p> - -<p>"To Bideford we must go, after all," said he, "and 'twere better by far -had we never turned from the straight road."</p> - -<p>"I am of no mind to go farther," Phil replied, looking back. "There -will be more vessels sailing out of Bristol than out of Bideford. A man -can choose in which to go."</p> - -<p>Martin gulped and rubbed his throat. "Nay, I'll not hear to it. Daniel -went but once into the lion's den."</p> - -<p>He sighed mightily as he thought of begging his long way through -Somerset and Devon, for he was a big heavy man and lazy and short of -wind; but he would not go back, though he refused to speak further of -his reason for it; and Phil, though in truth he liked Martin little, -was too easy-going to part thus with his companion of the road. The lad -was young, and the world was wide, and it was still spring in England.</p> - -<p>So they turned toward the hills, which were blue and purple in the -setting sun,—a shepherd, did he but know it, lives in halls more -splendid than a king's,—and set forth upon their journey through the -rough lands of Somerset. They went astray among the mines but found -their way to Wells where, as they came out from the town, they passed -a gallows, which gave Martin such a start that he stopped for neither -breath nor speech until he had left that significant emblem of the law -a mile behind him. They went through Glastonbury, where report has it -that Joseph of Arimathea and King Arthur and King Edgar lie buried, -and through Bridgewater, where to their wonder there was a ship of a -hundred tons riding in the Parret. They went through Dulverton on a -market day, and crossed the Dunsbrook by the stone bridge and so passed -into Devon. They went on over heath and hill and through woods and -green valleys until at the end of seven days from Bristol—for time and -again they had lost their way, and a sailor on shore is at best like a -lame horse on a rough road—they crossed the Taw at Barnstable. Again -going astray, they went nearly to Torrington before they learned their -blunder and turned down the valley of the Torridge. But all things -come to an end at last, and one pleasant evening they crossed the -ancient bridge built on stately Gothic arches into the populous town of -Bideford.</p> - -<p>At the river front there lay a street the better part of a mile long, -in which were the custom house and a great quay, and there they saw -ships of good burden loading and unloading in the very bosom of the -town, as the scribe hath it. Thither Phil would have gone straightly -but Martin shook his head. So turning up from the river, they passed -another long street, where the houses of wealthy merchants stood, and -this, too, Martin hastened quickly by. He shot glances to one side and -the other as if fearing lest he see faces that he knew, and led his -companion by an obscure way, as night was falling, to a cottage whence -a dim light shone through a casement window.</p> - -<p>Standing on the rough doorstone under the outcropping thatch, which -projected beyond the line of the eaves to shield the door from rain, he -softly knocked. There was no answer, no sound, but the door presently -moved ajar as if by its own will.</p> - -<p>"Who knocks?" an old woman whispered. "'Tis that dark I cannot see thy -face."</p> - -<p>"'Tis thine eyes are ailing. Come, open the door and bid us enter."</p> - -<p>"Thy voice hath a familiar ring but I know thee not. Who art thou?"</p> - -<p>"We be two honest men."</p> - -<p>"Ah, two honest men? And what, prithee, are two honest men doing here?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, 'tis a fair thrust and bites both ways! Thou old shrew, dost bar -the door to Martin Barwick?"</p> - -<p>"So 'tis thou. I believe it even is. Enter then, ere the watch spy -thee. Th' art a plain fool to stand here quibbling thus, though 'tis to -be expected, since thou wert ever quicker of thy tongue than thy wit. -But who's thy fellow?"</p> - -<p>"Nay, thou old shrew, open to us. He is to be one of us, though a -London man by birth."</p> - -<p>"One of us, say'st thou? Enter and welcome, then, young sir. Mother -Taylor bids thee welcome. One of us? 'Tis the more pity so few of the -gentlemen are left in port."</p> - -<p>"The Old One?"</p> - -<p>"He hath sailed long since." She closed the door behind them, and the -three stood together in the dark passage. "Hast money?"</p> - -<p>"Not a groat."</p> - -<p>She sighed heavily. "I shall be ruined. Seven o' the gentlemen ha' -sailed owing me."</p> - -<p>"Yea, thou old shrew, had I a half—nay, had I the tenth part of the -gold thou hast taken from us and laid away wherever thy hiding-places -are, I'd go no more to sea. But thou know'st what thou know'st, and -there's not one among us but will pay his score. The wonder is that of -them thou could'st hang by a word none has slit thy scrawny throat."</p> - -<p>"Aye, they pay, they pay. And the gentlemen bear Mother Taylor nought -but love. How else could they do their business but for good Mother -Taylor?" She led them into a little back room where there was a fire -and a singing kettle; and as she scuttled with a crooked, nimble gait -from one window to another to make sure that every shutter was fast -closed, in her cracked old voice she bade them sit.</p> - -<p>To his prudent companion, whose quick glance was marking every door -and window,—for who knows when a man shall have need to leave in -haste a sailor's inn?—quoth Martin, "The old witch is a rare hand to -sell a cargo got—thou can'st guess well enough how; and the man who -would bring a waggon-load of spirits past the customs on a dark night -or would bargain with a Dartmoor shepherd for wool secretly sheared, -can lay the matter before her and go his way, knowing she will do his -business better than he could do it himself. Yea, a man's honour and -life are safer with her than with any lord in England."</p> - -<p>She showed by a grunt that she had heard him but otherwise paid no -attention to what he said. She brought food from a cupboard and laid -the table by the fire, and going into a back room, she drew a foaming -pitcher of beer.</p> - -<p>"No wine?" cried Martin. "Mother Taylor has no wine? Come, thou old -beldame, serve us a stronger tipple."</p> - -<p>She laughed shrilly. "The beer," said she, "is from Frome-Selwood."</p> - -<p>"Why, then, I must needs drink and say nought, since it is common -report that the gentry choose it, when well aged, rather than the wine -of Portugal or France. But my heart was set on good wine or stronger -spirits."</p> - -<p>"He who sails on the morning tide must go sober to bed else he may rue -his choice. Aye, an' 'tis rare fine beer."</p> - -<p>Her old bent back fitted into her bent old chair. Her face settled into -a myriad wrinkles from which her crooked nose projected like a fish in -a bulging net. She was very old and very shrewd, and though there was -something unspeakably hard in her small, cold eyes, Martin trusted her -as thus far he had trusted no one they had met. Even to Phil she gave -an odd sense of confidence in her complete loyalty.</p> - -<p>At Phil she cast many glances, quick and sharp like a bird's, but she -never spoke to him nor he to her.</p> - -<p>It was Martin who again spoke up, having blunted the edge of his -hunger. "And now, you old witch, who's in port and where shall we find -the softest berths? For you've made it plain that since trust us you -must, you will trust us little—that is to say, it is not in thy head -that our score shall mount high."</p> - -<p>She chuckled down in her skinny old crop. "Let us see. The Old One has -gone and that's done. You were late."</p> - -<p>"'Tis a long road and we went astray."</p> - -<p>"There's the Nestor and the Essay. They will be off soon; the one to -Liverpool for salt, t' other to Ireland for wool."</p> - -<p>Martin thereupon set down his pot of beer and significantly rubbed his -throat, at which the old woman cackled with shrill laughter. "Aye, th' -art o'er well known in Liverpool. Well, let us consider again. There's -the Rose of Devon, new come from Plymouth. I hear she's never touched -at Bideford before and her master hails from Dorset."</p> - -<p>"His name?"</p> - -<p>"'Tis Candle."</p> - -<p>Martin laughed boisterously. "A bright and shining name! But I know him -not and will chance a singeing. What voyage does she make?"</p> - -<p>"She goeth to fetch cod from Newfoundland." The old woman saw him -hesitate. "A barren voyage, think'st thou? Nay, 'twere well for one of -the gentlemen to look into that trade. Who knows?"</p> - -<p>"True, old mother witch, who knows?" Martin tapped the table. "Can'st -arrange it?"</p> - -<p>"Nay. But I can start the wedge."</p> - -<p>"We'll go," said Martin at last. "But now for bed. We've been a weary -while on the road."</p> - -<p>It was a great bed in a small room under the thatch; and as they lay -there on the good goose-feathers in the dark, Martin said, "We'll sail -in this Rose of Devon, lad."</p> - -<p>Phil, already nearly asleep, stirred and roused up. "Any port in a -storm," he mumbled. Then, becoming wider awake, he asked, "What is all -this talk of 'the gentlemen' and who, prithee, is the Old One?"</p> - -<p>"Ah, a natural question." Though the room was dark as Egypt, Phil knew -by Martin's voice—for he could recognize every inflection and change -in tone—that the sly, crafty look was creeping over his fat, red face. -"Well," Martin continued after a moment of silence, "by 'the gentlemen' -she means a few seafaring men that keep company together by custom and -stop here when ashore—all fine, honest fellows as a man may be proud -to know. I have hopes that some day you'll be one of us, Phil my lad, -and some day I'll tell you more. As for the Old One, it very curiously -happens that you have met with him. Do you recall to mind the thin man -I quarrelled with, that first day?"</p> - -<p>"Yea."</p> - -<p>"That is the Old One, and Tom Jordan is his proper name."</p> - -<p>It was Martin, after all, who fell asleep first, for Phil lay in the -great bed in the small room, thinking of all that had happened since -the day he fled from Moll Stevens's alehouse. There was Colin Samson, -whose dirk he wore; there was the wild-eyed, black-haired man with the -great book and the woeful tale; there were Martin, and Tom Jordan, "the -Old One"; there were the inn and the old lady and gentleman—it all -seemed so utterly unreal!—and Nell Entick, and Sir John Bristol. He -fell asleep thinking of Nell and Sir John and dreamed of marrying Nell -and keeping a tavern, to which the bluff old knight came in the guise -of a very aged gentleman from Little Grimsby with a coachman who went -poaching pheasants in the tavern yard.</p> - -<p>It was early morning when Mother Taylor called them down to breakfast -at a table burdened with good food such as they had not eaten for many -long days. She sat by the fire, a bent old woman in a round-backed -little chair, watching them with keen small eyes while they ate, and -smiling in a way that set her wrinkles all a-quiver to see them empty -dish after dish.</p> - -<p>"Th' art a good old witch, Mother Taylor, though the Devil cry nay," -said Martin. "Though thy score be high never did'st thou grudge a man -the meat he ate."</p> - -<p>"'Tis not for nought the gentlemen love Mother Taylor," she quavered. -"What can a woman do when her beauty's gone but hold a man by the food -she sets before him? 'Tis the secret of blessed marriage, Martin, and -heaven send thee a wife as knows it like I!"</p> - -<p>"Beauty, thou old beldame! What did'st thou ever know of beauty? But -beauty is a matter of little moment. Hast thou prepared the way for us?"</p> - -<p>She laughed in shrill delight at his rough jesting. "Aye, I ha' sent a -messenger. Seek out the Rose of Devon and do thy part, and all shall be -well."</p> - -<p>"And whence does good Captain Candle expect his men?"</p> - -<p>"Say to Captain Candle that thou and this handsome young gentleman who -says so little are come from the Mersey, where thy vessel, the Pride o' -Lancashire, lies to be repaired, and that Master Stephen Gangley sent -thee."</p> - -<p>She looked at Phil, who had learned long before to hold his tongue in -strange places, and he smiled; but Martin laughed hoarsely. "Th' art -the Devil's own daughter. And does this Master Stephen Gangley in all -truth dwell in Liverpool?"</p> - -<p>"Dost think my wits are wandering, Martin? Nay, I be old, but not so -old as that. Go hastily through the town lest thou be seen and known. -Thou, of all the gentlemen, most needs make haste."</p> - -<p>The two stopped just inside the door. "You have chalked down the score -against us?"</p> - -<p>She laughed in her skinny throat. "I be old, but not so old as to -forget the score. The gentlemen always pay."</p> - -<p>She pushed Martin out and shut the door behind him, then, seizing Phil -by the arm, she whispered, "Leave him."</p> - -<p>Martin angrily thrust the door open again and she gave Phil a shove -that sent him stumbling over the threshold. The door slammed shut and -they heard the bolt slide.</p> - -<p>"They pay," Martin muttered. "Yea, they pay in full and the old witch -hath got rich thereby, for 'tis pay or hang. So much does she know of -all that goes on at sea! In faith, I sorely mistrust she is a witch in -all earnest; but even be it so, a most useful witch."</p> - -<p>As the two came into the town they saw at a distance a crowd gathering. -Dogs barked and boys shouted and men came running and laughing, which -seemed to give promise of rare sport of one kind or another.</p> - -<p>"See!" cried Phil, catching Martin by the arm. "Here's a game. Come, -let us join the cry."</p> - -<p>"Thou art a very pattern of blockishness," quoth Martin. "Would'st see -us in pillory, egged, turnipped, nay, beaten at the post?"</p> - -<p>"Come, old frog, I for one will run the hazard."</p> - -<p>"Old frog, is it?" Martin's face flamed redder than before. "An we -loiter there'll be sharp eyes upon us. My very throat is itching at the -thought. Justice is swift. Who knows but we'll swing by sundown? Hast -never considered the pains of hanging? The way they dance and twitch is -enough to take the sap out of a man's legs."</p> - -<p>Martin's fears were an old story and the lad heeded them so little, -save when he would make game of them, that he never even smiled. "See!" -he cried. "There's a man in their midst. Stay! Who is he? He is—yea, -he is the very one, come back to Bideford despite his fears. And it -seems the townsfolk know him well."</p> - -<p>The jeering mob parted and revealed a lank man with a great book. His -voice rose above their clamour, "O well beloved, O well beloved, never -was a man perplexed with such diversity of thoughts!"</p> - -<p>But Martin was gone, and Phil hastening after him saw a face in a -window, which was watching Martin hurry through the town. And when Phil -pursued Martin the eyes in the window scanned the lad from head to foot.</p> - -<p>They found lying at the quay the vessel they sought, and a brave -frigate she was, with high poop and nobly carved fiddlehead and sharp, -deep cutwater. The gun-deck ports were closed, but on the main deck was -a great show of ordnance with new carriages and new yellow breechings. -There were swivel-guns on the forecastle and the quarter-deck and there -was a finely wrought lantern of bronze and glass at the stern. But as -they came up to her, a cloud hid the sun and the gilded carving ceased -to shine and the bright colours lost their brilliance and her black, -high sides loomed up sombrely, and to Phil she seemed for the moment -very dark and forbidding.</p> - -<p>Of this Martin appeared to have no perception, for he smiled and -whispered, "Mother Taylor hath done well by us. This Rose of Devon is a -tall ship and by all the signs she will be well found."</p> - -<p>There were men standing about the capstan on the main deck and voices -came from the forecastle; but on the poop there leaned against the rail -to watch the two come down the quay a single man, of an age in the -middle-thirties, with a keen, strong face, who wore a good coat on his -back and had the manner of a king in a small island.</p> - -<p>They stepped under the poop and Martin doffed his hat, having assumed -his most ingratiating smile. "An it please you, sir," said he, "have I -the honour to address Captain Candle of the Rose of Devon frigate?"</p> - -<p>"I am Captain Candle."</p> - -<p>"Good morrow to thee, sir, and Master Stephen Gangley of Liverpool sent -us—"</p> - -<p>"Yea, I received his letter. I know him not, but it seems he knows -friends of mine. You are over heavy for a good seaman but your fellow -takes my eye."</p> - -<p>Martin stammered and flamed up with anger, and perceiving this, the -captain smiled.</p> - -<p>"Let it be," he said. "I can make room for the two, and to judge by -your looks, if you are slow aloft at handling and hauling, we can use -you to excellent purpose as a cook. Of good food and plenty it is plain -you know the secret."</p> - -<p>He watched policy contend with anger in Martin's face and his own -expression gave no hint of what went on in his mind; but there was that -about him which made Phil believe he was inwardly laughing, and Phil -had an instant liking for the man, which, if one might judge by the -captain's glance or two, was returned.</p> - -<p>"You may sign the articles in the tavern yonder," he said. "You are -none too early, for we sail in an hour's time to get the tide."</p> - -<p>As Phil followed Martin into the tavern he saw a bustle and flurry in -the street, but it passed and while they waited by the fire for the -captain and the agent to come with the articles he thought no more of -it.</p> - -<p>They came at last, and other seamen with them, and spread the articles -on the oaken table where one man might sign after another. And when -Martin's turn was come, he tried to speak of wages, but the captain -named the figure and bade him sign, and before he thought, he had done -so. He stood back, cursing under his breath, and when the captain named -a higher wage for Phil, Martin's cursing became an audible mumble, -which drew from master and agent a sharp glance. Though Martin smiled -and looked about as if to see whence the sound came, he deceived no one.</p> - -<p>The men filed out of the tavern, walking soberly behind the master, and -proceeded down the quay to their ship. Their feet clattered on the -cobbles and they swung along at a rolling gait. Some were sober and -some were drunk; and some were merry and some were sad. Some eyed one -another with the curiosity that a man feels if he must sit, for months -to come, at cheek and jowl with strangers; and some bent their eyes on -the ground as if ill at ease and uncertain of their own discretion in -thus committing themselves to no one knew what adventures in distant -seas and lands.</p> - -<p>Thus they came to the ship, following at the master's heels, and thus -they filed on board, while Captain Candle stood at one side and looked -them over as they passed.</p> - -<p>To a young fellow leaning over the waist one of the men called, "Well -met, Will Canty!"</p> - -<p>Looking up, Phil himself then caught the eye of a lad of his own years -who was returning the hail of a former shipmate, and since each of the -youths found something to his taste in the appearance of the other, on -the deck of the ship they joined company.</p> - -<p>"You come late," said the one who had answered to the name of Will -Canty. "Unless I am much mistaken, you were not on board yesterday."</p> - -<p>He was tall and slender and very straight, and he carried his head with -an erectness that seemed at first glance to savour of vanity. His face, -too, was of a sober cast and his expression restrained. Yet he seemed a -likable fellow, withal, and one whom a man could trust.</p> - -<p>"I have not until now set foot on this deck," Phil replied. "But -having seen many vessels in my time, I venture that the Rose of Devon -is a staunch ship, as Captain Candle, it is plain to see, is a proper -master."</p> - -<p>"Yea, both sayings are true. I know, for I have sailed before in this -ship with Captain Candle."</p> - -<p>An order bawled from the quarter-deck caused a great stir, and for the -moment put an end to their talk, but they were to see more of each -other.</p> - -<p>Casting off the moorings in answer to the word of command, the men -sprang to the capstan. It was "Heave, my bullies!" and "Pull, my hearts -of gold!" Some, in a boat, carried out an anchor and others laboured -at the capstan. The old frigate stirred uneasily and slipped away from -the wharf, rolling slightly with the motion of the sea, and thus they -kedged her into the tide.</p> - -<p>"Bend your passeree to the mainsail!"</p> - -<p>Back came a roaring chorus, "Yea, yea!"</p> - -<p>"Get your sails to the yards there—about your gear on all hands!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea!" men here and there replied.</p> - -<p>"Hoist sails half-mast high—make ready to set sail!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea!"</p> - -<p>"Cross your yards!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea!"</p> - -<p>"Bring the cable to the capstan—Boatswain, fetch the anchor -aboard!—Break ground!—Up there, a hand to the foretop and loose the -foretopsail!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea!" And the first man to set foot on the ratlines was running -up the rigging.</p> - -<p>It was Philip Marsham, for to him the sea was home and there was no -night so dark he could not find his way about a ship. Nor did his -promptness escape the sharp eye of Captain Candle.</p> - -<p>Now, while the captain stood with folded arms at the poop, his mate -cried, "Come, my hearts, heave up your anchor! Come one and all! Who -says <i>Amen</i>? O brave hearts, the anchor a-peak!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea!"</p> - -<p>"Heave out your topsails!—Haul your sheets!—Let fall your -foresail!—You at the helm, there, steer steady before the wind!"</p> - -<p>On all the vessels in the harbour, and all along the quay and the -streets, men had stopped their work to see the Rose of Devon sail. But -though most of them stood idle and silent, there was a sudden flurry -on the quay where but now she had been lying, and two men burst out, -calling after her and waving their arms.</p> - -<p>"'Tis the beadle and the constable," the men muttered. "Who of us hath -got to sea to escape the law?"</p> - -<p>The mate turned to the master, but the master firmly shook his head. -"Come, seize the tide," he called. "We will stay for no man."</p> - -<p>"Heave out the foretopsail—heave out the main topsail—haul home your -topsail sheets!"</p> - -<p>The men aloft let the lesser sails fall; the men on deck sheeted them -home and hoisted them up. The mate kept bawling a multitude of orders: -"Haul in the cable there and coil it in small fakes! Haul the cat! A -bitter! Belay! Luff, my man, luff! You, there, with the shank painter, -make fast your anchor!"</p> - -<p>Then came the voice of the master, which always his mate echoed, "Let -fall your mainsail!"</p> - -<p>And the echo, "Let fall your mainsail!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea!"</p> - -<p>"On with your bonnets and drabblers!"</p> - -<p>And again came the echo from the mate, "On with your bonnets and -drabblers!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea!"</p> - -<p>The great guns ranged along the deck—each bound fast by its new -breechings—with their linstocks and sponges and ladles and rammers, -made no idle show of warlike strength. There was too often need to let -their grim voices sound at bay, for those were wild, lawless days.</p> - -<p>Such a ship as the Rose of Devon frigate, standing out for the open -sea, is a sight the world no longer affords. Those ships are "gone, -gone, gone with lost Atlantis." Their lofty poops, their little -bonaventure masts, their lateen sails aft, their high forecastles -and tall bowsprits with the square spritsail flaunted before the -fiddlehead, came down from an even earlier day; for the Rose of Devon -had been an ancient craft when King James died and King Charles -succeeded to the throne. But she was a fine tall ship and staunch -notwithstanding her years, and there was newly gilded carving on bow -and stern and a new band of crimson ran her length. With her great -sails spread she thrust her nose into the heavy swell that went rolling -up the Bristol Channel, and nodding and curtseying to old Neptune, she -entered upon his dominions.</p> - -<p>She was, as I have said, a brave tall ship, yet, despite her gilded -carving and her band of crimson, her towering sides which were painted -black gave her a singularly dark appearance, and she put to sea like a -shadow out of older days.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a><br /> -<small>THE SHIP'S LIAR</small></h2> - - -<p>Death by land is a sobering thing and works many changes; but to my -thought death at sea is more terrible, for there is a vast loneliness, -with only a single ship in the midst of it, and an empty hammock for -days and weeks and even months, to keep a man in mind of what has -happened; and death at sea may work as many changes as death by land.</p> - -<p>Now the Rose of Devon was a week from England when a footrope parted -and the boatswain pitched down, clutching at the great belly of the -sail, and plunged out of sight. And what could a man do to save him? -They never saw him after that first wild plunge. There, aloft, was the -parted rope, its ends frayed out and hanging. Below decks was the empty -berth. The blustering old boatswain, with his great roaring voice and -his quick ear for a tune, had gone upon the ultimate adventure which -all must face, each man for himself; but they only said, "Did you see -the wild look in his eyes when he fell?" And, "I fear we shall hear his -pipe of nights." And, "'Tis a queer thought that Neddie Hart is to lie -in old Davy Jones's palace, with the queer sea-women all about him, -awaiting for his old shipmates."</p> - -<p>Presently the master's boy came forward into the forecastle, where the -men off duty were sitting and talking of the one who had fallen so -far, had sunk so deep, had gone on a journey so long that they should -never see him again; and quietly—for the boy was much bedevilled and -trembled with fright to think of putting his head, as it were, into the -mouth of the lion—he crept behind Philip Marsham and whispered in his -ear, "The master would see thee in the great cabin."</p> - -<p>They sat at close quarters in the forecastle of the Rose of Devon, and -the boy had barely room to pass the table and the benches, for the -men had crowded in and put their heads together; but for once they -were too intent on their own thoughts to heed his coming or his going, -which gave him vast comfort. (Little enough comfort the poor devil got, -between the men forward and the officers aft!)</p> - -<p>So Phil rose and followed.</p> - -<p>The great cabin, when he entered, was empty. He stood at loss, waiting, -but curiously observed meanwhile the rich hangings and the deep chairs -and the cupboards filled with porcelain ware. There was plate on the -cabin table and a rich cloak lay thrown loosely over a chair; and he -thought to himself that those deep-sea captains lived like princes, as -indeed they did.</p> - -<p>He shifted his weight from foot to foot in growing uneasiness. The boy -had disappeared. There was no sound of voice or step. Then, as the ship -rolled and Phil put out a foot to brace himself, a door swung open and -revealed on the old-fashioned walk that ran across the stem under the -poop, the lean, big-boned figure of Captain Francis Candle.</p> - -<p>The master of the Rose of Devon stood with folded arms and bent head, -but though his head was bent, his eyes, the lad could see, were peering -from under his heavy brows at the horizon. He swayed as the ship -rolled, and remained intent on his thoughts, which so absorbed him that -he had quite forgotten sending the boy for Philip Marsham.</p> - -<p>So Phil waited; and the broad hat that hung on the bulkhead scraped -backward and forward as the ship plunged into the trough and rose on -the swell; and Captain Candle remained intent on his thoughts; and a -sea bird circled over the wake of the ship.</p> - -<p>After a long time the master turned about and walked into the cabin -and, there espying Philip Marsham, he smiled and said, "I was remiss. I -had forgotten you." He threw aside the cloak that lay on the chair and -sat down.</p> - -<p>"Sit you down," he said with a nod. "You are a practised seaman, no -lame, decrepit fellow who serves for underwages. Have you mastered the -theory?"</p> - -<p>"Why, sir, I am not unacquainted with astrolabe and quadrant, and on -scales and tables I have spent much labour."</p> - -<p>"So!" And his manner showed surprise. Then, "Inkpot and quill are -before you. Choose a fair sheet and put down thereon the problem I -shall set you."</p> - -<p>The captain leaned back and half closed his eyes while Phil spread the -paper and dipped the quill.</p> - -<p>"Let us say," he finally continued, "that two ships sail from one port. -The first sails south-south-west a certain distance; then altering -her course, she sails due west ninety-two leagues. The second ship, -having sailed six-score leagues, meets with the first ship. I demand -the second ship's course and rhomb, and how many leagues the first ship -sailed south-south-west. Now, my man, how go you to work?"</p> - -<p>Phil studied the problem as he had set it down, and wrinkled his brows -over it, while Captain Candle lay back with a flicker of a smile on his -lips and watched the lad struggle with his thoughts.</p> - -<p>After a time Phil raised his head. "First, sir," said he, "I shall -draw the first ship's rhomb thus, from A unto E, which shall be -south-south-west. Then I shall lay a line from A unto C as the ninety -leagues that she sailed west. Next I shall lay my line from C to D, and -further, as her south-west course. Then I shall lay from A a line that -shall correspond to the six-score leagues the second ship sailed, which -cuts at D the line I drew before." As he talked, he worked with his -pen, and the master, rising as if in surprise, bent over the table and -watched every motion.</p> - -<p>The pen drew lines and arcs and lettered them and wrote out a problem -in proportions. Hesitating, the point crawled over columns of figures.</p> - -<p>"The rhomb of the second ship," said Phil at last, "is degrees -sixty-seven, and minutes thirty-six. Her course is near -west-south-west. And the first ship sailed forty-nine leagues."</p> - -<p>Tapping the table, as one does who meditates, Captain Candle looked -more sharply at the lad. "You are clever with your pen."</p> - -<p>"'Tis owing to the good Dr. Arber at Roehampton," Phil replied. "Had I -abode with him longer, I had been cleverer still, for he was an able -scholar; but there was much in school I had no taste for."</p> - -<p>The captain's eyes searched his face. "I sent for you," he said, -"because I was minded to make you my boatswain. But now, if my mate -were lost, I swear I'd seat you at mine own table."</p> - -<p>Phil rose.</p> - -<p>"Go then, Master Boatswain. But stay! You and your comerado make a -strange pair. How came you bedfellows?"</p> - -<p>"Why, sir, we met upon the road—"</p> - -<p>"Yea, not at sea! Not at sea! Enough is said. Begone, Master Boatswain, -begone!"</p> - -<p>"How now," cried Martin when Phil passed him on the deck. "Art thou -called before the mast?" And he laughed till he shook.</p> - -<p>"Nay, he hath made me his boatswain."</p> - -<p>"Thou?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, comerado."</p> - -<p>"Thou? A mere gooseling? The master's on the road to Bedlam! Why here -am I—" Martin's red face flamed hot.</p> - -<p>"Yea, he spoke of thee."</p> - -<p>"Ah!"</p> - -<p>"Quoth he, thou art a fine fellow, but hot-tempered, Martin, and -overbold."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" The crafty, sly look came upon Martin's face and he puffed with -pride; but Phil, delighting to see the jest take effect, laughed before -his eyes, which sorely perplexed him.</p> - -<p>"A fine fellow, but overbold," Martin muttered, as he coiled the cable -in neat fakes. "Yea, I did not believe he thought so well of me. From -the glances he hath bestowed upon me, it was in my mind he was a narrow -man,—" Martin smiled and dallied over his work,—"one with no eye for -a mariner of parts and skill. 'A fine fellow, but overbold!' Nay, that -is fair speech and it seems he hath a very searching observation."</p> - -<p>Standing erect, Martin folded his arms and swelled like a turkey-cock. -His eyes being on the horizon and his back toward the watchful mate, he -remained unaware that he had attracted the mate's attention.</p> - -<p>"A fine fellow, but overbold," he repeated and smiled with a very -haughty air.</p> - -<p>The mate, casting his eyes about the deck, picked up a handy end of -rope and made a knot in it. One man and another and another became -aware of the play that the mate and Martin were about to set and, -grinning hugely, they paused in their work to watch, even though they -risked getting themselves into such a plight as Martin's. The captain -came to the break of the quarter-deck and, perceiving the fun afoot, -leaned on the swivel-gun. Slowly his humour mastered his dignity and a -smile twitched at his lips.</p> - -<p>"A fine fellow, but overbold," Martin was murmuring for the fourth -time, when the rope whistled and wound about his ribs and the knot -fetched up on his belly with a thump that knocked his wind clean out.</p> - -<p>He made a horrible face, gasping for breath, and his ruddy colour -darkened to purple. Reaching for his knife he whirled round and drew -steel.</p> - -<p>"What rakehell muckworm, what base stinkard, what—" He met the cold -eye of the mate and for a moment flinched, then, burning with his -own folly, he cried, "Thou villain, to strike thus a man the captain -himself called a fine fellow but overbold!"</p> - -<p>A snicker grew in the silence and swelled into a rumble of laughter; -then, by the forecastle bulkhead, a man began to bawl, "A liar! A liar!"</p> - -<p>The mate stopped short and his hand fell.</p> - -<p>A score of voices took up the cry—"A liar! A liar!"—and Martin turned -pale.</p> - -<p>Captain Candle on the quarter-deck was laughing softly and the mate in -glee slapped his thigh. "Thou yerking, firking, jerking tinker," said -he, "dost hear the cry? 'Tis a Monday morning and they are crying thee -at the mainmast."</p> - -<p>"A liar! A liar!" the men bawled, crowding close about.</p> - -<p>"But 'tis no lie. Or this foully deceitful comerado, this half-fledged -boatswain—" It came suddenly upon Martin that he had been sorely -gulled, and that to reveal the truth would fix upon him the lasting -ridicule of his shipmates. He swelled in fury and gave them angry -glances but they only laughed the louder, then, rope in hand, the mate -stepped toward him.</p> - -<p>Though he made a motion as if to stand his ground, at sight of the rope -Martin's hand shook in his haste to thrust his knife back into the -sheath.</p> - -<p>It was the old custom of the sea that they should hail as a liar the -man first caught in a lie on a Monday morning and proclaim him thus -from the mainmast, and unhappy was the man thus hailed, for thereby -he became for a week the "ship's liar" and held his place under the -swabber.</p> - -<p>"For seven days, thou old cozzener," said the mate, "thou shalt keep -clean the beakhead and the chains, and lucky art thou to be at sea. -Ashore they would have whipped thee through the streets at the cart's -tail."</p> - -<p>Again a great wave of laughter swept the deck and by his face Martin -showed his anger. But though he was "a fine fellow" and "overbold," he -kept his tongue between his teeth; and whatever he suspected of Philip -Marsham, he held his peace and went over the bow with ill grace and -fell to scraping the chains, which was a task to humble the tallest -pride. There was that in the laughter of the crew which had taught -discretion to even bolder men than Martin Barwick.</p> - -<p>"I have seen his kind before," a voice said low in Phil's ear. "But -though there be much of the calf in him, beware lest you rouse him to -such a pitch that he will draw and strike."</p> - -<p>It was Will Canty, the youth who had already won the young boatswain's -liking, spoke thus. He was a comerado more to Phil's taste than was -the luckless Martin; but fate is not given to consulting tastes, and -necessity forces upon a traveller such bedfellows as he meets by the -way.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a><br /> -<small>STORM</small></h2> - - -<p>The storm brewed long in gray banks of cloud that hung in the west and -north. It drew around the Rose of Devon from north to east with a slow, -immutable force, as yet perceived rather than felt, till she sailed in -the midst of a circle of haze. At night the moon was ringed. The sun -rose in a bank of flaming red and the small sea-birds that by their -presence, mariners say, tell of coming gales, played over the wake.</p> - -<p>Captain Candle from the poop sniffed at the damp air: and studying -the winds as they veered and rose in brisk flourishes and fell to the -merest whisper of a breeze, he puckered his lips, which was his way -when thoughts crowded upon him. Martin on the beakhead pursued his -noisome task of cleaning it under the watchful eye of the swabber -(who took unkind joy in exacting from him the utmost pains), and cast -furtive glances at the gray swell that came shouldering up from the -east.</p> - -<p>"Holla, boatswain," the captain cried.</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea!"</p> - -<p>"Our foresail is old and hath lost its goodness. Look to thy stores and -see if there be not another. Have it ready, then, to bend in haste if -there be need."</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea!"</p> - -<p>"And lay out thy cordage, boatswain, that if sheet or halyard or -tackling shall part, we may be ready to bend another in its place."</p> - -<p>Descending thereupon into the forehold with his boatswain's mate to -fetch and carry, Boatswain Marsham fell to work overhauling the bolts -of sail-cloth and the hanks of cordage and the coils of rope, till he -had found a new foresail and laid it under the hatch, and had placed -great ropes and such cordage as headlines and marlines and sennets so -that a man could lay hands on them in a time of haste and confusion. -For the Rose of Devon was heavily pitching and the seas crashed on her -three-inch planks with a noise like thunderclaps; and when she lifted -on the swell, the water rumbled against her bilge and gurgled away past -her run.</p> - -<p>Very faintly he heard a sailor's voice, "The pump is choked." There -was shouting above for a time, then the cry arose, which brought -reassurance to all, "Now she sucks," and again there was quiet.</p> - -<p>Climbing through the hatch and passing aft along the main deck, he -heard for himself the <i>suck-suck</i> from the pump well, then the rattle -of tiller and creak of pintle as the helmsmen eased her off and brought -her on to meet a rising sea.</p> - -<p>"Holla, master!"</p> - -<p>"Holla, is all laid ready below?"</p> - -<p>"Yea! Ropes and cordage and sail are laid ready upon the main deck and -secured against the storm."</p> - -<p>"And seemeth she staunch to one in the hold?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, master."</p> - -<p>"Then, boatswain, call up the men to prayer and breakfast, for we shall -doubtless have need of both ere the day is done. Boy, fetch my cellar -of bottles, for I would drink a health to all, fore and aft, and I -would have the men served out each a little sack."</p> - -<p>By midday the veering winds had settled in the east and the overcast -sky had still further darkened. The ship, labouring heavily, held her -course; but as the wind blew up a fresh gale, the after sails took the -wind from the sails forward, which began to beat and thresh. Swarming -aloft, the younkers handed the fore-topsail-steering-sail, the fore and -main topsails, and the main-topsail-staysail. But as they manned the -foreyard, the ship yawed in such a manner that the full force of the -wind struck the old foresail and split it under their fingers.</p> - -<p>Philip Marsham on the weather yardarm, with the grey seas breaking in -foam beneath him at one minute and with the forecastle itself seeming -to rise up at him the next minute, so heavily did the old ship roll, -was reaching for the sail at the moment it tore to ribands; and a -billow of grey canvas striking him in the face knocked him off the -yard; but as he fell, he locked his legs round the spar and got finger -hold on the earing, and crawled back to the mast as the sailors stood -by the ropes to strike the yard and get in the threshing tatters of the -sail.</p> - -<p>The mate, going aft, was caught in the waist when the ship gave a -mighty lurch, and went tumbling to lee-ward where the scupper-holes -were spouting like so many fountains all a-row. The fall might well -have ended his days, had he not bumped into the capstan where he clung -fast with both arms, and twice lucky he was to stay his fall thus, for -a sea came roaring over the waist and drowned the fountains in the -scuppers and in a trice the decks were a-wash from forecastle to poop. -But the old ship shook her head and righted and Captain Francis Candle, -leaning against the wind, his cloak flapping in the gale and his hat -hauled hard down over his eyes, descended from the poop and braced -himself in its lee.</p> - -<p>"The wind blows frisking," the mate cried, scrambling up the ladder and -joining the master.</p> - -<p>"Yea, it is like to over-blow. She took a shrewd plunge but now. We -shall further our voyage by striking every sail. Go thou, mate, and -have them secure the spritsail-yard, then take thy station on the -forecastle."</p> - -<p>For an hour or two the old Rose of Devon went plunging through the -seas; and there was much loosing and lowering of sails. For a while, -then, the wind scanted so that there was hope the storm had passed, and -during the lull they bent and set the new foresail and must needs brace -and veer and haul aft. But ere long the gale blew up amain, and in the -late afternoon Captain Candle, sniffing the breeze, called upon all to -stand by and once more to hand both foresail and mainsail.</p> - -<p>"Cast off the topsail sheets, clew garnets, leechlines and buntlines!" -The order came thinly through the roar of the wind.</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea!" a shrill voice piped.</p> - -<p>"Stand by the sheet and brace—come lower the yard and furl the -sail—see that your main halyards be clear and all the rest of your -gear clear and cast off."</p> - -<p>"It is all clear."</p> - -<p>"Lower the main yard—haul down upon your down-haul." As the yard -swayed down and the men belayed the halyards, one minute staggering to -keep their feet, the next minute slipping and sliding across the decks, -the captain's sharp voice, holding them at their work, cut through the -gale, "Haul up the clew garnets, lifts, leechlines and buntlines! -Come, furl the sail fast and secure the yard lest it traverse and gall!"</p> - -<p>"'Twas a fierce gust," an old sailor cried to Phil, who had reached -for the rigging and saved himself from going down to the lee scuppers. -"We best look the guns be all fast. I mind, in the Grace and Mary, my -second Guinea voyage, a gun burst its breechings—"</p> - -<p>"Belay the fore down-haul!" the mate thundered, and leaving his tale -untold, the old man went crawling forward.</p> - -<p>The men heard faintly the orders to the helmsman, "Hard -a-weather!—Right your helm!—Now port, port hard! More hands! He -cannot put up the helm!"</p> - -<p>Then out of the turmoil and confusion a great voice cried, "A sail! A -sail!"</p> - -<p>"Where?"</p> - -<p>"Fair by us."</p> - -<p>"How stands she?"</p> - -<p>"To the north'ard."</p> - -<p>She lay close hauled by the wind and as the Rose of Devon, scudding -before the sea, bore down the wind and upon her, she hove out signs to -speak; but though Captain Candle passed under her lee as near as he -dared venture and learned by lusty shouting that she was an English -ship from the East Indies, which begged the Rose of Devon for God's -sake to spare them some provisions, since they were eighty persons on -board who were ready to perish for food and water, the seas ran so -high that neither the one vessel nor the other dared hoist out a boat; -and parting, the men of the Rose of Devon lost sight of her in the -gathering dusk.</p> - -<p>Still more and more the storm increased. Darkness came, but there was -no rest at sea that night.</p> - -<p>Thanks to the storm, and the labour and anxiety it brought all hands, -Martin, the latter part of that day, escaped the duties of ship's liar, -and glad was he of the chance to slip unobserved about the deck with -no reminder of his late humiliation. But by night he was blue with -the cold, and drenching wet and so hungry that he gnawed at a bit of -biscuit when he needed both hands to haul on a rope.</p> - -<p>Finding Phil Marsham at his shoulder and still resenting bitterly the -jest to which he had fallen victim, he shot at him an ill-tempered -glance and in sullen silence turned his back.</p> - -<p>"Belay!"</p> - -<p>A line of struggling men tripped and stumbled as they secured the rope -and went swaying and staggering across the deck when the ship rolled; -for the weight of her towering superstructure and her cannon would set -her wallowing fearfully in the merest seaway. One caught up the rope's -end in loose coils; another, having fallen, got clumsily on his feet -and staunched his bleeding nose; the rest shivered as the icy wind -struck through their wet shirts.</p> - -<p>Martin again turned his back on the boatswain and hugged himself, but -to little profit, although his fat arms covered a goodly area. Phil -laughed softly at Martin's show of spleen and was about to warm the -man's temper further by a thrust well calculated to stir him to fury, -when the ship rose with a queer lurch and descended into a veritable -gulf.</p> - -<p>They saw above them a sea looming like a black cloud. It mounted slowly -up, hung over them, curled down a dark tongue of water and, before -the Rose of Devon had righted from her plunge into the trough, broke -upon the ship and overwhelmed her. The waist was flooded from the head -of the forecastle to the break of the poop. Water, licking across the -quarter-deck, rose in a great wave that drenched the captain to his -thighs and poured into the steerage room, momentarily blinding the men -at the helm,—for in those old ships they stood with their faces on -a level with the quarter-deck,—and, following whipstaff and tiller, -spilled into the main deck and hold.</p> - -<p>Philip Marsham, as the water washed him off his feet, made shift to lay -hands on the shrouds, and though he had no footing and was washed far -out over the side, his grasp was strong and he held himself against the -rush of water as the ship rose like a dog shaking its head and coming -up through a wave. In very truth she seemed to shake her head and -struggle up to the black night above. But as Phil saved himself he saw -Martin cowering by a gun and striving to reach the breeching; and as -the ship rose, the lad half felt, half saw, some great body washed past -him and over the side.</p> - -<p>There was no one beside the gun: Martin was gone.</p> - -<p>Though a man were a knave and liar, Phil Marsham had no stomach to -see him drown thus; and though he held old Martin in contempt and -bedevilled him night and day, yet he had a curious liking for the -fellow. Overhead there hung from the maintop a loose rope. He faintly -saw it swinging against the leaden-black sky. By a nimble leap there -was a fair chance a man might reach it and if it did not part, an -active man might by a stroke of fortune regain the ship. All this Phil -saw in the falling of a single grain of sand, then the rope swung -within reach of his hand and he seized it. Spared the hazard of -leaping for it, he let go the shrouds and swung with all his strength -out into the night.</p> - -<p>Swinging high over the sea he saw for an instant, while he was in -mid-air, the Rose of Devon surging away from under him. The single -great lanthorn was burning on her poop, and dim lights in forecastle -and cabin showed that those parts of the ship, at least, had come up -through the sea unflooded. He thought he saw a cloaked figure like a -shadow on the quarter-deck. Then he slid down into darkness till the -rope burned his hands, then he struck the water and went under, gasping -at the shock, for the sea was as cold as a mountain stream. He caught -a last glimpse of the great ship, now looming high above him, then -clutching fast the rope with one hand and wildly kicking out, he felt -with his knees what might be a man's body.</p> - -<p>With his free hand he reached for the body. He snatched at an arm and -missed it, then felt hair brushing his fingers and tangled them in it -and gripped it. He went down and down; then the drag of the water, for -the ship was scudding fast, raised him to the surface. The ship rolled -toward him and he again went under, overshadowed by the lofty poop -which leaned out so far that notwithstanding the tumble home he thought -the poop would come down and crush him. The ship then rolled away from -him, and the rope brought up on his arm so hard that he feared the -bones would pull from their sockets; but if he died in doing it he was -bound he would hold the rope and keep his man.</p> - -<p>The ship rolled till he bumped against her side and was lifted half out -of water.</p> - -<p>"Help!" he cried. "Help or we die!"</p> - -<p>He heard voices above and felt the rope move as if some one had seized -it, then the looming bulk of the ship rolled back and drove him again -down into the sea.</p> - -<p>He had no wind left for calling when he came up as once more the ship -rolled, but the man he held had come to life and was clinging like a -leech to the rope, which vastly lightened the strain, and some one -above was hauling on it. For a moment the two swung in air with the sea -beneath them, then the ship rolled farther and their weight rested on -planks, and hands from within the ship reached down and lifted them on -board.</p> - -<p>The man—and it was indeed Martin—coughed like one who is deathly -sick, as well he might be, and went rolling down the deck with a boy to -help him. But Phil, having kept his head and having swallowed no great -quantity of salt water, was able after breathing deeply a few times to -stand alone beside Will Canty whose hands had drawn him to safety, and -to perceive that waist, boat, capstan, windlass and sheet anchor were -washed away.</p> - -<p>He then heard a pounding and shouting aft. "What in the fiend's name -hath befallen us?" he demanded.</p> - -<p>"'Tis even worse than doth appear," Will cried. "The sea hath a free -passage into the hold between the timber heads. They are pumping with -both pumps. The captain hath ordered the mizzenmast cut away, the -better to keep us before the wind. Hear you not the sound of axes? -And—"</p> - -<p>Out of the darkness burst the mate. "Come, my hearts! Below there! Cram -blankets and hammocks into the leak, yea, the shirts from off your -backs! And then to the pumps to take your turn. And pray Almighty God -to give us sight of another day."</p> - -<p>There was running on the deck and shadows passed forward and aft.</p> - -<p>From the quarter-deck a clear voice, so sharp that it pierced the noise -of the storm, was calling, "Port the helm! Ease her, ease her! Now up! -Hard up! Ease her, ease her!"</p> - -<p>As the boatswain dropped through the hatch, he saw very dimly the -captain crouching under the poop, his cloak drawn close about him.</p> - -<p>There was wild confusion below, for as the ship rolled to starboard the -sea burst in through the great gap along the timber heads and pushed -through the gap and into the ship the blankets and rugs that were -stuffed in place. Though the men leaped after them and came scrambling -back to force them again into place between the timbers, and though -they tore down hammocks and jammed them in with the blankets to fill -the great opening, yet as the ship again rolled and the sea once more -came surging against the barrier, they again fled before it, and again -the sea cleared the gap and came flooding in upon the deck. It was a -sight to fill a brave man with despair.</p> - -<p>The more hands made faster work, and though the labour seemed spent in -vain they stuffed the gap anew. But now when the ship again rolled to -starboard an old seaman raised his hand and roared, "Every man to his -place and hold against the sea! Stay! Hold fast your ground!—Come, -bullies, hold hard!—Good fellows! See, we have won!"</p> - -<p>They had perceived his meaning and braced themselves and with their -hands they had held the stuffing in the gap until the pressure ceased, -which was more of a feat than a man might think, since despite their -every effort the sea had found passage in great strong streams, yet -they held to the last; and when the ship rolled back, Boatswain Marsham -cried out:—</p> - -<p>"Now, Master Carpenter, quick! Bring great nails and hammer and a plank -or two. Yare, yare!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea," the carpenter cried, and came running down the deck.</p> - -<p>The men held the planking and the carpenter drove home the nails -and thus they made the plank fast along the timbers behind the gap, -where it would serve to brace the stuffing. Between the plank and the -stuffing they forced a great mass of other wadding, and though the ship -rolled ever so deeply the plank held against the sea. They left it so; -but all that night, which seemed as long as any night they had ever -seen, no man slept in the Rose of Devon, for they still feared lest the -sea should batter away the plank and work their undoing.</p> - -<p>All night long they kept the pumps going and all night long they feared -their labour would be lost. But at four in the morning one of the pumps -sucked, which gave them vast comfort, and at daybreak they gave thanks -to God, who had kept them safe until dawn.</p> - -<p>The storm had passed and the sky was clear, and Phil and Martin met at -sunrise.</p> - -<p>"Since thou hast haled me out of the sea by the hair of my head," quoth -Martin, after the manner of one who swallows a grievance he can ill -stomach, "I must e'en give thee good morrow."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a><br /> -<small>THE MASTER'S GUEST</small></h2> - - -<p>"A sail! A sail!"</p> - -<p>The seas had somewhat abated and the Rose of Devon was standing on her -course under reefed mainsail when the cry sounded.</p> - -<p>The vessel they sighted lay low in the water; and since she had one -tall mast forward and what appeared to be a lesser mast aft they -thought her a ketch. But while they debated the matter the faint sound -of guns fired in distress came over the sea; and loosing the reef of -their mainsail and standing directly toward the stranger, the men in -the Rose of Devon soon made her out to be, instead, a ship which had -lost her mainmast and mizzenmast and was wallowing like a log. While -the Rose of Devon was still far off, her men saw that some of the -strange crew were aloft in the rigging and that others were huddled on -the quarter-deck; and when, in the late afternoon, she came up under -the stranger's stern, the unknown master and his men got down on their -knees on the deck and stretched their arms above their bare heads.</p> - -<p>"Save us," they cried in a doleful voice, "for the Lord Jesus' sake! -For our ship hath six-foot water in the hold and we can no longer keep -her afloat."</p> - -<p>In all the Rose of Devon there was not a heart but relented at their -lamentable cry, not a man but would do his utmost to lend them aid.</p> - -<p>"Hoist out thy boat and we will stand by to succour thee," Captain -Candle called. "We can do no more, for we ha' lost our own boat in the -storm."</p> - -<p>It appeared they had but one boat, which was small, so they must needs -divide the crew to leave their vessel, part at one time and part at -another; and the seas still ran so high, though wind and wave had -moderated, that it seemed impossible they could make the passage. With -men at both her pumps the Rose of Devon lay by the wind, wallowing and -plunging, and her own plight seemed a hard one. But the poor stranger, -though ever and again she rose on the seas so that the water drained -from her scupper-holes, lay for the most part with her waist a-wash -and a greater sea than its fellows would rise high on the stumps of -mainmast and mizzenmast. Her ropes dragged over the side and her -sails were a snarl of canvas torn to shreds, and a very sad sight she -presented.</p> - -<p>Three times they tried to hoist out their boat and failed; but the -fourth time they got clear, and with four men rowing and one steering -and seven with hats and caps heaving out the water, they came in the -twilight slowly down the wind past the Rose of Devon and up into her -lee.</p> - -<p>The men at the waist of the ship saw more clearly, now, the features -of those in the boat, and the one in the stern who handled the great -steering oar had in the eyes of Philip Marsham an oddly familiar look. -Phil gazed at the man, then he turned to Martin and knew he was not -mistaken, for Martin's mouth was agape and he was on the very point of -crying out.</p> - -<p>"Holla!" Martin yelled.</p> - -<p>The man in the stern of the boat looked up and let his eyes range -along the waist of the ship. Not one of all those in sight on board -the Rose of Devon escaped his scrutiny, which was quick and sure; -but he looked Martin coldly in the face without so much as a nod of -recognition; and though his brief glance met Phil's gaze squarely and -seemed for the moment to linger and search the lad's thoughts, it then -passed to the one at Phil's side.</p> - -<p>It was the thin man who had been Martin's companion on the road—it was -Tom Jordan—it was the Old One.</p> - -<p>Martin's face flamed, but he held his tongue.</p> - -<p>A line thrown to the boat went out through the air in coils that -straightened and sagged down between the foremost thwarts. A sailor -in the boat, seizing the line, hauled upon it with might and main. -The Old One hotly cursed him, and bellowed, "Fend off, fend off, thou -slubbering clown! Thy greed to get into the ship will be the means of -drowning us all."</p> - -<p>Some thrust out oars to fend away from the side of the ship and some -held back; but two or three, hungering for safety, gave him no heed and -hauled on the rope and struggled to escape out of their little boat, -which was already half full of water. The Old One then rose with a look -of the Fiend in his eyes and casting the steering oar at the foremost -of them, knocked the man over into the sea, where he sank, leaving a -blotch of red on the surface, which was a terrible sight and brought -the others to observe the Old One's commands.</p> - -<p>Some cried "Save him!" but the Old One roared, "Let the mutinous dog -go!"</p> - -<p>Perhaps he was right, for there are times when it takes death to -maintain the discipline that will save many lives. At all events it -was then too late to save either the man or the boat, for although they -strove thereafter to do as the Old One bade them, the boat had already -thumped against the side of the ship and it was each man for himself -and the Devil take the last. The men above threw other ropes and bent -over to give a hand to the poor fellows below, and all but the man who -had sunk came scrambling safe on board.</p> - -<p>The Old One leaned out and looked down at the boat, which lay full of -water, with a great hole in her side.</p> - -<p>"I would have given my life sooner than let this happen," he said. -"There are seven men left on board our ship, who trusted me to save -them. Indeed, I had not come away but these feared lest without the -master you should refuse to take them. What say ye, my baw-cocks, shall -we venture back for our shipmates?"</p> - -<p>Looking down at the boat and at the gaping holes the sea had stove by -throwing her against the Rose of Devon, the men made no reply.</p> - -<p>"Not one will venture back? Is there no one of ye?"</p> - -<p>"'Twere madness," one began. "We should—"</p> - -<p>"See! She hath gone adrift!"</p> - -<p>And in truth, her gunwales under water, the boat was already drifting -astern. At the end of the painter, which a Rose of Devon's man still -held, there dangled a piece of broken board.</p> - -<p>"Let us bring thy ship nigh under the lee of mine," the Old One cried -to Captain Candle. "It may be that by passing a line we can yet save -them."</p> - -<p>"It grieves me sorely to refuse them aid, but to approach nearer, with -the darkness now drawing upon us, were an act of folly that might well -cost the lives of us all. Mine own ship is leaking perilously and in -this sea, were the two to meet, both would most certainly go down."</p> - -<p>The Old One looked about and nodded. "True," said he. "There is no -recovering the boat and darkness is upon us. Let us go as near to -the ship as we may and bid them have courage till morning, when, God -willing, we shall try to get aboard and save them."</p> - -<p>"That we will. And I myself will con the ship."</p> - -<p>Leaning over the rail, Tom Jordan, the Old One, called out, "Holla, my -hearts! The boat hath gone adrift with her sides stove; but do you make -a raft and keep abroad a light until morning, when God helping us, we -will endeavor to get you aboard."</p> - -<p>Perceiving for the first time that the boat was gone and there was -no recovering her, those left on board the wreck gave a cry so sad -that it pierced the hearts of all in the Rose of Devon, whose men saw -them through the dusk doing what they could to save themselves; and -presently their light appeared.</p> - -<p>Working the Rose of Devon to windward of the wreck, Captain Candle lay -by, but all his endeavours could not avail to help them, for about ten -o'clock at night, three hours after the Old One and his ten men had got -on board the Rose of Devon, their ship sank and their light went out -and seven men lost their lives.</p> - -<p>The Old One, standing beside Captain Candle, had watched the light to -the last. "It is a bitter grief to bear," he said, "for they were seven -brave men. A master could desire no better mariners. 'Tis the end of -the Blue Friggat from Virginia, bound for Portsmouth, wanting seven -weeks."</p> - -<p>"A man can go many years to sea without meeting such a storm."</p> - -<p>"Yea! Three days ago when the wind was increasing all night we kept -only our two courses abroad. At daybreak we handed our main course, -but before we had secured it the storm burst upon us so violently that -I ordered the foreyard lowered away; but not with all their strength -could the men get it down, and of them all not one had a knife to cut -away the sail, for they wore only their drawers without pockets; so the -gale drove us head into the sea and stopped our way and a mighty sea -pooped us and filled us and we lay with only our masts and forecastle -out of the water. I myself, being fastened to the mizzenmast with a -rope, had only my head out of water. Yea, we expected to go straight -down to the bottom, but God of his infinite goodness was pleased to -draw us from the deep and another sea lifted up our ship. We got down -our foresail and stowed it and bored holes between the decks to let -the water into the hold and by dint of much pumping we kept her afloat -until now. In all we have lost eight lives this day and a sad day it -is."</p> - -<p>"From Virginia, wanting seven weeks," Captain Candle mused.</p> - -<p>Captain Jordan stole a swift glance at him but saw no suspicion in his -face.</p> - -<p>"Yea, from Virginia."</p> - -<p>"You shall share mine own cabin but I fear you have come only from one -wreck to another."</p> - -<p>The two captains sat late that night at the table in the great cabin, -one on each side, and ate and drank. There was fine linen on the table, -and bread of wheat flour with butter less than two weeks from the -dairy, and a fine old cheese, and a mutton stew, and canary and sack -and aqua vitæ. At midnight they were still lingering over the suckets -and almonds and comfits that the boy had set before them; and the boy, -nodding in uncontrollable drowsiness as he stood behind his master's -chair, strove to keep awake.</p> - -<p>The murmuring voices of the men at the helm came faintly through the -bulkhead, and up from below the deck came the creak of whipstaff and -tiller. The moon, shining through the cabin window, added its wan light -to the yellow radiance from the swinging lanthorns, and stars were to -be seen. So completely had wind and weather changed in a night and a -day that, save for the long rolling swell, the great gap where waist -and boat and capstan had gone, the hole stuffed with blankets and -rugs and hammocks, the stump of a mizzenmast, and the rescued men on -board—save for these, a man might have forgotten storms and wrecks.</p> - -<p>"You are well found," said Captain Thomas Jordan, tilting his glass -and watching the wine roll toward the brim; "yea, and we are in good -fortune." His thin face, as he lifted his brows and slightly smiled at -his host, settled into the furrowed wrinkles that had won him the name -of the Old One.</p> - -<p>"We can give such entertainment as is set before you," his host drily -replied. Francis Candle was too shrewd a man to miss his guest's -searching appraisal of the cabin and its furnishings. In his heart he -already distrusted the fellow.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a><br /> -<small>BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND MORNING</small></h2> - - -<p>Through the main deck to the gun-room and up into the forecastle there -drifted smoke from the cookroom in the hold, which was the way of those -old ships. At times it set choking the men at the pumps; it eddied -about the water cask before the mainmast and about the riding butts by -the heel of the bowsprit, and went curling out of the hawse pipes. It -crept insidiously into the forecastle, and the men cursed fluently when -their eyes began to smart and their noses to sting.</p> - -<p>There were seven men in the forecastle and Martin Barwick was one of -the seven, although his watch was on deck and he had no right to be -there. Philip Marsham, whose watch was below, had stayed because he -suspected there was some strange thing in the wind and was determined -to learn if possible what it was. Two of the others were younkers of -the Rose of Devon, who suspected nothing, and the remaining three were -of the rescued men.</p> - -<p>There was a step above and a round head appeared in the hatch. The dim -smoky light gave a strange appearance to the familiar features.</p> - -<p>"Ho, cook!" Martin cried, and thumped on the table. "Come thou down -and bring us what tidings the boy hath brought thee in the cookroom. -Yea, though the cook labour in the very bowels of the ship, is it not a -proverb that he alone knows all that goes on?"</p> - -<p>Slipping through the hatch, the cook drew a great breath and sat him -down by the table. "She was the Blue Friggat, I hear, and seven weeks -from Virginia—God rest the souls of them who went down in her!"</p> - -<p>"From Virginia!" quoth Martin. "Either th' art gulled, in truth, or th' -art the very prince of liars. From Virginia! Ho ho!" And Martin laughed -loud and long.</p> - -<p>Now it was for such a moment that Philip Marsham was waiting, nor had -he doubted the moment would come. For although Martin had gone apart -with the men who had come from the foundered ship, the fellow's head, -which was larger than most heads, could never keep three ideas in -flourish at the same time. To learn what game was in the wind there was -need only to keep close at Martin's heels until his blunders should -disclose his secrets.</p> - -<p>"The Devil take thee, thou alehouse dog!" the cook cried in a thick, -wheezy voice. "Did not the boy bring me word straight when he came down -for a can of boiling water with which this Captain Jordan would prepare -a wondrous drink for Captain Candle?"</p> - -<p>"And did not I part with this Captain Jordan not—Wow-ouch!" With a -yell Martin tipped back in his chair and went over. Crawling on his -feet, he put on a long face and rubbed his head and hurled a flood of -oaths at the sailor beside him, a small man and round like an apple, -who went among his fellows—for he was one of those the Rose of Devon -had rescued—by the name of Harry Malcolm.</p> - -<p>"Nay," the little round man very quietly replied, "I fear you not, for -all your bluster. Put your hand on your tongue, fellow, and see if -you cannot hold it. I had not intended to tip you over. It was done -casually."</p> - -<p>"And why, perdy, did'st thou jam thy foot on mine till the bones -crunched? I'll have thy heart's blood."</p> - -<p>"Nay," the man replied, so quietly, so calmly that he might have been -a clerk sitting on his stool, "you have a way of talking overmuch, -fellow, and I have a misliking of speech that babbles like a brook. It -can make trouble."</p> - -<p>Martin stopped as if he had lost his voice, but continued to glare at -the stranger, who still regarded him with no concern.</p> - -<p>"It is thy weakness, fellow," he said, "and—" he looked very hard at -Martin—"it may yet be the occasion of thine untimely end."</p> - -<p>For a moment Martin stood still, then, swallowing once or twice, he -went out of the dimly lighted forecastle into the darkness of the deck.</p> - -<p>"He appears," the little man said, addressing the others, "to be an -excitable fellow. Alas, what trouble a brisk tongue can bring upon a -man!"</p> - -<p>The little man, Harry Malcolm, looked from one to another and longest -at Phil.</p> - -<p>Now Phil could not say there had been a hidden meaning in the hard look -the little man had given Martin or in the long look the little man had -given Phil himself. But he knew that whether this was so or not, there -was no more to be got that night from Martin, and he in turn, further -bepuzzled by the little man's words and after all not much enlightened -by Martin's blunder, left the forecastle to seek the main deck.</p> - -<p>Passing the great cannon lashed in their places, and leaving behind him -the high forecastle, he came into the shadow of the towering poop on -which the lantern glowed yellow in the blue moonlight, and continued -aft to the hatch ladder. Already it was long past midnight.</p> - -<p>He imagined he heard voices in the great cabin, and although he well -enough knew that it was probably only imagination,—for the cabin door -was closed fast,—the presence of the Old One on board the Rose of -Devon was enough to make a man imagine things, who had sat in Mother -Taylor's cottage and listened to talk of the gentlemen who sailed from -Bideford. He paused at the head of the ladder and listened, but heard -nothing more.</p> - -<p>An hour passed. There were fewer sounds to break the silence. There is -no time like the very early morning for subtle and mysterious deeds.</p> - -<p>Boatswain Marsham was asleep below and Captain Candle was asleep aft, -when Captain Jordan arose and stretched himself, and in a voice that -would have been audible to Captain Candle if he had been awake but that -was so low it did not disturb his sleep, vowed he must breathe fresh -air ere he could bury his head in a blanket for the night.</p> - -<p>Emerging from the great cabin, Captain Jordan climbed first to the -poop, whence he looked down on the brave old ship and the wide space of -sky and darkly heaving sea within the circle of the horizon. To look -thus at the sea is enough to make a philosopher of a thinking man, and -this Captain Thomas Jordan was by no means devoid of thought.</p> - -<p>But whereas many a one who stands under the bright stars in the small -morning hours feels himself a brother with the most trifling creatures -that live and is filled with humility to consider in relation to the -immeasurable powers of the universe his weakness during even his brief -space of life—whereas such a one perceives himself to be, like the -prophets of ancient times, in a Divine Presence, the Old One, his -face strangely youthful in its repose, threw back his head and softly -laughed, as if there high on the poop he were a god of the heathen, who -could blot out with his thumb the ship and all the souls that sailed -in her. His face had again a haunting likeness to the devils in the -old wood-cuts; and indeed there is something of the devil in the very -egotism of a man who can thus assert his vain notions at such an hour.</p> - -<p>Presently descending from the poop and with a nod passing on the -quarter-deck the officer of the watch, he paced for a time the -maintop-deck. He pretended to absorb himself in the sea and the damage -the storm had done to the waist; but he missed nothing that happened -and he observed the whereabouts of every man in the watch.</p> - -<p>Edging slowly forward, he stood at last beside a big man who was -leaning in the shadow of the forecastle.</p> - -<p>"We meet sooner than you thought," he said in a low voice.</p> - -<p>"Yea, for we were long on the road and entangled ourselves wonderfully -among those byways and high-ways which cross the country in a manner -perplexing beyond belief."</p> - -<p>"Saw you your brother?"</p> - -<p>"In all truth I saw him—and the Devil take him!"</p> - -<p>The Old One laughed softly.</p> - -<p>"It is plain thy brother hath little love for a shipwrecked mariner," -quoth he, "yet there is a most memorable antiquity about the use of -ships, and even greater gluttons than thy brother have supped light -that worthy seamen might not go hungry to bed. We will speak of him -another time. What think you of this pretty pup we have met by the -way?—Ah, thine eye darkens! Methinks thou hast more than once felt the -rough side of his tongue."</p> - -<p>"He bears himself somewhat struttingly—" Martin hesitated, but added -perforce, since he had received a friendly turn he could not soon -forget, "yet he hath his good points."</p> - -<p>"He was one too many for thee! Nay, confess it!"</p> - -<p>"Th' art a filthy rascal!" Martin's face burned with anger.</p> - -<p>"I knew he would be too cunning for thy wool-gathering wits. Truly I -believe he is a lad after my own heart. I have marked him well."</p> - -<p>"But hast thou plumbed his inclination with thy sounding lead?"</p> - -<p>"Why, no. At worst, he can disappear. It has happened to taller men -than he, and in a land where there are men at arms to come asking -questions."</p> - -<p>"Hgh!"</p> - -<p>"This for thy whining, though: we shall play upon him lightly. Some are -not worth troubling over, but this lad is a cunning rogue and hath book -learning."</p> - -<p>"Came you in search of this ship?"</p> - -<p>"It was chance alone that brought us across her course. Chance alone, -Martin, that brought your old captain back to you."</p> - -<p>Watching Martin, as he spoke, the Old One again laughed softly.</p> - -<p>"Yea, Martin, it touches the heart of your old captain to see with what -pleasure you receive him."</p> - -<p>"Th' art a cunning devil," Martin muttered, and babbled oaths and -curses.</p> - -<p>"We must sleep, Martin—sleep and eat, for we are spent with much -labour and many hardships, and it is well for them to sail our ship for -us a while longer. But the hour will come, and do you then stand by."</p> - -<p>The Old One went aft. The ship rolled drowsily and the watch nodded. -Surveying her aloft and alow, as a man does who is used to command, and -not as a guest on board might do, the Old One left the deck.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a><br /> -<small>HEAD WINDS AND A ROUGH SEA</small></h2> - - -<p>"Lacking the mizzen she labours by the wind, which hath veered sadly -during the night," quoth Captain Jordan in a sleepy voice, as with his -host he came upon deck betimes.</p> - -<p>"I like it little," the master replied.</p> - -<p>"It would be well to lay a new course and sail on a new voyage. There -is small gain to be got from these fisheries. A southern voyage, now, -promises returns worth the labour."</p> - -<p>To this Captain Candle made no reply. He studied the sore damage done -to the ship, upon which already the carpenter was at work.</p> - -<p>"With a breadth of canvas and hoops to batten the edges fast, and -over all a coating of tar, a man might make her as tight and dry as -you please," said the Old One. He smiled when he spoke and his manner -galled his host.</p> - -<p>"It was in my own mind," Captain Candle replied, with an angry lift -of his head. There are few things more grievously harassing than the -importunity and easy assurance of a guest of whom there is no riddance. -It puts a man where he is peculiarly helpless to defend himself, and -already Captain Candle's patience had ebbed far. "Bid the boatswain -overhaul his canvas, mate, and the carpenter prepare such material as -be needful. Aye, and bid the 'liar' stand ready to go over the side. -'Twill cool his hot pride, of which it seems he hath full measure."</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea!"</p> - -<p>As the master paced the deck, back and forth and back and forth, -the Old One walked at his side—for he was a shrewd schemer and had -calculated his part well—until the master's gorge rose. "I must return -to the cabin," he said at last, "and overhaul my journal."</p> - -<p>"I will bear you company."</p> - -<p>"No, no!"</p> - -<p>The Old One smiled as if in deprecation; but as the master turned away, -the smile broadened to a grin.</p> - -<p>Boatswain Marsham and the one-eyed carpenter who wore a beard like -a goat's were on their way to the forehold. The cook and his mate -were far down in the cookroom. Ten men in the watch below were sound -asleep—but Martin Barwick, the eleventh man in the watch, was on deck, -<i>and of the eleven rescued men not one was below</i>. With Captain Candle -safe in his cabin and busied over his journal, there were left from the -company of the Rose of Devon eight men and the mate, and one man of the -eight was at the helm. These the Old One counted as he took a turn on -the quarter-deck.</p> - -<p>The Old One and his men were refreshed by a night of sleep and restored -by good food. To all appearances, without care or thought to trouble -them, they ruffled about the deck. One was standing just behind the -mate; two were straying toward the steerage.</p> - -<p>"Thy boatswain is a brave lad," the Old One said to the mate, and -stepping in front of him, he spread his legs and folded his arms.</p> - -<p>The mate nodded. He had less liking for their guest, if it were -possible, than the captain.</p> - -<p>"A brave lad," the Old One repeated. "I can use him."</p> - -<p>"You?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, I."</p> - -<p>The mate drew back a step, as a man does when another puts his face too -near. He was on the point of speaking; but before his lips had phrased -a word the Old One raised his hand and the man behind the mate drove -six inches of blue steel into the mate's back, between his ribs and -through his heart.</p> - -<p>He died in the Old One's arms, for the Old One caught him before he -fell, and held him thus.</p> - -<p>"Well done," the Old One said to his man.</p> - -<p>"Not so well as one could wish," the man replied, wiping his knife on -the mate's coat. "He perished quietly enough, but the knife bit into a -rib and the feeling of a sharp knife dragging upon bone sets my teeth -on edge."</p> - -<p>The Old One laughed. "Thy stomach is exceeding queasy," he said. "Come, -let us heave him over the side."</p> - -<p>All this, remember, had happened quickly and very quietly. There were -the three men standing by the quarter-deck ladder—the Old One and his -man and the mate—and by all appearances the Old One merely put out -his hands in a friendly manner to the other, for the knife thrust was -hidden by a cloak. But now the mate's head fell forward in a queer, -lackadaisical way and four of the Old One's men, perceiving what they -looked for, slipped past him through the door to the steerage room, -where they clapped down the hatch to the main deck. One stood on the -hatch; two stood by the door of the great cabin; and the fourth, -stepping up to the man at the helm, flashed a knife from his sleeve -and cut the fellow down.</p> - -<p>It was a deft blow, but not so sure as the thrust that had killed the -mate. The helmsman dropped the whipstaff and, falling, gave forth a -yell and struck at his assailant, who again let drive at him with the -knife and finished the work, so that the fellow lay with bloody froth -at his lips and with fingers that twitched a little and then were still.</p> - -<p>The man who had killed him took the whipstaff and called softly, -"Holla, master! We hold the helm!" then from his place he heard a -sailor cry out, "The mate is falling! Lend him aid!"</p> - -<p>Then the Old One's voice, rising to a yell, called, "Stand back! Stand -off! Now, my hearts!"</p> - -<p>There came a quick tempest of voices, a shrill cry, the pounding of -many feet, then a splash, then a cry wilder and more shrill than any -before, "Nay, I yield—quarter! Quarter, I say! Mercy! God's mercy, I -beg of you! Help—O God!"</p> - -<p>There was at the same time a rumble of hoarse voices and a sound of -great struggling, then a shriek and a second splash.</p> - -<p>The man at the helm kicked the dead helmsman to one side and listened. -In the great cabin, behind the bulkhead at his back, he heard a sudden -stir. As between the mainmast and the forecastle the yells rose louder, -the great cabin door burst open and out rushed Captain Francis Candle -in a rich waist with broad cuffs at his wrists, his hair new oiled -with jessamine butter, and gallant bows at his knees, for he was a -fine gentleman who had first gone to sea as a lieutenant in the King's -service. As he rushed out the door the man lying in wait on the left -struck a fierce blow to stab him, but the knife point broke on a steel -plate which it seemed Captain Candle wore concealed to foil just such -dastardly work.</p> - -<p>Thereupon, turning like a flash, Captain Candle spitted the scoundrel -with his sword. But the man lying in wait on the right of the door saw -his fellow's blow fail and perceived the reason, and leaping on the -captain from behind, he seized his oiled hair with one hand and hauled -back his head, and reaching forward with the other hand, drove a knife -into the captain's bare throat.</p> - -<p>Dark blood from a severed vein streamed out over Captain Candle's -collar and his gay waist. He coughed and his eyes grew dull. He let go -his sword, which remained stuck through the body of the man who had -first struck at him, clapped his hand to his neck, and went down in a -heap.</p> - -<p>The yells on deck had ceased and the man who had killed Francis Candle, -after glancing into the great cabin where the captain's cloak lay -spread over the chair from which he rose to step out of his door and -die,—where the captain's pen lay across the pages of the open journal -and a bottle of the captain's wine, which he had that morning shared -with his guest, Captain Thomas Jordan, stood beside the unstoppered -bottle of ink,—walked forth upon the deck and nodded to the Old One, -who stood with his hand on the after swivel gun.</p> - -<p>There were a few splotches of blood on the deck and three men of the -Rose of Devon's crew lay huddled in a heap; there were left standing -three other men of the Rose of Devon, and sick enough they looked; -Martin Barwick was stationed by the ladder to the forecastle, where -he stood like a pigeon cock with his head haughtily in the air and his -chest thrust out; and the little round apple of a man, Harry Malcolm, -who had broken in upon Martin the night before, bearing now a new -and bloody gash across his forehead, was prowling among the guns and -tapping the breech rings with a knowing air.</p> - -<p>The Old One from the quarter-deck looked down at the new comer.</p> - -<p>"Rab took the steel," the fellow said.</p> - -<p>"Rab!" the Old One cried. "Not Rab, you say?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, he struck first but the master wore an iron shirt which turned -the point and he was then at him with his sword."</p> - -<p>"We have lost nine good men by this devil-begotten storm, but of them -all Rab is the one I am most loath to see go to the sharks." The Old -One paced the deck a while and the others talked in undertones. "Yea, -Martin," he called at last, "nine good men. But we have got us a ship -and I have great hopes of our boatswain, who may yet make us two of -Rab. At all events, my bullies, we must lay us a new course, for I have -no liking of these northern fisheries. Hark! They are pounding on the -hatch."</p> - -<p>The sound of knocking and a muffled calling came from the main hatch, -whereat the men on deck looked at one another and some of them smiled.</p> - -<p>"It were well—" the little round man began. He glanced at the huddled -bodies and shrugged.</p> - -<p>"True, true!" the Old One replied, for he needed no words to complete -the meaning. "You men of the Rose of Devon, heave them into the sea."</p> - -<p>The three looked at one another and hesitated, and the youngest of the -three turned away his face and put his hand on his belly, and sick -enough he looked, at which a great laugh went up.</p> - -<p>"Go, Harry," the Old One cried to the little round man, "and tell them -at the hatch to be still, for that we shall presently have them on -deck. We must learn our brave recruits a lesson."</p> - -<p>Again a roar of laughter rose, and as the little man went in to -the hatch, the others drew about the three who cowered against the -forecastle ladder, as well they might.</p> - -<p>"Come, silly dogs," said the Old One, "in faith, you must earn your -foolish lives. Lay hands on those carcasses and heave them to the -fishes."</p> - -<p>They looked into the faces of the men about them, but got small comfort -as they edged toward their unwelcome task.</p> - -<p>"It is hard to use thus a shipmate of three voyages," the oldest of -them muttered.</p> - -<p>"True," replied the Old One, "but so shall you buy your way into a -goodlier company of shipmates, who traffic in richer cargoes than -pickled codfish and New England herrings."</p> - -<p>The three picked up the bodies, one at a time, each with its arms and -legs dragging, and carried them to the waist and pushed them over. But -the youngest of the three was trembling like a dead weed in November -when they had finished, and the Old One chuckled to see the fellow's -white face.</p> - -<p>"Have courage, bawcock," the Old One cried; "there shall soon be -a round of aqua vitæ to warm thy shaking limbs and send the blood -coursing through thy veins. Now, Mate Harry, lift off the hatch and -summon our good boatswain and carpenter."</p> - -<p>"As you please, as you please," came the quick, gentle voice of the -little round man. "But there are two of 'em left still—Rab and the -captain—and there's a deal of blood hereabouts."</p> - -<p>They heard the hatch creak as the little man pried it off. They heard -his quick sentences pattering out one after another: "Hasten out on -deck—nay, linger not. The master would have speech of thee. Nay, -linger not. Ask me no questions! There's no time for lingering."</p> - -<p>Then out burst Phil Marsham with the older carpenter puffing at his -heels.</p> - -<p>"What's afoot?" cried Phil. "Where's the master?—what—where—"</p> - -<p>So speedily had they hurried from the hatch (and so cleverly had the -little round man interposed himself between the hatch and the two -bodies at the cabin door) that in the dim light of the steerage room -the two had perceived nothing amiss. But now, looking about for the -source of the fierce cries and yells they had heard, they saw red -stains on the deck, and men with scared white faces.</p> - -<p>All looked toward the Old One as if awaiting his reply; and when -Phil Marsham, too, looked toward him, he met such another quizzing, -searching, understanding gaze as he had long ago met when he had taken -the words from Martin's lips on the little hill beside the road.</p> - -<p>"Why, I am master now, good boatswain."</p> - -<p>"But Captain Candle—"</p> - -<p>"His flame is out."</p> - -<p>The lad glanced about him at the circle of hard old sea dogs—for they -were all of them that, were their years few or many—and drew away till -he stood with the waist at his back. Laying hands on his dirk, he said -in a voice that slightly trembled, "And now?"</p> - -<p>"Why," quoth the Old One, "you have sat in Mother Taylor's kitchen and -heard talk of the gentlemen. You know too many secrets. Unless you are -one of us—" He finished with a shrug.</p> - -<p>"You ask me, then, to join you?"</p> - -<p>"Yea."</p> - -<p>"I refuse." He looked the Old One in the eye.</p> - -<p>"Why, then," said the Old One, "you are the greater fool."</p> - -<p>The circle drew closer.</p> - -<p>"What then?"</p> - -<p>"'Tis but another candle to be snuffed."</p> - -<p>With hand on dirk and with back against the waist, the boatswain looked -one and another and then another in the eye. "Why, then," said he, "I -must even join you, as you say. But I call upon you all to witness I am -a forced man." And he looked longest and hardest at the three men from -the old crew of the Rose of Devon.</p> - -<p>The Old One looked back at the lad and there was, for the first time, -doubt in his glance. He stood for a while pondering in silence all that -had taken place and studying the face of his boatswain; but his liking -of the lad's spirit outweighed his doubts, for such bold independence, -whether in friend or foe, was the one sure key to Tom Jordan's heart. -"So be it," he said at last. "But remember, my fine young fellow, that -many a cockerel hath got his neck wrung by crowing out of season." He -turned to the carpenter. "And what say you? We can use a man of your -craft."</p> - -<p>"I am thy man!" the fellow cried. The stains on the deck had made him -surpassingly eager, and his one eye winked and his beard wagged, so -eager was he to declare his allegiance.</p> - -<p>"Well said!" the Old One responded. "And now, Master Harry, have them -up from below—the sleepers, and the cook and his mate, and all! We -have taken a fine ship—a fine ship she will be, at all events, once -our good carpenter has done his work—and well found. We needs must -sign a crew to sail and fight her."</p> - -<p>They heard the little round man calling down the hatch and at a great -distance in the ship they heard the voices of men grumbling at being -summoned out of sleep. But the grumbling was stilled when one by one -the men came out on deck; and of them all, not a man refused to cast -his lot with the Old One and the rest. The mere sight of a little blood -and of the hard faces that greeted them was enough for most. And two or -three, of whom Will Canty was one, must fain perceive how futile would -be present resistance. Indeed, in the years since the old Queen had -died, and the navy had gone to the dogs, and merchantmen had come to -sail from the Downs knowing they were likely enough to meet a squadron -of galleys lying in wait fifty leagues off the Lizard, many a sailor -had taken his fling at buccaneering; and those that had not, had heard -such great tales of galleons laden with treasures of the Indies and -with beautiful dames of Spain that their palates were whetted for a -taste of the life.</p> - -<p>The cook smiled broadly and clapped the boy on the back and cried out -that as a little lad he had sailed with John Jennings what time John -Jennings's wench had turned his luck, and that having begun life in -such brave company, he would gladly end it in a proper voyage if it -was written that his time was near. They all laughed to see the boy -turn white and tremble, and they huzzaed the cook for his gallant -words. But Will Canty met Phil's eyes and there passed between them a -look that made the Old One frown, for he was a man who saw everything.</p> - -<p>The Rose of Devon, although close-hauled by the wind, rolled heavily, -which was the way of those old tall ships; but the adverse winds and -high seas she had encountered were of fancy as well as of fact. The sun -was shining brightly and sky and sea were a clear blue; but despite -sun and sky and sea no weatherwise man could have believed the dark -days of the Rose of Devon were at an end. Like so many iron bars the -shadows of the ropes fell blue on the sails, and the red blotches on -the deck matched the dull red paint of the stanchions and the waist. -The carpenter, who had come up with his plane in his hand, fingered the -steel blade. The boy turned his back on the bloody deck and looked away -at the sea, for he was a little fellow and not hardened by experience -of the world.</p> - -<p>"Come, my hearts," cried the Old One, and gaily enough he spoke. -"We are banded together for the good of all. There is no company of -merchants to profit by our labour and our blood. God hath placed in -our keeping this brave ship, which will be staunch and sea-worthy -when our carpenter hath done his work. Harry Malcolm is our mate -and master gunner as of old, and Phil Marsham shall continue as our -boatswain—nay, grumble not! He came with Martin Barwick and he hath -sat in Mother Taylor's kitchen, where may we all sit soon and raise our -cans and drink thanks for a rich voyage. There is work to be done, for -all must be made clean and tight—yea, and Rab is to be buried."</p> - -<p>The little round man was still wandering from gun to gun and smiling -because the guns pleased him. They were demiculverins of brass, bored -for a twelve-pound ball and fit to fight the King's battles; but alas! -they had shown themselves powerless against a foe from within the ship. -And as the Rose of Devon rolled along in the bright sun, alone in a -blue sea, the body of Francis Candle lay forgotten in the steerage -room.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a><br /> -<small>THE PORCUPINE KETCH</small></h2> - - -<p>Looking down from the quarter-deck the Old One spied the cook, who had -come up to warm his bald head and fat face in the sun and to clear the -smoke from his nostrils. "Ho, cook," quoth he, "I have a task for thee. -Break out from the cabin stores rice and currants and cinnamon and the -finest of thy wheaten flour. Seek you also a few races of green ginger. -It may chance there is even a little marchpane, for this man Candle had -a gentle palate. Spare not your old cheese, and if you unearth a cask -of fine wine fail not to tell of it. In a word, draw forth an abundance -of the best and make us such a feast as a man may remember in his old -age."</p> - -<p>The cook smiled and rubbed his round paunch (yet cringed a little), for -he was of a mind, being never slow in such matters, to filch from the -cabin table whatever he might desire and his heart warmed to hear the -good victuals named. "Yea, master," he cried, "for thee and for Mate -Malcolm?"</p> - -<p>"Nay, thou parsimonious dog! Think you that such are the manners of -gentlemen mariners? Times have changed. Though I be master, there is no -salt at my board. One man is as good as another and any man may rub his -shoulder with mine."</p> - -<p>The Old One's own men chuckled at the cook's blank face and the boy -shivered when he thought that he must wait on them all, of whom one was -as likely as another to fetch him a blow on the head. But the cook -went down below and they heard him bawling to his mate to come and help -break out the cabin stores, and word went through the ship of what -was afoot. And though Will Canty and the boatswain, meeting, glanced -dubiously each at the other, as did others of the Rose of Devon's old -company,—for matters are in a sad way in a ship when the master feasts -the men,—all the foolish fellows were clapping one another on the back -and crying that here was a proper captain, and there was none quite so -mad as to dispute them in so many words.</p> - -<p>The smoke grew thick between the decks, and after a while there rose -the smell of baking and roasting, and the foolish ones patted their -bellies and smacked their lips. They whispered about that the boy was -spreading with a linen cloth the table in the great cabin and that the -cook's mate was staggering under weight of rich food; and when the cook -called for men to hoist out a cask of such nectar as poor sailors know -not the like of, a great cheer went up and there were more hands to -haul than there was room on the rope.</p> - -<p>The Old One, leaning on the poop, smiled and Harry Malcolm, coming to -join him, smiled too; for they knew well the hearts of sailormen and -did nothing without a purpose.</p> - -<p>So the table was laid and the feast was spread and in came the men. -Only one remained at the helm, for the wind was light, which made -light his task; six remained on deck to watch and stand by, with Harry -Malcolm curled against the light gun on the quarter-deck to command -them; and the cook and his mate, resting from their labours far down in -the hold, gorged themselves on good food and drank themselves drunk -on nappy liquor from a cask they had cannily marked for their own -among the cabin stores. Of the rest, all that could find room crowded -into the great cabin, and all that could find no room in the cabin -squatted on the deck outside the door on the very spot where Francis -Candle had fallen dead. They sat with their backs against bulkheads and -stanchions, where they, too, could join in the feast and the council; -and the boy, when all were fed, gathered meat from under the table like -old King Adoni-bezek of unhappy memory.</p> - -<p>It was a sight to remember, for very merry they were and save as they -were rough, hard-featured men, a man would never have dreamed they bore -blood on their hands and murder on their hearts. The Old One sat at the -head of the table and took care that neither food nor wine was stinted. -The carpenter, his one eye twinkling with pleasure and his beard -waggling in his haste lest another should get ahead of him at trencher -work, sat on the Old One's right, which was accorded him as a mark of -honour since he had accomplished marvels in restoring the planking the -storm had torn asunder. A stout seaman of the rescued men, Paul Craig -by name—it was he who had needed two blows to kill the helmsman—sat -at the Old One's left and squared his big shoulders over his meat and -ate like a hog till he could hold no more, for he was an ox of great -girth and short temper and little wit, who ate by custom more than did -him good. Another of gaunt frame, Joseph Kirk by name, sat smiling at a -man here and a man there and tippled till his head wagged; and off in -a corner there sat a keen little man with a hooked nose, who was older -than most of those in the cabin yet had scarcely a wrinkle to mar the -smoothness of his shaven face save above and behind his eyes, where a -few deep lines gave him the wild look of a hawk.</p> - -<p>When he spoke, which was seldom, thick gutturals confused his words, -and always he sat in corners. Does not a man looking out of a corner, -with a wall on two sides of him and no one behind him, see more than -another? His Christian name was Jacob and most of them knew him by no -other; but mocking him they called it "Yacob." Further than that, which -he took with a wry smile, they refrained from mocking him, for though -he spoke little, his silence said much.</p> - -<p>The Old One rose and very sober he was as he held high a brimming can, -and so steady was his hand that not a drop spilled. For a space he -paused and looked around at the rough company seated at the long table -and crouching in the mellow shadows beyond the door, then, "To the -King!" he cried.</p> - -<p>Those not knowing him well, who stared in perplexity at such a toast -in such a place and time, saw his eyes twinkle and perceived he was -looking at old Jacob in the corner. Then old Jacob, smiling as at a -familiar jest, rose in turn and raised his can likewise, and pausing to -look about him, cried back at the Old One in his thick foreign voice, -"The King and his ships—be damned!"</p> - -<p>A yell of laughter and derision shook the cabin. The one-eyed carpenter -leaped up first, then such of the rescued men as were not too drunk to -stand, then here and there men of the Rose of Devon's company, some -eagerly in all earnestness, others having a mind to keep their throats -in one piece, for they perceived that like enough the unholy toast was -but to try their allegiance.</p> - -<p>The Old One's eyes leaped from man to man and his cold voice cut -through the noisy riot of drunken mirth. "I had said Will Canty was a -man of spirit, but his can hugs the table when these tall fellows are -drinking confusion to the King."</p> - -<p>"A hand-napper, a hand-napper! Have him away, my hearts, to the Halifax -engine," Joe Kirk bawled with a drunken leer.</p> - -<p>"Why," said Will Canty, and his face was white, but with a red spot on -either cheek, "my can, since you say what you say, was dry; and for the -matter of that, I am no prating Puritan who wishes ill to the King."</p> - -<p>Over the rumble of voices the Old One's voice rose loudest: "See you, -then, religious cobblers or preaching button-makers among us?"</p> - -<p>"And there are others yet besides prating Puritans, mine friend, that -drink our toast!" cried Jacob.</p> - -<p>The Old One then smiled, for he was no man to drive a nail with a -two-hand sledge. But although he changed his manner as fast and often -as light flickers on running water, under the surface there flowed a -strong, even current of liking or ill will, as sooner or later all men -that had dealings with him must learn, some to their wonder and some to -their sorrow. "Enough, enough!" said he. "Will's a good lad and he'll -serve us well when there's powder smoke to snuff. Be you not offended, -Will. In all faith our ship is a king's ship and more, for are we not -thirty kings, to fight our own battles and heave out our own flag -before the world and take such treasures as will buy us, each and all, -a king's palace and all the wives a king could wish? Nay, God helping -us, my hearts, we shall carry home to good Mother Taylor riches that -will serve for a sponge to wipe the chalk from every black post in -Cornwall and in Devon, and Will Canty shall drink with us there."</p> - -<p>There rose a thunder of fists beating the board and a rumble of -"Yea's," and the Old One made no end of smiling, but there were some -whom his smile failed to deceive.</p> - -<p>"Come, boy, with thy pitcher of sack! Pour sack for all!" he cried. -"Come, ply thy task and let no man go wanting. Fill you Will Canty's -pot." He gulped down a mighty draught and wiped his moustaches with -thumb and forefinger. "And now, brave lads, let us have our heads -together: though we lie but a hundred leagues off these banks of -Newfoundland, what say you? Shall we turn our backs on them and take a -fling at a braver trade? Or shall we taste of fat lobsters and great -cod, and perchance pluck the feathers from some of these New England -towns concerning which there hath lately been such a buzz of talk -in old England—at Cape Ann, let us say at venture, or Naumkeag, or -Plymouth Colony?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea! I am for Cape Ann," cried Joe Kirk, and his head rolled -drunkenly above his great shoulders as he bolstered his opinion with -curses. "Did not my brother go thither, years and years agone, for the -company of Dorchester merchants? Yea, and told rare tales of succulent -great fish, which are a marvelous diet."</p> - -<p>"Nay, thy brother was as great a sot as thou," a voice put in, and Joe -rose in anger, but a general clamour drowned his retort and he lapsed -back into a sodden lethargy.</p> - -<p>"As for me," bellowed Martin with bluster and bravado, "I say go we -to Plymouth and rap the horns of these schismatic Puritans. Tell me -not but that they've mines of rich gold hid away. Did'st ever see a -Roundhead knave would brave the wild lions of America unless he thought -there was gold in't?"</p> - -<p>"Thou thyself art fool as well as knave," quoth the Old One. "Did'st -thou not once cry the whole ship's company out of sleep to see a -mermaid that would entice thee to thy peril? And when sober men had -come on deck there was nought there but a seal-fish at play. Lions -forsooth! In Africa even I have heard a lion roar, but not in America. -Much searching of tracts hath stuffed thy head."</p> - -<p>The drunken Joe roused sleepily up. "My brother saw a lion at Cape Ann -plantation. My brother—" He drew a knife and wildly flourished it, but -fell back in a stupor before the laughter died.</p> - -<p>Martin's bluster, as was its way when a man boldly confronted it, broke -like a pricked bubble, but his sullen glare caught the Old One's eye.</p> - -<p>Leaning over the table, the Old One said in a low, taunting voice, "And -did you never see a man dance on air? Ah, there's a sight to catch the -breath in your throat and make an emptiness in a man's belly!"</p> - -<p>As often happens when there has been a great noise and a man speaks in -a low voice, there was a quick lull and the words came out as clear as -the ringing of a half crown. Phil Marsham, looking across the table -into the Old One's cold blue eyes, which were fixed on Martin, saw in -them a flicker of calculating amusement; then he saw that Martin was -swallowing as if he had a fishbone in his throat.</p> - -<p>In truth Martin wore the sickly smile that a man affects when he is -cornered and wishes to appear braver than he is. He tried to speak but -succeeded only in running his tongue over his lips, which needed it if -they were as dry as they were blue.</p> - -<p>"Come, come, we get no place!"</p> - -<p>"Yacob! Yacob!" they cried at the sound of his voice, "Up on thy feet, -Yacob!"</p> - -<p>He rose and stood in his corner. His long hair was brushed back from -a forehead so high that it reached to a great lump on the crown of -his head. His brows were knit with intense earnestness. His big nose -and curled lips and small chin were set in what might have seemed in -another place and another time scholarly intentness. They did him -honour by waiting in silence for his words.</p> - -<p>"This bickering and jangling brings us no place. Shall we go on or -shall we go back? Shall we go north or shall we go south? Those are -questions we must answer. Now I will tell you. If we go on, we shall -find little fishing ships, with fish and no chinks, and we shall get -tired of eating fish. If we go back in this fine ship that God in his -goodness hath given us, we shall hang. We may yet go back to Mother -Taylor, but we must go back in another ship. You know why. Now, brave -hearts, if we go on to New England it shall profit us nothing. For the -New-English are poor. They live in little huts. The savages come down -out of the woods and kill. Whether there be lions I do not know and I -do not care; those savages I have seen and they are a very ugly sight. -The English plantations are cold in winter like the devil. They are -poor. The English, they play with poverty.</p> - -<p>"And if we go south? Ah-h-h! There are the Spains! They have sun and -warmth and fruits and spices! They have mines of gold and silver -and stones of great price. While the English play with poverty, the -Spains play with empires! In New England we shall eat salt cods or -starve—which is much the same, for salt cods are a poor diet. But in -the South we shall maybe catch a galleon with a vast treasure." And -with that, very serious and sure of his rightness, he sat down.</p> - -<p>"Yea, Yacob! Yea, Yacob!" they bawled and delighting in the -alliteration cried it again, over and over.</p> - -<p>Paul Craig, heavy with sated gluttony, piped a shrill "Yea, Yacob," -and the Old One pounded the table and grinned, for he had sailed many -seas in Jacob's company. Phil Marsham—nay, and even Will Canty, -too!—pricked ears at the sound of Spanish galleons; for the blue -Caribbean and the blue hills of the main were fabled, as all knew, to -hold such wealth as according to the tales of the old travellers was to -be found in Cathay or along the banks of the first of the four rivers -out of Paradise. And was not a Spanish ship fair prey for the most -law-abiding of English mariners?</p> - -<p>There was a hubbub of talk as they sat there, and there was no doubt -but they were of one mind to turn their backs on the bleak northern -coast and seek a golden fortune in the south. But the council arrived -suddenly at an end when down from the deck came the lingering call, "A -sa-i-l! A sa-i-l!"</p> - -<p>Up, then, the Old One leaped, and he raised his hand. "A sail is cried. -What say you?"</p> - -<p>"Let us not cast away what God hath offered us!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, Yacob!"</p> - -<p>"Up, you dogs in the steerage! A hall, a hall!"</p> - -<p>One fell over on the table in drunken torpor. Another rushed out the -door and tumbled over a sleeper at the threshold.</p> - -<p>"Up, you dogs! How stands he?"</p> - -<p>They poured out of the cabin to the deck.</p> - -<p>"He stands on the lee bow!"</p> - -<p>"Bear up the helm! A fresh man at the helm!" the Old One thundered. He -squinted across the sea. "Come, Harry—here on the poop—and tell me if -she be not a ketch. Now she lifts—now she falls. 'Twill be a chase, I -take it."</p> - -<p>The round little mate came nimbly up the ladder.</p> - -<p>"Helm a-luff!" said he in his light, quick voice, which at first the -helmsman failed to hear. "Helm a-luff! A-luff, man! Art deaf? The -courses hide her. There she lifts! Yea, a ketch. Let us see. It is now -an hour to sunset. If we stand across her bows and bear a sharp watch -we shall come up with her in early evening and a very proper moment it -will be."</p> - -<p>His light, incisive speech, so unlike the boisterous ranting of the Old -One, in its own way curiously influenced even the Old One himself. A -man who has a trick of getting at sound reasons, unmoved by bluster or -emotion, can hold his own in any company; and many a quiet voice can -fire a ship's crew to action as a slow match fires a cannon.</p> - -<p>"Now, young men," Martin roared, "up aloft and loose fore and main -topsails. And oh that our stout mizzenmast were standing yet!"</p> - -<p>"No, no, no!" cried Harry Malcolm and he almost raised his voice. "Thy -haste, thou pop-eyed fool, would work the end of us all. Think you, if -they see us fling every sail to the wind, they will abide our coming -without charging their guns and stationing every gunner with linstock -and lighted match? Nay, though she be but a ketch, let us go limping -across her bows as lame as a pipped hen."</p> - -<p>"True, and with every man lying by the side of his gun, where they -shall not see him until we haul up the ports and show the teeth of -the good ship." It was Jacob who spoke thus as he climbed to Harry -Malcolm's side.</p> - -<p>The Old One, looking down at the deck below, touched his mate's arm.</p> - -<p>"Yea, I see them. What do you want?"</p> - -<p>"It seems," said the Old One, "that our boatswain hath a liking for the -fellow."</p> - -<p>"And that the fellow hath a liking for our boatswain, think you?"</p> - -<p>"Well?"</p> - -<p>Jacob thrust his long nose between them. "'Well,' you say, by which you -mean 'not well.' It proves nothing that a man will not drink damnation -to a king."</p> - -<p>The three heads met, high on the poop, and now and again they glanced -down at the two lads who stood by the waist and watched the distant -sail, which grew black as the sun set behind it.</p> - -<p>The sun set and the sea darkened and a light flamed up on board the -chase, which appeared to show her good faith by standing toward the -Rose of Devon.</p> - -<p>There was a rumble of laughter among the men when they perceived she -had changed her course. The sober wrung oaths from the drunk by dashing -bucketfuls of cold water in their faces. The gunners moved like shadows -among the guns. And high on the poop, three shadows again merged into -one.</p> - -<p>"Master Boatswain," the Old One called, but softly, "do thou take it -upon thyself, although it lies outside thine own province, to make -sure that powder and balls and sponges and ladles and rammers are laid -ready."</p> - -<p>Hunching his bent shoulders, Mate Malcolm came nimbly down the ladder -and from the chest of arms drew forth muskets and pistols.</p> - -<p>"Come, my bullies below there, knock open your ports!" It was the Old -One's voice, but so softly and briskly did he speak that it might have -been Harry Malcolm.</p> - -<p>As the dim figures on deck moved cautiously about, the subdued voice -again floated down to them:—</p> - -<p>"Let all the guns be loose in tackles and stand by to run them out when -the word is given. Port your helm! Every man to his quarters. Now, my -hearts, be ready to show your courage and we'll have this wandering -ketch for a consort to our good Rose of Devon."</p> - -<p>Then Harry Malcolm came in haste along the deck. "Who's to this gun? -And who to this? Nay, you've a man too many there. Here, fellow, come -hither! Here a man is lacking. You there, who are playing the part of -gunner, have you ever heard these bulldogs bark? And understand you the -business? Good, good!" And he passed on up the deck. Nought escaped -him. In the silence they heard the sound of his voice and the quick -pattering of his feet when they could see no more than that he was -still moving among the guns.</p> - -<p>They had come so near the stranger that they must soon hail or be -hailed, when a figure emerging from the steerage room in the darkness -came upon Phil Marsham by the quarter-deck ladder and gave a great -start. As Phil turned, the fellow whispered, "God be thanked it is -thou! I thought it was another. Come with me to the side—here by the -shrouds."</p> - -<p>The two stepped lightly under the shadow of the quarter-deck to the -waist, where the carpenter had nailed in place new planks not twelve -hours since, and together they raised a bundle. It was on the larboard -side, and since all had gathered for the moment to starboard to watch -the strange ketch, there was no man to observe them. Some one moved -above them and they hesitated, then they heard slow steps receding and -thick undertones that they recognized as Jacob's. When he had gone, -the one who had brought the bundle whispered, "Heave it far out," and -together they hove it.</p> - -<p>Still in the shadow of the quarter-deck, the two slipped silently back, -unseen, and when Harry Malcolm came hurrying from one side, and Jacob -from the other, to see what had made the splash, there was no one there -nor could any man answer their questions.</p> - -<p>"Have you done as you said?" Phil asked in a breathless whisper.</p> - -<p>"That I have." And it was Will Canty who spoke.</p> - -<p>"Then we shall like enough be hanged; but thou art a tall fellow and I -love thee for it."</p> - -<p>There came over the water a voice distinctly calling, "Whence your -ship?"</p> - -<p>"Back to your guns, ye dogs!" cried Mate Malcolm in a voice that could -be heard the length of the deck, yet that was not loud enough to be -heard on board the stranger.</p> - -<p>"Of England," the Old One called from the quarter-deck. "And whence is -yours?"</p> - -<p>There was a space of silence, in which the two vessels came nearer each -other, and I would have you know that hearts ever so courageous were -thumping at a lively pace.</p> - -<p>"And yours?" the Old One cried the second time.</p> - -<p>There came voices and a hoarse laugh from the stranger, then, "Are you -merchants or men of war?"</p> - -<p>"Of the sea," cried the Old One in a voice so like thunder that a man -would not think it could have come from his lean throat. "Run out -your guns, O my hearts! Let him have the chase guns first. The chase -guns—the chase guns!"</p> - -<p>Now one bawled down the main hatch, and another below echoed his cry, -then there sounded the quick <i>boom-boom</i> from the bows. The guns had -spoken and the fight was on.</p> - -<p>"Up your helm—up your helm! Hold your fire now, my hearts, and have at -them!" the Old One cried.</p> - -<p>And now the voice came again over the restless sea. "Our ship is the -Porcupine ketch and our quills are set."</p> - -<p>The dark sea tossed and rolled between the vessels and little that -happened on board either was visible to the other, so black was the -night; but the light of the sky, which the water reflected, made of -each a black shape clear-cut as of jet but finer than the most cunning -hand could carve, in which a man might trace every line and rope.</p> - -<p>And now from on board the ketch jets of flame burst out and after them -came smartly the crack of muskets.</p> - -<p>"Now, lads," the Old One thundered, "give fire and make an end of this -petty galling. Give fire!"</p> - -<p>A gun on the maintop-deck boomed and another followed; but there -was confusion and stumbling and all were slow for want of practice -together, and there was time lost ere the third gun spoke. Then, while -Mate Malcolm was storming up the deck and the Old One was storming -down, they heard the strange master calling to his gunners; then, to -the vast amazement of the men of the Rose of Devon, who had cherished -the delusion that their chase was a weak craft and an easy prize, on -board the ketch as many as a dozen guns belched flame. Their thunder -shook the sea and their balls sang through the rigging, and a lucky -shot struck the Rose of Devon in the forecastle and went crashing -through the bulkhead.</p> - -<p>The ketch then tacked as if to give fire with her other broadside but -deftly swung back again and before the Old One or Harry Malcolm had -fathomed the meaning of it there rose from on board her, the cries of -"Bear up and close with him!"—"Board him on his quarter!" "Have ready -your graplins!"</p> - -<p>"Sheer off, sheer off!" old Jacob roared. "Our powder is good for -nought. Yea, she is in all truth a prickly porcupine."</p> - -<p>"If we foul, cut anything to get clear!" cried the Old One. "Put down -your helm! Veer out your sheets! Cast off weather sheets and braces! -Aloft, there, and clear the main yard where the cut tacklings foul it! -Good lad, boatswain, good lad!"</p> - -<p>For on the yardarm Phil had drawn dirk and cut at the snarl of ropes, -where a chance ball had wrought much mischief. Then, as the two vessels -swung side by side he looked squarely into the eyes of a bearded man in -the rigging of the ketch.</p> - -<p>The Old One—give the Devil his due!—was handling his ship in a proper -manner and by luffing he had kept abreast of those guns in the ketch -which had spent their charges. But it was plain that the Rose of Devon -had caught a tartar. In all truth, she had run upon a porcupine with -quills set, for though a smaller vessel, the ketch, it now appeared, -carried as many men or more, and every man knew his place and duty. -Looking down on her deck, Phil saw her gun crews toiling with sponges -and rammers to load anew.</p> - -<p>She was herself, it seemed, a sea rover athirst for blood and in those -wild, remote seas there was no fraternity among thieves. As the main -yardarm of the Rose of Devon swung toward her rigging when the ship -rolled, the bearded man ran a rope about the spar and in a moment the -vessels were locked abeam and were drifting together till their sides -should touch.</p> - -<p>Philip Marsham again drew the dirk that Colin Samson had wrought for -him and leaning far out struck at the fellow's breast, who swung back -to avoid the thrust, which pricked him but did no more. Then the fellow -sprang to the attack with his own knife in hand, for he had thrown -a knot in the rope, which creaked and tightened; and with a yell of -triumph he struck at the lad, who swung to one side and struck back.</p> - -<p>It was a brave fight in the empty air, and the two were like warring -spiders as they circled and swung in the darkness and thrust each at -the other. But the lad was many years the younger, and by so much the -more nimble, and his dirk—for which all thanks to Colin Samson!—smote -the fellow a slashing blow in the thigh. And while the fellow clung to -the shrouds, weak with pain, a second Rose-of-Devon's man came crawling -over Phil who hung below from the yard, and slashed the rope.</p> - -<p>"We are clear! We are clear! God be thanked!" the Old One yelled.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the men of the Rose of Devon had succeeded in firing -three guns of the larboard broadside, which by the grace of Divine -Providence wrought such ruin in the stranger's running gear that the -one crew of rascals was enabled to escape fit retribution at the hands -of the other. The peak of her great foresail fell and in a moment her -cut halyards were swept into a snarl that needed time and daylight for -untangling.</p> - -<p>So the Rose of Devon slipped past the ketch, whose men were striving -to clear the rigging and come about in pursuit, and having once evaded -her erstwhile chase, the old ship ran away in the night. With her -lights out and all the sail spread that she could carry, and favoured -by clouds and fog, she made good her escape; but there was grumbling -forward and grumbling aft, and there was a dead man to heave over the -side.</p> - -<p>It served Philip Marsham better than he knew that he had fought a duel -on the yardarm; for dark though the night had been, there had happened -little that escaped the Old One's eye; and bitter though Tom Jordan's -temper and angry his mood, he was always one to give credit where he -believed it due.</p> - -<p>When he wiped the blood from the dirk, Phil remembered with gratitude -the good smith, Colin Samson. Then he thought of the old lady and -gentleman at the inn, and of Nell Entick, and bluff Sir John. He would -have been glad enough to be out of the Rose of Devon and away, but for -better or worse he had cast his lot in the ship, and though he little -liked the lawless turn her affairs had taken, a man cannot run away by -night from a ship on the high seas.</p> - -<p>All hands stood watch till dawn as a tribute to the war of one pirate -upon another, and not until the sun had risen and shown no sail in -sight did the Old One himself go into the great cabin.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a><br /> -<small>A BIRD TO BE LIMED</small></h2> - - -<p>A lad being called into council by such a man as Tom Jordan might well -think himself a fine fellow, and rare enough were lads whom Tom Jordan -would thus have summoned. But although Philip Marsham, it seemed, had -taken the Old One's eye and won his heart long before on the little -hill beside the road, when Phil had drawn the wind from Martin's sails, -and although it had not escaped Tom Jordan that Phil's hand moved -easily toward his weapon, the old proverb has it "a man that flattereth -his neighbor, spreadeth a net for his steps"; and "he that whistleth -merrily, spreadeth his nets cunningly and hunteth after his prey -greedily."</p> - -<p>So, "Come, boatswain, and lend us thy wits," cried Tom. "Four heads -shall provide more wisdom than three." And with that, he clapped Phil -on the back and drew him into the cabin where Jacob and the mate sat -deep in talk of the night's adventures.</p> - -<p>"A hawk, when she is first dressed and ready to fly," said Jacob, "is -sharp set and hath a great will upon her. If the falconer do not then -follow it, she will be dulled for ever after. So, master, a man! Yea, -and a ship."</p> - -<p>"A great will, sayest thou?" quoth the Old One, and his voice revealed -his sullen anger. "Why then, in God's name, did ye not rake them with -a broadside or twain?" With which he turned on Harry Malcolm, thus to -include him in the charge.</p> - -<p>"For one thing," replied Malcolm, and testily, for ill temper prevailed -both aft and forward, "we gave the gunners no firing to learn them -their guns. For another thing, the powder failed us. For yet another, -since you say what you say, and be cursed for it, 'twere a mad, foolish -notion to run afoul a strange ship, for we have but a half the company -we need to work a ship and fight. And finally, to cap our woeful -proverbs, we know what we know—yea," and he shot a dark glance from -under bent brows, "we know what we know; there be those who come toward -us with their feet, but go from us with their hearts." His voice, as -always, was light and quick, but there was a rumble in it, such as one -may sometimes hear in a dog's throat.</p> - -<p>As the three men looked first at one and then at another, there came to -Boatswain Marsham, sitting as it were outside their circle, the uneasy -throbbing of their suspicion.</p> - -<p>"Of the powder," said Jacob coolly, "I have taken a little from each -barrel." He laid on the table seven packages wrapped in leaves from an -old book. Regarding closely the notes he had written on each package, -he opened them one by one and placed them in a row.</p> - -<p>"This," said he, "is from the barrel that good Harry Malcolm served -out to the men and that doubtless this man Candle hath used from in -old days. It hath lost its strength by long lying. Press it with thy -fingers and thou shalt feel it soft to the touch. Here upon this white -sheet of paper I lay four corns of this powder. This other powder"—and -he chose a second package—"is from a barrel new opened. Press it and -thou shalt see how firm and hard is each corn. And this, too, is firm -and of a fair azure. And so, also, this. But this—" and he first put -his eyes close to the notes on each remaining packet, then held them -far off, for his sight, although good at a great distance, made out -with difficulty things near at hand, "this is from a barrel that hath -lost its strength by moisture; and this hath a fault I shall tell you -of."</p> - -<p>Taking a pinch of each, as he spoke, he had laid the corns, each some -three fingers distant from the next, in a circle on the paper. He then -struck tinder, and lighting a match made of twisted cords of tow boiled -in strong lye-ashes and saltpetre, he held it over a corn of the good -powder. There was a flash and puff, and the ring of powder was gone. -The corns of good powder had fired speedily and left only a chalky -whiteness in their place, nor had they burned the paper or given off -smoke; but the corns of poor powder had burned slowly, and some had -scorched the paper and some had given forth smoke.</p> - -<p>The Old One softly swore. "And have we, then," asked he, "but three -barrels of good powder?"</p> - -<p>"Nay, there are more than three. This last is weak because they have -neglected to turn the barrels upside down, so the petre has settled -from top to bottom, as is its way. We shall find the bottom as strong -as the top is weak, and by turning the barrel we shall renew its -strength evenly."</p> - -<p>"As for the powder that hath spoiled by long lying," cried Philip -Marsham, "I will undertake to make it as good as new."</p> - -<p>"Do you, boatswain, mind your sails and cordage," said old Jacob, -with a wry smile. "An you wish to grind it in the mortar, that you -may; but it is I who will measure the petre. Nay, I will make you, if -you wish it for a wonder to show friends, a powder of any colour you -please—white, red, blue, or green."</p> - -<p>Of the three who leaned over the packets of powder, old Jacob was the -only one who bore with even temper the sad reverse of the night before; -for master and mate glared at each other in such wrath as had thrown a -shadow over every soul in the ship.</p> - -<p>Some had waked with aching heads, for which they had their own folly -to thank; some were like men who dream they have got a great treasure -but wake to find pebblestones or worse under the pillow: since the -Porcupine ketch had yielded them no gold and had stung them instead -with her quills. In all truth the ship was by the ears, for in -extremities your sea sharks are uncertain friends, as a touch of foul -weather will manifest to any man's satisfaction.</p> - -<p>"Enough of this," said the Old One, and he pushed aside the packets and -folded his arms. "We lose time. There is a thief amongst us."</p> - -<p>"A thief, you say?" And the hot red of anger burned its way across the -boatswain's face, for the three had turned and looked hard at him.</p> - -<p>The Old One and Harry Malcolm then exchanged quick glances, and Jacob -shut his small mouth tight and knotted his brows.</p> - -<p>"Well," cried Phil, "would you charge me with theft?"</p> - -<p>"Some one," said the Old One, lingering over each word, "hath wrought a -clever plot against us."</p> - -<p>"Say on, say on!"</p> - -<p>"He is a man, I make no doubt, whose buttons are breaking with venom."</p> - -<p>There was heavy silence in the cabin. Jacob, pursing his lips and -knotting his brows, looked from one of them to another, and Phil, -vaguely on the defensive, drew back and gave them a gaze as steady as -they sent.</p> - -<p>"He is doubtless a very cunning rascal," Harry Malcolm put in, "who -hath cut his cloth by his wits; but he is making a suit that will -throttle him by its narrowness about the neck."</p> - -<p>The master and mate once more exchanged glances and the Old One then -smiled lightly, as if again there were sunlight rippling over dark -water.</p> - -<p>"Nay, Philip, we think no ill of thee. But do thou have care to thy -company. A foul trick hath been done with a mind to render us helpless -at sea, so that we must crawl to the nearest land, where some base -dunghill spirit is doubtless of a mind to leave our company. But we -have resources; yea, and of thee, Philip, we think no ill."</p> - -<p>Despite their fair words, though, they were watching Philip Marsham -like three old tomcats watching a sparrow, and he, being no fool, knew -the reason why.</p> - -<p>Three hard faces they showed: the one, handsome in a devilish way and -keen; the second, unassuming, yet deeply astute and marked by a deeper -rooted, if less frank, selfishness; the third, older, wiser, more -self-centred.</p> - -<p>The eyes of master and mate were coldly cruel; but old Jacob was too -intent on his own thoughts to be cruel save by indifference.</p> - -<p>All that day Jacob squatted on the deck and toiled with tools and wood. -From the wood he chose certain long pieces, fine-grained and straight -and dry and free from knots, and certain shorter and broader pieces -that were suited to his purpose, and bade the carpenter plane them -smooth. He laid out scales, working with a small square and a pair -of compasses, and engraved them with utmost care. He wrought brass -into curious shapes by a plan he made, and from morning till night he -kept at the task, frowning and ciphering and sitting deep in thought. -He called for charcoal and a mortar, and beat the charcoal to a fine -powder and tempered it with linseed oil. This he rubbed into the wood -he had shaped to his liking, and watched it a long while, now and again -touching it to try it; then with oil from a phial he had found in a -chest in the great cabin he rubbed the wood clean, and there were left -in the wood, set off neatly in black, the gradations and figures he had -so exactly etched.</p> - -<p>Taking his work into the great cabin, he toiled on by lanthorn light -until a late hour, and there through the open door men as they passed -might see him hunched over the table with his medley of tools about -him. But when at last he leaned back and drew a long breath of relief, -very serious and very wise, his work was done, and curiously and deftly -contrived it was.</p> - -<p>On the table before him there lay a cross-staff, a nocturnal and a -Gunter's scale, "with which," said he, to the Old One, who sat opposite -him quietly taking tobacco and sipping wine, "and with what instruments -the thief hath left us, a man can navigate a ship where he will."</p> - -<p>Examining closely the nocturnal, which was intricately carved and -engraved, the Old One muttered, as if ignoring Jacob's words, "I will -yet lime that bird."</p> - -<p>"Though he be never so mad a callant, I misdoubt he will put his head -into a noose," said Jacob in his thick, serious voice.</p> - -<p>"Be he the one we think or not the one we think, I will set him such -a trap," said the Old One, "as will take the cunningest fox that ever -doubled on the hounds." And the thin face smiled in a way that was not -pleasant to see.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a><br /> -<small>A WONDERFUL EXCELLENT COOK</small></h2> - - -<p>If an astrologer or an Arabian enchanter could say to a man, "Beware -of this or that, for it is a thing conceived of the Devil to work thy -ruin," there would be reason for studying the stars or smiting the -sand. And this, indeed, they do, according to the old tales. But if a -sailor seek out an astrologer to learn things that shall profit him, -he is more likely to find a man grown foolish by much study, who will -stroke his chin sagely and say, "Come, let us look into this matter. -Under Capricorn are all diseases in the knees and hams, leprosies, itch -and scales and schirrous tumors, fallow grounds and barren fields, -ox-houses and cow-houses, low dark places near the ground, and places -where sails and materials for ships be laid." And while he talks of -fixed angles and of the Lord of the Ascendant being in the fourth week, -some small unsuspected thing may be the very egg on which the Devil is -sitting like an old black hen to hatch forth a general calamity.</p> - -<p>Thus certain incidents that shortly thereafter happened are to the -point, for although they appeared of little moment at the time, they -turned the tide of men's lives and made a stir that has to do with the -current of my tale.</p> - -<p>Now the men of the Rose of Devon sighted a sail at high noon when they -were a week on their way south, and though she showed her heels and -ran, and though the Rose of Devon lacked her mizzenmast, the strange -vessel was but a small pink and so slow that they laid her aboard two -hours before dark. In her crew she had only a dozen men, and sorely -frightened they were, as they tossed in the lee of the dark frigate. -So to save themselves from a more cruel fate there was scarcely one of -them but leaped at the chance to join the Rose of Devon's crew. They -tumbled up their small cargo of salt fish for Bilbao and hoisted it on -board the ship, together with their shallop, and casting their pink -adrift, they forbore from complaining when their new master and his men -stole whatever pleased them, from the new men's rings and knives to the -very clothes on their backs. So, with her plunder and her recruits, the -Rose of Devon again squared her yards and continued on her course.</p> - -<p>There was, to be sure, one fellow of mean spirit who whined dolefully, -upon conceiving his present extremity to be distasteful. But another -got comfort by knocking him on the head when no one was looking; and -finding him dead, the Old One hove him over-board and there was no -further trouble from the fishermen.</p> - -<p>Yet it was no secret that there was grumbling and complaining forward -among the gentlemen of the Rose of Devon, so the Old One sent the -boatswain to summon them aft when the watches were changing.</p> - -<p>He leaned against the swivel gun on the quarter-deck, and looking down -into their faces, smiled disagreeably. "It hath come to my ears," said -he, "that one hath a sad tale to tell because we failed to take the -Porcupine, which, though a mere ketch, outnumbered us in guns and men. -And another hath a sad tale to tell because this pink that late became -our prize is small and of little worth, though we got from her eleven -brave fellows who shall be worth a store of fine gold." He looked from -one of his men to another, for they were all there,—Martin and the -cook, and Philip Marsham and Will Canty, and Paul Craig and Joe Kirk, -the one-eyed carpenter and the rest,—and his thin face settled into -the many wrinkles that had got him his name. There was none of them, -unless it might be Harry Malcolm or Old Jacob, who could say surely at -one time or another what thoughts were uppermost in Tom Jordan's shrewd -head.</p> - -<p>"Come, now, my hearts of gold," he cried, "let us have an end of such -folly. Said I not that these northern fisheries were meat for crows? -And that we must go south to find prey for eagles? We will choose a -fine harbour by some green island where there's rich fruit for the -picking and fat fish for the catching, and we will build there a town -of our own. We will take toll from the King of Spain's ships; we will -take us wives and women and gold and wine from the dons of the islands -and the main. Yea, we will lay up a great store of riches and live in -fullness of bread and abundance of idleness."</p> - -<p>Some were pleased, but some doubted still, which the Old One -perceiving, for he read their faces, cried, "Nay, speak up, speak up! -Let us have no fair-protesting friends with hollow and undermining -hearts."</p> - -<p>"Yea, it is a fair tale," cried one, in a surly voice, "but thus far we -have blows to show for our pains—blows and a kettle of fish."</p> - -<p>"And methinks," another growled, "we shall see more of salt fish and -buccaned meat, than of fine wines and gold and handsome women."</p> - -<p>"'Tis a swinish thought," the Old One retorted; but he smiled when he -said it, so that they took no offense, for of such grumbling he had no -fear. He was set to catch a bird of quite another feather.</p> - -<p>Then old Jacob rose and they were silent to hear him. "Let us make an -end of talk," said he slowly. "We are on our way south and to stop or -turn aside would be nothing but foolishness." And with that, although -they had expected him to say more, he turned away.</p> - -<p>Then, of a sudden, "Come, Will," the Old One cried, singling out his -man from all the rest, "what say you?"</p> - -<p>If Will Canty's face changed at all, it was a whit the paler as he met -the Old One's eyes. "I say," he replied, "that since we have fish on -board, we are sure of fish and would do well to eat fish ere we lose -it."</p> - -<p>"There is sooth in thy words," quoth the Old One, and he smiled in -friendly wise. (But despite his smile, he liked the words little, as -any shrewd man might have known by his eyes, and Will Canty was no -fool.) "Come, cook, and boil us a great kettle of fish."</p> - -<p>The rumble of low voices changed to laughter and the cook boldly cried, -"Yea, yea, master!"</p> - -<p>"For our much voyaging and many pains," cried the men, as they went -about their work, "we have got a kettle of fish." And they laughed -mightily, for though it was the very thing that before had made them -grumble, now they saw it as a droll affair and made of it many jests, -of which a few were good and more bad, after the manner of jests.</p> - -<p>As for the cook, he called his mate and bade him break out a drum of -fish and set a kettle to boil, and cuffed him this way and that, till -the poor fellow's ears were swollen.</p> - -<p>And the Old One said to Harry Malcolm, "Saw you not how deftly the -fellow twisted out of the corner, and with a sly remark that no one can -take amiss? Oh, he is a slippery dog and I am minded to cut his throat -out of hand!"</p> - -<p>"Now, that would be very foolish, for where there's one of them, -there's always two, and the one will toll the other on until there are -two dogs by the heels instead of one."</p> - -<p>At that the Old One laughed harshly, and the two, who were after a -left-handed fashion uncommonly congenial, went off well pleased with -their conceit.</p> - -<p>Down in the hold the kettle boiled right merrily, and the cook swelled -with pride that he had a mate to carry and fetch. He cuffed the poor -fellow this way, and he cuffed him that. He threw a pan at him when the -fire smoked worse than common, and he thrust a fistful of flour into -his face and down his neck when he let the fire lag. He flung him his -length on the floor for spilling a pint of water; and when in despair -the lad fled for his life, the cook seized him by the hair and haled -him back and put a long knife at his breast and swore to have his -heart's blood. Oh, the cook was in a rare and merry mood, for he had -drunk more sack than was good for him from the cask he had marked as -his own; but as he had waxed exceeding gay and haughty, the sack had -dulled his wits and he was drunker than he knew.</p> - -<p>"Come, thou pig! Thou son of a swine!" he yelled. "Ladle out the fish -and choose of the best for the cabin. Yea, choose in abundance and -summon the master's boy and bid him haste. And do thou bestir thyself -and carry to the men." And with that, he fetched the poor fellow a blow -on his head, which knocked him off his feet.</p> - -<p>The fellow ran to do the work and the cook, in vast satisfaction at -having so well acquitted himself, sat down with a goblet of sack and -tippled and nodded, and kept an ill-tempered eye on the master's boy -and his own, as with shrewd fear of broken heads they scurried back and -forth.</p> - -<p>"It is most wonderful excellent sack," quoth the cook, and with his -sleeve he mopped his fiery bald head. "It was by a happy stroke I -marked it for my own. Truly, I had rather be cook than master, for here -I sit with mine eye upon the cabin stores, from which I can choose and -eat at will, and the captain, nay, the Lord High Admiral of England, -is himself none the wiser. Fish, sayest thou? Nay, fish is at best a -poor man's food. I will have none of it." And thus he ran on foolishly, -forgetting as he drank sack, that there was no one to hear him, not -even his mate. "Truly, I am a wonderful excellent cook. I may in time -become a captain. I may even become the governor of a plantation and -take for a wife some handsome Spanish woman with a wonderful rich -dowry. She must have an exceeding rich dowry if she will marry me, -though. Yea, I am a wonderful excellent cook." And the more he drank -the more foolish he became.</p> - -<p>After a while, he cocked his head upon one side; and quoth he, "I hear -them calling and shouting! It seemeth they are singing huzza for me. -I hear them coming down to do me honour. Truly, I am a most wonderful -excellent cook and the fish hath pleased them well. Foolish ones that -they are to eat it!"</p> - -<p>The silly fellow sat with his head on one side and smiled when they -burst in upon him. "Hast come for more fish?" he cried. "Yonder stands -the kettle. Nay, what's that? What's that thou sayest? Nay, fellow, -th' art mad? Thou know'st not to whom thou speakest."</p> - -<p>"Fool! Knave! Scoundrel! Swine!" they yelled. "Oh, such a beating as -thy fat carcase will get. Hear you not the uproar? Think you to cozzen -us?"</p> - -<p>With that they seized him, two by the head and two by the feet, and -dragged him to the ladder. They threw a rope about him and knotted it -fast and tossed the ends to men at the hatch above, who hauled him, -squealing and kicking like an old hog, up on deck. To the cabin they -dragged him, with all the men shrieking curses at him and pelting him -with chunks of fish, and in the cabin they stood him before the table -where the Old One and Harry Malcolm sat, and very angry were they all.</p> - -<p>"Dog of a cook," said the Old One, "for a relish to conclude our meal, -we shall see thee eat of this fish that the boy hath brought us." And -he thrust before the cook a great dish. "Eat it, every shred, bones and -all," said he, "or I'll have thee butchered and boiled in place of it."</p> - -<p>"Why, now," said the cook, somewhat sobered by rough handling and a -trifle perplexed, but for all that still well pleased with himself, "as -for the bones, they are liable to scrape a man's throat going down. I -am reluctant to eat bones. But the meat is good. I rejoice to partake -of it, for so diligently have I laboured to prepare it that I have -denied myself, yea, though I hungered greatly."</p> - -<p>"Eat," said the Old One and widely he grinned.</p> - -<p>Looking suspiciously about him, for there was something in their manner -that he failed to understand, the cook thrust his hand into the dish -and took from it a great slice of fish, which he crammed into his mouth.</p> - -<p>"Eat," said the Old One, "eat, O thou jewel among cooks!"</p> - -<p>A curious look came over the cook's face and he raised his hand as if -to take the fish out of his mouth.</p> - -<p>"Nay, swallow it down," said the Old One. "Be not sparing. There is -abundance in the dish. Yea, thou shalt stand there eating for a long -time to come." And though he smiled, his look made it plain that he was -in no trifling mood.</p> - -<p>The cook turned pale and choked and gasped. "Water!" he cried thickly, -for his mouth was too full for easy speech.</p> - -<p>"Nay, much drinking hath wrought havoc with thy wits. Eat on, eat on!"</p> - -<p>Prodigious were the gulps by which the cook succeeded at last in -swallowing his huge mouthful, and great was his distress, for the salt -in it nearly choked him. "Water, water!" he weakly cried. "Nay, temper -thine heart with mercy, master! I beg for water—I beseech for water."</p> - -<p>"Eat on," said the Old One grimly.</p> - -<p>Then Harry Malcolm chuckled and the men in the door roared with -laughter, but the cook plunked down on his fat knees and thrust out -both his hands. "Nay, master, I cannot hold it down!"</p> - -<p>"Eat on, O jewel among cooks!"</p> - -<p>"Nay, master—"</p> - -<p>"Come, then, lads, and cram it down his hungry throat."</p> - -<p>Three of them seized him, and one, when he shut tight his mouth, thrust -a knife between his teeth.</p> - -<p>"Blub-bub-blah!" he yelled. "I'll eat! I'll eat!"</p> - -<p>They let him go and he rose and ate. Time and again he gasped for water -and they laughed; time and again he lagged and the Old One cried, "Eat -on!" When at last he stood miserably in front of the empty dish, the -Old One said, "For a day and a night shalt thou sit in bilboes with a -dry throat, which will be a lesson to learn thee two things: first, -before cooking a kettle of fish, do thou bear it well in mind to soak -out the salt so that the fish be fit for food; and second, by way of -common prudence, do thou sample for thyself the dishes that are cooked -for the cabin."</p> - -<p>They haled him forward and locked the shackles on his feet and placed -beside him a great dish of the fish, that whoever wished might pelt him -with it; and there they left him to repent of his folly and forswear -drunkenness and whimper for water.</p> - -<p>As the weary hours passed, the sun tormented him in his insufferable -thirst; but nightfall in a measure brought relief and he nodded in the -darkness and fell asleep.</p> - -<p>Waking, he would rub his head, which sadly throbbed and would seek by -gulping to ease his parched throat; and sleeping again, he would dream -of great buckets of clear water. The voices that he heard buzzed in his -ears as if they were the droning of flies, and hunching himself down -in his shackles at one end of the iron bar, he forgot the world and -was forgotten, since his fat carcase lay inertly in a black shadow and -there was nothing to make a man keep him in mind.</p> - -<p>He heard at last a voice saying, "But nevertheless it becomes you to -walk lightly and carefully," and another replying, "I fear him not, for -all his subtle ways. Much that goes on escapes him."</p> - -<p>He stirred uneasily, and opening his eyes, saw that there were two men -leaning side by side against the forecastle.</p> - -<p>"In the matter of wit, you grant him less than his due," said the first -speaker. "And in another matter you charge him with a heavier burden -than he needs bear."</p> - -<p>The cook stirred and groaned and the first speaker chuckled, at which -the cook's gorge rose from anger.</p> - -<p>"O jewel among cooks!" one of the two called softly, and the unhappy -man knew by the voice that the speaker was Philip Marsham.</p> - -<p>Naming no names and talking in roundabout phrases as people do when -they wish one to know their meaning and another not to, the two -continued with no heed at all to the cook, whom they thought a mere -drunken lout. And indeed, their undertones were scarcely audible; but -anger sharpened the cook's ears and his wits, and he lay and ruminated -over such chance sentences as he got.</p> - -<p>"It puzzled me from the first," said the other, "to see how easily you -bore with your comrade of the road."</p> - -<p>"Why, he is a good soul in his way."</p> - -<p>The other gave a grunt of disgust.</p> - -<p>"Nay, it is a wonder to me that a lad with your nice notions ever found -his way to sea," Phil retorted.</p> - -<p>"And I might never have gone, had not Captain Francis Candle been my -godfather."</p> - -<p>"As for me, I have seen both sides of life; and, but for a certain -thing that happened, I might be well enough contented where I am."</p> - -<p>"And that?"</p> - -<p>Phil hesitated, for though they had talked freely, as young men will, -the question searched a side of Phil's life to which as yet he had -given no clue. "Why," said he, lowering his voice, "for one thing, I -saw for the first time my own grandfather; and for another, I saw a -certain old knight who quite won my fancy from such a man as a certain -one we know. Come, let us stroll together." And as they walked the deck -that night, arm in arm, Phil told his companion what his life had been -and what it might have been, and mentioned, in passing, the girl at the -inn.</p> - -<p>Left to his miseries and his thoughts, of which the first were little -better company than the second, the woeful cook turned over and over -in his fat head such fragments of their talk as he had succeeded in -overhearing, and to say truth, he made little more out of it all than -the speakers had intended. But his parched throat teased his wits to -greater effort, and being come to such a state that he would have -bartered his immortal soul for water, had chance offered, he bethought -him of a plan by which, if luck held good, he might escape from his -shackles.</p> - -<p>The moment for which he waited was a long time coming and he suffered -a great variety of increasing miseries before it arrived; but when -the watches changed, he saw among the men newly arrived on deck his -erstwhile dearest friend, and somewhat reluctantly forgiving his dear -friend for belabouring him over the head with a whole salt fish, the -cook softly called the man by name.</p> - -<p>The fellow came snickering, which made it none the easier to bespeak -his aid; but the cook nevertheless swallowed his wrath as well as with -his dry throat he could, and whispered to the fellow that he must make -haste and tell the master there was news to be imparted in secret.</p> - -<p>At this the fellow held up his hand with thumb thrust between first and -second fingers.</p> - -<p>"Give me no fico," wailed the most excellent cook. "Nay, I have -stumbled upon a black and hidden matter. Go thou, and in haste, and it -will pay thee well."</p> - -<p>For a time they bickered in the dark, but there was in the cook's -despair a sincerity that finally made the fellow believe the tale; and -finding, upon stealing aft, that there was still a light in the great -cabin, he mustered up his courage and knocked.</p> - -<p>"Enter," cried a hard voice.</p> - -<p>The fellow opened the door and peeped in and found the Old One sitting -alone at the table. Glancing hastily about, and the more alarmed to -meet the cold eye of Harry Malcolm who lay on the great bed in the -corner of the cabin, he closed the door at his back and whispered, "He -swears it's true—that there's foul work afoot. 'Tis the cook who hath -told me—yea, and hath bade me tell you. He would say no more—the -cook, I mean."</p> - -<p>"Oh, my good friend, our most excellent cook!" Meditating, the Old -One looked the fellow up and down. "Here," said he, "strike off his -shackles and send him in with the key." And he threw the fellow the key -to the locks.</p> - -<p>After a while the cook came weakly in and shut the door behind him and, -throwing the key on the table, fell into a chair.</p> - -<p>"Ah," said the Old One, "what is this tale I have heard news of?"</p> - -<p>"Water!" gasped the cook. For though he had managed, by pausing at the -butt on his way, to drink nearly a quart, he had no mind the Old One -should know of it.</p> - -<p>The Old One smiled. "Go, drink, if thy tale be worth it; but mind, if -I deem thy tale not worth it, thou shalt pay with a drop of blood for -every drop of water."</p> - -<p>The cook shot a doubting glance at the Old One, but went none the less, -and came back wiping his lips.</p> - -<p>"Have at thy tale," said the Old One.</p> - -<p>There was a quaver in the cook's voice, for he was by no means sure of -how great a tale he could make, and the master's face gave him small -encouragement, for from the beginning of the tale to the end the Old -One never altered his cold, cruel smile.</p> - -<p>"It was the boatswain and young Canty," he said.</p> - -<p>"Ah!"</p> - -<p>"They was leaning on the forecastle and walking the deck arm in arm and -talking of one thing and another."</p> - -<p>"And what did they say?"</p> - -<p>"They talked about some one's slow wit—I could not make sure whose, -for they scoffed at me bitterly—and Canty was bepuzzled by the -boatswain's ways, and he wanted him to do something or other."</p> - -<p>"Go on." The Old One, grinning coldly, leaned back and watched the -labouring cook, who wracked his few brains to make a worthier story.</p> - -<p>"Nay, but I heard little else. Yet, said I, the master must know at all -costs."</p> - -<p>"What a thick head is thine and how easily seen through and through!" -The Old One laughed. "Think you all this is worth a second thought? I -am of the mind to have you skinned and salted. But I forgive you, since -I have a milkish heart that is easy moved to pity. Get you down to your -berth and sleep."</p> - -<p>The cook departed in haste, but with a fleeting glance at Harry Malcolm -whom he feared less only than the master. He was aware that for some -reason he did not understand, his broken tale had served his purpose.</p> - -<p>When he had gone the Old One turned about. "You heard him. What think -you?" said he.</p> - -<p>From the great bed in the corner, Harry Malcolm raised his head and -laughed silently. "Our able cook was hard pressed for an excuse to get -out of his ankle rings. Did you hear him slopping at the butt the first -time passing? As for his tale, we know what we knew, and no more."</p> - -<p>"'Slow wits'! I wonder."</p> - -<p>"At Baracao we shall see," said Harry Malcolm. "Neither one nor a dozen -can harm us before we raise land."</p> - -<p>"And after raising land, which by God's mercy will be soon now, we -shall see whose wits will nick first when the edges crack together."</p> - -<p>The Old One stretched and yawned and Harry Malcolm softly laughed.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a><br /> -<small>A LONESOME LITTLE TOWN</small></h2> - - -<p>A light seen in the middle watch gave warning of an unexpected -landfall, and calling up the Old One, who had a store of knowledge -gained by much cruising in those seas, they lay off and on until dawn, -when they made out an island of the Bahamas. It seemed, since by their -reckoning they were still a day's sail from land, that there was some -small fault in their instruments; but to this they gave little heed, -and which island it was and what occasioned the light they never knew, -though some ventured one guess and some another as they bore past it -and lifted isle beyond isle. For two days, with the Old One conning the -ship, they worked their way among the islands, and thus at last they -came to a deep bay set among hills, which offered a commodious and safe -anchorage, notwithstanding that on the point that guarded the bay there -was the wreck of a tall ship.</p> - -<p>In the shallop they had taken from the fishing pink, the Old One and -Jacob, with four men to row them, went out to the wreck and returned -well pleased with what they had found.</p> - -<p>"God is good to us," cried the Old One, perceiving that Harry Malcolm -waited at the waist for their coming. "Though her foremast and mainmast -be sprung, yet her mizzen is sound as a nut."</p> - -<p>"And is it to be fetched out of her unharmed?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, that it is! Come, Master Carpenter, haul out our broken old stump -of a mizzen. By this time on the morrow our good Rose of Devon will -carry in its place as stout a stick as man can wish. Faith, the ill -fortune of them whose ship lies yonder shall serve us well."</p> - -<p>There was a great bustle in the old frigate, for work was to be done -that needed many hands. Some went to the wreck to save masts and spars, -and others, led by the one-eyed carpenter, toiled to haul out the -stump. Boatswain Marsham and his mate laid ready ropes and canvas; and -the most of the company being thus busied with one task or another, -Martin and the cook caught a store of fresh fish, which the cook—who -had now become a chastened, careful man—boiled for supper, while -Martin went onshore for fruit that grew wild in abundance and for fresh -water from a sandy spring. It was three days instead of one before the -work was finished; but meanwhile there was fresh food and water aft and -forward, and having spent at sea many weary weeks, the men rejoiced to -pass time so pleasantly in a snug haven.</p> - -<p>Indeed, a man might have passed a long life in comfort on such an -island, and there were many who cried yea, when Joseph Kirk declared -himself for building a town there, to which they might return with a -store of wives and wines, and from which they could sally forth when -their supplies of either got low, and get for themselves others out of -the King of Spain's ships and plantations. But the Old One laughed and -cried nay. "I shall show you a town," said he, "in a land as fair as -this, but with houses built and ready for us, and with gold piled up -and waiting, and with great cellars of wine and warehouses filled with -food."</p> - -<p>So they sailed from the island one morning at dawn and for a week they -picked their way down the windward passages. At times they lay hidden -in deep harbours of which the Old One knew the secret; and again they -stood boldly out to sea and put behind them many leagues of their -journey. And thus progressing, one night, as they worked south against -a warm breeze scented with the odour of flowers, they sighted on the -horizon a dark low land above which rose dimly the shape of a distant -mountain.</p> - -<p>The men gathered about master and mate and Jacob, then Harry Malcolm -went swarming up the rigging and from the maintopsail yard studied the -dim bulk of the mountain. After a time he cried down to them, "Douse -all lights and hold her on her course!"</p> - -<p>For an hour they stood toward the land, then Malcolm came down from -aloft smiling, and there ran through the ship a great wave of talk. -Though a man had never sailed those seas before, he would not have -found the reason for their talk hard to guess, since there were few -secrets on board. Time and distance had made less the grumbling -occasioned by the disastrous brush with the Porcupine and by the -littleness of the profit got from the pink, and they had warmed their -hearts with the Old One's tales.</p> - -<p>Bearing to the west, the Rose of Devon skirted the dark shore for -miles; but the master and mate were growing anxious lest dawn overtake -them before they should reach the hiding-place they sought; and when -they rounded a certain wooded point and sailed into a deep, secluded -bay where a ship might lie for a year unseen,—which put an end to -their fears,—they let go their anchors with all good will and furled -their sails; and at break of day they kedged the ship into a cove that -might have been a dock, so straight were the shores and so deep the -water.</p> - -<p>"Mind you, Ned," or "Mind you, Hal, the night we landed on Hispaniola?" -the men from the Blue Friggat were saying. And "'Twas thou at my side -when we stole down through the palms and bottled the garrison in the -little fort." And "Ah, what wine we got that night!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, and how drunk we got! So that Martin Barwick was of a mind to go -fight a duel with the captain of the soldiers. And then they burst out -and drove us all away, and there was an end of our taking towns for a -long, long while."</p> - -<p>"I will have you know that I was no drunker than any man else," Martin -snarled, and they laughed uproariously.</p> - -<p>"Come," cried another, "since we have laid our ship in her chosen -berth, let us sleep while the idlers watch. We shall be off in the cool -of the afternoon."</p> - -<p>"Nay, in the morning!"</p> - -<p>"Afternoon or morning matters little," said old Jacob thickly, in the -corner where he sat watching all the men. "The hour is near when we -shall lay in the hold a goodly cargo. I know well <i>this</i> town. We need -only find two more such towns to get the money to keep us the rest of -our lives like so many dukes, each of us in a great house in England, -with a park full of deer, and the prettiest tavern wenches from all the -country round to serve us in the kitchen."</p> - -<p>That day, while the men slept in such cool places as they could find, -the cook and the carpenter stood watch; and a very good watch they -kept, for they were prudent souls and feared the Old One and dared -not steal a wink of sleep. But though there was much need that the men -should sleep, there was small need of a watch, for the ship lay in that -deep cove in the little round bay, with masses of palms on the high -banks, which hid her from waterline to truck.</p> - -<p>At mid-afternoon, as the Old One had bade them, the cook and the -carpenter called the men, who came tumbling up, quickly awake and -breathing heavily, since there was work to be done ere another morning -broke, and, like enough, blood to be spilled.</p> - -<p>From a chest of arms Harry Malcolm handed out muskets and pistols and -pikes. "This for you," he said—"and this for you—and here's a tall -gun for Paul Craig. Nay, curse not! Prayers, Paul, shall profit thee -more than curses."</p> - -<p>"I tell ye what, I'll not carry this great heavy gun," quoth he, and -turned a dull red from anger.</p> - -<p>"Blubububububub!" one cried, and all laughed.</p> - -<p>"'Tis lucky, Paul," retorted Harry Malcolm, "that Tom Jordan is an -easy, merciful man, or there's more than one back would bear a merry -pattern in welts." He took up another musket—cumbersome, unwieldy -weapons they were, which a man must rest for firing—and handed it to -another. "And this for you."</p> - -<p>Jacob was turning over and over on his palm powder from a newly opened -barrel, and the Old One was leaning on the quarter-deck rail, whence -he sleepily watched the small groups that were all the time gathering -and parting. Will Canty, his face a little whiter than ordinary and his -hand holding his firelock upright by the barrel, stood ill at ease by -the forecastle. The boys lurked in corners, keeping as much as possible -out of the way, but watching with wide eyes the many preparations. -And indeed it was a rare sight, for the staunch old ship, her rigging -restored and her many leaks stopped, lay in her little cove where a -cool breeze stirred the ropes, and the afternoon sun shone through the -palms brightly on the deck, and the men moved about bare-armed and -stripped to their shirts.</p> - -<p>"It would save much labour," said the carpenter, "were we to use this -fair breeze to go by sea."</p> - -<p>"True, carpenter, but a ship coming in from sea is as easy spied by -night as by day, whereas a company of men descending from the hills by -night will have the fort before the watchdogs bark. And who is there -will grudge labour in such a cause?" The Old One looked about and the -carpenter himself nodded assent.</p> - -<p>Only Paul Craig grumbled, and at him the others laughed as they ate and -drank.</p> - -<p>They slept again till just before dawn, then, running a plank to the -shore, they gathered under the palms, for there was need of a last -council before leaving the ship.</p> - -<p>"We are forty men," said the Old One, "and forty men are all too few; -but though it is little likely that any will stumble on the ship in our -absence, it is a matter of only common prudence that we post a guard -ere we go."</p> - -<p>"Yea, a guard!" cried Paul Craig. "I, now, am a very watchful man."</p> - -<p>"Nay, but think, Paul, how great a meal thou can'st eat when thou hast -climbed up hill and down with thy gun, and how much thou can'st drink. -'Twould be no kindness to leave thee. We must leave some lithe, supple -lad who hath no need for the tramp." And the Old One chuckled. "Come, -Paul and Martin, you shall lead our van."</p> - -<p>Harry Malcolm met his eye, and he nodded.</p> - -<p>"I name to guard our ship," said he, "the cook and Joe Kirk and Will -Canty. Do you, lads, load the swivel guns and keep always at hand two -loaded muskets apiece. Fire not unless the need is urgent, and keep the -ship with your lives, for who knows but the lives of us all are staked -upon your watchfulness and courage? You, Harry, since you know best the -road, shall lead, with Paul and Martin upon either hand; the rest shall -follow, and Jacob and I will guard the rear." He turned to the three -who were to stay. "If there is good news, I will send men to bring the -ship round to the harbour where, God willing, we shall load her to the -deck with yellow chinks. If bad news,—why, you may see us in one day, -or three, or five,—or maybe never."</p> - -<p>He arched his brows and tossed his piece to his shoulder, and with -Jacob at his side, he followed the others, who were already labouring -under the weight of their weapons as they filed up the steep acclivity. -The Old One and Jacob slowly climbed the wild, rough hill and paused -until the marching column was out of hearing.</p> - -<p>"You are a strange man," said Jacob. "I would wring his neck without -thought."</p> - -<p>"That were a mere brutal jest such as affordeth little joy," the Old -One replied. "I will wind him in a tangle of his own working, then I -will take the breath from his nostrils deliberately and he will know, -when he dies, that I know what I know."</p> - -<p>"You are a strange man."</p> - -<p>"I can keep order among the gentlemen better than could any captain in -the King's service; and such a game as this sharpens a man's wits. We -shall see what we shall see."</p> - -<p>Jacob slipped away by himself and the Old One followed his men.</p> - -<p>All that morning, unseen and unsuspected, Jacob sat behind a rock -within earshot of the ship. The palms shielded him and shaded him and -he got himself into such a corner that no one could approach him from -behind or see him without being seen. And all that morning he neither -heard nor saw aught worthy of mark until about noon a voice in the ship -cried out so that Jacob could plainly understand the words, "One should -watch from land. Now a man on the hilltop could serve us well."</p> - -<p>To which a second voice replied, "Go thou up, Will, go thou up! We are -of no mind to stir."</p> - -<p>There came the sound of steps on a plank, then a rattle of pebbles -and a rustle of leaves; and Jacob rose quickly and followed at a safe -distance a man who passed his corner on the way up the acclivity.</p> - -<p>Reaching the summit, of the hill, where he was safely out of sight from -the ship, the fellow—and it was indeed Will Canty—searched the sea -from horizon to horizon; but Jacob, hunting deliberately as was his -manner, found a seat a great way off, yet so situated among the trees -that he could watch without being seen. For an hour he sat thus in a -niche in the rocks below and watched Will on the flat ledge above; then -he saw him start up of a sudden and look around him very carefully and -cautiously, and whip his shirt off his back and wave it in the air.</p> - -<p>For a good half-hour Will waved the shirt, stopping now and then to -rest; but it seemed that nothing came of his waving, for with a sad -face he put on his shirt and again sat down and presently he returned -to the ship.</p> - -<p>Jacob dozed a while longer where he was, having seen all that; for he -was a man who could put two and two together as well as another, and -he had learned what he wished to know. Then he got up, and seeking out -the place where the Old One and his men had passed, he followed after -them at a serious, steady gait, which seemed not very fast yet which -kept plodding so surely up hill and down hill and through gullies and -over ledges and along beside the sea, that in two hours he had covered -the distance the others, burdened with guns and pikes and swords, had -covered in three; and before nightfall, following the marks they had -left for him, he overtook them resting in a ravine.</p> - -<p>Night, which comes so suddenly in the tropics, was about to darken the -world, when Jacob gave them a great start by walking silently in upon -them as they sat talking in low voices, with their guns lying by their -sides and their minds on the work that was before them. He nodded at -the Old One, who knew well enough what his nod meant, and sat quietly -down among them.</p> - -<p>There was but a small moon, and when at nearly midnight they bestirred -themselves and ate the last of the sea bread they had brought, the -light was dim. But their plans were laid and the hour was come and the -Old One and Harry Malcolm and Jacob knew the ways they were to go.</p> - -<p>They were more than thirty, and they straggled out in a long line as -they climbed the precipitous hill. But those ahead waited at the top -for those behind and together, marching in close array, they crossed a -ridge and came into sight of a little town that lay below them among -hills and mountains.</p> - -<p>It was a dark and silent town, whose houses had a ghostly pallor in -the faint light from the crescent moon, and it lay beside a harbour -which shone like silver. There were no lights in the houses and in all -the place nothing stirred; but in the harbour a ship lay anchored, -concerning which they speculated in whispers.</p> - -<p>"The road lies yonder under the rock," said Harry Malcolm.</p> - -<p>"And one man has strayed," Jacob whispered. "I will fetch him."</p> - -<p>He stepped back the way they had come, and returned with Paul Craig who -dragged his gun by the muzzle.</p> - -<p>The fellow's manner betrayed his cowardice and the Old One pushed the -point of a knife against his breast. "If again you stray or loiter," -he whispered, "this blade will rip you open like a hog fat for the -killing."</p> - -<p>Though the words were uttered very softly, others heard them, and -Martin Barwick, whose courage was none of the staunchest, rubbed his -throat and swallowed hard.</p> - -<p>"Gold without stint is ours for the taking," said the Old One.</p> - -<p>"I have a misliking of yonder ship."</p> - -<p>"Nay, she is but one more prize."</p> - -<p>They moved down the mountain path toward the town.</p> - -<p>"There are twelve houses," said Jacob. "Two men to a house leaves ten -for the fort." In the dim light he had missed his count, for the men as -they approached the gate of the village had crowded together.</p> - -<p>"No one sleeps in the fort," quoth Harry Malcolm in a low voice. "They -go to the fort only when they are attacked by dogs of English or wicked -pirates."</p> - -<p>Some one laughed softly.</p> - -<p>"Two men to a house," the Old One was saying. "Kill, plunder, and -burn!" Then as they stood in the very gate a dog barked.</p> - -<p>They jumped at the sound, but higher by far did they jump when from the -ship lying in the harbour there came a loud hail in Spanish.</p> - -<p>"Ha! The dogs are wakeful!" the Old One cried in double meaning, and -with that he plunged forward through the shadows. Though for the most -part he showed himself a shrewd, cautious man, he was not one to turn -back when his blood was up; and quicker than thought he had raised his -voice to a yell:—</p> - -<p>"Come, my hearts, and burn them in their beds!"</p> - -<p>"Nay, nay!" cried Jacob. "Come back while there is yet time! They -cannot yet know who we are or from whence we come. Another day, another -month, will be best!" But they had gone. With a yell the Old One had -led the way, and they had followed at his heels. Jacob was left alone -in the dark, and being a rarely prudent man and of no mind to risk his -neck lightly, he stayed where he was.</p> - -<p>As the Old One stormed the first house, there came a shot from the -darkness and he gave a howl of pain and rage. Turning, Phil Marsham saw -a stranger cross the road behind him, but he had no time to consider -the matter, since the first cries had waked the town. A dozen men were -exchanging musket-shots with the fort, wherein they were folly-blind, -for their shots went wild in the dark and their guns took a long time -loading; and the Old One, thinking to further the attack and not -considering that the light would reveal their whereabouts and their -weakness, struck fire to dry grass, which blazed up and caught wood, -but went out, hissing, under a bucket of water from within a house. -Here a Rose-of-Devon's man took the steel and died, and there another -went down, hit by a musket-ball. In a lull in the firing—for the -charges of their guns were soon spent—they heard plainly the sound of -oars and saw that two boats were bringing men from the vessel in the -harbour, and from the far side of the place others came charging with -pikes and swords. In all truth, the town was aroused and the game was -over, so they took to their heels and ran for their lives, since they -were outnumbered and outfought and no other course was left them.</p> - -<p>All who escaped gathered on the hill, for though a man might wish in -his heart to leave the Rose of Devon for ever, he could find no refuge -in the nest of hornets they had stirred to fury, since in the eyes of -the enemy one must appear as guilty as another. So, leaving ten of -their number behind them, dead or wounded or captured, every man who -could walk started back for the Rose of Devon with the thought to cheer -him on, that after daybreak in all likelihood the howling pack would be -at his heels.</p> - -<p>They bickered and wrangled and cursed, and one whispered to Philip -Marsham that if they had an abler captain their luck would turn, which -was a great folly and cost him a broken head.</p> - -<p>"That for thy prattle," the Old One cried, for he had been walking just -behind. And with a club he struck the fellow a blow that sent him to -the ground. Indeed, the Old One had intended to kill him, and had he -not been so weary, he would doubtless have stayed to complete his work, -for his temper was torn to rags.</p> - -<p>Uphill and down they went, through thickets and streams, over ledges -and sandy slides, round dank old fallen logs and along firm beaches, -back to their dark frigate, with their labour for their pains. And so, -by broad daylight, weary and hungry and too angry for civil speech, -they came to the Rose of Devon. The younkers trotted along, dog-tired, -and the men tramped in as best they could. There were hard words on -this side and hard words on that, and hands were clapped on knives for -no cause at all.</p> - -<p>They thought it queer, when in the gray morning they came sliding down -to the ship, with a rattle of pebbles and loose earth, that they found -her so still, and only the cook on her deck, and himself in a cold -sweat of fear.</p> - -<p>"I would have nought to do with it," he cried, and being still mindful -of his thirsty hours in bilboes, he shook in his shoes lest they fix -upon him a share of the blame for that which had occurred in their -absence.</p> - -<p>"With what and whom would'st thou have nought to do?" the Old One -demanded, and he showed a face that made the cook's teeth rattle.</p> - -<p>"With them—they've gone."</p> - -<p>"Who hath gone?"</p> - -<p>"Will Canty and Joe Kirk. They took the shallop and bread and beer."</p> - -<p>"It seems," said the Old One, and in a strangely quiet voice, "that the -edge that is nicked is not Will Canty's. Is it thine, Jacob, or mine?"</p> - -<p>The cook thought that either he or the Old One had lost his wits, for -he made no sense of the words; but Harry Malcolm and Jacob knew what -was meant, and Philip Marsham made a sharp guess at it.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a><br /> -<small>THE HARBOUR OF REFUGE</small></h2> - - -<p>It was up anchor and away, for they needs must flee ere the hunters -find them. They stood along the coast with a light breeze in the early -morning, when the sun was rising over the sea and tipping with gold -the branches of the dark palms; but the Rose of Devon was a hawk with -clipped wings.</p> - -<p>A company of twenty-nine or thirty men in a staunch ship with a -goodly number of brass cannon and with powder and balls in abundance -(which provident merchants had bought to defend their venture against -pirates!) might have done very well on a merchant voyage or fishing. If -there are not too many to share in the adventure, a man can earn his -wages by the one; or if he would go to the banks of Newfoundland or to -Massachusetts Bay, his lay of a fishing voyage will doubtless bring -him enough golden chinks to drink in strong ale or sack the health of -every fair maiden of Plymouth ere he must be off to fill his pockets -anew. Though the times be ever so hard, he is a feckless sailor who -cannot earn in such a company the price of drinking the three outs. -But to work a ship and lay aboard a rich prize, with perhaps need to -show heels to a King's cruiser or to fight her, is quite another game; -and the Old One and Harry Malcolm, who had their full share of the -ill-temper that prevailed throughout the ship, cursed their fortune, -each in his own way, and wrangled together and quarrelled with the men.</p> - -<p>And indeed, among all the men of the Rose of Devon there were only two -or three who that morning remained unperturbed by their misadventures -of the night. One was Jacob, who sat in this corner or that and eyed -all comers coldly and as if from a distance. A second was Philip -Marsham, who did not, like Jacob, appear to lose his warmer interest in -the ship and her company, but whose interest had been always less as -for himself alone.</p> - -<p>Meeting in groups of three or five, the men ripped out oaths and told -of how one captain or another had once taken a ship or a town with -vast bloodshed and plunder, and thus they stormed about the deck at -intervals until an hour after sunrise, when Phil from the forecastle -and Old Jacob from his corner under the quarter-deck, having observed -them for some time putting their heads together and conversing in -undertones, heard them crying out, "Yea, yea! Go on, go on! We are -all with you!" Four of the men then started through the steerage room -to the great cabin and the rest gathered in a sullen half circle just -under the quarter-deck.</p> - -<p>Jacob raised his head and listened; his face was very thoughtful and -his small mouth was puckered tight. At the sounds that issued from the -cabin, Phil himself drew nearer.</p> - -<p>"Well," cried the Old One in a voice that seemed as full of wonder as -of wrath,—they heard him plainly,—"what in the Devil's name mean ye -by this?"</p> - -<p>"We ha' lost a dozen men and our shallop by this foolish march, and -from this rich town of which you have promised much we have got only -blows and balls for our labour." The speaker's voice was loud and -harsh, and he larded his speech with such oaths and obscene bywords -as are not fit for printing. "We are of a mind to change captains. You -shall go forward and Paul Craig shall come aft. Speak up, Paul! Tell -your tale of no marching to wear out a man's feet—"</p> - -<p>There came a string of oaths in the Old One's voice and a wild stamping -and crashing; then out they burst, jostling one another in their haste, -and after them the Old One with a clubbed musket.</p> - -<p>He subdued his fury, when he faced the ring of sullen men, as if he had -taken it with his hands and pushed it down. But they feared him none -the less, and perhaps the more. A man looking at him must perceive that -his mind was keen and subtle, which made his quietness, when he was -angry, more terrible than a great show of wrath.</p> - -<p>"I have sailed before with mad, fickle crews," said he; "yea, once -with a crew so mad that it would send a gentleman post unto the King -with a petition of grievances because a King's ship had chased us from -the South Foreland to the Lizard. But never saw I a more mad crew than -this, which is enough to give a man a grievous affliction of the colic -and stone by the very excess of its madness."</p> - -<p>"As for madness," cried a man who stood at a safe distance behind the -rest, "I charge thee with worse than madness. We have lost two fights -and many men and have got to show for it—a kettle of fish."</p> - -<p>Some laughed, but more muttered angrily.</p> - -<p>"Why—we have had our ill fortunes. But what gentlemen of the sea have -not? Come, make an end of this talk. Come out, you who spoke, and let -us consider the matter. Nay? He will not come, though by his speech he -is a bold man?"</p> - -<p>Again some of them laughed, but in a mean way, for he had cowed them by -his show of violence and they feared more than ever that subtle spirit -which over-leaped their understanding.</p> - -<p>"Listen, then, my hearts of gold: we will come about and sail back. -We will lie tonight by the very town that last night we stormed. We -will seek it out as a harbour of refuge. We will tell them a tale of -meeting pirates who captured our shallop and part of our men. We will -give them such a story that they will think we have met the very men -they themselves last night beat off, and will welcome us with open arms -to succour our distress. Who knows but that we can then take them by -assault? Or if for the time they are too strong for us, we will mark -well the approaches and the defenses, and some night we will again come -back."</p> - -<p>The idea caught their fancy, and though a few cried nay and whispered -that it was the sheerest madness yet, more cried yea and argued there -was little risk, for if worst should come to worst, they could turn -tail and run as run they had before. As they talked, they forgot their -many woes and whispered about that none but the Old One would ever -think of such a scheme.</p> - -<p>Harry Malcolm and the Old One went off by themselves and put their -heads together and conversed secretly, and throughout the ship there -was a great buzz of voices. Only Jacob, who sat in his corner and -watched now one and now another, and Philip Marsham, who watched Jacob, -kept silence amidst the hubble-bubble.</p> - -<p>So they wore ship, and returning along the palm-grown shores, came -again at the end of the afternoon into sight of the flat mountain they -had seen first by night; and though the wind fell away at times until -the sails hung in listless folds, they gathered speed with the evening -breeze and came at nightfall into a fine landlocked harbour with the -town at its head, where there were lights shining from the houses and a -ship still lying at anchor.</p> - -<p>Upon their coming there was a great stir in the town. They saw lights -moving and heard across the water voices calling; but though the men -of the Rose of Devon stood by their guns, ready to lift the ports at a -word and run out their pieces, they laughed in their sleeves at their -own audacity whereby they hoped greatly to enrich their coffers.</p> - -<p>Then one in the fort hailed them in Spanish, and while the Old One -made answer in the same tongue, those who understood it whispered to -the rest that he was giving the men in the fort a sad tale of how the -Rose of Devon had fallen in with a band of sailors of fortune who had -killed part of her men and would have killed them all had not the Old -One himself by a bold and clever stroke eluded them. The Old One and -the man in the fort flung questions and answers back and forth; and as -they talked, the men at the guns relaxed and softly laughed, and Martin -whispered to Philip Marsham, "Yea, they are telling of a band of roving -Englishmen who last night singed their very whiskers; and being clever -men and learning that them whom we ourselves have met and fought were -lawless English dogs, they perceive we needs have met the very rascals -that made them so much trouble." Again Martin listened, then slapped -his thigh. "They are sending us boats!" he exclaimed. "Though they -perceive we are English, it seemeth they bear an Englishman no ill will -because he is English. Truly, a fool shall be known by his folly!"</p> - -<p>Most of the men were elated, but old Jacob watched and said nought. His -black, bright eyes and his nose, which came out in a broad curve, made -him look like an old, wise rat.</p> - -<p>As the boats came over the dark water, with the soft splash of oars, -there was hurried talking on the quarter-deck, then the Old One came -swiftly. "Good boatswain," said he, "these foolish fellows have bade us -ashore to break bread with them and share a bottle of wine. Now I am -of a mind to go, and Harry Malcolm is of a mind to bear me company. We -will take twelve men and so arrange it that they shall not surprise us. -Yea, I am too old a dog to be caught by tricks. It may be we can strike -them again tonight, and a telling blow. It may be not. But do you and -Jacob keep watch on board, with every man at his station in case of -need."</p> - -<p>So the Rose of Devon let go her anchors and swung with the tide a -cable's length from the unknown ship, which lay dark and silent and -apparently deserted.</p> - -<p>The strange boats came up in the shadow of the poop and the Old One and -Harry, with their men mustered about them, exchanged greetings with the -oarsmen below, in rough English and in rougher Spanish, as each side -strove to outdo the other in civility.</p> - -<p>The men—heavily armed—slid down into the boats and the Old One -smiled as he watched them go, for he was himself well pleased with -the escapade. Such harebrained adventures were his bread of life. He -followed the men, the cabin lanthorn in his hand, and after him came -Harry Malcolm, as cool as a man could desire, and watched very sharply -all that went on while the boats rowed slowly away toward the land.</p> - -<p>Then Jacob came out of his corner and spoke to Phil. "I will watch -first," said he. "The cook hath laid a fine supper on the cabin table. -Go you down and eat your fill, then come up and keep the deck and I -will go down and eat in my turn."</p> - -<p>At something in the man's manner, which puzzled him, Phil hesitated; -but the thought was friendly, and he said, "I will not be long."</p> - -<p>"Do not hurry."</p> - -<p>When Phil turned away, old Jacob cleared his throat.</p> - -<p>"Boatswain—"</p> - -<p>"Yea?"</p> - -<p>"Do not hurry."</p> - -<p>As Phil sat at the table in the great cabin, which was so dark that he -could scarcely see the plate in front of him (although he ate with no -less eagerness because of the darkness), the planks and timbers and -transoms and benches were merged into an indiscriminate background -of olive-black, and there hung before him by chance a mirror on the -forward bulkhead, in which the reflection of the yellow sky threw into -sharp outline the gallery door at his back. Having no means at hand for -striking a light, he was hungrily eating and paying little heed to his -surroundings, when in the mirror before his eyes, against the yellow -western sky the silhouette of a head wearing a sweeping hat appeared -over the gallery rail.</p> - -<p>There was not the faintest noise, and no slightest motion of the ship -was perceptible in the brown stillness of the evening. The head, darkly -silhouetted, appeared in the mirror as if it were a thing not of this -earth, and immediately, for he was one who always kept his wits about -him, Phil slipped silently off the bench, and letting himself down -flat on the deck, slid back into the darkest corner of all, which lay -to the starboard of the gallery door. There, without a sound, he rose -to his feet.</p> - -<p>The black silhouette reflected in the mirror grew larger until it -nearly blocked the reflection of the door, then a board in the gallery -gently creaked and Phil knew that the man, whoever he was, was coming -into the cabin. Presently in the subdued light he could dimly see the -man himself, who stood by the table with his back toward Phil and -glanced about the cabin from one side to the other. Knowing only that -he was a stranger and therefore had no right to enter the great cabin -of the Rose of Devon, Phil had it in mind to jump and seize him from -behind, for so far as he could appraise the man's figure, the two were -a fair match in weight and height. But when Phil was gathering himself -for the leap, he saw in the mirror the reflection of a second head, and -then of a third.</p> - -<p>Again the gallery creaked, for the newcomers, like the first, were -on their way into the cabin. By the door they stood for a moment -listening, and in the silence Phil heard a boat gently bumping against -the side of the ship. He was first of a mind, naturally, to cry an -alarm; but were he to call for help, he would learn no more of their -errand. They drew together beside the table and conversed in whispers -of which Phil could distinguish nothing, although he was near enough -to reach out his hand and seize hold of the curls and brave hat of the -nearest of them. To attack them single-handed were an act of plain -folly, for they wore swords and doubtless other weapons; but when he -perceived that the first had got out flint and steel, he knew that they -must soon discover him.</p> - -<p>"Whence and for what have you come?" he said in a low voice.</p> - -<p>They turned quickly but with admirable composure: there were never seen -three calmer men. The first struck light to a slow match and held over -it the wick of a candle drawn from his pocket, upon which the flame -took hold and blazed up, throwing curious shadows into the corner of -the cabin and half revealing the hangings and weapons. The man raised -the candle and the three drew close about Phil and looked at him -steadily.</p> - -<p>"So a watch is set in the cabin, I perceive," the man holding the -candle said with a quiet, ironical smile.</p> - -<p>By mien and speech Phil knew upon the instant that they were Englishmen -and it took no great discernment to see that they were gentlemen and -men of authority.</p> - -<p>They pressed closer about him.</p> - -<p>"Whence and for what have you come?" he repeated.</p> - -<p>They made no reply but stood in the brown light, holding high their -candle and looking him hard in the face.</p> - -<p>Again he heard the boat bumping against the side of the ship and -now the murmur of the wind aloft. Far away he heard a faint sound -of calling which was growing constantly louder. The three exchanged -glances and whispering to one another, moved toward the gallery; but as -they started to go, the one turned back and held the candle to Phil's -face.</p> - -<p>"Of this be assured, my fine fellow," said he, "I shall know you well -if ever I see you again."</p> - -<p>Phil was of a mind to call after them, to pursue them, to flee with -them; but as it is easy to understand, there were strong reasons -for his staying where he was, and there had been little welcome in -their faces. He stood for a moment by the table and noticed that the -sky in the mirror had turned from a clear olive to a deep gray and -that the lines of the door and the gallery rail had lost their sharp -decisiveness and had blurred into the dark background. Then he darted -out of the cabin through the steerage and called sharply, "Jacob! -Jacob!"</p> - -<p>The men watching at the guns stirred in suppressed excitement and -turned from whispering uneasily.</p> - -<p>"There are strange sounds yonder, boatswain," called one.</p> - -<p>"And shall we knock out the ports and loose the tacklings?" another -asked.</p> - -<p>"Be still! Jacob, Jacob!" Phil cried, running up on the quarter-deck.</p> - -<p>There was no one on the quarter-deck; there was no one on the poop. The -wind was blowing up into a fair breeze and small waves were licking -against the dark sides of the Rose of Devon. But the after decks were -deserted.</p> - -<p>"Jacob!" Phil cried once more, and sent his voice out far across the -water. But there was still no answer. Jacob had gone.</p> - -<p>For a moment the lad stood by the rail and intently listened. The -calling on shore had ceased, but a boat was rowing out from the town -and the beat of oars was quick and irregular. Further, to swell his -anxiety, there was a great bustle on board the unknown ship, which had -been lying hitherto with no sign of human life.</p> - -<p>Then Philip Marsham took the fate of the Rose of Devon in his hands and -leaned out over the quarter-deck gun. "Holla, there!" he called, but -not loudly, "Let the younkers lay quietly aloft and lie ready on the -yards to let the sails fall at a word."</p> - -<p>Seeming encouraged and reassured by a summons to action, the younger -men went swarming up the rigging, and as quietly as one could wish; but -even the low sound of their subdued voices drummed loud in the ears of -the lad on the quarter-deck.</p> - -<p>Jacob had gone! The boatswain, for one, remembered old tales of rats -leaving ships of ill fortune.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a><br /> -<small>WILL CANTY</small></h2> - - -<p>They saw a boat coming a long way off, with her men rowing furiously, -but by that time there were all manner of sounds on the shore whence -the boat had launched forth. Shouts and yells in English and Spanish, -with ever the booming of guns, echoed across the harbour. Beacons -flamed up and for a while danced fitfully, only to die away when those -who tended the fires left them unwatched and with flaming brands joined -in the cry; and in the wake of the furiously rowing boat came others -that strove with a great thresh of oars to overhaul the fugitive.</p> - -<p>The activity and tumult were very small and faint under the bright -stars in that harbour girdled about with palms. Though the rugged -slopes of wild mountains, rising like escarpments above the harbour, -by day completely dwarfed it, yet the stars made the mountains seem by -night mere pigmy hills, and even the many sounds, which a great echoing -redoubled, seemed smaller and fainter in the presence of the vast -spaces that such a night suggests.</p> - -<p>Although the men in the foremost boat rowed out of time and clumsily, -their fierce efforts kept them their lead, and they were still far in -advance of their pursuers when they tossed up their oars and crouched -panting on the thwarts in the shadow of the ship.</p> - -<p>"Ropes, you fools!" the Old One called. "Cast us ropes! Ropes! Bind -fast this bird we've caught and trice him up! Now, my hearts, swing him -aloft—there he swings and up he goes! Well done! I'll keep him though -I risk my neck in doing it. Make fast a rope at bow and at stern! Good! -Every man for himself! Up, thou! And thou! Up go we all! Come, tally on -and hoist the boat on board! And the men are aloft? Well done, Jacob! -Haul up the anchor and let fall the courses!"</p> - -<p>It was plain from their manner that those who came swarming up -the sides had a story to tell, but there was little time then for -story-telling. The pursuing boats lifted their oars and swung at a -distance with the tide, since it was plain for all to see that they -were too late to overhaul the fugitives. Although on board the stranger -ship there were signs and sounds of warlike activity, she too refrained -from aggression; and the Old One, having no mind to traffic with them -further, paced the deck with a rumble of oaths and drove the men alow -and aloft to make sail and be gone.</p> - -<p>It was "Haul, you swine!"</p> - -<p>And "Heave, you drunken dogs!"</p> - -<p>And "Slacken off the weather braces! Leap for your lives!"</p> - -<p>And "Haul, there, haul! A touch of the rope's end, boatswain, to stir -their spirits!"</p> - -<p>And "Come, clear the main topsail! Up aloft to the topsail yard, young -men! A knife, you dog, a knife! Slash the gaskets clear! A touch of the -helm, there! Harder! Harder! There she holds! Steady!"</p> - -<p>Then Harry Malcolm called from the quarter-deck in his quiet, quick -voice, "The swivel gun is loaden, Tom. I'll chance a shot upon the -advantage."</p> - -<p>"Good, say I!" quoth the Old One. "And if the first shot prove ill, -amend it with a second."</p> - -<p>They saw moving on the forecastle the light of a match, and after such -brief space of time as a spark takes to go from brace-ring to touchhole -the gun, which was charged with small shot for sweeping the deck if an -enemy should board the ship, showered the distant boats with metal. -They saw by the splashing that the charge had carried well and that -Malcolm's aim was true, and a yell and a volley of curses told them as -well as did the splash, which was dimly seen by starlight, that the -shot had scored a hit.</p> - -<p>While a sailor sponged the gun, Harry Malcolm gave a shog to the full -ladle of powder, and keeping his body clear of the muzzle, put the -ladle home to the chamber, where he turned it till his thumb on the -ladle-staff was down, and gave it a shake to clear out the powder, and -haled it forth again. Then with the rammer he put the powder home and -drove after it a good wad and in anger and haste called for a shot.</p> - -<p>Then the Old One laughed through his teeth. "Go thou down, Jacob," -cried he, "and give them a ball from the stern chaser. To sink one of -those water snakes, now, would be a message worthy of our parting. -Jacob! Jacob, I say!"</p> - -<p>There was no answer from old Jacob.</p> - -<p>It was Boatswain Marsham who cried back, "He hath gone."</p> - -<p>"Gone?" quoth the Old One. His face, as the starlight revealed it, was -not for the reading, but despite him there was something in his voice -that caught the attention of the men.</p> - -<p>"Gone?" the Old One repeated, and leaned down in the darkness. The -shadows quite concealed his face when he was bent over so far that no -light from above could fall on it, but he raised his hand and beckoned -to the boatswain in a way there was no mistaking.</p> - -<p>In response to the summons of the long forefinger, Phil climbed the -ladder to his side.</p> - -<p>"You say he hath gone," the Old One quietly repeated. "When did he go?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know. He kept the deck when I went below for supper."</p> - -<p>"How did he go?"</p> - -<p>"Nor do I know that. But three men came into the cabin by way of the -gallery while I was there—"</p> - -<p>"Three men, say you? Speak on." The Old One leaned back and folded his -arms, and though he smiled, he listened very carefully to the story the -boatswain told.</p> - -<p>"And when you came on deck he was gone." The Old One tapped the rail. -"You have booklearning. Can you navigate a ship?"</p> - -<p>"I can."</p> - -<p>"Yea, it may well be that now we shall have need of such learning. -It was an odd day when you and I met beside the road. I shall not -soon forget that ranting fool with the book, who was as good as a -bear-baiting to while away an afternoon when time hung heavy. Oft ha' -we left him fallen at the crest, in the old days when he dwelt in -Bideford, but Jacob saw no sport in it, nor could he abide the fellow." -The Old One looked Phil frankly in the eye and smiled. "In faith, I -had a rare game that day with Martin, whose wits are but a slubbering -matter at best. But that's all done and away with. And Jacob hath gone! -Let him go. Betide it what may, there is one score I shall settle -before my hour comes. Go forward, boatswain, and bear a sharp watch at -sea, and mind you come not abaft the mainmast until I give you leave."</p> - -<p>The Old One spoke again when Phil was on the ladder. "Mind you, -boatswain: come not abaft the mainmast until I give you leave. I bear -you nought but love, but I will have you know that in what I have to do -I will brook no interruption."</p> - -<p>Though Tom Jordan had spoken him kindly, the lad was not so blunt of -wit that he failed to detect suspicion in the man's manner. He stopped -by the forecastle, and looking back saw that the Old One was giving -the helmsman orders, for the ship had cleared the harbour, to all -appearances unpursued, and was again bearing up the coast. The Old One -then came down from the quarter-deck, and, having spoken to several of -the men in turn, called, "Come, Martin; come, Paul, bring the fellow -in."</p> - -<p>And with that, he went into the great cabin, where they heard him -speaking to Harry Malcolm.</p> - -<p>As for Martin Barwick and Paul Craig, they went over to where the one -had all this time been lying whom they had trussed up in ropes and -hoisted on board. All the time he had been in the ship he had neither -moved nor spoken, nor did he speak now as they picked him up, one at -his head and one at his feet, and carried him into the cabin. The door -shut and for a long time there was silence.</p> - -<p>There were some to whom the matter was a mystery, and the boatswain was -among them; but the whispering and nodding showed that more knew the -secret than were ignorant of it. The ship thrust her nose into a heavy -swell and pitched until her yards knocked on the masts; the breeze -blew up and whipped the tops off the waves and showered the decks with -spray; the sky darkened with clouds and threatened rain. But in the -ship there was such a deep silence as stifles a man, which endured and -seemed—were it possible—to grow minute by minute more intense until a -low cry burst from the cabin.</p> - -<p>The men sitting here and there on deck stirred and looked at one -another; but Philip Marsham leaped to his feet.</p> - -<p>"Sit down, lad," said the carpenter.</p> - -<p>"Drop your hand!"</p> - -<p>"Nay, it is better that I keep my hand on your arm."</p> - -<p>"Drop your hand! Hinder me not!"</p> - -<p>"Nay, I am obeying orders."</p> - -<p>There came a second cry from the cabin, and Phil laid his free hand on -his dirk.</p> - -<p>"Have care, boatswain, lest thy folly cost thee dear. There are others -set to watch the deck as well as I."</p> - -<p>And now three men who had been sitting by the mainmast rose. They were -looking toward Phil and the carpenter, and one of them slowly walked -thither.</p> - -<p>Though Philip Marsham had no fear of hard fighting, neither was he an -arrant fool, and instantly he perceived that he was one man against -many under circumstances that doubled the odds. His heart beat fast and -a cold sweat sprang out on his forehead.</p> - -<p>"What are they doing to him?" he demanded.</p> - -<p>"Nothing that he hath not richly earned," said the man who had come -near the two.</p> - -<p>Scarcely conscious of his own thought, Phil glanced toward the dark and -distant shore; but, slight though his motion, the carpenter's one eye -saw it and his none too nimble wit understood it.</p> - -<p>"Nay," said he, "it is a mad conceit."</p> - -<p>The carpenter thrust his fingers through his beard, and, being a kindly -soul in his own way and having a liking for the boatswain, he wished -himself rid of his responsibilities. But since there was no escape from -the situation he drew a deep breath and squared his shoulders to make -the best of it. "I heard of a man once, when I was a little lad," he -said, "who was cast ashore on the main, in Mexico or some such place. -Miles Philips was his name and the manner of his suffering at the hands -of the Indians and the Spaniards may serve as a warning. For they flung -him into prison where he was like to have starved; and they tortured -him in the Inquisition where he was like to have perished miserably; -and many of his companions they beat and killed or sent to the galleys; -and himself and certain others they sold for slaves. So grievous was -his suffering, he was nigh death when he heard news of Sir Francis -Drake being in those seas and ran away to join him. Yet again they -caught him—caught this Miles Philips and clapped him into prison with -a great pair of bolts on his legs; and yet once more did he escape, for -God willed it, and filed off his irons and got him away and so betook -him back to England after such further suffering from the Indians and -the mosquitoes and the Spaniards and the dogs of the Inquisition as few -men have lived to tell the tale of. All this, I have heard from an old -man who knew him, is told in Master Hakluyt's book, where any scholar -of reading may find it for himself. Though not a man of reading, yet -have I taken it to heart to beware of straying from a ship into a -strange land."</p> - -<p>Of all the fellow had said Philip Marsham had heard no more than half, -for the cry that had twice sounded still rang in his ears, although -since it had died away the second time there was only silence on the -deck save for the carpenter's rambling talk. The lad's mind leaped -nimbly from one occurrence to another in search for an explanation of -the cry.</p> - -<p>"Tell me," said he, "what happened on shore?"</p> - -<p>At this the carpenter laughed, pleased with believing he had got the -boatswain's thoughts off the affair of the moment. "Why, little enough. -They would have persuaded us to leave our weapons at the door, but the -Old One was too wise a horse to be caught by the rattle of oats. And -whilst he was ducking and smiling and waving hands with the Spaniards, -I myself, my ears being keen, heard one cry in Spanish, for I have a -proper understanding of Spanish which I got by many pains and much -listening—as I was saying, I heard one cry in Spanish, 'Yea, that is -he.' And said I to myself, 'Now Heaven keep us! Where have I heard -that voice?' And then it came upon me and I cried in English, 'Who of -us knew the dog, Will Canty, could talk Spanish?' Whereat the Old One, -hearing me, turned and caught a glimpse of Will in the darkness. You -know his way—a shrewd blade, but hot-tempered. 'There,' cries he, 'is -my man! Seize him!' And with that I, being nearest, made a leap. And -they, being at the moment all oil to soothe our feelings and hood our -eyes, were off their guard. So the Old One, who likely enough had heard -for himself Will Canty's saying, since he too hath a curious knowledge -of Spanish, cries, 'Back to the boat, my lads!' For seest thou, if Will -Canty was pointing out this one or that, there was treacherous work in -the wind. So down through them we rushed, all together, bearing Will -with us by the suddenness and audacity of our act, and so away in a -boat before they knew our thought."</p> - -<p>"And who were the other Englishmen?"</p> - -<p>The carpenter gave the lad a blank look. "Why, there were none."</p> - -<p>Rising, Phil paced the deck while the carpenter and the others watched -him. Some scowled and whispered suspicions, and others denied them, -until Phil himself heard one crying, "Nay, nay, he's a true lad. 'Tis -only he hath a liking for the fellow."</p> - -<p>The carpenter neither smiled nor frowned, for though he knew no -loyalty deeper than his selfish interests, and though he felt no qualm -regarding that which was going on in the cabin (since he had little -love for the poor wretch who was the victim), he had a very kindly -feeling toward those who got his liking; and it sorely troubled him -that Philip Marsham should suffer thus, though it were at second hand.</p> - -<p>"Come, lad," said he, "sit down here and take comfort in the fine -night."</p> - -<p>Laying his elbows on the rail, Phil thrust his hands through his hair -and bit his two lips and stared at the distant shore of Cuba. He feared -neither Indians nor insects nor the Inquisition. There were other -things, to his mind, more fearful than these.</p> - -<p>The gasping sound that then came from the cabin was one thing more than -he could abide. He turned with the drawn dirk in his hand, but the -carpenter was on him from behind, whispering, "Come, lad, come!" And -because he could not but be aware of the carpenter's honest good will, -he could not bring himself to use the dirk, yet only by using the dirk -could he have got out of the long arms that held him fast. For a moment -they swayed back and forth; then, when others were hurrying to aid the -carpenter, the door of the great cabin opened.</p> - -<p>A rumble of laughter issued, then the Old One's voice, "Lay him here -in the steerage and shackle him fast to the mizzen. He may well be -thankful that I am a merciful man."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a><br /> -<small>TOM JORDAN'S MERCY</small></h2> - - -<p>They anchored that noon in a great bay surrounded by forests and -mountains, which formed a harbour wherein a thousand sail of tall ships -might have lain. Through the long afternoon, while the Rose of Devon -swung at her anchor, the wind stirred the palms and a wild stream, -plunging in a succession of falls down a mountainside, shone like a -silver thread. But Paul Craig sat guard over Will Canty, who lay in the -steerage chained to the mizzenmast, and there was no chance for any -one of the men to speak with Will. And on deck the carpenter measured -and sawed and planed for his purpose; and having shaped his stock he -wrought a coffin.</p> - -<p>First he threw nails in a little heap on the deck, then, kneeling, -he drove them home into the planed boards. It was rap-rap-rap, and -rap-rap-rap. The noise went through the ship, while the men looked at -one another; and some chuckled and said that the Old One was a rare -bird; but the Old One, coming out of the great cabin without so much -as a glance at the lad who lay chained to the mast, stood a long time -beside the carpenter. He kept a grave face while he watched him work, -and very serious he looked when he turned away and came and stood -beside Philip Marsham.</p> - -<p>"There are men that would slit the fellow's throat," he said, "or burn -him at stake, or flay him alive; but I have a tender heart and am by -nature merciful. Though he broke faith and dipped his hands in black -treachery, I bear him no ill will. I must needs twist his thumbs to -wring his secrets out of him and I can no longer keep him about me; -yet, as I have said, I bear him no ill will. Saw you ever a finer -coffin than the one I have ordered made for him?"</p> - -<p>What could a man reply? Although there had been complaining and revolt -before, the Old One again held the ship in the palm of his hand, for -they feared his irony more than his anger.</p> - -<p>Darkness came and they lowered the coffin into the boat, whither man -after man slid down.</p> - -<p>"Come, boatswain," said the Old One, in a quiet, solemn voice. "There -is an oar to pull."</p> - -<p>And what could a man do but slide with the others down into the -boat and rest on the loom of an oar? Phil shared a thwart with the -carpenter, and raised his oar and held it upright between his knees.</p> - -<p>The coffin lay across the boat amidships, and there were four oars, -two on the one side and two on the other; but a man sat beside each -oarsman, two more crowded into the bow, and two sat in the stern sheets -with the Old One. Then they lowered Will Canty to the bottom in front -of the Old One, where he lay bound hand and foot.</p> - -<p>Shoving off from the ship, the oarsmen bent to their task and the Old -One steered with a sweep; but the boat was crowded and deep in the -water, and they made slow progress.</p> - -<p>Mosquitoes swarmed about them and droned interminably. The water licked -at the boat and lapped on the white beach. The wind stirred in the -palms. The great bay with its mountains and its starry sky was as fair -a piece of land and sea as a man might wish to look upon in his last -hour; but there are few men whose philosophy will stand by them at such -a moment, and there is an odd quirk in human nature whereby a mere -droning mosquito can drive out of mind the beauty of sea and land—nay, -even thoughts of an immeasurable universe.</p> - -<p>The men beat at mosquitoes and swore wickedly until the Old One bade -them be silent and row on, for although they had come near the shore -the water was still deep under the boat, which tossed gently in the -starlight.</p> - -<p>A time followed in which the only sounds were of the wind and the -waves and the heavy breathing of the men. Some were turning their -heads to see the shore and the Old One had already risen to choose a -landing-place, when Will Canty—who, although bound hand and foot, had -all the while been edging about in the stern unknown to the others till -he had braced his feet in such a way that he could get purchase for a -leap—gave a great spring from where he lay, and thus threw himself up -and fell with his back across the gunwale, whence, wriggling like a -worm, he strove to push himself over the side.</p> - -<p>The Old One sprang forward in fury to seize and hold him, and caught -him by the wrist; but one of the men in zeal to have a hand in the -affair drove the butt of his gun against Will Canty's chin, and in -recovering the piece he stumbled and pushed the Old One off his -balance. So the Old One lost his hold on Will Canty's wrist and before -the rest knew what was happening Will had slipped into the deep water -and had sunk. That he never rose was doubtless the best fortune that -could have befallen him, and likely enough it was the blow of the gun -that killed him. But the Old One was roused to such a pitch of wrath at -being balked of his revenge that he was like a wild beast in his fury.</p> - -<p>Quicker than thought, he turned on the man who had pushed against him, -and reaching for the coffin that was made to Will's measure—a great, -heavy box it was!—raised it high and flung it at the fellow.</p> - -<p>It gashed the man's forehead and fell over the side and floated away, -and the man himself, with a string of oaths, clapped his hand to the -wound, whence the blood trickled out between his fingers.</p> - -<p>"Swine! Ass!" the Old One snarled. "I was of a mind to lay thee in Will -Canty's bed. But let the coffin go. Th' art not worthy of it." The boat -grated on white sand, and leaping to his feet the Old One cried with a -high laugh as he marked his victim's fear, "Get thee gone! If ever I -see thy face again, I will slit thy throat from ear to ear."</p> - -<p>"Nay, nay, do not send me away! Do not send me away!" the man wailed. -"O God! No, not that! I shall perish of Indians and Spaniards! The wild -beasts will devour me. Nay! Nay!"</p> - -<p>The Old One smiled and reached for a musket, and the poor fellow, his -face streaked with gore, was overcome by the greater terror and fled -away under the palms. No shot was fired and neither knife nor sword was -drawn ere the echo of the fellow's wailing died into silence; but the -Old One then fired a single shot after him, which evoked a last scream.</p> - -<p>"Come, Martin, take the scoundrel's oar," quoth the Old One, and he -turned the head of the boat to sea.</p> - -<p>They said little and were glad to row briskly out to the ship. Action -is ever welcome at the time when a man desires most of all to get away -from memory and thought.</p> - -<p>That night, when they were all asleep, Martin leaped out on the deck -and woke them by shrieking like a lunatic, until it seemed they were -all transported into Bedlam. He then himself awoke, but he would say -only, "My God, what a dream! Oh, what a dream!" And he would rub his -hands across his eyes.</p> - -<p>The grumblers continued quietly to grumble, for that is a joy no -power on earth can take away, but there was no more talk of another -captain. Some said that now the luck would change and told of prizes -they had taken and would take, and recalled to mind the strong liquors -of Bideford and the pasties that Mother Taylor would make for them. -Others, although they said little, shook their heads and appeared to -wish themselves far away. But whether a man felt thus or otherwise, -there was small profit of their talking.</p> - -<p>For another day and night they lay at anchor and ate and drank and -sprawled out in the sun. The Rose of Devon, as they had earlier had -occasion to remark, was richly found, and they had still no need to -bestir themselves for food and drink. But any man with a head on his -shoulders must perceive that with old Jacob, who had gone so wisely -about his duties and had so well held his own counsel in many things, -the ship had lost something of stability and firm purpose even in her -lawless pursuits.</p> - -<p>And Will Canty, too, was gone! As the old writer has it, "One is choked -with a fly, another with a hair, a third pushing his foot against the -trestle, another against the threshold, falls down dead: So many kind -of ways are chalked out for man, to draw towards his last home, and -wean him from the love of earth." Though Will Canty had died a hard -death, he had escaped worse; and as Priam, numbering more days than -Troilus, shed more tears, so Philip Marsham, outliving his friend, -faced such times as the other was spared knowing.</p> - -<p>Of all this he thought at length, and fearing his own conscience more -than all the familiars of the Inquisition, in which he was singularly -heartened by remembering the stout old knight in the scarlet cloak, he -contrived a plan and bode his time.</p> - -<p>In the darkness of the second night, when the Old One had somewhat -relaxed his watchfulness, Boatswain Marsham slipped over the bow and -lowered himself silently on a rope he had procured for the purpose, -and very carefully, lest the noise be heard on board the ship, seated -himself in Tom Jordan's boat and rowed for shore. An honest man can go -so far in a company of rogues and no farther.</p> - -<p>Reaching the land and hauling the boat up on the beach in plain sight -of those left in the Rose of Devon, where they might swim for it if -they would, he set off across the hills and under the palms. Upon -reaching the height he looked back and for a moment watched the old -ship as she swung with the tide on the still, clear water. He hoped he -should never see her again. Then he looked down at the tremulous and -shimmering bay where Will Canty lay dead, and was glad to plunge over -the hill and leave the bay behind him.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a><br /> -<small>A MAN SEEN BEFORE</small></h2> - - -<p>There was sullen anger and worse in the Rose of Devon when day broke, -for the boatswain, too, had gone and the boat lay in sight upon the -beach whereby all might know the means of his going.</p> - -<p>One watching from the mountain would have seen the Rose of Devon spread -her sails and put to sea like a great bird with white wings. But there -was no one on the mountain to watch, and when the ship had sailed, -no human being remained to interrupt the placid calm that overspread -the bay that summer morning. The sun blazed from a clear sky, and the -green palms rustled and swayed beside the blue water, and in all the -marvelously fair prospect of land and sea no sign or mark of violence -remained.</p> - -<p>Phil Marsham had gone in the night over the hills and across the narrow -peninsula between two bays. Though the way was rough, the land was high -and—for the tropics—open, and he had put the peninsula behind him by -sunrise. He had then plunged down into a swampy region, but, finding -the tangle of vines and canes well nigh impassable in the dark, he had -struggled round it and had again come to the shore.</p> - -<p>There, finding once more a place where a man could walk easily, he had -pressed on at dawn through a forest of tall trees in infinite number -and variety, with flowers and fruits in abundance, and past a plain of -high grass of wonderful greenness.</p> - -<p>A short time after sunrise he drank from a spring of water and ate -ship's bread from the small store with which he had provided himself. -But he dared not linger, and resuming his journey he came upon two huts -where nets and fishing-tackle were spread in the sun to dry. The heat, -which seemed to swell from the very earth, by then so sorely oppressed -him that he stopped for a while in a shady place to rest. But still he -dared not stay, and although upon again arising he saw that dark clouds -were covering the sky, he once more stepped forth with such a stout -heart as had carried him out of London and all the long way to Bideford -in Devon.</p> - -<p>It gave him a queer feeling to be tramping through an unknown land with -no destination in his mind, yet he vowed to himself that, come what -might, he would never go back to the Rose of Devon. There is a time -when patience and forbearance are enough to earn a man a hempen halter, -and thinking thus, he faced the storm and renewed his determination.</p> - -<p>The wind rose to a furious gale; the clouds overswept the sky and -thunder shook the earth and heavens. The rain, sweeping down in -slanting lines, cut through the palm leaves like hundreds upon hundreds -of thrusting swords; and lightning flamed and flashed, and leaped from -horizon to horizon, and hung in a sort of continual cloud of deathly -blue in the zenith, blazing and quivering with appalling reverberations -that went booming off through the mountains and came rolling back in -ponderous echoes. It was enough to make a brave man think the black -angels were marshalling for the last great battle; it was such a -storm as a boy born in England and taught his seamanship in northern -waters knew only by sailors' tales. The rain beat through the poor -shelter that he found and drenched him to the skin, and the roaring and -thundering of the tempest filled him with awe. And when the storm had -passed, for it lasted not above three quarters of an hour, the sun came -out again and filled the air with a steamy warmth that was oppressive -beyond description.</p> - -<p>Then the woods came to life and insects stirred and droned, and -mosquitoes, issuing from among the leaves and grasses, plagued him to -the verge of madness.</p> - -<p>One who has lived always in a land where mosquitoes return each year in -summer is likely to have no conception of the venomous strength with -which their poison can work upon one who has not, by much experience of -their bites, built up a measure of resistance against it. Phil's hands -swelled until he could not shut them, and the swelling of his face so -nearly closed his eyes that he could hardly see. When two hours later, -all but blinded, and thirsting and hungry, he came again to the shore -and made out in the offing, by squinting between swollen eyelids, the -same Rose of Devon from which he had run away and to which he had vowed -he would never return, his misery was such that he would have been glad -enough to be on board her and away from such torment, though they ended -the day by hanging him. But the Rose of Devon sailed away over the blue -sea on which the sun shone as calmly and steadily as if there had been -no tempest, and Philip Marsham sat down on a rock and gave himself up -as a man already dead.</p> - -<p>There two natives of the country found him, and by grace of God, who -tempered their hearts with mercy, carried him to their poor hut and -tended him with their simple remedies until he was in such measure -recovered of the poison that he could see as well as ever. He then set -out once more upon his way to he knew not where, having rubbed himself -with an ointment of vile odour, which they gave him in goodly quantity -to keep off all pestiferous insects, and on the day when he ate the -last morsel of the food with which the natives had provided him he saw -from the side of a high hill a strange ship at anchor in a cove beneath.</p> - -<p>Now a ship might mean one thing or she might mean another; and a man's -life might depend on the difference.</p> - -<p>Drinking deeply from a stream that ran over the rocks and through the -forest, and so at last into the cove, Philip Marsham returned into the -wood and sat upon a fallen tree. He saw a boat put out from the ship -and touch on the shore a long way off, where some men left her and -went out of sight. After an hour or two they came back, and, entering -the boat, returned to the ship. He saw men working on deck and in the -rigging; he heard the piping of a whistle, and now and again, as the -wind changed, he heard more faintly than the drone of insects the -voices of the men.</p> - -<p>Being high above the shore, he found the mosquitoes fewer and the wind -helped drive them away; yet they plagued him continually, despite his -ointment, of which little was left, and made him miserable while he -stayed. He would have hurried off had he dared; but the chance that the -ship would be the means of saving his life withheld him from pursuing -his journey, while doubt concerning the manner of craft she was -withheld him from making known his presence.</p> - -<p>In mid-afternoon he saw far away a sail, which came slowly in across -the blue plain of the sea; and having clear eyes, trained by long -practice, he descried even at that great distance the motion of a -heavily rolling ship. From his seat high on the hill he could see a -long way farther than the men in the ship in the cove, and a point of -land shut off from them an arc of the sea that was visible from the -hill; so when night fell they were still unaware of the sail.</p> - -<p>Though he had watched for hours the ship in the cove, the runaway -boatswain of the Rose of Devon had discovered no sign of what nation -had sent her out or what trade her men followed; but there came a time -when his patience could endure suspense no longer. He picked his way -down to the shore, following the stream from which he had been drinking -during his long watch, and cautiously moved along the edge of the water -till he came to the point of land nearest the anchored ship, whence he -could very plainly hear voices on board her. There were lights on the -stern and on deck, and through an open port he got sight of hammocks -swinging above the guns on the main deck.</p> - -<p>At last he took off the greater part of his clothes and piled them -on a rock; then, strapping his dirk to his waist, he waded silently -into the water. Reaching his depth, he momentarily hesitated, but -fortifying his resolution with such philosophy as he could muster, he -began deliberately and silently to swim. Letting himself lie deep in -the water and moving so slowly that he raised no wake, he came into the -shadow of the ship. It was good to feel her rough planking. He swam -aft under the quarter, and coming to the rudder laid hands on it and -rested. Above him he could see, upon looking up, a lighted cabin-window.</p> - -<p>His own body seemed ponderous as he slowly lifted himself out of -water. He raised one hand from the tip of the rudder just above the -tiller to the carving overhead and got grip on a scroll wrought in -tough oak. He put his foot on the rudder, and feeling above him with -his other hand seized fast the leg of a carved dragon. Very thankful -for the brave ornaments with which the builder had bedecked the ship, -he next got hold of the dragon's snout, and clinging like a fly, unseen -and unsuspected, above the black water that gurgled about the rudder -and the hull, he crawled silently up the stern.</p> - -<p>Coming thus to the lighted cabin window, he peeked in and found the -place deserted. On the table a cloth was laid, and on the cloth such a -dinner service as he could scarce have dreamed of. There were glasses -of rare tints, with a few drops of wine left in them, which glowed -like garnets under the bright candles. There were goblets of silver, -and even, he believed, of gold. There were wonderfully delicate plates -crusted with gold about the edges. There was an abundance of silver to -eat with and a great decanter, wrought about with gold and precious -stones, such as simple folk might not expect to see this side of Heaven.</p> - -<p>At the sound of steps, Phil drew back and hung over the water on the -great stern of the ship.</p> - -<p>A boy came into the cabin and stepped briskly about clearing the table. -Voices came down from above—and they were speaking in English! What -a prize she would have made for the Rose of Devon, Phil thought, and -grimly smiled.</p> - -<p>"Boy!" a voice bellowed from somewhere in the bowels of the ship.</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea, master," cried the boy, and with that he scurried from the -cabin like a startled chick.</p> - -<p>Phil raised his head and renewed his hold, for he could not cling there -forever; yet how to introduce himself on board the ship was a question -that sorely puzzled him. He threw a bare leg over the sill, the more -easily to rest, and revolved the problem in his mind. They were plainly -honest Englishmen, and right glad would he have been to get himself in -among them. Yet if he came like a thief in the night, they must suspect -him of evil intentions without end. While he thus attacked the problem -from one side and from the other, it occurred to him that the best way -was to crawl down again into the water and swim back to the shore from -whence he had come. There, having donned his clothes, he would call for -help. Surely there was no one so hard of heart as to refuse a lad help -in escaping from the pirates.</p> - -<p>He raised his leg to swing it out of the window again and put his -scheme into practice, when he felt—and it startled him nearly out of -his skin—a hand lay hold on his ankle.</p> - -<p>If you will balance yourself on the outside of any window with one foot -over the sill, you will find it exceedingly difficult to pull your foot -away from some one inside the window without throwing yourself off the -wall, and Phil for the moment was reluctant to make the plunge. Slowly -at first he twisted and pulled, but to no purpose. With waxing vigour -he struggled and yanked and kicked and jerked, but completely failed to -get his ankle out of the hand that held it.</p> - -<p>It seemed that a gentleman who had been sitting at a little desk, so -placed that Phil could not have seen it without thrusting his head all -the way into the cabin, had looked up, and, perceiving to his mild -surprise a naked foot thrust in through the window, had nimbly arisen, -and stepping lightly toward the foot, had seized the ankle firmly at -the moment when Phil was about to withdraw it.</p> - -<p>The gentleman marvelled much at what he had discovered and purposed to -get at the reason for it. Not only did he succeed with ease in holding -the ankle fast against his captive's somewhat cautious first kicks; -he anticipated a more desperate effort by getting firm hold with both -hands, so that when his captive decided to risk all, so to speak, and -tried with might and main to fling himself free and into the water by -a great leap, the gentleman kept fast his hold and held the lad by his -one leg, who dangled below like a trapped monkey.</p> - -<p>Very likely it was foolish of Philip Marsham to attempt escaping, -but as I have said he was of no mind to be caught thus like a thief -entering in the night, and he was so completely surprised that he had -no time at all to collect his wits before he acted. Yet caught he was, -and, for a bad bargain, hung by the heels to boot.</p> - -<p>"Boy," the gentleman said, and his voice indicated that he had a droll -humour, "call Captain Winterton."</p> - -<p>The boy, further sounds revealed, who had come silently and in leisure, -departed noisily and in haste.</p> - -<p>Heavy steps then approached, and a gruff voice cried, "What devilish -sort of game is this?"</p> - -<p>"Take his other leg, Charles, and we shall soon have him safe on board. -I am not yet prepared to say what sort of game it is, beyond saying -that it is a rare and curious game."</p> - -<p>Thereupon a second pair of hands closed on Philip Marsham's other -ankle, and, would he or would he not, he was hauled speedily through -the cabin window.</p> - -<p>"Young man," said the gentleman who had first seized him, "who and what -are you, and from whence have you come?"</p> - -<p>"I am Philip Marsham, late boatswain of the Rose of Devon frigate. I -came to learn from what country this ship had sailed and to ask for -help. I myself sailed from Bideford long since in the Rose of Devon, -but, falling into the hands of certain sailors of fortune who killed -our master and took our ship, I have served them for weary months as a -forced man. Having at last succeeded in running away from them, I have -come hither by land, as you can see, suffering much on the way, and I -ask you now to have compassion on me, in God's name, and take me home -to England."</p> - -<p>"Truly," said the gentleman, "those devilish flies have wrought their -worst upon him. His face is swelled till it is as thick-lipped as a -Guinea slave's." He spoke lightly and with little thought of Phil's -words, for his humour was uppermost in him. He was in every way the -fine gentleman with an eye for the comical, accustomed to having all -things done for him and as little likely to feel pity for this nearly -naked youth as to think it wrong that the little cabin boy should stand -till morning behind his chair, lest by chance, desiring one thing or -another, he must compromise his dignity by fetching it for himself.</p> - -<p>But now the other, Captain Winterton, a tall, grave man, with cold face -and hard cold eyes, stepped forward, and speaking for the first time -said: "Do you remember me?"</p> - -<p>Phil looked him in the eye and felt his heart sink, but he was no -coward. "I do," he replied.</p> - -<p>Captain Winterton smiled. He was the first of the three men who had -come on board the Rose of Devon by way of her gallery, and had entered -the great cabin the night when Phil Marsham sat there at supper.</p> - -<p>It then burst upon Phil that in the whole plain truth lay his only hope.</p> - -<p>"I ran away from them—they had forced me into their service!—a week -since. Nay, it is true! I am no liar! And it will pay you well to keep -a sharp watch this night, for a vessel like enough to the Rose of Devon -to be her twin is this minute lying behind yonder point."</p> - -<p>"Ah! And you sailed, I believe you said, from Bideford. Doubtless you -have kept the day in mind?"</p> - -<p>"Why, 'twas in early May. Or—stay! 'Twas—"</p> - -<p>"Enough! Enough! The master of—"</p> - -<p>"But though I marked neither the day of the week nor the day of the -month, I remember the sailing well."</p> - -<p>"Doubtless," quoth the captain dryly, "but it will save time and serve -thy cause to speak only when I bid thee. Interrupt me not, but tell me -next the name of the lawful master in whose charge thy most excellent -ship sailed from Bideford."</p> - -<p>This keen and quiet captain in the King's service was of no mind that -his prisoner should tell with impunity such a story as he might make -up on the moment. Accordingly he proceeded to draw forth by question -after question such particular parts of the story as he himself desired -to hear, now attacking the matter from one angle and now from another, -watching his prisoner closely the while and all the time standing in -such a place that the lad had no chance at all of escaping through the -open window.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a><br /> -<small>A PRIZE FOR THE TAKING</small></h2> - - -<p>"We shall see," said Captain Winterton, when he had listened to all -of the tale that he would hear. He turned about. "Boy," he cried, "go -speedily and send Mr. Rance in to me."</p> - -<p>The boy departed in haste and in a moment there entered a junior -officer, who stared in frank curiosity at the three in the cabin.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Rance," said the captain, "go aloft in person to the main truck -and look about you sharply. Come back and report what you see."</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea, sir," the young man replied, and with that he was gone.</p> - -<p>The captain stood by the cabin window and frowned. Plainly he had small -confidence in the good faith of the prisoner and regarded his story as -at best an attempt to save himself at the expense of his friends. The -gentleman of the humours, somewhat sobered by the captain's manner of -grave concern, returned to his desk, but sat tapping his fingers and -watching Philip Marsham.</p> - -<p>It had instantly, of course, dawned upon the runaway boatswain that -his peril was more serious than he had had reason earlier to believe. -For supposing the unknown sail should in all truth be the Rose of -Devon,—and since she was cruising idly thereabouts nothing was more -probable,—he stood between the Devil, or at all events the Devil's -own emissary, Thomas Jordan, and a deeper sea than any ship has ever -sailed: the sea upon which many a man with less plain evidence of -piracy against him has embarked from a yardarm with a hempen collar -about his neck and a black cap over his eyes.</p> - -<p>Who, pray, would accept for sober truth such a tale as any scoundrel -would make out of whole cloth to save himself from hanging? Despite all -he could do or say, he now saw plainly, he must stand convicted, in -their minds, of being at the very least a spy sent to learn the state -of affairs on board this tall ship in which he was now a prisoner.</p> - -<p>Then back to the cabin came young Mr. Rance and very much excited did -he appear.</p> - -<p>"Sir," he exclaimed, and stood in the door.</p> - -<p>"Tell your tale."</p> - -<p>"A ship lieth two cable's lengths from land on the farther side of the -point, and a boat hath set out from her and is following the shore as -if to reconnoitre."</p> - -<p>"Ah," said the captain, "it is quite as I thought. No drums, mind you, -nor trumpets, Mr. Rance. Call the men to quarters by word of mouth. -Make haste and put springs on the cables if there be time before the -boat rounds the point. Bid the gunner make all preparations for action -and order a sharp watch kept; but order also that there be no sound or -appearance of unusual activity. Send me a corporal and a file of men, -and the master."</p> - -<p>The gentleman at the desk chuckled.</p> - -<p>"Come, boy, clear the table," said the captain.</p> - -<p>The boy jumped and returned to his work.</p> - -<p>The master came first, but the corporal and his men were close at the -master's heels.</p> - -<p>"Take this fellow to the gun room, clap him into irons, and set a man -to watch him."</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea. Come, fellow, march along."</p> - -<p>And thus sending before them Boatswain Marsham, erstwhile of the Rose -of Devon frigate, the corporal and his men departed from the cabin.</p> - -<p>There were guns on the right hand and the left—ordnance of a size to -sink the Rose of Devon with a broadside. There were sailormen thronging -between-decks in numbers to appall the young prisoner who came down -among them nearly naked from his swim. Though no greater of burthen -than the Rose of Devon, the ship was better armed and better manned, -and all signs told of the stern discipline of a man-of-war.</p> - -<p>The alternatives that Phil Marsham faced, as he sat in shackles with no -spirit to reply to the jibes of the sailors and watched men stripped to -the waist and moving deftly among the guns, were not those a man would -choose. If his old shipmates took this tall and handsome ship, a blow -on the head and a burial over the side was the kindest treatment he -could expect of them. And if not—the gallows loomed beyond a Court of -Admiralty. For hours the hum of voices went up and down the main deck -and for hours Boatswain Marsham sat with the bolts upon his legs and -wrists and saw the life of the ship go on around him. The men leaped -here and there at a word, or lolled by their guns waiting for orders. -The night wore on, and nodding, Phil thought of the two ships lying -one on each side of the point of land and by all appearances two quiet -merchantmen. Yet one, he knew to his sorrow, smelled devilishly of -brimstone; and the other, in which he now sat a prisoner, though her -ports were closed and her claws sheathed, was like some great tiger -watching through half-shut eyes a bold, adventurous goat.</p> - -<p>As the night wore on, he dared hope that the reconnoitering boat had -returned to her ship with news that had sent her away in haste, whereby -there was a chance that his tale might yet be taken for the truth that -it was; and the longer he waited the higher rose his hope, and with -the better reason. But an hour or more after midnight he heard men -beginning to talk as if there was something new in the wind, and the -nearest gunner put his ear to a cat-hole.</p> - -<p>"The dogs are out; I hear oars," he whispered. "Yea, though they are -rowing softly, I swear I can hear oars."</p> - -<p>A hush came over the ship and those below heard faintly a hail given on -deck.</p> - -<p>Distant sounds came and went like whispers out of the sky, then -somewhere outside the ship a great shouting arose and one of the men at -a starboard gun cried gleefully, with a round oath, "Verily they are -bent on boarding us, lads! Their foolish audacity seasons the term of -all our weary waiting."</p> - -<p>"Hark! They are hailing!" cried another.</p> - -<p>"Come, strike your flag. Have an end of all this talk," a distant voice -called. Whereat Philip Marsham, who knew the voice, thought that though -their audacity cost him his life it was in its own mad way superb.</p> - -<p>The reply was inaudible below, but a boat crashed against the ship.</p> - -<p>There was a burst of yelling, followed by a rattle of musketry, then a -voice boomed down, "Haul up your ports and run out your guns!"</p> - -<p>At that the men beside the guns sprang up with running and calling and -the ports flew open and the sounds from without became suddenly louder -and clearer. On the one hand were boys handing up filled budge-barrels; -on the other were gunners with linstocks ready and powder for the -priming. Then, "Ho, Master Gunner," a great voice roared, "withhold -your fire! The boats are under the guns and too near for a fair shot!" -It was such a moment as a man remembers always, for there was the smoke -of powder in the air, with a din of splashing and cursing, and overhead -a great hubbub, then silence save for the quick beat of oars.</p> - -<p>"See! See!" cried the men. "There go their boats, splintered and all -but sunk! And see! There go ours! To your oars, lads, to your oars, ere -their ship hath time to flee! See! There they go! Yea, and there go we!"</p> - -<p>The Old One had made his last blunder. He had come by night, thinking -to board a peaceful merchantman laden with a rich cargo, and had found -himself at the head of his score of men on the deck of a man-of-war.</p> - -<p>To all those below, but most of all to Philip Marsham chained in the -gun room, it was a blind, confusing affair; but the sounds told the -story; and though darkness hid the blood that was spilled, there was no -mistaking the cries for quarter and the shrieks of agony.</p> - -<p>Nor was there need for haste to reach the Rose of Devon, since the -men left as keepers of the ship were too few to make sail. Captain -Charles Winterton of the King's navy himself boarded the dark frigate -by starlight, and a capital lark he found it, for behind his stern mien -was a lively taste for such adventure. With lusty shouting he swept -the handful of men from her deck, and having put a prize crew and his -lieutenant in charge of her, he brought back a few more prisoners to -join company with the luckless boarders he had sent down to be locked -in irons below.</p> - -<p>They were sad and angry gentlemen, for there are those to whom the -laughter of a hundred sailors is worse than death by the sword. The -first of them all to enter the gun room was Tom Jordan. His cheek -was gashed and his hair was singed and blood smeared his shirt from -shoulder to shoulder and one arm hung limp and broken; but though he -was in great pain he smiled, and when they led him into the gun room -and he saw Philip Marsham with bolts on wrists and ankles, he laughed -aloud.</p> - -<p>The fellow was a very mark and pattern of a scoundrel, but he had -the courage and spirit of a hero, and had he first gone to sea under -another king than James or Charles he might in some overwhelming danger -have saved England. Great admirals are made of such timber—bold, -resolute, utterly dauntless—and any bold man might have fallen into -the same trap that had caught Tom Jordan. (Nay, had nothing warned -Captain Winterton or aroused his suspicions, there was a fighting -chance for Tom Jordan to have taken his ship from him even so.) But -Tom Jordan had gone to sea in the days when the navy was going to the -dogs, and, like many another lad of spirit who left the King's service -to join the pirates, he had adventured with the Algerians before he led -the gentlemen of Bideford. And at last, hazarding a final effort to -retrieve his luck, he had unwittingly thrust his head into the halter.</p> - -<p>Yet, though they had broken his body, they had failed to touch his -courage; despite his pain, he could smile and even laugh. Turning his -great grief into a jest, he cried, "Holla, O bravest of boatswains! -This is a joy I had not looked for. It seems that, if hang I must, I -shall not hang alone." And laughing again, right merrily, he swooned -away, which Captain Charles Winterton, having himself come down with -the others to see them all shackled, watched with quiet interest.</p> - -<p>They brought down the carpenter, who was shaking like a man with an -ague, and his beard waggled as he shook. They brought down Martin -Barwick, whose face was drawn and haggard, and his hand rubbed his -throat, for it itched in a prophetic manner. Then came Harry Malcolm, -who stopped before Phil and spat at him and cursed him, and Paul Craig, -who had neither eye nor thought for any one besides himself, and a -dozen others of whom there was not one that failed to revile at their -erstwhile boatswain. A hapless time of it Philip Marsham had among -them, but it added little to his great burden of misery.</p> - -<p>Nor, for the matter of that, did reviling content them; for toward -morning, when the others were dozing, Harry Malcolm, whom they had -locked to a longer chain, crawled over to where Phil lay and very -craftily tried to kill him with bare hands. The guard cried out, but -instead of stopping, the man redoubled his efforts to throttle the lad -whom he had seized from behind when he was asleep; whereupon the guard -struck a sharp blow with the butt of his musket, and when the corporal -had come running and had felt of Harry Malcolm's wrist and had listened -for his heart and had turned him over on his back, he cursed the guard -with fluent oaths for robbing the gallows.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</a><br /> -<small>ILL WORDS COME TRUE</small></h2> - - -<p>To the Isle of Wight, and thence to Spithead and Deptford, came in -time the Sybil of forty-four guns, Captain Charles Winterton, and -accompanying her, in the hands of a prize crew, the Rose of Devon -frigate. There, bundling certain unhappy gentlemen of fortune out of -the ship, they sent them expeditiously up to London and deposited them -for safe keeping in the Marshalsea prison, a notable hostelry which has -harboured great rogues before and since.</p> - -<p>In the fullness of time, the Lord High Admiral of England, "who holds -his court of justice for trials of all sea causes for life and goods," -being assisted by the Judge of Admiralty and sundry others, officers -and advocates and proctors and civilians, was moved to proceed against -the aforesaid gentlemen of fortune. So they heard their names cried in -the High Court of Admiralty and were arraigned for piracy and robbery -on the high seas and charged with seizing the frigate Rose of Devon, -the property of Thomas Ball and others, and murdering her master, -Francis Candle, and stealing supplies and equipment to the value of -eight hundred pounds. Nor was that the whole tale of charges, for it -seemed that the Lords of Admiralty laid to the discredit of those -particular gentlemen of fortune numerous earlier misdeeds of great -daring and wickedness and an attempt to take His Majesty's ship Sybil, -which had cost the lives of certain of His Majesty's seamen and had -occasioned His Majesty much grief and concern.</p> - -<p>He who read the indictment spoke in a loud and solemn voice, such as -might of itself make a man think of his sins and fear judgment; but -they were already cowed and fearful, save only the Old One, who still -held his head high and very scornfully smiled. The cook bent his head -and shivered and dared not look the jury in the face. The carpenter -wept and Martin Barwick was like a man struck dumb and Paul Craig kept -working his mouth and biting at his lips.</p> - -<p>There was a great concourse of people, for who would not seize upon -the chance to see a band of pirates? But a very poor show the pirates -made, save the Old One; for though they had talked much and often of -their valour and had represented themselves as tall fellows who feared -nothing in life or death, they were now and for all time revealed as -cowards to the marrow of their bones.</p> - -<p>Quietly and expeditiously the officers of the Court swore their first -witness, who smelled of pitch and tar and bore himself in such wise -that he was to be known for a sailor wherever he might turn.</p> - -<p>To their questions he replied with easy assurance, for he was not one -of those fellows who cope with great gales and storms at sea only to be -cowed by a great person on land. "Yea, sir," quoth he, "there is among -mariners common talk of a band of sea sharks that hath long resorted -to His Majesty's port of Bideford. Yea, my lord.—And have I met with -them? That I have, and to my sorrow. This month two years I was master -in a likely snow, the Prosperous of three hundred tons, which fell -afoul of that very company, as their boasting and talk discovered -to us, who took our ship and set me adrift in a boat with seven of -mine own men, whereby, God being merciful unto us, we succeeded after -many hardships in winning to the shore of Ireland, whence the Grace -of Bristol bore us home to England.—The fate of the others in our -company? In faith, some, I am told, joined themselves with that same -band of sea sharks. The rest were slaughtered out of hand.—Nay, my -lord, the night was black and my sight of the scoundrels was brief. I -much misdoubt if I should know them again."</p> - -<p>"Come, come," quoth His Lordship, tapping the papers spread on his -great table, "look at these prisoners gathered here at the bar and tell -me if there be one among them of whom you can say, 'This man was there; -this man did thus and so.'"</p> - -<p>So the witness came, with the air of a man who is pleased to be seen -of many people, and looked them over, one and all; but at the end of -his looking he sadly shook his head. "Nay, my lord, the night was dark -and sight was uncertain; and though I should rejoice—none more than -I!—to see a pirate hanged, I am most loath to swear away the life of -an innocent man. There is no man here of whom I can truly say I have -seen him before."</p> - -<p>His Lordship frowned and the proctors shook their heads; the prisoners -sighed and breathed more freely. The tale was at an end, and bearing -away with him his smell of pitch and tar the fellow returned to his -place.</p> - -<p>Four witnesses were then summoned, one after another, and told tales -like the first. One had been in a ship that was seized and sunk in -Bristol Channel; the second had received a gaping wound in the shoulder -off St. David's Head, and had known no more until he found himself -alone on the deck of a plundered flyboat; the third had fallen into -evil company in Plymouth, which beat him and robbed him and left him -for dead, and from the talk of his murderous companions he had learned, -before they set upon him that they were certain gentry of Bideford; -and the last of the four told of the murderous attack of a boarding -party, which had taken a brig and tumbled him over the side into a -boat. "Yea, my lord," he cried, "and I fear to think upon what befell -our captain's little son, for of all our crew only three men were left -alive and as they sailed away from us three we heard the boy shrieking -pitifully." One by one the witnesses wove with their tales a black -net of wickedness, but they could not or would not say they knew this -prisoner or that.</p> - -<p>The Judge frowned darkly from his bench and the people in the seats -opened their mouths in wonder and excitement at the stories of robbery -and murder. But the net was woven loosely and without knots, for thus -far there had been no one to pick out this man or that and say, "It -was he who did it." So the cook and the carpenter took heart; and the -colour returned to Martin Barwick's face; and the Old One, leaning -back, still smiled scornfully. Yet the Judge and the advocates seemed -in no way discouraged, from which the men of the Rose of Devon might -have drawn certain conclusions; for as all the world knows, judges and -advocates with a band of pirates under the thumb are, for the honour of -the law, set upon making an example of them.</p> - -<p>There was long counselling in whispers, then a bustle and stir, and an -officer cried loudly, "Come, make haste and lead her in."</p> - -<p>A murmur passed over the court and the people turned their heads to -look for the meaning of the cry. Then a door opened and an officer -appeared, leading by the arm a very old woman.</p> - -<p>Phil Marsham felt his heart leap up; he saw Martin raise his hand to -his throat with a look of horror. But when he stole a glance at the -Old One, he saw, to his wonder, that the Old One was smiling as calmly -as before: truly the man was a marvel of unconcern and a very cool and -desperate rascal.</p> - -<p>"Is this the woman?" quoth my Lord the Judge, who raised his head and -lifted his brows to see her the better.</p> - -<p>"Yea, my lord."</p> - -<p>"Hm! Let us look into this matter!" There was silence in the room -except for the sound of shuffling papers. "This woman, commonly known -as Mother Taylor, is to be hanged this day sennight, I believe."</p> - -<p>"Yea, my lord."</p> - -<p>"And it hath been suggested that if she can lay before us such evidence -as is needful, she will be commended to the King's mercy and doubtless -reprieved from the gallows. Hath all this been made plain and clear to -her?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, my lord."</p> - -<p>"Hm! It appears by these papers, woman, that keeping a house to which -rogues of all descriptions have resorted is the least of your crimes."</p> - -<p>A strange, cracked old voice burst shrilly upon the still court. "'Tis -a lie, my lord! Alas, my lord, that wicked lies should take away my -good name, and I tottering on the edge of the grave!"</p> - -<p>There were cries of "Silence!" And the officer at the old woman's side -shook her by the arm.</p> - -<p>"And to continue from the least to the greatest, you have disposed of -all manner of stolen goods, and have prepared slow poisons to be sold -at a great price and have stained your hands with murder."</p> - -<p>"Alas, my lord, it is a wicked lie—!"</p> - -<p>They shook her into silence, but her lips continued to move, and as she -stood between the officers her sharp little eyes ranged about the court.</p> - -<p>There was further counselling among the proctors, then one cried -sharply, "Come, old woman, remember that the hangman is ready to don -his gown, and answer me truly before it is too late: on such and such a -day you were at your house in Bideford, were you not?"</p> - -<p>"Nay, sir, I am old and my wits are not all they were once and I cannot -remember as I ought."</p> - -<p>"Come, now, on such a day, did not a certain man come to your house in -Bideford and abide there the night?"</p> - -<p>"It may be—it may be—for one who keepeth a tavern hath many guests."</p> - -<p>"Look about you, old woman, and tell us if you see the man."</p> - -<p>"Nay, good sir, my wits wander and I do not remember as I used."</p> - -<p>As Philip Marsham watched her hard face, so very old and crafty, he -paid little heed to the low voices of the proctors and the Judge. But -the sharp command, "Look this man in the face and tell us if you have -ever seen him before," came to the erstwhile boatswain of the Rose of -Devon like the shock of cold water to a man lying asleep.</p> - -<p>They led her before Tom Jordan—before the Old One himself—and the two -looked each other full in the face, yet neither fluttered an eye. In -all truth they were a cool pair; it had taken a Solomon to say which of -them was now the subtler.</p> - -<p>"Nay, my lord, how should I know this man? He hath the look of an -honest fellow, my lord, but I never saw him ere this."</p> - -<p>Thereupon the officers exchanged glances and the proctors whispered -together.</p> - -<p>They led her before Martin Barwick and again she shook her old white -head. "Nay, my lord, I know him not." But Martin was swallowing hard, -as if some kind of pip had beset him, and this did not escape the -notice of the Court.</p> - -<p>Down the line of accused men she came and, though she walked in the -shadow of the gallows, she said of each, in her shrill, quavering old -voice, "Nay, my lord, I know him not."</p> - -<p>Of some she spoke thus in all truth; of others, though she knew it -would cost her life, she craftily and stoutly lied. And at last she -came to Philip Marsham, whose heart chilled when he met the sharp eyes -that had looked so hard into his own in Bideford long before. "Nay, -my lord, he is a handsome blade, but I never saw him ere this." Some -smiled and sniggered; but the old woman shrugged, and lifted her brows, -and stood before the Court, wrinkled and bent by years of wickedness. -Say what you will of her sins, her courage and loyalty were worthy of a -better cause.</p> - -<p>In despair of pinning her down, they led her away at last to a bench -and there she sat with officers to guard her. Now she watched one man -and now she watched another. Often Philip Marsham felt a tremor, almost -of fear, at seeing her eyes looking hard into his own. But though of -the old woman the Court had made nothing, the exultation that showed -in the faces of some of the prisoners was premature, for the Lords of -Admiralty had other shafts to their bow, as any gentleman of fortune -might have known they would.</p> - -<p>Again there was a stir among the ushers, and in the door appeared one -at whose coming Tom Jordan ceased to smile.</p> - -<p>The fellow's chin sagged and his eyes were wild and he ducked to His -Lordship as if some one had pulled a string; and when they called on -him to give the Court his name he cried very tremulously, "Yea, yea! -Joseph Kirk, an it please you, my lord!"</p> - -<p>"Come now, look about you at these men who are arraigned for piracy. -Are there any there whom you have seen elsewhere?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea, that there be! There! And there! And there!"</p> - -<p>"Ah! Hm! Men you have seen elsewhere! Tell us who they are." And His -Lordship smiled dryly.</p> - -<p>"It is not to count against me, my lord? I have repented—yea, I have -repented! 'Twill not undo the King's pardon?"</p> - -<p>The very Judge on the bench gave a grunt as in disgust of the abject -terror the fellow showed, and a murmur of impatience went through the -room; but though he afforded a spectacle for contempt, they reassured -him and urged him on.</p> - -<p>"Yea, yea! That one there—he at the end—was our captain, and Tom -Jordan his name. It was he who led us against a vast number of prizes, -which yielded rich profit. It was he and Harry Malcolm—why, Harry -Malcolm is not here. Huh! 'Tis passing strange! He hath so often stole -beside them, I had thought he would hang beside them too. Yea, and as -I was saying—Let us consider! Yea, yea, it was he and Harry Malcolm -who contrived the plan for killing Captain Candle and taking the Rose -of Devon. Yea, they called me apart on the forecastle and tempted me to -sin and forced me with many threats. He it was—"</p> - -<p>Tom Jordan was on his feet. "You lie in your throat, you drunken dog! -It was you who struck him down with your own hand!"</p> - -<p>"Nay, nay! I did him no harm! It was another—I swear it was another!"</p> - -<p>"It seems," said His Lordship, when they had thrust Tom Jordan back in -his seat and had somewhat abated their witness's terror of his one-time -chief, "it seems this fellow's words have touched a sore. Go on."</p> - -<p>"And there is Martin Barwick—nay, hold him! Nay, if I am to go on, I -must have protection!—and there Paul Craig and there our boatswain, -Philip Marsham—" And so he continued to name the men and told a tale -of shameful acts and crimes for the least of which a man is hanged. -Indeed, Philip Marsham himself knew enough of their history to send -them one and all to the gallows, but he had not heard a tenth part -of the story of piracy and robbery and murder and black crimes unfit -for the printed page that this renegade pirate told to the full Court -of Admiralty. The fellow made a great story of it, yet kept within a -bowshot of the truth; but he was a villain of mean spirit and, though -he did for the Court the work it desired, he bought his life at cost of -whatever honour he may have had left.</p> - -<p>And then came Captain Charles Winterton, who rose, bowing in stately -wise to His Lordship, and with a composed air and an assured voice -very quietly drew tight the purse-strings of the net that Joe Kirk had -knotted. In his grand and dignified manner he bowed now and then to His -Lordship and to the proctors, who asked him questions with a deference -in their bearing very different from their way with the other witnesses.</p> - -<p>"Yea, these pirate rogues boarded His Majesty's ship Sybil and killed -three of His Majesty's men before they perceived the blunder they had -made and gave themselves up.—How many lives did the boarders lose? -Probably twelve or fourteen. Several bodies fell into the water and -were not recovered. It was useless to hunt for them, my lord. Great -sharks abound in those waters.—Yea, this Thomas Jordan led them in -person. In truth, there is little distinction between them in the -matter of guilt. The man Marsham, whom the previous witness named a -boatswain, was the first to board the Sybil. He entered the great cabin -by way of the stem, apparently to spy out the situation on board. He -declared himself a forced man who had run away from the pirates. Who -could say? The situation in which he was taken was such, certainly, -as to incriminate him; though 'twere cause for sorrow, since he was a -brave lad and had given no trouble during the voyage home."</p> - -<p>There was a great whispering among the people, who thought it was a -shame for so likely a lad to hang with a pack of pirates. But it was -plain by now to the greatest dullard among those unhappy gentlemen of -fortune that hang they must; and for Philip Marsham, who sat as white -as death from the shame of it, there was no slightest spark of hope. -The net was woven and knotted and drawn, and the end of it all was at -hand.</p> - -<p>When, according to the custom of the time, they called on Tom Jordan -for his defense, he rose and said, "Alas, my lord, the ropes are laid -that shall hang me. Already my neck aches. This, though, I will say: -whatever these poor men have done, it is I that compelled them into it, -and I, my lord, will stand to answer for it."</p> - -<p>Some gave one defense and some another; and meanwhile there was much -legal talk, dry and long and hard to understand. And so at last they -called on Philip Marsham to rise and speak for himself if he had -anything to say in his own defense.</p> - -<p>He rose and stood before them, very white of face, and though his voice -trembled, which was a thing to be expected since he saw before him a -shameful death, he told them his true story, beginning with the day he -sailed from Bideford, very much as I have told it here. But when they -asked him about affairs on board the Rose of Devon that concerned the -others and not him, he replied that each man must tell his own tale and -that though he swung for it he must leave the others to answer those -questions for themselves.</p> - -<p>"Come," quoth His Lordship, leaning forward and sharply tapping his -table, "you have heard the question asked. Remember, young man, that -you stand in a place exceeding slippery. It shall profit you nothing to -hold your peace."</p> - -<p>"My lord," said he, "the tale hath been told in full. There is no need -that I add to it, and were I to speak further I should but carry with -me to the grave the thought that I had done a treacherous thing. Though -I owe these men for nought save hard usage, yet have I eaten their -bread and drunk their wine, and I will not, despite their sins, help to -hang them."</p> - -<p>It was doubtless very wrong for him to reply thus, as any moralist -will point out, since it is a man's duty to help enforce the laws by -bringing criminals to justice. But he answered according to his own -conscience; and after the craven talk of Joseph Kirk, the lad's frank -and honest statement pleased perhaps even my Lord the Judge, sitting -high above the court, who frowned because his position demanded frowns. -Surely loyalty ranks high among the virtues and great credit is due to -a keen sense of personal honour. But there then came from his talk a -result that neither he nor any other had foreseen.</p> - -<p>Up sprang Tom Jordan. "My lord," he cried, "I pray thee for leave to -speak!"</p> - -<p>To the frowns and chidings of the officers who forced him down again, -he paid no heed. A tumult rose in the room, for they had hurled the Old -One back and clapped hands over his mouth; but out of the struggle came -again the cry, "My lord! My lord!" and His Lordship, calling in a loud -voice for order and silence, scowled and gave him the leave he asked.</p> - -<p>As Martin had said long before, Tom Jordan was an ugly customer when -his temper was up and hot, but no man to nurse a grudge.</p> - -<p>"I thank you, my lord," said he, the while smoothing his coat, which -had wrinkled sadly in the scuffle. "Though I must hang I desire to see -justice done. It lay in the power of this Philip Marsham to have added -to the tale of our sins and the sum of our woes; wherefore, since he -hath had the spirit to refrain from doing thus, why, my lord, I needs -must say that he hath spoken only the truth. He was a forced man, and -having a liking for him, since he is a lad of spirit, I would have -had him join us heart and soul. 'Tis true likewise that he ran away -from our ship and turned his hand against us, and for that I would have -let him hang with these other tall fellows but for the brave spirit he -hath shown. But as for yonder swine—yea, thou, Joe Kirk! Quake and -stare!—he hath done more mean, filthy tricks to earn a hanging than -any other gentleman of fortune, I believe, that ever sailed the seas."</p> - -<p>"Not so, my lord!" Joe Kirk yelled. "He fears me for my knowledge of -his deeds! Help! Hold him—hold him!"</p> - -<p>Tom Jordan swore a great oath and Joe Kirk leaped up in his seat, white -and shaking, and cried over and over that it was all a lie, and there -was a merry time of it before the attendants restored peace.</p> - -<p>And then, to the further amazement of all in the court, Captain Charles -Winterton again rose.</p> - -<p>"If I may add a word, my lord? Thank you, my lord. I observed that when -the prisoners went below their manner toward this man Marsham was such -as to lend a certain plausibility to his story. They took, in short, so -vindictive a delight in his misfortunes that even then it seemed not -beyond reason that his tale was true and that he had indeed left them -without leave. That, of course, proves nothing with regard to his being -a forced man; but it is a matter of common justice to say that, in -consideration of all that I have seen before and of that which I have -this day heard, I believe he hath told the truth both then and now. -Thank you, my lord."</p> - -<p>Such a hullabaloo of talk as then burst forth among the spectators, and -such learned argument as passed between the proctors and the Lieutenant -of Admiralty and His Lordship the Judge, surpass imagination. Some -quoted the Latin and the Greek, while others of less learning voiced -their opinions in the vulgar tongue, so that all in all there was -enough disputation to fuddle the wits of a mere layman by the time they -gave the case to the jury.</p> - -<p>Then the jury, weighing all that had been said, put together its twelve -heads, while such stillness prevailed in the court that a man could -hear his neighbor's breathing. It seemed to those whose lives were at -stake that the deliberations took as many hours as in reality they took -minutes. There are times when every grain of sand in the glass seems -to loiter in falling and to drift through the air like thistledown, as -if unwilling to come to rest with its fellows below. Yet the sand is -falling as fast as ever, though a man whose life is weighing in the -balance can scarcely believe it; so at last the jury made an end of its -work, which after all had taken little enough time in consideration of -the matter they must decide.</p> - -<p>"You have reached with due and faithful care a verdict in this matter?" -quoth His Lordship.</p> - -<p>"We have, my lord."</p> - -<p>"You will then declare your verdict to the Court."</p> - -<p>"Of these fourteen prisoners at the bar of justice, my lord, we find -one and all guilty of the felonies and piracies that are charged -against them, save only one man." In the deathly silence that fell upon -the room the name sounded forth like the stroke of a bell. "We acquit, -my lord, Philip Marsham."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There and then Philip Marsham parted company with the men of the Rose -of Devon. His hands shook when he rose a free man, and when many spoke -to him in all friendliness he could find no voice to reply.</p> - -<p>Never again did he see their faces, but he heard long afterward of how, -a week from the day of their trial, they went down the river to Wapping -in wherries, with the bright sun shining on the ships and on the shore -where a great throng had assembled to see them march together up the -stairs to Execution Dock.</p> - -<p>Though they had always made themselves out to appear great and fierce -men, yet on that last day they again showed themselves cravens at -heart—except Tom Jordan. The Old One, stern, cold, shrewd, smiled at -his fellows and said, "It is to be. May God have mercy on me!" And -though he stood with the black cap over his eyes and the noose round -his neck, he never flinched.</p> - -<p>As for Martin Barwick, his face grey with fear, he strove to break -away, and cried out in English and in Spanish, and called on the -Virgin. Sadly, though, had he fallen from the teachings of the Church, -and little did his cries avail him! He came at the last to the end -he had feared from the first; and his much talk of hanging was thus -revealed to have been in a manner prophecy, although it sprang from no -higher oracle than his own cowardly heart.</p> - -<p>One told Philip Marsham that Mother Taylor was hanged; another said -they let her go, to die a natural death in the shadow of the gallows -that stood by the crossroads in her native town of Barnstable. Either -tale is likely enough, and Phil never learned which was true.</p> - -<p>For aught I know to the contrary, she may have found an elixir of life -as good as the one discovered by the famous Count de Saint-Germain, -and so be living still.</p> - -<p>Whatever the end she came to, Phil Marsham was far away when they -determined her fate. For the day he stepped out in the streets of -London, a free man once more and a loyal subject of the King, he took -the road to the distant inn where he was of a mind to claim fulfillment -of Nell Entick's promise.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII</a><br /> -<small>BACK TO THE INN</small></h2> - - -<p>If this were a mere story to while away an idle hour, I, the scribe, -would tie neatly every knot and leave no Irish pennants hanging from -my work. But life, alas, is no pattern drawn to scale. The many -interweaving threads are caught up in strange tangles, and over them, -darkly and inscrutably, Atropos presides. Who cannot recall to mind -names and faces still alive with the friendship of a few weeks or -months,—a friendship pleasant in memory,—a friendship that promised -fruitful years, but that was lost for ever when a boy or man drifted -out of sight for one reason or another, and on one tide or another of -the projects that go to make up life? To Philip Marsham, tramping again -the high roads of England, there came, mingled with many other desires, -a longing to see once more the Scottish smith who had wrought the dirk -that had tasted blood for his protection in those dark adventures at -sea. But when he came to the smithy beside the heath he found it open -and empty. The wind blew the door on rusty hinges; brown leaves had -drifted in and lay about the cold forge; the coals were dead, the -bellows were broken, and the lonely man who had wrought iron on the now -rusty anvil had taken his tools and gone.</p> - -<p>The day was still young, for the wayfarer, starting early and in the -fullness of his strength, had this day covered three miles in the time -that one had taken him when he walked that road before. So he left the -smithy and pushed on across the heath and far beyond it, marking each -familiar farm and village and country house, until night had fallen and -the stars had come out, when he laid him down under a hedge and slept.</p> - -<p>He was thinking, when he fell asleep, of Nell Entick. He remembered -very well her handsome face, her head held so high, her white throat -and bare arms. He was going back to the inn to claim fulfillment of -her promise and he pictured her as waiting for him there. In most ways -he was a bold, resolute youth who had seen much of life; but in some -ways, nevertheless, he was a lad of small experience, and if he thought -at all that she had been a little overbold, a little overwilling, he -thought only that she was as honestly frank as he.</p> - -<p>Waking that night upon his bed of leaves, he saw far away on a hill the -dancing flames of a campfire, concerning which he greatly wondered. -For, having been long out of England, he had small knowledge of -the ups and downs of parliaments and kings; and in the brief time -since his return, of which he had spent nearly all in prison, he had -heard nothing of the tumultuous state of the kingdom, save a few -words dropped here or there while he was passing through hamlets and -villages, and seen nothing thereof save such show of arms as in one -place or another had caught his eye but not his thought. Although he -knew it not, since he was a plain lad with no gift of second-sight, he -lay in a country poised on the brink of war and his bed was made in the -field where a great battle was to be fought.</p> - -<p>He went on at daylight, and going through a village at high noon -saw a preacher in clipped hair and sober garb, who was calling on -the people to be valiant and of good courage against those wicked -men who had incited riot and rebellion among the Roman Catholics in -Ireland, whereby the King might find pretext for raising a vast army to -devastate and enslave England. Sorely perplexed by this talk, of which -he understood little, Phil besought a sneering young fellow, who stood -at no great distance, for an explanation; to which the fellow replied -that it was talk for them that wore short hair and long ears, and that -unless a man kept watch upon his wits his own ears would grow as long -from hearing it as those of any Roundhead ass in the country. At this -Phil took umbrage; but the fellow cried Nay, that he would fight no -such keen blade, who was, it seemed, a better man than he looked. And -with a laugh he waved the matter off and strolled away.</p> - -<p>So to the inn Phil came in due time, having meditated much, meanwhile, -on the talk of the King and war and the rights of Parliament, which was -in the mouths and ears of all men. But he put such things out of his -mind when at last he saw the inn, for the moment was at hand when his -dreams should come true and he should find waiting for him the Nell -Entick he remembered from long ago.</p> - -<p>Surely a lad of enterprise, who had ventured the world over with -pirates, could find in any English village something to which he could -turn his hand. Indeed, who knew but some day he might keep the inn -himself—or do better? Who knew? He remembered Little Grimsby and drew -a long breath. Caught in a whirl of excitement that set the blood -drumming in his ears, he strode into the house and, boldly stepping up -to the public bar, called loudly, "Holla, I say! I would have speech of -Mistress Nell Entick."</p> - -<p>From a tall settle in the corner, where he sat taking tobacco, there -rose a huge man with red and angry face.</p> - -<p>"Who in the Devil's name art thou," he roared, "that comes ranting into -an honest house and bawls out thus the name of Mistress Nell Entick?"</p> - -<p>There were as usual a couple of countrymen sitting with pots of ale, -who reared their heads in vast amazement, and in the noisy kitchen -down the passage a perceptible hush followed the loud words. The house -seemed to pause and listen; the countrymen set down their pots; there -was a sound of creaking hinges and of lightly falling feet.</p> - -<p>Very coolly, smiling slightly, Philip Marsham met the eyes of the big, -red-faced man. "It seems," said he, "thou art riding for another fall."</p> - -<p>A look of recognition, at first incredulous, then profoundly -displeased, dawned on the red face and even greater anger followed.</p> - -<p>"Thou banging, basting, broiling brogger!" he thundered. "Thou -ill-contrived, filthy villain! Out the door! Begone!"</p> - -<p>"It seems, Jamie Barwick, that thy wits are struck with years. Have -care. Thy brother is already on the road to Wapping—they have signed -and sealed his passage."</p> - -<p>The fat man came to Phil with the slow gait and the low-hung head of a -surly dog. He thrust his red face close to Phil's own.</p> - -<p>"Yea, it is thou," he sneered. "I am minded to beat thee and bang thee -till thou goest skulking under the hedges for cover. But it seems thou -hast good news. What is this talk of the hangman's budget?"</p> - -<p>"It is true. By now thine excellent brother hath in all likelihood -donned the black cap and danced on air. As for beating and -banging—scratch thy head and agitate thy memory and consider if I have -given thee reason to hope for quietness and submission."</p> - -<p>There was a flicker of doubt in the man's small eyes, whereby it seemed -his memory served him well.</p> - -<p>"And what meanest thou by saying thou would'st have speech of Mistress -Nell Entick?" he asked suspiciously.</p> - -<p>"That concerns thee not."</p> - -<p>"Ha!" He scowled darkly. "Methinks it concerns me nearly!"</p> - -<p>And then a high voice cried, "Who called my name?"</p> - -<p>They turned and Phil Marsham's face lighted, for she stood in the door. -She was not so fair as he had pictured her—what lad's memory will not -play such tricks as that?—and he thought that when he had taken her -away from the inn she need never again wear a drabbled gown. But it -was she, the Nell Entick who had so lightly given him her promise and -kissed him as he fled, and he had come for her.</p> - -<p>"Back again, John? Nay, John was not thy name. Stay! No, it hath -escaped me, but I remember well thy face. And shall I bring thee ale? -Or sack? We have some rare fine sack."</p> - -<p>He stared at her as if he could not believe his ears had told him -right. "I have come," he said, "to claim a certain promise—"</p> - -<p>She looked bewildered, puzzled, then laughed loudly. "Silly boy!" she -cried. "I am these six months a wife."</p> - -<p>"A wife!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, and mine," cried Barwick. "Come, begone I I'll have no puppies -sniffling at her heels."</p> - -<p>At something in the man's manner, the full truth dawned on Philip -Marsham. "I see. And you have taken the inn?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, that I have! Must I split thy head to let in knowledge? Begone!"</p> - -<p>She laid her hand on Barwick's wrist. "The lad means no harm," she -whispered. "Come, it is folly to drive trade away." And over Barwick's -shoulder she cast Phil such a glance that he knew, maid or matron, she -would philander still.</p> - -<p>But Phil had seen her with new eyes and the old charm was broken. -(Perhaps if Tom Marsham had waited a year before he leaped into -marriage, I had had no story to tell!) All that was best in the father -had come down to the son, and Phil turned his back on the siren with -the bold, bright eyes. He turned his back on the inn, too, and all the -dreams he had built around it—a boy's imaginings raised on the sands -of a moment's fancy. Nay, he turned his back on all the world he had -hitherto known.</p> - -<p>With a feeling that he was rubbing from his face a spider's web of -sordidness,—that he was cutting the last cord that bound him to his -old, wild life,—stirred by a new and daring project, he went out of -the inn and turned to the left and took the road in search of Sir John -Bristol.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII</a><br /> -<small>AND OLD SIR JOHN</small></h2> - - -<p>Sir John Bristol! There, gentlemen, was a brave, honest man! A man of -spirit and of a humour! If you crossed him, if you toyed with him, his -mirth was rough, his hand was hard, he was relentless as iron. But for -a man who stood his ground and fought a bold fight and met squarely the -old man's eyes, there was nothing Sir John would not do.</p> - -<p>After all his weary travels by land and sea, Philip Marsham had at last -come back to find a man whom he had seen but once and for a brief time. -Yet in that man he had such complete confidence as he had never had in -any other, and since Jamie Barwick had left the man's service and taken -the inn—who knew?</p> - -<p>Striding over the same rolling country road that he had tramped with -Martin long before, and coming soon to the park, he skirted it and -pressed on, keeping meanwhile his eyes and wits about him, until -he perceived a gate and a porter's lodge. He went to the gate and -finding it ajar slipped through and made haste up a long avenue with -overarching trees. A man from the lodge came out and angrily called -after the intruder, but Phil never looked back. The avenue turned to -the left and he saw at a distance the great house; he was of no mind to -suffer hindrance or delay.</p> - -<p>The sunset sky threw long, still shadows across the grass, and -countless wandering branches of ivy lay like a dark drapery upon the -grey walls of the old house. A huge dog came bounding and roaring down -the avenue, but when the lad smiled without fear and reached a friendly -hand toward him, the beast stopped clamouring and came quietly to heel. -Lights shone from the windows and softly on the still evening air the -thin, sweet music of a virginal stole over the broad terraces and lawns.</p> - -<p>The clamour of the dog, it seemed, had attracted the attention of those -within, for a grey-haired servant met the stranger in the door. He -stood there suspiciously, forbiddingly, and with a cold stare searched -the young man from head to heel.</p> - -<p>"I would have speech of Sir John Bristol," said Phil.</p> - -<p>The servant frowned. "Nay, you have blundered," he replied haughtily. -"The servants' hall—"</p> - -<p>"I said Sir John."</p> - -<p>"Sir John? It is—ahem!—impossible."</p> - -<p>"I said Sir John."</p> - -<p>The servant moved as if to shut the door.</p> - -<p>"Come," said Phil quietly, "enough of that! I will have speech of Sir -John Bristol."</p> - -<p>For a moment the servant hesitated, then from within a great voice -cried, "Come, Cobden, what's afoot?"</p> - -<p>In haughty disapproval of the lad without, the servant turned his back, -but to the man within he spoke with deference, as if apologizing. "Yea, -Sir John. The fellow is insistent, but I shall soon have him off."</p> - -<p>"Go, Cobden. Leave him to me."</p> - -<p>The servant moved away and disappeared.</p> - -<p>The virginalling had ceased, and on the lawns and the avenue and the -park, which stretched away into the dark valley, a deep silence had -come with the twilight. The sun had set and the long shadows across -the grass were lost in the greater shadow of evening. As the world -without had grown darker, the lights within seemed to have grown -brighter.</p> - -<p>"Come, fellow, come into the hall. So! Have I not seen thee before?"</p> - -<p>"Yea, Sir John."</p> - -<p>"Ha! I can remember faces. Aye, there are few that escape me. Let us -consider. Why, on my life! This is the lad that gave Barwick such a -tumbling that the fellow walked lame for a month. Speak up! Have I not -placed thee right?"</p> - -<p>"Though I was faint for want of food, I was quicker on my feet than he."</p> - -<p>The old man laughed until his brave curls shook.</p> - -<p>"In faith, and it is said with moderation. And what now, lad? What hath -brought thee hither?"</p> - -<p>"Since Barwick hath left your service—"</p> - -<p>"That he hath, that he hath!"</p> - -<p>"It seemed there might be a place for a keeper."</p> - -<p>"For a keeper? Ha, ha, ha! Nay, th' art too spirited a lad to waste -away as keeper. Mark my word, lad, the King will shortly have need for -such courageous gallants as thou. Unless I mistake thy spirit, we shall -soon see thee riding among the foremost when we chase these dogs of -Roundheads into the King's kennels and slit their noses and prick their -ears as a warning to all of weak mind and base spirit."</p> - -<p>"I have a taste for such sport, and God knows I am the King's man."</p> - -<p>"Good, say I!" Sir John's clear eyes searched the frank eyes of the -lad, and the old man was pleased with what he found. "Come, the cook -shall fill thy belly and Cobden shall find thee a bed. Cobden! Cobden, -I say!"</p> - -<p>"Yea, Sir John."</p> - -<p>"Make place for this good fellow in the servants' hall and see that he -hath all that he can eat and drink."</p> - -<p>"Yea, Sir John."</p> - -<p>"But stay a moment. Thy name, fellow."</p> - -<p>"Philip Marsham."</p> - -<p>"Philip Marsham?" The heavy brows knotted and Sir John spoke musingly. -"Philip Marsham! I once knew a man of that name."</p> - -<p>Silence fell upon the hall. Grey Cobden stood a little behind his -master, and when Phil looked past Sir John he saw standing in a door -the tall, quiet girl he had seen with the old knight that day in the -wood so long since. Doubtless it was she who had played upon the -virginal. Her dark eyes and fine dignity wove a spell around the lad—a -spell of the magic that has come down from the beginning of time—the -magic that is always young.</p> - -<p>Take such spells, such magic, as lightly as you please; yet they have -overturned kingdoms and not once, but many times, have they launched a -thousand ships.</p> - -<p>"Did you ever hear of Dr. Marsham of Little Grimsby?" Sir John asked, -and he watched the lad very closely.</p> - -<p>"Yea."</p> - -<p>"And what have you heard of him?"</p> - -<p>"He is my grandfather."</p> - -<p>"So!" The old knight stepped back and bent his brows. "Verily," he -said, "I believe the lad hath spoken truth. Go, Cobden. There is no -place in the hall for this lad."</p> - -<p>The servant departed and the girl stepped nearer.</p> - -<p>"Your father's name?" Sir John said.</p> - -<p>"My father's name was Thomas Marsham."</p> - -<p>"Doubtless he bred you to the sea."</p> - -<p>"He did."</p> - -<p>"He broke the hearts of his father and his mother."</p> - -<p>Phil stood silent in the hall and looked Sir John in the eye. Since -there seemed to be no reply, he waited for the knight to speak again.</p> - -<p>"Tom Marsham's father and mother are dead, but within the year, lad, -they stood where you are standing now. It was the last time I saw them."</p> - -<p>What could a young man say? Phil Marsham remembered well the one time -he had himself seen them. Who knew what might have happened had he -spoken? But the chance was gone, and for ever.</p> - -<p>"There is no place for Philip Marsham in my servants' hall," said Sir -John. "His father—but no! Let the dead lie. There is no place for -Philip Marsham in my servants' hall. Under my roof he is my guest."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV</a><br /> -<small>AND AGAIN THE ROSE OF DEVON</small></h2> - - -<p>The story of Philip Marsham and of Sir John Bristol, and of the fortune -left by the good Doctor Marsham of Little Grimsby,—how it came to his -grandson and was lost in the war that brought ruin to many a noble -family,—is a tale that may some day be worth the telling. Of that, I -make no promises.</p> - -<p>The years that followed were wild and turbulent, but during their -passage Phil chanced upon one reminder and another of his earlier days -of adventuring. He saw once again the long, ranting madman who had -carried the great book. He might not have known the fellow, who was in -a company of Brownists or Anabaptists, or some such people, had he not -heard him crying out in his voice like a cracked trumpet, to the great -wonder and admiration of his fellows, "Never was a man beset with such -diversity of thoughts." There was Jacob, too, who had sneaked away -like a rat on the eve of the day when Tom Jordan's schemes fell about -his ears: Phil once came upon him face to face, but when their eyes -met Jacob slipped round a corner and was gone. He was a subtle man and -wise, and of no intention to be reminded of his days as a pirate.</p> - -<p>Philip Marsham went to the war with Sir John Bristol, and fought for -the King, and rose to be a captain; and with the story of Philip -Marsham is interwoven inseparably the story of Anne Bristol and of her -father, Sir John. For Sir John Bristol died at the second battle of -Newbury with his head on Philip Marsham's knees; and in his grief at -losing the brave knight who had befriended him, the lad prayed God for -vengeance on the Roundhead armies.</p> - -<p>And yet, though his grief was bitter, he had too just a mind to see -only one side of a great war. Once, when they sent him from the King's -camp on a secret mission, the enemy ran him to cover, and he escaped -them only by doubling back and hiding in the garret of a cottage -where he lay high under the thatch and watched through a dusty little -window the street from the Red Boar Inn down the hill to the distant -meadows, without being himself seen. He heard far away a murmur as -of droning bees. Minutes passed and he heard the drone settle into a -hollow rumble, from which there emerged after a time the remote sound -of rattling drums and the occasional voices of shouting men. Then, of a -sudden, there broke on the air a sound as of distant thunder, in which -he made out a chorus:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"His staff and rod shall comfort me,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">His mantle e'er shall be my shield;</div> - <div class="verse">My brimming cup I hold in fee</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Of him who rules the battlefield."</div> -</div></div> - -<p>The voices of the singing men came booming over the meadows. They were -deep, strong voices and there was that in their volume and fierce -earnestness which made a man shiver.</p> - -<p>Phil heard a dog barking; he saw a woman standing in the door of a -cottage; he saw a cloud of dust rise above the meadow; then they came.</p> - -<p>First a band of men on foot in steel caps, with their firelocks -shouldered, swinging out in long, firm strides. Then a little group -of kettledrums, hammering away in a fierce rhythm. Then a number of -horsemen, with never a glint of gold on their bridles and never a curl -from under their iron helms. Then, rank behind rank, a solid column of -foot that flowed along the dusty road over hillock and hollow, dark and -sombre, undulating like a torpid stream of something thick and slow -that mightily forces a passage over every obstacle in its way.</p> - -<p>They came up the hill, turning neither to right nor to left, up the -hill and over it, and away to the north, where King Charles and all his -armies lay.</p> - -<p>It was a fearful sight, for they were stern, determined men. There -was no gallant flippancy in their carriage; there was no lordly show -of ribbands and linen and gold and silver lace. They frowned as they -marched, and looked about them little. They bore so steadily on, they -made one feel they were men of tempered metal, men of no blood and no -flesh, men with no love for the brave adventures of life, but with a -streak of iron in their very souls.</p> - -<p>Philip Marsham had heard the men of the Rose of Devon go into battle -with cries and shouting, and laugh when they killed; he had seen old -Sir John Bristol throw back his head proudly and jest with the girls of -the towns on their march; but these were men of another pattern.</p> - -<p>He became aware, as he watched them go by—and he then knew the meaning -of fear, safely hidden though he was, behind the dirty and small window -in the gable; for had one man of those thousands found him there, it -would have ended the fighting days of Philip Marsham—he became aware -that here was a courage so stubborn there was no mastering it; that -here was a purposeful strength such as all the wild blades in his -master's camp could never match. Their faces showed it; the marching -rhythm of the never-ending column was alive with it.</p> - -<p>Behind the first regiments of infantry, horsemen came, and, at an -interval in the ranks of the cavalry, five men rode together. The eyes -of one, who led the four by a span or two, were bent on the road, and -his face was stern and strong and thoughtful. As Phil watched him, -the first hesitating surmisal became conviction, and long afterward -he learned that he had been right. From his gable window he had seen -Oliver Cromwell go by.</p> - -<p>All that afternoon the column streamed on, and in the early darkness -Philip fell asleep to the sound of men marching. In the morning they -were gone, and he went on his way and fulfilled his mission; but though -the King's men fought with a gallantry that never lessened, the cause -of the King was lost, and the day broke when Philip Marsham was ready -to turn his back on England.</p> - -<p>So he came a second time to the harbour of Bideford, in Devon, and had -it in his mind to take ship for some distant land where he could forget -the years of his youth and early manhood. He was in the mood, then, -to envy Sir John Bristol and all the gallant company that had died on -the fields of Naseby and Newbury, and of many another great battle; -for he was the King's man, and great houses of the country had fallen, -and many lords and gentlemen whose estates had gone to pay the cost of -Cromwell's wars had as much reason as he, and more, to wonder, at the -sight of deep water, whether it were better to die by one's own hand -or to seek new fortunes beyond the sea.</p> - -<p>There were many vessels in the harbour and his gaze wandered over -them, ships and pinks and ketches and a single galliot from the Low -Countries, until his eyes came at last to one of singularly familiar -aspect. He looked at her a long time, then strolled down to the quay -and accosted an aged man who was warming his rheumatic limbs in the sun.</p> - -<p>"What ship is that," said Captain Marsham, "which lies yonder, in line -with the house on the farther shore to the right of the three trees?"</p> - -<p>The aged man squinted over the harbour to pick up the bearings his -questioner had given him and cleared his throat with a husky cough.</p> - -<p>"Why, that," he said, "beës the frigate they call Rose of Devon."</p> - -<p>"The Rose of Devon—nay, she cannot be the Rose of Devon!"</p> - -<p>"Can and beës. Why does 'ee look so queer, sir?"</p> - -<p>"Not the Rose of Devon!"</p> - -<p>"Art 'ee addled?" He laughed like a cackling hen. "Aye, an' yon's her -master."</p> - -<p>The master turned when the young captain accosted him, and replied, -with reasonable civility, "Yea, the Rose of Devon, Captain Hosmer, at -your service, sir. Passage? Yea, we can take you, but you're a queer -sort to ask passage ere you know whither she sails. Is it murder or -theft?"</p> - -<p>"Neither. The old order is changing and I would go abroad."</p> - -<p>"To the colonies?"</p> - -<p>"They tell me all the colonies are of a piece with these Roundheads -here, and that as many psalms are whined in Boston in New England as in -all the conventicles in London."</p> - -<p>He laughed in good humour. "You are rash," said he. "Were I of the -other side, your words might cost you your head. But we're going south -to Barbados, and there you'll find men to your own taste."</p> - -<p>Captain Philip Marsham wished no more than that. So he struck a bargain -for passage, and paid with gold, and sailed from England for the second -time in the old Rose of Devon, the dark frigate that by God's grace had -come back to Bideford in the hour when he most needed her.</p> - - -<p class="ph3">THE END</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="ph3">THE DARK FRIGATE</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>By</i> CHARLES BOARDMAN HAWES</p> - - -<p>The frigate <i>Rose of Devon</i> rescues from a wreck in mid-ocean twelve -men who show their gratitude by seizing the <i>Rose</i>, killing her captain -and sailing toward the Caribbean where they hope to plunder Spanish -towns and galleons. Mistaking an English man-of-war for a merchantman, -they are captured and brought back to England for trial. Only one, -an English lad, Philip Marsham, a member of the original crew of the -<i>Rose</i>, is acquitted; and he, after adventures in the forces of King -Charles, tires of Cromwell's England and sails for Barbados once more -on the <i>Rose of Devon</i>.</p> - -<p>"The Dark Frigate" has long been a favorite story for boys and in -1924 was awarded the John Newbery Medal, given annually "for the most -distinguished contribution to American literature for children."</p> - -<p>When "The Dark Frigate" was first published F. F. Van deWater in <i>The -New York Tribune</i> said: "No one, we think, has written so perfect a -pirate tale since 'Treasure Island'."</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>With frontispiece in full color by</i> ANTON OTTO FISCHER</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="ph3">THE MUTINEERS</p> -<p class="ph4"><i>By</i> CHARLES BOARDMAN HAWES</p> - - -<p>This rousing pirate story of the Pacific has proved even more popular -than the author's Newbery Prize-winning "The Dark Frigate." Originally -published as an Atlantic Monthly Press Book in 1920, it has delighted -thousands of adventure-loving boys (and girls too!). From the moment -when young Benjamin Lathrop of Salem signs up with Captain Whidden of -the <i>Island Princess</i> the reader embarks on a reading voyage of high -and gleaming excitement.</p> - -<p>"There is the atmosphere of the old-time ships and the spirit of the -sailors of a century ago—such as you find in the pages of Dana and -Stevenson.... Here is a story that stands out with distinction among -all the sea stories of many years."</p> - -<p class="ph5">—<i>Boston Herald</i></p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>With frontispiece in full color by</i> ANTON OTTO FISCHER</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Dark Frigate, by Charles Boardman Hawes - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DARK FRIGATE *** - -***** This file should be named 50598-h.htm or 50598-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/5/9/50598/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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