CHAPTER TEN.
ROY VISITS THE POWDER-MAGAZINE.
"Now, Ben, what next?"
"The thing I've been thinking, sir, is that, little as it be, we mustmake the most of our garrison. It's war time now, and if you'll givethe order I'll march the men to the armoury and serve out the weepunsand clothes."
Roy nodded, gave the word for the men to march, counter-ordered it, at ahint from Ben, and then, telling them to face right, put himself attheir head, and marched them to the long, low room at once.
Ben began to serve out the buff jerkins and steel caps.
"Can't stop for no trying on now," he said; "you must do as we used inthe army,--change about till you get them as fits you."
This done, the firelocks and bandoleers followed, and, lastly, to eachman a belt and sword.
And all the time the old soldier handed every article to the recipientwith a grave dignity and a solemnity of manner which seemed to say, "Iam giving treasures to you that I part from with the greatest regret,"and he finished with--
"Now, my lads, look here: it's a great honour to bear arms in theservice of your king, and if you're carrying Sir Granby Royland's armsyou're carrying the king's, so take care of 'em. A good soldierwouldn't have a speck of rust on his helmet or his sword; they're asbright as I can make 'em now, and as sharp, so mind they're always so.Now go to your new quarters and put 'em on--proper, mind; and yourmaster, the captain here, will have a parade in an hour's time."
The men went off, leaving Roy wondering at the calmness with which hestood by listening while old Ben talked to the men and kept on referringto him as "your master."
Ben now turned to him. "What do you say, sir?" he said. "Don't youthink we had better go down and see if all's right in thepowder-magazine?"
"But it's in the cellar, Ben, and you'd want a light."
"Hardly fair, sir, to call it the cellar. I believe it's one of the olddungeons where they used to shut people up in the good old times."
"That would be darker still, Ben. How are we to see?"
"Have to feel, sir; for I don't fancy taking down a lantern. Once weget there and the place open, we can go round and tell with our handshow many kegs there are on the shelves, and then if we bring one out andtry it, and it turns out all right, we shall know we're safe."
"Very well: it isn't a nice job; but, if it has to be done, we'd betterget it over."
"As you say, sir, it aren't a nice job; but, if we're very careful, Idon't see as we can come to much harm; so, if you'll get the keys, sir,we'll go at once."
Roy nodded, and went in without a word, to find his mother seated in thelibrary writing.
"What is it, my boy?" she said. "What do you want?"
Roy hesitated for a moment, and then said, rather huskily, "The keys.Ben and I are going down into the magazine."
Lady Royland looked at him in a wondering way.
"The magazine? Do you mean the store-room?"
"No; the powder-magazine."
She started now, and looked anxious.
"I had almost forgotten its existence, Roy. But is it necessary? Itmay be dangerous to go into such a place."
"We shall take care, mother, and have no light. It is necessary, Bensays, for we must be provided with gunpowder, and he wants to trywhether it is good, because it must be very old."
"Very old, my boy. Probably older than your grandfather's day. Ihardly like you to go upon such an errand."
"But if I'm to be captain, mother, and look after the place, I can't goback and tell Ben that. It would look so weak."
"Yes, yes, of course," said Lady Royland, making an effort to be calmand firm. "But you will be very careful, Roy."
"You may trust me, mother," he said; and she drew the keys, with a sigh,from the drawer in the old table, and handed them to her son, who tookthem and returned to his lieutenant.
"Here they are, Ben," said Roy, quietly. "Ready?"
"Yes, sir, I'm ready. I want to be satisfied about that powder, becauseit means so much to us, for I'm sure I don't know how we could get anymore in times like these. You might send an order to London or one ofthe places in Kent where they make it, but I should never expect to seeit come down here. Well, we won't waste time; so come along."
Taking off his sword, and signing to Roy to do the same, he led the wayto the flight of spiral steps in the base of the south-east tower, but,instead of going up, followed it down to where there was a low archeddoor on their left and an opening on their right.
"Long time since any one's been in that old dungeon, Master Roy.Hundred years, I dare say. Maybe we shall be putting some one in, oneof these days!"
"In there? Whom? What for?"
"Prisoners, sir, for fighting against the king." The old fellowlaughed, and went along through the opening on their right, which provedto be an arched passage very dimly lit by a series of little pipe-likeholes sloping inward through the outer wall of the castle and openingabout a foot above the moat. On their aft were doors of a row ofcellars built beneath the old court-yard; and as Ben walked onward hesaid--
"Who'd think as there were green grass and flower-beds up above them,Master Roy? But we do see changes in this life. Halt! here we are."
He stopped at the end of the passage, where there was a massive oakdoor-way facing them beneath a curious old Norman arch, and, aftertrying hard with three different keys, the rusty wards of the old lockallowed one to turn, and the door was pushed wide open, creaking backagainst the wall.
"Rather dark, sir," said Ben. "Get on a deal better with a candle; butit wouldn't do."
Roy peered in, and, as his eyes grew more accustomed to the obscurity,he made out that he was gazing into a small stone chamber; but there wasno sign of chest or keg, or door leading onward.
"Why, the place is empty, Ben," said the boy, with a sigh of relief.
"We don't know that yet, sir, because we haven't seen it," said Ben,quietly. "This is only the way to the magazine. People in the old daysknew what dangerous tackle it was, and took care of it according. Butit's going to be a dark job, and no mistake."
The old soldier stepped in, and, stooping down in the middle of theblank stone chamber, took hold of a large copper ring and drew up oneside of a heavy flagstone, which turned silently upon copper pivots, andthis flag he laid back till it was supported by the ring.
"Looks darker down there, sir," said Ben, as Roy stood beside him andthey tried to pierce the gloom, but only for the latter to make out thedim outline of a stone step or two.
"You've been down here before, of course?" whispered Roy, as if theplace impressed him.
"Yes, sir; once. There's a door at the bottom, and that's the magazine.It will be all feeling, sir. Will you go back while I try and get akeg?"
"No," said Roy, firmly, but with an intense desire to say yes. "I shallstay while you go down. There can be no danger if you have no light."
"Unless the rusty key strikes a light, sir."
"Oh, that's impossible," whispered Roy.
"I suppose I'd better pull off my boots before I go down; it'll perhapsbe safer."
He seated himself on the floor and pulled them off, Roy standing up,leaning against the wall, and doing the same.
"What's that for?" said Ben.
"Coming with you. I want to know what the place is like."
"Oh, there's no need for two of us to go, sir. One's enough."
Roy said nothing, but followed the old fellow down eight stone steps,and then they stood together against a door, which felt to the touch tobe very strongly made of stone, while, after a little searching aboutfor a keyhole, Ben said, with a grunt--
"Forgot! There aren't no key to this. It's fastened with these twowooden bars."
"I thought they were part of the door, Ben," said Roy, in the samesuppressed tone.
"So did I, sir, at first. I ought to have remembered, and I think I donow. Yes! that's the way; they turn on pins in the middle like woodenbuttons, and
you turns one up and the other down out of the notches theyfit in, and then push the door, which has stone hinges."
As he spoke, Ben turned the two great wooden bars, and then pressed uponthe door.
"Hope the stones won't strike a light, sir," said Ben, in a low growl.
Roy felt as if a hand had suddenly compressed his heart, and he peeredwildly through the door-way, half expecting to see a tiny spark or two,as a dull, grating sound arose; but the only sparks the door made werethose glittering in his own eyes, and he drew a deeper, harder breath asthe door ceased to move.
"Now, we've got to be careful, or we shall be hitting against oneanother, sir! Let me see: there's one step down, and then you're in aplace like a dairy, with two sets of stone shelves,--one just above thefloor, to keep it out of the damp; the other just about as high as aman's breast,--and there's kegs of powder piled-up on them all. Youstand still, and I'll go in."
"No; let me," said Roy, though why he said this puzzled the boy himself,when the exciting minutes had passed.
"Well, sir, you're master, and if you'd rather, of course you can. ButI don't mind going if you like."
"I'll go," said Roy, huskily, and, stretching out his hands in the nowprofound darkness, he felt for and touched the side of the entrance,then made a step forward to place his stockinged foot down upon the coldstone floor, which struck up like ice. Bringing forward his secondfoot, he reached out for the side of the vault, and found the place justas his companion had described, for his hands came in contact with smallwooden barrels, neatly piled one upon the other on a great stone shelf,beneath which was another shelf laden in a similar way.
"Feel anything, sir?" said Ben, from the entrance.
"Yes: barrels, numbers of them," said Roy, huskily, his voice sounding amere whisper in the darkness. "They go on--yes, to here. It is only asmall vault."
"Yes, sir, but big enough. Try the other side now."
Three steps took Roy there, and his hands touched barrels again piled-upin the same way, and he whispered his experience.
"That's it, sir; just what I thought. But what we want to know now is,are they full? Would you mind lifting one, or shall I come and do it?"
Roy shuddered a little, but he did not shrink. Stretching out hishands, he took a careful hold of one of the kegs, raised it to find itfairly heavy, and then replaced it.
"Try another, sir."
Roy felt less compunction in lifting the second, and this beingreplaced, he began to sound others with his knuckles, to find that theyall gave forth the same dull dead note.
"That's all we want to know down here, Master Roy," said the old soldierat last; "and now I think we'd better get back and take a couple of thelittle kegs with us. I'd take one from each side, sir. You pass 'em tome and I'll carry 'em up safely. It wouldn't do to drop one in case itshould go off."
These words, lightly spoken, made Roy thrill as he lifted down one ofthe kegs, getting his fingers tightly fitted to the ends, and then stoodthere in the black darkness, afraid to stir for fear he should strikehis elbow against anything and jerk the keg to the floor.
"Got him, sir?"
"Yes," said Roy, hoarsely. "Whereabouts are you?"
"Here, just at the door, sir; I haven't moved," was the reply.
"Reach out your hands, then, and take hold very carefully. Tell me whenyou've got it tight."
"Tight hold," said Ben, the next moment.
"Sure?"
"Yes, sir; let it go, and I'll carry it up."
Roy quitted his hold of the keg unwillingly, and his heart beatviolently as he listened to the soft _pat, pat_, of his companion'sfeet, and thought of the consequences of a fall. Possibly one vividflash and the whole place destroyed; and yet for years they had all beenliving so close to this terribly destructive power.
"If Ben should drop that keg!"
But Ben only set it down quietly a short distance from the top of thesteps and descended.
"T'other one, sir, please," he said; and Roy placed this in the man'shands with the same shrinking feeling of reluctance.
It was carried up, and Roy stepped out, drawing the door after him, andafter a few trials managing to close the two bars which secured theplace.
"Don't want no help there, sir?"
"No; I have done it," was the reply; and Roy ascended the steps andwaited for his companion to close the stone trap.
"Not a bad hole this to shut any one up in if we ever wanted to get ridof him, eh? He'd have to shout pretty hard to make any one hear."
"Don't talk; let's get away from the dreadful place," said Roy, whoseface was wet with perspiration. "Can you carry both kegs?"
"Half a dozen if you'd range 'em, sir," replied Ben.
"Then I'll fasten the doors after us; and, mind this, the magazine mustalways be most carefully locked up."
"You trust me for that, sir!" replied Ben. "I know too well what powdercan do to try any tricks or trust anybody with it but myself. Why, doyou know, sir, what would happen if I gave a fellow like Tom Rogers akeg to carry?"
"No; how can I tell?" said Roy, shortly.
"Well, I can, sir: he'd set it up on end, sit upon it, and take out aflint and steel to light his pipe as like as not."
"Don't talk any more, please, Ben," said the boy as he proceeded to lockone of the doors.
"No, sir; I only did it so as to keep you from thinking about what we'vebeen doing. I suppose one would get used to it, but it does seem to merather ugly work even to an old soldier."
"Where are we to put these two kegs?" said Roy.
"In the big closet in the armoury, sir," replied Ben. "Don't you fidgetabout them; they shall be all right, for that's my part of the place,and nobody goes in there without my leave."
"It's impossible to help feeling a little uncomfortable about them, Ben,but I know you'll take care."
"I just think I will, sir. I'm very particular about no harm coming toSergeant Benjamin Martlet; and as to doing anything that might meanrisks for my lady--but there, I needn't say nothing about that. You cancome and see me put 'em away."
Roy insisted upon carrying one of the kegs, in spite of the oldsoldier's opposition, not to relieve him of the load, but as a lesson tohimself in the art of getting used to the dangerous composition. Inaddition, it had occurred to him that he should have to be present whenthe barrels were opened, and the gun or guns fired to test their utilityand strength after lying by for so many years. Roy had never even hearda big gun fired, and he told himself that it would not do for him todisplay the slightest dread before the men.
Consequently he hid his nervousness, and helped to deposit the kegs inthe great cupboard which contained Ben's tools and cleaning apparatus.
"There!" said that individual, "as soon as we've had our parade, anddismissed the troops, we'll see to that powder, and find out what it'slike."
He thrust the key into his pocket, buckled on his sword again, and,drawing himself up, asked the "captain" to lead the way to the entrancegate.
The Young Castellan: A Tale of the English Civil War Page 10