CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.
THE USE OF A POWDER-MAGAZINE.
Roy found, as the time glided on in his monotonous life, that Ben's newswas correct. General Hepburn was determined not to be surprised by anyparty of the Royalists who had learned from the fugitives that such apassage existed; and to make assurance doubly sure, he was about tobuild up the tunnel in three different places; but on second thoughts hedid otherwise, setting his men to work to carry kegs of powder to somedistance from the castle, placing them in a suitable position in thetunnel, and then, after making a fuse of several yards in length, havinga tremendously strong wall built up across the place, leaving a holejust big enough for the fuse to pass through.
This was all done very quietly, Roy supposing that the men were merelybuilding. Then a few days were allowed to pass for the cement to settleand harden before the fuse was fired.
The fact was known one morning at breakfast, when a terrific roar madeRoy rush from the table and up to the ramparts, in full expectation ofseeing a battery of guns just opening fire on the castle.
"Yes, it is," he panted to himself as he looked over towards the chapelhill, and saw the smoke rising from a mound of earth.
But in a few minutes he knew the truth from one of the officers whochallenged him for coming there, and went back to breakfast with hisappetite gone, for he felt that one of the means of escape wascompletely sealed up, and the night would never come when he could, withthe help of his friends, lead Lady Royland through the passage on theirway to liberty.
"And a good thing, too," he said bitterly to the old sergeant, for thegrapes seemed to be very sour. "I don't want to escape. I wouldn't goif the way were open, and I'm sure my mother would not leave our own oldhome. Why, it would be like giving it all to Pawson, and I'll diebefore he shall have it in peace."
"'Ray, 'ray, 'ray, 'ray!" cried Ben, softly. "Can't shout it out as Ishould like to, Master Roy. That's the right sperit, sir. We won'tnever give up, come what may."
Old Jenk passed them just then, muttering to himself as he tottered by,and paying no heed when spoken to, while the various sentries treatedhim as a kind of amiable old madman, who was licenced to go about as hepleased, being perfectly harmless.
Another day passed, and Roy was walking up and down in his favouritepart of the court-yard thinking of when he should ask General Hepburnfor a written permission to go about on the ramparts, for the officerhad spoken rather sharply to him after he had run up on the occasion ofthe blowing up of the tunnel.
But he did not ask the general, for the events that followed came oneupon another so quickly that the matter passed out of his mind.
For all at once, just as Ben was coming slowly up to him, one of thesentinels shouted to the officer of the guard below, and word was passedto the general that a dragoon was galloping up along the road as fast ashe could hurry his horse along.
A few minutes later, in the midst of a little excitement, the man drewrein at the outer gate-way, held up a packet in answer to a challenge,and as soon as the drawbridge was lowered, he dismounted and walked hishorse over, for the poor beast was terribly distressed, and the riderappeared exhausted.
Roy stood eagerly watching, for this evidently meant somethingimportant, otherwise the messenger would not have nearly ridden hishorse to death, the poor beast standing drooping in the middle of thecourt-yard; while the man, whose face was blackened with dust and sweat,and disfigured by a broad strip of plaster which extended from high upamong the roots of his closely-cropped hair on the left temple down tohis right eyebrow, leaned heavily on the sun-dial and asked for water.
The general read his despatch carefully twice, and then turned to themessenger to question him in a low voice, looking at him searchingly thewhile.
"Did General Braxley give you this despatch to bring?"
The man straightened himself up, but reeled and snatched at the sun-dialagain from weakness.
"No, sir; to my comrade. We met a vedette of the enemy, and had to makea running fight for it till he went down, and I snatched up the despatchand came on."
"How far from here are the enemy?"
"About five-and-twenty miles, sir, I should say."
"In what direction?"
"Towards Exeter, sir. I did hear say that the king was with them."
"Hah! And how strong are they, do you suppose?"
"'Bout four hundred horsemen, I heard say, sir; but it was only what mycomrade told me."
"Go into the guard-room and get some refreshment," said the general,after reading his despatch carefully again.
The man turned to go, and just then his horse fell heavily, the bloodgushed from its nostrils as it gave a few convulsive struggles, and thenlay dead.
The messenger went to its head, sank upon one knee, as Roy joined thegroup around, bent lower, kissed the poor animal's brow. Then he drewhis sword, cut off a piece of its forelock, thrust it into his wallet,and amidst perfect silence, followed one of the men to the guard-room,hanging his head, while Roy longed to go and shake him by the hand.
The next moment the silence was broken by the loud blare of a trumpet,and a gun was fired from the gate tower.
Roy had directly after a specimen of the general's military capacity,for by the time the court was filling with armed men, one of thesentinels on the north-west tower announced the coming of the squadronof horse that had been camping by and in the ruined chapel; while,within half an hour, the troop in the castle rode out, each bearing afoot-soldier upon the crupper of his saddle,--the squadron withoutwaiting to take on an equal number themselves. The general meanwhilesat upon his charger conversing in a low tone with the officer he wasabout to leave in command.
Just then, looking very weak and ill, the messenger came hurrying out ofthe guard-room, putting on his steel cap.
He waited till the general approached, and Roy was near enough to hearwhat was now said, the man speaking in a husky voice.
"Beg pardon, general; will you give orders for me to be supplied with afresh horse?"
"What for?" said General Hepburn, turning on him sharply.
"To go with you and join my regiment."
"No; stay here. Captain Ramsay, if there is any ruse being practised,as soon as you hear that disaster has come to nay party, place that managainst the wall and have him shot."
The dragoon raised his hand to his cap in salute; and as soon as thegeneral had ridden out, he staggered more than walked to where the deadhorse lay, and took its head into his lap, to sit gazing sorrowfullyinto its reproachful-looking, glazing eyes.
"I'm a tough old chap, Master Roy," whispered Ben, "but my eyes are sowatery I can hardly see; and if that orderly warn't an enemy, I'd justgo and shake him by the fist."
Unconsciously the old sergeant had exactly expressed Roy's own feelings;but the next minute all show of weakness and sentiment had passed away.The trooper turned from the lookers-on, giving the horse's neck three orfour pats, and then began to unbuckle headstall, and take off bridle andbit before unbuckling the girths, rising and taking hold of the saddle,giving it a sharp snatch to drag it free. But he had to put hisheavily-booted foot against the horse's back, and tug several timesbefore he could get the girths from beneath the heavy weight.
Then, throwing the saddle across his arm, and picking up the bridle, heturned to the nearest sentinel, asked a question, had the low archwaypointed out which led into the basement used for stabling, anddisappeared down the slope.
"Oh, my lad, my lad," said Ben, softly; "what a chance if we'd gotanything ready!"
"What--to surprise?" said Roy, as he watched the portcullisre-descending, and saw the drawbridge begin to glide up directly after.
"That's it, sir. They're as weak as weak here now, with all them gone,and we're nine strong men, for Sam Donny could fight in spite of histwissen foot."
"There's nothing the matter with Sam's foot, Ben; it's all sham; I'veknown it from the first."
"What?--So much the better, then."
> "So much the worse, because we can do nothing. They are still a hundredstrong."
"Nay, sir--not above eighty."
"Ten to one, Ben. I'd do anything, but we have no arms."
"Take 'em from them, sir."
"Rash folly, Ben. I'm soldier enough now to know that it would be likethrowing away your lives."
"Humph!" growled Ben; and the officer now in command came up and said,firmly--
"Now, Master Royland, I am sorry to seem harsh with you, but, saving atmeal-times, when I shall be glad to see you, I must ask you to keep yourchamber till General Hepburn returns, and hold no communication whateverwith your fellow-prisoners."
"Very well, sir," said Roy, majestically.
"And you, sergeant, go to your fellows and keep with them. You can havean hour in the court-yard every day under guard. March!"
Ben saluted and went to where the corporal, Sam Donny, and the rest wereseated on the stone bench in the sun, spoke to them, and they all roseand went through the door-way close at hand; while Roy bowed to thecaptain stiffly and went through to the private apartments, and thenceto his own room, where he shut himself in, and soon after heard a sentryplaced at his door, a piece of routine that had for some time beendiscontinued.
"How suspicious!" muttered Roy. "But no wonder! He doesn't mean to becaught napping. More didn't I, but I was. No chance of him having thesame luck."
He went to the window, and the first thing he saw was the dead horsebeing dragged towards the gate-way, where it was left to wait till thebridge should be lowered again.
"Poor thing! How roughly they are using it!" he thought. "Can't feel,though, now."
Then his attention was taken up by seeing old Jenk with his white hairand beard streaming, as he tottered here and there in the sunshine,looking excited and without his weapon.
"Why, they've taken the sword away from the poor old fellow," thoughtRoy. "How absurd! It will make him half-mad, if it hasn't done soalready."
But in a few moments the old man sat down on the pedestal of thesun-dial, and his head drooped on his breast.
Beyond him, just visible at the foot of the slope and outside thestables, Roy could see the Roundhead trooper, bareheaded and stripped tohis breeches and shirt, rolling up his shirt-sleeves and beginning toclean his horse's harness. But something which seemed to be moreimportant took the boy's attention the next moment, and that was thefigure of Master Pawson upon the ramparts, walking up and down in thesunshine, this being the first time he had been visible by daylightsince the general's stern words.
"Taking advantage of his being away," thought Roy; and he was about toshrink back to avoid being seen, but his pride forbade that, and heleaned out and amused himself by parting the thick growth of old ivy,and thinking how easily he could get down into the court if he liked.
"And that wretch could climb up while I'm asleep and kill me if heliked," he thought, with a slight shudder, which he laughed off the nextmoment as folly.
Dinner was announced in due time, and he was half-disposed not to go;but he joined the officers, and obtained permission from the captain tovisit his mother's room to tea.
"Oh, yes," said that officer, quietly. "I do not wish to be too hardupon you, Royland, only I cannot have you conspiring with your men toretake the castle now we seem weak."
So Roy spent a pleasant evening with his mother, and in good timereturned to his own room, heard the sentry placed outside, and then satin the summer evening, trying to see the men stationed opposite, andupon the towers, from his open window.
It was a very dark night, hot and promising a thunderstorm, the airfeeling so close that, when at last Roy retired, he left the largewindow wide open.
"No fear of Master Pawson playing any tricks," he said to himself with alaugh as he undressed and lay down, wondering whether the general wasgoing to attack some place, being in perfect ignorance of everything butthe fact that he had gone on some expedition.
He fell asleep directly, and lay breathing hard till, in the midst of anuneasy dream, he was awakened suddenly by feeling a hand pressed uponhis mouth.
Like a flash through the darkness he saw everything: Master Pawson hadclimbed up to his window from the court, entered silently, and was aboutto strangle him as he lay.
But before he could attempt to resist, a pair of warm lips were pressedupon his brow, and then glided to his ear to whisper--
"Roy, my boy, not a sound! Don't speak! It is I--your father."
The lad's breast rose as a great sob of joy struggled to his lips, whilehis hands seized that upon his mouth, pressed it closer, kissed thepalm, and were then passed round the neck of him who knelt by his bed.
They did not stay there a moment; for one began to feel the face, andthe other was passed over the head.
No moustache and pointed beard, no long flowing curls, only stubble andshort hair, and a long patch of plaster extending from the hair aboutthe left temple to the right eyebrow.
Roy's mental eyes were opened; he saw it all now. At last! His gallantfather had risked his life to come to them in the disguise of aRoundhead trooper, and the general must have been sent on a fool'serrand so that the castle could be captured again.
_Thump, thump, thump_! went Roy's heart as these thoughts rushed throughhis brain. Then the lips at his ear said, and it sounded strangelyincongruous--almost mocking:
"Go on snoring as you were, so that the sentry at your door may hear."
Roy obeyed, and imitated the real thing as well as he could.
"Your mother? If safe and well press my hand."
The pressure was given, and the whisper went on through the snoring.
"Roy, I have come at great risk through the accident of the capture of amessenger with a despatch. The general has gone where he was desired,but we have had time to take our men in another direction. To-night twohundred Cavaliers will have ridden in as near as they dare, and then onehundred and fifty will have dismounted and marched silently under coverof the darkness opposite the gates.--Snore, boy, snore!"
Roy had ceased his hard breathing, but his heart worked harder thanever, and he snored again; while Sir Granby went on:
"Tell me how many of our men you have here; where they are; whether theguard in the gate tower can be mastered while the bridge is lowered andthe portcullis raised. Tell me everything you can, with your lips to myear. My men must be waiting by now."
Roy went on snoring, for the sound of the sentry pacing to and fro cameplainly through the door. But Sir Granby took up the hard breathing,and Roy placed his lips to his father's ear and whispered--
"Nine good brave fellows, but they are in the lower hall, and sentriesare placed over them.--They are all unarmed.--Guard-chamber andturret-stair are carefully guarded.--At least ten men in theportcullis-room and furnace-chamber.--Impossible to get in that way!"
Sir Granby's lips were at his son's ear directly, and he said--
"I heard a legend when I was a boy, that there was a secret way into thecastle, but it made no impression, and I never recalled it till I heardthat the place was taken. Don't tell me that the enemy surprised youthrough that?"
"Must," whispered Roy; and anticipating that his father would suggestusing the same means, he continued: "Can't use it now; all blown up. Isthere no other way? Can't you scale the ramparts?"
"Impossible, boy. I must leave you, then. My life will be forfeit whenthe colonel returns, and it is too valuable to my king, my men, to youand your mother, to be thrown away."
"But how can you escape, father?"
"By reaching the ramparts and plunging into the moat. Good-bye, boy.Tell your mother I will return soon with as great a force as I can; forthis place must be retaken. There--Heaven be with you! I dare notstay, for it may be hours before I can reach the ramparts."
"But is there no other way, father? A hundred and fifty men, and no wayof getting them in!"
"Unless the drawbridge can be lowered and portcullis raised--none!"
A deep silence, only broken by the pacing of the sentry outside, and Roydreaded now lest the change of men should take place, and the door beopened to see whether the prisoner was safe. He tried all he could tothink out some plan, but every one seemed mad; and it was horrible to beso near success, and yet to fail.
"It is of no use, boy; we are wasting time," said Sir Granby, as Royclung to him. "It would be mad to try any other way, and spillingprecious blood. Good-bye!"
Roy tried to say the words in return, but they would not come; and,thoroughly unnerved in his despair, he clung to his father's neck tillhe felt himself repelled; and then the way of escape from their dilemmacame.
In one instant a flash which vividly lit up the whole chamber darted inthrough the open window, and a deafening roar followed.
But it was not the breaking of the storm, for the next moment theyrealised that the magazine below the opposite range of buildings hadbeen blown up, and the crumbling down of masonry, and the roar and crashof falling stones, endorsed the idea.
"Hah!" cried Sir Granby, excitedly; "then there is a way!" And hardlyhad the words passed his lips when a distant huzzaing was heard, andwithout a moment's hesitation he sprang to the window and loweredhimself down.
The Young Castellan: A Tale of the English Civil War Page 34