The Lighthouse

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

  THE BATTLE OF ARBROATH, AND OTHER WARLIKE MATTERS.

  "It was in the year 1445--that's not far short o' four hundred yearsago--ah! _tempus fugit_, which is a Latin quotation, my girl, fromHorace Walpole, I believe, an' signifies time and tide waits for no man;that's what they calls a free translation, you must know; well, it wasin the winter o' 1445 that a certain Alexander Ogilvy of Inverquharity,was chosen to act as Chief Justiciar in these parts--I suppose thatmeans a kind of upper bailiff, a sort o' bo's'n's mate, to compare greatthings with small. He was set up in place of one o' the Lindsay family,who, it seems, was rather extravagant, though whether his extravagancelay in wearin' a beard (for he was called Earl Beardie), or in spendin'too much cash, I can't take upon me for to say. Anyhow, Beardie refusedto haul down his colours, so the Ogilvys mustered their men and friends,and the Lindsays did the same, and they went at it, hammer and tongs,and fowt what ye may call the Battle of Arbroath, for it was close tothe old town where they fell to.

  "It was a most bloody affair. The two families were connected with manyo' the richest and greatest people in the land, and these went to lend ahand when they beat to quarters, and there was no end o' barbed horses,as they call them--which means critters with steel spikes in theirnoses, I'm told--and lots of embroidered banners and flags, though Inever heard that anyone hoisted the Union Jack; but, however that maybe, they fowt like bluejackets, for five hundred men were left dead onthe field, an' among them a lot o' the great folk.

  "But I'm sorry to say that the Ogilvys were licked, though I say it thatshouldn't," continued the captain, with a sigh, as he relighted hispipe. "Howsever,--

  "`Never ventur', never win, Blaze away an' don't give in,'

  "As Milton remarks in his preface to the _Pilgrim's Progress_."

  "True, captain," said the lieutenant, "and you know that he who fightsand runs away, shall live to fight another day."

  "Leftenant," said the captain gravely, "your quotation, besides bein' akind o' desecration, is not applicable; 'cause the Ogilvys did _not_ runaway. They fowt on that occasion like born imps, an' they would ha'certainly won the day, if they hadn't been, every man jack of 'em, cutto pieces before the battle was finished."

  "Well said, uncle," exclaimed Ruby, with a laugh. "No doubt the Ogilvyswould lick the Lindsays _now_ if they had a chance."

  "I believe they would," said the lieutenant, "for they have become arace of heroes since the great day of the Battle of Arbroath. No doubt,Miss Gray," continued the lieutenant, turning to Minnie with an archsmile, "no doubt you have heard of that more recent event, thethreatened attack on Arbroath by the French fire-eater, Captain Fall,and the heroic part played on that occasion by an Ogilvy--an uncle, I amtold, of my good friend here?"

  "I have heard of Captain Fall, of course," replied Minnie, "for it wasnot many years before I was born that his visit took place, and MrsBrand has often told me of the consternation into which the town wasthrown by his doings; but I never heard of the deeds of the Ogilvy towhom you refer."

  "No? Now, that _is_ surprising! How comes it, captain, that you havekept so silent on this subject?"

  "'Cause it ain't true," replied the captain stoutly, yet with a peculiarcurl about the corners of his mouth, that implied something in the mindbeyond what he expressed with the lips.

  "Ah! I see--modesty," said Lindsay. "Your uncle is innately modest,Miss Gray, and never speaks of anything that bears the slightestresemblance to boasting. See, the grave solemnity with which he smokeswhile I say this proves the truth of my assertion. Well, since he hasnever told you, I will tell yell myself. You have no objection,captain?"

  The captain sent a volume of smoke from his lips, and followed it upwith--"Fire away, shipmet."

  The lieutenant, having drawn a few whiffs in order to ensure thecontinued combustion of his pipe, related the following anecdote, whichis now matter of history, as anyone may find by consulting the archivesof Arbroath.

  "In the year 1781, on a fine evening of the month of May, the seamen ofArbroath who chanced to be loitering about the harbour observed astrange vessel manoeuvring in the offing. They watched and commented onthe motions of the stranger with considerable interest, for the waryskill displayed by her commander proved that he was unacquainted withthe navigation of the coast, and from the cut of her jib they knew thatthe craft was a foreigner. After a time she took up a position, andcast anchor in the bay, directly opposite the town.

  "At that time we were, as we still are, and as it really appears likelyto me we ever shall be, at war with France; but as the scene of the warwas far removed from Arbroath, it never occurred to the good people thatthe smell of powder could reach their peaceful town. That idea wassomewhat rudely forced upon them when the French flag was run up to themizzentop, and a white puff of smoke burst from the vessel, which wasfollowed by a shot, that went hissing over their heads, and plumpedright into the middle of the town!

  "That shot knocked over fifteen chimney-pots and two weathercocks inMarket-gate, went slap through a house in the suburbs, and finally stuckin the carcass of an old horse belonging to the Provost of the town,which didn't survive the shock--the horse, I mean, not the Provost.

  "It is said that there was an old gentleman lying in bed in a room ofthe house that the shot went through. He was a sort of `hipped'character, and believed that he could not walk, if he were to try everso much. He was looking quietly at the face of a great Dutch clock whenthe shot entered and knocked the clock inside out, sending its contentsin a shower over the old gentleman, who jumped up and rushed out of thehouse like a maniac! He was cured completely from that hour. At least,so it's said, but I don't vouch for the truth of the story.

  "However, certain it is that the shot was fired, and was followed up bytwo or three more; after which the Frenchman ceased firing, and a boatwas seen to quit the side of the craft, bearing a flag of truce.

  "The consternation into which the town was thrown is said to have beentremendous."

  "That's false," interrupted the captain, removing his pipe while hespoke. "The word ain't appropriate. The men of Arbroath doesn't knownothin' about no such word as `consternation.' They was _surprised_, ifye choose, an' powerfully enraged mayhap, but they wasn't consternatedby no means."

  "Well, I don't insist on the point," said the lieutenant, "butchroniclers write so--

  "Chroniclers write lies sometimes," interrupted the captain curtly.

  "Perhaps they do; but you will admit, I dare say, that the women andchildren were thrown into a great state of alarm."

  "I'm not so sure of that," interposed Ruby. "In a town where the menwere so bold, the women and children would be apt to feel very much attheir ease. At all events, I am acquainted with _some_ women who arenot easily frightened."

  "Really, I think it is not fair to interrupt the story in this way,"said Minnie, with a laugh.

  "Right, lass, right," said the captain. "Come, leftenant, spin away atyer yarn, and don't ventur' too much commentary thereon, 'cause it's aptto lead to error, an' ye know, as the poet says--

  "`Errors in the heart breed errors in the brain, An' these are apt to twist ye wrong again.'

  "I'm not 'xactly sure o' the precise words in this case, but that's thesentiment, and everybody knows that sentiment is everything in poetry,whether ye understand it or not. Fire away, leftenant, an' don't belong-winded if ye can help it."

  "Well, to return to the point," resumed Lindsay. "The town wascertainly thrown into a tremendous state of _some_ sort, for the peoplehad no arms of any kind wherewith to defend themselves. There were noregular soldiers, no militia, and no volunteers. Everybody ran wildlyabout in every direction, not knowing what to do. There was no leader,and, in short, the town was very like a shoal of small fish in a poolwhen a boy wades in and makes a dash amongst them.

  "At last a little order was restored by the Provost, who was a sensibleold man, and an old soldier to boot, but too infirm to take as ac
tive apart in such an emergency as he would have done had he been a dozenyears younger. He, with several of the principal men of the town, wentdown to the beach to receive the bearers of the flag of truce.

  "The boat was manned by a crew of five or six seamen, armed withcutlasses and arquebusses. As soon as its keel grated on the sand asmart little officer leaped ashore, and presented to the Provost aletter from Captain Fall, which ran somewhat in this fashion:--

  "`At Sea, _May twenty-third_.

  "`Gentlemen,--I send these two words to inform you, that I will have youto bring-to the French colour in less than a quarter of an hour, or Iset the town on fire directly. Such is the order of my master, the Kingof France, I am sent by. Send directly the Mair and chiefs of the townto make some agreement with me, or I'll make my duty. It is the will ofyours,--G. FALL.

  "`To Monsieur Mair of the town called Arbrought, or in his absence tothe chief man after him in Scotland.'

  "On reading this the Provost bowed respectfully to the officer, andbegged of him to wait a few minutes while he should consult with hischief men. This was agreed to, and the Provost said to his friends, ashe walked to a neighbouring house--

  "`Ye see, freens, this whipper-snapper o' a tade-eater has gotten thewhup hand o' us; but we'll be upsides wi' him. The main thing is to getdelay, so cut away, Tam Cargill, and tak' horse to Montrose for thesodgers. Spare na the spur, lad, an' gar them to understan' that thecase is urgent.'

  "While Tam Cargill started away on his mission, the Provost, whose chiefaim was to gain time and cause delay, penned an epistle to theFrenchman, in which he stated that he had neglected to name the terms onwhich he would consent to spare the town, and that he would consider itextremely obliging if he would, as speedily as possible, return ananswer, stating them, in order that they might be laid before the chiefmen of the place."

  "When the Provost, who was a grave, dignified old man, with a strongdash of humour in him, handed this note to the French officer, he did sowith a humble obeisance that appeared to afford much gratification tothe little man. As the latter jumped into the boat and ordered the mento push off, the Provost turned slowly to his brother magistrates with awink and a quiet smile that convulsed them with suppressed laughter, anddid more to encourage any of the wavering or timid inhabitants than ifhe had harangued them heroically for an hour.

  "Some time after the boat returned with a reply, which ran thus:--

  "`At Sea, _eight o'clock in the Afternoon_.'

  "`Gentlemen,--I received just now your answer, by which you say I ask noterms. I thought it was useless, since I asked you to come aboard foragreement. But here are my terms:--I will have 30,000 pounds sterlingat least, and six of the chiefs men of the town for otage. Be speedy,or I shot your town away directly, and I set fire to it. I am,gentlemen, your servant,--G. FALL.

  "`I sent some of my crew to you, but if some harm happens to them,you'll be sure we'll hang up the mainyard all the prisoners we haveaboard.

  "`To Monsieurs the chiefs men of Arbrought in Scotland.'

  "I'm not quite certain," continued the lieutenant, "what were the exactwords of the Provost's reply to this letter, but they conveyed adistinct and contemptuous refusal to accede to any terms, and, Ibelieve, invited Fall to come ashore, where, if he did not get preciselywhat he had asked, he would be certain to receive a great deal more thanhe wanted.

  "The enraged and disappointed Frenchman at once began a heavy fire uponthe town, and continued it for a long time, but fortunately it didlittle or no harm, as the town lay in a somewhat low position, andFall's guns being too much elevated, the shot passed over it.

  "Next day another letter was sent to the Provost by some fishermen, whowere captured while fishing off the Bell Rock. This letter was astremendous as the two former. I can give it to you, word for word, frommemory.

  "`At Sea, _May_ 24th.'

  "`Gentlemen,--See whether you will come to some terms with me, or I comein presently with my cutter into the arbour, and I will cast down thetown all over. Make haste, because I have no time to spare. I give youa quarter of an hour to your decision, and after I'll make my duty. Ithink it would be better for you, gentlemen, to come some of you aboardpresently, to settle the affairs of your town. You'll sure no to behurt. I give you my parole of honour. I am your, G. FALL.'

  "When the Provost received this he looked round and said, `Now,gentlemen all, we'll hae to fight. Send me Ogilvy.'

  "`Here I am, Provost,' cried a stout, active young fellow; somethinglike what the captain must have been when he was young, I should think!"

  "Ahem!" coughed the captain.

  "Well," continued Lindsay, "the Provost said, `Now, Ogilvy, you're asmart cheel, an' ken aboot war and strategy and the like: I charge ye toorganise the men o' the toon without delay, and tak' what steps ye thinkadveesable. Meanwhile, I'll away and ripe oot a' the airms and guns Ican find. Haste ye, lad, an' mak' as muckle noise aboot it as ye can.'

  "`Trust me,' said Ogilvy, who appeared to have been one of those men whoregard a fight as a piece of good fun.

  "Turning to the multitude, who had heard the commission given, and wereready for anything, he shouted, `Now, boys, ye heard the Provost. Ineed not ask if you are all ready to fight--'

  "A deafening cheer interrupted the speaker, who, when it ceased,proceeded--

  "`Well, then, I've but one piece of advice to give ye: _Obey orders atonce_. When I tell ye to halt, stop dead like lampposts; when I say,"Charge!" go at them like wild cats, and drive the Frenchmen into thesea!' `Hurrah!' yelled the crowd, for they were wild with excitementand rage, and only wanted a leader to organise them and make themformidable. When the cheer ceased, Ogilvy cried, `Now, then, every manwho knows how to beat a kettledrum and blow a trumpet come here.'

  "About twenty men answered to the summons, and to these Ogilvy saidaloud, in order that all might hear, `Go, get you all the trumpets,drums, horns, bugles, and trombones in the town; beat the drums tillthey split, and blow the bugles till they burst, and don't give in tillye can't go on. The rest of you,' he added, turning to the crowd, `go,get arms, guns, swords, pistols, scythes, pitchforks, pokers--any thing,everything--and meet me at the head of Market-gate--away!'

  "No king of necromancers ever dispersed his legions more rapidly thandid Ogilvy on that occasion. They gave one final cheer, and scatteredlike chaff before the wind, leaving their commander alone, with a selectfew, whom he kept by him as a sort of staff to consult with and despatchwith orders.

  "The noise that instantly ensued in the town was somethingpandemoniacal. Only three drums were found, but tin kettles and panswere not wanting, and these, superintended by Hugh Barr, the towndrummer, did great execution. Three key-bugles, an old French horn, anda tin trumpet of a mail-coach guard, were sounded at intervals in everyquarter of the town, while the men were marshalled, and made to marchhither and thither in detached bodies, as if all were busily engaged inmaking preparations for a formidable defence.

  "In one somewhat elevated position a number of men were set to work withspades, picks, and shovels, to throw up an earthwork. When it hadassumed sufficiently large dimensions to attract the attention of theFrench, a body of men, with blue jackets, and caps with bits of redflannel hanging down the sides, were marched up behind it at the double,and posted there.

  "Meanwhile Ogilvy had prepared a dummy field piece, by dismounting acart from its wheels and fixing on the axle a great old wooden pump, notunlike a big gun in shape; another cart was attached to this torepresent a limber; four horses were harnessed to the affair; two menmounted these, and, amid a tremendous flourish of trumpets and beatingof drums, the artillery went crashing along the streets and up theeminence crowned by the earthwork, where they wheeled the gun intoposition.

  "The artillerymen sprang at the old pump like true Britons, and began tosponge it out as if they had been bred to gunnery from childhood, whilethe limber was detached and galloped to the rear. In this operation thecart was smashed to pieces
, and the two hindmost horses were thrown; butthis mattered little, as they had got round a corner, and the French didnot see it.

  "Fall and his brave men seem to have been upset altogether by thesewarlike demonstrations, for the moment the big gun made its appearancethe sails were shaken loose, and the French privateer sheered off;capturing as he left the bay, however, several small vessels, which hecarried off as prizes to France. And so," concluded the lieutenant,"Captain Fall sailed away, and never was heard of more."

  "Well told; well told, leftenant," cried the captain, whose eyessparkled at the concluding account of the defensive operations, "andtrue every word of it."

  "That's good testimony to my truthfulness, then," said Lindsay,laughing, "for you were there yourself!"

  "There yourself, uncle?" repeated Minnie, with a glance of surprise thatquickly changed into a look of intelligence, as she exclaimed, with amerry laugh, "Ah! I see. It was _you_, uncle, who did it all; whocommanded on that occasion--"

  "My child," said the captain, resuming his pipe with an expression ofmild reproof on his countenance, "don't go for to pry too deep intothings o' the past. I _may_ have been a fire-eater once--I _may_ havebeen a gay young feller as could--; but no matter. Avast musin'! AsLord Bacon says--

  "`The light of other days is faded, An' all their glory's past; My boots no longer look as they did, But, like my coat, are goin' fast.'

  "But I say, leftenant, how long do you mean to keep pullin' about here,without an enemy, or, as far as I can see, an object in view? Don't youthink we might land, and let Minnie see some of the caves?"

  "With all my heart, captain, and here is a convenient bay to run theboat ashore."

  As he spoke the boat shot past one of those bold promontories of redsandstone which project along that coast in wild picturesque forms,terminating in some instances in detached headlands, elsewhere innatural arches. The cliffs were so close to the boat that they couldhave been touched by the oars, while the rocks, rising to a considerableheight, almost overhung them. Just beyond this a beautiful bay openedup to view, with a narrow strip of yellow shingle round the base of thecliffs, which here lost for a short distance their rugged character,though not their height, and were covered with herbage. A zigzag pathled to the top, and the whole neighbourhood was full of ocean-worn covesand gullies, some of them dry, and many filled with water, while otherswere filled at high tide, and left empty when the tides fell.

  "O how beautiful! and what a place for smugglers!" was Minnie'senthusiastic exclamation on first catching sight of the bay.

  "The smugglers and you would appear to be of one mind," said Ruby, "forthey are particularly fond of this place."

  "So fond of it," said the lieutenant, "that I mean to wait for them herein anticipation of a moonlight visit this night, if my fair passengerwill consent to wander in such wild places at such late hours, guardedfrom the night air by my boat-cloak, and assured of the protection of mystout boatmen in case of any danger, although there is little prospectof our meeting with any greater danger than a breeze or a shower ofrain."

  Minnie said that she would like nothing better; that she did not mindthe night air; and, as to danger from men, she felt that she should bewell cared for in present circumstances.

  As she uttered the last words she naturally glanced at Ruby, for Minniewas of a dependent and trusting nature; but as Ruby happened to beregarding her intently, though quite accidentally, at the moment, shedropped her eyes and blushed.

  It is wonderful the power of a little glance at times. The glancereferred to made Ruby perfectly happy. It conveyed to him the assurancethat Minnie regarded the protection of the entire boat's crew, includingthe lieutenant, as quite unnecessary, and that she deemed his single armall that she required or wanted.

  The sun was just dipping behind the tall cliffs, and his parting rayswere kissing the top of Minnie's head as if they positively could nothelp it, and had recklessly made up their mind to do it, come whatmight!

  Ruby looked at the golden light kissing the golden hair, and he felt--

  Oh! you know, reader; if you have ever been in similar circumstances,you _understand_ what he felt; if you have not, no words from me, orfrom any other man, can ever convey to you the most distant idea of_what_ Ruby felt on that occasion!

  On reaching the shore they all went up to the green banks at the foot ofthe cliffs, and turned round to watch the men as they pulled the boat toa convenient point for re-embarking at a moment's notice.

  "You see," said the lieutenant, pursuing a conversation which he hadbeen holding with the captain, "I have been told that Big Swankie, andhis mate Davy Spink (who, it seems, is not over-friendly with him justnow), mean to visit one of the luggers which is expected to come into-night, before the moon rises, and bring off some kegs of Auchmithiewater, which, no doubt, they will try to hide in Dickmont's Den. Ishall lie snugly here on the watch, and hope to nab them before theyreach that celebrated old smuggler's abode."

  "Well, I'll stay about here," said the captain, "and show Minnie thecaves. I would like to have taken her to see the Gaylet Pot, which isone o' the queerest hereabouts; but I'm too old for such rough worknow."

  "But _I_ am not too old for it," interposed Ruby, "so if Minnie wouldlike to go--"

  "But I won't desert _you_, uncle," said Minnie hastily.

  "Nay, lass, call it not desertion. I can smoke my pipe here, an'contemplate. I'm fond of contemplation--

  "`By the starry light of the summer night, On the banks of the blue Moselle,'

  "Though, for the matter o' that, moonlight'll do, if there's no stars.I think it's good for the mind, Minnie, and keeps all taut.Contemplation is just like takin' an extra pull on the lee braces. Soyou may go with Ruby, lass."

  Thus advised, and being further urged by Ruby himself, and beingmoreover exceedingly anxious to see this cave, Minnie consented; so thetwo set off together, and, climbing to the summit of the cliffs,followed the narrow footpath that runs close to their giddy edge allalong the coast.

  In less than half an hour they reached the Giel or Gaylet Pot.