by Tom Bevan
Chapter III.
TWO FRIENDS.
Admiral Drake sat amidst his roses, watching the tide as it raced upthe river. Every day he sat thus, unless some pressing duty forbade,for the sea held first place in his heart. When the tide was out, theriver was dull and dreary enough to the heart of the bold sailor. Togaze on a stretch of a mile or more of sand and mud, with a shallow,yellow stream dividing it into two unequal portions, is notexhilarating; but when the sea makes its wild rush up the estuary,quickly filling the wide river-bed from bank to bank, then the Severnis noble enough, and one looks upon it with pride. The swirl and roarof the waters was music to Sir Francis, and the tide was an old andwell-beloved friend that came up daily to embrace him. The happiest ofthe knight's waking hours were those he spent by the side of theflowing salt stream.
There was a click at the latch of the garden gate, and a most elegantgentleman sauntered gracefully in. His doublet was of blue, slashedsilk, his feathered cap was of a colour to match, and there were goldenbuckles to his shoes and golden hilts to sword and dagger. His beardwas trimmed to a dainty point, and curling locks slightly flecked withwhite hung down to his broad shoulders. The admiral, in his grayhomespun, his short, frizzled hair bared to the breeze, turned at thesound of approaching footsteps, caught sight of the gentleman in blue,and sprang up to greet him.
"Now the winds of heaven be thanked for wafting thee hither, dear Wat,"he cried. "Thou art more welcome than a fine day."
And the bluff sailor took the dainty visitor in his arms and kissed himlovingly on both cheeks. Embrace and kiss were heartily returned, and,arm in arm, the two sought the garden seat, and sat down to gaze on thesunlit waters and exchange tidings. Raleigh--for the visitor was noneother than the famous knight of Devon--placed his sword across his kneeand began the conversation; the rough and ready admiral was a betterlistener than talker.
"The Queen hath sent thee some coils of stout rope by my hand."
"Oh!"
"She saith that she hath had no news of Spanish acorns dangling fromthe Dean oaks. Her words to me were: 'Tell my knight of the seas notto spare the hemp where traitors are concerned. To hang none is to letall escape, whereas to hang on reasonable suspicion is a sure way torid his plantations of many knaves. If he should make a mistake,through excess of zeal, tell him that our pardon is assuredbeforehand.'"
Drake smiled. "'Tis a good thing there is but one woman in thegovernment, and that men are entrusted with the carrying out of herorders. Beshrew me, Wat, let but a scare be started and she would hangevery ill-favoured fellow she clapped eyes on."
Raleigh laughed. "Thou hast no faculty for comprehending the whimsiesand oddities of womankind, especially royal womankind."
"That is but sober truth. I can see in a bee-line as well as most men,but I cannot follow all the twists and turns of our royal lady'spathway. Bethink thee how she treated me when I came home from myvoyage round the world, my vessel crammed to the hatchway with Spanishtreasure. Before the court she frowned on me, called me no better thana sea-thief, and threatened me with a hanging. Aboard my vessel, whennone were there but Cecil, Leicester, and thyself, she praised mewithout stint, flattered me, well-nigh took me in her arms and kissedme, offered me knighthood, and then seized upon the best part of myhard-won spoils! Her mind doubles like a hare; there is no catching itand holding it and seeing of what colour it is. I have navigatedunknown seas enough, but I should be shipwrecked in one month of courtlife. A palace is as full of guile as an egg is full of meat!"
The admiral was waxing warm, and his companion was laughingly enjoyinghis tirade.
"Every man to his trade, Frank," he said. "Thou art a striker ofstraight blows, and hast no cunning save when the foe is in gunshot.The sea breeze is life to thee, but some of us would choke with toomuch of it. We must breathe ever and anon of the scented atmosphere ofcourts. The turns and twists of intrigue attract us; we love to ruffleit in silk as well as in mail or in homespun. The voices and faces offair women make music and beauty for our ears and our eyes; we love theharp and the lute as well as the mavis and throstle in the hedgerow,and we pore as diligently over a sonnet as thou dost over a sea chart."
"And that to me is a strange thing," replied Drake musingly."Sometimes thou and I are so close in touch as to be almost one; yet,again, we find ourselves a world's space asunder: our thoughts oft runin couples like hounds, and 'tis because of such times that I love theeas a very dear brother."
Raleigh laid his hand affectionately on the admiral's shoulder. "Thou,Frank, art a man of action ever and always. When the battle is in myblood I can fight on land and sea as whole-heartedly as thou, and cryout that only such days are worth the living. Yet I am by nature adreamer of dreams and a weaver of fancies. The soft, the still, thebeautiful in the world and humankind, attract me. I would haveseclusion rather than bustle and turmoil, the pen rather than thesword, the sweet whispers from a woman's lips and not the shouts ofwarriors. Thou dost not understand me, but I understand thee, and lovethee for thy simplicity and directness. Thou art a better man than I,Frank, and the world will honour thee more than me. But let us quitthis self-analysis. How art thou faring in thy mission to prevent thedestruction of the forest?"
"Slowly. The forest is one vast hiding-place, and I have to deal withmen who are very serpents for cunning. The leader is a Spanish priestmasquerading as a gentleman, and he hath with him some of a like sort.They are for ever popping up in fresh places, but it is not easy totell them one from another. There may be a dozen of them, or only two."
"The lesser number is the more likely. The more in a plot, the greaterthe danger of failure."
"So I have thought, and I put down their many appearances to theexpedition with which they move. At present they can only planmischief. There is little woody undergrowth, and the bracken is at itsgreenest. Ere long, however, the foresters and miners will begin theyearly cutting and drying of the bracken, which they take away andstack for the winter as bedding for themselves and their cattle. Thenthe danger is great indeed, and the firing of the forest an easy matterto a number of determined men skilfully posted."
"Have the conspirators many adherents?"
"I think not. The woodland folk are loyal, and have a right and properhatred of the King of Spain. Let me but lay hands on one man and wemay sleep in our beds without fear."
"And that man?"
"Is the priest, Father Jerome."
Raleigh sat up. "Canst describe him?"
"Ay. He is tall, lean, and yellow, looks a Spaniard, but speaksEnglish as no foreigner could speak it. He hath money in plenty, andpoor folk and greedy folk often fall a prey to Mammon."
"I have met this Father Jerome, unless I mistake him greatly. He is aSpaniard without doubt, and came hither first in the train of theSpanish ambassador in King Harry's reign. He came again with Philipwhen he took Queen Mary to wife, and stayed here the whole of thatreign and much of the present. He knows our land and our language aswell as thou or I, and Philip has chosen the fittest leader for hisbold enterprise. Thou hast gotten a dangerous adversary; do not holdhim cheaply, for he obtains a strange power over some men. 'Tisagainst his nature to strike openly. He works like a mole, and thoumust find his place of burrowing and trap him. Meantime I commend theadvice of the Queen to thee: lay all suspicious characters by the heelsat once; put rogues to catch rogues, and have a care how thou walkestin the woods."
Sir Walter arose, but the admiral pressed him to stay and drink a cupof wine. So the two friends sat on a while longer, talking of oldtimes in far-away Devon.
Hidden in the bushes on the top of the sandstone cliff that backedDrake's house was the dark figure of Basil. He wriggled thither at themoment when Raleigh lifted the garden latch.