The Coming of the King

by Joseph Hocking

  CHAPTER XI

  THE SNARE OF THE FOWLER

  "You want the king's marriage contract," he said presently; "you desirethe proof that Charles Stuart was married to Lucy Walters, and thus beable to prove that the boy who is now with the king's mother is the nextheir to the English throne?"

  I nodded my head in the affirmative, all the time watching the old man'seyes, into which a cunning sinister expression had come.

  "It is a great thing, a great thing," he cackled. "Fancy, the Duke ofYork would give his fingers to get hold of it. And yet only you and Ihave the secret of it."

  "Only you at present," I urged.

  "Ah, yes, only I, only I; but I need you, and you shall know. Ha! ha!"and he laughed like a man tickled. "But we must bide our time," hecontinued presently.

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "It is no use removing it from its present hiding-place until the propertime," he said. "Suppose you had it in your hand now. What would you dowith it? Would you go to the king, and say, 'Look, here is the marriagecontract between you and Lucy Walters'? Such would be the act of a fool.And you are not a fool--no, you are not a fool!"

  "But I must know where it is," I cried, "and I must be assured that thething is not a hoax."

  "Ay, that you shall," he replied; "come with me."

  He rose, took a candle in his hand, and made his way towards the door.

  "Whither?" I asked.

  "To the hiding-place," was his answer, and he gazed anxiously around theroom.

  Even in those days I possessed a fair amount of caution, and thus, whileI unbolted the door, I kept close to him, so that at no moment should hebe able to betray me.

  Outside the door, he stopped and listened. Even in that lonely place andat that awesome hour, he seemed apprehensive lest some one should spyupon our actions. But he had no need to fear. All was silent as death.The house was empty, and every sound that we made echoed and re-echoedthrough the empty chambers.

  "All is well," he said as if to himself, and then he led the way down aflight of stairs which I had not hitherto noticed. Presently we came toa dark cellar, which I saw was hewn out of the rock. We were now amongthe foundations of the house, and my heart beat fast at the thought thatI was near placing my hand upon the precious document, which my fatherdeclared would make my fortune.

  "Who could find us here, Master Roland?" he cackled again; "not one infifty. But Old Solomon is wise, and he does not live at Pycroft Hall fornought."

  Whereupon he held the candle close to the floor, as if searching forsomething.

  "Do you see anything?" he asked.

  "Nothing," I replied.

  "Think you there is aught beneath here?"

  "Beneath here? No, we are already in the bowels of the earth."

  "Ah, that is good!" and again he cackled like a man well pleased withhimself.

  Presently I saw him pressing the ground hard with his heel, and then, asif by magic, there opened close by my feet a dark aperture.

  "Descend," he cried, "descend!"

  "We will go together, Father Solomon," I made answer.

  "Ah, you do not trust me. A good youth, a cautious youth."

  Still holding the candle in one hand, he came close to the dark hole inthe ground, from which came a musty ill-smelling air, and then he puthis left foot into the hole, while I held his right arm.

  "That is well," he said, and then I saw the rungs of a ladder.

  One, two, three, four steps he went down, until I was almost draggedinto the darkness in my endeavour to hold him fast.

  "Come, come, Master Roland; but mind, it needs a brave heart."

  I confess it here, I hesitated before following. How it may appear tothose who read this I know not, but at that moment I seemed to be in aghastly dream. Everything had become unreal to me save the shadow of agreat terror. The old man, with his head sunk between his shoulders, wassuch a creature as only comes to one in a nightmare; the king's marriagecontract existed only in the wild imaginings of foolish men. A thousanddangers suggested themselves, nameless dangers, and therefore all themore terrible, and try as I might I could not keep from trembling.

  "Afraid, Master Roland, eh? Ay, and well thou mayst be, for this hole isfull of lost spirits. Hark! do you not hear them?"

  In the excited state of my imagination I fancied I heard distant wails,and I felt my blood run cold.

  "And yet only yesternight the fair Constance took this road, and she wasnot afraid."

  He said this tauntingly, which caused anger to take the place of fear. Istill held his right arm, the hand of which grasped one of the staves ofthe ladder, and his words made my grasp the tighter.

  "I will come with you, Father Solomon," I said; "but mind, if you betrayme, I will send you to hell with all your sins upon your head."

  With that I placed my foot upon the ladder, but in so doing I had torelax my hold upon him. I heard him cackling to himself while he wentfarther and still farther into the darkness.

  I had not descended more than six steps before I heard a noise above me,and then I knew that the trap door which had lifted was closed again,and that in all probability the secret of its opening was only known tothe man whose breath could be distinctly heard just beneath me.

  As may be imagined, I lost no time in going down the ladder, and themoment my feet touched the ground I grasped the old man's arm again.

  "Ha, ha!" he laughed. "This is rare sport, eh? Do you know where youare? Twill be a fine tale to tell Charles. Ten fathoms underneath thefoundations of Pycroft Hall, with Father Solomon! Do you think you'llever see daylight again, Master Roland?"

  "If I do not you will not," I replied; and then I looked around me andfound myself in a narrow tunnel, which perchance was three feet wide andhigh enough for a man of short stature to stand upright.

  "Good boy, courageous boy, well he deserves to get what he seeks! Butoh, he will see rare sport before he puts his hand upon the king'smarriage contract."

  "Where is it?" I asked, still holding his right arm.

  "I must be free, and you must follow me."

  "No," I replied. "Whither you go I will go. And I shall not loose myhold upon you till I see daylight."

  He looked at me savagely, and lifted his left hand, in which he held acandlestick, as if to strike me. Then the angry looked passed away, andI saw the cunning leer come in his eyes again.

  "A good boy, a brave boy," he said coaxingly. "Ah, we are friends. Icannot do without him, neither can he do without me. Youth and age,strength and wisdom together, what can withstand it?"

  He led the way along the tunnel, which I followed, still holding himfast. How far we went I could not calculate, for although the timeseemed long, it might only in reality have been short. At length,however, we came to a broad place, such as I have been told miners makeunderground when digging for mineral.

  "The time and the place, Master Roland," he said; "now let us search."

  He held up the candle, and I saw that all around me were dark roadsleading from the cavern where we stood. Whither they went I knew not. Iseemed like a man standing on a place where many cross roads met, onlywe were in the bowels of the earth, and the roads seemed to lead onlyinto greater darkness.

  "A grand place to bury a secret, eh? Anything would be safe here, eh?But there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed. There is nothingdone in silence but shall be proclaimed on the housetops."

  He placed the candle in my hand, and then began to peer cautiouslyaround the sides of the cavern.

  "Ah!" he said at length. "You wanted to see, and you shall see. Lucymarried Prince Charles--no, King Charles--and Lucy gave the contract tothe priest, and the priest gave it to old Father Solomon, and oldSolomon waited--waited till his dream should be fulfilled. Do you knowthis place, Master Roland? Once upon a time miners digged here for gold.Oh, it was ages ago. Whoever dreamed of gold being found five miles fromFolkestone? They dug, and dug, and dug! They are dead, but their worklives. Fancy those old men digging
here ages ago. But they left a grandhiding-place. Only one man knows the secret of these caverns. I, oldSolomon. The man who is left alone here never sees the light again. Ha,ha! But it is a fine place to die!"

  Presently he seemed to have discovered the place he sought, and then hetook the candle from my hand. I saw a dark hole in the side of thecavern, into which he put his hand, and from which he drew a black box.

  "You wanted to see it, and you shall see it," he said. Then he pressed aspring in the box, and the lid flew open.

  "Read! Read!" he cried.

  I saw a piece of parchment which was emblazoned with a rude tracing ofthe Lion and the Unicorn. This he took, and with trembling fingersunfolded it.

  "Read! Read!" he cried again.

  It was written in French, but in such a crude fashion as to make itdifficult to read. But I saw these words--"Marriage Contract betweenCharles Stuart, King of England and Scotland, and Lucy Walters, of RosMartat, in the County of Pembroke, Wales, daughter of Richard Walters."After this there were many lines which seemed to be meaningless, but atthe bottom of the page I saw writing by other hands. I saw the words--

  "Charles Stuart, By the Grace of God King of England and Scotland.

  "Lucy Walters.

  "Pierre Rousseau.

  "Francois Abelard."

  I saw, too, that Pierre Rousseau was stated to be a priest of the RomanCatholic Church who had performed the sacrament of marriage, and thatFrancois Abelard, a brother of the Benedictine Order, had witnessedthereto.

  "There, you have seen it; now let me put it away."

  "No," I replied, "let me read it again; I would commit the writing tomemory."

  He paid no heed to me, however, and before I well knew what he was doinghe had struck the paper from my hands. The box closed with a snap, andhe placed it in its hiding-place again.

  "You have seen," he cried. "Oh, it is rare fun. Now, then, you mustswear to what I dictate, or you will never again see the light of thesun."

  "Swear what?" I cried, for I felt angry with myself for having allowedhim to put the thing back into its hiding-place.

  "You must swear that you will obey me in all that appertains to this."

  "That was not in our bargain," I cried.

  "But it must be," he cried. "Swear, or you die."

  "No," I said, "I will not. And do not think to frighten me. I will keepto my bargain faithfully, but if you in aught do fail on your part, thenwill I come hither alone, and I will act without you."

  "Ah!" he cried, and there was a fearsome look in his eyes. "You defy me,eh?"

  "Yes, I defy you!" I cried, for the sight of the parchment had set myblood on fire.

  We had moved away a few steps from the place where he had put the blackbox, but I kept my eye on the spot, so that I might know it again.

  "Ah, we must be friends," he said wheedlingly. "Come, my son, I havemore to tell you."

  I followed him a few steps, and then again I looked back over myshoulder to mark the place where the precious document was hidden; butthis, as will be seen, led to my undoing, for no sooner did he note myaction than with a sudden wrench he leapt from me, and blowing out thecandle he left me in utter darkness.

  I stretched out my hands to grasp him, but he was gone. I stopped andlistened to catch the sound of his retreating footsteps, but could hearnothing to guide me, for the place seemed to be full of the sound offootsteps, now coming from one direction, and now from another.Moreover, he wore cloth-soled shoes, which made but little noise, sothat I was utterly unable to locate him. Presently I thought I heard himcackling, as I had heard him more than once before when he was wellpleased with himself. Without an instant's delay I rushed to the spotfrom whence I thought the sound came, but only to strike my head with aterrible thud against the rocky side of the cavern.

  What happened after that I do not know. I have a vague remembrance offalling to the ground, and then rising and staggering away in thedarkness, but whether this was only fancy or fact it is not for me tosay, seeing that nothing was clear to me.

  Presently, when I awoke to consciousness, I found myself lying in thedarkness. Not a ray of light came to me anywhere, neither did I possessany means of kindling one. My head ached, and my whole body was rackedwith pain. How long I had lain there I knew not, neither was I able tocalculate. All I knew was that I was in as sad a plight as any man couldbe. But I determined not to give up hope. If there was a way into thisplace there must also be a way out, and so I set to work to try and findout my whereabouts. I was not long before I touched the side of thecavern, close to which I groped until I came to an opening.

  "This will lead back to the house," I reflected, and buoyed up with thishope, and keeping my hand by the side of the tunnel, I followed itswindings for some distance, only to come to a sudden stop, for I foundthat the place ended here. I therefore returned again, determining toenter each level in turn until I should again find my way back to theman whose wits had been keener than my own.

  The second tunnel was shorter than the first, and ended in the same way,so again I returned to the large cavern, and keeping ever to the righthand, so as not to enter any one of them more than once, I again gropedalong in the darkness.

  Even then I tried to find the place into which the old man had put theblack box, but in this I was unsuccessful. Had I a light, I felt sure Icould have found it, for I had marked the place carefully; but, as Ihave said, I was in utter darkness, neither had I means of obtaininglight.

  After a time I was wellnigh despairing, and I felt sure that old Solomonintended the place to be my grave. The more I tried to find my way out,the more confused I became. Still I was young and strong, and youth doesnot for long give way to hopelessness.

  Of the thoughts which passed through my mind, or of the plans I made, aswell as of the schemes of vengeance I meditated upon I will not speak,for while they were doubtless natural, they had so little of sense inthem that they are not worth recording. Only one plan, indeed, promisedaught, and that was to lie still until old Solomon came to seek me, as Ifelt sure his curiosity would compel him to do. But that was given up,for, as I reflected, it would be terrible to lie there in the cold andin the darkness; besides, he would doubtless wait until lack of food hadso weakened me that he would be able to work his will on me.

  I therefore continued to examine each level or tunnel in turn, and inthis I had to manifest great care, for there were many pitfalls whichmight easily lead to a man's death. How long I remained in the darknessI know not, neither for that matter do I care to dwell upon theendeavours I made while there to find my way to the light, for even now,after the lapse of years, I shudder to think of my sufferings duringthat terrible time. For if there is one thing harder than another tobear, it is to be alone in black darkness such as I was. I have faceddeath more than once, I have experienced imprisonment in a noisomeevil-smelling cell, I have had to stand face to face with dreadalternatives; but at no time do I remember such utter despair as I feltthen. And this any man who hath imagination can easily believe. For Ihad no other prospect than a slow death amidst darkness and loneliness.Could I have heard human voice, I do not think I should have minded somuch; but nothing could I hear save the echo of my own sighs, while thedarkness was so great that it could be felt.

  Moreover, I presently grew faint and weak. I needed food sadly, whileeven worse than hunger was the thirst that presently gat hold of me. Mybody grew stone cold, and yet my throat became parched and burnt.

  "This must be hell," I thought to myself. "I am become like the rich manin the New Testament--ay, I am worse than he, for I cannot see one afaroff to whom I can cry."

  Presently, however, in spite of my suffering I fell asleep, and when Iawoke I felt better. My head ceased to ache, and although I felt veryweak my tongue had become cool again.

  "Thank God," I cried out in my joy. "O, great Lord, who didst suffer forthe sins of the world, be pleased to help me in my dire distress."

  But no answer came to my prayer: only silence, a
great and terriblesilence, filled the place. Nevertheless, my prayer gave me hope. If Godlived, I reflected, I was in His keeping here in the bowels of the earthas truly as if I was aboveground. This feeling put new heart into me,and I determined to make another effort.

  I had now no knowledge concerning the levels I had explored, but I kepton praying for guidance, and ere long I found myself in another tunnel,although whither it led I no more knew than a child but last night born.

  I could not help reflecting, however, that the air grew purer, andpresently I put my foot in a pool of water. Giving no time to reflectionas to whence this water came, I knelt down and took a long deep draught,and immediately I felt a new man. A great confidence possessed me, thehideous time which I had been passing lost much of its terrors, andwhile I was still in black darkness, I felt sure I was moving towardsthe light.

  I therefore pressed onward, feeling the air grow purer and purer at eachstep, and then I fancied that, instead of gazing into black darkness, Isaw a darkness that was grey. I held my hand before me, and thought Icould see my fingers move. This inspired me with still greater hope,and after a time my hope became a certainty. I could even see the sidesof the tunnel in which I walked. A few minutes later a streak of light,very small but very distinct, reached me. I realized, moreover, that alittle stream of water trickled along the bed of the tunnel in which Iwalked, and ere long I saw what appeared to me to be a small hole whichlet in the light.

  At this time my heart filled with a great joy, and in spite of myweakness I shouted aloud for joy. I bethought me of the psalms which Ihad heard the Puritans sing: "_Such as sit in darkness and in the shadowof death, being bound in affliction and iron; they fell down and therewas none to help; then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and Hesaved them out of their distress._"

  Never surely did man thank God as I thanked Him then, and when, a littlelater, I crept out of the level through a hole scarce big enough for aman to drag his body through, I could scarce breathe for very joy. Iheard the birds singing, and looking above me I saw the sunlightpiercing the leaves of the trees. Then I think I fainted, for I rememberfalling down, while all became dark again.

  When I awoke I found myself lying where I had fallen, and although I wasterribly weak I had still strength enough to look around and take noticeof my surroundings. I saw that the mouth of the level out of which I hadcome was closed by a great heap of fallen debris, save for the holethrough which I had passed. It was much overgrown too, and a man mightpass it a hundred times without seeing it. There was another thing whichstruck me also. Not a footmark of any sort was to be seen, not asuggestion that any one had visited the place. Huge heaps of stones androcks were around, but they had become overgrown by bushes and trees.The place seemed far away from human habitation.

  "Father Solomon knows nothing of this entrance," I reflected, "and hebelieves that he left me there to die. Well, all the better; the timemay come when I can make use of my knowledge."

  After making careful examination, I rose, and found my way slowly fromthe place. I took what I believed was the seaward direction, and afterwalking wellnigh a mile through a wood, I saw a cottage among somefields. It was with much difficulty that I reached it, but I succeededat length, and presently saw a peasant woman lighting a fire outside thecottage door.

  "What's o'clock, good dame?" I asked.

  "Six o' th' mornin'," she made answer.

  "Then perchance you can give me some breakfast," I said.

  "I've nothing but milk and bread," she answered, looking at mesuspiciously.

  "For which I will pay you well," I replied, taking a coin from mypocket.

  The sight of the money altered her behaviour with wondrous quickness.

  "It's all ready," she replied. "Th' milk is boilin' and the bread be inthe dishes. My man will not be here for a minute or two, but there's noneed for you to wait, young master."

  Hunger made me ravenous, and I gave no thought to others. I doubt notthe bread was black and heavy, but the milk was sweet, and I partook ofit greedily.

  When I had finished it seemed to me as though my strength had come backto me as if by a miracle.

  "Will ye 'a' more, young master?"

  "Presently, presently;" and I gave her the coin I had promised.

  "Ah, here be my man comin';" and I noticed a farmer's man come up, wholooked at me wonderingly.

  It was at this time that I realized the condition of my clothes. Theywere covered with dirt; and catching reflection of my face in a bucketof water, I saw that it was much bruised and smeared with blood.

  "I will have a wash, good dame," I said, "after which I would like totalk with you."

  "Ay, and 'ere's water, master," she said; and I washed myself while shelooked on in silence.