The Children of the New Forest

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER XIV.

  "Now, Humphrey, what do you propose to do?"

  "This," replied Humphrey: "I have marked out three acres or thereaboutof the land running in a straight line behind the garden. There is nota tree on it, and it is all good feeding-ground. What I intend to do isto inclose it with the spruce-fir posts and rails that we are about tocut down, and then set a hedge upon a low bank which I shall raise allround inside the rails. I know where there are thousands ofseedling-thorns, which I shall take up in the winter, or early in thespring, to put in, as the bank will be ready for them by that time."

  "Well, that's all very good; but I fear it will be a long while beforeyou have such a quantity of land dug up."

  "Yes, of course it will; but, Edward, I have plenty of manure to spare,and I shall put it all over this land, and then it will become a richpasture, and also an earlier pasture than what we can get from theforest, and will be very handy to turn the cows and the calves upon; oreven Billy, if we want him in a hurry."

  "All that is very true," replied Edward; "so that it will be useful atall events, if you do not dig it up."

  "Indeed it will," replied Humphrey; "I only wish it were six acresinstead of three."

  "I can't say I do," replied Edward, laughing; "you are too grand inyour ideas; only think what a quantity of spruces we shall have to cutdown on it, to post and rail what you just propose. Let it be threeacres first, Humphrey; and when they are inclosed, you may begin totalk of three more."

  "Well, perhaps you are right, Edward," said Humphrey.

  "Why, here's Pablo coming after us; he's not coming to work, I presume,but to amuse himself by looking on."

  "I don't think he's strong enough to do much hard work, Humphrey,although he appears very ingenious."

  "No, I agree with you; and if he is to work, depend upon it it must notbe by having work set out for him; he would take a disgust to itdirectly. I have another plan for him."

  "And what is that, Humphrey?"

  "I shall not set him any thing to do, and shall make him believe that Ido not think he is able to do any thing. That will pique him, and Ithink by that means I shall get more work out of him than you wouldthink, especially when, after he has done it, I express my wonder andgive him praise."

  "Not a bad idea, that; you will work upon his pride, which is probablystronger than his laziness."

  "I do not think him lazy, but I think him unused to hard work, andhaving lived a life of wandering and idleness, not very easy to bebrought to constant and dayly work, except by degrees, and by the meanswhich I propose. Here we are," continued Humphrey, throwing his ax andbill-hook down, and proceeding to take off his doublet; "now for anhour or two's fulfillment of the sentence of our first parents--to wit,'the sweat of the brow.'"

  Edward followed Humphrey's example in taking off his doublet; theyselected the long thin trees most fitted for rails, and were hard atwork when Pablo came up to them. More than a dozen trees had fallen,and lay one upon the other, before they stopped a while to recoverthemselves a little.

  "Well, Pablo," said Humphrey, wiping his forehead, "I suppose you thinklooking on better than cutting down trees; and so it is."

  "What cut down trees for?"

  "To make posts and rails to fence in more ground. I shall not leave theboughs on."

  "No cut them off by-and-by, and then put poles on the cart and carrythem home."

  Edward and Humphrey then recommenced their labor, and worked foranother half hour, when they paused to recover their wind.

  "Hard work, Pablo," said Humphrey.

  "Yes, very hard work; Pablo not strong enough."

  "Oh no, you are not able to do any thing of this kind, I know. No workthis for gipsies; they take birds' nests and catch rabbits."

  "Yes," replied Pablo, nodding, "and you eat them."

  "So he does, Pablo," said Edward, "so you are useful in your way; forif he had nothing to eat, he would not be able to work. Strong man cutdown trees, weak man catch rabbits."

  "Both good," said Pablo.

  "Yes, but strong man like work; not strong man not like work, Pablo. Sonow look on again, for we must have another spell."

  "Strong man cut down trees, not strong man cut off branches," saidPablo, taking up the bill-hook and setting to work to cut off theboughs, which he did with great dexterity and rapidity.

  Edward and Humphrey exchanged glances and smiles, and then worked awayin silence till it was, as they supposed, dinner time. They were notwrong in their supposition, although they had no other clock than theirappetites, which, however, tell the time pretty correctly to those whowork hard. Alice had the platters on the table, and was looking out tosee if they were coming.

  "Why, Pablo, have you been at work?" said Edith.

  "Yes, little missy, work all the morning."

  "Indeed he has, and has worked very well, and been very useful," saidEdward.

  "It has given you an appetite for your dinner, Pablo, has it not?" saidHumphrey.

  "Have that without work," replied the boy.

  "Pablo, you are a very good gipsy boy," said Edith, patting his headwith a patronizing air; "I shall let you walk out with me and carry thebasket to put the eggs in when you come home in the evening."

  "That is a reward," said Humphrey, laughing.

  After dinner they continued their labor, and by supper time had so manytrees cut down, that they determined to carry home the next day, andlay them along to see how many more they would want. While they put thetrees in the cart and took them home, Pablo contrived to lop off theboughs and prepare the poles for them to take away. As soon as they hadcut down sufficient and carted them home, they then selected shortertrees for posts; and when Pablo had cleared them of the boughs, theysawed them out the proper lengths, and then carted them home. Thisoccupied nearly the whole week, and then they proceeded to dig holesand set the posts in. The railing was then to be nailed to the posts,and that occupied them three days more; so that it was altogether afortnight of hard work before the three acres were inclosed.

  "There," said Humphrey, "that's a good job over; many thanks, Edward,for your assistance; and thank you, too, Pablo, for you really havehelped us very much indeed, and are a very useful, good boy. Now forraising the bank; that I must do when I can spare time; but my gardenis overrun with weeds, and I must get Edith and Alice to help me there."

  "If you don't want me any longer, Humphrey," said Edward, "I think Ishall go over to see Oswald, and take Pablo with me. I want to know howthat fellow Corbould is, and what he says; and whether the intendanthas come back; not that I shall go near him or his good littledaughter, but I think I may as well go, and it will be a goodopportunity of showing Pablo the way to Oswald's cottage."

  "I think so too; and when you come back, Edward, one of us must go toLymington, for I require some tools, and Pablo is very ragged. He musthave some better clothes than these old ones of ours, if he is to besent messages. Don't you think so?"

  "Certainly I do."

  "And I want a thousand things," said Alice.

  "Indeed, mistress, won't less than a thousand content you?"

  "Yes, perhaps not quite a thousand, but I really do want a great many,and I will make you a list of them. I have not pans enough for my milk;I want salt; I want tubs; but I will make out a list, and you will findit a very long one."

  "Well, I hope you have something to sell to pay for them?"

  "Yes; I have plenty of butter salted down."

  "What have you, Edith?"

  "Oh, my chickens are not large enough yet; as soon as they are Humphreymust get me some ducks and geese; for I mean to keep some; andby-and-by I will have some turkeys, but not yet. I must wait tillHumphrey builds me the new house for them he has promised me."

  "I think you are right, Edith, about the ducks and geese; they will dowell on the water behind the yard, and I will dig you out a bigger poolfor them."

  "Edith, my dear, your little fingers are just made to weed my onionswell, and I wish y
ou would do it to-morrow morning, if you have time."

  "Yes, Humphrey, but my little fingers won't smell very nice afterward."

  "Not till you have washed them, I guess; but there is soap and water,you know."

  "Yes, I know there is; but if I weed the onions, I can not help Aliceto make the butter; however, if Alice can do without me, I will do it."

  "I want some more seeds sadly," said Humphrey, "and I must make out mylist. I must go to Lymington myself this time, Edward, for you will bepuzzled with all our wants."

  "Not if I know exactly what you do want; but as I really do not, andprobably should make mistakes, I think it will be better if you do go.But it is bedtime, and as I shall start early, good-night, sisters; Ibeg you will let me have something to eat before I start. I shall tryfor some venison as I come back, and shall take Smoker with me; he isquite well again, and his ribs are as stout as ever."

  "And, Edward," said Alice, "I wish, when you kill any venison, that youwould bring home some of those parts which you usually throw away, forI assure you, now that we have three dogs, I hardly know how to findenough for them to eat."

  "I'll not fail, Alice," replied Edward, "and now once more good-night."

  Early the next morning Edward took his gun, and, with Pablo and Smoker,set off for Oswald's cottage.

  Edward talked a great deal with Pablo relative to his former life; and,by the answers which the boy gave him, was satisfied that,notwithstanding his doubtful way of bringing up, the lad was notcorrupted, but was a well-minded boy. As they walked through a grove oftrees, Edward still talking, Pablo stopped and put his hand beforeEdward's mouth, and then stooping down, at the same time seizing Smokerby the neck, he pointed with his finger. Edward at first could seenothing, but eventually he made out the horns of an animal just risingabove a hillock. It was evidently one of the wild cattle. Edward cockedhis gun and advanced cautiously, while Pablo remained where he was,holding Smoker. As soon as he was near enough to hit the head of theanimal, Edward leveled and fired, and Pablo let Smoker loose, whobounded forward over the hillock. They followed the dog and found himabout to seize a calf which stood by a heifer that Edward had shot.Edward called him over and went up to the animal; it was a fine youngheifer, and the calf was not more than a fortnight old.

  "We can not stop now, Pablo," said Edward. "Humphrey would like to havethe calf, and we must take our chance of its remaining by its mothertill we come back. I think it will for a day or two, so let us push on."

  No further adventure happened, and they arrived a little after noon atOswald's cottage. He was not at home, his wife saying that she believedthat he was with the intendant, who had come back from London the daybefore.

  "But I will put on my hood and see," said the young woman.

  In a few minutes she returned with Oswald.

  "I am glad that you have come, sir," said Oswald, as Edward extendedhis hand, "as I have just seen the intendant, and he has been askingmany questions about you. I am certain he thinks that you are not thegrandson of Jacob Armitage, and that he supposes I know who you are. Heasked me where your cottage was, and whether I could take him to it, ashe wished to speak to you, and said that he felt great interest aboutyou."

  "And what did you say?"

  "I said that your cottage was a good day's journey from here, and I wasnot certain that I knew the exact way, as I had been there but seldom,but that I knew where to find it after I saw the forests of Arnwood; Itold him about Corbould and his attempt upon you, and he was verywroth. I never saw him moved before; and young Mistress Patience, shewas indeed angry and perplexed, and begged her father to send theassailant away as soon as he could be moved. Master Heatherstonereplied, 'Leave it to me, my dear;' and then asked me what accountCorbould gave of himself, and his falling into the pit. I told him thatCorbould stated that he was following a deer, which he had severelywounded about noonday, and having no dog with him he could not overtakeit, although he knew by its bleeding track that it could not hold outmuch longer. That he followed it until nightfall, and had it in viewand close to him, when he fell into the pit."

  "Well, the story was not badly made up," said Edward, "only for _adeer_ read _man:_ and what did the intendant say to that?"

  "He said that he believed you, and that Corbould's story was false--as,if it had been a stag that he was following, no one would have knownthat he had fallen into the pit, and he would have remained there tillnow. I quite forgot to say, that when the intendant said that he wishedto call at your cottage, the young mistress said that she wished to gowith him, as you had told her that you had two sisters living with you,and she wished very much to see them and make their acquaintance."

  "I am afraid that we shall not be able to prevent this visit, Oswald,"replied Edward. "He is in command here, and the forest is in hischarge. We must see to it. I only should like, if possible, to havenotice of his coming, that we may be prepared."

  "You need no preparation, sir, if he should come," replied Oswald.

  "Very true," said Edward; "we have nothing to conceal, and if he findsus in a pickle, it is of no consequence."

  "Rather the better, sir," replied Oswald. "Let your sisters be at thewash-tub, and you and your brother carting manure; he will then be morelikely to have no suspicion of your being otherwise than what youassume to be."

  "Have you heard any news from London, Oswald?"

  "Not as yet. I was away yesterday evening, when Master Heatherstonecame back, and I have not seen his man this morning. While you eat yourdinner, I will go into the kitchen; and if he is not there, Phoebe willbe sure to tell me all that she has heard."

  "Do not say that I am here, Oswald, as I do not wish to see theintendant."

  "Mum's the word, sir; but you must stay in the cottage, or others willsee you, and it may come to his ears."

  Oswald's wife then put before him a large pie, and some wheaten bread,with a biggin of good beer. Edward helped Pablo to a large allowance,and then filled his own platter; while thus occupied, Oswald Partridgehad left the cottage, as agreed.

  "What do you say, Pablo? do you think you can walk back to-night?"

  "Yes; like walking at night. My people always do; sleep in a daytime."

  "Well, I think it will be better to go home: Oswald has only one bed,and I do not wish them to know that I am here; so, Pablo, eat heartily,and then we shall not be so tired. I want to get home, that I may sendHumphrey after the calf."

  "One bed here; you stay," replied Pablo. "I go home, and tell MasterHumphrey."

  "Do you think you would be able to find your way, Pablo?"

  "Once go one way, always know same way again."

  "You are a clever fellow, Pablo, and I have a mind to try you. Nowdrink some beer. I think, Pablo, you shall go home, and tell Humphreythat I and Smoker will be where the heifer lies dead, and have itskinned by nine o'clock tomorrow morning; so, if he comes, he will findme there."

  "Yes, I go now."

  "No, not now; you must rest yourself a little more."

  "Pablo not tired," replied the gipsy, getting up; "be back beforesupper. As I go along, look at calf and dead cow--see if calf stay withmother."

  "Very well, then, if you wish it, you may go now," said Edward.

  Pablo nodded his head and disappeared.

  A few minutes afterward, Oswald made his appearance.

  "Is the boy gone?"

  "Yes; he is gone back to the cottage;" and Edward then stated how hehad killed the heifer, and wanted to obtain the calf.

  "I've an idea that you will find that boy very useful, if he isproperly managed."

  "I think so too," replied Edward; "and I am glad to perceive that he isalready attached to all of us. We treat him as ourselves."

  "You are right; and now for the news that I have to tell you. The DukeHamilton, the Earl of Holland, and Lord Capel have been tried,condemned, and executed."

  Edward sighed. "More murder! but we must expect it from those who havemurdered their king. Is that all?"


  "No. King Charles the Second has been proclaimed in Scotland, andinvited to come over."

  "That is indeed news," replied Edward. "Where is he now?"

  "At the Hague; but it was said that he was going to Paris."

  "That is all that you have heard?"

  "Yes; that was what was current when Master Heatherstone, was in town.His man, Samson, gave me the news; and he further said, 'that hismaster's journey to London was to oppose the execution of the threelords; but it was all in vain.'"

  "Well," replied Edward, after a pause, "if the king does come over,there will be some work cut out for some of us, I expect. Your news hasput me in a fever," continued Edward, taking up the biggin and drinkinga large draught of beer.

  "I thought it would," replied Oswald; "but until the time comes, themore quiet you keep the better."

  "Yes, Oswald; but I can't talk any more; I must be left alone to think.I will go to bed, as I shall be off early in the morning. Is thatfellow, Corbould, getting well?"

  "Yes, sir; he is out of bed, and walks a little with a stick; but he isstill very lame, and will be for some time."

  "Good-night, Oswald; if I have any thing to say, I will write and sendthe boy. I do not want to be seen here any more."

  "It will be best, sir. Good-night; I will put Smoker in the kennel tothe right, as he will not be friendly with the other dogs."

  Edward retired to bed, but not to sleep. The Scots had proclaimed theking, and invited him over. "He will surely come," thought Edward, "andhe will have an army round him as soon as he lands." Edward made up hisresolution to join the army, as soon as he should hear that the kinghad landed; and what with considering how he should be able so to do,and afterward building castles as to what he would do, it was longbefore he fell asleep; and when he did he dreamed of battles andvictory--he was charging at the head of his troops--he was surroundedby the dying and the dead. He was wounded, and he was somehow or otherwell again, as if by magic; and then the scene was changed, and he wasrescuing Patience Heatherstone from his own lawless men, and preservingthe life of her father, which was about to be sacrificed; and at lasthe awoke, and found that the daylight peeped through the windows, andthat he had slept longer than he intended to do. He arose and dressedhimself quickly, and, not waiting for breakfast, went to the kennel,released Smoker from his durance, and set off on his return.

  Before nine o'clock, he had arrived at the spot where the heifer laydead. He found the calf still by its side, bleating and walking rounduneasily. As he approached with the dog, it went to a farther distance,and there remained. Edward took out his knife and commenced skinningthe heifer, and then took out the inside. The animal was quite freshand good, but not very fat, as may be supposed. While thus occupied,Smoker growled and then sprung forward, bounding away in the directionof the cottage, and Edward thought Humphrey was at hand. In a fewminutes, the pony and cart appeared between the trees, with Humphreyand Pablo in it, and Smoker leaping up at his friend Billy.

  "Good-morning, Humphrey," said Edward: "I am almost ready for you; butthe question is, how are we to take the calf? It is as wild as a deer."

  "It will be a puzzler, without Smoker can run it down," said Humphrey.

  "I take him, with Smoker," said Pablo.

  "How will you take it?"

  Pablo went to the cart, and took out a long small cord, which Humphreyhad brought with them, and made a noose at one end; he coiled the ropein his hand, and then threw it out to its full length, by way of trial."This way I take him, suppose I get near enough. This way take bulls inSpain; call him Lasso. Now come with me." Pablo had his rope againcoiled in his hand, and then went round to the other side of the calf,which still remained lowing at about two hundred yards' distance.

  "Now tell Smoker," cried Pablo.

  Humphrey set Smoker upon the calf, which retreated from the dog,presenting his head to run at it; and Pablo kept behind the animal,while Smoker attacked it, and drove it near to him.

  As soon as the calf, which was so busy with the dog that it did notperceive Pablo, came sufficiently near to him, Pablo threw his rope,and caught the loop round the animal's neck. The calf set off gallopingtoward Humphrey, and dragging Pablo after him, for the latter was notstrong enough to hold it.

  Humphrey went to his assistance, and then Edward; and the calf wasthrown down by Smoker, who seized it by the neck, and it was tied andput on the cart in a few minutes.

  "Well done, Pablo! you are a clever fellow," said Edward, "and thiscalf shall be yours."

  "It is a cow calf," said Humphrey, "which I am glad of. Pablo, you didthat well, and, as Edward says, the calf belongs to you."

  Pablo look pleased, but said nothing.

  The meat and hide were put into the cart, with some of the offal whichAlice had asked for the dogs, and they set off on their return home.

  Humphrey was very anxious to go to Lymington, and was not sorry that hehad some meat to take with him: he determined to get off the nextmorning, and Edward proposed that he should take Pablo with him, thathe might know the way there in case of any emergency, for they bothfelt that Pablo could be trusted. Edward said he would remain at homewith his sisters, and see if he could be of any use to Alice; if not,there would be work in the garden. Humphrey and Pablo went away afterbreakfast, with Billy, and the meat and skin of the heifer in the cart.Humphrey had also a large basket of eggs and three dozen of chickensfrom Alice to be disposed of, and a list as long as the tail of a kite,of articles which she and Edith required; fortunately there was nothingvery expensive on the list, long as it was--but women in those daysrequired needles, pins, buttons, tapes, thread, worsted, and a hundredother little necessaries, as they do now. As soon as they were gone,Edward, who was still castle-building, instead of offering his servicesto Alice, brought out his father's sword and commenced cleaning it.When he had polished it up to his satisfaction, he felt less inclinedthan ever to do any thing; so after dinner he took his gun and walkedout into the forest that he might indulge in his reveries. He walkedon, quite unconscious of the direction in which he was going, and morethan once finding his hat knocked off by the branch of a tree which hehad not perceived--for the best of all possible reasons, because hiseyes were cast on the ground--when his ears were saluted with theneighing of a horse. He looked up and perceived that he was near to aherd of forest ponies, the first that he had seen since he had lived inthe forest.

  This roused him, and he looked about him. "Where can I have beenwandering to?" thought Edward; "I never fell in with any of the forestponies before; I must, therefore, have walked in a direction quitecontrary to what I usually do. I do not know where I am--the scenery isnew to me. What a fool I am! It's lucky that nobody except Humphreydigs pitfalls, or I should probably have been in one by this time; andI've brought out my gun and left the dog at home. Well, I suppose I canfind my way back." Edward then surveyed the whole herd of ponies, whichwere at no great distance from him. There was a fine horse or two amongthem, which appeared to be the leaders of the herd. They allowed Edwardto approach to within two hundred yards, and then, with manes and tailsstreaming in the air, they darted off with the rapidity of the wind.

  "Now I'll puzzle Humphrey when I go back," thought Edward. "He saysthat Billy is getting old, and that he wishes he could get anotherpony. I will tell him what a plenty there are, and propose that heshould invent some way of catching one. That will be a poser for him;yet I'm sure that he will try, for he is very ingenious. And now, whichway am I to turn to find my way home? I think it ought to be to thenorth; but which is north? for there is no sun out, and now I perceiveit looks very like rain. I wonder how long I have been walking! I amsure I don't know." Edward then hurried in a direction which heconsidered might lead him homeward, and walked fast; but he once morefell into his habit of castle-building, and was talking to himself:"The king proclaimed in Scotland! he will come over of course: I willjoin his army, and then--" Thus he went on, again absorbed in the newswhich he had gained from Oswald, till on a sudden he again r
ecollectedhimself, and perceived that he had lost sight of the copse of trees ona high hill, to which he had been directing his steps. Where was it? Heturned round and round, and at last found out that he had been walkingaway from it. "I must dream no more," thought he, "or if I do indulgein any more daydreams, I certainly shall neither sleep nor dreamto-night. It is getting dark already, and here I am lost in the forest,and all through my own foolishness. If the stars do not shine, I shallnot know how to direct my steps; indeed, if they do, I don't knowwhether I have walked south or north, and I am in a pretty pickle; notthat I care for being out in the forest on a night like this, but mysisters and Humphrey will be alarmed at my absence. The best thing thatI can do, is to decide upon taking some straight line, and continue init: I must then get out the forest at last, even if I walk right acrossit. That will be better than going backward and forward, or round andround, as I shall otherwise do, just like a puppy running alter its owntail. So now shine out, stars!" Edward waited until he could make outCharles's Wain, which he well knew, and then the Polar Star. As soon ashe was certain of that, he resolved to travel by it due north, and hedid so, sometimes walking fast, and at others keeping up a steady trotfor a half a mile without stopping. As he was proceeding on histravels, he observed, under some trees ahead of him, a spark of fireemitted; he thought it was a glow-worm at first, but it was more likethe striking of a flint against steel; and as he saw it a second time,he stopped that he might ascertain what it might be, before he advancedfarther.