by G. A. Henty
Chapter 8: The Old Mill.
A considerable portion of the allied army were quartered in thebarracks and forts of Liege, in large convents requisitioned forthe purpose, and in outlying villages. The 5th dragoons hadassigned to them a convent some two miles from the town. The monkshad moved out, and gone to an establishment of the same order inthe town, and the soldiers were therefore left to make the bestthey could of their quarters. There was plenty of room for the men,but for the horses there was some difficulty. The cloisters werevery large, and these were transformed into stables, and boardswere fastened up on the open faces to keep out the cold; otherswere stalled in sheds and outbuildings; and the great refectory, ordining hall, was also strewn thick with straw, and filled with fourrows of horses.
In the afternoon the officers generally rode or walked down intothe town. One day, Rupert Holliday with Pat Dillon had met theirfriends Lord Fairholm and Sir John Loveday, whose regiment wasquartered in the town, at the principal wine shop, a largeestablishment, which was the great gathering place of the officersof the garrison. There an immense variety of bright uniforms wereto be seen; English, German, and Dutch, horse, foot, and artillery;while the serving men hurried about through the throng with trayspiled with beer mugs, or with wine and glasses.
"Who is that officer," Dillon asked, "in the Hessian cavalryuniform? Methinks he eyes you with no friendly look."
Rupert and his friends glanced at the officer pointed out.
"It is that fellow Fulke," Sir John said. "I heard he had managedto obtain a commission in the army of the Landgrave of Hesse. Youmust keep a smart lookout, Master Rupert, for his presence bodesyou no good. He is in fitting company; that big German officer nextto him is the Graff Muller, a turbulent swashbuckler, but a famousswordsman--a fellow who would as soon run you through as look atyou, and who is a disgrace to the Margrave's army, in which Iwonder much that he is allowed to stay."
"Who is the fellow you are speaking of?" Dillon asked.
"A gentleman with whom our friend Rupert had a difference ofopinion," Sir John Loveday laughed. "There is a blood feud betweenthem. Seriously, the fellow has a grudge against our friend, and ashe is the sort of man to gratify himself without caring much as tothe means he uses, I should advise Master Holliday not to trusthimself out alone after dark. There are plenty of ruined men inthese German regiments who would willingly cut a throat for aguinea, especially if offered them by one of their own officers."
"The scoundrel is trying to get Muller to take up his quarrel, or Iam mistaken," Lord Fairholm, who had been watching the pairclosely, said. "They are glancing this way, and Fulke has beentalking earnestly. But ruffian as he is, Muller is of opinion thatfor a notorious swordsman like him to pick a quarrel with a ladlike our friend would be too rank, and would, if he killed him,look so much like murder that even he dare not face it; he hasshaken his head very positively."
"But why should not this Fulke take the quarrel in his own hands?"Dillon asked, surprised. "Unless he is the rankest of cowards hemight surely consider himself a match for our little cornet?"
"Our little cornet has a neat hand with the foils," Lord Fairholmsaid drily, "and Master Fulke is not unacquainted with the fact."
"Why, Rupert," Dillon said, turning to him, "you have never saidthat you ever had a foil in your hand!"
"You never asked me," Rupert said, smiling. "But I have practisedsomewhat with the colonel my grandfather. And now it is time to beoff, Dillon; we have to walk back."
Four days later, as Rupert Holliday was standing in the barrackyard, his troop having just been dismissed drill, a trooper of the1st dragoons rode into the yard, and after asking a question of oneof the men, rode up to him and handed him a note.
Somewhat surprised he opened it, and read as follows:
"My dear Master Holliday--Sir John Loveday and myself are engagedin an adventure which promises some entertainment, albeit it is notwithout a spice of danger. We need a good comrade who can onoccasion use his sword, and we know that we can rely on you. Onreceipt of this, please mount your horse and ride to the old millwhich lies back from the road in the valley beyond Dettinheim.There you will find your sincere friend, Fairholm.
"P.S. It would be as well not to mention whither you are going toride."
It was the first note that Rupert had received from Lord Fairholm,and delighted at the thought of an adventure, he called Hugh, andbade him saddle his horse.
"Shall I go with you, Master Rupert?" Hugh asked, for he generallyrode behind Rupert as his orderly.
Rupert did not answer for a moment. Lord Fairholm had asked him totell no one; but he meant, no doubt, that he should tell none ofhis brother officers. On Hugh's silence, whatever happened, hecould rely, and he would be useful to hold the horses. At any rate,if not wanted, he could return.
"Ay, Hugh, you can come; and look you, slip a brace of pistolsquietly into each of our holsters."
With a momentary look of surprise, Hugh withdrew to carry out hisinstructions; and ten minutes later, Rupert, followed by hisorderly, rode out of the convent.
The mill in question lay some three miles distant, and about half amile beyond the little hamlet of Dettinheim. It stood some distancefrom the road, up a quiet valley, and was half hidden in trees. Ithad been worked by a stream that ran down the valley. It was adark, gloomy-looking structure; and the long green weeds that hungfrom the great wheel, where the water from the overshot troughsplashed and tumbled over it, showed that it had been for some timeabandoned. These things had been noticed by Rupert when riding pastit some time before, for, struck with the appearance of the mill,he had ridden up the valley to inspect it.
On his ride to Lord Fairholm's rendezvous, he wondered much whatcould be the nature of the adventure in which they were about toembark. He knew that both his friends were full of life and highspirits, and his thoughts wandered between some wild attempt tocarry off a French officer of importance, or an expedition torescue a lovely damsel in distress. Hugh, equally wondering, butstill more ignorant of the nature of the expedition, rode quietlyon behind.
The road was an unfrequented one, and during the last two miles'ride they did not meet a single person upon it. The hamlet ofDettinheim contained four or five houses only, and no one seemedabout. Another five minutes' riding took them to the entrance tothe little valley in which the mill stood. They rode up to it, andthen dismounted.
"It's a lonesome dismal-looking place, Master Rupert. It doesn'tseem to bode good. Of course you know what you're come for, sir;but I don't like the look of the place, nohow."
"It does not look cheerful, Hugh; but I am to meet Lord Fairholmand Sir John Loveday here."
"I don't see any sign of them, Master Rupert. I'd be careful if Iwere you, for it's just the sort of place for a foul deed to bedone in. It does not look safe."
"It looks old and haunted," Rupert said; "but as that is itsnatural look, I don't see it can help it. The door is open, so myfriends are here."
"Look out, Master Rupert; you may be running into a snare."
Rupert paused a moment, and the thought flashed across his mindthat it might, as Hugh said, be a snare; but with Lord Fairholm'sletter in his pocket, he dismissed the idea.
"You make me nervous, Hugh, with your suggestions. Nevertheless Iwill be on my guard;" and he drew his sword as he entered the mill.
As he did so, Hugh, who was holding the horses' bridles over hisarm, snatched a brace of pistols from the holsters, cocked them,and stood eagerly listening. He heard Rupert walk a few pacesforward, and then pause, and shout "Where are you, Fairholm?"
Then he heard a rush of heavy feet, a shout from Rupert, a clash ofswords, and a scream of agony.
All this was the work of a second; and as Hugh dropped the reinsand rushed forward to his master's assistance, he heard a noisebehind him, and saw a dozen men issue from behind the trees, andrun towards him.
Coming from the light, Hugh could with difficulty see what wastaking place in the darkened chamber before him.
In an instant,however, he saw Rupert standing with his back to a wall, with adead man at his feet, and four others hacking and thrusting at him.Rushing up, Hugh fired his two pistols. One of the men dropped tothe ground, the other with an oath reeled backwards.
"Quick, sir! there are a dozen men just upon us."
Rupert ran one of his opponents through the shoulder, and as theother drew back shouted to Hugh, "Up the stairs, Hugh! Quick!"
The two lads sprang up the wide steps leading to the floor above,just as the doorway was darkened by a mass of men. The door at thetop of the steps yielded to their rush, the rotten woodwork giving,and the door falling to the ground. Two or three pistol bulletswhizzed by their ears, just as they leapt through the opening.
"Up another floor, Hugh; and easy with the door."
The door at the top of the next ladder creaked heavily as theypushed it back on its hinges.
"Look about, Hugh, for something to pile against it."
The shutters of the window were closed, but enough light streamedthrough the chinks and crevices for them to see dimly. There wasodd rubbish strewn all about, and in one corner a heap of decayingsacks. To these both rushed, and threw some on the floor by thedoor, placing their feet on them to keep them firm, just as with arush the men came against it. This door was far stronger than theone below, but it gave before the weight.
"The hinges will give," Hugh exclaimed; but at the moment Rupertpassed his thin rapier through one of the chinks of the roughboards which formed it, and a yell was heard on the outside. Thepressure against the door ceased instantly; and Rupert bade Hughrun for some more sacks, while he threw himself prone on them onthe ground.
It was well he did so, for, as he expected, a half-dozen pistolshots were heard, and the bullets crashed through the woodwork.
"Keep out of the line of fire, Hugh."
Hugh did so, and threw down the sacks close to the door. Severaltimes he ran backwards and forwards across the room, the assailantsstill firing through the door. Then Rupert leapt up, and the pileof sacks were rapidly heaped against the door, just as the menoutside, in hopes that they had killed the defenders, made anotherrush against it.
This time, however, the pile of sacks had given it strength andsolidity, and it hardly shook under the assault. Then came volleysof curses and imprecations, in German, from outside; and then thelads could hear the steps descend the stairs, and a loud and angryconsultation take place below.
"Open the shutters, Hugh, and let us see where we are."
It was a chamber of some forty feet square, and, like those belowit, of considerable height. It was like the rest of the mill, builtof rough pine, black with age. It had evidently been used as agranary.
"This is a nice trap we have fallen into, Hugh, and I doubt me ifLord Fairholm ever saw the letter with his name upon it which luredme here. However, that is not the question now; the thing is how weare to get out of the trap. How many were there outside, do youthink?"
"There seemed to me about a dozen, Master Rupert, but I got merelya blink at them."
"If it were not for their pistols we might do something, Hugh; butas it is, it is hopeless."
Looking out from the window they saw that it was over the greatwater wheel, whose top was some fifteen feet below them, with thewater running to waste from the inlet, which led from the reservoirhigher up the valley.
Presently they heard a horse gallop up to the front of the mill,and shortly after the sound of a man's voice raised in anger. Bythis time it was getting dark.
"What'll be the end of this, Master Rupert? We could stand a siegefor a week, but they'd hardly try that."
"What's that?" Rupert said. "There's some one at the door again."
They came back, but all was quiet. Listening attentively, however,they heard a creaking, as of someone silently descending thestairs. For some time all was quiet, except that they could hearmovements in the lower story of the mill. Presently Rupert graspedHugh's arm.
"Do you smell anything, Hugh?"
"Yes, sir, I smell a smoke."
"The scoundrels have set the mill on fire, Hugh."
In another minute or two the smell became stronger, and thenwreaths of smoke could be seen curling up through the crevices inthe floor.
"Run through the other rooms, Hugh; let us see if there is anymeans of getting down."
There were three other rooms, but on opening the shutters theyfound in each case a sheer descent of full forty feet to theground, there being no outhouses whose roofs would afford them ameans of descent.
"We must rush downstairs, Hugh. It is better to be shot as we goout, than be roasted here."
Rapidly they tore away the barrier of sacks, and Rupert put histhumb on the latch. He withdrew it with a sharp exclamation.
"They have jammed the latch, Hugh. That was what that fellow weheard was doing."
The smoke was now getting very dense, and they could withdifficulty breathe. Rupert put his head out of the window.
"There is a little window just over the wheel," he said. "If wecould get down to the next floor we might slip out of that and getin the wheel without being noticed.
"Look about, Hugh," he exclaimed suddenly; "there must be atrapdoor somewhere for lowering the sacks. There is a wheel hangingto the ceiling; the trap must be under that."
In a minute the trap was found, and raised. The smoke rushed up ina volume, and the boys looked with dismay at the dense murk below.
"It's got to be done, Hugh. Tie that bit of sacking, quick, overyour nose and mouth, while I do the same. Now lower yourself byyour arms, and drop; it won't be above fifteen feet. Hold yourbreath, and rush straight to the window. I heard them open it. Now,both together now."
The lads fell over their feet, and were in another minute at thewindow. The broad top of the great wheel stretched out level withthem, hiding the window from those who might have been standingbelow. The wheel itself was some thirty feet in diameter, and wassunk nearly half its depth in the ground, the water running off bya deep tail race.
"We might lie flat on the top of the wheel," Hugh said.
"We should be roasted to death when the mill is fairly in flames.No, Hugh; we must squeeze through this space between the wall andthe wheel, slip down by the framework, and keep inside the wheel.There is no fear of that burning, and we shall get plenty of freshair down below the level of the mill.
"I will go first, Hugh. Mind how you go, for these beams are allslimy; get your arm well round, and slip down as far as the axle."
It was not an easy thing to do, and Rupert lost his hold andslipped down the last ten feet, hurting himself a good deal in hisfall. He was soon on his feet again, and helped to break the fallof Hugh, who lost his hold and footing at the axle, and would havehurt himself greatly, had not Rupert caught him, both boys fallingwith a crash in the bottom of the wheel.
They were some little time before regaining their feet, for bothwere much hurt. Their movements were, however, accelerated by thewater, which fell in a heavy shower from above, through the leaksin the buckets of the wheel.
"Are you hurt much, Master Rupert?"
"I don't think I am broken at all, Hugh, but I am hurt all over.How are you?"
"I am all right, I think. It's lucky the inside of this wheel ispretty smooth, like a big drum."
The position was not a pleasant one. A heavy shower of water fromabove filled the air with spray, and with their heads bent down itwas difficult to breathe. The inside planks of the wheel were soslimy that standing was almost impossible, and at the slightestattempt at movement they fell. Above, the flames were alreadydarting out through the windows and sides of the mill.
"Do you not think we might crawl out between the wheel and thewall, and make our way down the tail race, Master Rupert? Thiswater is chilling me to the bones."
"I think it safer to stop where we are, Hugh. Those fellows aresure to be on the watch. They will expect to see us jump out of theupper window the last thing, and will wait to throw our bodies--
forof course we should be killed--into the flames, to hide all traceof us. We have only to wait quietly here. It is not pleasant; butafter all the trouble we have had to save our lives, it would be apity to risk them again. And I have a very particular desire to beeven with that fellow, who is, I doubt not, at the bottom of allthis."
Soon the flames were rushing out in great sheets from the mill, andeven in the wheel the heat of the atmosphere was considerable.Presently a great crash was heard inside.
"There is a floor fallen," Rupert said. "I think we may move now;those fellows will have made off secure that--
"Hullo! What's that?"
The exclamation was caused by a sudden creaking noise, and thegreat wheel began slowly to revolve. The fall of the floor hadbroken its connection with the machinery in the mill, and leftfree, it at once yielded to the weight of the water in its buckets.The supply of water coming down was small, and the wheel stiff fromlong disuse, therefore it moved but slowly. The motion, however,threw both lads from their feet, and once down, the rotatory motionrendered it impossible for them to regain their feet.
After the first cry of surprise, neither spoke; across both theirminds rushed the certainty of death.
How long the terrible time that followed lasted, neither of themever knew. The sensation was that of being pounded to death. At onemoment they were together, then separated; now rolling over andover in a sort of ball, then lifted up and cast down into thebottom of the wheel with a crash; now with their heads highest, nowwith their feet. It was like a terrible nightmare; but graduallythe sharp pain of the blows and falls were less vivid--a dullsensation came over them--and both lost consciousness.
Rupert was the first to open his eyes, and for a time lay but indreamy wonder as to where he was, and what had happened. He seemedto be lying under a great penthouse, with a red glow pervadingeverything. Gradually his thoughts took shape, and he rememberedwhat had passed, and struggling painfully into a sitting position,looked round.
The wheel no longer revolved; there was no longer the constantsplash of water. Indeed the wheel existed as a wheel no longer.
As he looked round the truth lighted upon him. The burning mill hadfallen across the wheel, crushing, at the top, the sides together.The massive timber had given no further, and the wheel formed asort of roof, sloping from the outer wall, built solidly up againstit, to the opposite foot. Above, the timber of this wall glared andflickered, but the soddened timber of the wheel could have resisteda far greater amount of heat. The leet had of course been carriedaway with the fall, and the water would be flowing down the valley.The heat was very great, but the rush of air up the deep cut of themill race rendered it bearable.
Having once grasped the facts--and as he doubted not the fall musthave occurred soon after he lost consciousness, and so saved himfrom being bruised to death--Rupert turned to Hugh.
He was quite insensible, but his heart still beat. Rupert crawledout of the wheel, and found pools of water in the mill race, fromwhich he brought double handfuls, and sprinkled Hugh's face. Thenas he himself grew stronger from fresh air and a copious dousing ofhis face and head with water, he dragged Hugh out, and laying himbeside a pool dashed water on his face and chest. A deep sigh wasthe first symptom of returning consciousness. He soon, to Rupert'sdelight, opened his eyes.
After a time he sat up, but was too much hurt to rise. After someconsultation, Rupert left him, and went alone down to the hamlet ofDettinheim, where, after much knocking, he roused some of theinhabitants, who had only a short time before returned from theburning mill. Sodden and discoloured as it was, Rupert's uniformwas still recognizable, and by the authority this conveyed, and apromise of ample reward, four men were induced to return with himto the mill, and carry Hugh down to the village.
This they reached just as the distant clock of Liege cathedralstruck two. A bed was given up to them, and in half an hour bothlads were sound asleep.