Chapter VII. Of the Horseman who rode from the West
My father set to work forthwith preparing for our equipment, furnishingSaxon out as well as myself on the most liberal scale, for he wasdetermined that the wealth of his age should be as devoted to the causeas was the strength of his youth. These arrangements had to be carriedout with the most extreme caution, for there were many Prelatists inthe village, and in the present disturbed state of the public mind anyactivity on the part of so well known a man would have at once attractedattention. So carefully did the wary old soldier manage matters,however, that we soon found ourselves in a position to start at anhour's notice, without any of our neighbours being a whit the wiser.
His first move was to purchase through an agent two suitable horses atChichester fair, which were conveyed to the stables of a trusty Whigfarmer living near Portchester, who was ordered to keep them untilthey were called for. Of these animals one was a mottled grey, of greatmettle and power, standing seventeen and a half hands high, and well upto my weight, for in those days, my dears, I had not laid on flesh, andweighed a little under sixteen stone for all my height and strength.A critic might have said that Covenant, for so I named my steed, was atrifle heavy about the head and neck, but I found him a trusty, willingbrute, with great power and endurance. Saxon, who when fully accoutredcould scarce have weighed more than twelve stone, had a light baySpanish jennet, of great speed and spirit. This mare he named Chloe,'after a godly maiden of his acquaintance,' though, as my fatherremarked, there was a somewhat ungodly and heathenish smack about theappellation. These horses and their harness were bought and held readywithout my father appearing in the matter in any way.
This important point having been settled, there was the further questionof arms to be discussed, which gave rise to much weighty controversybetween Decimus Saxon and my father, each citing many instances fromtheir own experiences where the presence or absence of some tasletor arm-guard had been of the deepest import to the wearer. Yourgreat-grandfather had set his heart upon my wearing the breastplatewhich still bore the dints of the Scottish spears at Dunbar, but ontrying it on we found it was too small for me. I confess that this was asurprise, for when I looked back at the awe with which I had regardedmy father's huge proportions, it was marvellous to me to havethis convincing proof that I had outgrown him. By ripping down theside-leather and piercing holes through which a lace could be passed, mymother managed to arrange it so that I could wear it without discomfort.A pair of taslets or thigh-pieces, with guards for the upper arm andgauntlets, were all borrowed from the old Parliamentary equipment,together with the heavy straight sword and pair of horse pistols whichformed the usual weapons of a cavalier. My father had chosen me ahead-piece in Portsmouth, fluted, with good barrets, padded inside withsoft leather, very light and yet very strong. When fully equipped,both Saxon and my father agreed that I had all that was requisite fora well-appointed soldier. Saxon had purchased a buff-coat, a steel cap,and a pair of jack-boots, so that with the rapier and pistols which myfather had presented him with, he was ready to take the field at anytime.
There would, we hoped, be no great difficulty in our reaching Monmouth'sforces when the hour came. In those troublous times the main roads wereso infested by highwaymen and footpads, that it was usual for travellersto carry weapons and even armour for their protection. There was noreason therefore why our appearance should excite suspicion. Shouldquestions be asked, Saxon had a long story prepared, to the effect thatwe were travelling to join Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort, to whosehousehold we belonged. This invention he explained to me, with manypoints of corroboration which I was to furnish, but when I saidpositively that I should rather be hanged as a rebel than speak afalsehood, he looked at me open-eyed, and shook his head as one muchshocked. A few weeks of campaigning, he said, would soon cure me of mysqueamishness. For himself, no more truthful child had ever carried ahorn-book, but he had learned to lie upon the Danube, and looked uponit as a necessary part of the soldier's upbringing. 'For what are allstratagems, ambuscades, and outfalls but lying upon a large scale?' heargued. 'What is an adroit commander but one who hath a facility fordisguising the truth? When, at the battle of Senlac, William the Normanordered his men to feign flight in order that they might break hisenemy's array, a wile much practised both by the Scythians of old and bythe Croats of our own day, pray what is it but the acting of a lie? Orwhen Hannibal, having tied torches to the horns of great droves of oxen,caused the Roman Consuls to imagine that his army was in retreat, was itnot a deception or infraction of the truth?--a point well brought outby a soldier of repute in the treatise "An in bello dolo uti liceat;an apud hostes falsiloquio uti liceat." And so if, after these greatmodels, I in order to gain mine ends do announce that we are bound toBeaufort when we are in truth making for Monmouth, is it not in accordwith the usages of war and the customs of great commanders?' All whichspecious argument I made no attempt to answer, beyond repeating that hemight avail himself of the usage, but that he must not look to me forcorroboration. On the other hand, I promised to hold my speech and tosay nothing which might hamper him, with which pledge he was forced tobe contented.
And now at last, my patient listeners, I shall be able to carry you outof the humble life of the village, and to cease my gossip of the men whowere old when I was young, and who are now lying this many a year inthe Bedhampton churchyard. You shall come with me now, and you shall seeEngland as it was in those days, and you shall hear of how we set forthto the wars, and of all the adventures which overtook us. And if whatI tell you should ever chance to differ from what you have read in thebook of Mr. Coke or of Mr. Oldmixon, or of any one else who has setthese matters down in print, do ye bear in mind that I am telling ofwhat I saw with these very eyes, and that I have helped to make history,which is a higher thing than to write it.
It was, then, towards nightfall upon the twelfth day of June 1685 thatthe news reached our part of the country that Monmouth had landed theday before at Lyme, a small seaport on the boundary between Dorsetshireand Devonshire. A great beacon blaze upon Portsdown Hill was the firstnews that we had of it, and then came a rattling and a drummingfrom Portsmouth, where the troops were assembled under arms. Mountedmessengers clattered through the village street with their heads low ontheir horses' necks, for the great tidings must be carried to London,that the Governor of Portsmouth might know how to act. (Note B,Appendix.) We were standing at our doorway in the gloaming, watchingthe coming and the going, and the line of beacon fires which werelengthening away to the eastward, when a little man galloped up to thedoor and pulled his panting horse up.
'Is Joseph Clarke here?' he asked.
'I am he,' said my father.
'Are these men true?' he whispered, pointing with his whip at Saxon andmyself. 'Then the trysting-place is Taunton. Pass it on to all whom yeknow. Give my horse a bait and a drink, I beg of ye, for I must get onmy way.'
My young brother Hosea looked to the tired creature, while we broughtthe rider inside and drew him a stoup of beer. A wiry, sharp-faced manhe was, with a birth-mark upon his temple. His face and clothes werecaked with dust, and his limbs were so stiff from the saddle that hecould scarce put one foot before another.
'One horse hath died under me,' he said, 'and this can scarce lastanother twenty miles. I must be in London by morning, for we hope thatDanvers and Wildman may be able to raise the city. Yester-evening I leftMonmouth's camp. His blue flag floats over Lyme.'
'What force hath he?' my father asked anxiously.
'He hath but brought over leaders. The force must come from you folk athome. He has with him Lord Grey of Wark, with Wade, the German Buyse,and eighty or a hundred more. Alas! that two who came are already lostto us. It is an evil, evil omen.'
'What is amiss, then?'
'Dare, the goldsmith of Taunton, hath been slain by Fletcher of Saltounin some child's quarrel about a horse. The peasants cried out for theblood of the Scot, and he was forced to fly aboard the ships. A sadmishap it is, for he was
a skilful leader and a veteran soldier.'
'Aye, aye,' cried Saxon impatiently, 'there will be some more skilfulleaders and veteran soldiers in the West presently to take his place.But if he knew the usages of war, how came it that he should fight upona private quarrel at such a time?' He drew a flat brown book fromhis bosom, and ran his long thin finger down the table of contents.'Subisectio nona'--'here is the very case set forth, "An in hellopublico provocatus ad duellum privatae amicitiae causa declinarepossit," in which the learned Fleming layeth it down that a man'sprivate honour must give way to the good of the cause. Did it not happenin my own case that, on the eve of the raising of the Anlagerung ofVienna, we stranger officers having been invited to the tent of theGeneral, it chanced that a red-headed Irisher, one O'Daffy, an ancientin the regiment of Pappenheimer, did claim precedence of me on theground of superiority of blood? On this I drew my glove across his face,not, mark ye, in anger, but as showing that I differed in some degreefrom his opinion. At which dissent he did at once offer to sustain hiscontention, but I, having read this subsection to him, did make it clearto him that we could not in honour settle the point until the Turk waschased from the city. So after the onfall--'
'Nay, sir, I may hear the narrative some future day,' said themessenger, staggering to his feet. 'I hope to find a relay atChichester, and time presses. Work for the cause now, or be slaves forever. Farewell!' He clambered into his saddle, and we heard the clatterof his hoofs dying away down the London road.
'The time hath come for you to go, Micah,' said my father solemnly.'Nay, wife, do not weep, but rather hearten the lad on his way by ablithe word and a merry face. I need not tell you to fight manfullyand fearlessly in this quarrel. Should the tide of war set in thisdirection, you may find your old father riding by your side. Let us nowbow down and implore the favour of the Almighty upon this expedition.'
We all knelt down in the low-roofed, heavy-raftered room while the oldman offered up an earnest, strenuous prayer for our success. Even now,as I speak to ye, that group rises up before mine eyes. I see onceagain your ancestor's stern, rugged face, with his brows knitted andhis corded hands writhed together in the fervour of his supplication. Mymother kneels beside him with the tears trickling down her sweet, placidface, stifling her sobs lest the sound of them make my leave-taking morebitter. The children are in the sleeping-room upstairs, and we hear thepatter of their bare feet upon the floor. The man Saxon sprawls acrossone of the oaken chairs, half kneeling, half reclining, with his longlegs trailing out behind, and his face buried in his hands. All roundin the flickering light of the hanging lamp I see the objects which havebeen so familiar to me from childhood--the settle by the fireplace,the high-back stiff-elbowed chairs, the stuffed fox above the door, thepicture of Christian viewing the Promised Land from the summit of theDelectable Mountains--all small trifles in themselves, but making upamong them the marvellous thing we call home, the all-powerful lodestonewhich draws the wanderer's heart from the farther end of the earth.Should I ever see it again save in my dreams--I, who was leaving thissheltered cove to plunge into the heart of the storm?
The prayer finished, we all rose with the exception of Saxon, whoremained with his face buried in his hands for a minute or so beforestarting to his feet. I shrewdly suspect that he had been fast asleep,though he explained that he had paused to offer up an additionalsupplication. My father placed his hands upon my head and invoked theblessing of Heaven upon me. He then drew my companion aside, and Iheard the jingling of coin, from which I judge that he was giving himsomething wherewith to start upon his travels. My mother clasped me toher heart, and slipped a small square of paper into my hand, saying thatI was to look at it at my leisure, and that I should make her happy ifI would but conform to the instructions contained in it. This I promisedto do, and tearing myself away I set off down the darkened villagestreet, with my long-limbed companion striding by my side.
It was close upon one in the morning, and all the country folk had beenlong abed. Passing the Wheatsheaf and the house of old Solomon, I couldnot but wonder what they would think of my martial garb were they afoot.I had scarce time to form the same thought before Zachary Palmer'scottage when his door flew open, and the carpenter came running out withhis white hair streaming in the fresh night breeze.
'I have been awaiting you, Micah,' he cried. 'I had heard that Monmouthwas up, and I knew that you would not lose a night ere starting. Godbless you, lad, God bless you! Strong of arm and soft of heart, tenderto the weak and stern to the oppressor, you have the prayers and thelove of all who know you.' I pressed his extended hands, and the lastI saw of my native hamlet was the shadowy figure of the carpenter as hewaved his good wishes to me through the darkness.
We made our way across the fields to the house of Whittier, the Whigfarmer, where Saxon got into his war harness. We found our horses readysaddled and bridled, for my father had at the first alarm sent a messageacross that we should need them. By two in the morning we were breastingPortsdown Hill, armed, mounted, and fairly started on our journey to therebel camp.
Chapter VIII. Of our Start for the Wars
All along the ridge of Portsdown Hill we had the lights of Portsmouthand of the harbour ships twinkling beneath us on the left, while onthe right the Forest of Bere was ablaze with the signal fires whichproclaimed the landing of the invader. One great beacon throbbed uponthe summit of Butser, while beyond that, as far as eye could reach,twinkling sparks of light showed how the tidings were being carriednorth into Berkshire and eastward into Sussex. Of these fires, some werecomposed of faggots piled into heaps, and others of tar barrels set uponpoles. We passed one of these last just opposite to Portchester, and thewatchers around it, hearing the tramp of our horses and the clank ofour arms, set up a loud huzza, thinking doubtless that we were King'sofficers bound for the West.
Master Decimus Saxon had flung to the winds the precise demeanour whichhe had assumed in the presence of my father, and rattled away with manya jest and scrap of rhyme or song as we galloped through the darkness.
'Gadzooks!' said he frankly, 'it is good to be able to speak freelywithout being expected to tag every sentence with a hallelujah or anamen.'
'You were ever the leader in those pious exercises,' I remarked drily.
'Aye, indeed. You have nicked it there! If a thing must be done, thentake a lead in it, whatever it may be. A plaguy good precept, which hasstood me in excellent stead before now. I cannot bear in mind whether Itold you how I was at one time taken prisoner by the Turks and conveyedto Stamboul. There were a hundred of us or more, but the others eitherperished under the bastinado, or are to this day chained to an oar inthe Imperial Ottoman galleys, where they are like to remain until theydie under the lash, or until some Venetian or Genoese bullet finds itsway into their wretched carcasses. I alone came off with my freedom.'
'And pray, how did you make your escape?' I asked.
'By the use of the wit wherewith Providence hath endowed me,' heanswered complacently; 'for, seeing that their accursed religion is theblind side of these infidels, I did set myself to work upon it. To thisend I observed the fashion in which our guard performed their morningand evening exercises, and having transformed my doublet into a prayingcloth, I did imitate them, save only that I prayed at greater length andwith more fervour.'
'What!' I cried in horror. 'You did pretend to be a Mussulman?'
'Nay, there was no pretence. I became a Mussulman. That, however,betwixt ourselves, as it might not stand me in very good stead with someReverend Aminadab Fount-of-Grace in the rebel camp, who is no admirer ofMahmoud.'
I was so astounded at the impudence of this confession, coming from themouth of one who had been leading the exercises of a pious Christianfamily, that I was fairly bereft of speech. Decimus Saxon whistled a fewbars of a sprightly tune, and then continued--
'My perseverance in these exercises soon led to my being singled outfrom among the other prisoners, until I so prevailed upon my gaolersthat the doors were opened for me, an
d I was allowed out on conditionof presenting myself at the prison gates once a day. What use, think ye,did I make of my freedom?'
'Nay, you are capable of anything,' said I.
'I set off forthwith to their chief mosque--that of St. Sophia. When thedoors opened and the muezzin called, I was ever the first to hurry intodevotions and the last to leave them. Did I see a Mussulman strike hishead upon the pavement, I would strike mine twice. Did I see him bendand bow, I was ready to prostrate myself. In this way ere long the pietyof the converted Giaour became the talk of the city, and I was providedwith a hut in which to make my sacred meditations. Here I might havedone well, and indeed I had well-nigh made up my mind to set up asa prophet and write an extra chapter to the Koran, when some foolishtrifle made the faithful suspicious of my honesty. It was but somenonsense of a wench being found in my hut by some who came to consultme upon a point of faith, but it was enough to set their heathen tongueswagging; so I thought it wisest to give them the slip in a Levantinecoaster and leave the Koran uncompleted. It is perhaps as well, for itwould be a sore trial to have to give up Christian women and pork, fortheir garlic-breathing houris and accursed kybobs of sheep's flesh.'
We had passed through Fareham and Botley during this conversation, andwere now making our way down the Bishopstoke road. The soil changesabout here from chalk to sand, so that our horses' hoofs did but makea dull subdued rattle, which was no bar to our talk--or rather to mycompanion's, for I did little more than listen. In truth, my mind was sofull of anticipations of what was before us, and of thoughts of thehome behind, that I was in no humour for sprightly chatter. The sky wassomewhat clouded, but the moon glinted out between the rifts, showingus the long road which wound away in front of us. On either side werescattered houses with gardens sloping down toward the road. The heavy,sickly scent of strawberries was in the air.
'Hast ever slain a man in anger?' asked Saxon, as we galloped along.
'Never,' I answered.
'Ha! You will find that when you hear the clink of steel against steel,and see your foeman's eyes, you will straightway forget all rules,maxims, and precepts of the fence which your father or others may havetaught you.'
'I have learned little of the sort,' said I. My father did but teachme to strike an honest downright blow. This sword can shear through asquare inch of iron bar.'
'Scanderbeg's sword must have Scanderbeg's arm,' he remarked. 'Ihave observed that it is a fine piece of steel. One of the real oldtext-compellers and psalm-expounders which the faithful drew in the daysof yore, when they would:
"Prove their religion orthodox, By Apostolic blows and knocks."
You have not fenced much, then?'
'Scarce at all,' said I.
'It is as well. With an old and tried swordsman like myself, knowledgeof the use of his weapon is everything; but with a young Hotspur of yourtemper, strength and energy go for much. I have oft remarked that thosewho are most skilled at the shooting of the popinjay, the cleaving ofthe Turk's head, and other such sports, are ever laggards in the field.Had the popinjay a crossbow as well, and an arrow on the string, orhad the Turk a fist as well as a head, our young gallant's nerves wouldscarce be as steady over the business. I make no doubt, Master Clarke,that we shall make trusty comrades. What saith old Butler?
"Never did trusty squire with knight, Or knight with squire ere jump more right."
I have scarce dared to quote "Hudibras" for these weeks past, lest Ishould set the Covenant fermenting in the old man's veins.'
'If we are indeed to be comrades,' said I sternly, 'you must learn tospeak with more reverence and less flippancy of my father, who wouldassuredly never have harboured you had he heard the tale which you havetold me even now.'
'Belike not,' the adventurer answered, chuckling to himself. 'It is along stride from a mosque to a conventicle. But be not so hot-headed,my friend. You lack that repose of character which will come to you,no doubt, in your more mature years. What, man! within five minutes ofseeing me you would have smitten me on the head with an oar, and eversince you have been like a bandog at my heels, ready to hark if I do butset my foot over what you regard as the straight line. Remember that yougo now among men who fight on small occasion of quarrel. A word awry maymean a rapier thrust.'
'Do you bear the same in mind,' I answered hotly; 'my temper ispeaceful, but covert threats and veiled menace I shall not abide.'
'Odd's mercy!' he cried. 'I see that you will start carving me anon, andtake me to Monmouth's camp in sections. Nay, nay, we shall have fightingenow without falling out among ourselves. What houses are those on theleft?'
'The village of Swathling,' I replied. 'The lights of Bishopstoke lie tothe right, in the hollow.'
'Then we are fifteen miles on our way, and methinks there is alreadysome faint flush of dawn in the east. Hullo, what have we here? Bedsmust be scarce if folks sleep on the highways.'
A dark blur which I had remarked upon the roadway in front of us hadresolved itself as we approached into the figure of a man, stretchedat full length, with his face downwards, and his head resting upon hiscrossed arms.
'Some reveler, mayhap, from the village inn,' I remarked.
'There's blood in the air,' said Saxon, raising up his beak-like noselike a vulture which scents carrion. 'Methinks he sleeps the sleep whichknows no waking.'
He sprang down from his saddle, and turned the figure over upon hisback. The cold pale light of the early dawn shimmering upon his staringeyes and colourless face showed that the old soldier's instinct wascorrect, and that he had indeed drawn his last breath.
'Here's a pretty piece of work,' said Saxon, kneeling by the dead man'sside and passing his hands over his pockets. 'Footpads, doubtless. Not astiver in his pockets, nor as much as a sleeve-link to help pay for theburial.'
'How was he slain!' I asked in horror, looking down at the poor vacantface, the empty house from which the tenant had departed.
'A stab from behind and a tap on the head from the butt of a pistol.He cannot have been dead long, and yet every groat is gone. A man ofposition, too, I should judge from his dress--broadcloth coat by thefeel, satin breeches, and silver buckles on his shoes. The rogues musthave had some plunder with him. Could we but run across them, Clarke, itwould be a great and grand thing.'
'It would indeed,' said I heartily. 'What greater privilege than toexecute justice upon such cowardly murderers!'
'Pooh! pooh!' he cried. 'Justice is a slippery dame, and hath atwo-edged sword in her hand. We may have enough of justice in ourcharacter as rebels to give us a surfeit of it. I would fain overtakethese robbers that we may relieve them of their _spolia opima_, togetherwith any other wealth which they may have unlawfully amassed. My learnedfriend the Fleming layeth it down that it is no robbery to rob a robber.But where shall we conceal this body?'
'Wherefore should we conceal it?' I asked.
'Why, man, unused to war or the precautions of a warrior, you must yetsee that should this body be found here, there will be a hue and crythrough the country, and that strangers like ourselves will be arrestedon suspicion. Should we clear ourselves, which is no very easy matter,the justice will at least want to know whence we come and whither wego, which may lead to inquiries that may bode us little good. I shalltherefore take the liberty, mine unknown and silent friend, of draggingyou into yon bushes, where for a day or two at least you are like to lieunobserved, and so bring no harm upon honest men.'
'For God's sake do not treat it so unkindly,' I cried, springing downfrom my horse and laying my hand upon my companion's arm. 'There is noneed to trail it in so unseemly a fashion. If it must be moved hence, Ishall carry it with all due reverence. 'So saying, I picked the body upin my arms, and bearing it to a wayside clump of yellow gorse bushes, Ilaid it solemnly down and drew the branches over it to conceal it.
'You have the thews of an ox and the heart of a woman, 'muttered mycompanion. 'By the Mass, that old white-headed psalm-singer was right;for if
my memory serves me, he said words to that effect. A few handfulsof dust will hide the stains. Now we may jog upon our way without anyfear of being called upon to answer for another man's sins. Let me butget my girth tightened and we may soon be out of danger's way.'
'I have had to do,' said Saxon, as we rode onwards, 'with many gentryof this sort, with Albanian brigands, the banditti of Piedmont, theLanzknechte and Freiritter of the Rhine, Algerine picaroons, and othersuch folk. Yet I cannot call to mind one who hath ever been able toretire in his old age on a sufficient competence. It is but a precarioustrade, and must end sooner or later in a dance on nothing in a tightcravat, with some kind friend tugging at your legs to ease you of anybreath that you might have left.'
'Nor does that end all,' I remarked.
'No. There is Tophet behind and the flames of hell. So our good friendsthe parsons tell us. Well, if a man is to make no money in this world,be hanged at the end of it, and finally burn for ever, he hath assuredlywandered on to a thorny track. If, on the other hand, one could alwayslay one's hands on a well-lined purse, as those rogues have doneto-night, one might be content to risk something in the world to come.'
'But what can the well-filled purse do for them?' said I. 'What willthe few score pieces which these bloodthirsty wretches have filched fromthis poor creature avail them when their own hour of death comes round?'
'True,' said Saxon dryly; 'they may, however, prove useful in themeantime. This you say is Bishopstoke. What are the lights over yonder?'
'They come, I think, from Bishop's Waltham,' I answered.
'We must press on, for I would fain be in Salisbury before it is broadday. There we shall put our horses up until evening and have some rest,for there is nothing gained by man or beast coming jaded to the wars.All this day the western roads will be crowded with couriers, and mayhappatrolled by cavalry as well, so that we cannot show our faces upon itwithout a risk of being stopped and examined. Now if we lie by all day,and push on at dusk, keeping off the main road and making our way acrossSalisbury Plain and the Somersetshire downs, we shall be less likely tocome to harm.'
'But what if Monmouth be engaged before we come up to him?' I asked.
'Then we shall have missed a chance of getting our throats cut. Why,man, supposing that he has been routed and entirely dispersed, wouldit not be a merry conceit for us to appear upon the scene as two loyalyeomen, who had ridden all the way from Hampshire to strike in againstthe King's enemies? We might chance to get some reward in money or inland for our zeal. Nay, frown not, for I was but jesting. Breathe ourhorses by walking them up this hill. My jennet is as fresh as when westarted, but those great limbs of thine are telling upon the grey.'
The patch of light in the east had increased and broadened, and the skywas mottled with little pink feathers of cloud. As we passed overthe low hills by Chandler's Ford and Romsey we could see the smoke ofSouthampton to the south-east, and the broad dark expanse of the NewForest with the haze of morning hanging over it. A few horsemen passedus, pricking along, too much engrossed in their own errand to inquireours. A couple of carts and a long string of pack-horses, ladenprincipally with bales of wool, came straggling along a byroad, andthe drivers waved their broad hats to us and wished us God-speed. AtDunbridge the folk were just stirring, and paused in taking down thecottage shutters to come to the garden railings and watch us pass. As weentered Dean, the great red sun pushed its rosy rim over the edge of thehorizon, and the air was filled with the buzz of insects and the sweetscent of the morning. We dismounted at this latter village, and had acup of ale while resting and watering the horses. The landlord couldtell us nothing about the insurgents, and indeed seemed to care verylittle about the matter one way or the other. 'As long as brandy pays aduty of six shillings and eightpence a gallon, and freight and leakagecomes to half a crown, while I am expected to sell it at twelveshillings, it matters little to me who is King of England. Give me aking that will prevent the hop-blight and I am his man.' Those were thelandlord's politics, and I dare say a good many more were of his way ofthinking.
From Dean to Salisbury is all straight road with moor, morass, andfenland on either side, broken only by the single hamlet of Aldersbury,just over the Wiltshire border. Our horses, refreshed by the short rest,stepped out gallantly, and the brisk motion, with the sunlight and thebeauty of the morning, combined to raise our spirits and cheer us afterthe depression of the long ride through the darkness, and the incidentof the murdered traveller. Wild duck, widgeon, and snipe flapped up fromeither side of the road at the sound of the horses' hoofs, and once aherd of red deer sprang to their feet from among the ferns and scamperedaway in the direction of the forest. Once, too, when passing a denseclump of trees, we saw a shadowy white creature half hidden by thetrunks, which must, I fancy, have been one of those wild cattle ofwhich I have heard the peasants speak, who dwell in the recesses ofthe southern woods, and are so fierce and intractable that none dareapproach them. The breadth of the view, the keenness of the air, and thenovelty of the sense of having great work to do, all combined to send aflush of life through my veins such as the quiet village existencehad never been able to give. My more experienced companion felt theinfluence too, for he lifted up a cracked voice and broke into a droningchant, which he assured me was an Eastern ode which had been taught himby the second sister of the Hospodar of Wallachia.
'Anent Monmouth,' he remarked, coming back suddenly to the realities ofour position. 'It is unlikely that he can take the field for some days,though much depends upon his striking a blow soon, and so raising thecourage of his followers before the King's troops can come down uponhim. He has, mark ye, not only his troops to find, but their weapons,which is like to prove a more difficult matter. Suppose he can raisefive thousand men--and he cannot stir with less--he will not have onemusket in five, so the rest must do as they can with pikes and bills, orsuch other rude arms as they can find. All this takes time, and thoughthere may be skirmishes, there can scarce be any engagement of importbefore we arrive.'
'He will have been landed three or four days ere we reach him,' said I.
'Hardly time for him with his small staff of officers to enrol his menand divide them into regiments. I scarce expect to find him at Taunton,though we were so directed. Hast ever heard whether there are any richPapists in those parts?'
'I know not,' I replied.
'If so there might be plate chests and silver chargers, to say nothingof my lady's jewels and other such trifles to reward a faithful soldier.What would war be without plunder! A bottle without the wine--a shellwithout the oyster. See the house yonder that peeps through the trees.I warrant there is a store of all good things under that roof, which youand I might have for the asking, did we but ask with our swords in ourgrip. You are my witness that your father did give and not lend me thishorse.'
'Why say you that, then?'
'Lest he claim a half of whatever booty I may chance to gain. What saithmy learned Fleming under the heading "an qui militi equum praebuit,praedae ab eo captae particeps esse debeat?" which signifieth "whetherhe who lendeth a horse hath a claim on the plunder of him who borrowethit." In this discourse he cites a case wherein a Spanish commanderhaving lent a steed to one of his captains, and the said captain havingcaptured the general of the enemy, the commander did sue him for ahalf share of the twenty thousand crowns which formed the ransom of theprisoner. A like case is noted by the famous Petrinus Bellus in his book"De Re Militari," much read by leaders of repute.' (Note C. Appendix.)
'I can promise you,' I answered, 'that no such claim shall ever be madeby my father upon you. See yonder, over the brow of the hill, how thesun shines upon the high cathedral tower, which points upwards with itsgreat stone finger to the road that every man must travel.'
'There is good store of silver and plate in these same churches,' quothmy companion. 'I remember that at Leipsic, when I was serving my firstcampaign, I got a candlestick, which I was forced to sell to a Jewbroker for a fourth of its value; yet even at his price it su
fficed tofill my haversack with broad pieces.'
It chanced that Saxon's mare had gained a stride or two upon mine whilsthe spoke, so that I was able to get a good view of him without turningmy head. I had scarce had light during our ride to see how his harnesssat upon him, but now I was amazed on looking at him to mark the changewhich it had wrought in the man. In his civil dress his lankiness andlength of limb gave him an awkward appearance, but on horse-back, withhis lean, gaunt face looking out from his steel cap, his breastplateand buff jacket filling out his figure, and his high boots of untannedleather reaching to the centre of his thighs, he looked the veteranman-at-arms which he purported to be. The ease with which he sat hishorse, the high, bold expression upon his face, and the great length ofhis arms, all marked him as one who could give a good account of himselfin a fray. In his words alone I could have placed little trust, butthere was that in his bearing which assured even a novice like myselfthat he was indeed a trained man of war.
'That is the Avon which glitters amongst the trees,' I remarked. 'We areabout three miles from Salisbury town.'
'It is a noble spire,' said he, glancing at the great stone spire infront of us. 'The men of old would seem to have spent all their days inpiling stones upon stones. And yet we read of tough battles and shrewdblows struck, showing that they had some time for soldierly relaxation,and were not always at this mason work.'
'The Church was rich in those days,' I answered, shaking my bridle, forCovenant was beginning to show signs of laziness. 'But here comes onewho might perhaps tell us something of the war.'
A horseman who bore traces of having ridden long and hard was rapidlyapproaching us. Both rider and steed were grey with dust and splashedwith mire, yet he galloped with loosened rein and bent body, as one towhom every extra stride is of value.
'What ho, friend!' cried Saxon, reining his mare across the road so asto bar the man's passage. 'What news from the West?'
'I must not tarry,' the messenger gasped, slackening his speed for aninstant. 'I bear papers of import from Gregory Alford, Mayor of Lyme, toIns Majesty's Council. The rebels make great head, and gather togetherlike bees in the swarming time. There are some thousands in armsalready, and all Devonshire is on the move. The rebel horse under LordGrey hath been beaten back from Bridport by the red militia of Dorset,but every prickeared Whig from the Channel to the Severn is making hisway to Monmouth.' With this brief summary of the news he pushed his waypast us and clattered on in a cloud of dust upon his mission.
'The broth is fairly on the fire, then,' quoth Decimus Saxon, as we rodeonwards. 'Now that skins have been slit the rebels may draw their swordsand fling away their scabbards, for it's either victory for them ortheir quarters will be dangling in every market town of the county. Heh,lad? we throw a main for a brave stake.'
'Marked ye that Lord Grey had met with a check,' said I.
'Pshaw! it is of no import. A cavalry skirmish at the most, for it isimpossible that Monmouth could have brought his main forces to Bridport;nor would he if he could, for it is out of his track. It was one ofthose three-shots-and-a-gallop affrays, where each side runs away andeach claims the victory. But here we are in the streets of Salisbury.Now leave the talking to me, or your wrong-headed truthfulness may layus by the heels before our time.'
Passing down the broad High Street we dismounted in front of the BlueBoar inn, and handed our tired horses over to the ostler, to whomSaxon, in a loud voice, and with many rough military oaths, gave strictinjunctions as to their treatment. He then clanked into the inn parlour,and throwing himself into one chair with his feet upon another, hesummoned the landlord up before him, and explained our needs in a toneand manner which should give him a due sense of our quality.
'Of your best, and at once,' quoth he. 'Have your largest double-couchedchamber ready with your softest lavender-scented sheets, for we have hada weary ride and must rest. And hark ye, landlord, no palming off yourstale, musty goods as fresh, or of your washy French wines for the trueHainault vintage. I would have you to understand that my friend here andI are men who meet with some consideration in the world, though wecare not to speak our names to every underling. Deserve well of us,therefore, or it may be the worse for you.'
This speech, combined with my companion's haughty manner and fierceface, had such an effect upon the landlord that he straightway sentus in the breakfast which had been prepared for three officers of theBlues, who were waiting for it in the next apartment. This kept themfasting for another half-hour, and we could hear their oaths andcomplaints through the partition while we were devouring their capon andvenison pie. Having eaten a hearty meal and washed it down with a bottleof Burgundy we sought our room, and throwing our tired limbs upon thebed, were soon in a deep slumber.
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