AN EXPLORING EXPEDITION.
“Maitland,” said the earl, with a look upon the youth full of confidence
and esteem, “the time has come when I must speak frankly with you; and I
shall trust that you will be equally frank with me.”
“Lord Allerdale,” Percy returned, with a depth of feeling that imparted
a perceptible tremor to his voice and to his frame, “say to me what you
will--ask me what you will--and I will reply to you as I can. I will
answer everything within my power to answer; and if I offer a suggestion
or a remark of any kind it shall be frankly and truthfully done.”
“I believe you, my boy. I will not hesitate to say I have perfect
confidence in you.” He paused a few seconds, and then went on:
“You have no doubt, I suppose, that the cavern which you so wonderfully
discovered is, at the present time, used by the crew of the smuggler
brig, the Staghound?”
“I am confident that such is the case, my lord.”
“Percy, I am now going to ask you a question which you will answer as
you think proper. What is your candid opinion of the present character
of the crew of that vessel?”
“I would divide the crew into two classes, my lord,” answered the youth,
promptly, and with a bold frank look into the old man’s earnest eyes.
“There are men of that crew who are good and true--men who are outlawed,
I know, but who have much excuse for the course of life into which they
have been led. Another part of the crew, including the chief, I believe
to be about as bad--as wicked--as it is possible for men to be.”
“Do you think, my boy,” the earl pursued, greatly excited, “that
they--the bad men--are--have been guilty of piracy on board that brig?”
“My lord, had you asked me that question two days ago, I could not have
answered it as I can answer it now. To accommodate old friends--to save
from possible disaster those who had been kind to me, and loving, in my
boyhood, in the absence of the chief, I went out and piloted the brig
in. While on board I saw that which surprised me; and I questioned one
whom I knew I could trust.
“I will not speak his name. I will only say of him further, he and a
score and more with him have resolved that the piratical brig shall know
them no more. By no consent of theirs, but against their earnest
protest, the iniquitous work has been carried on.
“Yes, my lord--those bad men, with the chief at their head, have been
guilty of piracy. The brig is even now fresh from a piratical venture. A
portion of her cargo may have been honestly purchased, to be dishonestly
disposed of in England; but I verily believe the bulk of the property
she has on board was robbed from other vessels.”
“And the brig is at this moment in the cove?”
“Yes.”
“Have you any idea of what they are doing with the cargo?”
“I do not think any of it has yet been moved. They are waiting for the
return of their chief, who is at present away.”
“Percy, who is this chief?”
“Have you seen him, my lord?”
“He was pointed out to me once at the village. I can only remember that
he reminded me of a big brown bear, though more of the color of a lion.”
“Lord Allerdale, I can tell you nothing of the man that would inform
you. He is an enigma to me. I only hope we may have the opportunity for
a closer acquaintance ere long. I know him to be a villain; if there is
any good in his composition, it is unknown to me.”
The earl regarded his youthful companion for a time in silence, seeming
the while to be debating with himself. At length, with the passing of a
cloud from his brow, he said:
“Maitland, we must engage in this matter with a thorough understanding
of each other, and, should you lend me your aid, I should naturally
depend upon you to take the lead. You know the ground; I do not. You
also know the persons, while scarcely one of them is known to me; in
fact, I may say not one, for were Tryon to appear in a garb different
from that in which I saw him I should not recognize him from an utter
stranger.”
“Well, my lord,” said the youth having waited a time for the other to
proceed, “I think you had more in your mind that you wished to say.”
Allerdale started and changed color.
“Yes,” he replied, “I will tell you. As I have just remarked, if you
engage in this work, I shall have to depend upon you; and, even though I
should have the assistance of the king’s officers, I should still expect
you to lead. And now, my young friend, I don’t want you to place
yourself in an unpleasant position for me. If you would prefer not to
openly raise your hand against these men, I will certainly excuse you.”
Our hero saw the drift of the old man’s thoughts, and he was grateful,
though there was a touch of disappointment that he had not been weighed
more correctly.
Still, judging by the past--by his parentage, and the associates of his
childhood, he could not deem it strange that his lordship should have
held a lingering thought that he might feel a grain of sympathy even now
for the crew of the vessel which his father had so long commanded, and
many of whom had been his warm and loving friends.
But he--the earl--did not quite understand. Percy answered, frankly and
kindly, and with truth in every word:
“Lord Allerdale, I thank you for your kind consideration. I have to
inform you, however, that you do not quite understand me. With regard to
the sin of smuggling I will not speak, unless, indeed, I may be
permitted to say that nothing in the world, not even starvation, would
induce me to place myself in the position of an outlaw.
“But there are a certain number of the old crew of the brig--men who
sailed with my father--who, as I have before remarked, would not, I am
confident, commit what they believed to be a crime. In fact they can
not, in the very nature of the case, of the facts surrounding them, look
upon themselves as great criminals.
“They know that the great majority of the poor people are with them, and
at heart uphold them. While they really harm no private individual
living farther than the competition in trade may go, they have the
feeling that thousands of honest people bless them.
“But, my lord, what shall I say of the man who goes upon the high seas,
a pirate? There is something in the word, in the very thought, that
strikes a horror to my soul; something that sets every fiber of feeling
within me to crying out in vengeance against them. Wait one week.
“I do not think Captain Tryon will return before that time; and we must
make no move until he is on the ground. Should we do so, he would be
sure to take the alarm and escape us; and he can do it, be sure. I never
knew a man--never heard of a man--who had such a capacity for secreting
himself. Let him leave his vessel, with a few hours the start, and no
mortal can find him anywhere. There are men on board the brig who
declare that he vanishes into pure air. However, when he is once more on
the spot--when I know that he has joined the brig--there is no doubt
that we can capture him.”
“You think he will be back in a week?”
“Not far from that. I should say it will not be before that time; but if
he should return sooner, I should know it, and will at once communicate
with you.”
“Percy, I haven’t told you all. Word of this matter--of these pirates in
my neighborhood--has come to the ears of the admiralty, and they have
sent to me, not only for information, but they wish to know what I can
do to help them. They remind me that I am senior justice in this county,
and intimate pretty strongly that I am expected to lead in the work of
capturing the culprits. They have sent one sloop of war to look after
the pirate and will send more if necessary. Also, just as soon as I will
inform them what I want and when I want it they will send a land force
to operate with me. Now, my boy, what shall I do? What answer shall I
return to the admiralty and what to the commissioners?”
“What do the commissioners say?”
“They expect me to call on my chief constable and his forces, and if
more help is wanted they will send it.”
“How many men can your constable raise, and what sort of men are they?”
“Oh, he can raise all we can possibly want, and plenty of them are good
and reliable.”
“Very well. And now, my lord, I will answer your question. Write to the
admiralty that they need not send any more vessels of war after the
pirate. He will, in all probability, never put to sea again. Write to
the commissioner of police that you will not need their help. With
regard to the constable of Headlandshire, let him be prepared; but be
sure that he makes no open movement until further orders. If you will
trust to my guidance, I think you will not be disappointed.”
“You will keep me informed--you will--”
“My lord,” said the young man as the earl hesitated, “you need be under
no anxiety. I will keep my eyes open, and you shall know just what is to
be done and when.”
The old nobleman was greatly relieved, more so, perhaps, than he would
have acknowledged, and his thanks were warmly given.
A few more questions on the subject of the pirate chief, for such they
did not hesitate to call him, were asked and answered, after which
Cordelia, who had been an interested listener--particularly interested,
because she saw her noble guardian deferring most respectfully to her
dear lover--claimed to be heard. She was eager to know when they would
visit the old chapel.
“If you refer it to me for decision,” said Percy, as he found his host’s
gaze fixed inquiringly upon him, “I say the sooner the better. I wish
there could have been time this afternoon, but to-morrow will answer.
The goods that are now being removed from the brig are going back into
the country. They are proper contraband articles, and were purchased in
France and Spain and at the Azores, without the help, I believe, of
Captain Tryon. The last of those goods will probably be out to-morrow,
or on the day following, and after that they will be moving things into
the cavern. So you understand why we need to be expeditious.”
“Suppose, then, we call it to-morrow morning?” suggested the earl.
And so it was arranged. Percy promised that he would be on hand at an
early hour; and he suggested that not a word should be spoken on the
subject to others.
“Only to Mary,” said our heroine, earnestly. “I will be responsible for
her circumspection.”
“Certainly,” returned Percy. “You shall not go without your trusty
attendant. But you will caution her in advance.”
The girl promised that she would exercise all possible caution, and
shortly thereafter the young man took his leave.
The morning of the following day dawned clear and bright, and by the
time the sun was two hours high the party was ready for the excursion to
the old chapel.
By previous arrangement Percy had brought his old fowling-piece with
him; and the earl likewise took one, thus giving to the inquiring
servants the impression that they were going out simply for shooting.
Cordelia often accompanied her old guardian on his woodland rambles, gun
or no gun; and more than once Percy Maitland had been called to go with
them; so the arrangement of the party caused no surprise.
On referring to his watch, when they had reached their destination, the
guide found it to be only a few minutes past eight o’clock. They were in
good season, and he felt very confident that they had nothing to fear
from other parties in the cavern.
Cordelia was in a flutter of excitement as they approached the altar.
Percy first pointed out to them the peculiarities of the huge stone.
He found his wooden probe which he had fashioned on the previous day,
and with the aid of that he very soon explained the various points, the
discovery of which had led him to the grand discovery of all.
This done, he went to the right-hand end of the block, and laid his two
strong hands fairly on its upper edge.
“Now, my lady,” he said, with a happy smile, “if you will keep your eyes
open you will behold a wonderful thing.”
A weaker man than he could have set the rock in motion. He put forth his
strength gradually, for the purpose of testing the matter, and he had
exerted not more than a moiety of it when he felt the ponderous mass
give, and heard the sharp click of the spring beneath.
A moment later the end of the stone where they stood began to move--to
swing outward, away from the wall--and in a few seconds the aperture
underneath was exposed to view.
Never mind the loud astonishment of the lady, nor the more quiet
surprise of the maid. The earl himself was filled with wonderment, and
did not hesitate to acknowledge it. The whole thing was a wonder, not
only the finding of the subterranean chamber and the marvelous mechanism
by which the altar was controlled, but the very existence of the place.
“Evidently,” he said, when Percy had asked him his opinion of the origin
of the crypt, and its secret mode of entrance, “it was constructed by
the monks a great many years ago. We have a record of a fraternity of
Franciscans here, with a monastery somewhere near the site now occupied
by the castle, probably on that self-same spot, as many of the
foundation stones of the present structure show unmistakable signs of
having been used before.
“For instance, there is a stone near the southeastern corner of the old
keep, close down by the sward, which we know must once have served as
the keystone of a strong, massive arch. And there are others near it,
which came from the same arch. However, that has nothing to do with this
chapel. My opinion is this: At the time when those old monks lived here
there were frequent incursions on the coast from piratical hordes, and
those pirates were in the habit of making churches and monkish
establishments their especial game. We may suppose that the friars first
found this cave; also its connection with other caves, at a distance,
towards the sea. How natural that it should occur to them what a capital
means of escape all this would be if they only had a way of entering the
cave secretly--unseen by their enemies the pirates. And then, you see,
as a natural sequence, came the chapel with its wonderfully constructed
altar. Of course, it’s only supposition; but it will answer till we can
find a better solution.”
“Which, I think,” said the young man frankly and honestly, “would be
difficult to find. In fact, your solution appears not only plausible,
and entirely reasonable, but, come to think the matter all over, I can
find no room for any other. We may suppose, of course, that the
machinery beneath for working the ponderous trap has been renewed. But
anybody with mechanical skill might have done that.”
After that they prepared to go down. The earl and the guide had each a
brace of good pistols, and each a sword. Also, they had brought with
them two good lanterns which could be utterly darkened should occasion
require. Percy produced flint and steel, by means of which he set on
fire a piece of punk wood, then lighted a brimstone match, and very
shortly the lanterns were alight.
The muskets and the basket of provisions they ventured to leave behind,
on top of the altar, and presently Percy put his foot upon the ladder
and went down. Cordelia followed next, then came the earl, with Mary
Seymour bringing up the rear.
We can imagine the wonder of the girls and their various exclamations;
but their interest was not greater than was that of the earl. And even
the guide himself found more to interest him than he had found before.
He had light now to help him, and the whole scene was open to his view.
He could now see that the cavern was entirely the work of nature. If the
hand of man had done anything it had been only the breaking off of a few
jagged points and projections from the walls, with an occasional
leveling of the floor.
They went on a considerable distance beyond where the guide had gone on
the previous day. He had stopped where the cave had narrowed down to a
simple passage not more than four or five feet wide.
And here they felt the fresh air from the sea--quite a strong draught of
it. This passage extended, perhaps, a distance of a hundred yards, at
which point it widened into another chamber, very nearly as large as the
first; and here were found more articles of merchandise--a considerable
bulk of it--a portion of which was comparatively new.
This second chamber was, in its widest part, eight to nine yards across,
by full thirty long; its roof near the center being very high--full
fifty feet--as nearly as they could estimate.
At the far end it narrowed again to a passage not more than four feet
wide, the sides rough and broken, with many places where it could be
seen that serious impediments had been removed by the setting maul and
chisel. And here it was found that the way began to descend very
perceptibly.
“About where are we now?” the earl asked, as they reached the passage.
“We must be very nearly beneath the point where the abrupt portion of
the crag--the proper Witch’s Head--terminates, and the more gradual
slope begins. We have come a considerable distance. Will you go
further?”
“Let us see where this narrow pass will lead us.”
They went on, Cordelia resting her hand in her lover’s warm grasp when
she could; the way descending quite abruptly, for the distance of a
hundred yards, or more, when they came to a point where the way widened
again, and the floor became level; but it was not a proper chamber.
It continued thus, widening gradually, for the distance of ten yards, or
thereabouts, when it came to a sudden termination against a seemingly
solid wall.
Above, at the height of thirty or forty feet, there was a broad opening,
through which the sea breeze came freely, but it was entirely beyond
reach from where they stood, and, of course, could never be used as a
pass by the smugglers.
At length, however, Percy discovered a small aperture through which he
was able to look upon what lay beyond; and the moment he saw he knew
where they were. Directly before them, only shut away by a partition
wall, was a cave which he had visited hundreds of times. It was not far
from half way down the foot-slope of the crag.
Of course there was somewhere--and they could probably find it if they
tried--a means of passage through this wall; but would it pay to attempt
to discover it at the present time?
“Will it pay to run the risk of detection?” was our hero’s chief
thought.
And the earl thought, decidedly not. So, after a brief conference, they
turned about and began to retrace their steps, well satisfied with the
result of their exploration.
Happy was our hero on the way back, as he walked with his darling’s hand
clasped in his own! And happy was Cordelia, trusting with all her heart
in the strength and goodness of her dear lover!
Ah! little dreamed they of the darkness coming! Not a thought--not the
faintest suspicion--came to them of the vengeful enemy that lurked in
their path!
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