THROUGH THE REBEL LINES
We were by no means out of danger, for the whole of the Portsea
Island, save the small portion occupied by the town of Portsmouth,
was held by the rebels, and the difficulty was to avoid meeting any
straggling bands of soldiers before we could cross the narrow creek
that separates the island from the mainland.
Drawing rein under the shelter of a thicket, we debated as to the
best course to pursue, Sergeant Lawson, owing to his long residence
in the castle, being well acquainted with the by-paths over the
eastern side of the island.
Fortunately, none of us sustained serious hurt in the brief encounter
with our assailants, although Lawson's face bled freely from a slight
flesh wound in the cheek, and my left arm had received a heavy blow,
though at the time I was unaware of it.
"We lack the countersign," quoth the sergeant. "Had we that
knowledge, we could well pass for members of Ridge's troop."
"As we have it not, 'tis useless waiting here, for daylight will be
on us anon, and the precious time will have been wasted," said
Colonel Firestone. "Our horses seem fresh enough for fifty miles, so
lead on, sergeant, and we'll follow."
After a time the common and marsh land gave place to a narrow lane,
running between tall hedges. Here we slackened down to a slow trot,
the sound of the horses' hoofs being muffled by the thick dust.
Away on our right burned the watch-fires of one of the rebel
outposts, while at a greater distance on our left gleamed the lights
of the main rebel camp.
At a cross-road Sergeant Lawson reined in his steed, and held up his
right hand in warning. We could distinguish the steady clatter of
hoofs.
"How many think ye, sergeant?"
"But one, sir."
"Then bar his passage at all costs."
Concealed behind the tall hedge, we waited in breathless suspense the
approach of the solitary rider, Firestone, Sergeant Lawson, and I
dismounting and giving the reins to Granville.
Waiting till the horseman was almost within arm's length, we then
dashed forward. The colonel seized the stranger's bridle arm, whilst
Lawson gripped the reins of his steed.
"Surrender yourself, or resist at your peril," hissed Firestone.
For answer the man struck spurs to his horse, and attempted to draw a
pistol; but the colonel's sinewy arms were around his waist, and,
with a mighty heave, flung him out of the saddle, while the sergeant
assisted to hold him down, his iron fingers clutching at the throat
of the fallen man.
'Twas a rebel without doubt, as, worn crosswise over his left
shoulder, was an orange scarf. Gamely he tried to free himself, till,
realising the helplessness of his position, he ceased his efforts and
lay motionless.
"Of what regiment are ye?" demanded Firestone, thrusting forward his
grim face till it almost touched that of his prisoner.
[Illustration: _Colonel Firestone flung his arms about the man's waist,
and dragged him out of his saddle._]
"Colonel Garth's dragoons," was the reply.
"And who holds the bridge at Hilsea?"
"Ridge's regiment of foot."
"And the countersign?"
The prisoner made no reply, and Firestone repeated the question,
without result.
"A charge from your bandolier, sergeant."
Lawson handed a cartridge to the colonel, who, deliberately breaking
the paper, ostentatiously scattered the grains of powder over the
right knee of the prostrate man.
"Make ready flint and steel, sergeant," said our leader. "Now,
sirrah," he added to his prisoner, "for the last time--the
countersign?"
The man was still silent for a moment then he answered sullenly:
"'The sword of Gideon.'"
"Ah, we have it," explained Firestone. "Now, help me truss this man
up."
A few moments sufficed to bind our prisoner, a gag being placed in
his mouth, while our leader tied his scarf over his own shoulders.
Lawson thereupon removed the man's pistols from his holsters, and
hobbled his horse. Our captive was lifted to the other side of the
hedge, and in high spirits we remounted and resumed our way.
Hardly had we ridden two hundred yards, however, when, to our
surprise, we heard a shout followed by the sound of a galloping
horse.
"A plague on the man!" exclaimed Firestone.
"He has slipped his bonds, and has ridden to give the alarm. Ten
thousand countersigns will avail little, should he reach the bridge
before us!"
Relentlessly we spurred our steeds, and, in a quarter of an hour, we
drew rein before Portsbridge. By the glow of a huge wood fire we
could see the motionless, yet alert, forms of the musketeers and
pikemen mounting guard, while the firelight flickered on the gaping
muzzles of a park of artillery.
"'Twill be touch and go, should the password be false," muttered the
colonel, and, loosening our swords in their scabbards, we trotted
daringly towards the outpost.
The countersign satisfied the sentries, but, on gaining the far side
of the creek, an officer demanded who we were and what was our
business.
"Captain Hosea Smith, and dragoons, of Garth's regiment, with
despatches for Colonel Voysey at Petersfield."
"How fares our cause against the malignants?"
"The castle has fallen."
"The enemies of the Lord are as ripe corn before the sickle. Pass,
captain, and fare ye well."
We lost no time in taking our departure, for already my quick ear
detected the sound of approaching horsemen along the distant
Portsmouth road; and barely had we left the outpost a hundred paces
behind us when a fierce hubbub arose from the Parliamentary troops,
while a musket-shot gave the alarm that something was amiss.
"They'll be at our heels within five minutes," exclaimed Lawson.
"Ride straight for the hill!"
Clattering through the sleeping village of Cosham, we turned aside
from the main road that leads to the City of London, and gained the
grassy sward, and I began to realise that our horses were slowly and
laboriously climbing a long and steep ascent.
At the summit was a hard chalk road, and here we dismounted to rest
our weary steeds, and, throwing ourselves on the damp grass, we
listened intently for any sounds of pursuit.
We were at a considerable height above the sea, for almost below us,
as it seemed, were the watch-fires of the rebel outpost at
Portsbridge, which we had ridden through but twenty minutes before.
The camp was in a state of uproar, men shouting, horses neighing,
while from the road below came the sounds of a body of horses rapidly
galloping in the direction they had supposed us to have taken.
At length the day began to dawn, and, led by Sergeant Lawson, whose
knowledge of the country was surprising, we descended the hill by a
more gradual slope, keeping a safe distance from, but following the
general direction of, the London road.
At intervals we passed several countrymen, who gazed at us with
open-mouthed astonishment, for as yet the horrors of this disastrous
civil war had not been brought home to them. The common hind still
ploughed his land or tended his sheep, careless of the affairs of the
kingdom, but before long the constant levy upon his crops, by
foragers of both sides, goaded the peasant into a state dangerous
both to Royalists and rebels.
On emerging from a wood hard by the village of Catherington, I saw
before us a tall, grass-covered hill crowned by a windmill, and, to
my delight, I recognised a well-known landmark within sight of our
castle of Ashley.
Boldly crossing the deserted highway, we rode through the village of
Chalton, every step of the way now being familiar, and, just as the
sun appeared above the downs, we came in sight of my ancestral home.
Snugly ensconced between two lofty spurs of the South Downs, Ashley
Castle, though more of a dwelling than a fortress, was well able to
be put in a state of defence, and, in the absence of artillery, which
an enemy would be at great pains to draw over the rough hill-roads,
it could be relied upon to withstand a lengthy siege.
Notwithstanding the early hour, the castle was astir, thick clouds of
smoke arising from the kitchen chimneys, while at the gate stood a
pikeman, his steel headpiece glittering in the rays of the sun.
The drawbridge over the moat was raised, and, on our approach, there
was a rush of armed men to the walls, and, though the garrison
appeared but few in number, it was not lacking in watchfulness.
Removing my steel cap, I waved it above my head, and, being instantly
recognised, the drawbridge slowly sank into position, and we passed
beneath the gateway, where my mother and sister were awaiting us.
In a few words I introduced my companions, and explained the
circumstances of my home-coming, and, to my surprise, my mother
expressed her approval of my action in leaving Newport.
Telling the grooms to take charge of our horses, and giving
directions for a meal to be spread, she led the way to the great
panelled hall.
"You are just in time, Humphrey," she said. "In a few days a
wain-load of supplies for His Majesty leaves the castle, and ye can
bear it company."
"Where is my father?"
"With the King, but I wot not where that may be. Sir Reginald sent a
letter, which arrived here yesternight, asking for the supplies to be
sent to Oxford, though at the time of writing he was in camp at
Shrewsbury, whither the King had journeyed from Nottingham."
"And what supplies are we sending, mother? Surely the King's army is
not in such need of food that it must needs be provisioned from
Ashley?"
"Nay," she replied, with a sad smile. "Royalty needs, and loyalty
must. Look around the hall, Humphrey. The sideboard and yonder
shelves--dost notice the difference?"
"They are bare," I exclaimed. "Where is the silver plate--the wassail
bowls and our silver-gilt chargers?"
"Gone to the smelting-pot," replied my mother, in a tone of triumph
mingled with regret. "Fifty stout pikemen and twenty musketeers will
they provide!"
After our repast, Granville and I went to the kitchen, where, in a
huge smelting-pot, the remains of our family plate were at molten
heat, old Giles, the butler, having been appointed founder, a task
which he performed as if brought up to it from his youth, although
many were the sighs he gave as the rich vessels, over which he had
spent much care, vanished into the pot.
On the flagged floor were moulds of sand and clay, into which the
molten metal was ladled, for it was necessary, in view of the dangers
of the road, to convey the silver in as compact a form as possible.
With the exception of Wat, the pikeman who was on guard at the
drawbridge on our arrival, and a lad of about fifteen years of age,
the whole of our male servants, twenty in all, remaining in the
castle, were over sixty years of age, for the able-bodied men my
father had taken with him. Nevertheless, such was the faithfulness
and devotion of these servants that, in spite of their years, they
were ready to defend the castle to the last extremity, should things
come to the worst.
From the kitchen we made our way towards the tower, for Ralph had
expressed a wish to be shown the whole of the castle.
Passing through the great hall, we saw Colonel Firestone sitting in a
high-backed chair, one slippered foot resting on a stool, while the
other, still cased in his worn and stained jack-boot, was thrust out
as stiff as a ramrod. He was smoking, blowing huge clouds of tobacco
smoke that surrounded him like a shroud; but, seeing us, he removed
his pipe and called me by name.
"I would fain journey with the waggon," said he, "for 'tis safer, and
I'll warrant that my despatches will reach His Majesty before those
messengers who attempt to pass through Dover and Fowey. That
excellent lady, your mother, hath commended you to my care, and, by
your conduct of yester-night, I wish for no better charges. For the
present, then, we'll be comrades three."
Both Granville and I were delighted with the news; but, on leaving
the apartment, my companion remarked, "Didst notice anything strange
about Colonel Firestone?"
"In what way?"
"Why, his jack-boot. Methinks he sleeps in it, for never have I seen
him without it," said my friend.
"Perchance, like many a veteran, he feels at ease only when booted
and spurred; still, he is a fine old soldier, and a right worthy
gentleman."
Through the picture gallery we passed, giving but slight heed to the
portraits of my ancestors, and, on gaining the leads, we found that
four culverins and two small pieces of brass ordnance had been
carried thither from the armoury and placed so as to command the
approach to the gateway. At the south-western angle of the building
stood the tower, which is entered by a narrow doorway from the roof,
on which we were standing.
A spiral staircase of forty-five steps brought us to the summit,
whence a magnificent view over a tract of well-wooded country
extended southwards, terminating with a glimpse of the sea, but on
the other quarters the tall outlines of the beautiful South Downs
restricted the outlook.
"What a fine home you have, Humphrey," exclaimed Granville
enthusiastically. "Is the castle very old?"
"This part is," I replied. "There are dungeons underneath, and secret
passages all over the place, though the entrance to the secret
passages is built up. The hall and the guest-chambers are new, my
grandsire having had them built less than fifty years ago, on his
return from Hispaniola."
"And Ashley Castle will belong to you some day?"
"I suppose so," I replied carelessly, for I had hardly before given
thought to the matter.
"And those dungeons and passages--how I should like to explore them!"
"We may some day, but the present important matters leave no time for
that," I answered, little thinking the service those secret passages
were to render in times to come.
Several days passed in active preparations for our journey. The
smelting of the silver had been completed, our field equipment
provided, and a great part of the time was spent in martial
exercises, Colonel Firestone and the sergeant devoting great
attention in teaching us the use of the broadsword, with which weapon
we became quite proficient.
On the day previous to that fixed for our departure, news arrived
that Portsmouth had fallen, and we learned of the manner in which
Colonel Goring had fulfilled his boasting promise.
On the morrow, after the capture of Southsea Castle, the rebels
turned the guns upon the town, whereupon the Governor threatened to
fire the magazine, and level every building in the place by the
explosion. It was, no doubt, an idle threat, but Goring hoped to
excuse his conduct by such empty bragging.
In the end the rebels agreed to terms of honourable surrender, the
garrison being permitted to march out with drums beating, matches
lighted, and colours flying, while Goring was allowed to take ship
for the Low Countries.
Then it was that he took the key of the Town Mount magazine, the same
that he had shown us, and cast it into the sea, thereby redeeming his
plighted word.
Very bitter was Colonel Firestone when he heard the news, vowing that
he would denounce Goring to his Royal master, and expressing his
intention of being the means of having the traitorous Chaloner
hanged, should he fall within his clutches.
But it was no time for revengeful thoughts, for the time had come
when immediate action was required on our part to carry out the task
of conveying the treasure from the castle to the Royal camp.