THE SECRET PASSAGE
WHEN I came to, I found myself lying on the grass of the courtyard,
with my friends Granville and Colonel Firestone kneeling by my side.
The former had a blood-stained scarf bound round his head, while
Firestone's steel cap bore a dent that was a silent testimony to his
valour. It was nearly dark, but there was sufficient light to see
that on the ground were several motionless objects that but a few
short hours before had been the living defenders of my home.
The assault had failed, but the solitary gun still kept up a steady
fire.
"How goes the day?" I asked feebly, for my head was whirling, and my
throat parched with thirst. "We hurled them back," replied Ralph.
"Chaloner's dead we found his body in the breach. At the last moment,
when we thought everything was lost, one of the rebels raised a cry
that the breach was mined, and they gave back in confusion."
"And how have we fared?"
"Badly. Nine good men killed, and five sorely wounded. There are not
ten men left whole. I fear we cannot withstand another onslaught."
"Then we must make use of the secret passage!" I exclaimed, starting
painfully to my feet. "None can say that we have not borne ourselves
with honour."
Beyond being knocked senseless by the musketeers weapon I was unhurt,
and after partaking of food and drink, I felt stronger, though weak
in the limbs. For some unexpected reason the rebels did not offer to
renew the attack, and in consequence we were able to enjoy a good
night's sleep.
Early the following day we had the mournful task of burying the
bodies of those who had fallen in the defence of the castle.
Especially mournful 'twas as far as I was concerned, since I had
known every one of them, save one, from my earliest days. The
exception was Sergeant Lawson, who, after slaying four men with his
own hand, was shot down at close range by a musketeer.
This done, we inspected the breach, where the bodies of the slain
rebels lay thick.
As I looked at Chaloner's corpse, stiff and cold, with the
dishonourable wound in the back of his neck plainly visible--for in
falling his helmet had come off--I could not help remembering my
father's injunction never to let the renegade's footsteps cross our
threshold.
I had indeed carried out my sire's instructions, for my enemy had
never planted his feet within our walls, though 'twas a near thing.
While at breakfast--the last meal I was fated to partake of within
those walls--I questioned the colonel concerning the spiking of the
guns.
"'Twas of little avail," he replied. "The mischief was already done.
Had we managed it before the breach was made, the result might have
been different, and we could still make good our defence. True, we
spiked them, but the rebels discovered us ere we made a proper
business of the last. I gave the word that each man should look to
himself, but I fear they were all overtaken and shot down. For my
part, I knew that running was out of the question, so I crawled
beneath the gun till those in pursuit had passed by. Then I made good
my escape to the woods, but did not hesitate to steal a horse
belonging to a rebel officer, and biding my time, rejoined you. As I
said, 'twas of little avail, and a matter which anyone could
perform."
"A gallant deed, notwithstanding," replied Granville warmly.
"A truce to compliments, young sir," rejoined the colonel. "Look
yonder!"
One glance sufficed to show that the rebels were massing for another
attack, and if we wished to save ourselves, no time was to be lost.
Our first act was to convey our wounded to the entrance to the secret
passage, leaving a man with a lighted lantern to facilitate our
retreat. This done, we deliberated whether we should give the rebels
warning of our intentions of blowing up the castle, or involve as
many of them as possible in the explosion.
Firestone favoured the latter course, arguing that they were rebels,
that they refused us quarter, though forsooth we had not asked it,
and also that such were the usages of warfare; but Granville and I
were opposed to his suggestion.
"They are Englishmen, though they be rebels," I argued, "and the men
are acting under the orders of their officers. For my part, I have
the satisfaction of knowing that Chaloner will never own this heap of
stones, though the rebels seek to gain possession of the castle; but
that is no reason why I should like to take life heedlessly."
"As ye will, then," grumbled the colonel. "You were ever a strange
lad in such matters. Then we had better take immediate steps to
acquaint them with the fact."
We then liberated our sole prisoner, and bidding him inform the
Roundhead officers that we intended to blow up the castle, and
warning them to keep away, as they valued the safety of their men's
lives, we sent the captured pikeman back to the rebel lines.
Meanwhile I had sent a man to the stables for the purpose of shooting
our six remaining horses, for though I could not bear to see the deed
done, 'twas better than to leave them to the mercy of a horde of
rebels, supposing they survived the explosion.
Mustering the survivors of our little band, I informed them, much to
their surprise--for they had fully expected to perish to a man in the
assault--that we were able to evacuate the castle without further
loss of life.
I next paid them according to my father's orders, thanking them for
their loyal services both to His Majesty and to our house. Thereupon
they gave three lusty cheers, showing that their courage and
patriotism even in danger and defeat were undiminished.
Led by Granville, the men marched in good order and without undue
haste through the powder magazine, and down the steps leading to the
underground passage. Firestone and I tarried to give a final glance
back; then, descending the shattered staircase of the tower, we made
our way to the magazine.
Here a double train was already laid, and a light close at hand. With
the utmost deliberation Firestone applied a flame to each of the
sinister ribbons; then, after making sure that both were well
kindled, we hurried down the steps to the passage that led to safety.
By the glare of a pair of torches and a lantern we could see our way
without difficulty, though our progress was slow by reason of the
transport of the wounded men. The tunnel was paved with rough slabs
of stone, while the walls and arched roof were composed of flints set
in hard cement. The smoke from the torches dispelled any noxious
odours, but of damp we found no trace.
We passed three massive doors in quick succession, and bearing in
mind my father's warning, we closed and bolted them as we passed.
Then, in silence, broken only by the dull rumble of our feet that
re-echoed along the hollow passage, we slowly continued our way.
Suddenly there was a deep boom like the noise of distant thunder, and
the solid ground beneath our feet trembled with the shock.
The explosion had taken place. Ashley Castle was no more!
Neither Granville nor Firestone spoke to me, for which I felt
thankful, my heart being too full of grief and mortification. Like
Ralph, I was now homeless, and except for the fact that I had not
laid down my life, I had paid the price of loyalty to the utmost
farthing.
Of the future I cared not one jot, though before I was clear of the
passage my thoughts, thanks to the buoyancy of youth, assumed a more
hopeful nature.
We must have walked for the best part of half an hour, and I was
wondering where we should emerge, being ignorant of the direction of
the tunnel, when the men who were on in front halted.
"The place is blocked up!" exclaimed one of them, who, holding a
torch, was examining the rough flintwork.
Firestone and I were quickly at the spot, and we too could see no
signs of an aperture, the tunnel ending in a half-moon-shaped wall.
"Surely we are not caught like rats in a trap!" asked Firestone.
"Your father doubtless never explored the passage?"
"He would not have shown it us had it been a trap," I replied.
"There must be some signs of a doorway or secret entrance. Perchance
we have already passed it."
"If we cannot find it, we have tools wherewith we can dig a way out,"
said the colonel, indicating our weapons, which we one and all, save
the wounded men, retained. "I'll warrant the surface of the ground
is not ten feet above our heads."
"If the passage leads under the Downs, it may be five hundred,"
exclaimed Ralph moodily.
"Talking will not find it, so let's to work," said the colonel
cheerfully, and taking a torch from one of the men, he began to
retrace his footsteps, looking both at the sides and roof of the
tunnel as he went.
"The air seems fresh enough," he said. "So we need not fear
suffocation for a while, at any rate. But there's no sign of an
opening, though your father expressly mentioned 'twas easy enough to
find."
At length he returned to the end of the passage, where we had
remained, endeavouring to dislodge some of the flints with a stout
knife, but without avail. The man who had built that passage must
have meant it to last, for the cement was as hard as the flints.
"Let me mount on your shoulders," said I to one of the men, a tall,
broad-shouldered farmer from Compton. From this height I could
examine the roof, which at no part was more than seven feet in
height, though my face was almost touching the jagged flints of the
crown of the arch.
In one place it looked as if a crack existed in the cement, and
taking the knife from its owner's hands, I scratched the point
against the supposed joint in the stonework.
My efforts met with no success, but just at that moment the knife
slipped from my hand and fell to the ground. A shout from Firestone
caused me to look down in alarm.
"Has it struck your foot?" I asked anxiously.
"Foot? No," he replied. "Fool that I was not to have thought of it
before. Look at the knife!"
The steel was deeply embedded in the floor.
I descended from the farmer's shoulders, and stood by while the
colonel directed a man to remove the thick deposit of dust that
everywhere covered the floor of the tunnel. This done, a square of
wood with a rusted iron ring in its centre was laid bare.
"'Tis evident we must go down ere we go up!" remarked Firestone, with
a laugh. "Now--pull together!"
Accordingly, the big farmer and another strong yeoman tugged at the
ring, but the next instant they were sent crashing into the stone
wall of the tunnel, which alone saved them from falling backwards,
with the rusted iron held firmly in their hands.
"It has broken off short we must be careful lest we are unable to
make use of what is left in the ring," cautioned the colonel, and
directing the men to secure a better grip of the fragment of iron
that still remained in the slab by means of a strip of cloth, while
others used their weapons as levers, the barrier between us and
freedom was removed.
Another short flight of steps, followed by a passage less than twenty
feet in length and lower than the one we had just traversed,
terminating in a spiral staircase.
At the top of these steps was a massive stone slab, balanced on a
heavy iron pivot, while two strong bolts kept it in position, so that
it could not be moved, save from the side on which we were.
Remembering that extreme caution was necessary, we carefully withdrew
the bolts, and slowly pushed the stone, Without a sound, the whole
slab turned easily on its pivot, and, to my great surprise, I found
that we were looking into a building, while my astonishment was even
greater when I discovered it was none other than Chalton Church!
Many a time had I noticed a large tomb in one corner of the church,
with a brass showing the effigy of a knight with his legs crossed at
the knees and his feet resting on a lion, while I had often tried to
decipher the almost illegible writing, "Ci gist..." But up to that
very moment I had not the faintest idea, nor had anyone else in or
around Chalton, I feel certain, that the tomb was in reality not a
tomb, but the egress from a secret tunnel from Ashley Castle.
It was a tedious struggle to worm our bodies through the narrow slit;
especially so was it with the wounded men, and deep groans
involuntarily rose from their lips as we literally dragged their
helpless forms through the aperture.
At length we succeeded, and as we closed the movable slab we heard a
faint click. The bolts on the inside had by some ingenious mechanism
slipped back into their places, and the exit from the underground
passage was firmly closed. Nothing short of the demolition of the
spurious tomb would ever reveal the secret tunnel.
Fortunately, the church was deserted, and no one had witnessed our
appearance; not that any of the villagers would have betrayed us, for
they were stamped with unswerving loyalty, but for the benefit of
those who were to inhabit Ashley Castle at some future date (for I
had a presentiment that a new castle would rise phoenix-like from the
scorched ruins of the old) it was undesirable that the secret should
be public property.
I then addressed the sorry remnant of my faithful garrison once more,
urging them to return as quickly and secretly to their homes as they
were able, and requested them honourably to preserve the secret of
their means of escape.
This they promised most readily to do, and after telling the men, ere
they set out for their homes, to take their wounded comrades across
to the Red Lion till they should recover--for Master Anthony, the
worthy host, was as staunch a Royalist as could be found in
Hamptonshire--I bade them farewell.
Then, accompanied by Firestone and Ralph, I crossed the little green,
and entered this inn, where I made arrangements for the accommodation
of the wounded, forcing Master Anthony, much against his wish, to
accept a sum of money to recompense horn for his assistance.
As the rebel horse was swarming over the neighbourhood--nay, over the
whole county--'twould be unwise for the three of us to travel
together, so we resolved to separate and each take his own chance.
But before doing so we had a farewell dinner, the last we were likely
to have together for many a long day, while our host kept a careful
watch for fear of roving parties of the rebel troops.
Firestone had resolved to make his way westward once more, and
naturally Granville desired to do the same, so they agreed on a
rendezvous at Stoney Cross, in the heart of the New Forest, the
colonel journeying by way of Southampton, and Ralph through
Bishopstoke and Romsey. Each agreed to wait three days for the other,
and if one failed to keep this tryst, the other would continue his
journey alone, concluding that some misfortune had befallen his
would-be companion.
For my part, I was determined to seek a quiet retreat in the Isle of
Wight, and to live there in strict seclusion till the dawn of better
days. Little did I dream how Fate was to cross my wish, and what
exciting times were in store!
In the midst of setting our plans word was brought that a body of
rebel horse was approaching. Our wounded men were already placed in
bed in the upper rooms of the inn, and Master Anthony concealed us in
some huge barrels that stood on a low oaken bench at one end of the
large drinking-room.
Barely were we safely hidden than the door was unceremoniously thrown
open, and several soldiers--a dozen at least by the noise they made
strode into the room.
Roughly ordering the landlord to bring them drink, and plenty of it,
they sat down, removed their steel caps, and began to discourse on
the events of the day.
They were, judging by the manner of their conversation, dragoons of
Chaloner's regiment, and held their late leader in scant respect, for
they even expressed satisfaction at his death. Rough soldiers they
were, with a true contempt for cowardice, and Chaloner's behaviour on
several occasions had not escaped their notice; while, on the other
hand, they confessed to a certain amount of admiration at our
desperate deed of self-sacrifice, for, in common with every man in
the rebel host that had lain around the castle, they firmly believed
that the devoted garrison had perished in the explosion.
The barrels in which we had taken refuge were large, so that we were
by no means cramped, but the one in which I lay hidden was encrusted
with dried lees of wine, and before long I was seized with an
uncontrollable desire to sneeze. Clapping both hands on my mouth, I
strove to suppress the sound.
"What's that noise?" demanded one of the dragoons. There was
instant silence in the room, though I felt my heart thumping
violently against my ribs. Had I not stood in the centre of the cask,
I felt certain the barrel would have shaken.
"Ho, there!" shouted one of the soldiers, bringing his tankard down
with a crash upon the oak table. "Come hither, rascal!"
I heard Master Anthony shuffling down the stoneflagged passage.
"What do yonder casks hold, sirrah?" demanded the dragoon.
"They are empty, sir," replied the landlord, in a trembling voice.
"Empty, thou lying rogue? I heard someone sneeze!"
"'Twas I, sir. A bad cold, I assure you," pleaded the landlord.
"You are getting light-headed in your cups, Dick!" exclaimed another
half-tipsy trooper. "But I'll swear there's good liquor in those
casks."
Master Anthony vehemently protested that they were empty. Then, to my
horror, I heard another man exclaim:
"Stand aside, you knock-kneed ale-seller! A pistolbullet will show
whether you speak the truth."
"Wouldst spoil a good man's casks?" protested the landlord; but his
words were of no avail, and I heard the dragoon cock his pistol.
There were, I remember, four of these casks in a row, and three were
occupied by us, while one of the two middle ones was empty. There was
a chance that the empty one would be the target of the rebel's
pistol, but directly I heard the sound of the pistol being cocked, I
squeezed myself close to one side of the cask, so that my body was
clear of the centre. Then I braced myself up, resolving, even if I
were hit, to endeavour to suppress a cry lest I and my companions
should be discovered.
It seemed ages ere I heard the report, and with a splintering of wood
a hole was drilled through the cask where I stood, the bullet passing
close to my knees, and burying itself in the opposite side.
"The old rascal is right, the cask is empty," said one of the men,
with a laugh.
"I'll wager a tankard of cider that you'll not nick my mark,"
exclaimed the soldier who had fired.
"Done cried the other. I tell you, you've lost already."
"A truce to this foolery," interrupted another, evidently a sergeant.
"We must needs be back in the camp outside Basing ere dark, and 'tis
well over a good twenty miles. To horse! To horse, I say!"
Grumbling and swearing, the soldiers trooped out of the inn, and for
the present our peril was past.
At dusk three men in rustic garb emerged from the Red Lion. One set
off at a swinging pace down the lane leading to Clanfield, the second
strode with awkward gait along a pathway over the hills towards
Horndean, and the third, carrying a load of faggots, turned off down
the Havant road. 'Twas the parting of the three staunch comrades.
My love-locks had been shorn close to my head, a rough smock covered
a suit of worn clothes that would ill become even a farmer, while the
faggots I bore served a twofold purpose. They formed a fitting
complement to my disguise as a countryman, while in the centre of the
bundle reposed my trusty sword, which I would not part with under any
circumstances.
I had thought to return under cover of darkness to the thicket on the
downs where I had buried the iron box containing the deeds and other
documents relating to my home. But on further consideration I came to
the conclusion that 'twould be best to let the box remain till a more
convenient season.
So, shouldering my burden, I took a long last look in the direction
of the distant ruined castle, and then set off resolutely along the
southern road.