Lady Royland received the news calmly enough, and was the first to
allude to the flag, which she said would be, though unfinished, suitable
enough to hoist whenever her son thought it right to do so.
"The sooner, then, the better, I should say, mother," cried Roy. "Let
them see it waving when they come near."
"By all means, my boy. I am glad to find that you have everything in so
good a state of preparation. The guns startled me a little, but I
expected to hear them some time. Do you think the men will prove true
and come in?"
"True, mother? Yes, of course."
A few minutes later Roy came out with the silken flag hanging in folds
across his arm like a cloak, and hurried to where Ben and the three
troopers were busy loading the two guns, run out now into the gate-way
so as to command the road from each side of the raised bridge.
The men were all armed, and a look of excitement was in every face,
notably in that of Farmer Raynes, who was fidgeting about and looking
anxious.
Roy handed the flag to Ben, who took it proudly, and nodded his
satisfaction.
"You'll come up and be there at the hoisting, sir?" he said.
"Of course. Yes--what is it?"
"Master Pawson, sir," whispered the old soldier, with a laugh; "we
managed to wake him up at last."
Roy smiled and went to where the farmer stood, watching him anxiously,
and finally making a sign to him to come.
"Want to speak to me, Master Raynes?" he said.
"Yes, sir; I'm in agonies about my men. They'll be coming along soon
and falling into a trap, for some of those troopers will be hanging
about the road."
"Yes, this is serious," said Roy, who grasped the difficulties of the
reinforcements he hoped soon to receive.
Ben was called into counsel, and his suggestion was that the guns on the
four towers should be manned ready to cover the advance of the friends,
and keep back the enemy.
"Mounted men's orders are to keep clear of cannon-shot all they can,
sir; and now, if you please, I should like you to arm all the people
necessary, while I see to the ammunition."
This order was carried out, and the flag taken up into the
furnace-chamber, just below where the new flag-staff with halyard had
been erected against the staircase turret.
In a very short time all was ready, so far as so small a force was
available, and four men kept ready in the chamber prepared to lower the
bridge as soon as any friends approached, when it was to be kept down
till the coming of strangers rendered it necessary that it should be
raised again.
Ten minutes had not elapsed before a shout from the north-east tower was
heard, and Roy turned in the direction pointed out by one of the men, to
see a little party of four men who, in obedience to the signal, were
advancing at a trot from the direction of the village.
The bridge was lowered, the portcullis raised, and, as the men came
hurrying across, they were received with a hearty cheer from the tiny
garrison.
The bridge being down and the portcullis raised, the state of
preparation was deemed sufficient to warrant their remaining so, as no
enemy was in sight; but the precaution was taken of having the
port-fires ready and each gun in the gate-way manned so as to sweep the
approach.
Another shout announced fresh arrivals, men coming up in twos and
threes, every arrival sending a thrill of satisfaction through the young
castellan's breast as he felt his strength increase, till only two
parties were not accounted for,--six men from the mill and the ten from
the farm.
"A terrible loss they would be, Ben," said Roy, as he swept the country
from the highest point of the tower, and without effect. "Raynes wants
to go in search of them."
"Then don't let him, sir. We can't spare him. Mightn't be able to come
back. Wait a bit; they've all got some distance to come. Give 'em
time."
"But they might have been here by now."
"Ay, they might, sir," said Ben, drily.
"Ha! you think they are afraid, now it comes to the pinch."
"Nay, sir, not yet. They may have a good way round to go to 'scape the
enemy, for I dare say they're beginning to occupy the roads. I'm most
anxious about the farm lads, for they're nighest to where the enemy
are.--Hi! there! Look! look!"
Ben had turned his head in a different direction to that in which the
men from the mill might have been expected to come; and there,
altogether, running in a group, six figures could be seen evidently
making for the castle, while a party of a dozen horsemen suddenly rode
into sight from behind a copse about a quarter of a mile away, and
cantered across as if to head the men off.
"Now, sir, quick! Tell 'em yonder to make ready and wait. The
corporal's there, and he'll know what to do."
Roy shouted the orders to the south-west tower, and the trooper-corporal
answered loudly, and they saw him blow his port-fire.
"Now, sir, wait a bit, till they get nigher. That's it. Now, fire!"
The race had been growing exciting, for the horsemen were increasing
their pace as they came on with their weapons glittering in the sun, and
it was plain enough that the runners must be cut off and taken
prisoners, when just at the right moment Roy's order rang out. There
was a white puff from the tower, a heavy boom, the ball went whistling
just over the heads of the horsemen, and a shout of triumphant derision
arose from the towers, as, moved by the same spirit, the little troop
wheeled round and went off at full gallop to get out of gunshot.
"Another shot, men!"
"Nay, sir, certainly not. That's the young soldier speaking. What for?
You might bowl over a horse or two, but what good would that do?
You've done what you wanted, and sent 'em to the right-about, saved six
of our lads, and at the same time showed those fellows that we're on the
lookout and don't mean to stand any nonsense. That's enough for one
bullet, sir, eh?"
"Splendid! my lads," cried Roy, who leaned over the battlements, waving
his hand to the panting and nearly exhausted men from the mill, who came
at a steady trot now across the bridge, cheered loudly by all who could
see them.
Roy's next thought was to go and tell Lady Royland all about the
incident; but he felt that he must live up to his position, and be busy
there in sight of his men; so, after watching the enemy's horse till
quite out of sight, he bade Ben keep a sharp lookout, and descended to
hear the report of the party who had just come in.
He found them in the guard-room, scarlet with exertion, and still
panting from their long race, but evidently in high glee, Sam Donny,
their spokesman, the young man who was put first to the front when they
came to him, being full of their adventures,--how the troopers had
passed the mill three times that morning, and stopped twice to demand
corn for their steeds and water, their leader watching the miller's men
curiously as if suspicious of them.
"But they went off at last, sir. Let's see: they come agen, though,
twice after we'd heard the guns, and that kep' us back. Last of all, I
says to t'others, `Now for it, lads, or young Captin Roy'll be thinking
we're feared to come.' They says, `That's so,' and off we starts; but
we hadn't gone far 'fore we finds they're on the road, and we had to run
back and make for Water Lane. Hadn't gone far 'long Water Lane, when we
finds a couple of 'em there. Back we goes again, and creeps along aside
one of the fields, and there they was again, and dozens of 'em on the
watch, as if some one had told 'em we was likely to come over here.
Then we all goes back to the mill and talks it over, and some on us says
as we'd better stop till night; but I says, `Nay! They'll think we're
all cowards, and get shooting at us if we comes in the dark,' and at
last we said we'd go two miles round by the common. And so we did, sir,
crawling on our stummicks in and out among the furze bushes, and every
now and then seeing the sun shine on one of their caps as they rode here
and there.
"Last of all, sir, they seemed to have gone away, and I lifts up my head
and looks about. `All clear, mates!' I says, and up we gets, keeping
as far off as we could, so as to work round. `We've done 'em this
time,' I says, as we went on, and we was coming along splendid, till Bob
Herries happens to look back, and, `Run, lads,' he says; `here they come
arter us!' I was for hiding, sir, but there was no chance, so we all
run our best, with the castle here seeming a long way off; but we got
nigher and nigher, and so did they; and they'd ha' cut us off if it
hadn't been for that gun--though we all thought the next shot might hit
us."
"You did bravely, my lads," cried Roy. "But tell me, what about the men
from the farm?"
"What! aren't they here, sir?" said the man.
"No; we've seen nothing of them."
"Well, I am glad, then, that we aren't the last," said the man, with a
grin of satisfaction; but his face was serious directly. "I don't quite
mean that, sir. I mean I'm sorry they're not here. Then some of those
fellows must have took them. But what I want to know is, how could they
tell we was a-coming to the castle?"
"They must have noticed that you all had a military bearing, my lad.
You are all very different to what you were when you came to join."
A look of pride beamed in the man's face and was reflected in those of
his companions, but he spoke out directly.
"Well, we have tried to get to be soldiers, sir, hard; haven't us,
mates?"
"Ay!" was growled in chorus.
"Yes, you have done well," cried Roy, "and I'm heartily glad to see you
safely here."