Roy found, as the time glided on in his monotonous life, that Ben's news
was correct. General Hepburn was determined not to be surprised by any
party of the Royalists who had learned from the fugitives that such a
passage existed; and to make assurance doubly sure, he was about to
build up the tunnel in three different places; but on second thoughts he
did otherwise, setting his men to work to carry kegs of powder to some
distance from the castle, placing them in a suitable position in the
tunnel, and then, after making a fuse of several yards in length, having
a tremendously strong wall built up across the place, leaving a hole
just big enough for the fuse to pass through.
This was all done very quietly, Roy supposing that the men were merely
building. Then a few days were allowed to pass for the cement to settle
and harden before the fuse was fired.
The fact was known one morning at breakfast, when a terrific roar made
Roy rush from the table and up to the ramparts, in full expectation of
seeing a battery of guns just opening fire on the castle.
"Yes, it is," he panted to himself as he looked over towards the chapel
hill, and saw the smoke rising from a mound of earth.
But in a few minutes he knew the truth from one of the officers who
challenged him for coming there, and went back to breakfast with his
appetite gone, for he felt that one of the means of escape was
completely sealed up, and the night would never come when he could, with
the help of his friends, lead Lady Royland through the passage on their
way to liberty.
"And a good thing, too," he said bitterly to the old sergeant, for the
grapes seemed to be very sour. "I don't want to escape. I wouldn't go
if the way were open, and I'm sure my mother would not leave our own old
home. Why, it would be like giving it all to Pawson, and I'll die
before he shall have it in peace."
"'Ray, 'ray, 'ray, 'ray!" cried Ben, softly. "Can't shout it out as I
should like to, Master Roy. That's the right sperit, sir. We won't
never give up, come what may."
Old Jenk passed them just then, muttering to himself as he tottered by,
and paying no heed when spoken to, while the various sentries treated
him as a kind of amiable old madman, who was licenced to go about as he
pleased, being perfectly harmless.
Another day passed, and Roy was walking up and down in his favourite
part of the court-yard thinking of when he should ask General Hepburn
for a written permission to go about on the ramparts, for the officer
had spoken rather sharply to him after he had run up on the occasion of
the blowing up of the tunnel.
But he did not ask the general, for the events that followed came one
upon another so quickly that the matter passed out of his mind.
For all at once, just as Ben was coming slowly up to him, one of the
sentinels shouted to the officer of the guard below, and word was passed
to the general that a dragoon was galloping up along the road as fast as
he could hurry his horse along.
A few minutes later, in the midst of a little excitement, the man drew
rein at the outer gate-way, held up a packet in answer to a challenge,
and as soon as the drawbridge was lowered, he dismounted and walked his
horse over, for the poor beast was terribly distressed, and the rider
appeared exhausted.
Roy stood eagerly watching, for this evidently meant something
important, otherwise the messenger would not have nearly ridden his
horse to death, the poor beast standing drooping in the middle of the
court-yard; while the man, whose face was blackened with dust and sweat,
and disfigured by a broad strip of plaster which extended from high up
among the roots of his closely-cropped hair on the left temple down to
his right eyebrow, leaned heavily on the sun-dial and asked for water.
The general read his despatch carefully twice, and then turned to the
messenger to question him in a low voice, looking at him searchingly the
while.
"Did General Braxley give you this despatch to bring?"
The man straightened himself up, but reeled and snatched at the sun-dial
again from weakness.
"No, sir; to my comrade. We met a vedette of the enemy, and had to make
a running fight for it till he went down, and I snatched up the despatch
and came on."
"How far from here are the enemy?"
"About five-and-twenty miles, sir, I should say."
"In what direction?"
"Towards Exeter, sir. I did hear say that the king was with them."
"Hah! And how strong are they, do you suppose?"
"'Bout four hundred horsemen, I heard say, sir; but it was only what my
comrade told me."
"Go into the guard-room and get some refreshment," said the general,
after reading his despatch carefully again.
The man turned to go, and just then his horse fell heavily, the blood
gushed from its nostrils as it gave a few convulsive struggles, and then
lay dead.
The messenger went to its head, sank upon one knee, as Roy joined the
group around, bent lower, kissed the poor animal's brow. Then he drew
his sword, cut off a piece of its forelock, thrust it into his wallet,
and amidst perfect silence, followed one of the men to the guard-room,
hanging his head, while Roy longed to go and shake him by the hand.
The next moment the silence was broken by the loud blare of a trumpet,
and a gun was fired from the gate tower.
Roy had directly after a specimen of the general's military capacity,
for by the time the court was filling with armed men, one of the
sentinels on the north-west tower announced the coming of the squadron
of horse that had been camping by and in the ruined chapel; while,
within half an hour, the troop in the castle rode out, each bearing a
foot-soldier upon the crupper of his saddle,--the squadron without
waiting to take on an equal number themselves. The general meanwhile
sat upon his charger conversing in a low tone with the officer he was
about to leave in command.
Just then, looking very weak and ill, the messenger came hurrying out of
the guard-room, putting on his steel cap.
He waited till the general approached, and Roy was near enough to hear
what was now said, the man speaking in a husky voice.
"Beg pardon, general; will you give orders for me to be supplied with a
fresh horse?"
"What for?" said General Hepburn, turning on him sharply.
"To go with you and join my regiment."
"No; stay here. Captain Ramsay, if there is any ruse being practised,
as soon as you hear that disaster has come to nay party, place that man
against the wall and have him shot."
The dragoon raised his hand to his cap in salute; and as soon as the
general had ridden out, he staggered more than walked to where the dead
horse lay, and took its head into his lap, to sit gazing sorrowfully
into its reproachful-looking, glazing eyes.
"I'm a tough old chap, Master Roy," whispered Ben, "but my eyes are so
watery I can hardly see; and if that orderly warn't an enemy, I'd just
go and shake him by the fist."
Unconsciously the old sergeant had exactly expressed Roy's own feelings;
but the next minute all show of weakness and sentiment had passed away.
The trooper turned from the lookers-on, giving the horse's neck three or
four pats, and then began to unbuckle headstall, and take off bridle and
bit before unbuckling the girths, rising and taking hold of the saddle,
giving it a sharp snatch to drag it free. But he had to put his
heavily-booted foot against the horse's back, and tug several times
before he could get the girths from beneath the heavy weight.
Then, throwing the saddle across his arm, and picking up the bridle, he
turned to the nearest sentinel, asked a question, had the low archway
pointed out which led into the basement used for stabling, and
disappeared down the slope.
"Oh, my lad, my lad," said Ben, softly; "what a chance if we'd got
anything ready!"
"What--to surprise?" said Roy, as he watched the portcullis
re-descending, and saw the drawbridge begin to glide up directly after.
"That's it, sir. They're as weak as weak here now, with all them gone,
and we're nine strong men, for Sam Donny could fight in spite of his
twissen foot."
"There's nothing the matter with Sam's foot, Ben; it's all sham; I've
known it from the first."
"What?--So much the better, then."
"So much the worse, because we can do nothing. They are still a hundred
strong."
"Nay, sir--not above eighty."
"Ten to one, Ben. I'd do anything, but we have no arms."
"Take 'em from them, sir."
"Rash folly, Ben. I'm soldier enough now to know that it would be like
throwing away your lives."
"Humph!" growled Ben; and the officer now in command came up and said,
firmly--
"Now, Master Royland, I am sorry to seem harsh with you, but, saving at
meal-times, when I shall be glad to see you, I must ask you to keep your
chamber till General Hepburn returns, and hold no communication whatever
with your fellow-prisoners."
"Very well, sir," said Roy, majestically.
"And you, sergeant, go to your fellows and keep with them. You can have
an hour in the court-yard every day under guard. March!"
Ben saluted and went to where the corporal, Sam Donny, and the rest were
seated on the stone bench in the sun, spoke to them, and they all rose
and went through the door-way close at hand; while Roy bowed to the
captain stiffly and went through to the private apartments, and thence
to his own room, where he shut himself in, and soon after heard a sentry
placed at his door, a piece of routine that had for some time been
discontinued.
"How suspicious!" muttered Roy. "But no wonder! He doesn't mean to be
caught napping. More didn't I, but I was. No chance of him having the
same luck."
He went to the window, and the first thing he saw was the dead horse
being dragged towards the gate-way, where it was left to wait till the
bridge should be lowered again.
"Poor thing! How roughly they are using it!" he thought. "Can't feel,
though, now."
Then his attention was taken up by seeing old Jenk with his white hair
and beard streaming, as he tottered here and there in the sunshine,
looking excited and without his weapon.
"Why, they've taken the sword away from the poor old fellow," thought
Roy. "How absurd! It will make him half-mad, if it hasn't done so
already."
But in a few moments the old man sat down on the pedestal of the
sun-dial, and his head drooped on his breast.
Beyond him, just visible at the foot of the slope and outside the
stables, Roy could see the Roundhead trooper, bareheaded and stripped to
his breeches and shirt, rolling up his shirt-sleeves and beginning to
clean his horse's harness. But something which seemed to be more
important took the boy's attention the next moment, and that was the
figure of Master Pawson upon the ramparts, walking up and down in the
sunshine, this being the first time he had been visible by daylight
since the general's stern words.
"Taking advantage of his being away," thought Roy; and he was about to
shrink back to avoid being seen, but his pride forbade that, and he
leaned out and amused himself by parting the thick growth of old ivy,
and thinking how easily he could get down into the court if he liked.
"And that wretch could climb up while I'm asleep and kill me if he
liked," he thought, with a slight shudder, which he laughed off the next
moment as folly.
Dinner was announced in due time, and he was half-disposed not to go;
but he joined the officers, and obtained permission from the captain to
visit his mother's room to tea.
"Oh, yes," said that officer, quietly. "I do not wish to be too hard
upon you, Royland, only I cannot have you conspiring with your men to
retake the castle now we seem weak."
So Roy spent a pleasant evening with his mother, and in good time
returned to his own room, heard the sentry placed outside, and then sat
in the summer evening, trying to see the men stationed opposite, and
upon the towers, from his open window.
It was a very dark night, hot and promising a thunderstorm, the air
feeling so close that, when at last Roy retired, he left the large
window wide open.
"No fear of Master Pawson playing any tricks," he said to himself with a
laugh as he undressed and lay down, wondering whether the general was
going to attack some place, being in perfect ignorance of everything but
the fact that he had gone on some expedition.
He fell asleep directly, and lay breathing hard till, in the midst of an
uneasy dream, he was awakened suddenly by feeling a hand pressed upon
his mouth.
Like a flash through the darkness he saw everything: Master Pawson had
climbed up to his window from the court, entered silently, and was about
to strangle him as he lay.
But before he could attempt to resist, a pair of warm lips were pressed
upon his brow, and then glided to his ear to whisper--
"Roy, my boy, not a sound! Don't speak! It is I--your father."
The lad's breast rose as a great sob of joy struggled to his lips, while
his hands seized that upon his mouth, pressed it closer, kissed the
palm, and were then passed round the neck of him who knelt by his bed.
They did not stay there a moment; for one began to feel the face, and
the other was passed over the head.
No moustache and pointed beard, no long flowing curls, only stubble and
short hair, and a long patch of plaster extending from the hair about
the left temple to the right eyebrow.
Roy's mental eyes were opened; he saw it all now. At last! His gallant
father had risked his life to come to them in the disguise of a
Roundhead trooper, and the general must have been sent on a fool's
errand so that the castle could be captured again.
_Thump, thump, thump_! went Roy's heart as these thoughts rushed through
his brain. Then the lips at his ear said, and it sounded strangely
incongruous--almost mocking:
"Go on snoring as you were, so that the sentry at your door may hear."
Roy obeyed, and imitated the real thing as well as he could.
"Your mother? If safe and well press my hand."
The pressure was given, and the whisper went on through the snoring.
"Roy, I have come at great risk through the accident of the capture of a
messenger with a despatch. The general has gone where he was desired,
but we have had time to take our men in another direction. To-night two
hundred Cavaliers will have ridden in as near as they dare, and then one
hundred and fifty will have dismounted and marched silently under cover
of the darkness opposite the gates.--Snore, boy, snore!"
Roy had ceased his hard breathing, but his heart worked harder than
ever, and he snored again; while Sir Granby went on:
"Tell me how many of our men you have here; where they are; whether the
guard in the gate tower can be mastered while the bridge is lowered and
the portcullis raised. Tell me everything you can, with your lips to my
ear. My men must be waiting by now."
Roy went on snoring, for the sound of the sentry pacing to and fro came
plainly through the door. But Sir Granby took up the hard breathing,
and Roy placed his lips to his father's ear and whispered--
"Nine good brave fellows, but they are in the lower hall, and sentries
are placed over them.--They are all unarmed.--Guard-chamber and
turret-stair are carefully guarded.--At least ten men in the
portcullis-room and furnace-chamber.--Impossible to get in that way!"