We three boys stood gazing down at our work with a feeling closely akin
to awe, staring at the rushing stone cataract which kept throwing off
masses of grey foam which were great pieces of rock bouncing and leaping
and bounding down as if delighted at being set free to move after being
fixed to the earth since who could say when? No one spoke, no one moved
till all was still below, and then, while I was wondering what my father
would say, Bigley Uggleston suddenly made us start by tossing up his cap
and shouting "Hooray!"
This roused Bob, who began to smile.
"I thought that would move it," he said coolly. "Why, what's the matter
with you, Sep? Here, Big, look at him; he's quite white. Here's a
game! He's frightened."
"No, I'm not," I said stoutly. "I was only thinking about what my
father will say when he sees what we've done."
"Get out! Hark at him. One can't come down to the Gap now without old
Sep Duncan dinning it into your ears about his father, and what he'll
say, and all to show how proud he is, just because an old chap has
bought a bit of land down by the sea. Why, what harm have we done?"
"Torn all that ragged place down the bottom of the cliff," I said
dolefully. "It wasn't like that before."
"And what of it? Who's to know but what the stone tumbled down by
itself? Nobody heard."
We looked guiltily round, but the Gap was perfectly solemn and silent,
the only thing suggesting life after the two cottages and the lugger
being the vessels out at sea between us and the Welsh coast.
"But it seems such a pity!" I said ruefully. "I didn't think the stone
would make so much of a mark coming down."
"There he goes again!" sneered Bob. "Afraid of spoiling his father's
estate. Oh, arn't we proud of two sides of a hole and a water-gully!"
I had some reason for my remarks, for as I looked down there below us,
where the great mass had struck so heavily, there appeared to be a
smooth grey patch as if the surface had been scraped away.
"Hi! Look, look!" cried Bigley. "See the rabbits!" We looked, and
could see at least a dozen little fellows that had been scared out of
their holes, scuttling about among the stones, their white cottony tails
showing quite plainly in the clear air. But these soon disappeared, and
the others yielding to my desire to go down and see what mischief had
really been done by the fall, we all began to slip and slide and stumble
down the precipitous place, keeping as nearly as we could in the course
taken by the stone, till we came upon the bare-looking spot.
It was just as it had struck me; the great rock we had sent down had
started a number more, and they had literally scraped off all the loose
surface pieces and earth, and scoured the valley slope for a space of
about three yards wide and fifty feet in depth down to the ancient rock.
Below this the valley grew less steep, and the stone slide had had less
force, beginning after a time to leave fragments behind, so that the
place seemed little changed, except here half-way up the slope.
"Tchah!" exclaimed Bob; "nobody will notice this, and if they saw it
from down below they wouldn't take the trouble to climb up."
His words seemed full of truth, for it seemed to me that nothing but the
sheep and rabbits was likely to come rambling and climbing up here; so,
feeling more at my ease, I began to look about with the eyes of
curiosity to see if there was anything to be found.
My companions followed my example, and we examined the places that had
been scoured bare, to see that they were very much like the cliffs down
by the shore, being evidently of the slate common there, a coarse grey
slate, stained with markings of lavender and scarlet pink, which, where
it was freshly fractured, glistened in the sun like some portions of a
wood-pigeon's breast.
There was nothing else to see, and my companions went on climbing down,
while I lingered for a few minutes picking up a bit of broken stone here
and another there, to throw them away again, all but one bit which
looked dark and shiny, something like a bit of Welsh coal, only it
wasn't coal, and that I put in my pocket.
"Come on!" shouted Bob; "we're going down to the shore."
I hurried after them, and we went lower and lower till we reached the
little river, which ran glistening and rippling over the stones.
We had no tackle but our hands, and so the little trout that revelled in
the clear water escaped that day; but we were obliged to stop at every
swirling pool where the water grew deep and dark, to have a good stare
at the little speckled beauties, and lay plots against their happiness.
These pauses took up a good deal of time, so that it was about one
o'clock when we reached Uggleston's cottage, and, as it happened, just
as its tenant was coming up from his boat, having just landed from some
expedition along the coast.
He was not alone, for old Binnacle Bill, as we called him, was behind,
carrying the oars and the mast with the little sail twisted round, so as
to put them in Uggleston's lean-to shed.
As we drew nearer I began to wonder what sort of a reception we were
going to receive from old Jonas Uggleston; and it struck me very
forcibly then, how strange it seemed that he should be the father of my
school-fellow, who was always well dressed, that is as school-boys are,
while he was just like an ordinary fisherman of the coast, with rough
flannel trousers rolled up, big fisherman's boots, blue worsted shirt,
and an otter-skin cap, from beneath which his grisly hair stuck out in
an untended mass, while his beard, that was more grisly still, half
covered his dark-brown face.
He was a stern, fierce-looking man, with large dark eyes that seemed to
ferret out everything one was thinking about, and as he came up he
looked at us all searchingly in turn.
"Hallo, father! Been along the coast?" cried Bigley, striding up to
him; and there was just a faint kind of smile on Jonas Uggleston's face
as his son shook hands and then took his arm in a way that seemed to
come like a surprise to me, for it seemed so curious that my
school-fellow Bigley could like that fierce, common-looking man.
"Hallo, Big!" growled old Jonas grimly, "keeping your holidays then.
Who've you got here? Oh! It's you, young Chowne, is it? Ah! I was
coming over to see your father 'bout my foot as I got twisted 'tween two
bits o' rock--jumping; but it's got better now. Home from school?"
"Yes, sir; we came home yesterday," said Bob, staring hard at old
Uggleston's mahogany hands.
"And who's this, eh? Oh, young Cap'n Duncan, eh?" continued the old
fellow, turning to me as if he were not sure. "So you've come home from
school, eh?"
"Yes, sir," I said; "I came with them yesterday."
"Well, I know that, don't I?" he said sharply. "Think folk as don't go
to school don't know nothing, eh?"
"Oh, no, sir," I said apologetically.
"'Cause they do, you know. And so we must buy the Gap, must we, and get
to be landlords, must we, and want to turn parties as has lived here
twenty or thirty years or more out of their houses and homes, must we?
Now, look ye here, young gent, what I've got to say is--Bah! What a
fool I am," he cried, smiting his open left hand with his fist. "What
am I talking about? 'Tar'n't his fault."
I was standing aghast and wishing myself a long way off, when his whole
manner changed and he patted me on the shoulder.
"'Tar'n't your fault, my lad, 'tar'n't your fault. So you've come home
for the holidays, eh?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hah! Bigley, my big babby, often talks about you when he writes to me,
lad. You're mates, eh?"
"Oh, yes," I said, finding his tone roughly kind now. "We sleep in the
same room."
"Hah, yes! Well, and what have you chaps been about?"
"Oh, climbing about, and down by the stream, father," put in Bigley
quickly.
"And you ar'n't hungry a bit, eh, lads? Well, I am," he said, without
waiting for us to speak. "Let's go in and see what Mother Bonnet has
got for us."
I was for hanging back, and so was Bob, who was jealous of the extra
notice taken of me; but old Jonas Uggleston took hold of us both by the
shoulders and marched us before him as if we were prisoners, and
regularly pushed us in at the low door and into the low rustic-looking
room, with its floor formed of big rough slabs of slate, and its
whitewashed walls hung with all kinds of fishing gear and odds and ends,
that looked very much as if they had come from different wrecks, so out
of keeping were they with the plain, homely room, smelling strangely of
sea-weed with a dash of fish.
"And I thought there'd be something ready to eat," said old Jonas.
"That's right, Big, put some chairs to the table, and come to an anchor
all of you."
He smiled grimly as he thrust both Bob and me into chairs and then
turned to his son.
"Take the big pitcher, boy, and fill it from the cider barrel. It's in
the back place yonder. Good cider won't hurt boys. It's only like
drinking apples 'stead o' chewing of 'em. I'm going to dip my hands.
Back directly."
He nodded and left the room with his son, leaving Bob and me staring at
each other across the table.
"Don't it seem rum," he whispered, "having no table-cloth?"
I said it did, but then the table was beautifully clean, and so were the
silver table-spoons, and the silver mug at the end where old Jonas sat.
While, to make the table thoroughly attractive to us hungry boys, who
had been walking all the morning, there was a good-sized cold salmon on
a big dish; a great piece of cold ham; a large round loaf that looked as
if it had been baked in a basin, and a plate of butter and a dish of
thick yellow cream.
These substantial things had a good effect upon Bob Chowne, whose face
began to look smooth and pleasant, and who showed his satisfaction
farther by kicking me under the table, for he was afraid to make any
more remarks, because we could hear Jonas Uggleston, in some place at
the back, blowing and splashing as if he were washing himself in a
bucket; and of this last there was no doubt, for we heard the handle
rattle, then a loud splash, as if he had thrown the dirty water out of
the window, and the bucket set down and the handle rattling again.
This made Bob kick me again painfully, and he grinned and his eyes
seemed to say, "No jug and basin, and no washstand."
Just then Bigley came in with a great brown jug of cider, smiling all
over his face.
"I say, I am glad father has asked you to stop," he said. "We'll get
him to let us have the boat after dinner."
Just then old Jonas came in without his otter-skin cap, combing the
thick grisly fringe round his head, the top of which was quite bare; and
directly after from another door--for there were doors nearly
everywhere, because Jonas Uggleston had built the cottage very small at
first and then kept on adding rooms, and kitchens, and wash-house with
stores--Mother Bonnet came in, an elderly plump woman, who always put me
in mind of a cider apple when it was ripe.
Mother Bonnet was Binnacle Bill's wife, and lived at the cottage on the
other side of the stream, but she came and "did for" Master Uggleston,
as she called it; that is to say, she cooked and kept the house clean;
and she bore in hand a dish of hot new potatoes, which were very scarce
things with us and a deal thought of by some people for a treat.
She nodded to us all in turn, and was going away again, when Jonas
shouted "Winegar," and Mother Bonnet hurriedly produced a big black
bottle from a corner cupboard, and placed it upon the table.
That was about as rough a dinner as Bob Chowne and I had ever sat down
to, but how delicious it was!
"'Live last night," said Jonas, digging great pieces of the salmon off
with a silver spoon, and supplying our plates.
"You catch him, father?" said Bigley.
"Yes, Big. Weir."
"Weir," I thought to myself. "Weir? What does he mean by weir?"
"Eat away, my lads," cried Jonas Uggleston. "Big: have off some bread."
"When did you finish the weir, father?" said Bigley, with his mouth
full, in spite of all Dr Stacey had said.
"Seccun April, boy. You can work it a bit, now you're down."
Bigley looked at us with eager eyes, but we were too busy to pay much
attention, though I was anxious to see a weir that would catch salmon,
and ready to ask questions as soon as the dinner was done.
"Pour out the cider, lad. It's a fresh cask, and it's good. I bought
some at Squire Allworth's sale."
Bigley began to pour out for us, old Jonas having pushed his silver mug
to my side, while he took a brown one from a shelf for his and Bob's
use; and I was feeling sorry that he should have given me the silver
mug, because Bob would not like it, when, just as old Jonas mentioned
Squire Allworth's sale, his face changed again, and I saw his scowl as
he looked at me.
"He's thinking about my father buying the Gap," I said to myself; but
forgot it all directly, for the fierce look passed away as the old man
lifted his cup.
"Taste it, boys, and it'll make you think of being in the sunshine in an
orchard, with the sun ripening the apples. Now then: salmon getting
bony. Who'll have some ham?"
We all would, and we were quite ready afterwards to attack and finish
off a pot of raspberry jam which Mother Bonnet brought in with a smile;
and the raspberry jam, the beautiful butter and bread, and the cream
worked such an effect upon Bob Chowne that he exclaimed suddenly:
"Oh, don't I wish Dr Stacey would give us dinners like this!"
Old Jonas uttered a hoarse harsh laugh, which made me feel
uncomfortable, for he did not look as if he were laughing, but as if he
were in a very severe and angry fit with somebody.
"There," he said, when we had quite done, "be off, boys, now. I'm going
to be busy."
"Yes, father," said Big. "May we have the boat and go out for a sail?"
Old Jonas turned sharply round on him, and looked as if he were going to
knock his son down, so fierce was his aspect.
"No!" he roared.
"No, father?" faltered Bigley.
"No!" said old Jonas, not quite so fiercely. "Do you think I want to
spend all next week on the look-out to find you chaps when you're washed
ashore--drowned?"
"Oh, father! Just as if it was likely!"
"Haw, haw!" laughed old Jonas, and it did not seem like a laugh, but as
if he were calling his son bad names. "You can manage a boat all of
you, can't you, and row and reef and steer? Get out. Books is in your
way, and writin', and sums, not boats."
"But father--"
"Hold your tongue. I don't want to lose my boat, and I don't want to
lose you. May be useful some day. Doctor wants his boy too, teach him
to make physic; and I ar'n't no spite again' young Duncan here, so I
dunno as I partic'lar wants him throw'd up on the beach with his pockets
full o' shrimps; so, No. Now be off. Go and look at the weir."