CHAPTER XIV
A HORRIBLE SUGGESTION
"Can you guess what has brought me down here in this hurry?" LordNelson asked Admiral Darling, having jumped like a boy from his yellowpost-chaise, and shaken his old friend's broad right hand with hisslender but strenuous left one, even as a big bell is swung by a thinrope. "I have no time to spare--not a day, not an hour; but I made up mymind to see you before I start. I cannot expect to come home alive, and,except for one reason, I should not wish it."
"Nonsense!" said the Admiral, who was sauntering near his upper gate,and enjoying the world this fine spring morning; "you are always insuch a confounded hurry! When you come to my time of life, you will knowbetter. What is it this time? The Channel fleet again?"
"No, no; Billy Blue keeps that, thank God! I hate looking after a schoolof herring-boats. The Mediterranean for me, my friend. I received theorder yesterday, and shall be at sea by the twentieth."
"I am very glad to hear it, for your sake. If ever there was a restlessfellow--in the good old times we were not like that. Come up to thehouse and talk about it; at least they must take the horses out. Theyare not like you; they can't work forever."
"And they don't get knocked about like me; though one of them has losthis starboard eye, and he sails and steers all the better for it. Letthem go up to the stable, Darling, while you come down to the beach withme. I want to show you something."
"What crotchet is in his too active brain now?" the elder and strongerman asked himself, as he found himself hooked by the right arm, and leddown a track through the trees scarcely known to himself, and quiteout of sight from the village. "Why, this is not the way to the beach!However, it is never any good to oppose him. He gets his own way sobecause of his fame. Or perhaps that's the way he got his fame. But toshow me about over my own land! But let him go on, let him go on."
"You are wondering, I dare say, what I am about," cried Nelson, stoppingsuddenly, and fixing his sound eye--which was wonderfully keen, thoughhe was always in a fright about it--upon the large and peaceful blinkersof his ancient commander; "but now I shall be able to convince you,though I am not a land-surveyor, nor even a general of land-forces. IfGod Almighty prolongs my life--which is not very likely--it will be thatI may meet that scoundrel, Napoleon Bonaparte, on dry land. I hearthat he is eager to encounter me on the waves, himself commanding aline-of-battle ship. I should send him to the devil in a quarter of anhour. And ashore I could astonish him, I think, a little, if I had agood army to back me up. Remember what I did at Bastia, in the land thatproduced this monster, and where I was called the Brigadier; and again,upon the coast of Italy, I showed that I understood all their dry-groundbusiness. Tush! I can beat him, ashore and afloat; and I shall, if Ilive long enough. But this time the villain is in earnest, I believe,with his trumpery invasion; and as soon as he hears that I am gone,he will make sure of having his own way. We know, of course, there arefifty men as good as myself to stop him, including you, my dear Darling;but everything goes by reputation--the noise of the people--praise-puff.That's all I get; while the luckier fellows, like Cathcart, get theprize-money. But I don't want to grumble. Now what do you see?"
"Well, I see you, for one thing," the Admiral answered, at his leisure,being quite inured to his friend's quick fire, "and wearing a coat thatwould be a disgrace to any other man in the navy. And further on I seesome land that I never shall get my rent for; and beyond that nothingbut the sea, with a few fishing-craft inshore, and in the offing a sail,an outward-bound East Indiaman--some fool who wouldn't wait for convoy,with war as good as proclaimed again."
"Nothing but the sea, indeed? The sweep of the land, and the shelterof the bay, the shoaling of the shore without a rock to break it, theheadland that shuts out both wind and waves; and outside the headland,off Pebbleridge, deep water for a fleet of line-of-battle ships toanchor and command the land approaches--moreover, a stream of the purestwater from deep and never-failing springs--Darling, the place of allplaces in England for the French to land is opposite to your frontdoor."
"I am truly obliged to you for predicting, and to them for doing it, ifever they attempt such impudence. If they find out that you are away,they can also find out that I am here, as commander of the sea defences,from Dungeness to Selsey-Bill."
"That will make it all the more delightful to land at your front door,my friend; and all the easier to do it. My own plan is to strike withall force at the head-quarters of the enemy, because the most likely tobe unprepared. About a year ago, when I was down here, a little beforemy dear father's death, without your commission I took command of yourfishing-craft coming home for their Sunday, and showed them how totake the beach, partly to confirm my own suspicions. There is no otherlanding on all the south coast, this side of Hayling Island, fit to becompared with it for the use of flat-bottomed craft, such as most ofBoney's are. And remember the set of the tide, which makes the fortunesof your fishermen. To be sure, he knows nothing of that himself; but hehas sharp rogues about him. If they once made good their landing here,it would be difficult to dislodge them. It must all be done from theland side then, for even a 42-gun frigate could scarcely come nearenough to pepper them. They love shoal water, the skulks--and that hasenabled them to baffle me so often. Not that they would conquer thecountry--all brag--but still it would be a nasty predicament, and scarethe poor cockneys like the very devil."
"But remember the distance from Boulogne, Hurry. If they cannot crosstwenty-five miles of channel in the teeth of our ships, what chancewould they have when the distance is nearer eighty?"
"A much better chance, if they knew how to do it. All our cruisers wouldbe to the eastward. One afternoon perhaps, when a haze is on, they makea feint with light craft toward the Scheldt--every British ship crowdssail after them. Then, at dusk, the main body of the expedition slipswith the first of the ebb to the westward; they meet the flood tide inmid-channel, and using their long sweeps are in Springhaven, or at anyrate the lightest of them, by the top of that tide, just when youare shaving. You laugh at such a thought of mine. I tell you, my dearfriend, that with skill and good luck it is easy; and do it they should,if they were under my command."
If anybody else had even talked of such a plan as within the bounds oflikelihood, Admiral Darling would have been almost enraged. But now helooked doubtfully, first at the sea (as if it might be thick with pramesalready), and then at the land--which was his own--as if the rent mightgo into a Frenchman's pocket, and then at his old and admired friend,who had ruined his sleep for the summer.
"Happily they are not under your command, and they have no man tocompare with you;" he spoke rather nervously; while Nelson smiled,for he loved the praise which he had so well earned; "and if it werepossible for you to talk nonsense, I should say that you had done itnow. But two things surely you have overlooked. In the first place, theFrench can have no idea of the special opportunities this place affords.And again, if they had, they could do nothing, without a pilot wellacquainted with the spot. Though the landing is so easy, there areshoals outside, very intricate and dangerous, and known to none exceptthe natives of the place, who are jealous to the last degree about theirknowledge."
"That is true enough; and even I should want a pilot here, though Iknow every spit of sand eastward. But away fly both your difficulties ifthere should happen to be a local traitor."
"A traitor at Springhaven! Such a thing is quite impossible. You wouldlaugh at yourself, if you only knew the character of our people. Therenever has been, and there never will be, a Springhaven man capable oftreachery."
"That is good news, ay, and strange news too," the visitor answered,with his left hand on his sword, for he was now in full though rathershabby uniform. "There are not many traitors in England, I believe; butthey are as likely to be found in one place as another, according to myexperience. Well, well, I am very glad you have no such scoundrels here.I won't say a single word against your people, who are as fine a lotas any in the south of England, and as obstinate as an
y I could wish tosee. Of an obstinate man I can always make good; with a limp one I cando nothing. But bear in mind every word you have heard me say, because Icame down on purpose about it; and I generally penetrate the devices ofthe enemy, though they lead me on a wild-goose-chase sometimes, but onlywhen our own folk back them up, either by lies or stupidity. Now lookonce more, for you are slower as well as a great deal wiser than I am.You see how this land-locked bight of Springhaven seems made by theAlmighty for flat-bottomed craft, if once they can find their way intoit; while the trend of the coast towards Pebbleridge is equally suitedfor the covering fleet, unless a gale from southwest comes on, inwhich case they must run for it. And you see that the landed force, bycrowning the hill above your house and across the valley, might defyour noble Volunteers, and all that could be brought against them, till ahundred thousand cutthroats were established here. And Boney would makehis head-quarters at the Hall, with a French cook in your kitchen, anda German butler in your cellar, and my pretty godchild to wait upon him,for the rogue loves pretty maidens."
"That will do. That is quite enough. No wonder you have written poems,Nelson, as you told us the last time you were here. If my son had onlygot your imagination--but perhaps you know something more than you havetold me. Perhaps you have been told--"
"Never mind about that," the great sea-captain answered, turning awayas if on springs; "it is high time for me to be off again, and my chaisehas springs on her cables."
"Not she. I have ordered her to be docked. Dine with us you shall thisday, if we have to dine two hours earlier, and though Mother Cloam ragefuriously. How much longer do you suppose you can carry on at this pace?Look at me. I have double your bodily substance; but if I went on asyou do--you remember the twenty-four-pounder old Hotcoppers put into thelaunch, and fired it, in spite of all I could say to him? Well, you arejust the same. You have not got the scantling for the metal you carryand are always working. You will either blow up, or else scuttleyourself. Look here, how your seams are opening!" Here Admiral Darlingthrust his thumb through the ravelled seam of his old friend's coat,which made him jump back, for he loved his old coat. "Yes, and you willgo in the very same way. I wonder how any coat lasts so much as a month,with you inside it."
"This coat," said Nelson, who was most sweet-tempered with any one heloved, though hot as pepper when stirred up by strangers--"this coat isthe one I wore at Copenhagen, and a sounder and kinder coat never cameon a man's back. Charles Darling, you have made a bad hit this time.If I am no more worn out than this coat is, I am fit to go to sea for anumber of years yet. And I hope to show it to a good many Frenchmen, andtake as many ships, every time they show fight, as there are buttons onit."
"Then you will double all your captures at the Nile;" such a series ofbuttons had this coat, though mostly loose upon their moorings, for hisguardian angel was not "domestic"; "but you may be trusted not to letthem drift so. You have given me a lesson in coast-defence, and now youshall be boarded by the ladies. You possess some gifts of the tongue,my friend, as well as great gifts of hand and eye; but I will back mydaughters to beat you there. Come up to the house. No turning of tail."
"I spoke very well in the House of Lords," said Nelson, in his simpleway, "in reply to the speech of his Majesty, and again about theCommissioner's Bill; or at least everybody tells me so. But in the Houseof Ladies I hold my tongue, because there is abundance without it."
This, however, he failed to do when the matter came to the issue; forhis godchild Horatia, more commonly called Dolly, happened to be in themood for taking outrageous liberties with him. She possessed very littleof that gift--most precious among women--the sense of veneration; and toher a hero was only a man heroic in acts of utility. "He shall do it,"she said to Faith, when she heard that he was come again; "if I have tokiss him, he shall do it; and I don't like kissing those old men."
"Hush!" said her elder sister. "Dolly, you do say things so recklessly.One would think that you liked to kiss younger men! But I am sure thatis not your meaning. I would rather kiss Lord Nelson than all the youngmen in the kingdom."
"Well done, Faith! All the young men in the kingdom! How recklessly youdo say things! And you can't kiss him--he is MY godfather. But just seehow I get round him, if you have wits enough to understand it."
So these two joined in their kind endeavour to make the visitor useful,the object being so good that doubtful means might be excused for it.In different ways and for divers reasons, each of these young ladies nowhad taken to like Blyth Scudamore. Faith, by power of pity first, and ofgrief for her own misfortunes, and of admiration for his goodness to hiswidowed mother--which made his best breeches shine hard at the knees;and Dolly, because of his shy adoration, and dauntless defence of heragainst a cow (whose calf was on the road to terminate in veal), as wellas his special skill with his pocket-knife in cutting out figures thatcould dance, and almost sing; also his great gifts, when the tide wasout, of making rare creatures run after him. What avails to explorefemale reason precisely?--their minds were made up that he must be acaptain, if Nelson had to build the ship with his one hand for him.
"After that, there is nothing more to be said," confessed the vanquishedwarrior; "but the daughters of an Admiral should know that no man can beposted until he has served his time as lieutenant; and this young heroof yours has never even held the King's commission yet. But as he hasseen some service, and is beyond the age of a middy, in the presentrush he might get appointed as junior lieutenant, if he had any stoutseconders. Your father is the man, he is always at hand, and can watchhis opportunity. He knows more big-wigs than I do, and he has not givenoffence where I have. Get your father, my dears, to attend to it."
But the ladies were not to be so put off, for they understood thedifference of character. Lord Nelson was as sure to do a thing asAdmiral Darling was to drop it if it grew too heavy. Hence it cameto pass that Blyth Scudamore, though failing of the Victory andAmphion--which he would have chosen, if the choice were his--receivedwith that cheerful philosophy (which had made him so dear to theschool-boys, and was largely required among them) his appointment asjunior lieutenant to the 38-gun frigate Leda, attached to the Channelfleet under Cornwallis, whose business it was to deal with the Frenchflotilla of invasion.