CHAPTER IV
THROUGH THE REBEL LINES
We were by no means out of danger, for the whole of the PortseaIsland, save the small portion occupied by the town of Portsmouth,was held by the rebels, and the difficulty was to avoid meeting anystraggling bands of soldiers before we could cross the narrow creekthat separates the island from the mainland.
Drawing rein under the shelter of a thicket, we debated as to thebest course to pursue, Sergeant Lawson, owing to his long residencein the castle, being well acquainted with the by-paths over theeastern side of the island.
Fortunately, none of us sustained serious hurt in the brief encounterwith our assailants, although Lawson's face bled freely from a slightflesh wound in the cheek, and my left arm had received a heavy blow,though at the time I was unaware of it.
"We lack the countersign," quoth the sergeant. "Had we thatknowledge, we could well pass for members of Ridge's troop."
"As we have it not, 'tis useless waiting here, for daylight will beon us anon, and the precious time will have been wasted," saidColonel Firestone. "Our horses seem fresh enough for fifty miles, solead on, sergeant, and we'll follow."
After a time the common and marsh land gave place to a narrow lane,running between tall hedges. Here we slackened down to a slow trot,the sound of the horses' hoofs being muffled by the thick dust.
Away on our right burned the watch-fires of one of the rebeloutposts, while at a greater distance on our left gleamed the lightsof the main rebel camp.
At a cross-road Sergeant Lawson reined in his steed, and held up hisright hand in warning. We could distinguish the steady clatter ofhoofs.
"How many think ye, sergeant?"
"But one, sir."
"Then bar his passage at all costs."
Concealed behind the tall hedge, we waited in breathless suspense theapproach of the solitary rider, Firestone, Sergeant Lawson, and Idismounting and giving the reins to Granville.
Waiting till the horseman was almost within arm's length, we thendashed forward. The colonel seized the stranger's bridle arm, whilstLawson gripped the reins of his steed.
"Surrender yourself, or resist at your peril," hissed Firestone.
For answer the man struck spurs to his horse, and attempted to draw apistol; but the colonel's sinewy arms were around his waist, and,with a mighty heave, flung him out of the saddle, while the sergeantassisted to hold him down, his iron fingers clutching at the throatof the fallen man.
'Twas a rebel without doubt, as, worn crosswise over his leftshoulder, was an orange scarf. Gamely he tried to free himself, till,realising the helplessness of his position, he ceased his efforts andlay motionless.
"Of what regiment are ye?" demanded Firestone, thrusting forward hisgrim face till it almost touched that of his prisoner.
_Colonel Firestone flung his arms about the man's waist,and dragged him out of his saddle._]
"Colonel Garth's dragoons," was the reply.
"And who holds the bridge at Hilsea?"
"Ridge's regiment of foot."
"And the countersign?"
The prisoner made no reply, and Firestone repeated the question,without result.
"A charge from your bandolier, sergeant."
Lawson handed a cartridge to the colonel, who, deliberately breakingthe paper, ostentatiously scattered the grains of powder over theright knee of the prostrate man.
"Make ready flint and steel, sergeant," said our leader. "Now,sirrah," he added to his prisoner, "for the last time--thecountersign?"
The man was still silent for a moment then he answered sullenly:
"'The sword of Gideon.'"
"Ah, we have it," explained Firestone. "Now, help me truss this manup."
A few moments sufficed to bind our prisoner, a gag being placed inhis mouth, while our leader tied his scarf over his own shoulders.Lawson thereupon removed the man's pistols from his holsters, andhobbled his horse. Our captive was lifted to the other side of thehedge, and in high spirits we remounted and resumed our way.
Hardly had we ridden two hundred yards, however, when, to oursurprise, we heard a shout followed by the sound of a gallopinghorse.
"A plague on the man!" exclaimed Firestone.
"He has slipped his bonds, and has ridden to give the alarm. Tenthousand countersigns will avail little, should he reach the bridgebefore us!"
Relentlessly we spurred our steeds, and, in a quarter of an hour, wedrew rein before Portsbridge. By the glow of a huge wood fire wecould see the motionless, yet alert, forms of the musketeers andpikemen mounting guard, while the firelight flickered on the gapingmuzzles of a park of artillery.
"'Twill be touch and go, should the password be false," muttered thecolonel, and, loosening our swords in their scabbards, we trotteddaringly towards the outpost.
The countersign satisfied the sentries, but, on gaining the far sideof the creek, an officer demanded who we were and what was ourbusiness.
"Captain Hosea Smith, and dragoons, of Garth's regiment, withdespatches for Colonel Voysey at Petersfield."
"How fares our cause against the malignants?"
"The castle has fallen."
"The enemies of the Lord are as ripe corn before the sickle. Pass,captain, and fare ye well."
We lost no time in taking our departure, for already my quick eardetected the sound of approaching horsemen along the distantPortsmouth road; and barely had we left the outpost a hundred pacesbehind us when a fierce hubbub arose from the Parliamentary troops,while a musket-shot gave the alarm that something was amiss.
"They'll be at our heels within five minutes," exclaimed Lawson."Ride straight for the hill!"
Clattering through the sleeping village of Cosham, we turned asidefrom the main road that leads to the City of London, and gained thegrassy sward, and I began to realise that our horses were slowly andlaboriously climbing a long and steep ascent.
At the summit was a hard chalk road, and here we dismounted to restour weary steeds, and, throwing ourselves on the damp grass, welistened intently for any sounds of pursuit.
We were at a considerable height above the sea, for almost below us,as it seemed, were the watch-fires of the rebel outpost atPortsbridge, which we had ridden through but twenty minutes before.The camp was in a state of uproar, men shouting, horses neighing,while from the road below came the sounds of a body of horses rapidlygalloping in the direction they had supposed us to have taken.
At length the day began to dawn, and, led by Sergeant Lawson, whoseknowledge of the country was surprising, we descended the hill by amore gradual slope, keeping a safe distance from, but following thegeneral direction of, the London road.
At intervals we passed several countrymen, who gazed at us withopen-mouthed astonishment, for as yet the horrors of this disastrouscivil war had not been brought home to them. The common hind stillploughed his land or tended his sheep, careless of the affairs of thekingdom, but before long the constant levy upon his crops, byforagers of both sides, goaded the peasant into a state dangerousboth to Royalists and rebels.
On emerging from a wood hard by the village of Catherington, I sawbefore us a tall, grass-covered hill crowned by a windmill, and, tomy delight, I recognised a well-known landmark within sight of ourcastle of Ashley.
Boldly crossing the deserted highway, we rode through the village ofChalton, every step of the way now being familiar, and, just as thesun appeared above the downs, we came in sight of my ancestral home.
Snugly ensconced between two lofty spurs of the South Downs, AshleyCastle, though more of a dwelling than a fortress, was well able tobe put in a state of defence, and, in the absence of artillery, whichan enemy would be at great pains to draw over the rough hill-roads,it could be relied upon to withstand a lengthy siege.
Notwithstanding the early hour, the castle was astir, thick clouds ofsmoke arising from the kitchen chimneys, while at the gate stood apikeman, his steel headpiece glittering in the rays of the sun.
The drawbridge over the moat was
raised, and, on our approach, therewas a rush of armed men to the walls, and, though the garrisonappeared but few in number, it was not lacking in watchfulness.
Removing my steel cap, I waved it above my head, and, being instantlyrecognised, the drawbridge slowly sank into position, and we passedbeneath the gateway, where my mother and sister were awaiting us.
In a few words I introduced my companions, and explained thecircumstances of my home-coming, and, to my surprise, my motherexpressed her approval of my action in leaving Newport.
Telling the grooms to take charge of our horses, and givingdirections for a meal to be spread, she led the way to the greatpanelled hall.
"You are just in time, Humphrey," she said. "In a few days awain-load of supplies for His Majesty leaves the castle, and ye canbear it company."
"Where is my father?"
"With the King, but I wot not where that may be. Sir Reginald sent aletter, which arrived here yesternight, asking for the supplies to besent to Oxford, though at the time of writing he was in camp atShrewsbury, whither the King had journeyed from Nottingham."
"And what supplies are we sending, mother? Surely the King's army isnot in such need of food that it must needs be provisioned fromAshley?"
"Nay," she replied, with a sad smile. "Royalty needs, and loyaltymust. Look around the hall, Humphrey. The sideboard and yondershelves--dost notice the difference?"
"They are bare," I exclaimed. "Where is the silver plate--the wassailbowls and our silver-gilt chargers?"
"Gone to the smelting-pot," replied my mother, in a tone of triumphmingled with regret. "Fifty stout pikemen and twenty musketeers willthey provide!"
After our repast, Granville and I went to the kitchen, where, in ahuge smelting-pot, the remains of our family plate were at moltenheat, old Giles, the butler, having been appointed founder, a taskwhich he performed as if brought up to it from his youth, althoughmany were the sighs he gave as the rich vessels, over which he hadspent much care, vanished into the pot.
On the flagged floor were moulds of sand and clay, into which themolten metal was ladled, for it was necessary, in view of the dangersof the road, to convey the silver in as compact a form as possible.
With the exception of Wat, the pikeman who was on guard at thedrawbridge on our arrival, and a lad of about fifteen years of age,the whole of our male servants, twenty in all, remaining in thecastle, were over sixty years of age, for the able-bodied men myfather had taken with him. Nevertheless, such was the faithfulnessand devotion of these servants that, in spite of their years, theywere ready to defend the castle to the last extremity, should thingscome to the worst.
From the kitchen we made our way towards the tower, for Ralph hadexpressed a wish to be shown the whole of the castle.
Passing through the great hall, we saw Colonel Firestone sitting in ahigh-backed chair, one slippered foot resting on a stool, while theother, still cased in his worn and stained jack-boot, was thrust outas stiff as a ramrod. He was smoking, blowing huge clouds of tobaccosmoke that surrounded him like a shroud; but, seeing us, he removedhis pipe and called me by name.
"I would fain journey with the waggon," said he, "for 'tis safer, andI'll warrant that my despatches will reach His Majesty before thosemessengers who attempt to pass through Dover and Fowey. Thatexcellent lady, your mother, hath commended you to my care, and, byyour conduct of yester-night, I wish for no better charges. For thepresent, then, we'll be comrades three."
Both Granville and I were delighted with the news; but, on leavingthe apartment, my companion remarked, "Didst notice anything strangeabout Colonel Firestone?"
"In what way?"
"Why, his jack-boot. Methinks he sleeps in it, for never have I seenhim without it," said my friend.
"Perchance, like many a veteran, he feels at ease only when bootedand spurred; still, he is a fine old soldier, and a right worthygentleman."
Through the picture gallery we passed, giving but slight heed to theportraits of my ancestors, and, on gaining the leads, we found thatfour culverins and two small pieces of brass ordnance had beencarried thither from the armoury and placed so as to command theapproach to the gateway. At the south-western angle of the buildingstood the tower, which is entered by a narrow doorway from the roof,on which we were standing.
A spiral staircase of forty-five steps brought us to the summit,whence a magnificent view over a tract of well-wooded countryextended southwards, terminating with a glimpse of the sea, but onthe other quarters the tall outlines of the beautiful South Downsrestricted the outlook.
"What a fine home you have, Humphrey," exclaimed Granvilleenthusiastically. "Is the castle very old?"
"This part is," I replied. "There are dungeons underneath, and secretpassages all over the place, though the entrance to the secretpassages is built up. The hall and the guest-chambers are new, mygrandsire having had them built less than fifty years ago, on hisreturn from Hispaniola."
"And Ashley Castle will belong to you some day?"
"I suppose so," I replied carelessly, for I had hardly before giventhought to the matter.
"And those dungeons and passages--how I should like to explore them!"
"We may some day, but the present important matters leave no time forthat," I answered, little thinking the service those secret passageswere to render in times to come.
Several days passed in active preparations for our journey. Thesmelting of the silver had been completed, our field equipmentprovided, and a great part of the time was spent in martialexercises, Colonel Firestone and the sergeant devoting greatattention in teaching us the use of the broadsword, with which weaponwe became quite proficient.
On the day previous to that fixed for our departure, news arrivedthat Portsmouth had fallen, and we learned of the manner in whichColonel Goring had fulfilled his boasting promise.
On the morrow, after the capture of Southsea Castle, the rebelsturned the guns upon the town, whereupon the Governor threatened tofire the magazine, and level every building in the place by theexplosion. It was, no doubt, an idle threat, but Goring hoped toexcuse his conduct by such empty bragging.
In the end the rebels agreed to terms of honourable surrender, thegarrison being permitted to march out with drums beating, matcheslighted, and colours flying, while Goring was allowed to take shipfor the Low Countries.
Then it was that he took the key of the Town Mount magazine, the samethat he had shown us, and cast it into the sea, thereby redeeming hisplighted word.
Very bitter was Colonel Firestone when he heard the news, vowing thathe would denounce Goring to his Royal master, and expressing hisintention of being the means of having the traitorous Chalonerhanged, should he fall within his clutches.
But it was no time for revengeful thoughts, for the time had comewhen immediate action was required on our part to carry out the taskof conveying the treasure from the castle to the Royal camp.