CHAPTER V
CONVOYING THE TREASURE
THE morning of our departure dawned grey and misty, while a keen,damp wind stirred the tree-tops, though it was not sufficient todisperse the wreaths of vapour that obliterated every object beyondthe distance of a few yards from us.
The waggon stood in the courtyard, four powerful dray horses beingalready harnessed to it. The silver bars were compactly stowed awayin the bottom of the wain, covered by a layer of straw. On this wereplaced a number of articles intended for my father's and our ownpersonal use, including an air bed, my sire having mentioned that theeffects of a hard bed on the ground had begun to show in the natureof rheumatism.
This contrivance had but lately been introduced, and, in the words ofthe worthy Richard Royston, in his treatise on fortification, "it isblown up to bear its owner from the damp and unwholesome humidity ofthe earth, the which I call a 'ventilet,' signifying a bed of wind."
Above the chattels came another load of straw, hiding everything,while a tarpaulin protected the contents from the rain.
Colonel Firestone was to play the part of a country yeoman, wearing aplain buff coat over his armour, though he carried his sword andpistols openly, for it was the custom, nay, a necessity, fortravellers to go armed when making far journeys.
Roger, the waggoner, had pistols close at hand in the cart, though Ihad my doubts, as did the colonel, whether his natural stupidity andtimidity would ever be overcome should we be molested; but Walter, thepikeman, who rode within the waggon, was made of sterner stuff, andcould be relied upon in a tight place.
Granville and I, together with Sergeant Lawson, all soberly clad andarmed, were to ride at some distance behind the waggon, so as topresent the appearance of a party of travellers having no interest inthe convoy and we had agreed, when putting up for the night, to treatColonel Firestone as a chance acquaintance, so as to disarm anysuspicions which the presence of a body of armed men would give riseto.
The final farewells were said, and the gates were thrown open. Then,with a dull rumble, the waggon lumbered over the lowered drawbridge,and our journey to the King's camp at Oxford had begun.
Directly we struck the highway we took up the order agreed upon; butso slow was the pace that Granville and I exercised our steeds bygalloping over the green sward which bordered the road on eitherside, though keeping well within sight of our precious charge.
Up the tedious ascent of Butser Hill the waggon crawled at a snail'space. At frequent intervals parties of horsemen passed us, eitherbound for London, or else making towards Portsmouth, and, though mostof them were undoubtedly rebels, they hindered us not, though manywere the sour and distrustful glances they shot at us.
Hard by the town of Petersfield the waggon turned oft to the left, toavoid the town, which, rumour said, was full of the Parliamentarytroops, and, moreover, the inhabitants of Ashley Castle were wellknown to the countryside.
Winchester was, we learned, in the hands of the Royalists, andthither we directed our way, intending to cross the downs to Newbury,and so on to Oxford, our only fear being that we should fall in withthe Parliamentarians marching to join the Earl of Essex.
It was nearly sunset ere the waggon turned in under the archway ofthe King's Head, and a quarter of an hour later Granville and Igalloped up, followed by Lawson.
Granville and I having arrived at the inn, I demanded in an imperiousvoice accommodation for the night, asking at the same time whetherthere were other travellers staying there?
"None save a country gentleman and a merchant from Southampton,"replied the landlord. "Right worthy company you'll find them, sirs."
"I hope so, too," I replied, and, dismissing the sergeant, for whomlodging was provided above the stables, Granville and I joined thecolonel, keeping up the pretence by craving the liberty ofintroducing ourselves to him and to the merchant of Southampton, whogave his name as Henry Cutler.
The latter was a keen-eyed, black-browed man, with pale, thinfeatures, and lank, raven hair. His dress was rich and even gaudy,while his long, white fingers were loaded with rings.
The conversation flagged somewhat till Firestone called for a bottleof Canary, and presently the colonel and the merchant were trying tooutvie each other by telling tales of their adventures both at homeand in the countries of western and southern Europe.
"I do perceive that ye are Royalists and honest men," remarked themerchant, fixing his keen eyes on us each in turn. "Therefore, I'lltake ye into my confidence, an ye be willing."
"I will not promise you that I'll take you into mine," repliedFirestone bluntly.
"I do not ask it," continued the other carelessly. "I can read mostpersons' minds like an open book. For example, you, young sirs, arejourneying to give your personal services to His Majesty. And you,sir, are an old soldier, who also is on the same errand?"
"How knowest thou that?" inquired the colonel, with considerableamazement.
"Never mind," replied the other, with a slight smile. "But, thatbeing so, why should we not travel together? I am taking a present toHis Majesty, which will, I trove, relieve him of all anxietyregarding money matters. To be brief, I tell you, in confidence, Ipossess the secret of the philosopher's stone, concerning which somany wise men have laboured in vain."
"What!" exclaimed Firestone, "canst convert base metal into gold andsilver?"
"Ay, and I'll prove it forthwith," replied the merchant calmly.Producing a small glass bottle from his pocket, he held it up for ourinspection.
"'Tis not a stone, but a powder that works the marvel," he continued."The secret thereof was bestowed upon me by Master Hans Oest, theworld-known alchemist of Antwerp. See, here is a piece of lead. Takeand examine it carefully, lest you say it is not base metal."
The piece of lead was eagerly handed round, the colonel cutting itwith a knife to make certain that there was no deception about it.
"With this powder, lead becomes silver; silver becomes gold, thoughits virtues cannot produce gold from lead, through the medium ofsilver. I see an earthenware platter yonder; wouldst mind handing itto me?"
In breathless silence we watched the merchant place the bar of leadon the platter and carefully sprinkle a small quantity of the powderupon it.
With a taper, he applied a light to the powder, and immediately thereappeared a fierce blue light which dazzled our eyes, and a thickyellowish smoke that made us gasp for breath.
The light disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving us blinkingin the sudden change from the brilliant glare to the semi-darkness ofthe room; but, when our eyes grew accustomed to the change, there, onthe plate, lay a bar of pure silver!
"And now, concerning the conversion of silver into gold?" askedColonel Firestone.
"Ah, I have excited thy curiosity, then?"
"I would see the whole business through."
"Then ye shall, though, by necessity, it takes longer than doth theproduction of silver. Hast any silver articles upon your person?"
"None, save a crown or two."
"Silver, if tarnished, doth not lend itself to the action of thepowder," continued Master Cutler, looking at the dull coins which thecolonel had produced. "I see a silver tankard yonder. I'll takeliberties with it, for, without doubt, our host will not object. Butone important thing must be seen to. Hast gold on thy person?"
"A small sum," replied our companion.
"And you, sir?"
"Ten broad pieces," I replied.
"And you?"
"Five," said Granville.
"Then take them away, and leave them in your sleeping places, for'tis impossible to create gold where gold is already present."
So, acting on these instructions, we obediently placed our money,some fifty pounds in all, upon a table in one of the other rooms, andreturned eagerly to see the marvellous effects of the Antwerpalchemist's powder.
"I read your thoughts, sir," remarked the merchant to Firestone onour return. "Do you not think that by craft I changed the lead barfor a like one o
f silver hidden in my sleeve?"
"Ay, I did," replied the colonel bluntly and truthfully. "But now Iknow that 'tis impossible to have a tankard of that size concealedabout your person."
"I will be frank with you, and entrust some of the precious powderinto your keeping, and, lest ye think that I am a common charlatan,I'll absent myself from your company for a while. But, mark wellthese directions. Gold, of necessity, takes longer to produce thansilver; therefore, when the powder is sprinkled on yonder tankard,and fire applied, count from one up to three hundred, exercisingfaith and patience in the counting thereof. I'll stand just withoutthe door, and await your summons."
Bowing gravely, Master Cutler left the room, closing the doorcarefully behind him.
"He seems fair and above board," remarked the colonel. "Come on,let's to work."
The tankard was placed in the centre of the table, and ColonelFirestone proceeded to scatter the grains of powder on its broad rim,and on the bottom of the bowl.
"Forty good ounces of solid gold will not be amiss," he saidmeditatively. "By my faith, I see no reason why, considering the goodcause, our waggon-load of silver should not reach His Majesty in theform of virgin gold."
I applied a light to the powder, and, as it spluttered, flared up,and smoked villainously, the colonel counted in a slow, sonorousvoice.
Before he had finished fifty the room was full of dense, chokingvapour, and the powder was nearly consumed, yet there were no signsof the expected change.
At a hundred the flame had died out, leaving only the candlelightshining dimly through a dense yellow fog, so that we could not seewhether the silver was in a state of transition or not.
At three hundred the colonel was well-nigh stifled, an his voicereduced to a mere croak. Lifting up the tankard, he bore it close tothe candelabra and examined it carefully. Then he burst into a loud,hearty laugh.
"Come in, Master Cutler; come in, and see the result of ourhandiwork," he shouted. "Your powder has played ye false this time!"
There was no reply. Simultaneously, our jaws dropped in amazeddisappointment, whilst the colonel dashed to the door and flung itopen.
Master Henry Cutler had vanished!
With vague suspicion in our minds, we rushed towards our room, but,before we had covered half the length of the darkened corridor, Itripped over a bar of wood, which had been placed there by design,and fell headlong, Granville and Colonel Firestone joining me companyin a struggling heap on the floor.
Hastily regaining our feet, we burst into the bedroom.
Our worst fears were realised, for our gold had likewise vanished."Fool! Dolt that I am," shouted the colonel furiously; "could I butlay hands on the rogue!"
Alarmed by the noise, the landlord appeared, while in the street acrowd of citizens collected, thinking, by reason of the dense cloudof smoke that poured from the house, that a fire had broken out.
By our foolish simplicity our host's silver tankard was spoiled, ourmoney had been stolen, and the thief had got clear away in theconfusion. And next morning, in order to pay for our accommodationand the damage done, we were obliged to take a bar of silver from thewaggon and sell it at a third of its value to a rascally silversmith.So, lighter in pocket, yet improved in wisdom, we resumed ourjourney.
Over the extensive down towards Whitchurch our progress was tediouslyslow, so that Granville and I rode on ahead with Sergeant Lawson,keeping, as usual, to the grass by the roadside. For some distancethere was not a tree to break the deadly monotony of the landscapebut at length we came in sight of a small clump of firs hard by thehighway.
Here we were compelled to take to the road again, and barely had ourhorses' hoofs struck the hard ground than there came a shout forhelp.
Without a moment's hesitation, Sergeant Lawson set spurs to hishorse, and, dropping the reins and drawing sword and pistol, dashedtowards the wood, guiding his steed solely by his knees. We followed,sword in hand, and as we gained the edge of the clump of firs weheard the sound of heavy bodies crashing through the brushwood on thefarther side.
Bound to the tree trunk was a man, his head bleeding from the effectsof a blow from a bludgeon, and his pockets turned inside out. At hisfeet lay the pieces of a broken sword, while, a short distance away,a horse was tethered to a branch.
_There was a yell of terror, and the robbers made afrantic effort to rein in their steeds._]
With a couple of swift strokes of his sword, the sergeant severed theropes that bound the luckless stranger; then, calling on us tofollow, he urged his horse through the grove in pursuit of the man'sassailants.
The latter had already gained possession of their horses, and wereriding at break-neck pace across the open country. There were but twoof them, well mounted and lightly clad, while we were encumbered witharmour, and were riding heavy cavalry horses. Nevertheless, we heldthem in hot pursuit, neither gaining nor losing perceptibly.
After a while we straggled somewhat, I being well in front, Lawson ahundred yards or more behind, and Granville still farther away, whilethe two highwaymen kept closely together. At length I found myselfgaining on them, and, in the excitement of the chase, I forgot theperil I was running, for they could well afford to turn and attack mebefore the sergeant came up.
At intervals I saw them turn their crape-covered faces and glance atme over their shoulders, till suddenly they both wheeled, whipped outpistols, and fired.
They missed, though I felt the bullets whizz past my head and, unableto rein in my horse, I felt myself being carried straight towards thetwo robbers, who, drawing hangers, waited my approach.
When within a few paces they hurled their discharged weapons full atmy head, one grazing the top of my steel cap, while the other Iturned aside with my sword.
Whether I liked it or not, I had to close, and, turning slightly, Iavoided passing between them, as they had intended. Our blades metwithout effect; then, on succeeding in drawing in my horse, I foundthat the Villains had resumed their flight, but in a slightlydifferent direction to their previous course, and that this incidenthad enabled Lawson to gain considerably.
My senses were cooled by the encounter, so, permitting the sergeantto overtake me, we rode in company, regardless of Ralph, who wasstill floundering along a quarter of a mile behind, our eyes fixedupon the two fugitives.
Suddenly we heard a yell of terror, and saw a frantic effort on thepart of the robbers to pull in their steeds. For a brief moment itseemed as if the horses were sliding on their haunches, their ridersleaning back till we could see the tips of their noses above theirblack masks as they tore at the animals' reins. Another instant andthey had disappeared, and it was only the greater stretch ofintervening ground that saved us from a similar fate.
Hastily dismounting, we cautiously approached the place where thevillains had disappeared, and, to our horror, we found that they hadfallen down an unfenced pit, the like of which abound in the chalkdowns of the south of England, their presence being almost invisibleeven at a close distance, save to a trained eye.
Looking over the treacherous edge, we saw a mangled heap ofmotionless men and horses at the bottom of the pit.
"It has saved us a dirty business," remarked the sergeant grimly,"for, had we taken them alive, 'twould have meant a long wait at thenearest town when we had handed them over to the authorities."
"Are they killed?" I asked.
"Ay," replied he. "'Tis certain they were strangers in this part, andknew not the existence of this pitfall."
"We can do no good staying here," I observed as Granville rode up,spent and breathless with his exertion. "Let's make our way back tothe road."
It was a long ride, for in the excitement of the pursuit time anddistance had been ignored, but, on regaining the highway, we foundthat Colonel Firestone and the man we had rescued in timely fashionwere engaged in wordy strife, the latter having possessed himself ofhis horse.
After tendering his thanks at our opportune arrival, the strangerexclaimed, "I see ye are all birds of a feather
, and, in accordancewith the times, we should now be flying at each other's throats. ButI rejoice, in spite of party strife, that Englishmen are stillwilling to help one another in adversity."
"But you have not proved to me that you are in the right," said thecolonel courteously.
"Neither can I convince you that you are in the wrong," replied theother. "Like the rest of the nation, you have your opinion, and Ihave mine, though, I trove, we need not go the length of forcing ouropinions at the sword's point, especially as you are the stronger."
"Nay, I bear ye no ill-will," exclaimed Colonel Firestone, "and thesegentlemen are only too pleased to render you a slight service."
"Which at some time I may be able to repay," replied the Roundhead."My name is Dawe, captain in Waller's troop; with your permission,I'll bear you company to Whitchurch, till we are clear of thisrobber-infested country."
In spite of his antagonistic principles, Captain Dawe proved to be alevel-headed and well-bred man, far different from most of the rebelofficers whom I met in after times, though, as we rode together, hetalked on military matters with little reserve, whereby our leader,with well-feigned disinterestedness, gained much information as tothe disposition and strength of the rebels in the field.
However, his presence saved us from an unpleasant incident atWhitchurch, where we encountered a company of rebel foot, marchingtowards Andover and Salisbury, for, on declaring himself and showinghis commission to the captain of the soldiers, they refrained fromsearching our waggon.
Here we parted, Captain Dawe setting out for the west by the sameroad as the rebel foot were going, while we pursued our way northwardtowards Newbury, where we halted for the night.
The following day we arrived at Oxford without further incident, and,duly handing over the treasure to the officer in charge of the Royaltreasury, we awaited definite information of the Royal Army beforesetting out to join the King's forces in the field.