But to make some amends for this, one was never far away from the salt waters of the loch. And a breath straight from the great sea came every now and then all day long, to air out the packed houses and crooked alleys. Down on the sea front were many boats. For at the season when the Bothy was captured and Stair and the spy led to the "Auld Castle,"
the herring boats were getting ready for the Loch Fyne catch--a good three hundred of them, and their brown and red sails brightened everything.
Fish-scales glistened on the cobbled quays of the little port. Salesmen and buyers moved piles of fish contumeliously, saying, "It is naught! It is naught!" after the manner of their kind since the days of Solomon--who had experience in such matters, for he was undoubtedly scandalously "had" in his traffic with the spice merchants.
The gaol of Stranryan was also on the water front, and especially when the Irish harvesters landed among the products of the herring catch, it was the witness of complex and acc.u.mulated villainies. There were faction fights among the Irishry themselves. There were fights between all the Irish united and the douce burghers and tradesmen of Stranryan--fights about eggs and chickens, fights about water and other privileges, fights which ended in sleepers being ousted from barns and stables, or triumphantly retaining possession thereof. There were also religious quarrels, in which the true "Protestants" of the two countries broke the heads of the true "Kyatholics," and had their heads broken in turn, all to the greater glory of G.o.d.
All these things were normal, and the partic.i.p.ants seldom ended their shillelah practice within the walls of "MacJannet"s Hotel"--MacJannet being the name of the chief gaoler of the town prison.
"The Castle" itself was a tall old hump of a building set in a courtyard with high-spiked walls. It had once been a town house of the reigning family of the Kennedys of Ca.s.sillis. They used to spend some time there by the waterside during the summer after the long winter months at Maybole, and, indeed, their doing so counted for much in the early history of the compact little town at the head of the loch.
The lower part of the "Castle" had been fitted up as a guard-room, and here, at all hours of the day, were to be found groups of soldiers, making the time pa.s.s in various games of chance and skill, from plain odd-and-even to _bouchon_ learned from certain captive Frenchmen who were permitted to mingle with them under no very strict supervision. The square tower of the original Ca.s.sillis house had been cut down and roofed in, which gave it a very uneven and squat appearance, and all about the walls little sheds had been erected, to shelter this detachment and that on its way through to Ireland. Some of these were as old as Claverhouse and his King"s Life Guards in the bad days of the covenant. But, one and all, they were insufficient, out of repair, drippy, smelling of stale bad tobacco and wet wood ashes.
Tony MacJannet, chief keeper of the prison of Stranryan, installed Stair Garland on the second story, immediately over the gate where the guard was on duty. Stair had no view to the front, but two small windows looked out on the courtyard, from which, through thick bars, he could see the comings and goings of the French prisoners, and even watch the ebb and flow of the games. Stair"s chamber was s.p.a.cious--the largest and best in the gaol, but the roof had not been plastered, and he could see the light through the slates, though some attempt had been made at scantling, and even in one corner a quant.i.ty of plasterers" laths had been piled. But there the matter had rested and was likely to rest.
As usual, the Town Council objected to spending money. The Government sent down every year lists of "immediate requirements," which the council as promptly filed owing to the lack of any accompanying draft.
To spend good siller "oot o" the Common Guid" and then look to a far-off Government to reimburse them, was an affair in which the shrewd burgesses of Stranryan very naturally declined to engage.
Julian Wemyss"s case threatened to be a curious one. He had been captured in Scotland at the request of the English Government for an offence committed in France--in which country his crime was no offence at all. Some loss of time and a great deal of employment for the lawyers seemed the worst that could befall him.
It was quite otherwise with Eben McClure. He was a fugitive from justice, and had been guilty of carrying off a large sum of money and various jewels, the property of His Royal Highness the Duke of Lyonesse.
He was also suspected of having led the Prince and his party into an ambuscade, where the son of the King had been wounded to the effusion of blood and the danger of his life.
For the theft alone there was one sure penalty--death.
However, as things stood the spy"s unpopularity made his fate of little moment to anybody. The thoughts of all were centred on Stair Garland. He was handsome, young and interesting. The maidens of the town of Stranryan trigged themselves out in their best hats and dresses--they donned their most becoming ribbons in order to promenade in front of the "Castle."
"Three months he and the ither twa held the sodjers at bay, till they had them clean wearied oot!" May Girmory explained to her bosom friend, Lizzie McCreath, as they promenaded together; "but to my thinkin" there is little that either of the ither two could do. It would be himsel", Lizzie, that did the thinkin" and the fechtin". He"s the head o" a" the Free Bands, ye ken, Lizzie!"
"Then, to my thinkin", it"s but little that the "bands" have done for him, the poor lad--and the more shame to them," said Lizzie. "Now, over yonder, in Ulster, if a quiet lad had been as long caged up by them divils of red-coats--it"s the good dustin" their jackets would be gettin". "Tis Elizabeth McCreath and the daughter of a law-abiding Orangeman that will be tellin" ye so!"
"Hoots, la.s.sie," said her friend, "you Stranryan Irish or half-Irish are all for doing a thing like the banging off of a peeoye. But what matters a day or twa for a fine, strong lad in the best chamber of the Castle?
Stair Garland is not tried yet and, what is more, he is not sentenced.
And if he is sentenced, where will he serve his time? Will he be going ayont seas to be sold in the tobacco plantations or off in a ship to Botany Bay? I tell you the keel is not laid, and the mast is not out of the acorn that will carry away Stair Garland. And as to hanging him--faith, they will need all their forces back from the wars before they could do siccan a thing in Galloway!"
She lowered her voice and spoke in the ear of the Irish girl, the Orangeman"s daughter.
"Lizzie McCreath," she whispered, "can you keep a secret?"
"What else, noo?" said Lizzie, with avidity, "did you ever hear tell where you were with Sandy O"Neil on the night of the Saint John?"
"That"s nothing," retorted May Girmory, "for where I was on the Beltane eve, there in that very place ye were yourself--you and my brither Jo.
It is like that ye would keep _that_ secret? But this is different."
"I will keep it, "by the hand and fut of Mary,"" said Lizzie McCreath, quite forgetting that she was the daughter of the Grand Master of an Orange Lodge.
"Well, then," said May, "there is a Princess riding about the country, here and there and away. She has all Stair Garland"s band ready, and hundreds more, too--aye, thousands if need be, pledged to rescue the lads laid up there. Jo is in it."
"Oh," said Liz McCreath, with a curious alteration of tone, "Jo is in it, is he? And he never said a word to me."
"Neither did he to me, but somebody else telled me--"
"Sandy O"Neil, it would be, maybe then, like as not!"
"And what for no?" demanded the revealer of secrets, and so proceeded unblushingly with her tale. She skipped some parts, to which she had been sworn to particular secrecy. But Miss Liz McCreath, while noting these, let the blanks pa.s.s, comfortably sure in her mind that so soon as she got Jo Girmory by himself, she knew a way of making him tell her all about it--the same, indeed, as that by which May Girmory had brought Sandy O"Neil to full auricular confession.
"But what like is your Princess? Does she wear a goold crown now?" said the Irish girl.
"Not her," said May Girmory, "she has a riding skirt, the way folk has them made in London, and gangs by at a hand-gallop, a different powny every time, and Lord, she doesna spare them!"
"That," said Liz McCreath with cold contempt, "is no Princess at all.
"Tis only little Patsy Ferris from Cairn Ferris, and I saw her faither yesterday at the Apothecaries" Hall at the Vennel Head!"
"And what wad he be wantin" there, now?"
"He asked for "something soothin"" and he appeared most terribly glad to get it. He did be takin" a good drink on the spot."
"Puir man, I am sure he had need o"t. He will maybe no be so very anxious aboot this lad Garland as his dochter!"
"So I was thinking, but what garred ye be whistling in my lug that she was a Princess? A laird"s la.s.s is no a Princess, that ever I heard of over yonder!"
"There"s a heap of things ye have not heard "over yonder," and this may be one of them. But Patsy Ferris is a Princess because she could be a Princess the very minute she made up her mind to marry a Prince that has been askin" her and double asking her. Eelen Young, my cousin, that is with Miss Aline at Ladykirk, was telling me all about it, and it appears that up there in London our Miss Patsy could have had the pick of princes and dukes--"
"And with all said an" done she runs away (Glory be to her brave sowl!) just to raise the country and get Stair Garland safe over the sea!"
"Do not be foolish, Liz McCreath," said her comrade, "without doubt it was to save her uncle that was trapped in the Bothy of Blairmore at the same time!"
"Her uncle!--her uncle!" cried Liz McCreath; "the back o" me hand to all your uncles. How much would you be doing now for all the half-score of uncles that ye have in this parish? Not as much as would fatten a fly.
No, nor Elizabeth McCreath either. "Tis her lad she is fightin" for--and well do you know it, May Girmory. She will have sat out the Beltane fires wid him, darlin", and certain that"ll be the raison why!"
CHAPTER x.x.xIV
THE PRISON-BREAKERS
The nights were fast waxing shorter. It was necessary that no time should be wasted. Patsy waited till there was a change of garrison at Stranryan. Long spoken of, it came at last. The relief had been signalled from afar--at Carlisle, at Dumfries, and now crossing the hills by the military road from New Galloway.
On the night before its arrival the storm burst upon the little fishing town scattered so carelessly along the sh.o.r.es of the Loch of Ryan. The two companies of the light cavalry division had marched out that afternoon leaving their barracks empty, swept and wholly ungarnished for the troops which were to arrive to replace them.
Stranryan will long remember that twenty-fourth of May. In the evening there was a wind off the Loch, a little irregular but pleasantly fanning to cheeks heated with the good-night b.u.mper. So the burgesses stayed out a little longer than usual on the quay in the fading light, standing about in groups or marching up and down in pairs solemnly talking business or of the "Common Guid" of the town. How, for instance, they thought of electing the Earl Raincy to be their provost, honorary as to duties, but exceedingly decorative and possibly useful. The ninety-nine-year leases of the Out Parks would fall in during his time of office, and the feu duties would have to be rearranged. It would be a very suitable thing indeed--in all respects--that is, if the Earl could see his way--and so on and so forth.
He had certainly been more approachable lately, ever since Miss Patsy had gone to stay at Castle Raincy. A year or two before he would have d.a.m.ned them up and down all the hills if they had ventured to mention such a thing to him. They looked forward with hope to a more amicable reception now.
One by one they began to draw out turnip-shaped watches from their fobs, and having first held the case to their ears to make sure that there was no deception, the dial was examined, and with a casual, "Guid nicht to ye--the goodwife will be waitin"," the members of the town council and other munic.i.p.al dignitaries strolled off each to his own house.
It did not strike any of them that they had not seen the town"s night watchman, old Jock McAdam, in the performance of his duties. If it had occurred to any of the burghal authorities, it had only provoked the reflection that Jock would most likely be discussing a pint or two at Lucky Forgan"s down by the Brigend, and that presently he would be perambulating the streets of the royal borough, his halbert over his shoulder, and intoning his song--