The road from London to Chester was full of straggling companies of soldiers, hastened forward like us by the alarm of the Spanish attack on Ireland. We, being mounted, distanced most of them. And so eager were the country folk along the march to see our backs, that, had we been minded to tarry long in any place, we should have soon outworn our welcome.
I saw little of Tom Price during the early part of our march. But when, presently, he had leisure to gossip, he told me one piece of news which moved me not a little.
It was that Sorley Boy, being now an old man and broken down in spirit, longed for his lost son, Sir Ludar, as eagerly as he had hated him not long since. He lived a restless life at Dunluce, often and again stalking abroad as of old, and seeming to expect him who was lost. He had even made friends with Turlogh; and the only time that Captain Merriman had hung his head and slunk out of Castleroe, said Tom, was when the Lord of Dunluce came thither to visit his new ally. So long as he stayed, the Captain found business elsewhere.
Sorley Boy, when at Castleroe, saw the maiden, who, after what had pa.s.sed, scarcely durst meet him. But by degrees her sweet, brave ways took the old man captive, and, ere he left, he knew her whole story, and loved her as if she were indeed already his daughter.
He well-nigh broke his truce with the O"Neill, because he would not permit the maid to visit Dunluce; for Turlogh (dreading, perhaps, the ill graces of the Captain), would not part with her from Castleroe. So Sorley Boy departed discontented, like a man robbed.
All this I heard, and more than ever chafed at the slackness of our laggard steeds. How I wished that, looking round, I might but see Ludar spurring at my side!
Alas! I saw him not. But one day, as we neared Chester, I did see a face in a troop that had joined ours on the road, that made me rub my eyes, and wonder if ghosts truly walked on earth.
If it was not Peter Stoupe, my old fellow "prentice, it was as like him as one pea is to another. Nay, once, when, to satisfy myself, I made a pretext to ride near him, I could have sworn I heard the humming of a psalm-tune amid the clatter of the hoofs.
Our troops parted company a day after, and I was left marvelling if all this world and the next were marching towards Ireland.
Early next day I had no leisure left me to cogitate more on that; for Tom Price reined his horse in beside mine, and said:
"Humphrey, here is a message come from the Captain in hot haste, to prevent our going north, and ordering us to Dublin."
I let my reins fall with a groan on my steed"s neck. Tom heeded it not, but continued:
"The Spaniard, it is said, has been gathering in the northern seas, and is coming down on the western Irish coast, where he counts on the papists of the country to further him. We are ordered to stay in Dublin for orders from my Lord Deputy. Why, how black you look, comrade!"
"Who would not? You know, Tom Price, why I came on this venture. I were better in London, unless our journey lead us to Castleroe."
Tom laughed, and I could have knocked him from his horse, had he not quickly added:
"Gently, my fire-eating jack printer. I came not to tell thee only this. The Captain addeth these words: "Send me six trusty men here, for my affairs require such before I am free to join you. Send them forward with all speed. Do you cross leisurely to Dublin, and there await me.
I am in hopes it may not be needful for me to return again thither.
Send trusty men, and speedily." What say you, Humphrey? Art thou a trusty lad? Could I trust thee to pick out five honest fellows like thyself and show them the way to a certain pair of black eyes and rosy lips on the banks of the Bann?"
I loved Tom Price like a brother then, and told him as much. In an hour"s time I had chosen five stout fellows, all of whom I could trust with my last farthing, and whom I could count on for any service. I had them armed to the teeth, well mounted and provisioned; and then, without a moment lost, called them to horse.
"Farewell, comrade," said Tom, as he saw me go. "I could even envy thee, though it is like to cost thee somewhat. For the Captain hath twenty men already, and hath eyes and ears in his head. Commend me to thy la.s.s, and let her know she hath had a narrow escape of a sweetheart in Tom Price."
"She shall thank you for your honesty, comrade, with her own sweet lips," said I, and hallooed my men forward.
Next day we were at the sea, and embarked--horses and all--on a barque that was even then weighing anchor with other troops on board for Knockfergus.
To my surprise, among the men that crowded the deck was the fellow I had seen two days ago, who had reminded me of Peter Stoupe. When I saw him now, I knew for certain it was he.
I stood full in front of him, to see if he would know me again, for I cared not if he did. He looked at me meekly without a sign of recognition, and humming ever, pa.s.sed his eyes to some other place.
"So, so, Peter," thought I, "as you know not your old shopmate, why should I disturb your humming?"
And I carelessly asked a man who stood next him whither his company was bound and on what service.--
"Westward," he said, "to look for Spaniards. And you?"
"To join one Captain Merriman in the north."
It tickled me much to see Peter start and change colour at that.
"Ah, "tis a brave gallant, I"m told," said the man. ""Twas he slew Sorley Boy"s son, was it not?"
"Ay, a brave deed that was," said I. "I saw it."
The fellow laughed.
"You know him, then? Ha! ha! You can satisfy Peter here better than I can. He desireth to know the Captain"s whereabouts; and when I tell him he is no further off than the nearest pretty face, he turneth up his eyes as if he expected to see him at his own side. He! he! What say you, Peter?"
"I say, alack that such men should wear her Majesty"s colours," said he, with a snivel.
"Amen to that," said I, giving him a thwack on the back that made him jump. ""Tis a pity her Majesty hath not more like you, Peter. How do you call your name?"
"Stoupe," said he, looking up at me meekly and rubbing his shoulder.
After that we went to look to our horses, and I saw little more of him that voyage; for from the moment we put out to sea he fell as sick as a dog, and lay on the floor of the ship praying Heaven to put an end to his sorrows, till we reached Knockfergus.
There I suddenly missed him, and heard he had had so sorry a time serving her Majesty thus far, that he had skulked so soon as ever the ship came to land, and made for the hills, where no doubt he meant to lie till he could go back the way he had come.
Whereat I laughed, and ordered my men to horse.
At the town gate, much to my vexation, we were met by a guard, who ordered us to report ourselves to the English governor. I had looked to get a fair start of the other troops going west. But now, so far from that, two days pa.s.sed idle on my hands before I even got audience of the governor, and by that time many companies had started westward. For the panic of the Spanish invasion was very great among the English soldiery at Knockfergus; and every man that could be had was being hurried across the country.
When I saw the governor and told him my orders, he said, shortly: "Captain Merriman has already had orders to go forward to Tyrone"s land, and will have left Castleroe before now. You will join him sooner by sea than by land. Be ready to sail three days hence. Till then, leave not the town, but abide at the hostel for further orders."
This was a thunderbolt to me. I knew the Captain well enough to be sure that, if he had indeed left Castleroe, he had either not left it alone or had left worse than desolation behind him. He was too well-known to his comrades in these parts to leave much doubt of that; and when that same night I heard by chance that Turlogh for a month past had been away in Dublin, leaving the protection of his castle to this English champion of his, I made sure, what I had feared all along, that I was come too late.
One thing I was resolved on. Come what would, I would make for Castleroe and learn the worst for myself. "Twould be better even to be hanged for a deserter than live a day longer in this misery and suspense.
So I bade my men, if they were minded still to serve me, be ready and stand by for the first chance of escape.
It came soon enough. Bands of soldiers were coming in and going out of Knockfergus all the night long; and while we sat in the hostelry and watched them depart with longing eyes, like prisoners through a dungeon cage, I suddenly found myself calling myself a fool and starting to my feet.
"Follow me," I cried to my men, and led them to where our horses stood, still saddled, in the stable.
"Mount," I said, "and stay under the shadow of this wall, till you see me ride out. Then fall in quietly at my heels."
Presently, as we stood there, came a noise of trumpets and a clatter of hoofs down the steep street. As they pa.s.sed, we could see by the torches of those that marched beside them that this was a great company of foot and horse, dragging a gun or two with them. "Twas more of a rabble than a troop; for the horses, frightened by the glare of the torches and the shouts of the footmen, reared and plunged, and scattered the townsfolk who had turned out to see them pa.s.s, right and left.
As they pa.s.sed the corner where we lurked, some of the horses plunged in among us, and in the darkness all was confusion for a moment.
Then I quietly rode in among them with my five men at my heels, and so, unseen and unheeded, we joined the troop and pa.s.sed the gate in safety into the black country beyond.
Once outside, "twas easy enough to get clear. I bade my men lag behind all they could; till at last we must have dropped fifty yards or so, where, in the darkness, we were quite lost to view. Then I gave the order to gallop; and overtaking the company, as in hot haste, I rode up to the officer and saluted.