Following his gaze, I saw a small sloop moving under shorten"d canvas, about two miles from the land. She made a pleasant sight, with the last rays of sunlight flaming on her sails: but for Billy"s perturbation I could not account, so turn"d an enquiring glance to him.
"Suthin" i" the wind out yonder," was his answer: "What"s a sloop doing on that ratch so close in by the point? Be dang"d! but there she goes again;"--as the little vessel swung off a point or two further from the breeze, that was breathing softly up Channel. "Time to sup, lad, for the both of us," he broke off shortly.
Indeed, I was faint with hunger by this time, yet had no stomach to eat thus close to the dead. So turning into a gate on our left hand, we cross"d two or three fields, and sat down to sup off Billy"s biscuits, the mare standing quietly beside us, and cropping the short gra.s.s.
The field where we now found ourselves ran out along the top of a small promontory, and ended, without fence of any sort, at the cliff"s edge. As I sat looking southward, I could only observe the sloop by turning my head: but Billy, who squatted over against me, hardly took his eyes off her, and between this and his meal was too busy to speak a word. For me, I had enough to do thinking over the late fight: and being near worn out, had half a mind to spend the night there on the hard turf: for, though the sun was now down and the landscape grey, yet the air was exceeding warm: and albeit, as I have said, there breath"d a light breeze now and then, "twas hardly cool enough to dry the sweat off me. So I stretch"d myself out, and found it very pleasant to lie still; nor, when Billy stood up and sauntered off toward the far end of the headland, did I stir more than to turn my head and lazily watch him.
He was gone half an hour at the least, and the sky by this time was so dark, that I had lost sight of him, when, rising on my elbow to look around, I noted a curious red glow at a point where the turf broke off, not three hundred yards behind me, and a thin smoke curling up in it, as it seem"d, from the very face of the cliff below. In a minute or so the smoke ceased almost; but the shine against the sky continued steady, tho" not very strong. "Billy has lit a fire," I guessed, and was preparing to go and look, when I spied a black form crawling toward me, and presently saw "twas Billy himself.
Coming close, he halted, put a finger to his lip and beckoned: then began to lead the way back as he had come.
Thought I, "these are queer doings:" but left Molly to browse, and crept after him on hands and knees. He turn"d his head once to make sure I was following, and then scrambled on quicker, but softly, toward the point where the red glow was shining.
Once more he pull"d up--as I judg"d, about twelve paces" distance from the edge--and after considering for a second, began to move again; only now he worked a little to the right. And soon I saw the intention of this: for just here the cliff"s lip was cleft by a fissure--very like that in Scawfell which we were used to call the _Lord"s Rake_, only narrower--that ran back into the field and shelved out gently at the top, so that a man might easily scramble some way down it, tho" how far I could not then tell. And "twas from this fissure that the glow came.
Along the right lip of this Billy led me, skirting it by a couple of yards, and wriggling on his belly like a blind worm. Crawling closer now (for "twas hard to see him against the black turf), I stopp"d beside him and strove to quiet the violence of my breathing. Then, after a minute"s pause, together we pulled ourselves to the edge, and peer"d over.
The descent of the gully was broken, some eight feet below us, by a small ledge, sloping outward about six feet (as I guess), and screen"d by branches of the wild tamarisk. At the back, in an angle of the solid rock, was now set a pan pierced with holes, and full of burning charcoal: and over this a man in the rebels" uniform was stooping.
He had a small paper parcel in his left hand, and was blowing at the charcoal with all his might. Holding my breath, I heard him clearly, but could see nothing of his face, for his back was toward us, all sable against the glow. The charcoal fumes as they rose chok"d me so, that I was very near a fit of coughing, when Billy laid one hand on my shoulder, and with the other pointed out to seaward.
Looking that way, I saw a small light shining on the sea, pretty close in. "Twas a lantern hung out from the sloop, as I concluded on the instant: and now I began to have an inkling of what was toward.
But looking down again at the man with the charcoal pan I saw a black head of hair lifted, and then a pair of red puff"d cheeks, and a pimpled nose with a scar across the bridge of it--all shining in the glare of the pan.
"Powers of Heaven!" I gasped; ""tis that b.l.o.o.d.y villain Luke Settle!"
And springing to my feet, I took a jump over the edge and came sprawling on top of him. The scoundrel was stooping with his nose close to the pan, and had not time to turn before I lit with a thud on his shoulders, flattening him on the ledge and nearly sending his face on top of the live coal. "Twas so sudden that, before he could so much as think, my fingers were about his windpipe, and the both of us struggling flat on the brink of the precipice. For he had a bull"s strength, and heaved and kicked, so that I fully looked, next moment, to be flying over the edge into the sea: nor could I loose my grip to get out a pistol, but only held on and worked my fingers in, and thought how he had strangled the mastiff that night on the bowling-green, and vowed to serve him the same if only strength held out.
But now, just as he had almost twisted his neck free, I heard a stone or two break away above us, and down came Billy Pottery flying atop of us, and pinned us to the ledge.
"Twas short work now. Within a minute, Captain Luke Settle was turned on his back, his eyes fairly starting with Billy"s clutch on his throat, his mouth wide open and gasping; till I slipp"d the nozzle of my pistol between his teeth; and with that he had no more chance, but gave in, and like a lamb submitted to have his arms truss"d behind him with Billy"s leathern belt, and his legs with his own.
"Now," said I, standing over him, and putting the pistol against his temple, "you and I, Master Turncoat Settle, have some accounts that "twould be well to square. So first tell me, what do you here, and where is Mistress Delia Killigrew?"
I think that till this moment the bully had no idea his a.s.sailants were more than a chance couple of Cornish troopers. But now seeing the glow of the burning charcoal on my face, he ripped out a horrid blasphemous curse, and straightway fell to speaking calmly.
"Good sirs, the game is yours, with care. S"lid! but you hold a pretty hand--if only you know how to play it."
""Tis you shall help me, Captain: but let us be clear about the stakes. For you, "tis life or death: for me, "tis to regain Mistress Delia, failing which I shoot you here through the head, and topple you into the sea. You are the Knave of trumps, sir, and I play that card: as matters now stand, only the Queen can save you."
"Right: but where be King and Ace?"
"The King is the Cornish army, yonder: the Ace is my pistol here, which I hold."
"And that"s a very pretty comprehension of the game, sir: I play the Queen."
"Where is she?"
For answer, he pointed seaward, where the sloop"s lantern lay like a floating star on the black waters.
"What!" cried I. "Mistress Delia in that sloop! And who is with her, pray?"
"Why, Black d.i.c.k, to begin with--and Reuben Gedges--and Jeremy Toy."
"All the Knaves left in the pack--G.o.d help her!" I muttered, as I look"d out toward the light, and my heart beat heavily. "G.o.d help her!" I said again, and turning, spied a grin on the Captain"s face.
"Under Providence," answered he, "your unworthy servant may suffice.
But what is my reward to be?"
"Your neck," said I, "if I can save it when you are led before the Cornish captains."
"That"s fair enough: so listen. These few months the lady has been shut in Bristol keep, whither, by the advice of our employer, we conveyed her back safe and sound. This same employer--"
"A dirty rogue, whom you may as well call by his name--Hannibal Tingcomb."
"Right, young sir: a very dirty rogue, and a n.i.g.g.ardly:--I hate a mean rascal. Well, fearing her second escape from that prison, and being hand in glove with the Parliament men, he gets her on board a sloop bound for the Virginias, just at the time when he knows the Earl of Stamford is to march and crush the Cornishmen. For escort she has the three comrades of mine that I named: and the captain of the sloop (a fellow that asks no questions) has orders to cruise along the coast hereabouts till he gets news of the battle."
"Which you were just now about to give him," cried I, suddenly enlighten"d.
"Right again. "Twas a pretty scheme: for--d"ye see?--if all went well with the Earl of Stamford, the King"s law would be wiped out in Cornwall, and Master Tingcomb (with his claims and meritorious services) might snap his thumb thereat. So, in that case, Mistress Delia was to be brought ash.o.r.e here and taken to him, to serve as he fancied. But if the day should go against us--as it has--she was to sail to the Virginias with the sloop, and there be sold as a slave.
Or worse might happen; but I swear that is the worst was ever told me."
"G.o.d knows "tis vile enough," said I, scarce able to refrain from blowing his brains out. "So you were to follow the Earl"s army, and work the signals. Which are they?" For a quick resolve had come into my head, and I was casting about to put it into execution.
"A green light if we won: if not, a red light, to warn the sloop away."
I picked up the packet that had dropp"d from his hand when first I sprang upon him. It was burst abroad, and a brown powder trickling from it about the ledge.
"This was the red light--to be sprinkled on the burning charcoal, I suppose?"
The fellow nodded. At the same moment, Billy (who as yet had not spoke a word, and of course, understood nothing) thrust into my hand another packet that he had found stuck in a corner against the rock.
"Now tell me--in case the rebels won, where was the landing to be made?"
"In the cove below here--where the road leads down."
"Aye, the road where the wagon stood."
Captain Luke Settle blink"d his eyes at this: but nodded after a moment.
"And how many would escort her?"
He caught my drift and laughed softly---
"Be d.a.m.n"d, sir, but I begin to love you, for you play the game very proper and soundly. Reuben, Jeremy, and Black d.i.c.k alone are in the plot; so why should more escort her? For the skipper and crew have their own business to look after."
"Then, Master Settle, tho" it be a sore trial to you, those three Knaves you must give me, or I play my Ace," and I pressed the ring of my pistol sharply against his ear as a reminder.