Home > Authors Index > William H. G. Kingston > From Powder Monkey to Admiral: A Story of Naval Adventure > This page
From Powder Monkey to Admiral: A Story of Naval Adventure, a novel by William H. G. Kingston |
||
Chapter 31. Captured |
||
| < Previous |
Table of content |
Next > |
|
________________________________________________
_ CHAPTER THIRTY ONE. CAPTURED The shipwrecked midshipmen would probably have slept far into the next day had not Francois appeared with their clothes, nicely brushed and carefully mended, so that they were able to make a presentable appearance in their own characters before their hostesses. He had also brought them a cup of cafe-au-lait, informing them that breakfast would be ready as soon as they were dressed in the salle-a-manger. They found an abundant meal spread out, as Francois had promised. The old lady and her daughters welcomed them kindly--the latter with wreathed smiles, the elder with a host of questions to which she did not wait for a reply. They were all three thorough Frenchwomen, talking, as Oliver observed, "thirteen to the dozen." Madame La Roche told them that she had been attending to the English sailor, who, she hoped, would, under her care, be quite well in a day or two. "I ought to warn you not to go out. People in these parts are not well affected towards the English, and should it be discovered that I am harbouring British officers I may get into trouble," she added. The morning passed very pleasantly. The young ladies produced their guitars, and sang with good voices several French airs. Rayner and Oliver thought them charming girls, and had they not felt it was their duty to get back to their ship as soon as possible, would gladly have remained in their society for an indefinite period. At last they begged leave to go down to see their men. They were guided to their rooms by sounds of music and uproarious laughter. They found Le Duc seated on a three-legged stool on the top of a table fiddling away, while old Francois, three black women, Tom and Brown, were dancing in the strangest possible fashion, whirling round and round, kicking up their heels, and joining hands, while Jack lay on a bed at the farther end of the room, looking as if he longed to get up and take a part in the dance. On seeing the strangers, Francois became as grave as a judge, and hurrying up to them, observed, "I thought it as well, messieurs, just to join in for one minute to set the young people going. The poor sailors needed encouragement, and I like to make people happy." "You succeeded well, Monsieur Francois," remarked Rayner. "I will not interrupt them, but I have a few words to speak to my men." He then told Tom and Brown that it was the wish of Madame La Roche that they should remain in the house, and not show themselves by any chance to the people outside. "In course, sir," said Brown. "We are as happy as princes here. They feed us with as much as we can eat, and give us a right good welcome too." "Take care that you don't indulge too much," said Rayner. "We are obliged to you, Le Duc, for finding us such good quarters, and we shall be still more grateful if you will accompany us to the Spanish border. I conclude you will then desire to return home." "I am very much at home where I am," replied Le Duc, with a grin. "If madame will accept my services, I shall be very happy to remain here. Perhaps one of the young ladies will fall in love with me, and I should prefer settling down to knocking about at sea." Rayner and Oliver were horrified at the Frenchman's impudence. "Pray do not be troubled at what I say, messieurs," said Le Duc, with perfect coolness. "Such things have happened before, and one Frenchman here is as good as another." They saw that it would not do to discuss the matter with the seaman, who, it was evident, from the dishes and glasses standing on the table by the window, had been making himself merry with his companions. The afternoon was spent very much as the morning had been. The young ladies possessed no other accomplishment than that of playing the guitar and dancing. They read when they could get books, but these were mostly French novels, certainly not of an improving character. Rayner and Oliver could not help comparing them with Mary Crofton, and the comparison was greatly to her advantage. The next day, Francois, who had been out to market returned with a troubled countenance. He hurried in to his mistress, who soon afterwards came into the room where her daughters and the young officers were seated. "I am sorry to say that the authorities have heard of your being in the neighbourhood, and have sent the gendarmes to search for you!" she exclaimed, in an anxious tone. "I did not wish to drive you away, and am willing to try and conceal you. At present, no one knows you are in the house. You may remain in a loft between the ceiling of this room and the roof, where you are not likely to be found; but the place is low, and will, I fear, be hot in the daytime, and far from pleasant. Francois might manage to conduct you to a hut in the woods at no great distance from this, to which we could send you food; but there is the risk of the person who goes being seen, and your retreat being discovered." "We are very sorry to cause you so much trouble, madame," said Rayner. "It will, I think, be safest to leave this place to-night, and to try and make our way, as we intended, into Spanish territory." "Ah! but the distance is long--fully twenty leagues," answered Madame La Roche. "You would be recognised as strangers, and probably detained by the mayor of a large village you must pass through." "But we must take care and not pass through any village," said Rayner. "We will try to make our way along bypaths. What we should be most thankful for is a trustworthy guide. Perhaps our good friend Francois here will find one for us." "That I will try to do," said the old mulatto. "It is not, however, very easy, as few of them know much of the country to the east." "But how was it discovered that these English officers and their men were in the country?" asked Mademoiselle Sophie, the eldest of the young ladies, turning to Francois. "It appears that yesterday morning there was found on the beach the dead body of a seaman, who was supposed from his appearance and dress to be English, while the marks of numerous feet were perceived on the sand, some going to the west, others coming in this direction. Those going to the west were traced until a party of French and black sailors were discovered asleep in a wood. They stated that the vessel was French, captured by an English man-of-war; that she had been driven by the hurricane on the reef, and that it was their belief the English officers and crew had escaped as well as themselves, but they could not tell what had become of them. The mayor, on hearing this, had despatched a party of gendarmes in search of the missing people. How soon they may be here it is impossible to say." "But they will not be so barbarous as to carry off to prison English officers who come with a flag of truce, and had no hostile intentions!" exclaimed Virginie. "The authorities would be only too glad to get some Englishmen to exhibit as prisoners," said Francois. "We must not trust them; and I propose that we hide away the officers and men." Just as Francois had finished giving this account, Le Duc ran into the room. "Oh, madame, oh messieurs!" he exclaimed, "I have seen those gendarmes coming along the road towards the house; they will be here presently." "Here, come this way, my friends!" cried Madame La Roche. "Francois, run and get the ladder. There may be time for you all to mount up before the gendarmes appear. Call the other sailors. The sick man is strong enough to move, or some one must help him. Vite, vite!" The old lady hurried about in a state of great agitation. Rayner and Oliver had serious fears that she would betray herself. Francois soon came with the ladder, which he placed in a dark corner of a passage, and, ascending, opened a trapdoor, and urged the party to mount without delay. Oliver went up first. Jack was able to get up without assistance. Le Duc was unwilling to go until the old lady seized him by the arm. "Go up, my son, go up," she said. "You will not be worse off than the rest." He at length unwillingly obeyed. As soon as Rayner got up, by Francois' directions he shut down the trapdoor. There was just light sufficient, through a pane of glass in the roof, to see that the loft extended over a considerable portion of the building. Part only was covered with boards, on which, according to the instructions given them, they laid down. Francois had charged them on no account to move about, lest they should be heard by the people below. The planks, however, were not placed very close together, and after they had been there a minute or so, Rayner discovered a glimmer of light coming through a broadish chink. Putting his face near it, he perceived that the old lady and her daughters had seated themselves at a table with their work before them, endeavouring to look as unconcerned as possible. He had not been in this position many minutes, when he heard some heavy steps coming along the passage; they entered the room, and a gruff voice demanded if any Englishmen had been, or still were, in the house. The old lady started to her feet with an exclamation of well-feigned astonishment. "What can monsieur mean?" she asked. "Englishmen in my house! Where can they have come from? My character is well known as a true patriot. The enemies of France are my enemies. Pray explain yourself more clearly." On this the sergeant of gendarmes began to apologise in more courteous language than he had at first used, explaining why he had been sent to look for the Englishmen who, it had been ascertained, were in that part of the country. "Suppose you find them, what would you do with them?" asked Madame La Roche. "No doubt send them to prison. They are enemies of France, and it would not be wise when we can catch them to allow such to wander at large and commit mischief." "Very true, very true, Monsieur Sergeant," said the old lady. "But that does not excuse you for accusing me of harbouring them, and coming to my house as if I were a traitress." The sergeant, however, was evidently persuaded, notwithstanding Madame La Roche's evasion, that the fugitives had been at the house, if they were not there still, and he insisted, with due respect to her, that it was his duty to make a thorough search. "As you desire it, pray obey your orders," said Madame La Roche. "My maitre d'hotel will show you round the house and outbuildings, and wherever you wish to go. You must excuse me on account of my age, as also my daughters from their youth and delicate nerves from accompanying you." The sergeant bowed, and said something with a laugh which Rayner did not hear, and the old lady, calling Francois, bade him conduct the sergeant and his gendarmes through the house. "And take care that he looks into every corner, under the beds and in them, if he likes, so that he may be thoroughly satisfied," she added. "Oui, madame," answered Francois with perfect gravity. "Come along, Monsieur Sergeant. If you do not find these Englishmen of whom you speak, do not blame me." Rayner heard them retire from the room. He now began to breathe more freely, hoping, for the sake especially of Madame La Roche, that the sergeant would be satisfied when they were not found in the house. The ladies went on working and talking as if nothing were happening, though their countenances betrayed their anxiety. The gendarmes had been absent a sufficient time to make a thorough search through the whole of the building when Rayner heard them coming back. Suddenly the sergeant stopped, and asked, in a loud voice, "What is the object of this ladder, my friend?" "To reach the roof from the verandah, or to enable the inmates to descend should the house be on fire," answered Francois, promptly. "The roof everywhere overlaps the verandah," answered the sergeant, "and no ladder is necessary to get out of these windows to the ground. It appears to me of a length suited to reach the ceiling. Come, show me any trapdoor through which I can reach the loft over the rooms. You forgot, my friend, that part of the house." "A trapdoor in the ceiling! What a strange thought of yours!" exclaimed Francois. "However, perhaps you will find it, should one exist, that you may be satisfied on that point, and let one of your men take the ladder, for I am old, and it would fatigue me to carry it." One of the gendarmes took up the ladder, and he could be heard knocking at the ceiling in various directions. Still Rayner hoped that they would not discover the dark corner, which Francois evidently had no intention to show them. "It must be found somewhere or other," he heard the sergeant say. "This ladder is exactly suited to reach it." At last he entered the room where the ladies were seated. "Will madame have the goodness to tell me whereabouts the trapdoor is that leads to the roof?" he asked. "The trapdoor leading to the roof!" repeated Madame La Roche. "It is not likely that an old woman, as I am, would have scrambled up there, or my delicate daughters either. Surely, Monsieur Sergeant, you are laughing at me." The sergeant turned away, but presently one of the men exclaimed, "I have found it! I have found it--here, up in this corner!" Rayner heard the men ascending, the trap was lifted, but he and his companions lay perfectly still, hoping that in the darkness they might not be perceived. But the gendarme, after waiting a few seconds to accustom his eyes to the dim light, began groping about until he caught hold of Tom's leg. Tom, dreadfully frightened, cried out in English, "Oh, dear; he's got me!" "Come down, messieurs, come down!" exclaimed the sergeant. "Oh, Madame La Roche, you would have deceived me." Rayner and his companions were compelled to descend. He truly felt more for his kind hostess and her daughters than he did for himself. They might be heavily fined, if not more severely punished. He and his companions had only to look forward to a prison, from which they might escape. With the exception of Le Duc they were all soon collected in the room below. He had managed by some means to escape detection. They were allowed but a short time to take leave of Madame La Roche and her daughters. The sergeant having received no orders respecting the ladies, and satisfied at having secured his prisoners, seemed disposed to allow the former to remain unmolested. They looked very melancholy, however. The young ladies, as they shook hands, burst into tears. In vain Madame La Roche begged that their guests might be allowed to partake of some refreshment before commencing their journey. The sergeant would not hear of it. He had caught the spies, and he intended to keep them. If he allowed them to remain, some trick might be played, and they might make their escape. He at once, therefore, ordered his men to lead his prisoners to the courtyard of the house. "Hands off; I won't be manacled by a French jackanapes," cried Brown, turning round as one of the men seized his arm. "We are five to seven, mayn't we knock the fellows over, sir? We could do it easily enough, and get off before they came to themselves again." "I'll join you with all my heart," said Jack, "though I can't fight as well as I could before my ribs were stove in." "I'll tackle one of the fellows if I may take the smallest," said Tom, though he looked rather pale at the thought of the impending struggle. "What do you advise, Rayner?" asked Oliver. "I can advise no violence," said Rayner. "We may succeed in mastering the Frenchmen, but if we did, the kind old lady here and her daughters would certainly suffer in consequence. We must submit with a good grace, and we may possibly afterwards have an opportunity of making our escape without fighting." Though the Frenchmen did not understand what was said, they evidently, from the looks of the seamen, suspected their intentions, and drawing their pistols presented them at the heads of their prisoners. The ladies shrieked, fancying they were about to fire, and Tom turned pale. "Pray don't be alarmed," said Rayner. "We yield to the sergeant, and before we go I wish, in the name of my companions and myself, to express to you the deep gratitude we feel for your kindness. Farewell!" He and Oliver kissed their hands, and the sergeant made significant signs to them to go through the doorway. "Have I the word of you two officers and your men that you will commit no violence?" he asked. "If you refuse it, I shall be under the necessity of binding your arms behind you." "What shall I say, Oliver?" asked Rayner. "If we give the promise we lose the chance of attempting to make our escape; but then again, if our arms are bound no opportunity can occur." "Say then that we will attempt no violence, and submit to any directions he may give us," answered Oliver. Rayner spoke as Oliver advised, and the sergeant appeared satisfied, as he imposed no other promise. _ |
||