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The King's Esquires: The Jewel of France, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 6. How To Land Horses |
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_ CHAPTER SIX. HOW TO LAND HORSES It was a long and dreary night, full of suffering; but, like the worst, it slowly came to an end. The grey dawn began to creep through the dim skylight, grew stronger and brighter, and at last the sun arose, with the King still sleeping profoundly, and Denis standing at the top of the cabin ladder, gazing out over a glorious foaming sea, all purple, orange, and gold, wide awake to the beauty of the scene, and ready to wonder what had become of the horror and darkness of the night. There was a fresh breeze blowing and the sea was rough, but the clumsy craft rode more easily and had ceased to pitch and toss. Far ahead too the sea looked smoother, and so Denis said to the rough-looking skipper, who came up with a nod and smile. "Only looks so," he said, "because it is so far off. But the wind is going down, and in a couple of hours we shall be in smooth water. How's your master?" "Fast asleep still," replied Denis. "Best thing for a man not used to the sea. Well, you see, we shall get your horses over safely. Poor beasts! They are worse sailors than men. How are you? Feel as if you could eat some breakfast?" "Yes, I'm getting horribly hungry." "That's right. You are the best sailor of the lot. There will be some in an hour's time." The skipper passed on, leaving Denis with a look of disgust upon his features, for he was thinking of the roughness of the common vessel upon which they had been obliged to take their passage, and the pleasant meal of which he would have eaten at Fontainebleau. Just then Saint Simon turned, caught sight of him, and signalled to him to come. Denis started, hesitated, and then ran down into the cabin again to see whether the King had awakened. But far from it: he was flat on his back and looking far from king-like, for his mouth was open and he was giving forth sounds which in a common person would have been called snores. Hurrying back to the deck, Denis ran forward, awakening to the fact that the sea was much smoother, for he could not have progressed like that over-night. "Well, how are you?" he cried. "Beginning to get dry," was the morose reply. "Look here, boy, if I had known that I was going to play horse-keeper all through a night like this I wouldn't have volunteered to come. I shall want a week's sleep to put me straight." "Why didn't you ask one or two of the sailors to come and help you?" "Why didn't you come and help me?" "You know: because I was obliged to be in attendance on the--" "Comte!" shouted Saint Simon. "You will be spoiling the expedition before you have done." "Yes, it is hard work to remember. I am sorry, though, Saint Simon. You know that I would have come and helped you if I could." "Oh yes, I know," said the other. "I couldn't trust anyone to help, for the poor beasts knew me, and at the worst times a word or two and a pat on the neck seemed to calm them, and they left off shivering with cold and fear; but I have had a night such as I don't want to have again." "You must have had. But the skipper says that we shall soon be in smooth water, and that there will be some breakfast in an hour." "Heugh!" ejaculated Saint Simon. "Breakfast here! I don't want anything till we get on shore--if we ever do. Here, look behind you." Denis turned sharply, to see a familiar face in the full sunshine peering over the edge of the hatchway and looking about, but apparently not seeing what was sought till a hand appeared to shade its owner's eyes, sending forth a flash or two of light from a ring upon one of the fingers. "Why, it's the--" "Comte!" said Saint Simon quickly. "Stop here, and lay hold of his horse." Saint Simon said no more, and Denis obeyed, grasping his companion's reason, while the next minute the King had mounted to the deck, and came forward to join them, after making a rush to the bulwarks and grasping the rail. "Oh, you're here, gentlemen," he said sharply. "Why was not somebody in attendance--oh, I see; you're minding our steeds. It has been a very bad night for them. Not injured, I hope?" "No, sir," replied Saint Simon; "but during the worst part of the storm we had to have extra ropes. I was afraid at one time that we should lose them all." "But they are safe," said the King, "thanks to you, gentlemen. Poor boys," he continued, as he passed amongst the ropes, each charger in turn uttering a low, piteous whinny, and stretching out its muzzle to receive the King's caress, each too snorting its satisfaction the next moment, and impatiently pawing the deck. "Morning, master!" cried the skipper, hurrying up. "Been a windy night, but it will be all smooth directly. Wind's veered round to the north, and coming off the shore. Sha'n't be getting on so fast now." "But these horses," said the King; "they ought to have water and food." "Not they, master. They wouldn't touch it if you gave them of the best. They want to feel solid ground under their hoofs." "And how soon will they get that?" asked Denis quickly. "Two or three hours if the wind doesn't drop," replied the skipper; "and," he continued, as he held up his hand and shouted an order or two to his men to stand by the sheets, "it's chopping round again to the south. Give us an hour like this, and we shall be in shelter, sailing between the island and the mainland. You can't say but what we have had a splendid run." There was such a quaint comical expression upon the King's countenance that Denis felt obliged to swing swiftly round and bend down to make believe to loosen the slip-knot about his charger's leg. "If I hadn't done so," he said afterwards to Saint Simon, "I should have burst out laughing in the Comte's face. There," he added quickly, in triumphant tones, "I have got it now!" "Yes, and you would have got it then," replied Saint Simon, "for my lord will forgive a good deal sooner than being laughed at." This was some time later, when they were gliding gently on through the smooth water on a bright sunny morning with their port close at hand and full prospect of being, some time during the next half-hour, close up to the landing-place; and before long so it proved, for the King, quite recovered now from his indisposition, was in eager converse with the skipper as to the best means of getting the horses ashore. "Well, master, you see this: Southampton isn't Havre de Grace." "Bah!" ejaculated the King impatiently. "We had nothing to do there but walk the horses straight from the wharf over the planks, and down through the gangway on to the deck; but you see it's different here." "Nonsense!" said the King. "There are landing-places here, for I can see them. Work your vessel up quite close, and then boards can be laid from the deck, and the same thing can be done the other way on." "Yes, master, that's what I meant; but I forgot all about the tide. You see, we are coming in just at low water, and I sha'n't be able to get within fifty fathoms of the shore till well on towards night." "What! And we have to stop here all day?" cried the King angrily. "Yes, that's about it. I'll get in as close as I can, and then we shall be in the mud." "But is there no other way farther along?" cried the King. "The only other way is for me to hail a barge or a flat, and swing the horses down into that; but I shouldn't like to undertake the job." "It must be done," said the King. His words were law, and, in his impatient eagerness to get clear of the vessel where he had passed so many uncomfortable hours, he promised to hold the skipper free from responsibility. Taking advantage of the King going aft with Saint Simon, Denis went up to the skipper. "Do you think there will be any danger," he said, "to the horses?" "Shouldn't like to promise, my lad," was the reply, "but if they were my horses I should go to your master and say, What's the use of being in such a hurry? It's only waiting a tide, and then we could get close in." "But you don't know him," said Denis. "He will have his own way." "Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper. "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me. I'd make another man of him. Ah, you may laugh, my young sharper. You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too. Do you know what he is aboard his ship? Well, I'll tell you. He's a king." Denis gazed sharply in the man's face, wondering whether he had any suspicion as to who his passenger really was, as he went on talking. "You see, my boy, I'm used to this sort of thing. Sometimes it's cattle, sometimes it's pigs and sheep. Well, they don't like going down into a flat-bottomed boat; but," he added, with a chuckle and a nudge, "they have to go, and if they won't go decently like passengers, we just shoves them overboard and lets them swim ashore. But with horses like these it would be spoiling them to treat them roughly." "But you need not treat them roughly," said Denis. "You could sling them with your ropes and tackle into the boat." "Yes, you could," said the skipper; "but they wouldn't let you." "Oh, they would," said Denis. "Well, sir," said the skipper, "you wait and see." _ |
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