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The New Forest Spy, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 20. Return Of The Search-Party |
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_ CHAPTER TWENTY. RETURN OF THE SEARCH-PARTY "What are you thinking about?" said Waller. "Thinking," replied Godfrey. "Yes; you haven't spoken a word for the last five minutes." The two lads were standing together with their elbows resting on the sill of the wide dormer window, whose two casements were propped wide open, while they gazed out into the soft darkness of the autumn night. "I was thinking about that friend of yours who was going to get me a pass across to France in a fishing-boat." "Oh," said Waller in a disappointed tone; "I thought you were thinking about how beautiful it is looking out here into the darkness of the forest, with the scent of the soft, warm, damp leaves, and listening to the owls and that squeaking rabbit that had the weasel after it." "It is very beautiful," said Godfrey sadly; "but I was thinking about that boat." "I wish you wouldn't be so fond of wishing to get away," said Waller gloomily. "It's as if I had not done enough to make you comfortable." "Oh!" cried the lad passionately, and he turned to lay his hand on Waller's shoulder. "How can you say that, when you have done too much, and made me feel--almost alone in the world as I am--as if I should like to stay here always!" "Do you mean that?" cried Waller excitedly. "Of course I do. I never had a friend like you before, and I never knew what it was to lead a boy's life. Out there in France I never heard about anything else hardly but politics, and getting back the crown for the Stuarts." "Then you really don't want to go?" cried Waller. "No; but I must go, and the sooner the better. You know what I must feel." "Yes," said Waller sadly, "but--" "Oh, it must come to an end. I lie awake of a night wondering how it is that your servants have not found it all out before, with you bringing up all that I have to eat and drink. I fancy sometimes that they must know." "But they don't," said Waller grimly. "But how have you managed?" "Oh, somehow," said Waller, with a half-laugh. "It's been mostly done by stealing." "By stealing! Nonsense! You couldn't be a thief." "Thank you for the compliment," said Waller, laughing; "but you are wrong. I have gone on stealing every day, everything you have had; only it was only my own breakfast and dinner." "Then you have been starving yourself for me!" said Godfrey excitedly. "Oh, no, I haven't," cried Waller merrily, "only I've got the credit of being such a pig that cook's quite anxious about me. It was only the day before yesterday she wanted me to take some physic; said I was eating twice as much as was good for me, and it made her very anxious, and she wished my father would come home." "Yes," cried Godfrey, "your father, too. Why, you told me long ago that you expected him every day." "Well, so I did; but he doesn't come, and he doesn't write. I don't know why it is; but, of course, he will come some day." "Yes, and there will be terrible trouble about your harbouring me. Oh, Waller, I did hope your man of the woods would have got a passage for me in some boat. Why, it's four days since he was here and promised to make that right." "Oh, give him time," said Waller impatiently; "and do pray leave off grumbling when things are going so well." "Going so well?" "Yes, I didn't tell you. I was saving it up, only we got talking about other things. I have some news. The soldiers are gone. I am sorry to say." "You are sorry to say?" "Why, of course," said Waller sadly. "Doesn't it mean that I have to keep my promise and help to get you away?" "Yes," said Godfrey softly, and his fingers began to grip his companion's shoulder; "but some day I hope that I shall be able to cross over again, not as a poor fugitive, but in peace, and come here and see you, if you will have me when I am not a prisoner." "If I will have you, lad!" cried Waller enthusiastically. "Why, you know I will; and my father will be glad to see you too, if you don't come, as old Bunny said, to try and steal the crown. Why, of course, you and I are going to be friends always. And you will write to me, and I shall write to you." "Yes, yes; of course," cried Godfrey eagerly. "I don't want to go away, Waller, but I must; and as that man--Bunny you call him--does not bring us any news, I want you to let me start off to-morrow night as soon as it is dark, and make my way to Southampton." "To be caught and put in prison," cried Waller, "and--Bother that owl! That's the third time it has hooted this last five minutes. No!" he cried in an excited whisper, as he rested his hands on the window-sill. "Hist! It's Bunny Wrigg!" And then, clapping his hands to each side of his mouth, he softly imitated with wonderful accuracy the call of one of the woodland owls. "_Hoi hoi hoi hoi hoi_!" "_Pee-week_! _Pee-week_! _Pee-week_!" came from below them in the shrubbery a little to their left. "All right, Bunny," whispered Waller. "I'll come down." "Nay, lad; hold hard. I'm coming up." The darkness was so dense that, as the lads gazed down, they had but a mere glimpse of a shadowy animal, as it seemed to be running across the lawn, and directly after there was a faint, soft rustling in the thick ivy. "Isn't it dangerous for him?" whispered Godfrey. "Not it. Bunny can climb like a cat. He'll be right up in the big gutter directly." The lad was quite correct, for, with wonderfully little noise, considering, the active fellow climbed up by the huge old stems of the ivy, and a couple of minutes later he was standing in the stone gutter, holding on by the division between the open casements. "Catch hold of this 'ere bundle--on my back," he whispered. "It's only hanging on by the strap over my neck." Waller did as he was told, and, pulling the strap over the man's head, he drew a big soft bundle into the room. "That's your sort," whispered Bunny. "If I tried to clamber in with that on it would have ketched." The next moment he was gliding in over the window-sill, slowly and softly like a huge black slug, and ended by seating himself cross-legged on the floor. "Anybody hear me if I talk?" "No, but speak low," whispered Waller, while Godfrey's breath was quite audible as he breathed hard in his excitement. "We were beginning to think that you did not mean to come." "What call had you got to think that?" grumbled the man in a hoarse whisper. "I went directly.--How are you, young gentleman?--My brother-in-law Jem had gone to sea, and I had to wait; and here I am now, large as life and twiced as ugly." "But has your brother-in-law come back?" "Oh, ay, he's got back." "And will he take my friend across to Cherbourg?" "Oh, I have been having a long fight with him about that, sir. He's got a nasty disposition, he has. I telled him that I'd give him a good price for doing the job, and that I'd go as far as three pounds." "What!" cried Waller. "I told you five." "To be sure you did, sir, but I warn't going to let him have all his own way, so I said three, meaning, if he argufied very much, to spring another pound and make it four. But he wouldn't. He stuck out for the five, and I had to promise him." "Oh, but you shouldn't have wasted time over that, Bunny." "Don't you tell me, Master Waller. I know brother Jem better than you do. He's a close-fisted one, brother Jem is, and he always takes care that them as buys his fish to sell ashore shan't have too much profit. Why, if I had offered him five pound right off he'd have held out for six. But don't you get wasting time talking. There aren't none to lose." "No time to lose? What do you mean?" said Waller. "Ah, you don't know, then? The soldiers is coming here to-night." "To-night! Nonsense!" cried Waller. "They have gone right away--to Chichester, I think." "Maybe they went, sir, but it warn't to Chichester; it was to Christchurch; and Tony Gusset got hold of something, and he's gone after them, and some one I know telled me they were coming here to-night, and don't mean to be put off this time." "Then I must go at once," cried Godfrey excitedly. "That's right, sir," said Bunny. "I brought you some things as will make you look like a fisher-lad when I have done with you. Can you slip them on in the dark?" "Oh, yes, of course he can," cried Waller. "I will help him." "The sooner the better, then, sir," whispered the man, and, busying himself with the knots in a great cotton handkerchief, he soon shook out a big, broad, canvas petticoat, such as the fishers use, sewed right up the middle so as to give it the semblance of a clumsy pair of trousers. Godfrey winced a little as he handled the stiff garment; but it was for liberty, and he soon had the canvas buttoned on. "You had better take off that jacket, sir. I can't see it, but I can feel as it don't look a bit like a fisher-boy's things. That's your sort! Now then, Master Waller, pull that there jersey over his head. That's the way. There, now, he feels like a regular sailor-lad. Here's a sou'-wester, too. It's rather an old un, but none the worse for that. There you are. Now then, I have got a bit of a pot here. You hold your hands, and I'll fish out a dob of it with my knife. Then you give it a good rub round with your hands so as to go all over them, and then you can gorm them well over your face. Don't be afraid of it, sir. It'll make you look every bit a sailor, and won't wash off in a month." Godfrey drew in his breath with a hiss. "Why, what is it, Bunny?" said Waller. "Real good pitch, sir, same as they pays over the bottoms of their boats." "Oh, but surely that isn't necessary," cried Waller angrily. "He's right," said Godfrey, as he began to rub the sticky brown produce of the fir well over his hands and face. "It's the best disguise I could assume." "Hist!" said Waller. "Didn't I hear something?" Bunny turned to the window, looked out cautiously, and drew in his head again. "They've come," he whispered. "Now sir, can't you get us down to the back door, so that we can slip away at once?" "No," said Waller excitedly. "We should have to cross the hall, and they'd be there." "I'm all right," said Bunny. "I can slip down easier than I got up. What about this here young gentleman? He won't find it so easy with that there canvas on." "No," cried Waller. "He couldn't get down. I don't believe I could. What in the world are we to do?" "Ar'n't got a bit of rope, I suppose, sir?" whispered Bunny. "Yes, of course. I'd forgotten." "Strong un?" "The new one I got for the fishing-net," said Waller. "That'll do it. Now then, let me look out while you get it. You make it fast to the big window-bar while I just try and see what they are doing. I want to make sure that they all go in and leave the way clear for us to slide down. Once we can get to the woods we shall be all right." "Make sure," whispered Waller, "that they don't leave a sentry by the porch." Bunny grunted, and as silently as he could Waller took his coil of rope from the drawer, fastened it again to the beam, and, as soon as the man drew in his head, prepared to lower it down. "It's all right, my lad. Be quick. Some of them has gone round to the back, and your gal Bella has just let t'others in by the front door. Here, I'll go down first to see if the rope's safe, and ready to knock over any of them sojers if he tries to stop us. The young gent had better come next, and you last. You'll have to leave the rope to get back after you have seen us a bit on the way. But hold hard a minute. How long is that rope?" "About thirty yards," said Waller. "Here, let me get at it," said Bunny, and, rapidly unfastening it, he ran it through his hands till he could put the two ends together to get its measurement, and then, passing an end on either side of the upright division of the window, he lowered it down till the bight came in contact with the upright bar. "There you are;" he whispered; "twice as strong; and when we are all down I can haul on one end and bring it after us to hide it somewheres in the wood so as it shan't give you away." "Capital!" whispered Waller, hurrying to the window, thrusting out his head, and listening, to find all still. "No one there," he whispered again, "so down with you." Bunny gave a grunt, took hold of the rope, and as he was squeezing himself out to stand with his feet in the gutter. Waller caught hold of his friend's hand, gave it a grip, and then crept to the door, turned the key softly, opened it and listened there, to hear the murmur of voices down in the hall. He turned the key again and darted back to the window, to feel the rope quivering for a few moments and then slacken. Bunny was at the bottom. "Now can I help you?" whispered Waller. "No," was the reply. "I can manage." But Waller's heart beat fast and a strange choking sensation seemed to rise in his breast as the boy, hampered by his stiff petticoat-trousers, had no little difficulty in getting clear of the window. The next minute he was letting himself glide down, rustling loudly through the ivy. Waller waited, leaning half out of the window and gazing down till he was satisfied that his companion was nearly at the bottom, when he hurried back to the door, unlocked it and withdrew the key, and then, opening, he felt for the hole and thrust the key in on the outer side. "There," he muttered; "when they come up here, they won't suspect me." It was his turn now, and, full of activity, he crept out of the window and stood for a moment amongst the ivy in the gutter, and then began to slide so quickly down the double rope that his hands were ready to burn. As he touched the soft earth he felt Bunny thrust him aside and take hold of one end of the rope. "You haul steadily," he whispered; and as the lad drew on the rope the big country fellow laid it in rings at his feet. "Mind your head," he whispered, "when t'other end falls." But Waller was on his guard, and as the end glided round the upright of the window-frame and came rustling down through the ivy, it just touched the lad's protecting arm, and that was all. "I'll hide this here somewhere, where I can find it again," whispered Bunny. "You won't want to go in again that way when there's the doors." As the last ring was formed of the rope and caught up by the rough gipsy-looking fellow, they stood listening to the sound of voices, which came loudly from within, two of those present recognising the husky, throaty speech of the village constable, and Waller set it down to questioning as to where he was. Directly after, at a word from Bunny, they stepped off the bed on to the soft turf, just as there was the rattle of a lock, the big door was thrown open, and a bright bar of light flashed across the lawn, while _clump, clump_, came the heavy footsteps of a couple of the soldiers marching through the porch. To go on seemed to Waller like courting danger; to stand still suggested the certainty of being seen; and giving Godfrey a thrust, he pressed onward, risking all, and following Bunny, who was hurrying in the direction of the forest. Over and over again Waller felt certain that they must be seen by the two men, whom he could make out as he glanced back, standing against the light that came through the porch, and he could hardly believe in their good fortune, as neither shout nor shot was sent in their direction, while a few minutes later they were threading their way amongst the trees. _ |
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