The Black Box 9

The Black Box 9

"Well, and what now, Joe Rockett?" asked Dassell, turning on him

sharply. "Dost bring us news from Seatown, then?"

 

"News?" gasped the fellow, wiping the sweat from his forehead, for ’twas

mighty hot. "News? Aye, that I do, sir. Cargoes of it!"

 

"Then let us have it quick," says Dassell. "What is it?"

 

"Why," replied the fellow, pointing to the ships, "you see them vessels,

sir?"

 

"See ’em!" says Dassell, with a scornful laugh. "Good Lord, yes!

Haven’t we been staring at ’em for at least three hours?"

 

"Well," says the man, "just after daybreak a ten-oared boat put off from

yonder frigate and came ashore at Seatown creek."

 

"I know that, Rockett," says the deputy, closing his spy-glass with a

snap.

 

"Aye, maybe you do, sir," continued Rockett, "but maybe neither you nor

these gentlemen here know what it brought?"

 

"No, that I don’t. What was it?" asked the deputy.

 

"Why, what think you now?" says Rockett, casting a swift glance at the

enquiring faces gathered round him. "Well, I’ll tell ’ee. Three fine

pretty gentlemen, wi’ swords and pistols, stepped ashore from her, and

came along to where some of us was a-spreading out our nets upon the

sands, and behind ’em came a seaman carrying a basket filled wi’ bottles

of canary and neats’ tongues. Well, up they comes, gave us the top o’

the morning, like the fine gentlemen they were, and then, what think

you, friends?--well, if they didn’t ask us to join ’em in the neats’

tongues and canary! Yes, by my soul they did!"

 

"And you didn’t refuse, eh? No, I’ll warrant me you joined them,

Rockett," says Dassell, smiling grimly.

 

"Aye, you’m right there, sir, we did," grinned Rockett, smacking his

lips; "and it were wondrous good."

 

"I’m sure of that," said Dassell. "And what next?"

 

"Why, then one of ’em asked us if we’d any news to give. And we told

him as how ’twas said there was rebellion by the Duke of Argyle up to

Scotland.

 

"’And is that all you’ve got for us?’ he asked; and we told en yes.

 

"’Well, then, we’ve got more than that, my man,’ says he. ’For, look

you, there’s rebellion in Ireland, and there’s like to be one in England

too.’ Says we, we hoped not, being much amazed and troubled at the

saying. But at that they only laughed and fell a-talking to each other

in some unknown tongue. Just then a waft were hoisted from the frigate

yonder, and the finest of the three stepped back aboard the boat and

rowed away; while t’ other two asked us the nearest road to Haychurch,

and away they sped as though ’twere life and death wi’ ’em."

 

"And is that all, my man?" asked Mr. Dassell.

 

"Yes, fore-right it be so, sir," says Rockett.

 

"And who knows of this at Seatown?"

 

"Well, there be the Surveyor o’ the Customs there. He came down to the

shore after these merry gentlemen had gone their way, and we told en all

about it. ’Um,’ says he, ’the Mayor o’ Lyme must know,’ and off he goes

to Chidcock for his horse; and I came here along the shore. What make

you of those vessels, sir?"

 

"I make no good of them," replied the deputy. "I wager that they’re up

to mischief."

 

"Aye, sure," says Rockett. "A ship as flies no flag is like a robber

wi’ a mask."

 

"Ah! what’s this?" exclaimed the deputy, who was looking through his

spy-glass. "Yes, ’tis old Sam Robins in his boat. They hail him from

the frigate; he goes alongside. Fool! e has handed up his fish and

gone aboard!"

 

"Blid and ’ouns!" sang Rockett. "Like enough he hath been made a

prisoner!"

 

’Twas true enough; old Robins had been swallowed up, even as Tye and his

men were, two hours earlier. Faith! ’twas like the messengers whom Joram

sent to Jehu; for whosoever went aboard those ships came not back again.

Alas for poor Sam Robins’ his sale of fish that morning was to prove the

worst he ever made, and cost him dearly in the future.

 

"I go to seek the Mayor," quoth Dassell, and so passed through the crowd

and left us.

 

With all the happenings of that fateful day I will not weary you. Hour

by hour excitement grew, till everyone was on the tiptoe of perplexity

and expectation.

 

As for the Mayor of Lyme, one Gregory Alford, he was wellnigh beside

himself because of these three mysterious ships which thus kept beating

up and down our bay, and (though a gun was fired from shore) refused to

answer or to send the King’s boat back to land. A Royalist to his

finger-tips, and owner of two vessels doing a fine trade in cloths with

the merchants of Morlaix, he was also a bitter persecutor of the

Nonconformists, and, at that very time, had the minister and leaders

locked up snugly in the jail. For the which he was much hated, Lyme

being then a hot-bed of dissent. Thus, when, scarce knowing what he

did, he had the town drums beaten, and called out the town guard (a

sorry tag of ill-armed men), the people laughed and jeered, and asked

how that was going to help the matter.

 

Not till the afternoon was well advanced did I bethink me to go home,

and then ’twas to find the place deserted, save for old Anne, the

housekeeper; and she, poor soul, was sorely deaf. After much bawling, I

made out that news of the ships had reached even to this quiet spot, and

that all our faithless hands--groom, gardener, boy, and everyone--had

gone down to the Cobb. As for my father, she handed me a letter from

him. It told me that he had received an urgent summons eight miles

inland to the bedside of an old friend who lay dying, and that he would

not return till nightfall. A _post scriptum_ bade me watch the garden

when the dusk came.

 

This suited me right well. Laughing at the thought of Tubal Ammon, I

saddled my mare (the ever-faithful Kitty), rode back to the town, and,

having put my horse up at the "George" there, hurried seawards.

 

’Twas now high tide, and thus the Cobb was cut off from the land;[1] but

a great crowd was gathered on the shore, with the drums and town guard

in the rear.

 

 

[1] The Cobb did not then, as now, join the land, but was out off from

it at high water.

 

 

Pushing through the throng, I gained a spot near Dassell and the Mayor,

and added two more eyes to those already fixed upon the ships, which had

now come to anchor in the bay.

 

"Well, well, what make you of it now?" I heard the Mayor ask Dassell

anxiously.

 

"Rank mischief," snapped the deputy.

 

"What’s to be done, then?"

 

"Naught can be done, sir. The time for doing has gone by. Had I had my

way, the scoundrels should have answered long ago, or been the heavier

by some cannon-balls. But now it is too late. We can do naught save

watch."

 

The Mayor groaned aloud; the councillors behind him stared like

frightened sheep; but no one had a helpful word to offer.

 

And so we stood and watched; watched till our eyeballs ached; watched

till the sinking sun caught all three vessels in a dazzling glare and

made them stand out black as ink, like things of ugly fate. Then, just

on sunset, we heard a great commotion on the ships; the ring of

sharply-given orders, the hurried tread of feet upon the decks, the

creak of pulleys--all these reached us clearly across the smooth, still

waters. As for seeing, the glare of sun was all too blinding, and the

ships too far away, for us to make out anything beyond a dim, blurred

mass of swiftly-moving forms which showed above the bulwarks.

 

"What is it, think you, Dassell?" asked the Mayor in a fearful, gusty

whisper.

 

"Lowering boats on the off side, I fancy, sir," replied the deputy, as

calm as though he had been speaking of the weather.

 

"Boats!" gasped Gregory Alford, raising his hands. "Boats! What! do you

mean to say they’re going to land?"

 

"I fancy so," said Dassell. "Nay, I am certain sure of it!" he added,

raising his voice and pointing. "Hark! here they come!"

 

Even as he spoke we heard the splash of many oars; and presently five

great boats laden with men, and with the captured King’s boat following,

drew from behind the ships.

 

At first they seemed to be making for the Cobb itself, but passing that

by they swung round to the west of it and headed straight for shore. On

seeing this we all ran pell-mell down to the sea. Heavens! how the

shingle flew beneath our feet, and what a breathless, anxious crowd it

was which gathered near the water! Verily, it seemed as if all Lyme

stood waiting. Men, women, children, young and old were there, yet

scarce a word was spoken; all eyes were fixed upon those sweeping oars,

which brought we knew not what towards us. There was silence on the

water, too--no sound save the creak and splash of oars; and I have oft

thought since, when standing on that fateful spot, that perchance some

dread presentiment of future ill hung over both the comers and the watchers!