The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat (well read books .TXT) 📕

CHAPTER XX.

The summer had now advanced, when Oswald one day said to Edward,

“Have you beard the news, sir?”

“Nothing very particular,” replied Edward; “I know that General Cromwell is over in Ireland, and they say very successful; but I have cared little for particulars.”

“They say a great deal more, sir,” replied Oswald; “they say that the king is in Scotland, and that the Scotch have raised an army for him.”

“Indeed!” replied Edward, “that is news indeed! The intendant has never mentioned it to me.”

“I dare say not, sir; for he knows your feelings, and would sorry to part with you.”

“I will certainly speak to him on the subject,” said Edward, at the “risk of his displeasure; and join the army I will, if I find what you say is true. I should hold myself a craven to remain here while the king is fighting for his own, and not to be at his side.”

“Well, sir, I think it is true, for I heard that the Parliament had sent over for General Cromwell to leave Ireland, and lead the troops against the Scotch army.”

“You drive me mad, Oswald! I will go to the intendant immediately!”

Edward, much excited by the intelligence, went into the room where he usually sat with the intendant. The latter, who was at his desk, looked up, and saw how flushed Edward was, and said very quietly,

“Edward, you are excited, I presume, from hearing the news which has arrived?”

“Yes, sir, I am very much so; and I regret very much that I should be the last to whom such important news is made known.”

“It is, as you say, important news,” replied the intendant; “but if you will sit down, we will talk a little upon the subject.”

Edward took a chair, and the intendant said,

“I have no doubt that your present feeling is to go to Scotland, and join the army without delay.”

“Such is my intention, I candidly confess, sir. It is my duty.”

“Perhaps you may be persuaded to the contrary before we part,” replied the intendant. “The first duty you owe is to your family in their present position; they depend upon you; and a false step on your part would be their ruin. How can you leave them, and leave my employ, without it being known for what purpose you are gone? It is impossible! I must myself make it known, and even then it would be very injurious to me, the very circumstance of my having one of your party in my service. I am suspected by many already, in consequence of the part I have taken against the murder of the late king, and also of the lords who have since suffered. But, Edward, I did not communicate this intelligence to you for many reasons. I knew that it would soon come to your ears, and I thought it better that I should be more prepared to show you that you may do yourself and me harm, and can do no good to the king. I will now show you that I do put confidence in you; and if you will read these letters, they will prove to you that I am correct in what I assert.”

The intendant handed three letters to Edward, by which it was evident that all the king’s friends in England were of opinion that the time was not ripe for the attempt, and that it would be only a sacrifice to stir in the matter; that the Scotch army raised was composed of those who were the greatest enemies to the king, and that the best thing that could happen for the king’s interest would be that they were destroyed by Cromwell; that it was impossible for the English adherents of Charles to join them, and that the Scotch did not wish them so to do.

“You are no politician, Edward,” said the intendant, smiling, as Edward laid the letters down on the table. “You must admit that, in showing you these letters, I have put the utmost confidence in you.”

“You have, indeed, sir; and, thanking you for having so done, I need hardly add that your confidence will never be betrayed.”

“That I am sure of; and I trust you will now agree with me and my friends that the best thing is to remain quiet.”

“Certainly, sir, and in future I will be guided by you.”

“That is all I require of you; and, after that promise, you shall hear all the news as soon as it arrives. There are thousands who are just as anxious to see the king on the throne again as you are, Edward—and you now know that I am one of them; but the hour is not yet come, and we must bide our time. Depend upon it, General Cromwell will scatter that army like chaff. He is on his march now. After what has passed between us this day, Edward, I shall talk unreserved to you on what is going on.”

“I thank you, sir, and I promise you faithfully, as I said before, not only to be guided by your advice, but to be most secret in all that you may trust me with.”

“I have confidence in you, Edward Armitage; and now we will drop the subject for the present; Patience and Clara want you to walk with them, so good-by for the present.”

Edward left the intendant, much pleased with the interview. The intendant kept his word, and concealed nothing from Edward. All turned out as the intendant had foretold. The Scotch army was cut to pieces by Cromwell, and the king retreated to the Highlands; and Edward now felt satisfied that he could do no better than be guided by the intendant in all his future undertakings.

We must now pass over some time in a few words. Edward continued at the intendant’s, and gave great satisfaction to Mr. Heatherstone. He passed his time very agreeably, sometimes going out to shoot deer with Oswald, and often supplying venison to his brother and sisters at the cottage. During the autumn, Patience very often went to the cottage, and occasionally Mr. Heatherstone paid them a visit; but after the winter set in, Edward came over by himself, shooting as he went; and when he and Smoker came to the cottage, Billy always had a journey to go for the venison left in the forest. Patience sent Alice many little things for the use of her and Edith, and some very good books for them to read; and Humphrey, during the evenings, read with his sisters, that they might learn what he could teach them. Pablo also learned to read and write. Humphrey and Pablo had worked at the saw-pit, and had sawed out a large quantity of boards and timber for building, but the building was put off till the spring.

The reader may recollect that Edward had proposed to Humphrey that he should ascertain whether what the robber had stated before his death relative to his having concealed his ill-gotten wealth under the tree which was struck by lightning was true. About ten days afterward Humphrey set off on this expedition. He did not take Pablo with him, as, although he had a very good opinion of him, he agreed with Oswald that temptation should not be put in his way. Humphrey considered that it would be the best plan to go at once to Clara’s cottage, and from that proceed to find the oak-tree mentioned by the robber. When he arrived at the thicket which surrounded the cottage, it occurred to him that he would just go through it and see if it was in the state which they had left it in; for after the intendant had been there, he had given directions to his men to remain and bury the bodies, and then to lock up the doors of the cottage, and bring the keys to him, which had been done. Humphrey tied Billy and the cart to a tree, and walked through the thicket. As he approached the cottage he heard voices; this induced him to advance very carefully, for he had not brought his gun with him. He crouched down as he came to the opening before the cottage. The doors and windows were open, and there were two men sitting outside, cleaning their guns; and in one of them Humphrey recognized the man Corbould, who had been discharged by the intendant as soon as his wound had been cured, and who was supposed to have gone to London. Humphrey was too far off to hear what they said; he remained there some time, and three more men came out of the cottage. Satisfied with what he had seen, Humphrey cautiously retreated, and, gaining the outside of the thicket, led away Billy and the cart over the turf, that the noise of the wheels might not be heard.

“This bodes no good,” thought Humphrey as he went along, every now and then looking back to ascertain if the men had come out and seen him. “That Corbould we know has vowed vengeance against Edward, and all of us; and has, no doubt, joined those robbers—for robbers they must be —that he may fulfill his vow. It is fortunate that I have made the discovery and I will send over immediately to the intendant.” As soon as a clump of trees had shut out the thicket, and he had no longer any fear of being seen by these people, Humphrey went in the direction which the robber had mentioned, and soon afterward he perceived the oak scathed with lightning, which stood by itself on a green spot of about twenty acres. It had been a noble tree before it had been destroyed; now it spread its long naked arms, covering a large space of ground, but without the least sign of vegetation or life remaining. The trunk was many feet in diameter, and was apparently quite sound, although the tree was dead. Humphrey left Billy to feed on the herbage close by, and then, from the position of the sun in the heavens, ascertained the point at which he was to dig. First looking around him to see that he was not overlooked, he took his spade and pick-ax out of the cart and begun his task. There was a spot not quite so green as the rest. which Humphrey thought likely to be the very place that he should dig at, as probably it was not green from the soil having been removed. He commenced at this spot, and, after a few moments’ labor, his pick-ax struck upon something hard, which, on clearing away the earth, he discovered to be a wooden lid of a box. Satisfied that he was right, Humphrey now worked hard, and in a few minutes he had cleared away sufficiently to be able to lift out the box and place it on the turf. He was about to examine it, when he perceived, at about five hundred yards’ distance, three men coming toward him. “They have discovered me,” thought Humphrey; “and I must be off as soon as I can.” He ran to Billy, who was close to him, and bringing the cart to where the box lay, he lifted it in. As he was getting in himself, with the reins in his hands, he perceived that the three men were running toward him as fast as they could, and that they all had guns in their hands. They were not more than a hundred and fifty yards from him when Humphrey set off, putting Billy to a full trot.

The three men, observing this, called out to Humphrey to stop,