From Powder Monkey to Admiral Part 23

The colonel, who was in no wise particular as to what work he performed, at once took hold of Bill.

"Come, young gintleman," he said, "let me see what you have got in your pockets, and next your skin; or, if you will save me the throuble, just hand out your orders or any papers you may have about you."

"I have got none, sir," answered Bill. "I told you the truth, that we are mere ship-boys, and as to being spies as you seem to think, we had nothing to spy out that I know of."

"Well, we will soon see all about that," said the colonel, beginning to search Bill; but, greatly to his surprise, he found nothing whatever about him, except his knife, the whole of Bill's worldly wealth, "I told you so, sir," said Bill, when he had finished. "I spoke only the truth about myself and my companion." Bill said this, hoping that Jack would escape the search; but the colonel was far too knowing, and presently he seized upon Jack, who, in spite of his efforts to appear unconcerned, began to quake.

The first plunge the colonel made with his hand into one of Jack's pockets brought forth a number of gold pieces. "Hurroo! now, this is your innocence is it, young gintlemen?" he exclaimed, exhibiting a handful of gold to the general. "Let me be afther seeing what your other pocket contains;" and as he spoke he quickly drew forth another handful of gold, some of which, observing that the general and the other officers were examining the first which he had produced, he slipped into his own pocket.

"Troth! you're an arrant young rogue," he exclaimed. "You either stole these, or they were given you to bribe the people to betray their country."

"They were not given me to bribe any one, and I didn't steal them,"

answered Jack, boldly; "I took them out of the chest which was on our raft, and there was no harm in doing that, I should think."

Bill was somewhat surprised to hear Jack say this. It was the truth, and the idea must have at that moment occurred to him. He was thus saved from having to betray the existence of the boxes of gold in the cavern, which the colonel would not have long allowed to remain unvisited, he suspected, from the little incident which has just been described.

The colonel translated fairly enough to the general what Jack had just said.

"It is probably the truth," he remarked; "however, let the boys be detained till we can ascertain more about them. I don't wish to have them ill-treated. There is a room in the western turret where they can be shut up securely till to-morrow. Colonel O'Toole, see that my orders are carried out; but you can first let them have a view of the army, that they may tell their friends, if they get home, of the mighty force prepared for the conquest of England, and impress on the minds of their countrymen how hopeless is their attempt to resist the armies of France."

Bill understood every word of these remarks, and they raised his hopes that they might be set at liberty and allowed to return home; still, the Irish colonel did not look very amiably at them; perhaps he did not quite like Bill's observations.

"Come along," he said, turning to them; and, bowing to the general and to the other officers, he conducted them from the room, when the two soldiers, who stood ready outside, again took charge of them.

They were led along to a terrace, from whence a view extended over the surrounding country. Here they saw an almost countless number of white tents pitched, with soldiers in various uniforms moving among them.

"Can you count those tents?" asked the colonel. "Each tent contains eleven or thirteen men, and one spirit animates the whole--that is, the conquest of perfidious Albion."

"They'll have a tough job, sir, let me tell them," observed Bill. "I haven't seen much of English sojers except the Guards in London, and our Marines on board ship, but I know that one of our Guardsmen would lick a whole tentful of the little chaps I see about here; and I would advise the general to stay quietly at home, and not attempt to take our tight little island."

"The French have wrongs to revenge, as have my gallant people, and bitterly will they revenge them some day, when your king and his n.o.bles are brought in chains to France."

"That won't be just yet, and may be never," answered Bill, who was growing bold, and inclined to speak his mind. "I'll not bandy words with you, boy. Take care what you are about!" exclaimed the colonel, who did not like Bill's boldness, especially when he saw a broad grin on Jack's countenance. "If you ever get back to England--and I don't say you ever will get back--remember what you have seen to-day, and tell those wretched slaves your countrymen what they are to expect."

"We'll not forget it, sir," answered Bill, thinking it wiser to be civil; "and I hope the general won't think it necessary to keep in prison two poor sailor boys who never did any harm to the French, and never wished to do any harm, except to thrash them well in a fair stand-up fight; and you will allow, sir, that that's all right and fair play."

"Or receive a thrashing from them," answered the colonel; "however, come along. I must see you stowed safely in the tower, where the general has ordered you to be placed, and moind you kape quiet and don't kick up a row, as you midshipmen are apt to do."

"We are not midshipmen, sir," said Bill, who had not forgotten what the colonel had before said. "We are humble boys serving before the mast.

Jack, there, is a fisherman's son, and I am a poor boy out of the London streets. I am only telling you the truth, sir."

"You are a very sharp boy, then," responded the colonel, looking at Bill.

"Yes, sir," said Bill, "the school I went to is a place where boys are apt to get their wits sharpened. They have little else to depend on."

The colonel still seemed to doubt whether Bill was speaking the truth, and, perhaps fortunately for them, was fully impressed with the idea that he had charge of a couple of midshipmen. Possibly Bill was a lord's son; and though he railed against English lords, yet, when brought into contact with them, he was inclined to pay them the deepest respect.

Owing to the colonel's idea, Bill and Jack were treated with far more attention than they otherwise would have received.

The room into which they were put, though small, had a table and chairs in it, and a bed in one corner.

"You will remain here for the present," said the colonel, as he saw them into the room; "probably before long the general may wish to examine you again, and I would advise you to take care that you tell him only the truth, and confess your object in coming to the country."

Bill made no answer; and the colonel, after again surveying the room, took his departure, locking the door behind him.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

THE ESCAPE.

Jack and Bill heard Colonel O'Toole descending the stairs, and, listening, were convinced that he had gone away without leaving a sentry at the door.

"We are in luck," said Bill, as he looked round the room. "This is a better place than the old tower, and I don't see that it will be much more difficult to escape from."

They went to the window. It was long and narrow, but there was ample s.p.a.ce for them to creep out of it. It was, however, a great height from the ground; three or four storeys up they calculated; and should they attempt to drop down, they would break every bone in their bodies.

"It cannot be done, I fear," said Jack.

"It can be done, and we'll do it before to-morrow morning, too,"

answered Bill. "When the general ordered us to be shut up here, he was thinking that we were just like a couple of French boys, without a notion of going aloft, or of finding their way down again."

"But I don't see how we can manage to get down here," said Jack, peeping through the window, cautiously though, for fear of being seen. "There is nothing to lay hold of, and the door is locked and bolted. I heard that traitor Irishman shoot a bolt before he went away."

"Look here," replied Bill, pointing towards the bed.

"Why, that's a bed," said Jack. "It was very good-natured in the mounseers to give it us to sleep on."

"What do you think it's made of?" asked Bill. "Why, sheets and blankets and ticking," replied Jack. "Yes," said Bill, "you are right; and with those selfsame sheets and blankets, and maybe a fathom or two of rope besides, underneath, I intend that we shall try to lower ourselves down to the ground; and when we are once outside, it will be our own fault if we do not get back to the harbour, and when there, that we do not get on board our raft again. The French captain said it was to be left just as it was for the general to see it to-morrow morning. Before that time comes, I hope that we shall be out of sight of land, if we get a fair breeze, or, at all events, out of sight of the people on sh.o.r.e."

"I'm always ready for anything you propose, Bill," said Jack. "I see now well enough how we are to get away. If all goes smoothly, we shall do it. But suppose we are caught?--and there are a good many chances against us, you'll allow."

"We can but be shut up again. Even if they were to flog us, we could stand it well enough; and as to the pain, that would be nothing, and it would not be like being flogged for breaking the articles of war, or doing anything against the law. I should call it an honourable flogging, and should not mind showing the scars, if any remained," said Bill.

"I'm your man, and the sooner we set about turning our sheets and blankets into a rope the better," exclaimed Jack, enthusiastically. "If we are caught and punished ever so much, we must not mind it."

"Stop a bit," said Bill. "Perhaps the red-haired colonel may pay us a visit before nightfall. We must not be caught making preparations for our escape; that would be a green trick."

"I hope if they come they'll bring us some supper," said Jack. "I am pretty sharp set already; and if the mounseers should have stolen the grub out of our chest, we should have nothing to eat on our voyage."

"I have been thinking too much about going away to feel hungry," said Bill. "But now you talk of it, I should like some food, and I hope they'll bring enough to last us for a day or two. Now, I say, it's getting dark, and we must fix upon the best spot to lower ourselves down to. You listen at the door lest any one should come up suddenly, and I'll examine the windows and settle the best plan."

Bill, however, first went to the bed, examined the blankets and sheets and mattress, and found, to his satisfaction, that below all were two thick pieces of canvas, drawn together by a rope. The rope, though rather thin, would, he was satisfied, bear their light weights. It might take them half an hour or so to twist the various materials up into a rope, and altogether would give them one of ample length for their purpose.

This discovery greatly raised the boys' spirits and hopes of success.

Bill now went to the window, and found that the gra.s.s came close up to the walls of the tower underneath. Even should they fall from a considerable height, they might have the chance of not breaking their bones, and that was some satisfaction. An iron bar extended from the top of the window to the bottom in the centre. He felt it, and it was strong as need be. It would do well for securing their rope. As far as he could judge, there was no window under them. This was of consequence, as had there been, they might have been seen by any person within during their descent, rapidly as they might make it. Bill considered whether it would be possible to withdraw the rope after they had descended, but he doubted whether they had sufficient materials to enable them to do that.

"Well, it cannot be helped," Bill said to himself. "The Frenchmen will see how we escaped, but they won't find it out till daylight, and it won't matter much then."