Roger Willoughby Part 3

"I shall see it clearly enough when we get there," said Roger. "But I propose that we first visit Ben Rullock's cottage, and get him and his boy to help us; he will know whereabouts the ship lies."

"But you do not think we can go off to the ship in his boat?" remarked Stephen.

"No; my fear is that the ship may be driven in close to the sh.o.r.e, and that her crew may be unable to escape from her," said Roger.

He, knowing the locality well, even in the darkness, managed to hit the path which led down to the old fisherman's cottage; he and his companion, however, had to walk cautiously, for it was narrow and winding, and a false step might have sent them over the cliff.

On reaching the door they knocked loudly.

"Ben Rullock, turn out! turn out! there is a ship in danger!" shouted Roger. But the dashing of the breakers on the sh.o.r.e, and the howling of the wind, produced so wild an uproar that his voice was not heard.

Again and again he and Stephen shouted and knocked louder and louder.

"Who's there wanting me at this hour of the morning?" they at length heard a voice from within exclaim. Roger repeated what he had before said, and at length old Ben came to the door with a candle, which was immediately blown out.

"A ship in danger, young master!" he exclaimed. "I have not heard her guns firing, or other signal of distress, and my ears are pretty sharp, even when I am asleep."

"We are anxious about the _Benbow_ frigate, as we are afraid that she may have been driven on sh.o.r.e."

"Her captain knows too well what he is about to allow her to do that,"

answered old Ben. "He had not been aboard yesterday evening two minutes before he got under weigh, and must have gained a good offing before the gale came on."

"I heartily hope that such may be the case," observed Stephen.

"I am afraid that if he got under weigh he will not be coming back,"

said Roger.

"We shall soon know," observed Ben. "Dawn is just breaking, and it will be daylight ere long.--Come in, young gentlemen, and in the meantime, for you are wet through, I will rouse up young Toby, and we will have a fire lighted to dry your wet duds."

The lads were glad enough to accept old Ben's invitation, for though they had strained their eyes to the utmost no sign could they discover of the _Benbow_ frigate, but they fancied that the darkness, which is generally the greatest an hour before dawn, had concealed her from their sight. Toby, who turned out on being called, quickly lighted a fire with the driftwood, of which there was generally an abundant supply on the beach, and they sat before it for some time drying their wet clothes, its bright light preventing them from seeing how rapidly the dawn was advancing. At length Roger starting up exclaimed, "Why, it is nearly broad daylight: we shall be well able to see the ship where she lay at anchor."

"I doubt if you will see her there or anywhere else," said old Ben, as he accompanied Roger and Stephen, who eagerly ran out of the cottage.

Though the rain had ceased, the gale was blowing as hard as ever, while the spray which rose from the breakers dashing on the sh.o.r.e beneath their feet filled the air as they reached a point where, by shading their eyes with their hands, they could obtain a view over the whole bay. They eagerly looked out, but nowhere was the _Benbow_ frigate to be seen. Ben's information was correct.

It was evident that Captain Benbow, on perceiving the approach of bad weather, had immediately got under weigh to gain a good offing. In vain the lads gazed along the whole line of the horizon extending from the Bill of Portland to the Start--not a sail was visible.

"Maybe she's run in for shelter on the other side of Portland, or, still more likely, has stood on through the Needle pa.s.sage to bring up inside the Isle of Wight," observed Ben. "She will not be coming back here, you may depend on?"

As there was nothing more to be done, Roger, greatly disappointed, returned with Stephen to the manor-house. He was very glad to find that the ship had escaped, but he was afraid that it might be long before she would return, and his hopes of going to sea on board her would be realised.

The gale lasted scarcely the usual three days, when the weather became as fine as before, and Roger paid many a visit to the sh.o.r.e in the hopes of seeing the _Benbow_ frigate coming once more to an anchorage. Though many ships pa.s.sed by, they were bound up or down Channel, and none came near the land.

It was the first great disappointment Roger had ever had. Day after day went by, but still the _Benbow_ frigate did not make her appearance.

Sometimes he hoped that he should receive a letter from her captain, telling him to come to some port farther west; where he might go on board, but no letter was received. The thought occurred to him that the vessel had been wrecked or had gone down during that dreadful night, but old Ben a.s.sured him that she had got under weigh while the wind was sufficiently to westward to enable her to weather Portland Bill and its dreaded Race, and that she was well out at sea before the worst of it commenced.

"All a sailor wishes for is a stout ship and plenty of sea-room, you should know, Master Roger, and if he gets that he is content, as I have a notion Captain Benbow was on that night," observed the old man.

Roger often looked at his chest of clothes, and at length he did up those Stephen had brought him, and took them back to Langton Park, but his friend begged him to keep them.

"You may want them still, I hope, and you will not refuse to oblige an old friend by accepting them," he said.

Meantime Mr Hands...o...b.. accompanied Mr Willoughby to pay a visit to Squire Battis...o...b.. at Langton Park; his object he did not explain.

"I have a notion that your worthy friend has some other object besides attending to his mercantile affairs in his visit to the west country,"

observed the Colonel to his brother-in-law, who came back to the manor-house without his companion.

"If you do not insist on knowing, it were as well that I should not tell you," answered Mr Willoughby. "All I can say is that he is much touched by the Duke of Monmouth, Lord Shaftesbury, and others, and that he is a true Protestant and right honest man. He is bound for Bristol, from which place he promises to write to me, though it may be some time before I shall hear from him."

The Colonel was satisfied with this explanation; it did not occur to him that any evil consequences would arise from his receiving so respectable a personage as Mr Hands...o...b.. at his house.

Roger was expecting another visit from Stephen, and perhaps Mistress Alice might have been looking forward with some pleasure to his coming, when a note was received from him saying that by his father's express desire he was about to accompany Mr Hands...o...b.. to Bristol; that before the note would reach Roger he should already have set out. He regretted not having had time to pay a farewell visit, and begged to send his kind regards to Madam Pauline and Mistress Alice, as also to the Colonel and Mr Willoughby. "Mr Hands...o...b..," he continued, "undertakes to place me in a situation of trust, and my father thinks that it would be folly to decline so fine an opportunity of forwarding my interests in life. I promise you, Roger, that should I hear of any situation which you can fill with advantage, I will not fail to let you know, and I hope that your father and the Colonel will approve of your accepting it; you know that I mean what I say, and therefore do not look upon it as a mere make-believe promise."

This last paragraph somewhat consoled Roger for the regret he felt at the loss of his friend and companion.

"I am sure he will do his best," said Mistress Alice, who was always ready to praise Stephen; she, indeed, thought there were but few people like him in the world.

"Yes, he is honest and truthful, two excellent qualities in a young man," observed Madam Pauline.

"Yes, that he is, and I shall not find any one like him in this part of the country," said Roger.

Stephen often said the same thing of his friend.

Roger Willoughby had now plenty of time to attend to his studies; he continued working away steadily with his book of navigation, as well as with the few other works which he possessed, his uncle and father helping him to the best of their ability, but neither of them had had much time in their youth for study. He obtained rather more a.s.sistance from Master Holden, who was very willing to impart such knowledge as he possessed, albeit not of a description which Roger especially prized.

Almost sooner than he expected, Roger received a note from Stephen Battis...o...b.., saying that his good fortune had been greater than he expected. He had got a situation in one of the princ.i.p.al mercantile houses in Bristol with which Mr Hands...o...b.. was connected, and that a post for which he considered Roger very well suited being vacant, he had applied and obtained it for him.

"Lose no time in setting out," he wrote, "for after a few weeks'

training we are to sail on board one of the ships belonging to the firm for the Levant."

Mr Willoughby and the Colonel were highly pleased with this. It seemed to open the way to Roger's advancement, while he would be able to gratify his taste for the sea without being bound to it, as he would have been had he sailed with Captain Benbow. The question arose how he was to get to Bristol. The distance was considerable, upwards of sixty miles in a straight line, and much more when the turnings of the roads were calculated, which roads were in many places in a very bad condition. Roger himself, who was eager to set out, proposed performing the journey on a small horse or cob, with such luggage as could be carried in his valise and saddle-bags, while the remainder was to be sent by the stage-wagon from Lyme.

"But, my dear boy, you might be attacked by highwaymen, and robbed and murdered on the road," said his father.

"I will try to beat off any highwaymen who may attack me, or gallop away from them," answered Roger. "Besides, I doubt whether any gentlemen of the road would think it worth while to attack a boy like me; they generally fly at higher game. I have been talking to Tobias Platt, and he says that old Tony, though he has not done much work of late, will carry me well, and that if I do not push him too hard, I may do the journey in three days, or four at the most."

Old Tony was a cob which Mr Willoughby had ridden several years, but was now allowed to spend most of his days in the meadows. As no better mode of conveyance could be suggested, it was arranged that Roger should set out in a couple of days with his valise and saddle-bags, with a brace of pistols and a sword for his protection, in the use of which he had been well instructed by the Colonel. Old Tony in the meantime was fed on oats to prepare him for the journey. Just as Roger was about to set out, the Colonel received an intimation that his neighbour, Mr Battis...o...b.., would proceed the following day in the same direction, and he accordingly rode over to Langton to ask whether he would allow Roger to travel in his company.

"With great pleasure," he replied, "although, as I have several places to visit I may be longer about the journey than he would were he to go alone."

This, however, was of little consequence compared to the advantage it would be to Roger to travel with a gentleman who would, of course, have several servants in attendance.

The morning arrived in which Roger Willoughby was to start from the home of his childhood to commence the active business of life. He was to sleep at Langton Park that he might start at daybreak the following morning with Mr Battis...o...b...

The Colonel accompanied him part of the way.

"It is as well that you should make your appearance alone," he observed.

"It will show that you can take care of yourself, for your father and I have given you plenty of good advice, and all I have now to counsel you is to remember and follow it at the proper time. I have always found you to be honest and upright. Continue to be so. Fear G.o.d, and do your duty to man, and you will grow up all your father and I wish to see you.

Now, fare thee well," he added, pressing Roger's hand. "If this proposed expedition to sea be carried out, you will witness strange sights and things of which you little dream at present, and you will come back, I hope, well able to amuse us two old men in our solitude with an account of your adventures."