The Story of Antony Grace Part 15

This was a new light, and I thought, perhaps, I should be easier, for one shoe was constantly sc.r.a.ping the tendon at the back of my heel. So sitting down on the gra.s.s, I untied and slipped off my shoes, my socks following, to be thrust into my pocket, and I limped on, setting my feet delicately on the gravel, which hurt them, till I changed on to the short soft turf beside the path.

The barge had pa.s.sed me, but I soon overtook it, and then reached the boy, who watched me complacently as I trudged on, certainly feeling easier.

"One on 'ems a-bleeding," said my new friend then. "Shoes allus hurts.

Jeet!"

"Yes, when you walk far," I said, the conversation beginning to warm now.

"Walked far, matey?"

"Yes, ever so far. Have you come far?"

"_Pistol_," I thought he said.

"Where?" I asked.

"Bristol. Jeet, Sammy!" _Crack_!

"All along by the river?"

"We don't call it the river, we call it the ca.n.a.l here. It's river farther up towards London."

"Are you going to London?" I said.

"Yes. Are you?"

"Yes," I said; and my heart was at rest, for I knew now that which I wanted to find out without asking. This river did go right to London, and I must be on the upper part of the Thames.

We went on for some little time in silence, and then my new friend began:

"Why don't you go and paddle yer feet in the water a bit?"

It was a good suggestion, and the shallow sparkling water looked very delicious and cool.

"Tie your shoestrings together and hing 'em on to Tommy's collar. You can hing yer bundle, too, if yer li-ak."

I hesitated for a moment. One boy had already appropriated my bundle, but he had not the frank honest look of the one on the horse, and besides, I did not like to seem suspicious. So, tying the shoestrings together, I hung them on the tall hame of the collar, and the bundle beside them, before going quickly over the gravel down to the shallow water.

"Turn up yer trousers!" shouted the boy; and I obeyed his good advice, ending by walking along the shallow water close behind the tow-rope, the soft sand feeling delicious to my feet as the cool water laved and eased the smarting wound.

At last I walked out with my feet rested, and the blood-stain washed away, to run forward and join my companion, who looked at me in a very stolid manner.

"Hev a ride?" he said at last.

"May I?"

"Fey-ther!"

"Hel-lo-a!" came slowly from the barge.

"May this chap hev a ri-ad?"

"Ay-er!"

The boy slipped down off the horse with the greatest ease, and stuck his whip into a link of the trace.

"Now, then," he said, "lay holt o' his collar, and I'll give yer a leg up."

I obeyed him, and seizing my leg, he nearly shot me right over the horse, but by hanging tightly on to the collar I managed to save myself, and shuffled round into the proper position for riding sidewise, feeling the motion of the horse, in spite of a certain amount of boniness of spine, delightfully easy and restful.

"They're all right," the boy said, as I glanced at my bundle. "They won't fall off. Are yer comf'able?"

"Yes, capital," I said, and we journeyed on, my luck seeming almost too good to be believed.

We went on talking away, now and then pa.s.sing another barge, when the ropes were pa.s.sed one over the other boat, and the journey continued.

Soon afterwards I made my first acquaintance with a lock, and got down off the horse to stand by the barge and gaze in wonderment at the process. As it glided softly into the s.p.a.ce between walls, a pair of great doors were shut behind it, and I and my new companion helped to turn handles, with the result that I saw the water foam and rush out, and the barge slowly sink down to a lower level, when a couple of great doors were swung open at the other end. There was a certain amount of pushing and thrusting, and the barge glided out into the river ten feet lower than it was before.

Then the rope was once more made fast, the horses tugged, and we went on again, but not far before a shrill voice shouted "Jack!" and my companion stood still till the barge came abreast of him, being steered close in, when I saw a woman lean over the side and hold out a basket, which the boy caught, and then ran after me once more, where I was mounted on the first horse.

"My dinner," he said eagerly. "Got yourn?"

"Yes," I said, colouring up as I pulled the remains of my bread and cheese out of my pocket, there being a large piece of the latter.

"Steak pudden to-day," said my companion, hanging his basket on to the collar by my knee, and revealing a basin half full of savoury-odoured beef-steak pudding, which was maddening to me in my hungry state.

"I say, what a whacking great piece of cheese! I like cheese," said my companion; "let's go halves."

Pride kept me back for a moment, and then I said--

"I'll give you threepence if you'll give me half your dinner."

"I don't want your threepence," he said scornfully. "You shall have half if you give me half your new bread and cheese. Ourn's allus stale.

Look, here's some cold apple puff too."

So there was, and delicious it looked, sufficiently so to make my mouth water.

"Got a knife, matey?"

"Yes," I said, "but--"

"I say, I tell you what," said my would-be host. "Have you really got threepence?"

"Yes," I said, and was about to say more, when Mr Rowle's words occurred to me and I was silent.

"Then we'll have half a pint o' cider at the next lock, and twopen'orth o' apples, shall us?"

"Yes," I said, delighted at the prospect; and the result was that we two hearty boys soon finished pudding, puff, and the last sc.r.a.p of the bread and cheese, after which my new friend shouted, "Mother!" The boat was steered in close, and the shrill-voiced woman took the basket back.