CHAPTER VI.
HOW CHARLES ASCENDED THE WORCESTERSHIRE BEACON; AND OF THE AMBUSCADEPREPARED FOR HIM AS HE CAME DOWN.
After examining the preparations made for the defence of the oldmansion, Charles sat down with Careless and the officer in command ofthe garrison to a repast prepared for him in the great hall. When hehad finished it he ordered his horses. The officer asked if his majestyrequired his escort.
"No," replied Charles. "I am not about to return to Worcester. I amcharmed with this place, and shall sleep here to-night. I mean to rideto Malvern. Major Careless will attend me."
So his majesty set forth, accompanied only by his aide-de-camp. Apleasant ride through the woods brought them to the foot of thegiant hill, on a ridge of which stood the little secluded village ofMalvern. Yes, the little secluded village of Malvern. Where terraces ofwell-built houses now spring above each other on the hill-side--wherecountless white villas peer from out the trees, contrasting charminglywith the foliage, and helping to form one of the prettiest towns inEngland--a town as healthful as pretty--nothing was then to be seenbut a few small habitations, in the midst of which rose the old priorychurch, and the beautiful gateway adjoining it. The priory was pulleddown at the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and with it the glory ofMalvern had departed. Devotees were still attracted by the Holy Well,and marvellous cures were said to be wrought by its waters, but suchpilgrims were rare, and Malvern remained an obscure, unfrequentedvillage, until its beauties and salubrity were discovered in the earlypart of the present century.
Charles and his attendant halted on the ridge on which this charmingtown is now built, and surveyed the extensive prospect it commands.They were not aware that they were watched from behind a tree by atall, ill-favoured man, in the garb of a Puritan. This eavesdropper,who had followed them cautiously for some minutes, ascertained theirpurpose, and as soon as they began to ascend the hill, he hurried downto the little inn near the priory gate.
All difficulties in the ascent of the lofty hill, known as theWorcestershire Beacon, have now been removed, and well-made pathsenable even invalids to reach its summit almost without fatigue. Butat the time when Charles and his attendant mounted it, it had a stern,solitary air, and its silence was unbroken by any sound except that ofthe sheep-bell, or the cry of a bird of prey. Sheep-tracks alone ledup its rugged sides, and conducted the pedestrian through the broadpatches of furze, or past huge protruding rocks, to the smooth turfabove. Charles being a daring horseman, took the nearest road, and notunfrequently came to places where it was too steep to proceed withsafety, and had to retrace his course and seek a less dangerous ascent.The only person in sight was a shepherd tending his flock, and he wasfar off. At length the king and his attendant gained the rounded summitof the hill, which was covered by turf smooth as velvet, and fragrantwith thyme.
Hitherto, both Charles and Careless had been too much occupied by thedifficulties of the ascent to pay much attention to the vast panoramaopening upon them as they mounted the hill. But as they now gazed uponit, they were lost in admiration, and quite forgot the trouble they hadexperienced.
It boots not to describe the thoughts that passed through the king'sbreast, as his eye ranged over that astonishing prospect, which,comprehending as it does nine or ten counties, showed him a largeportion of his kingdom, and that perhaps not the least beautifulportion. How many towns and villages--how many noble mansions--couldhe count in that wide-spread landscape! On the left, and almost as itseemed at his feet, lay the old and faithful city of Worcester, withhis army encamped around it. Two other cathedral towns, with theirchurch towers and steeples--Gloucester and Hereford--could likewise bedistinguished. Charles sought the Severn for some time in vain. Owingto the height of its banks, it could only be here and there discerned.
He hung long upon this incomparable prospect, and then turned to theHerefordshire side of the hill, whence the view was almost equallyfine, three distinct mountainous chains, of beautifully varied form,meeting his gaze.
On quitting the green sward the perils of the descent commenced, andthey were obliged to proceed with caution, the ground being coveredwith loose stones and fragments of rock. They proceeded singly,Charles taking the lead, and were skirting a huge mass of granite thatobstructed their course, when suddenly half a dozen men, armed withmuskets, whose steel caps and buff coats showed they were Parliamentarysoldiers, and who had evidently been lying in ambush behind the rocks,sprang forward, one of them seizing the king's bridle, and two othersforcibly preventing him from using his arms. Careless was treated inprecisely the same manner, and the capture was so quickly executedthat it was perfectly successful.
At the same time two persons appeared on the top of the rock, whichrose to some little height above them. In one of these Carelessrecognised Colonel James; the other, who kept back, was the spy we havepreviously mentioned.
"Release me, villains!" cried Charles, furiously, as he vainlyattempted to free himself from the grasp of the soldiers who held him.
"Not so," said the leader of the ambuscade from above. "The Lord hathdelivered thee into my hand, as He delivered Jabin, King of Canaan,into the hands of the children of Israel. I will not put thee to death,but will take thee and thine officer as prisoners to the Lord General,to deal with ye as he may see fit. With thy capture the invasion of themen of Moab is at an end."
Scarcely were the words uttered than a loud report was heard, and hedropped on the rock, apparently mortally wounded.
"The Amalekites are upon us!" shouted the spy. "Save yourselves!"
So saying, he jumped down on the other side of the rock and disappeared.
Supposing their commander killed, and not knowing what force might beupon them, the soldiers did not dare to carry off their prize, butsought safety in flight.
Next moment, from among the rocks beneath, issued Sir Clement Fisher,who had fired the shot, while close behind him appeared Colonel Laneand his sister.
"Heaven preserve your majesty!" shouted the two Cavaliers, raisingtheir hats; while Jane, whose dark eyes flashed, and whose face wasradiant with delight, echoed the loyal aspiration.
Charles heard them, and raised his hat in response.
"Haste thee to Madresfield Court," he said to Careless. "Bring adetachment of horse to scour these hills. I will have the villains whohave dared to lay hands upon me."
"Your majesty----"
"Obey me. I shall have Colonel Lane and Sir Clement Fisher with me.Away! Spare not the spur."
Thus enjoined, Careless dashed down the rocks at the hazard of his neck.
Charles then descended to his preservers, who had moved to a lessrugged spot, and thanked them heartily.
"The prophecy is fulfilled," he said to Jane. "You have saved my life."
"Nay, it was Sir Clement who delivered you, sire," she replied. "ButI may, at least, claim the merit of having perceived your majesty'speril."
"You may claim more," remarked Sir Clement Fisher. "Had it not beenfor your coolness and self-possession, we could not have succeeded ineffecting his majesty's deliverance."
"I said you are my guardian angel, and so you are," cried Charles. "ButI must learn what took place. Let me have the description from your ownlips."
"Since your majesty commands me, I must speak, though Sir Clement couldbetter explain the matter," she rejoined, blushing. "Then, thus itwas, sire. We had accomplished our errand, and were returning throughyonder pass between the hills, when we observed your majesty and MajorCareless near the beacon. We could see you both quite distinctly,and our gaze never quitted you till you were about to commence yourdescent. I then begged my brother to quit the lower road, in orderthat we might meet you as you came down. Your course lay towards thoserocks, and while gazing in that direction, I noticed some armed menmoving stealthily about among them, and pointed them out to my brotherand Sir Clement, who at once recognised them as rebel soldiers, andfelt sure that an ambuscade had been placed there. What was to be done?Impossible to warn you. A plan occurred to
me. I showed my companionshow, by keeping among the rocks, we could approach the ambuscadingparty unperceived, and they followed my counsel, as it seemed the solechance of saving your majesty. We got near enough to enable Sir Clementto bring down the leader of the troop."
"And luckily not another shot was needed," said Sir Clement.
"I know not whether you were my deliverer or Sir Clement," saidCharles. "But I am equally indebted to you both. And now you must allaccompany me to Madresfield Court. I shall need your escort, gentlemen."
Boscobel; or, the royal oak: A tale of the year 1651 Page 9
