CHAPTER FORTY.
ON THE GREAT NORTH ROAD.
The heavy, leaden feeling of despair and disappointment increased asFrank Gowan ran across the courtyard, feeling that it was useless toexpect to find Captain Murray, but making for his quarters in the fainthope that he might have been detained, and cudgelling his brains as heran, to try and find a means of learning the route that the escort wouldtake, so that he might even then try and intercept the prisoners'carriages.
But no idea, not the faintest gleam of a way out of his difficultyhelped him; and he felt ready to fling himself down in his misery anddespair, as he reached the officers' quarters.
It was like a mockery to him in his agony to see the sentry, whorecognised him, draw himself up, and present arms to his old captain'sson, and it checked the question he would have asked the man as to whenCaptain Murray had passed, for he could not speak.
"I must see if he is here," he thought, as he ran up the stairs to theroom which had been his prison; and turning the handle of the door, herushed in and uttered a groan, for the room was, as he had anticipated,empty. But the bedroom door was closed, and he darted to that and flungit open.
"Gone! gone! gone!" he groaned. "What shall I do? Will they take himto the Tower?"
He knew that there was no saying what might be the destination of theprisoners; but he rushed back to the staircase, meaning to go straightto the Tower by some means, and then he stopped short and uttered a halfhysterical cry, for there was Captain Murray ascending the stairs.
"Not gone?" he cried.
"No; but I am just off. I wish you could have gone with me, Frank. Itwould have done your poor father good."
"I am going. She wishes it, and sends me."
"Hah! Quick, then. Back to your room."
"Oh, I'm ready," cried the boy.
"Nonsense! We are going to ride. Your boots and sword, boy. I'll lendyou a military cloak."
"But it will be losing time," panted Frank.
"It will be gaining it, my boy. You cannot go through a London mob likethat. You are going to ride with soldiers, and you must not look like apage at a levee. Quick!"
"You will wait for me?"
"Of course."
Frank ran to his rooms, drew on his high horseman's boots, buckled onhis sword, which had been returned to him, and ran back to where CaptainMurray was waiting for him with a cloak over his arm.
"No spurs?" he said. "Never mind. You will have a well-trained horse.I have got passes for two, Frank; and, as it happens, I know the officerof the Horse Guards who is in command of the detachment going to meetthe escort, so that we can get close up to the prisoners. Let's see:you do ride?"
"Oh yes; my father taught me long ago, anything--bare-backed oftenenough."
"Good. I am glad, boy. It was sorry work going without you. But Iknow why it was. Walk quickly; no time to lose."
He hurried his companion to the stables of the Horse Guards, where acouple of the men were waiting, and a horse was ready saddled.
"Quick!" he said to the men. "I shall want the second charger, afterall."
It was rapidly growing dark, and one man lit a lanthorn, while the otherclapped the bit between the teeth of a handsome black horse, turned thedocile creature in its stall, and then slipped on a heavy militarysaddle with its high-peak holsters and curb-bit.
Five minutes after they were mounted and making for Charing Cross.
"Which way are we going?" asked Frank, whose excitement increased to afeeling of wild exhilaration, as he felt the beautifully elasticcreature between his knees, with a sensation of participating in itsstrength, and being where he would have a hundred times the chance ofgetting to speak to his father.
"Up north," said the captain abruptly.
"North? Why not east? They will take him to the Tower."
"No. Steady horse. Walk, walk! Hold yours in, boy. We must go at aslow pace till we get to the top of the lane."
The horses settled down to their walk, almost keeping pace for pace, asthe captain said quietly:
"I have got all the information I required. No, they will not take theprisoners to the Tower, but to Newgate."
"Newgate?" cried Frank; "why, that is where the thieves and murderersgo."
"Yes," said the captain abruptly. "Look here, Frank. They are not toreach the prison till nine, so we have plenty of time to get somedistance out. They will come in by the north road, and I don't think wecan miss them."
"Why risk passing them?" said Frank.
"Because, if we intercept the escort on the great north road somewherebeyond Highgate, you will be able to ride back near the carriage inwhich your father is, and, even if you cannot speak to him, you will seehim, and be seen."
"But it will be horrible; I shall look like one of the soldiers guardinghim to his cell."
"Never mind what you look like, so long as your father sees that he isnot forgotten by those who love him."
The captain ceased speaking, and their horses picked their way over thestones, their hoofs clattering loudly, and making the people they passedturn to stare after the two military-looking cavaliers in cocked hat andhorseman's cloak, and with the lower parts of their scabbards seen belowto show that they were well armed.
Saint Martin's Church clock pointed to seven as they rode by; and then,well acquainted with the way, the captain made for the north-east,breaking into a trot as they reached the open street where the trafficwas small, Frank's well-trained horse keeping step with its stablecompanion; and by the shortest cuts that could be made they reachedIslington without seeing a sign of any unusual excitement, so well hadthe secret been kept of the coming of the prisoners that night.
"Not much sign of a crowd to meet them, Frank," said the captain, asthey went now at a steady trot along the upper road. "Pretty good proofthat we are in time."
"Why, what is a good sign?" asked Frank.
"So few people about. If the prisoners and their escort had passed,half Islington would have been out gossiping at their doors."
"Suppose they have come some other way?"
"Not likely. This was to be their route, and at half-past eight twotroops of Horse Guards will march up the road to meet the escort atIslington. That will bring out the crowd."
Frank winced as if he had suddenly felt the prick of a knife, so sharpwas the spasm which ran through him. For the moment he had quiteforgotten the prospect of an attempt at rescue; now the mention of thesoldiery coming to meet the unhappy prisoners and strengthen the escortbrought all back, and with it the questioning thought:
"Would Drew's friends make the venture when so strong a force would bethere?"
"No--yes--no--yes," his heart seemed to beat; then the rattle of thehorses' hoofs took it up--no, yes, no, yes; and now it seemed to be thetime to tell Captain Murray of the attempt that was to be made, orrather that was planned.
"And if I tell him he will feel that it is his duty as a soldier to warnthe officer in command of the escort, and he will take them at a sharptrot round by some other way. Oh, I can't tell him! It would be likerobbing my father of his last chance."
Frank felt more and more that his lips were sealed; and as to the dangerwhich Murray would incur--well, he was a soldier well mounted, and hemust run the risk.
"As I shall," thought Frank. "It will be no worse for him than for me.It is not as if I were going to try and save myself. I'll stand by him,weak boy as I am. Or no; shall I not be escaping with my father?"
He shook his head the next moment, and felt that he could not be of therescuing party. He must still be the Prince's page, and return to thePalace to bear his mother the news of the escape.
"For he will--he must escape," thought the boy. "Drew's friends will beout in force to-night, and I shall be able to go back and tell her thathe is safe."
As they rode on through the pleasant dark night Frank thought more ofthe peril into which his companion was going, and hesitated abouttelling him, so that he might
be warned; but again he shrank fromspeaking, for fear that it might mean disaster to Drew's projects.
"And he has his father to save as well as mine. I can't warn him," heconcluded. "I run the risk as well as he."
He felt better satisfied the next minute, as he glanced sidewise at thebold, manly bearing of the captain, mounted on the splendid,well-trained charger.
"Captain Murray can take care of himself," he thought; and the feelingswhich were shut within his breast grew into a sensation of excitementthat was almost pleasurable.
"Quite countrified out here, Frank," said the captain suddenly, as theroad began to ascend; and after passing Highbury the houses grew scarce,being for the most part citizens' mansions. "Don't be down-hearted, mylad. The law is very curious. It is a strong castle for our defence,but full of loopholes by which a man may escape."
"Escape?" cried Frank excitedly. "You think he may escape?"
"I hope so, and I'd give something now if my oaths were not taken, and Icould do something in the way of striking a blow for your father'sliberty."
For a few minutes the boy felt eagerly ready to confess all he knew; butthe words which had raised the desire served also to check it. "If myoaths were not taken," Captain Murray had said; and he was the very soulof honour, and would not break his allegiance to his King.
"My father did," thought the boy sadly. Then he brightened. "No," hethought, "the King broke it, and set him free by banishing him from hisservice."
"How do you get on with your horse, lad?--Walk." The horses changedtheir pace at the word. The hill was getting steep.
"Oh, I get on capitally. It's like sitting in an easy-chair. I haven'tbeen on a horse for a year."
"Then you learned to ride well, Frank. Find the advantage of havingyour boots, though. Fancy a ride like this in silk stockings andshoes!--You ought to go into the cavalry some day."
Frank sighed.
"Bah! Don't look at the future as being all black, boy. Stick to Hope,the lady who carries the anchor. One never knows what may turn up."
"No, one never knows what may turn up," cried the boy excitedly; andthen he checked himself in dread lest his companion should read histhoughts respecting the rescue. But the captain's next words set him atrest.
"That's right, my lad. Try and keep a stout heart. Steep hill this.Do you know where we are?"
"Only that we are on the great north road."
"Yes. When we are on the top of this hill, we shall be in the villageof Highgate; and if it was daylight, we could see all London if welooked back, and the country right away if we looked forward. I proposeto stop at the top of the hill and wait."
"Yes," said Frank eagerly.
"Perhaps go on for a quarter of a mile, so as to be where we are notobserved."
The horses were kept at a walking pace till the village was reached, andhere a gate was stretched across, and a man came out to take the toll,Frank noticing that he examined them keenly by the light of a lanthorn.
"Any one passed lately--horsemen and carriages?" said the captainquietly.
The man chuckled.
"Yes, a couple of your kidney," said the man. "You're too late."
A pang shot through Frank, and he leaned forward.
"Too late? What do you mean, sir?" cried the captain sharply; and, ashe spoke, he threw back his horseman's cloak, showing his uniformslightly.
"Oh, I beg your worships' pardon. I took you for gentlemen of theroad."
"What, highwaymen?"
"Yes, sir. A couple of them went by not ten minutes ago. But I don'tsuppose they'll try to stop you. They don't like catching Tartars. Beas well to have your pistols handy, though."
"Thank you for the hint," said the captain, and they rode on.
"What do you say, Frank?" said the captain. "Shall we go any farther?It would be an awkward experience for you if we were stopped byhighwaymen. Shall we stop?"
"Oh, we cannot stop to think about men like that," said Frank excitedly.
"Not afraid, then?"
"I'm afraid we shall not meet the prisoners," said the boy sadly.
"Forward, then. But unfasten the cover of your holsters. You will findloaded pistols there, and can take one out if we are stopped--I mean ifany one tries to stop us. But," he added grimly, "I don't think any onewill."
At another time it would have set the boy trembling with excitement; buthis mind was too full of the object of their expedition, and as thehorses paced on the warning about the gentlemen who infested the mainroads in those days was forgotten, so that a few minutes later it cameas a surprise to the boy when a couple of horsemen suddenly appearedfrom beneath a clump of trees by the roadside, came into the middle ofthe road, and barred their way.
"Realm?" said one of the men sharply.
"Keep off, or I fire," cried Captain Murray.
The two mounted men reined back on the instant, and, pistol in hand, thecaptain and Frank went on at a walk.
"I don't think--nay, I'm sure--that those men are not on the road,Frank," said the captain quietly. "That was a password. _Realm_. Canthey be friends of the prisoners sent forward as scouts?"
"Do you think so?" said Frank.
"Yes," replied the captain thoughtfully; "and if they are, we are quiteright. The prisoners have not passed, and I should not wonder if therewere an attempt made to rescue them before they reach town."
Frank's head began to buzz, and he nipped his horse so tightly that theanimal broke into a trot.
"Steady! Walk," cried the captain; and the next minute he drew rein, tosit peering forward into the darkness, listening for the tramp ofhorses, which ought to have been heard for a mile or two upon so still anight.
"Can't hear them," he said in a disappointed tone. "But we will not goany farther."
At that moment Frank's horse uttered a loud challenging neigh, which wasanswered from about a hundred yards off, and this was followed byanother, and another farther away still.
"There they are," said the captain, "halting for a rest to the horsesbefore trotting down. Forward!"
They advanced again; but had not gone far before figures were dimly seenin the road, and directly after a stern voice bade them halt.
The captain replied with a few brief words, and they rode forward, tofind themselves facing a vedette of dragoons, a couple of whom escortedthem to where, upon an open space, in the middle of which was a pond, astrong body of cavalry was halted, the greater part of the mendismounted; but about twenty men were mounted, and sat with drawnswords, surrounding a couple of carriages, each with four horses--artillery teams--and the drivers in their places ready to start at amoment's notice.
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