A Gentleman Player; His Adventures on a Secret Mission for Queen Elizabeth

by Robert Neilson Stephens

  CHAPTER XIX.

  THE HORSEMEN DEPART.

  "Beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold."--_As You Like It._

  When Marryott looked down from the oriel, he saw the horses huddled in acorner of the quadrangle. Rumney standing by the fountain, and severalmen about to swing the long piece of timber against the door a secondtime. Afar, at the gate by the road, as Hal could descry through theleafless trees, a mounted man kept watch. Master Rumney preferred toavoid witnesses, in his violation of the peace this Sunday morning.

  Marryott flung open the casement, and leaned out, a pistol in each hand.

  "Back!" he cried to the men with the branch. "Back, or two of you shalldie!"

  The men stopped short, looked up at him, and stood hesitating.

  "Batter down the door!" shouted Rumney to the men. "I'll look to thiscock!"

  And he raised a pistol and fired at Hal. The ball sang past him andfound lodgment in the wall of the gallery. The men sprang forward withthe tree-branch. True to his threat, Hal let off both his pistols. Twomen fell,--one struck in the shoulder, the other in the thigh. Onehowled, the other stared up at Hal in a kind of silent amazement.

  With a wrathful curse, Rumney fired a second pistol at Marryott. ButHal, having now to reload his weapons, had disappeared in good time.Moreover. Rumney's aim was bad, for the fact that his better arm,wounded the previous day, was now bound up and useless. Handing hispistols to two men, for reloading, and grasping from one of these men aweapon already loaded, the robber fiercely ordered his rascals to resumethe assault upon the door. They obeyed. The door quivered at their blow;but its bars and braces held. As the men were rushing forward for athird stroke with their improvised ram, flame and smoke suddenly belchedforth from the windows nearest the door, and two more fellows sank tothe snow. Kit Bottle and one of Hal's wounded followers had firedthrough holes they had made in the glass.

  Rumney's men rushed panic-stricken from the quadrangle, seekingprotection beyond the angle of the kitchen wing. Their leader followedthem. The men with the horses led off the frightened animals to the sameplace. The court was now clear. Marryott returned to the hall.

  "At this rate, we shall soon see Captain Rumney's heels, or his corpse,"said Hal, to Kit Bottle.

  "I know not," was the reply. "We have but taught him the folly of hasteand open attack. He will try craft next. Now is the time to watch everyhole by which even a mouse might crawl into this house. 'Tis well thatstout fellow, Hatch, has guard of the stable door. I would the Puritanwere back! I'm some troubled for the safety of his saintly skin. He is alikable dog, for all his sour virtuousness. God-'a'-mercy, how hisconscience will bite at this breakage of the Sabbath!"

  Marryott went up to the room where Tom and Francis were. The sound offiring had aroused them, and they were in great curiosity. MistressHazlehurst, Francis said, still slept. Marryott gave the two lads abrief account of matters, for the information of the lady if she awoke.He then rejoined Kit in the hall.

  The morning wore on. Silence continued, without and within the house. Nofurther sign came of Rumney's presence in the vicinity. Marryott beganto discuss with Bottle the probabilities of the robbers having fled,appalled at the utterly bootless loss of four men. "Rumney is adeviceful rascal," was the burden of Kit's replies.

  Hal made the rounds of the house. Neither Moreton nor Hatch, nor Oliverat his upper window, had sound or sight of the enemy to report. No onewas to be seen from the windows. The mounted watchman at the gate haddisappeared. But, as Bottle said, when Marryott returned again to thehall, these facts did not answer the question of Rumney's proximity.There were outbuildings, detached from the house; in these the rascalsmight have taken refuge while biding the formation of a plan. Thewatchman might have concealed himself behind the gatehouse.

  While Hal and his lieutenant were sitting in talk, near the fire, therearose a sound of hasty steps in an upper corridor, and Oliver Bunchappeared at the stair-head.

  "Master Underhill is coming!" he announced, in a loud, excited whisper.

  "Follow us!" replied Hal, starting off with Kit at once. The threetraversed some rooms, a passage, and part of the kitchen wing, andarrived in the half dark stables.

  "Open the small door!" called Marryott, in a low tone, to John Hatch."And stand all, with sword and pistol, to bar the way 'gainst any butUnderhill!"

  Hatch undid the door, and flung it wide; then drew his weapons, andstood beside Marryott and Kit, just within the entrance. Behind thesethree crouched Oliver Bunch, trembling, but with sword and pistol inhand.

  Through the blown flakes in the park, Anthony could be seen riding madlyfor the door. His cloak stood out behind him. From his left shoulderswung a bag, which evidently contained the acquisitions of his journeyto the inn. In his right hand he held his naked sword. The manner of hisriding, the direction of his look, showed that he saw possible enemieswho might attempt to cut him off.

  Marryott took a step forth from the stable, and followed Anthony's look.It was directed toward a long shed, whose open side, being from thehouse, was invisible to Hal, but visible to the Puritan. As the younggentleman fixed his glance on that shed, there ran out from it nine orten men, afoot, whose manifest purpose was indeed to intercept Anthony.Hal recognized them as of Rumney's band, but their leader was not withthem. Anthony spurred his horse for a final dash.

  The foremost robber fired a pistol. Anthony's horse swayed, toppledover, lay quivering on its side. The Puritan fell free of the animal,having swung his leg over its back in the nick of time. Ere he couldrise, his enemies were close upon him.

  Marryott and Kit fired their pistols into the pack; then dropped thesesmoking weapons inside the stable door, and rushed out with readyswords to save the Puritan. Two robbers had sunk down as if tripped upby a rope, and two behind these fell over them in the onward rush. Thefellows menacing Anthony, warned of the coming of Hal and Kit by thelatter's loud-bellowed curses, turned so as not to be taken in the rearby them. This gave the Puritan time to rise to his feet. While his tworescuers engaged the nearest knaves. Anthony, to save the provisions,skirted the crowd and made for the door. But he was headed off by otherrascals. John Hatch now ran forward to his aid, leaving Oliver Bunchalone to hold the doorway.

  Two robbers, seeing this opportunity of gaining an entrance, charged thedoor. The trembling Bunch emptied his pistol into the breast of one, andmade a feeble sword-thrust at the other. But the sword was dashed fromhis shaking hand. Oliver saw his antagonist's blade flash toward him,and dropped to the ground, uncertain whether he was killed or not. Therobber, not to lose time, and joined by one of the knaves that hadpreviously fallen unhurt, sprang over the servant's body, and ranthrough the stables, toward the door to the kitchen wing.

  Kit Bottle killed his man in time to meet the attack of the secondfellow that had fallen unhurt. Marryott was still engaging his firstopponent, a black-bearded rascal of great strength and agility. Hal hadat last detected the weak place in the other's guard, and was about toprofit by it, when suddenly a fearful shriek, far-off but piercing, madehis heart jump. It was borne from a window of the further wing of themansion; was, as he recognized with a chill of the senses, from MistressHazlehurst.

  He instantly leaped back from his antagonist, turned, and ran for theopen door. Half way through the stables, he came upon one of the tworobbers that had gained entrance. The fellow wheeled about, at sound offootsteps behind. With a single thrust, Hal cleared the way of him, andbounded on. At the door to the kitchen wing, the other robber wasencountered in similar manner, and was as speedily removed. Gaining themain part of the mansion, Hal heard additional screams and cries forhelp, which now reached his ears by indoor ways. Like a madman, hedashed through the intervening rooms, cleared the hall, rushed up thestairs, traversed the corridor, sprang across the outer room, which wasempty, and entered her chamber.

  In the centre of the apartment lay one of Rumney's men, apparently donefor. Near him were Francis, with a bleeding gash across his forehead,and Tom Co
bble, his jerkin reddened by a fresh wound in the body. At theopen window, a man was holding ready the top of a ladder, whose footmust have rested on the ground outside; while another man was tying thewrists of Mistress Hazlehurst, who was standing in a half faintingposition in the single available arm of Rumney.

  "RUMNEY ... BACKED QUICKLY TO THE WINDOW, AND MOUNTEDTHE LEDGE."]

  The visible top of the ladder explained all. With a small force, leavinghis other men at the shed. Rumney had caused this ladder--found in oneof the outbuildings--to be stealthily placed at the chamber window, andhad made good his ascent so quietly that even Tom and Francis, in theouter room, knew not of his presence until apprised by the shriek thathad summoned Marryott.

  Whether Rumney had known that this was Anne's chamber might be inquiredinto later. The present business was to rescue her from his grasp, andHal rushed blindly forward to the work, his sword still dripping withthe blood it had taken in the stables.

  A smile of joy on Anne's face, driving the terror from her eyes,welcomed him to the task. But ere he could thrust at her captor, thelatter had swiftly turned, so as to be shielded by her body. Rumneythen, bearing her in one arm, as if she were of small weight, backedquickly to the window, and mounted the ledge. Hal rushed after.

  The man who had been tying her wrists dropped to his knees, caught Hal'slegs in both arms, and brought him heavily to the floor; then clamberedover him on all fours, and grasped his sword-wrist with a powerful hand.Hal cast a glance of dismay at Anne, who looked down at him withastonished and terrified eyes. Rumney, shouting two words as to some oneholding the bottom of the ladder, bestrode the window, and set foot onone of the rounds. Doubtless, having no able arm free to grasp theladder with, he was to be supported by the man who should follow himdown.

  "God's light, she is lost!" cried Hal, in tones of despair.

  Just then there came, from the direction of the road, a peculiar sound,half cry, half whistle. It gave Captain Rumney a start; made him turnpale and stand still, with one foot on the ladder. It caused the man atthe ladder's top to look anxiously at Rumney, and the robber upon Hal torise and stride toward the window. By the time Hal was on his feet, thecall was repeated a little nearer. Rumney hesitated no longer. With amuffled oath, he released Mistress Hazlehurst, and slid, rather thanstepped, down the ladder. Hal's man seized Anne, dragged her back fromthe window ledge to clear the way for himself, and thereby--probablywithout intention--saved her from losing her balance and falling out ofthe window. This rascal was speedily followed down the ladder by the onewho had held its top; and the chamber was thus suddenly freed ofrobbers, excepting the inert one on the floor.

  Marryott's first act was to cut the bonds from Anne's wrists. Motioningaway his proffered further assistance, she regained the bed, and laydown exhausted, breathing rapidly from the excitement of the recentperil. Hal thereupon looked out of the window, and saw Rumney and threemen running toward the rear of the wing, behind which they soondisappeared. What meant this sudden flight?

  Marryott would have questioned Anne, but she received his firstinquiries with shakes of the head, and with an expressed desire to beleft alone. He then examined the wounds of Francis and Tom, which werepainful, but apparently not serious. He assisted these two to the outerroom, and dragged out the body of the robber, who, it proved, had fallenvictim to the long knife of Tom Cobble. He now groaned, and opened hiseyes. Finding that he possessed his senses, and promising to send waterto him, Hal interrogated him as to why Rumney had selected thatparticular window for his stolen entrance. The knave replied, weakly,that when the robbers first rode around the house, they saw the ladystanding at that window.

  This, if true, was news to both Francis and Tom; but they had beenasleep until roused by the shooting below. It was also a circumstancehard to reconcile with Anne's manifest illness, and it made Halthoughtful.

  Returning to the lower part of the house, whither more than oneconsideration called him, Hal was surprised to encounter Kit Bottle inthe hall. The captain's face was wet with perspiration and blood.

  "What?" cried Hal. "Is all well at the stable door?"

  "Ay, the rascals heard their cry of danger, and took to their heels forthe shed where their horses were. Rumney and some others joined themfrom behind the house, and forthwith it was switch and spur with allthat were left of them. They're off now, like the wind."

  "And Anthony?"

  "He and our men are safe inside; they're barricading the stable door.There be some few scratches and knocks among us; nothing more."

  "What made the rascals fly so suddenly? A cry of danger, say you? Whatdanger?"

  "A cry of danger raised by their watchman in the road. He joined them asthey fled. Let us go up and look."

  The two ascended to the oriel whence Hal had fired down on Rumney'sfirst assault. Kit's gaze instantly sought the road. At the distant gatestood a large group of horsemen, who appeared to have just come up, andto be scanning with interest the front of Foxby Hall. Several of themwore cuirasses and steel head-pieces. In a moment, one of these turnedhis horse toward the mansion; the others followed.

  "Tis plain now," said Kit. "Rumney's watchman liked not the looks ofthis party; perhaps he recognized that fellow at their head, and tookhim to be after the Rumney gang."

  "And who is the fellow at their head?" asked Hal, with a strangethrill,--for he divined already the answer.

  "'Tis Roger Barnet," said Kit, gruffly.