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Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 32. The Hall Changes Masters Again |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY TWO. THE HALL CHANGES MASTERS AGAIN The cheering and triumphant congratulation amongst the Royalist party was mingled with regret at being unable to crown their little victory by taking their opponents prisoners to a man. But their horses were exhausted, and they had the mortification of seeing the little body under General Hedley ride away. Then the order to return was given, and a strong party was told off to the painful duty of picking up the wounded, and bearing them back to the Hall. Sir Godfrey Markham gave the order that they should be taken there, and Scarlett was deputed to see that the work was properly carried out--a gruesome task enough; but he was growing used to such scenes, and the feeling of doing good and affording help to those in need robbed the duty of much of its terrors. In this case the task was comparatively light, for there were very few dead, and of the wounded, fully one-half were able to limp slowly back toward the Hall, the troops remaining to cover them till they had reached one of the great barns which was set apart for the temporary hospital. To the credit of all concerned, be it said that, principally due to the action of Sir Godfrey Markham, who was in command of the two regiments which had routed the late occupants of the Hall, the wounded were treated as wounded men, no distinction being made as to whether they were Cavalier or Roundhead. All this took some time, and at last Scarlett rode up to where his father was standing among a group of dismounted officers, whose followers were letting their tired steeds crop the grass in the same way as that practised by their enemies, when one of the outposts came galloping in with news which sent the Cavaliers once more into their saddles, when lines were formed, and Sir Godfrey gave the order to advance. "Could you hear what he said?" whispered Scarlett to Nat, who was close behind him. "Coming back, sir, three times as strong," whispered Nat. "Means another fight." The hurried orders and the excitement displayed on the part of the officers endorsed Nat's words; though, had there been any doubt, the summons Scarlett had to his father's side cleared it away at once. "Listen, my boy," said the general, as Scarlett cantered up; "the enemy are upon us, and we shall perhaps have to retreat, for, jaded as we are, they will be too much for us. Be cautious, and don't let your men get out of hand through rashness. We must give way as they did to-day." "Run, father?" "No; bend back right to the earth if necessary, so that the rebound may be the stronger. Now, to your place." As Scarlett regained his troop, the young officer over him was talking loudly to his men. "They're not satisfied with the beating they have already had," he was saying. "Let's show them now what we can do when we are in earnest. It was a mistake to show the rascals mercy this morning. Why, if I had been in command of the men, instead of Sir Godfrey, I would not have left two of the rebels together. Now you see the mistake." "I have no doubt that my father and Colonel Grey did what was right," said Scarlett, hotly. "And what does a boy like you know about it, sir?" cried the young officer, fiercely. "To your place." Scarlett felt ready to retort angrily, but he knew his duty, young soldier as he was, and resumed his place without a word. It was none too soon, for directly after there was a glint of steel over the edge of one of the undulations of the moor, and seen at the distance they were, with the western sun shining full upon them, it seemed as if a long array of armed men was rising from the earth, as first their helmets, then their shoulders, breastplates, and soon after the horses' heads appeared, and then more and more, till a line of well-mounted troops appeared advancing at a walk, while behind them, gradually coming into view in the same way, a second line could be seen. As they approached over the moor, a third line came into view, while, in obedience to their orders, the Cavaliers retired by troops in slow order, each in turn having the duty of facing the advancing enemy. When it came to Scarlett's turn to sit there motionless watching their approach, he could not help letting his eyes stray over the moor, every foot of which was familiar. Away behind him to the left the ground rapidly descended to the park, with its lake and woods, through which he had made his way so short a time before. There, hidden by the noble trees which flourished as soon as the moorland proper, with its black peaty soil, was passed, lay the Hall, and a feeling of sadness and depression came over him as he thought of his home being made the scene of a bloody fight, and again falling into the enemy's hands. "May I speak a word, Master Scarlett?" said a voice behind him, in a whisper. "Yes; what is it?" said the young officer, without turning his head. "Hit hard, Master Scarlett, and do your best. I don't like killing folk, and you needn't do that; but do hit hard." "For the king," said Scarlett, thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose so, sir," said Nat, mournfully; "but I was thinking about the old home and my garden." "Silence, there!" came in a stern voice from the leader of the troop; and the next instant the trumpet rang out, and they had to face about and trot behind the foremost troop of all, leaving another to face the coming enemy. This went on till the slope was reached upon which General Hedley's men had been going through their evolutions in the morning; and here, in full view of the old Hall, Sir Godfrey Markham and the colonel of the other regiment drew up in a favourable position for receiving the charge which seemed to be imminent from the action of the enemy. This position would force the Parliamentarians to gallop up a hill, and it was the intention of Sir Godfrey to meet them half-way with the _elan_ given by a rapid descent, when he hoped to give them a severe check, one which would enable him to either rid himself of his enemies or give him time to make good his retreat on one of the towns in his rear, where he hoped to find reinforcements. All turned out as he expected, with one exception. The troop in which Scarlett rode was selected by him, naturally enough, to go on in front on the line of retreat, while the rest of his little force sat fast on the hill slope, waiting the moment when the enemy were coming up the hill for their own advance to be made. The young officer at the head of the little troop of about forty men muttered angrily at having such a task thrust upon him, but he did his duty steadily and well, riding slowly on over the moor down toward the Manor, which, like the Hall, would be left upon their right. As they passed over the top of the hill, Scarlett glanced back to see that the enemy were evidently about to deliver their charge; and his heart beat painfully as he felt that he would have to imagine what would take place, and pray that no harm might happen to his father. The next minute the long slope with its dotted trees was out of sight, and he was descending steadily, his ears strained to catch the sound of the impending shock, as the notes of a trumpet, softened by the distance, fell upon his ear, and then his heart gave a sudden bound, and seemed to stand still. For at that moment their advance guard came galloping back, and before they could more than realise their danger, a line of fully a hundred and fifty men wheeled into sight, right in their front, from behind a patch of wood a hundred yards away, and came sweeping down upon them. To have retreated would have meant annihilation, and with a ringing cheer the little band dashed down to meet their advancing foes. Then, in the midst of the wild excitement, as the moor seemed to quiver beneath their horses' feet, there was a cheer, a clash of steel, and amidst shouts and the blaring of trumpets, the stronger prevailed over the weaker, and Scarlett found himself in the midst of a confused group of his men being driven back upon the main body higher and higher up the hill, till he reached the summit among a scattered party of his own side, through whose ranks the Puritans were riding furiously. One glance showed him where his leaders were, and he made for the spot, fully realising that the Royal force had been driven back by the bold charge delivered, and then in the midst of the confusion consequent thereon, utterly routed and scattered by the dashing attack on their rear, while, to fulfil the truth of the adage about misfortunes never coming singly, a fresh troop wheeled up on their flank and completed the downfall. "Ah, quick, my boy! Here!" cried a familiar voice, as Scarlett rode up, and a party of about fifty dashed down the slope, headed by Sir Godfrey, and, hotly pursued by a squadron of the enemy, galloped round the head of the lake, leaping the stream and then the low stone wall of the Hall garden, to take refuge there. As they reached this haven, a trumpet sounded a recall, and the pursuing squadron missed their opportunity of capturing the flying band, while, when they advanced again, it was to find that the horses were well secured within the Hall yard, whose stout oaken gates were closed, and that the old house was garrisoned by a desperate little force ready to withstand a siege. "Better than giving up as prisoners, Scar, my boy," said Sir Godfrey, sadly; "and better than being hunted down. All was over, and it was in vain to keep up the fight. It only meant the useless loss of brave men." "Will they attack us here, sir?" said Scarlett. "Most likely, and if they do, we'll fight till the very end--fight for our hearth and home, my boy. But there, we must do all we can to make the place more secure before night comes." "Look!" said Scarlett, pointing. "Yes, I see, my boy," said Sir Godfrey, sadly; "completely scattered, and a strong body in pursuit. Ah, they are going to bivouac there, and we shall have them here directly foraging for food and shelter. Well, cheer up. These are times of reverses. They were here yesterday; it is our turn to-day." And without another word, Sir Godfrey went into the hall, to pay the double part of commander and host, his words and example soon putting spirit in the disheartened band. "But we shall have to surrender, Sir Godfrey, shall we not, unless we wait till dark, and then take our horses and try to get away?" "You may depend upon one thing, gentlemen," said Sir Godfrey, "the enemy are far stronger than we think. Every path will be carefully guarded, our horses are worn-out, and we are safe to be taken." "But we cannot defend this place, sir," said another. "Why not? I say, defend it as long as one stone stands upon another." "But food--ammunition." "Plenty, sir, for a month," continued the general, "unless all was carried off by our friends. No fear. Their occupation was too short, and we took them too much by surprise. Why, look there," he said, pointing to one corner of the hall, "there are enough of their pieces there to arm us all. What is it to be, gentlemen? Surrender or fight?" For answer, hats were tossed in the air, and the carved beams of the roof rang with the hearty cheers of the Cavaliers, and the cry of-- "God save the king!" _ |
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