CHAPTER FORTY.
THE CADGERS ON THE KYMIN.
"Laws, Jack! fear us be takin' back bad news to Sir Richard. An worsefor the poor young lady at Glo'ster. Rob's tolt me her wor well-nighdeestract when her heerd he wor took pris'ner. What'll it be as her getto hear o' his bein' bad wounded too? Her knows nothin' o' that."
"Maybe 'tant so much o' a wownd after all, nothin' for he to go dead on.Folks allays zagerates sich things. An' if he live it through, like'nough 'twon't be very long fores they git un free o' his 'prisonment.I ha' an idea, Winny dear, the letter us ha' got be relatin' to thatsame. Else-wise why shid the Colonel Kyrle, who wor onct on theParlamenteery side, an's now on t'other why shid him be writin' to SirRichard, or Sir Richard to he? Beside, all this queery business us be adoin'. It seem to mean somethin' 'bout gittin' the young gen'lemen outo' gaol; maybe by changin' he for another. Don't ee think so?"
"Like it do."
She knew it meant that, and more. For Rob Wilde had given her a hint ofwhy they had been sent to Monmouth market--ostensibly cadging on theirown account, but in reality as messengers in the pay and employ of SirRichard Walwyn. Though Jack was personally the bearer of the secretdespatches, Winny was the one entrusted with the diplomacy, and knewmore than she thought necessary to confide to him.
They were on return from the market--for it was afternoon--and once moreclimbing a steep hill; this time not the _Cat's_ but the _Kymin_--theold Roman Road (Camen), which, crossing the Wye at Monmouth (Blestium),led up to the Forest table-land by Staunton. The ascent commences atthe bridge, winding for miles through romantic woods and sceneryunsurpassed in England. The bridge as then was a quaint, massivestructure, having a towered gate on its _tete de pont_, with portcullis,draw-arch, and guard-house. A guard of Royalist soldiers were stationedon it; for ever since the breaking out of the war Monmouth had been keptfor the King. But the cadgers had found no difficulty in passing thisguard, either at going in, or coming out. It was market day, and Jinkumwas laden with marketable commodities--a motley collection of farmyardfowls--hens, ducks, and geese--making a very pandemonium in thepanniers. Had the soldiers upon the bridge but known what the littlelimping man carried inside his wooden leg, like enough they would havepitched him over the parapet. It was after getting clear of them, andwell uphill, that the brother and sister were unburthening themselves toone another, as above described. The dialogue had commenced by Jackchuckling over the way they had outwitted the bridge guards, andreferring back to how they had done the same, some fifteen monthsbefore, with the "Cavalieres," encountered on the Bristol road byBerkeley. He was in high glee, jesting about and praising hisartificial leg--which had proved worth more to him than the real one--again in pleasant anticipation of a like remunerative result. Thesister, however, was not joyous as he; her thoughts just then dwellingon that poor young lady described by Rob Wilde as having been "well-nighdeestract." That was it which had turned their conversation into thechannel it had taken.
There was a short interregnum of silence after Winny's assentingrejoinder. Broken by Jack with an observation bearing on the same topicof discourse, but about a different place and time.
"'Twor a pity the Captain goed back to Hollymead wi' so few o' hissodgers along. I cud a tolt he that wan't safe, seein' the ColonelLingen ha' his quarters so near by, in Goodrich Castle. Him be adangerous neighbour, an' master o' all round about theer now."
"Ye be right, Jack; 'twor a pity," she answered, echoing his firstreflection. "But theer wor a good reason for 't, Rob's gied me. SeemsMaster Powell had somethin' at Hollymead--him wanted gettin' toGlo'ster, so's to be safer theer. 'Twor a thing o' great value him hadhid away, fores leavin' for Bristol that time, an' the Captainvolunteered like to go for it. How could him know o' the danger fraeGoodrich? That wor brought about by treezun; one o' his men, whostepped away in the night an' warned the Colonel Lingen. So him gottooked by surprise."
"Well, they didn't take he, 'ithout gettin' a taste of his steel; asharp taste, too; beside more frae his sodgers, few as they wor. JimDavis, who wor up to the house, mornin' after, seed blood all 'bout theplace; more'n could a' comed o' them as lay killed. The Cavalieres hadcarried away the wounded a' both sides, wi' theer own dead; as Jim thinka good dozen."
"That be true enough; more nor a dozen, I ha' myself heerd. But what doit signify how many o' Lingen's wolves be gone dead, if that handsomeyoung gentlemen ha' to die, too? Sure as we be on Kymin hill, 'twillbreak Mistress Vaga's heart."
"Stuff an' nonsense! Hearts beant so eezy broke."
"Ah! that's all _you_ know about it."
She could make the remark with confidence in its truth. There was norecord of Jerky ever having had sweetheart, or feeling the softsentiment of love. And for herself, some pangs of jealousy which RobWilde had occasioned her, though unconsciously, made her a believer thathearts _could_ be broken. For this great Forest woman loved like alioness, and could be jealous as a tigress.
"Oh, well!" rejoined the amiable brother, without taking notice of theslur on his lack of his amatory experience, "it mout be as ye say,sister Winny; supposin' the young gen'leman's wounds to prove mortyal.But that an't like, from all us ha' heerd the day. So let's we live inhope. An' I wudn't wonner," he added, in a more cheerful tone; "wudn'ta bit wonner, if, inside this timmer leg o' mine, theer be somethin' totell Sir Richard the Captain an't in any great danger. Maybe to say himwill soon be out o' prison, an' bade in his saddle, to cut down anotherCavaliere or two."
"Hope that's the news us be takin' to High Meadow. Whativer 'tis, letwe get theer quick's us can. Whack on the creetur."
The final admonition referred to Jinkum; and his master, in obedience toit, gave out the customary "yee-up!" accompanied by the less usualapplication of cudgel.
A good deal of this last the donkey now needed. The morning had beenhot, with the panniers full and heavy, toward the market. Now, onreturn, it was still sultry, and the wicker weighted as ever, SirRichard Walwyn was not the strategist to let his scheme have a chance ofmiscarrying; and Jinkum was bearing back into the Forest country a largeconsignment of grocery goods; for which the consignee would care little,save as to the time of delivery. But about this he would be particularto an instant, as the cadgers knew; and so, on up the Kymin, Jinkumcaught stick, in showers thick as had ever rained upon his hips, evenwhen climbing the sharper and more familiar pitches of Cat's Hill.