CHAPTER V.
A SWARM OF BEES.
The green volumes in which, for the next thirteen years, CaptainBarker kept accurate chronicle of Tristram's progress, and of everyfact, however trivial, that seemed to illustrate it, have since beenlost to the world, as our story will show. There were thirty-sevenof these volumes; and as soon as one was filled Dr. Beckerlegpresented another. It is our duty to take up the tale on the 1st ofMay, 1691--the very day upon which misfortune stopped CaptainBarker's pen and (as it turned out) closed his _magnum opus_ forever.
Let us record only that during these thirteen years Tristram added somuch to his stature as to astonish his friends whenever they lookedat him; and that he took little interest in the affairs of the worldbeyond the privet hedge--affairs which just then were extremelyunsettled and disturbed the sleep and appetite of a vast number ofpeople. To begin with, King Charles had died without doing hisfaithful subjects the honour of explaining whether he did so as aProtestant or a Papist, an uncertainty which caused them endlesstrouble. The religion of his brother and successor, though quiteunambiguous, put them to no less vexation by being incurably wrong;and after four years of heated controversy they felt justified inflocking, more in sorrow than in anger, round the standard ofWilliam, Prince of Orange, who agreed with them on first principlesand had sailed into Torbay before an exceedingly prosperous breeze.King James having escaped to Saint Germains, King William reigned inhis stead, to the welfare of his people and the disgust of CaptainBarker and Captain Runacles, who from habit were unable to regard aDutchman otherwise than as an enemy to be knocked on the head.Moreover, they retained a warm respect for the seamanship of theirejected Sovereign, under whom they had frequently served, when asDuke of York he had commanded the British Fleet.
Now, shortly after daybreak upon May morning, 1691--which fell on aFriday--his Majesty King William the Third set out from Kensingtonfor Harwich, where a squadron of five-and-twenty sail, under commandof Rear-Admiral Rooke, lay waiting to escort him to The Hague,there to open the summer campaign against King Lewis of France.This expedition raised his Majesty's spirits for more than onereason. Not only would it take him for some months out of a countryhe detested, and back to his beloved Holland--the very flatness ofwhich was inexpressibly dear to his recollection, though he had leftit but a month or two--but the prospect of this year's campaign hadawakened quite an extraordinary enthusiasm in England. For the firsttime since Henry the Eighth had laid siege to Boulogne, an Englisharmy commanded by an English king was about to exhibit its prowess onContinental soil. It became the rage among the young gentlemen ofSt. James's and Whitehall to volunteer for service in Flanders.The coffee-houses were threatened with desertion, and a prodigiousnumber of banquets had been held by way of farewell. The regimentswhich marched into Harwich on the last day of April to await the Kingwere swollen with recruits eager for glory. Addresses of duty andloyalty met his Majesty at every halting-place, and acclamationsfollowed the royal coach throughout the route. The townsfolk ofHarwich, in particular, had hung out every scrap of bunting theycould find, besides erecting half a dozen triumphal arches, which bytheir taste and magnificence were calculated to leave the mostfavourable impression in the Sovereign's mind.
The first of these arches, bearing the inscription _God Save KingWilliam, Defender of our Faith and Liberty_, was erected on theLondon road, a dozen paces beyond the Fish and Anchor Inn, CaptainBarker having refused the landlord--who desired to build the archright in front of his inn-door--permission to set up any pole orsupport against the privet hedge. In fact, he and Captain Runacleshad sworn very heartily to sit indoors, pull down their blinds andwithhold their countenances from the usurper.
Nature, however, which regards neither the majesty of kings nor theindignation of their subjects, made frustrate this unamiable design.
At twenty minutes past four that afternoon a hiveful of CaptainBarker's bees took it into their heads to swarm.
It was a warm afternoon, and the little man sat in his librarycomposing a letter to Mr. John Ray, of Cambridge University, whoseforthcoming _Historia Plantarum_ he believed himself to be enrichingwith one or two suggestions on hibernation. Narcissus Swiggs wasdown at the Fish and Anchor drinking King William's health.Tristram, who was supposed to be at work clipping the privet hedgearound the apiarium, was engaged in the summer-house, at the far endof it, upon business of his own.
This business--the nature of which shall be explained hereafter--completely engrossed him. Nor did he even hear the restless hum ofthe bees at the mouth of the hive, ten paces away, nor the noisybustle of the drones. It was only when the swarm poured out upon theair with a whir of wings and, darkening for an instant the sunnydoorway of the summer-house, sailed over the yew hedge towards theroad, that Tristram leapt to his feet and ran at full speed towardsthe pavilion.
"The bees have swarmed!" he called out, thrusting his head in at thelibrary window.
Captain Barker dropped his pen, bounced up, and came rushing out bythe front-door.
"Where?"
"Down towards the road."
Years had not tamed the little hunchback's agility. Withouttroubling to fetch hat or wig, he raced down the garden path, and hadalmost reached the gate before Tristram caught him up.
"Up or down did they go?" he asked, standing in the middle of theroad, uncertain in which direction to run.
"Across, most likely; but higher up than this, by the line theytook," Tristram answered, pointing in the direction of the town."Hullo!"
"What is it?"
"Why, look: there--under the arch!"
Beneath the very centre of the triumphal arch, and directly under thesacred name of King William, there hung a black object larger than aman's head and in shape resembling a bunch of grapes. It was theswarm, and a very fine one, numbering--as Captain Barker estimated--twenty thousand workers at the very least. He ran under the arch,and nearly cricked his neck staring up at them.
His excited motions had been seen by a small knot of wagoners andfarm-hands, who were drinking and gossiping on the benches before theFish and Anchor, to wile away the time of waiting for the King'sarrival. At first they thought the royal cavalcade must be in sight,though not expected for an hour or more; and hurried up in twos andthrees.
"What's the to-do, Captain?"
"Where's that lumbering fool Narcissus?" demanded Captain Barker,stamping his foot and pointing to the cluster over his head.
Mr. Swiggs came forward, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.He had been the last to arrive, having lingered a minute to attend tothe half-emptied mugs of his more impatient fellows.
"Here," he announced.
"Fetch a ladder, and bring one of the new hives--the one I rubbedwith elder-buds the day before yesterday. Tristram, run to the housefor my gloves and a board. Quick, I say--here, somebody kick thatone-eyed dawdler! What the plague? Haven't there been kings enoughin England these last fifty years that you waste a good afternoon onthe look-out for the newest?"
"You'll be careful of my arch, Captain?" the landlord hazardednervously. "His Majesty'll be coming along presently--"
"I'll be careful of my bees. D'ye want me to leave them there tillhe passes, and maybe to lose the half of my swarm down the nape ofhis royal neck? I can't help their wearing the orange: they wereborn o' that colour, which is more than you can say, landlord, or anyman Jack here present. But I can prevent their swarming and buzzingin his Majesty's path like any crowd of turncoats. Ah, here comesTristram with the ladder! Set it here, my boy. Take care--don't runa hole through _King William_--leave that to his new friends. So--now pull on the gloves and step up, while I come after with thehive!"
Tristram, having fixed the ladder firmly a little to the right of theswarm, began to ascend. Captain Barker, giving orders to Narcissusto stand by with the flat board, took the empty hive, and holding itbalanced upside-down in the hollow of his palm, was preparing tofollow on Tristram's heels, when an interruption occurred.
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Round the corner of the road from Harwich town came a red-coatedcaptain, riding on a grey charger, and behind him a company of footmarching eight abreast, with a sergeant beside them.
"Hullo!" cried the Captain, halting his company and riding forward.He was a thin and foppish young gentleman in a flaxen wig, and spokewith a high sense of authority, having but recently sacrificed thepleasures of his coffee-house and a fine view of St. James's Park toseek even in the cannon's mouth a bubble reputation that promised tobe fashionable.
"Hullo! what's the meaning of this?"
"Bees," answered Captain Barker shortly. "Narcissus, is the boardready?"
"Do you know, sir, that his Majesty is shortly expected along here?"
"To be sure I do."
"Then, sir, you are obstructing the road. This is most irregular."
"Not at all--most regular thing in the world. A little early,perhaps, for the first swarm."
"Be so good as to take down that ladder at once, and let my companypass."
"A step higher, Tristram," said the little man, turning a deaf ear tothis order. "Better use the right hand. Wait a moment, while I getthe hive underneath."
"Take down that ladder!" shouted the red-coated officer.
"You must wait a moment, I'm afraid."
"You refuse?"
"Oh dear, yes! Keep back, sir, for the bees are easily frightened."
"Sergeant!" foamed the young man, "come and remove this ladder!"
He spurred his horse up to the arch as the sergeant stepped forward.The beast, being restive, rubbed against the ladder with his flankand shook it violently just as Tristram dislodged the swarm overhead.Captain Barker reached out, however, and caught them deftly in theupturned hive. Into it they tumbled plump. But the little man,exasperated by the shock, had now completely lost his temper.With sudden and infernal malice he inverted the beehive and clappedit, bees and all, on the officer's head.
With that he skipped down to the ground, and Tristram, foreseeingmischief, slid down after him quick as thought.
The officer roared like Hercules caught in the shirt of Nessus.Nor for a few seconds could he get rid of his diabolical helmet: fora couple of bees had stung the charger, which began to plunge andcaper like a mad thing, scattering the crowd right and left with hishoofs. When at length he shook the hive off, the furious swarmpoured out upon the air, dealing vengeance. The soldiers, whose redcoats attracted them at once, fled this way and that, howling withpain, pursued now by the bees and now chased into circles by thelashing heels of the grey horse. The poor brute was stung by degreesinto a frenzy. With a wild leap, in which his four legs seemed tomeet under his belly, he pitched his master clean over the crupperand, as a wind through chaff, swept through the people at a gallopand off along the road towards the town.
"Phew!" whistled Captain John Barker: and stepping quickly to theprostrate officer he whipped the unhappy gentleman's sword from itssheath and handed it to Tristram.
"We'd best get out of this."
"That's not easy. There's a score of soldiers between us and thegate; and the sergeant looks like mischief."
"Bless my soul, what a face I've put on that young man!"
The officer, who had been stunned for a moment by his fall, was soonrecalled to life by the pain of the stings. He sat up and lookedround. Already his face had about as much feature as a turnip.His eyes were closing fast, and a lump as large as a plover's egghung on his under-lip.
"Seize those men!" he shouted, and began a string of oaths, butstopped because the utterance caused him agony.
The sergeant, who had been bending over him, drew his side-arm andadvanced--a hulking big fellow with a pimply face and an ugly look inhis eye.
"Dad," said Tristram, "you made me promise once never to run a manthrough unless he molested me in the midst of a peaceful pursuit."
"Well?"
"It appears to me that bee-keeping is a peaceful pursuit."
"Decidedly."
"And that this fellow is going to molest me."
"It looks like it."
"Then I may run him through?"
"Say rather that you must."
"Thank you, dad. I felt sure of it; but this is the first time I'vehad to decide, and as it was a promise--You'd best get behind me, Ithink. Set your back to the arch. Now, sir."
"You are my prisoners," the sergeant announced.
"Pardon me. Let me direct your notice to this weapon, which is in_carte_--you seem to have overlooked it."
"You are making matters worse."
"That is very likely. Guard, sir, if you please!"
"You mean to resist?"
"Ah, have you grasped that fact, at last?"
The sergeant rushed upon him and crossed swords. His first lunge wasput aside easily, and he was forced to break ground.
"Hullo! So you can really fence!" he panted, feinting and aiming afurious thrust at Tristram's throat.
"Upon my word," said Tristram, parrying, and running him through thethigh as he recovered, "this gentleman seems astonished ateverything!"
As the sergeant dropped, Captain Barker darted from behind Tristramand pounced upon a musket which one of the soldiers had abandonedwhen first assailed by the bees.
"This gets serious," he muttered. "Those fellows yonder are fixingbayonets."
Indeed, some half a dozen of the red-coats had already done so, andsurrender seemed but a matter of a few moments.
"Give me the musket," said Tristram placidly, "and take the sword.My arm is longer than yours. Now get behind my shoulder again.Don't expose yourself, but if one of these fellows slips under myguard, I leave him to you."
"Good boy!" murmured the little man, exchanging weapons. It is afact that tears of pride filled his eyes.
"There are six of them. Excuse me, dad, if I ask you to look out foryour head. I am going to try a _moulinet_."
The six soldiers came on in a very determined manner, each manpresenting his bayonet at Tristram's chest. They had little doubt ofhis instant submission, and were considerably surprised whenTristram, lifting the musket by its barrel, began to whirl it roundhis head with the fury of a maniac. The foremost, as the buttwhizzed by his cheek, drew back a pace.
"Run the rebels through!" cursed the officer behind them.
The leader shortened his grasp on his bayonet, and, watching hisopportunity, dashed under Tristram's arm. At the same instantCaptain Barker popped out, and with a quiet pass spitted him cleanthrough the right lung.
"All together, you sons of dogs!" yelled the sergeant, who haddragged himself to a little distance, and was stanching the flow ofblood from his wounded thigh.
Two of the soldiers heard the advice and came on together with arush. The first of them caught the full swing of Tristram's musketon the side of his stiff cap and went down like an ox. The secondtook Captain Barker's sword through the left arm and dropped hisbayonet. But before either Tristram or the Captain could disengagehis weapon the other three assailants were upon them, and the fightwas over.
"Surrender!" cried one, holding his point against Tristram's chest.
"Must I?" the latter inquired, turning to Captain Barker.
"H'm, there seems to be no choice."
"And you also, sir."
"Certainly. Here is my sword; it belongs to your captain yonder,whom you may recognise by his uniform. Assure him, with mycompliments--"
He was interrupted by the clatter of hoofs, and two gentlemen onhorseback came cantering up the road and drew rein suddenly.
"Hey! What have we here?" demanded a foreign voice.
The soldiers turned and presented arms in a flurry. The taller ofthe two horsemen was an extremely handsome cavalier in a nut-brownperuque and scarlet riding-suit on which several orders glistened.He bestrode a black charger of remarkable size and beauty; andseemed, by his stature and presence, to domineer over his companion,a small man with a hooked nose and an extremely emaciated face, whowore a plain habit of
dark purple and rode a sorrel blood-mare of noespecial points. Nevertheless it was this little man who had spoken,and at the sound of his voice a whisper ran through the crowd:
"The King!"
It was, in fact, his Majesty King William III., who, tired of theslow jolting of the royal coach along the abominable road of thatperiod, had exchanged that equipage for his favourite mare andcantered ahead of his escort, refreshing his senses in the strongbreeze that swept from seaward across the level country.
"Sir, will you be good enough to explain?" he demanded again,addressing the unfortunate officer, who had picked himself up fromthe road and stood covered with shame and swellings.
"Your Majesty, the two prisoners here were engaged in obstructingyour Majesty's high-road."
"They seem to be still doing so."
"And knowing that your Majesty was shortly expected to pass, Iproceeded to remove them."
"But what is this? A company of my foot-guards in confusion!One-two-three-four of them wounded--if, indeed, one is not killedoutright! Do you tell me that this old man and this boy have done itall, besides bruising the faces of a dozen more?"
"They and a swarm of cursed bees, your Majesty."
"This is incredible! . . . Bees?"
"Yes, your Majesty," put in Captain Barker, "he is telling you thetruth. You see, it happened that my bees swarmed this afternoon, andhad no better taste than to alight on this arch, under which yourMajesty was shortly expected to pass. We were about to hive themwhen this young gentleman came along at the head of his company, andthere arose a discussion, at the end of which I hived him instead."
"But these wounded men--"
"Ah, your Majesty, it was unfortunate; but one can never tell wherethese discussions will end."
"Three of my men and a sergeant placed _hors de combat_--a dozen moreunfit to be seen--an officer dismounted, and his whole companyscattered like a flock of geese! I am seriously annoyed, sir. Whatis your name?"
"Sire, I am called Captain Barker, and was formerly an officer in thefleet of his late Majesty King Charles the Second."
"Barker . . . Barker? I seem to remember your name. Captain JohnBarker, are you not?"
"That is so."
"Sometime in command of the _Wasp_ frigate?"
"Your Majesty has a perfect recollection of his most insignificantenemies."
King William bit his lip.
"My memory is good, Captain Barker, as you say. Why did you quit theservice?"
"For private reasons."
"Come, sir; you were, if I remember right, a gallant commander.With such their country's service stands above private reasons.Of late your country's claim has been urgent upon all brave men; and,by the havoc I see around, you are not past warfare."
"Well, but--"
"Speak out."
"Sire, all my life I have fought against Dutchmen."
"You found them worthy foes, I expect."
"In all respects."
"Would they be less worthy allies?"
"Not at all. But consider, sire, the habits of a lifetime.From boyhood I never met a Dutchman whom it was not my duty to knockdown. To-day, if I sailed in an English ship-of-war, what should Ifind? Dutchmen all around me. Your Majesty, I cannot speak theDutch language except with a cutlass. I distrust my habits.They would infallibly lead to confusion. In the heat of action, forinstance--"
The little man stopped abruptly. It seemed that his speech gaveuncommon pleasure to the tall gentleman on the black charger, whoseface twitched with a barely perceptible smile. King William, on theother hand, was frowning heavily.
"Sir," he said, "your tongue runs dangerously near sedition."
"I am sorry your Majesty thinks so."
"You are also very foolish. I find you incurring my just anger, andhint, as plainly as I can, at an honourable way of escape. CaptainBarker, are you aware that your case is serious?"
"I am, sire. Nevertheless, I decline to escape by the road you aregood enough to leave open."
"Your reasons?"
"They are private, as I had the honour to inform your Majesty."
"My lord," said the King, turning irritably to his companion,"what shall I do to this intractable old man? You have a voice inthis, seeing that he has spoilt four of your favourite guards."
The tall man in scarlet bent and muttered a word or two in a lowvoice.
"Ah, to be sure: I had forgotten the youngster. Is this your son,sir?"
"By adoption only."
"A strapping fellow," said his Majesty, eyeing Tristram from head tofoot.
"And as good as he's tall. Sire, his offence--if offence it be--arose from the affection he bears me, and from no worse cause.He would not willingly hurt a fly."
"What is he called?"
"Tristram."
"He has a second name, I suppose?"
"Tristram Salt, then, in full."
The man in scarlet at these words gave a quick, penetrating glance atthe speaker, and for an instant seemed about to speak; but closed hislips again, and fell to regarding Tristram with interest, as KingWilliam went on:
"He ought to be in my army."
"Your Majesty does him much honour, but--"
"But?"
"May it please your Majesty, I had other intentions concerning him."
"My lord of Marlborough," said the King, turning coldly from thelittle man and pointing with his gloved hand towards Tristram,"allow me to present you with a recruit."
Captain Barker's face was twisted with a spasm of fury. But as hestammered for words another voice was lifted, and Captain Runaclescame through the crowd. He had been fetched from his laboratory byMr. Swiggs, and had arrived on the scene in time to hear the lastsentence.
"Your Majesty! Listen to me!"
King William was turning calmly to ride back to his escort. But atsight of the intruder's commanding and venerable figure he checkedhis mare.
"Pray, sir, who are you? And what have you to say?"
"I'm Jeremy Runacles, and this lad's guardian."
"He is peculiarly unfortunate in the loyalty of his protectors."
"Sire, I have served my country in times past."
"I know it, Captain Runacles. But it seems that you, too, fight onlyagainst the Dutch."
"Your Majesty has, it appears, done me the honour to study my poorrecord."
"My word, sir! Does that surprise you?"
"No, sire, it reassures me. For you must be aware that I am norebel."
"H'm."
"Though, to be sure, I cannot help my tastes."
"You may suffer for them, none the less."
"I am ready to pay for them. Since your Majesty has taken a fancy tothis young man--"
"Who, by the way, has maltreated a whole company of my guards."
"--Permit me, as his guardian, to ransom him. He has large estates."
"You forget, sir," exclaimed the King haughtily, "that I am punishinghim. Do you entertain the idea of bribing me?"
"I forget nothing, sire. I even remember that this is England, andnot Holland."
"My lord," said William, turning to the Earl of Marlborough, "I prayyou dispose of the recruit as you think fit. Have him removed, andhave the highroad cleared of these rebels; for I see my escort downthe road."
And touching the sorrel with his heel, his Majesty cantered back tomeet the approaching cavalcade.