CHAPTER III: Free.
After Ronald had been removed from the court the woman was questioned.She asserted that her master was away, and was, she believed, in France,and that in his absence she often let lodgings to strangers. That twodays before, a man whom she knew not came and hired a room for a fewdays. That on the evening before, hearing a noise in the attic, she wentup with him, and met Ronald coming down stairs. That when Ronald saidthere were strange men outside the house, and when immediately afterwardsthere was a great knocking at the door, the man drew his sword andordered her to come up stairs with him. That he then made her assist himto pull up a plank, and thrust it from the attic to the wall, and orderedher to replace it when he had gone. She supposed he was a thief flyingfrom justice, but was afraid to refuse to do his bidding.
"And why did you not tell us all this, woman, when we came in?" Mr.M'Whirtle asked sternly. "Had ye told us we might have overtaken him."
"I was too much frightened," the woman answered. "There were swords outand blood running, and men using words contrary both to the law andScripture. I was frighted enough before, and I just put my apron over myhead and sat down till the hubbub was over. And then as no one asked meany questions, and I feared I might have done wrong in aiding a thief toescape, I just held my tongue."
No cross questioning could elicit anything further from the woman, whoindeed seemed frightened almost out of her senses, and the magistrate atlast ordered her to return to the house and remain there under thesupervision of the constable until again sent for.
Andrew Anderson returned home sorely disturbed in his mind. Hitherto hehad told none, even of his intimates, that the boy living in his housewas the son of Colonel Leslie, but had spoken of him as the child of anold acquaintance who had left him to his care. The open announcement ofRonald that he was the son of one of the leaders in the last rebellion,coming just as it did when the air was thick with rumours of anotherrising, troubled him greatly; and there was the fact that the boy had,unknown to him, been learning fencing; and lastly this interference,which had enabled a notorious emissary of the Pretender to escape arrest.
"The boy's story may be true as far as it goes," he said to his wife whenrelating to her the circumstances, "for I have never known him to tell alie; but I cannot think it was all the truth. A boy does not take such adreadful leap as that, and risk breaking his neck, simply because he seestwo men near the house. He must somehow have known that man was there,and went to give him warning. Now I think of it, he passed through theshop when Peter M'Whirtle was talking to me about it, though, indeed, hedid not know then where the loon was in hiding. The boy went out soonafterwards, and must somehow have learned, if indeed he did not knowbefore. Janet, I fear that you and I have been like two blind owls withregard to the boy, and I dread sorely that my brother Malcolm is at thebottom of all this mischief."
This Mrs. Anderson was ready enough to credit, but she was too muchbewildered and horrified to do more than to shake her head and weep.
"Will they cut off his head, Andrew?" she asked at last.
"No, there's no fear of that; but they may imprison him for a bit, andperhaps give him a good flogging--the young rascal. But there, don'tfret over it, Janet. I will do all I can for him. And in truth I thinkMalcolm is more to blame than he is; and we have been to blame too forletting the lad be so much with him, seeing that we might be sure hewould put all sorts of notions in the boy's head."
"But what is to be done, Andrew? We cannot let the poor lad remain inprison."
"We have no choice in the matter, Janet. In prison he is, and in prisonhe has to remain until he is let out, and I see no chance of that. If ithad only been a brawl with the watch it could have been got over easilyenough; but this is an affair of high treason--aiding and abetting theking's enemies, and the rest of it. If it were in the old times theywould put the thumb screws on him to find out all he knew about it, forthey will never believe he risked his life in the plot; and the fact thathis father before him was in arms for the Chevalier tells that way. Ishould not be surprised if an order comes for him to be sent to London tobe examined by the king's councillors; but I will go round now and askthe justices what they think of the matter."
His tidings when he returned were not encouraging; the general opinion ofthe magistrates being that Ronald was certainly mixed up in the Jacobiteplot, that the matter was altogether too serious to be disposed of bythem, being of the nature of high treason, and that nothing could be doneuntil instructions were received from London. No clue had been obtainedas to the whereabouts of the man who had escaped, and it was thoughtprobable that he had at once dropped beyond the walls and made for thewest.
Malcolm arrived ten days later from a journey in Lancashire, and therewas a serious quarrel between him and Andrew on his presenting himself atthe house.
"It is not only that you led the lad into mischief, Malcolm, but that youtaught him to do it behind my back."
"You may look at it in that way if you will, Andrew, and it's naturalenough from your point of view; but I take no blame to myself. You treatedthe boy as if he had been your son, and I thank you with all my heart foryour kindness to him; but I could not forget Leslie of Glenlyon, and I donot blame myself that I have kept the same alive in his mind also. It wasmy duty to see that the young eagle was not turned into a barn door fowl;but I never thought he was going to use his beak and his claws so soon."
"A nice thing you will have to tell his father, that owing to yourteachings his son is a prisoner in the Tower, maybe for life. Butthere--there's no fear of that. You will never have to render that account,for there's no more chance of your ever hearing more of him than there isof my becoming king of Scotland. It's bad enough that you have alwaysbeen a ne'er do well yourself without training that unfortunate boy tohis ruin."
"Well, well, Andrew, I will not argue with you, and I don't blame you atbeing sore and angry over the matter; nor do I deny what you have saidabout myself; it's true enough, and you might say worse things against mewithout my quarreling with ye over it. However, the less said the better.I will take myself off and think over what's to be done."
"You had better come up and have your supper with us," Andrew said,mollified by his brother's humility.
"Not for twenty golden guineas, Andrew, would I face Mistress Janet. Shehas borne with me well, though I know in her heart she disapproves of mealtogether; but after this scrape into which I have got the boy I daren'tface her. She might not say much, but to eat with her eye upon me wouldchoke me."
Malcolm proceeded at once to the establishment of his friend Macklewain.
"This is a nice kettle of fish, Malcolm, about young Leslie. I have hadthe justices down here, asking me all sorts of questions, and they havegot into their minds that I taught him not only swordplay but treason,and they have been threatening to put me in the stocks as a vagabond; butI snapped my fingers in their faces, saying I earned my money as honestlyas they did, and that I concern myself in no way in politics, but teachEnglish officers and the sons of Glasgow tradesmen as well as those ofHighland gentlemen. They were nicely put out, I can tell you; but Ididn't care for that, for I knew I was in the right of it. But what onearth made the young cock meddle in this matter? How came he to be mixedup in a Jacobite plot? Have you got your finger in it?"
"Not I, James; and how it happens that he is concerned in it is more thanI can guess. I know, of course, his heart is with the king over thewater; but how he came to get his hand into the pie is altogether beyondme."
"The people here are well nigh mad about it. I know not who the gallantwho has escaped is; but it is certain that his capture was considered avery important one, and that the justices here expected to have gained nosmall credit by his arrest, whereas now they will be regarded as foolsfor letting him slip through their fingers."
"I cannot for the life of me make out how he came to be mixed up in sucha matter. No one but you and I could have known that he was a lad ofmettle, who might be trusted in such a business.
It can hardly be thatthey would have confided any secrets to him; still, the fact that he wasin the house with the man they are in search of, and that he drew andrisked his life and certain imprisonment to secure his escape, shows thathe must have been heart and soul in the plot."
"And what do you think of doing, Malcolm?"
"I shall get him out somehow. I can lay hands on a score or two or moreof our old comrades here in Glasgow, and I doubt not that they will allstrike a blow with me for Leslie's son, to say nothing of his being afollower of the Stuarts."
"You are not thinking, man, of attacking the jail! That would be aserious matter. The doors are strong, and you would have the soldiers, tosay nought of the town guard and the citizens, upon you before you hadreached him."
"No, no, James, I am thinking of no such foolishness. I guess that theywill not be trying him for withstanding the watch, that's but a smallmatter; they will be sending him south for the king's ministers to getout of him what he knows about the Jacobite plot and the names of allconcerned, and it's upon the road that we must get him out of theirhands. Like enough they will only send four troopers with him, and we caneasily master them somewhere in the dales."
"It's more like, Malcolm, they will send him by ship. They will know wellenough that if the lad knows aught there will be plenty whose interest itis to get him out of their hands. I think they will take the safer way ofputting him on board ship."
"Like enough they will," Malcolm agreed, "and in that case it will be aharder job than I deemed it. But at any rate I mean to try. Ronald's notthe lad to turn traitor; he will say nothing whatever they do to him, youmay be sure, and he may lie for years in an English prison if we do notget him out of their hands before he gets there. At any rate what we havegot to do now is to mark every ship in the port sailing for London, andto find out whether passages are taken for a prisoner and his guard inany of them. I will make that my business, and between times get a scoreof trusty fellows together in readiness to start if they should send himby land; but I doubt not that you are right, and that he will be takenoff by ship."
The days of waiting passed slowly to Ronald, and Andrew Anderson once ortwice obtained permission to see him. The bailie wisely abstained fromany reproaches, and sought only to persuade him to make a clean breast ofthe business, and to tell all he knew about a plot which could but end infailure and ruin to all concerned. Although his belief in Ronald'struthfulness was great he could not credit that the story which he hadtold contained all the facts of the matter. To the bailie it seemedincredible that merely from an abstract feeling in favour of the StuartsRonald would have risked his life and liberty in aiding the escape of aJacobite agent, unless he was in some way deeply involved in the plot;and he regarded Ronald's assurances to the contrary as the outcome ofwhat he considered an entirely mistaken sense of loyalty to the Stuartcause.
"It's all very well, Ronald," he said, shaking his head sadly; "but whenthey get you to London they will find means to make you open your mouth.They have done away with the thumb screws and the rack, but there areother ways of making a prisoner speak, and it would be far better for youto make a clean breast of it at once. Janet is grieving for you as if youwere her own son, and I cannot myself attend to my business. Who wouldhave thought that so young a lad should have got himself mixed up in suchsair trouble!"
"I have really told you all, bailie, though you will not believe me, andI am sorry indeed for the trouble I have brought upon you and my aunt"--forRonald had from the first been taught to address the bailie and hiswife as if Malcolm Anderson had been his real father; "anyhow I wish theywould settle it. I would rather know the worst than go on from day to dayexpecting something that never happens."
"You have to wait, Ronald, till word comes from London. If they writefrom there that your case can be dealt with merely for the assault uponthe watch I can promise you that a few weeks in jail are all that you arelike to have; but I fear that there is little chance of that. They aresure to send for you to London, and whether you will ever come back alivethe gude Lord only knows. We know what came of treason thirty years ago,and like enough they will be even more severe now, seeing that they willhold that folks have all the less right to try and disturb matters solong settled."
"Have you seen Malcolm?" Ronald asked, to change the conversation.
"Ay, lad, I have seen him, and the meeting was not altogether a pleasantone for either of us."
"I hope you have not quarrelled with him on my account!" Ronald saideagerly.
"We have not exactly quarrelled, but we have had words. I could not buttell him my opinion as to his learning you to take such courses, but weparted friends; but I doubt it will be long before Janet can see him withpatience."
The jailer, who was present at the interview, here notified that thebailie's time was up.
"I shall see you again, Ronald, before they take you south. I would thatI could do more to help you besides just coming to see you."
"I know you cannot, uncle. I have got into the scrape and must take theconsequences; but if I were placed in the same position I should do itagain."
A few days afterwards, as he was eating his ration of prison bread,Ronald found in it a small pellet of paper, and on opening it read thewords: "Keep up your courage, friends are at work for you. You will hearmore yet of M. A."
Ronald was glad to know that his old friend was thinking of him, but,knowing how strong was the prison, he had little hopes that Malcolm wouldbe able to effect anything to help him. Still the note gave him comfort.
Three days later Andrew called again to bid him goodbye, telling him thatorders had been received from London that he was to be sent thither byship.
"I should like to have seen Malcolm before I went, if I could," Ronaldsaid.
"I have not seen him for several days," the bailie said. "I have sentdown several times to the house where he lodges, but he is always away;but, whether or no, there would be no chance of your seeing him. I myselfhad difficulty in getting leave to see you, though a bailie and known tobe a loyal citizen. But Malcolm knows that there would be no chance ofone with such a character as his getting to see you, and that it woulddraw attention to him even to ask such a thing, which, if he has a handin this mad brain plot, he would not wish."
"Malcolm would not mind a straw whether they kept a watch on him or not,"Ronald said. "Will you tell him, when you see him next, that I got hismessage?"
"What message? I have given you no message that I know of."
"He will know what I mean. Tell him, whether aught comes of it or not Ithank him, and for all his kindness to me, as I do you and Aunt Janet."
At the same time with the order that Ronald should be sent to London theauthorities of Glasgow received an intimation that the ministers feltgreat surprise at the lukewarmness which had been shown in allowing sonotorious and important an enemy of his majesty to escape, and that theking himself had expressed marked displeasure at the conduct of the cityauthorities in the matter. Greatly mortified at the upshot of an affairfrom which they had hoped to obtain much credit from government, andbelieving it certain that there were many greatly interested in gettingRonald out of the hands of his captors, the authorities took everyprecaution to prevent it. He was taken down to the river side under astrong escort, and in addition to the four warders who were to be incharge of the prisoner as far as London, they put on board twelve men ofthe city guard. These were to remain with the ship until she was well outat sea, and then to return in a boat which the vessel was to tow behindher.
Ronald could not but smile when he saw all these formidable preparationsfor his safety. At the same time he felt that any hope he had entertainedthat Malcolm might, as the message hinted, make an attempt at rescue wereblighted. The vessel dropped down with the tide. The orders of thejustices had been so strict and urgent that the whole of the men placedon board kept a vigilant watch.
Just as they were abreast of Dumbarton the sound of oars was heard, andpresently a boat was seen approaching. As it
got nearer two men were seento be rowing, and two others seated in the stern; but as the craft was alarge one there was room for others to be lying in the bottom. Theconstable in charge shouted to the boat to keep them off.
"Stop rowing," he cried, "and come no nearer. If you do we fire, and as Idon't want to shed your blood I warn you that I have sixteen armed menhere."
As his words were emphasized by the row of men, who with levelled musketsranged themselves along at the side of the ship, the boat ceased rowing.
"What are you afraid of?" one of the men in the stern shouted. "Cannot afisherman's boat row out without being threatened with shooting? What areyou and your sixteen armed men doing on board? Are you expecting a Frenchfleet off the coast? And do you think you will beat them off if theyboard you? How long have the Glasgow traders taken to man their shipswith fighting men?"
Ronald was in the cabin under the poop; it opened on to the waist, andreceived its light from an opening in the door, at which two armed menhad stationed themselves when the boat was heard approaching. Had thecabin possessed a porthole through which he could have squeezed himselfhe would long before have jumped overboard and tried to make his escapeby swimming under cover of the darkness. He now strove to force the dooropen, for he recognized Malcolm's voice, and doubted not that his friendhad spoken in order to let him know that he was there, that he might ifpossible leap over and swim to the boat; but it was fastened stronglywithout, and the guards outside shouted that they would fire unless heremained quiet.
No reply was made to the taunts of the man in the boat, and slowly, forthe wind was but just filling her sails, the vessel dropped down theriver, and the boat was presently lost sight of.
In the morning the breeze freshened. It was not till the ship was eightmiles beyond the mouth of the river that the boat was pulled upalongside, and the guard, taking their places on board, hoisted sail andstarted on their return to Glasgow.
Once fairly at sea Ronald was allowed to leave his cabin. Now that he wasenjoying the fresh air his spirits soon recovered the tone which they hadlost somewhat during his three weeks' confinement in prison, and hethoroughly enjoyed his voyage. The man who was in charge of the guard hadat first wished to place some restriction on his going about on board ashe chose; but the crew sided with the young prisoner, and threw suchridicule on the idea that four warders and a head constable were afraid,even for a moment, to lose sight of a boy on board a ship at sea, that hegave way, and allowed Ronald free liberty of action, although he warnedhis subordinates that they must nor relax their caution for a moment.
"The crew are all with him. They think it a shame that a lad like thisshould be hauled to London as a prisoner charged with treasonablepractices; and sailors, when they once get an idea into their head, areas obstinate as Highland cattle. I have told them that he drew a swordand held the staircase against us all while a noted traitor made hisescape, and that he ran one of us through the shoulder, and they onlyshouted with laughter, and said he was a brave young cock. Like as not,if they had a chance, these men would aid him to escape, and then weshould have to answer for it, and heavily too; loss of place andimprisonment would be the least of what we might expect; so though, whileat sea and in full daylight he can do as he pleases, we must be doublyvigilant at night, or in port if the vessel should have to put in."
Accordingly, to the great disgust of the sailors the watch by turns stoodsentry outside Ronald's door at night, thereby defeating a plan which thesailors had formed of lowering a boat the first night they passed nearland, and letting Ronald make his escape to shore.
The wind was favourable until the vessel rounded the Land's End. Afterthat it became baffling and fickle, and it was more than three weeksafter the date of her sailing from Glasgow that the vessel entered themouth of the Thames. By this time Ronald's boyish spirits had allayed allsuspicion on the part of his guards. He joked with the sailors, climbedabout the rigging like a cat, and was so little affected by his positionthat the guards were convinced that he was free from the burden of anystate secret, and that no apprehension of any serious consequence tohimself was weighing upon him.
"Poor lad!" the head warder said; "he will need all his spirits. He willhave hard work to make the king's council believe that he interfered insuch a matter as this from pure love of adventure. He will have many aweary month to pass in prison before they free him, I reckon. It goesagainst my heart to hand over such a mere laddie as a prisoner; still itis no matter of mine. I have my duty to do, and it's not for me toquestion the orders I have received, or to argue whether a prisoner isinnocent or guilty."
As the vessel anchored off Gravesend to wait for the turn of the tide totake her up, a boat rowed by a waterman, and with a man sitting in thestern, passed close by the ship. The head warder had now redoubled hisvigilance, and one of the guards with loaded musket was standing on thedeck not far from Ronald, who was standing on the taffrail. As the boatpassed some twenty yards astern of the ship the man who was not rowingturned round for a moment and looked up at Ronald. It was but a momentaryglance that the lad caught of his face, and he suppressed with difficultya cry of surprise, for he recognized Malcolm Anderson. The rowercontinued steadily to ply his oars, and continued his course towardsanother ship anchored lower down the river. Ronald stood watching theboat, and saw that after making a wide sweep it was rowed back again toGravesend.
Ronald had no doubt that Malcolm had come south in hopes of effecting hisescape, and guessed that he had taken up his post at Gravesend with theintention of examining every ship as she passed up until the one in whichhe knew he had sailed made its appearance. What his next step would be hecould not tell; but he determined to keep a vigilant lookout, and toavail himself instantly of any opportunity which might offer.
As the captain did nor care about proceeding up the river after dark itwas not until the tide turned, just as morning broke, that the anchor wasweighed. There was a light breeze which just sufficed to give the vesselsteerage way, and a mist hung on the water. Ronald took his favouriteseat on the taffrail, and kept a vigilant watch upon every craft whichseemed likely to come near the vessel.
Greenwich was passed, and the vessel presently approached the crowdedpart of the Pool. It was near high tide now, and the captain wascongratulating himself that he should just reach a berth opposite theTower before it turned. Presently a boat with two rowers shot out frombehind a tier of vessels and passed close under the stern of the GlasgowLass. A man was steering whom Ronald instantly recognized.
"Jump!" he cried, and Ronald without a moment's hesitation leaped fromthe taffrail.
He came up close to the boat, and was instantly hauled on board byMalcolm. Just at that moment the guard, who had stood stupefied byRonald's sudden action, gave a shout of alarm and discharged his piece.The ball struck the boat close to Ronald. It was already in motion; themen bent to their oars, and the boat glided towards the Surrey side ofthe river. Loud shouts arose from on board the vessel, and four bulletscut the water round the boat; but before the muskets could be reloadedMalcolm had steered the boat through a tier of vessels, whose crews,attracted by the firing, cheered the fugitives lustily.
A minute later they had reached some landing steps. Malcolm tossed somemoney to the rowers, and then sprang ashore with Ronald, and handed thelatter a long coat which would reach to his heels and conceal thedrenched state of his clothing from notice.
"We have tricked them nicely, dear boy," he said; "we are safe now. Longbefore they can lower a boat and get here we shall be safe in shelter,and our five Glasgow bodies will have something to do to look for ushere."
Moderating his pace so as to avoid attracting attention, Malcolmproceeded along several streets and lanes, and presently stopped at thedoor of a little shop.
"I am lodging here," he said, "and have told the people of the house thatI am expecting a nephew back from a cruise in the Mediterranean."
As he passed through the shop he said to the woman behind the counter:
"Here he
is safe and sound. He's been some days longer than I expected,but I was nor so very far wrong in my calculations. The young scamp hashad enough of the sea, and has agreed to go back again with me to his ownpeople."
"That's right," the woman said. "My own boy ran away two years ago, and Ihope he will have come to his senses by the time he gets back again."
When they were together in their room up stairs Malcolm threw his armsround Ronald's neck.
"Thank God, my dear boy, I have got you out of the clutches of the law!You do not know how I have been fretting since I heard you were caught,and thought that if ill came to you it would be all my fault. And nowtell me how you got into this scrape, for it has been puzzling me eversince I heard it. Surely when I saw you last you knew nothing about anyJacobite goings on?"
Ronald related the whole particulars of his adventure, and said that evennow he was absolutely ignorant who was the man whom he had aided toescape.
"I know no more than you do, Ronald, but they must have thought hiscapture an important one by the fuss they made over his escape. And now,to think that you have slipped out of their hands too!" and Malcolm brokeinto a loud laugh. "I would give a month's earnings to see the faces ofthe guard as they make their report that they have arrived empty handed.I was right glad when I saw you. I was afraid you might have given themthe slip on the way, and then there would have been no saying when wemight have found each other again."
"The sailors would have lowered a boat at night and let me make for theland," Ronald said, "but there was a good guard kept over me. The doorwas locked and a sentry always on watch, and I had quite given up allhope until I saw you at Gravesend. And now, what do you intend to do?Make our way back to Scotland?"
"No, no, lad, that would never do. There will be a hue and cry after you,and all the northern routes will be watched. No, I shall make a bargainwith some Dutch skipper to take us across the water, and then we willmake our way to Paris."
"But have you got money, Malcolm?"
"I have got your purse, lad. I went to Andrew and said that I wanted itfor you, but that he was to ask no questions, so that whatever came of ithe could say that he knew nothing. He gave it me at once, saying only:
"'Remember, Malcolm, you have done the boy some harm already with yourteaching, see that you do him no further harm. I guess you are bent onsome hare brained plan, but whatever it be I wish you success.'"