Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-05-18

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| wooded hill-sops Of Tunstall showed
along the SKY. Both the wind and the
sea had gone down; but the vessel wal
lowed deep and SCARCE rose above the
waves.
L.wless was still fixed at the rudder
and by this time nearly all the men had
crswled on deck, and were now gazing
with blank faces upon the inhospitable
coast.
care we going ashore7" asked Dick.
"Ay," esid Lswless, sunless we gel
first to the bottom"
i And Just then the ship rose SO languid-
ly to meet ses, and the water weltered
SO loudly in her hold, that Dick involun-
tarily seized the steersman by the arm.
"By the massl" cried Dick, as the
bows OF the Good Hope reappeared above
the foam, 81 thought we had foundered,
indeed; my heart was In my throat"
In the waist, Greensheve, Hawksley,
and the better men Of both companies
were busy breaking up the deck to build
raft; and to these Dick joined himself,
working the harder to drown the memory
OF his predicament. But even as he
worked every seq thai struck the poor
as she tumbled wnilowing among the
waves, rec,lled him with q horrid pang
to the immediate proximity OF death.
Presently, looking up from his work,
he saw that they were close in below q
|promontory; piece OF ruinous cliff,
against the base Of which the sss broke
white and heavy, almost overplumbed
the deck; and, above that, again, house
appeared, GROWING down.
Inside the bay the seas ran gsiiy, raised
the Good Hope upon their foam-tiecked
shoulders, carried her beyond the control
of the steersmsn, and in moment
dropped her, with great conclusion, on
the sand, and began to break over her
hslf-mast high, and roll her to and fro.
Another CREST wave followed, raised her
sgain, and carried her yet farther in; and
then third succeeded. and left her far
inshore OF the more dangerous breakers,
wedged upon bank.
"Now, boys" cried Lawless, "the
saints have had care Of US, indeed.
The tide GIBBS; let US but sit down and
drink cup of wine, and before half an
hour We may su march me ashore as safe
as on a bridge"
A barrel wss brosched. and, sitting in
what shelter they could find from the
flying snow and spray, the shipwrecked
comran handed the cup around, and
sought to warm their bodies and restore
their spirits.
Dick, meanwhile, returned to Lord
Foxham, who lay in great perplexity and
fesr, the door Of his cabin washing knee
deep in water, and The lamp, which had
been his only light, broken and extin-
guished by the violence of the blow.
"My lord" said young Shelton, 'Tesr
not st all; the saints are plainly for US /;
the seas have cast US high upon shosl,
and as soon as the tide hath somewhat
eboed, we may walk ashore upon our
feet"
1t WAS really an hour before the vessel
was sufficiently deserted By the ebbing
sea; but at the end of that period they set
forth in party, headed by four or five Of
Lord Fcxhsm's followers carrying the
wounded lord, and all wading deep in the
wash of the breakers for the land, which
appeared dimly before them through q
veil of driving snow.
Upon hillUck on one side of their way
a party Of men lay huddled together, sus-
piciously observing the movements OF the
new arrivsls.s
"They might draw near ana offer us
some comfort" Dick remarked.
"Well, an they come not to US, let Us
even turn aside to them," said Hawksley.
"The sooner we come TO good fire and a
dry bed, the better for my poor lord"
But they had not moved far in the d.
rection CT the hillock, before the men,
with one consent, rose suddenly 10 their
feet, and poured a flight Of we'll directed
arrows on the shipwrecked company.
"Back! back" cried his lordship.
"Rewsre, in Heavens name, that ye reply
not"
"Nsy," cried Greensheve, pulling sn
arrow from his leather jack. 1--WE are in
no posture to fight, 1t is certain, being
drenching wet, dog weary and three parts
frozen; but, for the love of old England,
what aileth them to shoot thus cruelty on
their poor country people IN distress?"
"They take US to be French pirates"
answered Lord Foxham. "In these most
troublesome and degenerate days we can
not keep our own shores Of England; but
our old enemies, whom we once chased
on sea and land, do now range at pleas
ure, robbing and slaughteriDg and burn
ing. 1t is the pity and reproach OF this
poor land"
The men upon She hillock lay, closely
observing them, while they trailed up
ward from the beach and wound inland
among desolate sandhills; for mile or
so they even hung upon the rear Of the
msrch, resdy, at sign, to pour another
volley on the weary and dispirited fugi-
tivas; and 1t wks ouly when. striking at
length upon 3 firm highroad, Dick
began to call his men to some more
martial order, ttat these jealous guard
isns OF the coast OF England silently dis
appeared among the snow. They had
done what they desired; they had pro-
tected their Own homes and farms, their.
own families and cattle; and their pri-
vate interest being thus secured, it mat
tered not the weight of straw to any
one of them, although the Frenchmen
should carry blood and fire to every other
parish in the realm Of England.
Book Iv.-The Disguise.
CHAPTER
THE DEN.
The place where Dick had struck the
line of high road was not far from Holy
wood, and within nine or ten miles Of
Shereby- on the Till; and here, after max
IN bak