Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-07-18
THE SPLENDID SPUR.
Being Memoirs of the Adventures of Mr. John Marvel
Servant of His late Majesty King Charles 1, in the
years 1642-5 written by himself
Edited in Modern English by go"

| faint light Of day struggling down the
matches Above, l heard cnnking noise,
and the voices of the men hccoughing dis
nal chant. They were hitting anchor l
| crawled forth and woke Della, who was yet
| sleeping, and together we ate the breakfast
| that lay ready set for us on the head of a
barrel.
Presently the sailors broke Off their song,
| and we heard their feet shutiiing to and fro
| on deck.
Sure" cried Della, tive are moving"
And surely we were, rs could be told by the
altered sound of the water beneath us, and
tho many creakngs that the Godsend began
| TO keep Once more tasted freedom again
and the Joy Of living and could have sung
for the mirth that lifted my heart. "Let us
| but gain open sea" said !, and I'll have tit
for tat with these rebelsW
But alasl before we had left Avon mouth
| twenty minutes twas another tale For lay
on my side in that dark hold and longed to
| die, and Della sat up beside me, her hands in
her lap and her great eyes fixed most dole
fully. And when Capt. Billy came down
] with the news that we were safe and free to
| go on deck we turned our faces from him and
said we thanked HIM kindly, but had 10
| longer any wish that way-too wretched,
even, to remember his deafness.
Let me avoid, then, some miserable hours
and como TO the evening, when, faint with
fasting and nausea we struggled up to the
| deck for air, and looked about us.
Twas gray-Cray everywhere; the sky
lead colored, with deeper shades towards the
east, where bank of cloud blotted the coast
line; the thicl, rain descending straight, with
hardly wind enough to set the sails Tapping;
the sea spread like a plato of lead, save only
| vi ctr Cf tr,n Nsl,i "a
crawled away from under the Godscnd's keel
On deck. a few sailors moved about, red
eyed and heavy. They showed no surprise to
see us, but nodded very friendly, with smile
for our strange complications Here again, as
ever, did adversely mock her own image.
But what more took our attention was to
| see a row Of men stretched on the starboard
side, like corp,es, their heads in the scuppers
their legs pointed inboard, and very orderly
arranged. They were dozen and two in all,
and over them bent Capt Billy with mop
in his hand and a bucket by his side; who
, beckoned that we should approach.
"Arrayed in order o merit" said he, point
ing with his mop like Snowman to the line Of
figures before him.
| We drew near.
"This here is Matt Soames, master o. this
| vessel-an he's dead
"Dead"
Dead drunk, that is. o the gifted mani
Come up!" He thrust themop in the fellows
heavy face There now! Did he move, did
he winki No. says you. o an accomplished
| drunkardp
He paused moment, then stirred up No.
., who opened one eye lazily, and shut 1T
| again in slumber.
"You saw Opened one eye heyl That's
| p, IIoIlf al
| man, Us you see; man Of dismal color, and
hath other drawbacks natural to such. Can
the Ethiop shift his skin! No, but he'll open
both eyes See there-a perfect Christian, il
| So far as drink can make him"
! With like comments he ran down the line.
To he brief, twas not till the fourth after
noon 10y reason of battling head Winds that
we stepped out of the Godsends boat upon a
| small beach of Single whence, between a
! rift in the black cliffs, wound up the road
that was to lead us inland. The Codsend, as
we turned to wave our hands, lay at half a
miles distance, and made "a pretty sight for
the day, that had begun with a white frost,
was now turned sauny and still, 50 that look
ing north we saw the sea all spread with
| pink and lilac and hyacinJh, and upon it the
ship lit up, her mast, and sails glowing like a
| gold piece. And there was Billy, leaning
| over the bulwarks aud waving his trumpet
for "Good-by." Thought /, for | little
dreamed to see these good fellows again
"what a witless game is this lifel to seek
ever III fresh conjunctons what we leave be-
hind in a handshake."
We followed the road after this very mood.
lily; for Della, whom had made IA sharer OF
the rebels secret, agreed that no time was tc
be lost in reaching Bodnin, that lay good
q b. FOL n, 4
the young moon rose, with brisk breeze at
our backs that kept Us still walking without
any feeling Of WEAKNESS. Capt. Billy had
given me at Iarting a small compass, of new
! invention, that a man could carry easily in
| his pocket; and this from time to time / ex-
amined in the moonlight, guiding our way
almost due south, in hopes OF striking into the
| main road westward. | doubt not we lost a
deal of time among the byways; but Mt length
| happened on a good road bearing south, and
! followed it till daybreal,, when, IL our salts
faction, we spcd a hill in front, topped with
a stout castle, and under it a town of inpor-
lance, that we guessed TO be Launceston.
BY this my comrade and | were on the
best of terms again; and now drew up to
consider if we should enter the town or avoid
it to the west, trusting to find breakfast IN
some tavern on the way. Because we knew
| not with certainty the temper OF the coun-
try, it seemed best TO choose this second
course; so we fetched around by certain bar
rem meadows, and thought ourselves lucky
to hit on road that, by the size, must be
the one We sought, and a tavern with wide
yard before it and carriers van standing at
the entrance, not three gunshots from the
town walls.
snow Providence hath surely led us to
breakfast said Della, and stepped before
me into the yard, towards the door.
| | was following her when, inside Of gate
TO the right of the house, | caught the CLEAN
Of steel, and turned aside to look.
To my dismay there stood, near score of
chargers in this second court, saddled and
dripping with sweat. My first thought was
to run after Della; but quick surprise made
me rub my eyes with wonder.
Twas the sight of sorrel mare among
them-a marc with one high white stocking
In "a thousand could have told her for Molly
Three secoDds after | was at the taverr
door, and in my ears voice sounding thai
stopped me short and told me in one instant
that without Gods help all was lost
Twas the voice Of Capt Settle speaking il
I