Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-11-02
y = By A. Conan Doyle. = ,

many nave had To be turned away for
want of arms. Every tithing-man in
Somersetshire is searching for axes and
scythes. There is not Il blacksmith but
Is al his forge from morn TO night at
work upon pikeheads. There are 5000
men OF n sort in the camp, but not one
III hye carries musket. They have
advanced, | hear, upon Administer, where
they must meet the Duke of Albemarle.
who hath set out from Exeter with
1000 of the train bands
Then we shall be too late, after air.
exclaimed.
You will have enough of battles be-
fore Monmouth exchanges his ridng-hat
for his royal purple, quoth Saxon.
should our worthy friend here be cor
rectly Informed, and such an engagement
take place. it will but be the prologue
to the play. When Feversham and
Churchill come up with the Kings own
troops, it is then that Monmouth takes
the last spring. that lands him either on
the throne or the scaffOld."
While this conversation had been pro-
ceeding we had been walking our horses
down the winding track whiC.. leads
along the eastern slope of TaInton
Deane. For some time past We had
been able 10 see in the valley beneath us
the lights of Taunton town and the long
silver strip of the river Tone. The moon
was shining brightly in Il cloudless heav-
en-, throwing still and peaceful radiance
over the fairest and richest of English
valleys. Lordly manorlal houses, PIN
nacled towers, clusters of nesting thatch-
rooted cottages, broad. silent stretches
of corn land, dark groves with the CLINT
OF lamplit windows shining from their
rccesses-it all lay around us like the
shadOwy voiceless landscapes which
stretched before us in our dreams. So
calm and so beautiful was the scene that
we reined up our horses at the bend of
the pathway, the tired and footsOre peas
ants came TO halt. while even the
wounded raised themselves in the wagon
in order TO feast their eyes upon this land
of promise. Suddenly, in the stiffness,
a strong, fervent voice was heard call
ing upon the Source of all life to guard
and preserve that which He had created.
1t was Joshua Pettigrue, who had flung
! himself upon his knees, and who, while
asking for future guidance, was return
| ing thanks for the safe deliverance which
his flock had experienced from the many
perils which had beset them upon their
| journey. would, my children, that
had one of those magic crystals of which
we have read, that | might show you
that scene, The dark figures of the
! hOrSemen, the grave, earnest bearing of
the rustics as they knelt in prayer or
leaned upon their rude weapons. the half
cowed, half-sneering expression of the
! captive Dragons, the line of white, pain
drawn faces that peeped over the side
of the wagon, and the chorus of groans,
cries and CALCULATIONS which broke in
upon the steady, earnest voice of the
pastor. Above us the brilliant heavens.
beneath us the beautiful sloping valley
stretching away in the white moonlight
as far as the eye could reach. Could
| | but paint such a scene with the brush
of Nerrio or Laguerre, / should have
no need to describe it in these haltng
and feeble words
Master Pettigrue had concluded his
| thanksgiving, and was in the act Of ris-
ing to his feet, when the musical peal of
a bell rose up from the sleeping town be-
fore us. For q minute or more it rose
and fell in its sweet, clear cadence. Then
a second, with a deeper, harsher note
joined in. and then third, until the air
was filled with the merry jangling. AT
the same time buzz of shouting or huz-
zaing could be heard. which increased
and spread until it swelled into a mighty
uproar. Lights flashed in the windows
drums beat, and the whole place was
astir. These sudden signs of rejoicing
coming at the hells of the minister
prayer were seized upon as happy omen
by the superstiti0us peasants, who setup a
glad cry, and pushing onward were soon
within the outskirts of the town.
The fOotpaths and causeway were
black with throngs of the townfolk men,
women and children, many of whom
were bearing torches and lanterns, all
| flocking in the same direction. Following
them we found ourselves in the market
place where crowds of apprentice lads
We're piling up fagOts for a bonfire, while
Others were brOaching two or three
great puncheonS of ale. The cause Ot
this sudden outbreak of rejoicing was
we learned, that news had just come in
| that Albemarle's Devonshire militia had
partly deserted and partly been defeated
| at Administer that very morning. On
hearing of our own successful skirmisn
the JOY of the people became more tn.
multuOus than ever. They rushed in
among us, pouring blessings on our heads
in their strange burning west-country
| speech and embracing our horses as well
as ourselves. Preparations were soon
| made for our weary companies. A long
| empty wool warehouse. tnickly Uttered
with straw, was put at their disposal
with a tab of ale and q plentiful supply
| of cold meats and wheaton bread. FOl
our own part we made our way down
| East street through the clamOrOus hand
| shaking crowd to the White Hart inn
where, after hasty meal, we were right
| glad to seek our touches. Late into the
night. however our slumbers were dis.
| turbed by the rejoicings of the mob. who.
having burned the effigies of Lord Sun
derland and of Gregory Afford. mayor OF
| Lyme, continued to sing west-country
! songs and Puritan hymns into the small
| hours of the morning.