The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-07-10

fairer to him, and yet he was not IN
sensible of its miseries. Only some
how in his inner being there seemed to
have been opened deep fountain OF
hope that the miseries would pass, and
that through them better time would
be reached. The sense OF pain was not
poignant enough to disturb the great
calm that had descended on him like
the peace of the stars after storm.
He was not so sanguine as he had
been of his own immediate aims. He
had not abandoned them; he was ready
to adventure his life for them calmly
and without fear; but his faith in his
own individual strength was sobered by
what he had felt of the mighty forces
against which he had measured it.
Masses OF men bound together by GUS
tom, unable to see above custom, to
tell evil from coed within the bonds OF
it, savagely resentful OF interference,
what could the weak voice of persua-
sion prevail against this?
In his lonely days In prison he had
meditated much. The weeks he had
spent there had been like years in
maturing his experience. Was it only
by violent commissions that evil customs
could be uprooted? Could right and
justice be reached only through strife
and confusion? He saw the poor
robbed by their natural protectors,
beaten when they asked for Justice.
Would nothing but armed resistance
and retaliation open the eyes of their
lords to this iniquity? Why did
righteous lords, whom conscience made
just and merciful, remain blind to the
brutalities of their fellows? He saw
foul greed huttering like harpy over
the fair world of England, c!utching at
the livelihood of poor men and devour-
ing it, sometimes merely wasting it in
ugly malevolence. Would nothing but
the clamor of insurrecton scare this
monster from its prey?
"Who goes there" Ralph was inter-
rupted in his sad reflections.
He started and looked round for a
moment nobody was visible. Then
from behind clump of furze man
sprang up, and the next instant there
appeared behind him half dozen
men in leather jackets with bows in
their hands.
He had reached the outposts of the
insurgents.
He advanced toward them. and,
doffing his hat, asked to be guided to
the captain of the commons. 81 bear
30, l.;
"From whom?"
"From the king"
They laughed. "The king does not
send such as you on his errands"
81 am known to your captain" said
Ralph.
"You are known to me also," said
the man. "You are a spy. 1 saw you
at Stourbridge Fair"
"At least take me to your captain.
What l have to say to him deeply con-
Germs the cause OF the commons
The men demurred, and talked OF
short shrift for suspicious providers.
Blind me and blindfold me, if you
please" said Ralph, extending his
hands,.
This was agreed to after consulta.
ton, and the bandage was not removed
from his eyes till he found himself in
the presence of the leaders.
1t was u council of four, or rather q
captain with a counsel of three, and in
one of the number Ralph recognized
his friend Simon d'Ypres, alias John
Trueman, alias John Kirby. Kirby
held the threads of the organization;
John Trueman's fellows were the men
selected months before throughout the
counties to rise when the word Of COM
mand should come. The captain was
Wat Tyler, whom we have met before.
He brought military capacity and
genius for command to the combina-
ton; one of the most singular things
about the insurrection is its complete
collapse after his assassination, and
nothing could more clearly testify to
the power that carried it so far. John
Ball, the hereto priest, was also there,
the orator and chaplain of the move
ment. OF all the leaders he was per-
sonally the most widely known and
popular; the letters summoning the
peasants to rise were written in his
name and in his hand
When Ralph was brought in by
Lawrence Kirby, he received friendly
but distant greeting from his acquaint-
ances. From their grave looks of in
quiry it was evident that the message
WAS Of more interest 10 than than the
messenger; and the captain, speaking
with the manner Of man who has no
time to waste in ceremony, at once