Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-30
CHAPTER I
The Messenger

Peter Blood. bachelor of medi
elm and several other things besides
smoked a pipe and tended the ger
aniums boxed on the sill of his win
dow above Water Lane in the town
of Bridgewater.
Mr.. Blood's attention was divided
between his task and the stream OF
humanity in the narrow street be-
low, pouring for the second time
that day in the direction of Castle
~ Field. where earlier in the afternoon
~ Ferguson, the Dukes chaplain had
cpreached a sermon that contained
Anore treason than divinity.
fore B~ridgewater, like Taunton, had
ras yielded generously of its manhood to
L1he service of the Duke.
T Peter Blood had read the absurd
Takproclamation posted at the Cross at
-Rridgewater-aS it had been posted
also at Taunton and elsewhere-set-
ting forth that upon the deceaSe of
x our Sovereign Lord Charles the
Second the right of succession to the
Crown IF England. Scotland, France,
and Ireland, with the dominions and
a territories thereunto belonging, did
~ legally descend and devolve upon the
most illustrious and high-born
Prince James Duke of Monmouth,
son and heir apparent to the said
King CnarleS the second.
Mr.. Blood knocked the ashes from
his pipe, closed the window and drew
the curtains.
He was the son of an Irish medi-
Gus, by a Somersetshire lady in
whose veins ran the rover blood of
the Forbishers, which may account
for a certain wildness that had early
manifested itself in his disposition.
4 set of curious chances led him to
take service with the Dutch, then at
war with France; and a prediction
for the sea made him elect that this
service should be upon that element.
He had the advantage of a commits
sion under the famous de Ruyter,
and fought in the Mediterranean en-
zagement in which that great Dutch
admiral lost his life.
In January, 1855, he had come to
Bridgewater, possessor of a fortune
that was approximately the same as
that with which he had originally set
out from Dublin eleven years ago.
That is all his story, or so much
of it as matters up to that night, six
months later. when the battle of
Sedgemoor was fought.
The armies came into collision III
the neighborhood of two O'Clock in
the morning. Mr.. Blood slept I'm
disturbed through the distant boom
of cannon. Not until four o'clock
when the sun was rising to dispel
the last wisps of mist over that
stricken field of battle, was he awak-
ened from his tranquil slumbers.
There in slanting golden light of
the new-risen sun stood a GREATNESS
wild eyed mar and a steaming horse.
In that moment Mr.. Blood recos-
uized him for the young shipmGster,
Jeremiah Pitt. who had been drawn
by the general enthusiasm into the
vortex of that rebellion.
1T is Lord Gildoy." he painted,
HE is sore wounded . . at Ogle-
thorpe's farm by the river. L bore
him thither . . and . n he
Gsent me for you. Make haste, in
Gods name"
Mr.. Blood went off to dress and to
fetch a case of instruments.
CHAPTER II
Kirke's Dragons
Oglethorpe's farm stood a mile
Or SO to the south of Bridgewater on
1he right bank of the river.
In the spacious, stone tagged hall,
the doctor found Lord Gildoy. His
cheeks were leaden hued, his eyes
closed, and from his blue lips came
with each labored breath a faint,
moaning noise.
~ 49, 1ANFC0 40 -
~wilently considering his patient. Then
he called for water and linen and
what else he needed for his work.
He was still intent Upon it a half
hour later when the dragons in
Eaded the homestead. The chatter of
hooyes and hoarse shouts that
heralded their approach disturbed
him not at all. But his lOrdship,
who had now recovered conscious
ness, showed considerable alarm.
and the battle strained Jeremy Pitt
sped TO cover in a clothes press.
Saynes was uneasy.
And then they came rafting and
cianking into the stone tagged hall
a round dozen ~jack-booted, lobster
coated troopers of the Tangiers
regiment, led by a sturdy, black
trowed fellow with a Zeal of gold
iace about the bryeast of his coat.
~ am Captain Hobart, of Colonel
Kirke's dragons. What rebels do