Part 10 (1/2)
His reply was a hideous scowl, and like a flash the truth came to my mind--it was Increase Joyce, my father's murderer!
For aained thus, and that ing my shoulders indifferently, I turned from him and walked to the farther part of the roo he again enteredto avoid conversation with him, I found that histo talk
Little by little I gathered his history, which, though ht into his movements and plans
He had, he said, fled the country at the Restoration for political reasons, a price having been set upon his head (I s only too hy his head was thus valued) He had served as a soldier of fortune on the Rhine and in the Low Countries, finally joining the ar to his present rank; though, in justice to the Dutch be it said, he was never allowed to take up arh for once, and for the ti I resolved not to ate
Of as taking place betwixt England and Holland we learned little Occasionally we had a visit froovernor of the fortress, a Major Van der Wycke, a courteous and honest soldier, who carefully refrained fro our susceptibilities with reference to the war, though he told us of the great fire that practically destroyed the best part of London This ere told on Christmas Day, over three months after its occurrence
Very slowly the days passed Winter gave place to spring, yet no sign of our being released was given us, neither did any loophole of escape present itself One day Joyce ca the service of the States of Holland, and had a good offer for his sword fro of France He seemed very elated, and noas the time to obtain what information I could
”Thou art a Yorkshi+re hi state sir!”
”Then from Lincolnshi+re, doubtless?”
”Nor from Lincolnshi+re Why didst think so?”
”Froh ”It savours much of the north”
”I have travelled much, and know both those counties well”
”Then perchance Midgley is known to you, Sergeant?”
”I cannot recall the nae,” I asserted, with a slight deviation from the truth ”It lies betwixt Pontefract and Holwick”
At thecos, he remarked: ”I know it not But, beshrew me! the name of Holwick reminds me---- Dost knoell?”
”Passably,” I replied offhandedly ”There is a market cross, a church, a score or so of stone houses, a castle more or less in ruin, and a----”
”A castle, sayest thou?” he interrupted excitedly ”And who lives there?”
”I cannot say”
”Ah! Now, concerning this castle,” he re his clay pipe on his heel with such vehemence that the steoodly store of treasure lies hidden there In fact, an old comrade of mine, who lay stricken to death on the field of Marston Moor, did bestow upon me a paper whereby the treasure should behi”
Here was a piece of good fortune
”Where did you look?” I enquired disinterestedly
”Where did I look? Now, out on ht, till the countryside rang with tales of the ghost of Holwick, and none would venture near o' nights, and hardly by day”
”Were the directions fully adhered to?”
He looked fixedly at hts, then from his pocket he produced the identical ain I could hardly refrain fro upon him; but discretion is ever the better part of valour
Froe, and discoloured and torn with frequent usage
”Mark you, what a jargon! 'Without ye two tall of ye thirty-two paces right dig Holwick ive full out mine whereas my----' Did ever a man have such a frail clue?”
”Then what did you do?”
”Do? I dug thirty-two paces from the castle walls on all sides save the west, for at that distance there was naught but a ht be thirty-two paces from the church, the cross, or what not But I have a o to France If that fails, then ht I'll sell to the first Jew that ht of it,” I said, carelessly stretching out ht Joyce handed it toI kneell
For over an hour we talked, I, forto Joyce's explanations, trying at the same time to commit the apparently senseless words to overnor appeared With a ned for Joyce to withdraw, and the villain went out, leaving the precious document in my hands Major Van der Wycke used to do the rounds in a somewhat erratic fashi+on, and for this once I thanked his eccentricity When he went he desired the sergeant to acco I was at liberty to copy the e
I had not quill nor crayon nor paper I had read ofwith their blood, but this hta piece of charcoal I scrawled the words on the under side ofmyself to ask for pens and paper at the first opportunity, and barely had I finished ade reappeared
”Where's that paper?” asked he ”I'll venture that your wits are no sharper than mine”
I handed it back to hi, and wished him all the luck he deserved This double-barrelled compliment he took as favourable to himself, and after a short further conversation he left
That night Joyce quitted Haarleain for so that there are Two Means of Leaving a Prison
With the lengthening days our hopes of effecting an escape increased The vigilance of our guards had somewhat relaxed, and ere allowed to reer period
Felgate and Greville discussed innumerable plans with me, but in every case a serious obstacle arose that necessitated the abandon-hoped-for opportunity arrived
In the middle of the month of June--I had just celebrated my twentieth birthday in a very despondent style--Van der Wycke ca face that showed that so very unusual had occurred to upset the stolidity of this typical Dutchlish, ”I oot news for us, but bad news for you Our shi+ps have broken all ze Englischman, Chatham is burnt, and ve vill even now take London” And in this style he told us the heartbreaking news of the never-to-be-forgotten disgrace at Chatha of the Royal Oak, the James, the London, and several other smaller vessels He also said that His Majesty and the Court and Parliah this latter information afterwards proved to be false
For days we remained too sick at heart to attempt an escape; but early in the month of July ere informed that our prison was to be limewashed, and that for a few days at least ere to be kept in one roo before this secured a careful copy of the paper that Increase Joyce had shown me, and this I kept concealed on ht subsequently prove a valuable piece of information
Our new quarters overlooked the toalls, and, the s being lower and larger than those of our for on
The Hollanders were evidently arlands and decorateddisplayed This served to increase our bitterness at heart, and, curiously enough, our guards became particularly lax in their duties In fact, but for the purpose of supplying us with food, ere practically ignored