Part 23 (1/2)
”Chroniclers write lies sometimes,” interrupted the captain curtly.
”Perhaps they do; but you will admit, I dare say, that the women and children were thrown into a great state of alarm.”
”I'm not so sure of that,” interposed Ruby. ”In a town where the men were so bold, the women and children would be apt to feel very much at their ease. At all events, I am acquainted with _some_ women who are not easily frightened.”
”Really, I think it is not fair to interrupt the story in this way,”
said Minnie, with a laugh.
”Right, la.s.s, right,” said the captain. ”Come, leftenant, spin away at yer yarn, and don't ventur' too much commentary thereon, 'cause it's apt to lead to error, an' ye know, as the poet says--
”`Errors in the heart breed errors in the brain, An' these are apt to twist ye wrong again.'
”I'm not 'xactly sure o' the precise words in this case, but that's the sentiment, and everybody knows that sentiment is everything in poetry, whether ye understand it or not. Fire away, leftenant, an' don't be long-winded if ye can help it.”
”Well, to return to the point,” resumed Lindsay. ”The town was certainly thrown into a tremendous state of _some_ sort, for the people had no arms of any kind wherewith to defend themselves. There were no regular soldiers, no militia, and no volunteers. Everybody ran wildly about in every direction, not knowing what to do. There was no leader, and, in short, the town was very like a shoal of small fish in a pool when a boy wades in and makes a dash amongst them.
”At last a little order was restored by the Provost, who was a sensible old man, and an old soldier to boot, but too infirm to take as active a part in such an emergency as he would have done had he been a dozen years younger. He, with several of the princ.i.p.al men of the town, went down to the beach to receive the bearers of the flag of truce.
”The boat was manned by a crew of five or six seamen, armed with cutla.s.ses and arquebusses. As soon as its keel grated on the sand a smart little officer leaped ash.o.r.e, and presented to the Provost a letter from Captain Fall, which ran somewhat in this fas.h.i.+on:--
”`At Sea, _May twenty-third_.
”`Gentlemen,--I send these two words to inform you, that I will have you to bring-to the French colour in less than a quarter of an hour, or I set the town on fire directly. Such is the order of my master, the King of France, I am sent by. Send directly the Mair and chiefs of the town to make some agreement with me, or I'll make my duty. It is the will of yours,--G. FALL.
”`To Monsieur Mair of the town called Arbrought, or in his absence to the chief man after him in Scotland.'
”On reading this the Provost bowed respectfully to the officer, and begged of him to wait a few minutes while he should consult with his chief men. This was agreed to, and the Provost said to his friends, as he walked to a neighbouring house--
”`Ye see, freens, this whipper-snapper o' a tade-eater has gotten the whup hand o' us; but we'll be upsides wi' him. The main thing is to get delay, so cut away, Tam Cargill, and tak' horse to Montrose for the sodgers. Spare na the spur, lad, an' gar them to understan' that the case is urgent.'
”While Tam Cargill started away on his mission, the Provost, whose chief aim was to gain time and cause delay, penned an epistle to the Frenchman, in which he stated that he had neglected to name the terms on which he would consent to spare the town, and that he would consider it extremely obliging if he would, as speedily as possible, return an answer, stating them, in order that they might be laid before the chief men of the place.”
”When the Provost, who was a grave, dignified old man, with a strong dash of humour in him, handed this note to the French officer, he did so with a humble obeisance that appeared to afford much gratification to the little man. As the latter jumped into the boat and ordered the men to push off, the Provost turned slowly to his brother magistrates with a wink and a quiet smile that convulsed them with suppressed laughter, and did more to encourage any of the wavering or timid inhabitants than if he had harangued them heroically for an hour.
”Some time after the boat returned with a reply, which ran thus:--
”`At Sea, _eight o'clock in the Afternoon_.'
”`Gentlemen,--I received just now your answer, by which you say I ask no terms. I thought it was useless, since I asked you to come aboard for agreement. But here are my terms:--I will have 30,000 pounds sterling at least, and six of the chiefs men of the town for otage. Be speedy, or I shot your town away directly, and I set fire to it. I am, gentlemen, your servant,--G. FALL.
”`I sent some of my crew to you, but if some harm happens to them, you'll be sure we'll hang up the mainyard all the prisoners we have aboard.
”`To Monsieurs the chiefs men of Arbrought in Scotland.'
”I'm not quite certain,” continued the lieutenant, ”what were the exact words of the Provost's reply to this letter, but they conveyed a distinct and contemptuous refusal to accede to any terms, and, I believe, invited Fall to come ash.o.r.e, where, if he did not get precisely what he had asked, he would be certain to receive a great deal more than he wanted.
”The enraged and disappointed Frenchman at once began a heavy fire upon the town, and continued it for a long time, but fortunately it did little or no harm, as the town lay in a somewhat low position, and Fall's guns being too much elevated, the shot pa.s.sed over it.
”Next day another letter was sent to the Provost by some fishermen, who were captured while fis.h.i.+ng off the Bell Rock. This letter was as tremendous as the two former. I can give it to you, word for word, from memory.