Part 20 (1/2)
”No; the Papishers”
”How?”
”Get ye to the 'Blue Dolphin,' and Da on the opposite side of the way, and a whistle will bring s full play I'll not be seen with ye Needs st the foe”
”Rest easy, Dan Co off for the harbour side of the town and the back parlour of the ”Blue Dolphin” Whilst they clatter along the cobbled highill explain their errand
When Dan Pengelly babbled secrets into the ears of Brother Basil, he unwittingly gave that worthy a new schee For some months after the failure of the plot to burn the forest, the ex- amidst the h to learn froham the precise fate of Father Jero assured of their deaths, and the absolute failure of the Spanish plot, he disappeared The foresters hoped, and at length believed, that he was dead; they had learned that he was the fiercest and most unscrupulous of the fanatics, and rumour had quickly clothed him with all sorts of unholy attributes That he was not dead, but plotting further e helped to darken that ham had never been suspected of complicity in the plot; all, save Basil, who could have blabbed his secret were aht with the _Luath_ He himself lost heart at the critical moment and stayed at home, and his only share in the affair was to provide for some of the wounded and receive the thanks of the adroaned and tossed on his beds, Basil lay curled up, wolf fashi+on, in one of the barns He lodged there again for two days after the burning of Dean Tower, and whilst the forest was being scoured with horse and hound for hi to secure the Spanish papers hidden by the garrulous seaman He succeeded in his object only a few hours before Dan ca back from Blakeney, fearful for the safety of his precious packet The trick had been neatly played Daht, a very pleasant and gentleraces, and also into the back parlour of the ”Blue Dolphin,” which was sacred to the intimate cronies of her sailor spouse It was there, behind a panel in the wall, that the hostess kept treasures belonging to several homeless mariners and adventurers who ent The foolish Dan, tipsily anxious to let his little co of the panel and the difficulty of any one, save those in the secret, getting access to the precious hoard behind it An evening's survey e sailor- questions for the best part of half an hour
Not long after she was rid of theood day and departed
No suspicions were aroused until Dan's return and discovery of his loss Then Basil's handias apparent enough His connection with the two sailors was revealed in an early stage of Dan's search for the thief The three had been seen together in a neighbouring hostel the previous day No trace of them was discovered after the robbery But now, on the very eve of Morgan's arrival in Plyory's son, an urchin of about fourteen suuise of two mariners who had dropped into the kitchen of the ”Blue Dolphin” Guided by the child's eyes, the mother also had assured herself of the identity of the two Dan had been apprised, had given the alar the latch of the parlour door The two spies were on the ale-bench in the kitchen
There was a whispered consultation with the hostess Was she sure of herto do in the affair? Watch, in the hope that the sallow priest- by the inn
Nick and Ned entered the kitchen They were taciturn fellows, but they gave the strangers a nod and a good- the lead, after the first words, to the strangers In those stirring times it was impossible for fourabout the wonderful New World across the Atlantic All four had sailed its seas and navigated its rivers Nick Johnson said ers to champion them a little They did not; on the other hand, they heaped curses on the heads of the arrogant Dons The talk turned on ”El Dorado” and the fabulous treasures he had heaped up
The Johnsons were eager with inquiries, but had no inforreat deal about the olden land, but they winked at one another and kept their counsel Ned Johnson ers know that a shi+p was actually fitting in Plymouth harbour for an unna for a berth in her, having information that would be valuable to her captain
By a casual ree of some of the co-owners of the _Golden Boar_ Instantly a flood of questions poured forth, but no ansere returned The brothers professed a bond of secrecy For a full hour a cunning gaainst two, but neither side secured an advantage The strangers departed, having pro at an inn lower down the harbour
The spies were followed to their lodging-place, and a watch set upon then For two or three days the four sailors fraternized together, and Dan Pengelly and the landlady's son hung about in their neighbourhood, hoping to catch sight of a fa given to the _Golden Boar_; her captain, John Drake, younger brother of the famous admiral, was daily aboard, and her three principal owners--Raleigh, Johnnie Morgan, and Captain Dawe--had arrived in Ply Dan's mysterious Spanish papers But hope was not dead in the volatile Dan
Chapter XXVIII
THE PARLOUR OF THE ”BLUE DOLPHIN”
On the Cornish side of the Sound, and directly facing the harbour of Plyray, weather-beaten church were plentiful records of the births, ellys The hoht have claimed relationshi+p with half the inhabitants of the place had he chosen to do so Yet, being Plymouth born and at sea four-fifths of his tiht less of a voyage to the Indies than of a trip across the estuary of the Tamar
And in this place, that echoed with his faed the ht in every street, byway, and tavern in Plymouth
Dan had been down to the _Golden Boar_, and had talked with Captain Drake and Master Morgan They wanted news of his papers; he could give them none
”Then,” said John Drake, ”we can wait here no longer Maybe thy papers would give us the very route to 'El Dorado's' land, and save us a world of danger and trouble; maybe they are about some other matter entirely
In any case, I hly arone, and the winds will serve 'Tis ard ho! and take the risks that other bold fellows have taken before us Yet I had rather the little priest had not gotten the old whilst we but reap wounds and fever The New World is a big place, the Orinoco a in, and what ht, but 'tis a good thing to have a lantern in hand when one walks in dark places”
Master Morgan agreed, and Dan resolved upon a desperate atteht and found the Johnsons, and formulated a plan of action
An hour or so later, Nick and Ned and the two stranger ed the landlady to grant them the use of her parlour, as they wished to talk over a private ood woman assented with pleasure, and promised them freedom from interruption They went in, and upon their very heels ca to the hostess in a low voice She protested volubly and angrily He wheedled and coaxed, and at length, very reluctantly, she relented Dan tapped at the door thrice separately and significantly ”This is our friend,” said Nick Johnson, and he opened the door to aders stared at Dan; but, never having seen him before, had no suspicion of his identity
All five sat down at the table, the two strangers with their backs to the fireplace, the three friends facing the, addressing hiood fellows,” he said, ”old shi+p at my request I have heard soreatly interested in a certain old,' you will guess the run of ers nodded, and settled themselves into an attitude of closer attention