The Fishguard Invasion by the French in 1797 Part 5

"Wake up, Dan! Wake up, boy; we must get away from here at once; we ought to have gone long ago, but I fell asleep, worse luck. Come now, at once, it's just daylight."

We had, indeed, quite suddenly, as it seemed to me, reached the morning of Thursday.

THURSDAY.

_THE SECOND DAY_.

CHAPTER V.

DAVY JONES' LOCKER.

The fear of the French returning suddenly shook the drowsiness out of my eyes. I gave them a final rub, then stumbled down the crooked steps after Nancy. How she could have guessed that it was now near dawn-as in our corner it was still pitch-dark-was a mystery to me; but probably the habit of waking up daily at an extremely early hour, as was the wont of milk-maids in those days, had accustomed her to know the time to a nicety.

We crept as quietly as we could down from our uncomfortable hiding-place, so stiff and cramped that we could only move with difficulty, and every bone made its particular position known with great accuracy, even to us who were totally unacquainted with anatomy. Then we carefully reconnoitred our situation.

[Picture: Ransacked Farmhouse]

As far as we could see, looking through the church windows on every side, we gazed only into the dim dusk of early morning into a lifeless world.

No little bird as yet sent up his morning song; there were no sheep or cattle to be seen, their lawful owners or the invaders having driven them off to securer quarters or to sudden death, as the case might be. The church itself, after the late uproar, seemed very silent now; the fire had quickly died down, smothered by the pillow; only the heavy smell of smoke remained to prove that the wild doings of the night had not been a terrifying dream.

We crept along to the leper's hole, using the other end of it now; for the unfortunate outcasts of former days had gazed through the tube into the church, while we unhappy fugitives looked warily from the interior into the porch, to see if haply some blue-coated soldier might have been left there on guard. But if this had been the case he had certainly declined to stay, which was not unlikely considering the lax discipline, or, rather, total want of discipline, which prevailed in the French force. At all events, the porch was empty.

So after a little getting behind each other and a slight backwardness in going forward, owing more to uncertainty of light than natural timidity, at last we ventured out boldly into the porch, and took a good look, our necks stretched out over the churchyard and round the country. The former seemed silent and deserted, the tombstones looming darkly into dim twilight, which still lay heavy on the land; nor could we even discern any sound of snoring. Carnunda was crowned with fires and thronged with soldiers, but it was not very near, and we thought we might slip away unnoticed. So, cautiously we closed the door behind us, and fared forth.

The porch lay to the south of the church; we were stealing round the building to the north, or seaward side, as being further removed from Carnunda, when we were stopped by a sudden shout, proceeding apparently from the air above us. Our hearts stood still and our blood froze with terror-at least, I know mine did, and Nancy turned an ashy white in the grey dawn. In an instant we looked up to the place from which our enemy had spied us-the roof of the church, where he had been stationed as a sentinel. He sat astride on the ridge, which could be easily gained by means of a flight of steps, made on the outside of the roof, as a look-out place from which to signal to those at sea; but never designed for such a purpose as the present. The discipline had not been so lax as we hoped. For a moment we were stupefied, wis.h.i.+ng only that one of the graves would open and take us in. Then we took to our heels. Down came the Frenchman clattering over the roof of the church, from the edge of which he dropped to the ground, only a distance of eight or nine feet; then he came full cry after us. His shouts had attracted the attention of a couple of his fellows, who were strolling along the cliffs in search of what they could devour, or, still better, drink. They joined the chase instantly, and all three came full tear after Nancy and myself, who had headed straight for the cliffs, as one of our own foxes would have done, though what we were to do when we gained them save plunge into the sea we knew not. However, we were not fated to gain them just at present, for one of the Frenchmen had outrun Nancy, whose limbs were still cramped, and who was weary from want of rest and sleep. I was stiff and tired too, but fear of the French made me fly, and would have done so I think had I been doubled up by rheumatism. However, though Nan was caught, and warned me of her disaster by a shrill scream, I am glad to say she preserved her usual Welsh spirit, as she plainly showed by fetching the Frenchman a sounding box on the ear. I hesitated what to do, divided between fear of the French and the desire of standing by my friend. I am glad to say I had advanced a few steps towards an attempt at rescue, when some dark body rushed past me in the dawning light, and ere I could even exclaim, the Frenchman lay flat on the ground. The other two, half drunk, and wholly stupefied, perceiving that things were going somewhat crookedly, departed as quickly as they could, making for the camp at Carnunda. Our rescuer had a mind to follow them, but Ann laid a restraining hand upon his arm.

"Oh, Dio bach," {115} she said, "I am glad to see you this time, if I never was before."

And she really looked as if she could have kissed him.

"Nancy, how came you here; why didn't you go away with the rest?" asked Davy Jones, abruptly, his voice rough and angry. He had had too great a scare to be tender or even civil.

"Why, I had to stop and see to everything-and the silver spoons," said Nancy, quite meekly.

"Hang the silver spoons," said Davy. "Now what's to be done with this carcase?" And he pointed to the unconscious Frenchman. "Get out of the way, Nancy, and I'll shove him over the cliff."

"No, no, don't waste time," exclaimed Nancy; "we'll have the whole lot after us in a minute; they're as thick as ants on Carnunda. How can we get away?"

"Down the cliff as fast as you can. I've got a boat down below; if we can get to the caves we'll do; but I had some of them after me a little while ago, and I landed here to get rid of them, and to find out what had become of you, for Llewelyn of Brestgarn told me you were somewhere near."

"Llewelyn is a prisoner; did you see him? Is he safe?" asked Nancy, as we hurried along.

"Hush, quick and quiet; I'll tell you in the boat," whispered Davy.

We plunged down through dry bracken, gorse bushes, and large boulders of stone, interspersed with steep pieces of cliff. We jumped, slid, and tumbled down, clutching hold of gra.s.ses and ferns to stay our speed, and in a few moments we had reached the level of the sea.

The boat had been so cunningly hidden-with the dexterity of constant practice-that Nan and I quite failed to discover it. Davy, however, had it out in a trice.

"Jump in, boy, and give a hand to Nancy."

Nancy did not require a hand, she jumped in very steadily, and took the rudder. Davy threw me one oar, took the other himself, and we were off, stealing noiselessly along under the great cliffs, where darkness still dwelt. But the sky over our heads grew lighter every moment, and we ruefully perceived that ere long it would be broad day. Yet it seemed safer to be on the water than on the land, where we could even now discern dim figures looking for us.

"Ah, what is that?" in a horror-struck whisper from Ann.

_That_ was a dark blue object, very unpleasing to behold, sodden with water, and wedged in a crevice of the cliffs.

"That is one of them," said Davy, grimly, "cleft to the chin by a scythe in a Welshman's hands. The ruffians had burnt his cottage, with his old mother in it; he caught this one, that's all. I wish I had served that fellow up there the same, Nancy."

"Where have you been, Davy?" I asked, to divert his remorseful thoughts, and unable to restrain my curiosity.

"Among these blacks of parlez-vous. They nabbed me last night as neat as could be-we had a bit of a scrimmage though. I was coming back from a little bit of business."

"Oh, Davy, you shouldn't!" from Ann.

"And I got in too near, never expecting s.h.i.+ps here; who would? We were round the corner and on them almost, before we knew it; we made off then, but they saw us and gave chase. We made as fast as we could for a place I know, a good out-of-the-way cave-we've got a few about here, Nan-and they came after us. They'd some man who knew the coast among them, that I'll swear; any stranger must have found out the sharpness of our rocks; but not a bit of it. On they came quite comfortable, and close behind us they were as we got to the mouth of the cave. Levi Mathias stood up in the bow of the boat ready to jump ash.o.r.e when one of the French marines shot him. I hope to have something to say before that's done with yet.

Out tumbled our men anyhow, running through the surf and up the cliffs, into the darkness anywhere, for the Frenchmen carried torches as well as muskets. Well, they nabbed me."

"You didn't like to leave Levi," said Nancy, softly.

"I didn't like to leave the brandy," said Davy. "They got it, though, and me, tight enough. It put them into a good temper, however, and they didn't shoot me through the head, like they did a farmer that they made help to roll up their casks of ammunition, when he tried to escape. They made me carry up one of my own kegs which went against the grain; then they took me to their chief."

"Did you see the chief?" I asked, eagerly.

"'Deed to goodness, yes-General Tate-no more a Frenchman than I am; Irish, I'm thinking. He seemed very uneasy, and none of his men minded him. I had company-John Owen, of the sloop _Britannia_, laden with culm for Llanstinan-they didn't care for culm, and were cross to him, and a mortal fright he was in, but had sense enough left to tell them a lot of lies. Then I saw Llewelyn, and had a word on the sly with him; he told me you were hereabouts; I watched my chance, and an hour or two ago I slipped down over the cliffs, seized this boat, and made off; but they saw me from one of the s.h.i.+ps, and gave chase, and-"

A cry interrupted him, succeeded by a loud splas.h.i.+ng of oars.

"And, hang them, there they are again. Why-ever couldn't you hold your tongue, Dan?"

This was unjust, as Davy had done all the talking himself; but the present was no moment for arguing. We bent to the oars with a will and in silence, till my hands were blistered, my heart panting, and my back breaking, and still the enemy were gaining on us.

Nancy leant forward.

"Change with me for a spell, Dan. I can row."

On we went again, fast, faster, and still the other boat came on after us yet more rapidly-it was like a nightmare. We came in very close to the cliffs now, and Davy took both oars. In between two reefs of rocks we went-a deep channel, yet full of treacherous windings and turnings.

"I think we'll do now," said Davy. "Please Providence, they may easily be smashed to atoms here."

And he looked gratefully at the sharp rocks.

But I turned after a little, and beheld that phantom-like pursuer still following us closely through the windings of the pa.s.sage. The reefs had now become high cliffs, and seemed to close us in on every side; but as we came round another corner we saw before us a low archway. Through this we shot, and we found ourselves as it were at the bottom of a tea-cup, with precipitous walls on every side; just in front of us a little sandy beach. Davy pushed the boat towards a narrow slit in the rocks.

"Jump in there, my girl," he said. "Don't be afraid; if you slip, I'll catch you."

Nancy jumped at once, I followed her, landing half in and half out of the water, but quickly drawing myself up to be out of Davy's way, who came with a mighty rush-at the same time spinning the boat to the other side of the creek-only just in time, the Frenchmen were in the archway.