CHAPTER XLVI
THE PARSON'S STORY
Swiftly the boy told his tale.
"But for you and the soldiers," he ended….
"There were no soldiers," answered the Parson curtly.
"What, sir!—I thought!—some men in shakos behind the bank—the men
Knapp brought."
The Parson ground his teeth.
"Knapp brought no men. He got as far as the Lamb in Eastbourne on the hill yonder, and there he got playing the fool, and sneaked back here about twenty minutes after you were gone with a pair of black eyes and a pack of lies and nothing else."
All the ruddiness had left his face. It was grey as steel and dark.
"I tried him by drum-head court-martial then and there, for misconduct in the presence of the enemy. I was the President, Piper the Court. The Court found him guilty and sentenced him to be shot. I confirmed the sentence, and proceeded to carry it out."
He rapped the words out clean and clear. Kit felt himself seeing this man with new eyes, the eyes of a great respect. The fellow schoolboy of yesterday had turned into the man of war, stern and terrible. Kit was afraid of him.
"There was nothing to wait for," continued the Parson. "So I had him out and made him dig his own grave against the wall.
"'It's blanky ard,' said he.
"'You're a soldier; and this is war,' I answered. 'I'm going to count two—then fire. Make your peace with your Maker.'
"I hadn't got to two, when I heard a hubbub on the privateer, and knew you were either caught or in difficulties.
"'This can wait,' I said. 'I'll use you first, and shoot you afterwards!'"
The blood stole back to the Parson's face. His eyes lifted, twinkling now.
"It's resource that makes the soldier, you know, Kit. I slipped into my old regimentals, gave Knapp his bugle, clapped a shako on Blob's head, and put the two of them behind the shingle-bank to act as a skeleton-force…. And you know the rest."
Kit gazed at the square-set figure before him with respectful admiration.
"It must have been a close thing, sir."
The Parson shrugged.
"It would have been a mere bagatelle but for the Gap Gang cutting in on our line of retreat. That added interest, and made a bright little affair of what would otherwise have been a dull retirement."
"And how did the Gap Gang come to cut in?"
"Oh, that's easily explained….
"At midnight I went out to beat em up—crept along under the cliff past Holy Well. When I got to Cow Gap, there were my friends lying on their backs in a bunch, snoring like so many sows, and the boat beached beneath em. I believe I could have killed the lot then and there, and nobody the wiser; but I wasn't going to soil my hands with the cold blood of those swine. So I just jumped into the boat, and got to work at once—put my heel through her bottom, and was just tearing up a plank, when the noise wakes old Red Beard.
"'Who the blank's that?' he growled, sitting up in the moonlight.
"'Why,' says I, tearing away, 'the gentleman you're good enough to call the blankety Parson.'
"'Then guess we've got you, sir,' says he, and comes down the beach at me at the double.
"'Think so?' says I, jumping out to meet him.
"'Twenty to one, sir!' says he. 'Chuck it up.'
"'Pardon,' says I, 'nineteen to one, I think,' and downs him with my left. O, such a beauty! flop in the mug.
"They were all awake by this of course; and there was a little bit of trouble. I wasn't going to ask my sweet lady to soil her lips on those mucky blackguards, so I kept dodging away before them, just doing enough with my dukes to keep them amused. They were no more good than a mob of cattle, you see—drunk with sleep and liquor, the lot of em.
"'Out knives, boys, and finish the blank!' says old Toadie.
"And pon my soul they came on so hot I don't know what mightn't have happened, when all of a sudden,
"'The boat!' screams Fat George from behind. 'Some blankety blank's at the boat.'
"And sure enough there was a long-legged chap launching the boat. In he jumped, shoved her off, and lay on his oars, lookin at em, as they came running along the edge of the sea."
The Parson threw back his jolly head.
"Laugh, Kit!—I never saw a fellow laugh as he did. I roared to see him. And all the while those chaps were skipping about on the shore, howling like lunatics. You never heard such a row. Then Fat George, when he saw it was all up, tried the leary lay.
"'I know it's just a joke o the Genelman's,' says he in that greasy- wheazy voice of his.
"'That's just it, George,' the other calls across the water, 'and the best joke I've enjoyed since I saw Black Diamond brand you with the hot iron you'd just branded the lugger's kitten with.'
"'What I mean,' whines Fat George, 'you wouldn't go for to leave a lot o pore blokes on a dead foul lee-shore—what got there through trying to sarve you.'
"'Sarve me!' says the Gentleman. 'Yes, Garge, my faithful friend— sarve me in the back with two fut o carvin-knife, while I was chattin with Garge's pals.'
"At that Fat George snatches the musket and pulls.
"I heard the click of the hammer, but there was never so much as a flash in a pan.
"'Thank you, thank you, Fatty, my friend,' says the French feller. 'But you know you'd make better shooting, if I hadn't wetted your priming.'
"Then he struck his oars in the water. 'And now good-night all,' says he. 'Black Diamond was a man, if he was a devil. As to the rest of you, the best I can wish you is a long drop, and a rope that runs free. And as for you, Fat George, I won't forget you in this world, and God won't forget you in the next.'
"Then he came rowing along inside the barrier of rocks to me.
"'I don't know who you are, sir,' says he, taking off his hat in his dandified French way, 'but I'm sure I owe you my best thanks. If it hadn't been for you, I hardly know how I should have managed.'
"Well, of course I knew very well who he was, and what he was after. But I knew the boat was sinking, and I saw he couldn't row. So I never thought he'd reach the ship. Still the longer I kept him talking, the better your chance. So—
"'You're very welcome, sir,' says I. 'Won't you step ashore and thank me in person?'
"'I'm grieved to the heart,' says he, 'but I must postpone that pleasure till another day. Perhaps we shall meet again. I hope to return in a few weeks—not alone next time.'
"'Quite so,' thinks I, 'at the head of the Army of England. No you don't, my fine fellow, not if I can keep you messing about there a few minutes longer.'
"'And perhaps we have met before,' says I, taking off my hat.
"He peered at me in the moonlight.
"'What!' he cries—'not my old friend, Black Cock, again?'
"'The same at your service,' says I, 'still waiting to have his comb cut.'
"'This is a great happiness,' says he, very earnest, and paddles in a bit.
"'It's mutual,' says I. 'And if you've quite done posing won't you step ashore and let us consummate our joy? A sweet stretch of sand, and a lovely light.'
"Pon my soul for a moment I thought he would. Then,
"'I can't to-day, bad cess to it,' says he. 'Tell you the truth I'm in the devil's own hurry. Got an interview with his Sacred Majesty, our noble Emperor, whom may Heaven preserve, at twelve noon to-morrow. And if I don't keep it, I stand to lose a lot o little things—my head among em. I'm in disgrace, you see—always have been from a child!'
"He lifts his sword to his lips, quite the play-actor.
"'But here's to our next merry meeting, sir.'
"'And may it be soon, Monsieur le Poseur,' says I, answering his salute.
"And it's proved sooner than either of us expected. There's he: here'm
I. One side this wall the first light cavalryman in Europe, 'tother—
Harry Joy, ex-Captain of British infantry. Now we've got to see which
is the better man."
He squared his shoulders.
Whoever else might find the situation unsatisfactory it was not Parson
Joy.