Micah Clarke

ng pipe of Oronooko, and she working at her embroidery. The moment that I opened the door the man whom I had brought stepped briskly in, and

kersey stuff with flat new gilded brass buttons, beneath which was a whitish callamanca vest edged with silver. Round the neck of his coat was a broad white collar after the Dutch fashion, out of which his long scraggy throat shot upwards with his round head and bristle of hair balanced upon the top of it, like th

ely to come of all this. My father may grumble over his beer jugs, but

o need for you to meddle in the business

he crackling of sticks showed that she was busy in building a fire. Decimus Saxon was seated at the edge of the iron-bound oak chest at the side of my father, and was watching

he turned to the commencement and read it very carefully through, after which he turned it over and read it again. Clearly it brought no unwelcome news, for his eyes sparkled with joy

the contents, your own sense will tell you that I would scarce risk my neck by bearing a message without I knew what the message was. I am no chicken at the trade, sir. Carte

her. ‘You are yourself

row and thorny track,’ said he, speaking through h

no prelate can guide

t and the Lord is a

il his own are dried. My boots, too, may perchance be useful — my riding ones of untanned leather. A hat with silver braiding hangs above them in the cupboard. See that he l

may be fired falconets at him, though we are not so informed in Holy Writ. Let us pray, my friends!’ Then in a high-toned chanting voice he offered up a long prayer of thanksgiving, winding up with a petition for grace and enlightenment for the house and all its inmates. Having concluded by a sonorous amen, he at last suffered himself to be led upstairs; while my mother, who had slipped in and listened wit

which sat upon him better than the pert and flippant carriage which he had shown towards us in the boat. Truth to say, if he was now more reserved, there was a very good reason for it, for he played such havoc amongst the eatables that there was little time for talk. At last, after passing from the round of cold beef to a capon

seen hard service,’ my father remarked when the board h

Christendom in general when warring against the Turk. There is blood of mine, sir, Spotted all over the map of Europe. Some of it, I confess, was spilled in no public cause, but for the protection of mine own honour in the private duello or holmgang, as it was called among the nations

ord?’ my father asked, shifting uneasily in his seat,

modesty, but with backsword, sword and dagger, sword and buckler, single falchion, case of falchions, or any other s

ger I should have at you! My backsword play hath been thought well of by stout

ster Richard Rumbold himself spake of your deeds of arms to th

ne both at praying and at fighting. We have ridden knee to knee in the field, and we have sought truth together in the chamber. So, Dick will be in harness o

ew and sinew, and can use proud words too upon occasion, as I have good cause to know, e

vy brows. ‘But I pray you, friend Saxon, to give us some further account upon these matt

inute or more in silence, as one who is

ered across the Continent, much cast down at the strange peace which prevailed in every quarter. At last, however, on reaching the Lowlands, I chanced to hear that the Providence, owned and commanded by my two brothers, Nonus and Quartus, was about to start from Amsterdam for an adventure to the Guinea coast. I proposed to them that I should join them, and was a

hey came into the wate

ey down they must have. I then proceeded to prove, both by the Aristotelian and by the Platonic or deductive method, that having no guineas in my possession it was impossible for me to produce a thousand of them, at the same time pointing out that the association of an honest man in the business was in itself an ample return for the money, since their own reputations had been somewhat blown on. I further offered in the same frank and friendly spirit to meet either of them with sword or with pistol, a proposal which should have satisfied any honour-loving Cavaliero. Their base mercantile souls p

en picked up by the son of the v

other letters which must all be delivered by hand. If you will permi

it were your own

r his heart. ‘This is indeed a haven of rest after the ungodly and profane company o

hich my mother had left on the table. He took it with him, he explained, as a precaution against Persian ague, contracted while battling against the Ottoman, and

u of my find,

uth he has brought me news so much after my heart, tha

news,

s I had best sleep the night upon it, and read it tomorrow when our heads are clearer. May the Lord guide my pa