The Historical Nights Entertainment, Second Series

l of Sir Wa

ado by Sir Lewis Stukeley, which was but natural, seeing that Sir Lewis was not

ir Christopher Hare, near the port, whither Sir Lewis conducted him, set this doubt at rest and relighted the lamp of hope in the despairing soul of our adventurer. In Sir Lewis he saw only his kinsma

prince by his own queen-been too mean of soul to appreciate the man's great worth. Courtier, philosopher, soldier, man of letters and man of action alike, Ralegh was at once the greatest prose-writer, and one of the greatest

s a thing of hate and terror to King Philip and his Spaniards; yet the King of Scots, unclean of body and of mind, who had

r was still handsome of person and magnificent of Apparel-James lo

royal punster, who sought by such atro

against him, sentenced to death. Thus far James went; but he hesitated to go further, hesitated to carry out the sentence. Sir Walter had too many friends in England then; the memory of his glorious deeds was still too fresh in the public mind, and execution might have been attended by serious conseq

ae it," was his brazen and peevish answ

no man but his father-whom he detested-would keep such a bird in a cage. He beguiled the time in literary and scientific pursuits, distilling his essences and writing that stupendous work of his, "The History of the World." Thus old age crept upon him; but far

with the dignity of the sage and the greatness of the hero, the craft and opportunism of the adventurer. His opportunity now was the straitened condition of the royal

age to Guiana in 1595, h

ther wars for provant and penury Those commanders and chieftains that shoot at honour and abundance shall find here more rich and beautiful

quence many expeditions had gone out, bu

f the country and of the art of conciliating its inhabitants. Were I per

added that he would guarantee to the Crown one-fifth of the treasure without asking any contribution towar

or El Dorado with a well-manned and well-equipped fleet of fourteen sh

s waited to frustrate Sir Walter, who was under pledge to avoid all conflict with the forces of King Philip. But conflict there was, and bloodshed in plenty, about the city of Manoa, which the Spa

n his cabin and shot himself with a pocket-pistol. Mutiny followed, and Whitney-most trusted of Sir Walter's captains-set sail for England, being followed by six other ships of that fleet, which meanwhile had been reduced to twelve. With the remaining five the stricken Sir Walter had followed more at lei

nd guidance in this the darkest hour of all his life. Sitting late that night in the library of Sir Christopher

re broken,"

rd in thought. He had l

ed," said he, "tha

false to honour? My danger here was made quite plain, and Captain King would have had me steer a course for France, where I had found a welcome and a harbour. But to consent I must have

, he bluntly asked his cousin: "

esperate. You have good friends in plenty, among whom, although the poorest, count myself the first. Anon, when you are rest

aptain King, a bluff, tawny-bearded seam

man. "And Sir Lewis is Vice-Admiral of Devon? He

eat esteem, and had never been on the best of terms with him in the past. Nevertheless, he was very far from suspecting him of what

ment be so bidden. It were wiser, I hold, not to await such an order. Though even if it come," he made

eld out his hand to clasp his cousin's in token of appreciation. Captain Ki

alter's body-servant, Cotterell, and a Frenchman named Manourie, who had made his first appearance in the Plymouth household on the previous day. Stuke

is own bent, would have journeyed more slowly still, for in a measure, as he neared London, apprehensions of what m

you go like a sheep. You should have landed in France, where you hav

sea," Sir Walter harshly concl

rather different terms. This was De Chesne, the secretary of the French envoy, Le Clerc. Cordia

oo hastily," la

conclude. I speak of

ith a sigh. "I travel of my own free will to London with my good frien

is master's name to the ambassador Gondomar that you are taken and held at the disposal of the King of Spain. Gondomar is to inform him whether King Philip wish that you be sent to Spain to essay the justice of his Catholic Majest

llusion. Yet desperately he clung to the fragmen

Walter, in that you trust those a

'ye mean Stukeley?" quoth he, half-ind

ld know your family better than I. But who is this Manourie wh

fessed that he

nger to another, imports nothing. The fact is everything. The warrant against you exists, and it is in the hands of one or another of those that accompany you. I say no more. As I have tol' you, you should know your own family. But of this be sure, they mean that you go to the Tower, a

ir, and flung off the cloak of th

o return, and there are my Lords of Arundel and Pembroke, who a

riage for Prince Charles, and will do nothing to trouble his good relations with King Philip. But, after all, you have friends, whom his Majesty also fears. If you escape' you woul

man of honour. And so he dismissed De Chesne with messages of gratitude but refusal to his master, and sent for Captain King. Together they co

ghtly admitted it, and when King thereupon charged him with deceit he showed no anger,

we were setting out. At first I thought of telling you; and then I bethought me tha

you not say," he asked, "that you were my k

te if it were not for Manourie, who watches me as closely as he watches you, and would baulk us at the last. And that is why I have held my peac

t, and throats can be slit

is, which had rarely failed him in an extremity. Manourie was the difficulty. But in his time he had known many of these agents who, without sentimental interest and purely for the sake of gold, were ready to play such parts; and never yet had he known one who was not to be corrupted. So that evening he

re you paid as much a

grimly smiling eyes, then again at the white diamond, from which the candlelight was striking every colour of the rainbow. He

h," he confessed

erative to serve me," said the kni

he passed his tongue over

concert my measures of escape, and time is almost at an end. You are skilled in drugs, so

considere

could," he ans

in this, at the price of

s not generosity; it was prodigality. He rec

nto the clutch of the spy, which pounced to meet it. "Keep tha

omits, and reeling like a drunkard. The valet ran to fetch Sir Lewis, and when they returned together they found Sir Wa

s no improvement, and on the third things were in far more serious case. The skin of his brow and arms and breast was inflamed, and

the plague, and could not be mistaken here. He fled from the infected air of his kinsman's chamber, and summoned what physicians were available to pronounce and prescribe. The physicians came-three

feebleness confirmed his diagnosis; moreover the hand he held was cold and turgid. He was not to know that S

their verdict, whereupon Sir Lewis at o

ance upon him. To the seaman's amazement he found Sir Walter sitting up in bed, surveying in a hand-mirror a face that was horrible beyond description with the complacent

ffered spittle to fall upon his beard, to escape from the hands of his enemies And

t he was seeking to excuse an unwo

King, aghast. "I

enemies, who will be

s, Sir Walter, would have been the strip of sea 'twixt here and France. Would

y be repaired,"

r which they would be called upon to suffer. And so, now, when it was all but too late, he yielded to the insistence of Captain King, and consented to save himself by flight to France. King was to go about the business of procuring a ship without loss of time. Yet there was no need of desperate haste, as was shown when presently orders came to Brent

an. Manourie's part being fulfilled and the aim accomplished, Sir Walter completed the promised payment by bestowing upon him the second diamond-a form of

ho asked to know what he had done to forfeit the knight's confidence that behind his

light upon his ways and nature, and began now at last to have a sense of the man's hypocrisy and double-dealing. Yet he reasoned in regard to him precisely as he had reasoned in regard to Manourie

r of an office, and knowing as I do the upright honesty of your character I feared to embarrass you with t

poor man, too, he would have his cousin remember. It was unthinkable that he should use the knowledge he had gained to attempt to frustrate Sir Walter's plans of esca

hall have a thousand pounds from my wife on the day that I am safely landed in France or Holland. Meanwhile, in earnest of what

t and that one; there were expenses here and expenses there, incurred by Sir Lewis on his kinsman's behalf; and there were odd presents, too, which Stukeley seemed to expect and which Sir Walter could not deny him. He had no illusions now that King had been

m him that his own boatswain, now in London, was the owner of a ketch, at present lying at Tilbury, admirably suited for the enterprise and entirely at Sir Walter's disposal. It had been decided, then, with the agreement of Captain King, that they should ava

ing the half of his face in the folds of a cloak, came to Wapping Stairs-that ill-omened place of execution of pirates and sea-rovers-accompanied by Cotterell, who carried the knight's cloak-bag, and by Sir Lewis and Sir Lewis's son. Out of solicitude fo

m with an air of

r at the Captain's avowed mistrust of him. "Yet now, I trust, you'l

looked at him and frow

l continue so," he

nd then the shore glided slowly past them as the

red yards higher up the river. At first he saw it breast the stream as if proceeding towards London Bridge, th

h Sir Walter harshl

right at the words, hu

'll not betray my friends to no purp

be such as you suspect-for which suspicion, when all is said, there is no ground. On then!" He addressed himself to the watermen

Walter was still full of apprehensions, still questioning the wisdo

use, and must every wherry that chances to go our way be in pursuit of us? If you are to halt at every shadow, faith, yo

he boat through the deepening night, taking but little account of that other wherry that hung ever in their wake. In this wise they came at length to Greenwich on the last of the ebb. But here finding the

the end of which Sir Walter bade

quoth the boatswain. "For at Purfle

opinion; but not so the m

them. "At this hour how shall

her wherry bearing down upon them through the faintly opal

nd Stukeley swore more fiercely still. Sir Walter turned

if I am taken in your company now, what shall be said to me for this active

ded to go with me to seize on my private pap

elieved? Shall I?" His loo

h his own doom. He desired to make amends to Stukeley, but had no means save such as lay in the power of that currency he used. Having naught el

ut and home, so that all will be well with you at leas

en, protesting his love

the same moment the other wherry grounded immediately above them. Men

ow that the dice had fallen and showed that the game was lost.

same case, Captain King. You must confess that you joined with me but to

," roared the Captain furiously. "And were you an h

of the watermen had taken their stand beside him as if in readiness for action. "Why, then, since

derstood the thing that had happened, and with understanding came fury. The old adventurer flung back his cloak, and snatched at his rapier to put it through the vitals of his dear friend and kinsman. But he was too late. Ha

an, whose face showed white and evil in the growing light of the early summer da

ith the hounds; and Sir Walter's own servant Cotterell had done no less. Amongst them they had "cozened the great cozener"-to use Stukeley's own cynical expression. Even so, it was only on his trial that Sir Walter plumbed the full depth of Stukeley's baseness; for it was only then he learnt that his

and self-possessed and masterly was his defence from the charge of piracy preferred at the request of Spain, and so shrewd in its inflaming appeal to public opinion, that his judges were constrained to a

k wrought waistcoat, black cut taffety breeches and ash-coloured silk stockings. Under his plumed hat he covered his white locks with a wrought nightcap. This last he bestowed on his way to the scaffold upon a bald-headed old man who had come to take a last look of him, with the observation

shall have it," he ha

observation that he had a long journey before him, he called for the ax

th he, "but a sound c

cutioner bade him turn

y a man's head stands, so that

and, and than his death there is no more shameful blot upon the shameful reign of that p

n must ever suffer for the regardless utterance of Truth-d

shing the gold coin of the realm by the operation known to-day as "clipping," and with him was taken his creature Manourie, who, to save himself, turned chief witness against Stukeley. Sir Le

tion throughout the land, and to be commonly known as "Sir Judas." At Whitehall he suffered rebuffs and insults that

rt the contempt and scorn of me

Sir Judas was not a man of honour. He carried

n my soul, if I should hang all that speak ill of thee, all the