The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses: in Modern English by Robert Louis Stevenson

Author:Robert Louis Stevenson
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: English XXI, LLC
Published: 2016-02-16T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER IV — THE GOOD HOPE —

An hour later, Dick was back at the Goat and Bagpipes, having his breakfast, and receiving the report of his messengers and sentries. Duckworth was still absent from Shoreby; and this was frequently the case, for he played many parts in the world, shared many different interests, and conducted many various affairs. He had founded the alliance of the Black Arrow, as a ruined man longing for vengeance and money; and yet among those who knew him best, he was thought to be the agent and ambassador of the great King-maker of England, Richard, Earl of Warwick.

In his absence, at any rate, it fell to Richard Shelton to command affairs in Shoreby; and as he sat to eat, his mind was full of concern, and his face heavy with deep thought. It had been determined between him and the Lord Foxham to make one bold stroke that evening and to set Joanna free by brute force. The obstacles, however, were many; and as one after another of his scouts arrived, each brought him more disturbing news.

Sir Daniel was alarmed by the skirmish of the night before. He had increased the guard of the house in the garden; but not satisfied with that, he had stationed horsemen in all the nearby lanes, so that he might have instant word of any movement. Meanwhile, in the courtyard of his mansion, horses stood saddled and the riders, armed at every point, awaited the signal to ride.

The adventure of the night appeared more and more difficult to do, until suddenly Dick’s expression lightened.

“Lawless!” he cried, “you were a shipman, can you steal me a ship?”

“Master Dick,” replied Lawless, “if you would back me, I would agree to steal The King’s own yacht.”

Soon after, these two set out and went down to the harbor. It was in a considerable valley, lying among sand hills, and surrounded with patches of grass, ancient trees, and tumble-down slums of the town. Many decked ships and many open boats either sat there at anchor, or had been pulled up on the beach. A long duration of bad weather had driven them from the high seas into the shelter of the port; and the great trooping of black clouds, and the cold storms that followed one another, now with a sprinkling of dry snow, now in a mere gust of wind, offered no sign of improvement but rather threatened a more serious storm in the immediate future.

The seamen, in view of the cold and the wind, had mostly meandered ashore, and were now roaring and singing in the shoreside taverns. Many of the ships already rode unguarded at their anchors; and as the day wore on, and the weather offered no sign of improvement, that number was continually being increased. It was to these deserted ships, and above all, to those of them that were far out, that Lawless directed his attention; while Dick, seated on an anchor that was half embedded in the

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