The Battle and the Breeze | Page 7

invasion of her cottage, and Nelly stood beside
her, pale as marble and trembling with anxiety.
Every hole and corner of the house was searched without success; the
floors were examined for trap-doors, and even the ceilings were
carefully looked over, but there was no sign of any secret door, and the
careless manner in which the bake-board had been leaned against the
wall, as well as its small size, prevented suspicion being awakened in
that direction. This being the case, the leader of the gang called two of
his men aside and engaged in a whispered conversation.
"It's quite certain that he is here," said one, "but where they have
stowed him is the puzzle."
"Well, it is indeed a puzzle," replied the leader, "but I've thought of a
plan. He may be the father, or brother, or cousin of the household, d'ye
see, and it strikes me if we were to pretend to insult the women, that
would draw him out!"
"But I don't half like that notion," said one of the men.
"Why not?" asked the other, who wore a huge pair of whiskers, "it's
only pretence, you know. Come, I'll try it."
Saying this he went towards old Mrs Blyth and whispered to

Nelly--"Don't be frightened, my ducky, we're only a-goin' to try a
dodge, d'ye see. Stand by, we won't do you no harm."
The man winked solemnly several times with the view of reassuring
Nelly, and then raising his voice to a loud pitch exclaimed--
"Come now, old 'ooman, it's quite plain that there's a feller in this here
house, an' as we can't find him nowheres, we've come to the conclusion
he must be under your big chair. In coorse we must ask you to git up,
an' as ye don't seem to be able to do that very well, we'll have to lift
you. So here goes."
The man seized the old woman's chair and shuffled with his feet as
though he were about to lift it. Nelly screamed. Bessy uttered a howl of
indignation, and rushed upon the foe with teeth and nails ready, but
being arrested by a powerful man in the rear, she vented her wrath in a
hideous yell.
The success of the scheme was great--much greater, indeed, than had
been anticipated. The bake-board fell flat down, the door of the
coal-hole burst open, and our hero, springing out, planted a blow on the
nose of the big-whiskered man that laid him flat on the floor. Another
blow overturned the man who restrained Bessy, and a third was about
to be delivered when a general rush was made, and Bill Bowls, being
overpowered by numbers, was finally secured.
"Now, my fine fellow," said the leader of the gang, "you may as well
go with us quietly, for ye see resistance is useless, an' it only frightens
the old woman."
This latter part of the remark had more effect on the unfortunate Bill
than the former. He at once resigned himself into the hands of his
captors. As he was about to be led away, he turned towards Mrs Blyth,
intending to speak, but the poor old woman had fainted, and Nelly's
fears for her lover were lost for the moment in her anxiety about her
mother. It was not until the party had left the room that the poor girl
became fully aware of what was going on.

Uttering a loud cry she rushed towards the outer door. Bill heard the
cry, and, exerting himself to the utmost, almost succeeded in
overturning the five men who held him.
"Make your mind easy," said one of them; "no harm will come to the
women. We ain't housebreakers or thieves. All fair an' above board we
are--true-blue British tars, as would rather swing at the yard-arm than
hurt the feelin's of a woman, pretty or ugly, young or old. It's all in the
way of dooty, d'ye see? The King's orders, young man so belay heavin'
about like that, else we'll heave ye on your beam-ends, lash you hand
and futt to a handspike, and carry you aboord like a dead pig."
"Hold on!" cried the man with the big whiskers, who, after having been
knocked down, had become emphatically the man with the big nose,
"I'll go back an' comfort them a bit: don't you take on so. I know all
about it--see through it like a double patent hextromogriphal spy-glass.
Only goin' on a short cruise, d'ye see? Come back soon with lots o'
prize-money; get spliced right off, buy a noo gown with big flowers all
over it for the old mother, pension off the stout gal wi' the crutch-- all
straight; that's the thing ain't it?"
"Don't, don't," entreated Bill earnestly; "don't go for to--to--"
"No fear, young