The marvellous land of Snergs
“But there’s Golithos there!” wailed Sylvia. “Let’s run, Gorbo!”
“Not me,” said Gorbo. “Just lie quiet.”
There was a dead silence for a time. Then they heard the voice of
Golithos hailing from the opposite side of the open spot.
“Is that you, Gorbo?” he called.
“It’s me,” replied Gorbo.
“Look here,” went on the voice, “you go away and I’ll let you keep the
little ones. There!”
“Thanks,” said Gorbo.
“Oh, but do be reasonable. Let’s talk it over quietly; it’s no good
being unfriendly. Just come out in the open and we’ll talk it over.”
“All right,” said Gorbo. “You come too.” He walked to the edge of the
trees and stood looking across at the other side.
“But I can’t see you,” said Golithos. “You must really show some
confidence in me, and then I’ll come.”
“Will this suit you?” Gorbo walked out some half-dozen steps.
“Yes, that’s better, Gorbo. You see I don’t want to harm you.” (From
their hiding-place the children could hear him blundering through the
bushes and twigs.) “I’ve always rather liked you and if we can just
talk over matters----”
With a rush and roar he sprang out, his mighty axe swung up high.
_Whang._
Golithos stopped his rush within six feet of Gorbo and stood swaying.
His axe fell crashing to the ground.
_Whang--Whang._
Golithos toppled and fell headlong with a thump that shook the ground.
Three arrows stuck out from behind his head.
MOTHER MELDRUM GOES
The children flung themselves at Gorbo and hugged him, and Sylvia was
shaking with sobs. He squeezed them to him for just one instant and
then jumped away. “Where’s Mother Meldrum?” he said quickly.
“She’s in there,” replied Joe, pointing across.
Gorbo crept up cautiously, looking about him as he went. Suddenly he
gave an exclamation. “Look!” he cried, pointing to the opposite side of
the ravine.
The old witch was climbing, climbing up the rocks, and behind her
came the black cats. Gorbo rushed to the edge of the ravine and shot.
The arrow fell short. He shot again and again, but it was useless;
the distance was too great for a bow. And Mother Meldrum climbed and
climbed, with an agility and strength that appeared miraculous.
Gorbo turned again, for there was a mighty trampling behind him. Up
came the Snergs and the Dutch seamen, headed by their leaders. The
children and fallen body of Golithos took but an instant of their
attention for Gorbo shouted that Mother Meldrum was escaping.
The Snergs ranged along the edge of the ravine and shot thick and fast
so that the air was full of arrows, but the old witch was well out of
range and she knew it. She had reached a flat part near the summit of
the cliff, and the tunnel that led through the barren rocks was close
at hand. With a shrill screaming laugh that sounded horridly across the
ravine she danced a fantastic dance of triumph, something between an
Irish jig and a coranto. O hideous sight!
But little did this hag of mediæval days know of the strides of
science. The voice of Vanderdecken (who had so wisely trained his
seamen in the part) rang out:
“Musketeers, advance! Handle your muskets! Cock your muskets! Aim your
muskets! _Fire!_ Recover your muskets!”
At the word “_Fire_,” three-and-thirty shots shook the air and echoed
from the rocky crags. A dark cloud of smoke hung over the scene.
The smoke drifted away.
“Where,” said King Merse, “is Mother Meldrum?”
Vanderdecken handed him his telescope. “There is something like bits of
rags sticking on the rocks,” he said. “And I think I can see a hand
hanging over the edge of the cliff. See what you can make of it.”
“Yes,” agreed King Merse as he looked, “it is undoubtedly as you say.
That is Mother Meldrum--or part of her.”
Thus it was. When three-and-thirty muskets of the kind made in
Vanderdecken’s day, loaded with double bullets and a half handful of
buckshot, are fired simultaneously by expert marksmen at the same
target the result is effective. Mother Meldrum had been blown to bits.
ALL TROUBLES OVER
There was a good deal of ringing of bells at Banrive when the joyous
band of Snergs and Dutchmen arrived with the children safe and sound,
and it was known that Golithos and Mother Meldrum had passed away.
The ass had been found trying to rub its load off against a tree, and
the Snergs had untied the bundles and selected whatever there was of
value in them and thrown the rest away. Then they put Joe and Sylvia on
the ass and started back, singing sea chanties which the Dutchmen had
taught them. Sylvia soon got over the worst of her shock, and though
she was a good deal worried about the crumpled and dirty state of her
pretty new dress, she was able in time to join modestly in the chorus.
Joe did not have so much shock to get over because he was the sort that
does not trouble about troubles that are past and he sang lustily.
Gorbo was given the place of honour in front and he came along with
a light step although he was carrying Golithos’ enormous axe, which
was his according to the rules of war. He was the subject of a good
deal of jovial badinage on account of the cat Gubbins, which had not
gone to join its brother cats (now doubtless great hunters in the land
of barren rocks) but had attached itself to him. It may have been
that it liked Gorbo’s cast of countenance or it may have been that it
considered a man with a bag of fish something to stay by, but I leave
this for naturalists to decide; all I know is that it went ahead of
him, with its tail well up, stepping rather in the manner of goats
belonging to certain British regiments.
King Kul embraced the children, almost with tears, and with his own
hands gave Sylvia the puppy, which had been wandering disconsolately
about looking for them. He made a speech thanking the Snergs and the
seamen for their great service in his dominions. When King Merse
told him that Gorbo had slain Golithos single-handed he merely said,
“Indeed? And very creditable of him--considering.” He could never quite
overcome his dislike of Gorbo.
But nobler feelings prevailed. He went to his privy-chambers and
rummaged in a little chest of drawers. Returning to the hall he bade
Gorbo approach and kneel.
“By this,” he said, placing round his neck a cherry-coloured ribbon
with a medallion, “I make you a Companion of the Order of Errant
Tinkers. See that you wear it worthily.”
Amid a murmur of applause the blushing Gorbo rose and thanked him
gratefully and retired backwards. He was filled with a pride and joy
that left him dizzy. At last it was officially recognized that he had
escaped from the reproach of being the biggest fool of the race of
Snergs. Sylvia and Joe ran to him and demanded to see. The medallion
was a tasteful thing, representing a man in full armour mending a
saucepan (Sir Bors, a tinker knighted on the field of battle). The
order was an ancient one and Gorbo had full reason to be proud. It
carried with it the freedom of the City and the right to remove his
boots (if they hurt him) in the presence of the King.
The Lady Ermyntrude took charge of the children and told them to change
into their Watkyns Bay uniforms (which had been washed and ironed)
while their new clothes were sent to the dry cleaners. These were
expeditious people and they promised to have them restored to their
original beauty by noon on the following day; to the great joy of
Sylvia, who loved her dress with the golden bees.
It was a happy time for all. Sir Giles returned in a very peevish frame
of mind at the ill-success of his journey, but when he heard that the
children had been brought safely back he came clashing in and embraced
them with ardour. He said that perchance now they would let him look
forward to a good night’s rest. He changed from his travel-stained
armour into a suit of murrey-coloured velvet in which he looked rather
well, and he sat with the Lady Ermyntrude behind some curtains and
held her hand, in spite of her warnings that people would see. Baldry
(who I fear will never learn) tried to promote the gaiety of courts by
creeping behind him and smiting him on the head with his bladder stick;
but he had to flee from the palace and hide for the rest of the day,
since the King refused to grant him protection, saying: “Now perhaps
you’ll think before acting.”
BACK ACROSS THE RIVER
Another day passed and then, at an early hour, the homeward journey was
begun. Cheerful farewells were exchanged and amid the shouts of the
populace the Expeditionary Force passed out of the town-gate which they
had entered with such doubtful anticipations a few days before, with
Joe and Sylvia riding on small ponies (wearing their fancy clothes)
and two sumpter-mules in the charge of responsible churls. One mule
was laden with presents from King Kul for the royal house of Snerg and
other presents for Miss Watkyns and her staff (including some curiously
wrought silver cups and an antique carved unicorn’s horn suitable for a
centre-piece), and the second mule bore two barrels of special wine for
Vanderdecken.
King Kul promised to visit the Snergs if something in the way of a
bridge could be made across the deep river, and Vanderdecken said he
would give thought to the matter and devise a substantial swinging
bridge that would not wobble too much.
They stayed for the night at the comfortable little castle of the Lord
of the King’s Marches, who was at home when they arrived and who, they
found, was an agreeable man though with a slight touch of pomposity,
like his steward. He accepted apologies for their former invasion of
his stronghold and occupation of his best beds, and was quite nice
about it, telling them that he appreciated the urgency of the case and
they were heartily welcome. He seemed on the whole rather relieved
to find his job gone. Throughout a long life he had been (nominally)
guarding the border against a chance attack of Snergs, and now they
had proved to be a good-natured and friendly people and he might have
just as well been attending to other matters. He said that in future he
would devote his time to gardening, for which he had a passion.
They bade him farewell in the morning and in a few hours were on the
precipitous cliff that overhung the river, where they were greeted with
great joy by the band of Snergs who had been left there to prevent any
interference with the rope. They had made a little fort with a trench
round it and they had sentries posted in the proper way. King Merse
gave them a word or two of soldierly praise.
Sylvia was sent across with Tiger in a large basket, which the seamen
rigged up in the manner of life-saving devices, and arrived safely,
though rather giddy and frightened owing to the terrific height over
which she had passed. Joe declined to go in the basket and jerked
himself across the rope at great speed, as did the Snergs and Dutchmen.
The presents were then put in the basket and hauled across, and then
came the two barrels of wine. Vanderdecken superintended the lashing
up of these himself as he said he wasn’t going to take any silly risks
with them. Gorbo swarmed over (amid cheers and laughter) with the cat
clinging to his person, because they could not induce it to go in the
basket.
BACK TO THE TOWN
It was only a league or a bit more to the town, where the news had
already arrived. As the children drew near they noticed three figures
conspicuous for their height among the small Snergs. Miss Watkyns,
together with the Misses Scadging and Gribblestone, had come on good
steady bears on the previous day to meet them, and there they had
heard for the first time of their terrible final adventure.
When they saw the children coming along in their beautiful costumes
of a long bygone age, they burst into weeping. This, though something