Look ye, my lads, did you ever see such a fowl as that before? Thats the bird which the old Indian kings of Mexico let no one wear but their own selves; and therefore I wear it,I, John Oxenham of South Tawton, for a sign to all brave lads of Devon, that as the Spaniards are the masters of the Indians, were the masters of the Spaniards: and he replaced his hat.
A murmur of applause followed: but one hinted that he doubted the Spaniards were too many for them.
Too many? How many men did we take Nombre de Dios with? Seventy-three were we, and no more when we sailed out of Plymouth Sound; and before we saw the Spanish Main, half were gastados, used up, as the Dons say, with the scurvy; and in Port Pheasant Captain Rawse of Cowes fell in with us, and that gave us some thirty hands more; and with that handful, my lads, only fifty-three in all, we picked the lock of the new world! And whom did we lose but our trumpeter, who stood braying like an ass in the middle of the square, instead of taking care of his neck like a Christian? I tell you, those Spaniards are rank cowards, as all bullies are. They pray to a woman, the idolatrous rascals! and no wonder they fight like women.
Youm right, captain, sang out a tall gaunt fellow who stood close to him; one westcountry-man can fight two easterlings, and an easterling can beat three Dons any day. Eh! my lads of Devon?
For O! its the herrings and the good brown beef,
And the cider and the cream so white;
O! they are the making of the jolly Devon lads,
For to play, and eke to fight.
Come, said Oxenham, come along! Who lists? who lists? wholl make his fortune?
Oh, who will join, jolly mariners all?
And who will join, says he, O!
To fill his pockets with the good red goold,
By sailing on the sea, O!
Wholl list? cried the gaunt man again; nows your time! Weve got forty men to Plymouth now, ready to sail the minute we get back, and we want a dozen out of you Bideford men, and just a boy or two, and then wem off and away, and make our fortunes, or go to heaven.
Our bodies in the sea so deep,
Our souls in heaven to rest!
Where valiant seamen, one and all,
Hereafter shall be blest!
Now, said Oxenham, you wont let the Plymouth men say that the Bideford men darent follow them? North Devon against South, it is. Wholl join? wholl join? It is but a step of a way, after all, and sailing as smooth as a duck-pond as soon as youre past Cape Finisterre. Ill run a Clovelly herring-boat there and back for a wager of twenty pound, and never ship a bucketful all the way. Wholl join? Dont think youre buying a pig in a poke. I know the road, and Salvation Yeo, here, too, who was the gunners mate, as well as I do the narrow seas, and better. You ask him to show you the chart of it, now, and see if he dont tell you over the ruttier as well as Drake himself.
On which the gaunt man pulled from under his arm a great white buffalo horn covered with rough etchings of land and sea, and held it up to the admiring ring.
See here, boys all, and behold the pictur of the place, draed out so natural as ever was life. I got mun from a Portingal, down to the Azores; and hed pricked mun out, and pricked mun out, wheresoever hed sailed, and whatsoever hed seen. Take mun in your hands now, Simon Evans, take mun in your hands; look mun over, and Ill warrant youll know the way in five minutes so well as ever a shark in the seas.
And the horn was passed from hand to hand; while Oxenham, who saw that his hearers were becoming moved, called through the open window for a great tankard of sack, and passed that from hand to hand, after the horn.
The school-boy, who had been devouring with eyes and ears all which passed, and had contrived by this time to edge himself into the inner ring, now stood face to face with the hero of the emerald crest, and got as many peeps as he could at the wonder. But when he saw the sailors, one after another, having turned it over a while, come forward and offer to join Mr. Oxenham, his soul burned within him for a nearer view of that wondrous horn, as magical in its effects as that of Tristrem, or the enchanters in Ariosto; and when the group had somewhat broken up, and Oxenham was going into the tavern with his recruits, he asked boldly for a nearer sight of the marvel, which was granted at once.
And now to his astonished gaze displayed themselves cities and harbors, dragons and elephants, whales which fought with sharks, plate ships of Spain, islands with apes and palm-trees, each with its name over-written, and here and there, Here is gold; and again, Much gold and silver; inserted most probably, as the words were in English, by the hands of Mr. Oxenham himself. Lingeringly and longingly the boy turned it round and round, and thought the owner of it more fortunate than Khan or Kaiser. Oh, if he could but possess that horn, what needed he on earth beside to make him blest!
I say, will you sell this?
Yea, marry, or my own soul, if I can get the worth of it.
I want the horn,I dont want your soul; its somewhat of a stale sole, for aught I know; and there are plenty of fresh ones in the bay.
And therewith, after much fumbling, he pulled out a tester (the only one he had), and asked if that would buy it?
That! no, nor twenty of them.
The boy thought over what a good knight-errant would do in such case, and then answered, Tell you what: Ill fight you for it.
Thank ee, sir!
Break the jackanapess head for him, Yeo, said Oxenham.
Call me jackanapes again, and I break yours, sir. And the boy lifted his fist fiercely.
Oxenham looked at him a minute smilingly. Tut! tut! my man, hit one of your own size, if you will, and spare little folk like me!
If I have a boys age, sir, I have a mans fist. I shall be fifteen years old this month, and know how to answer any one who insults me.
Fifteen, my young cockerel? you look liker twenty, said Oxenham, with an admiring glance at the lads broad limbs, keen blue eyes, curling golden locks, and round honest face. Fifteen? If I had half-a-dozen such lads as you, I would make knights of them before I died. Eh, Yeo?
Hell do, said Yeo; he will make a brave gamecock in a year or two, if he dares ruffle up so early at a tough old hen-master like the captain.
At which there was a general laugh, in which Oxenham joined as loudly as any, and then bade the lad tell him why he was so keen after the horn.
Because, said he, looking up boldly, I want to go to sea. I want to see the Indies. I want to fight the Spaniards. Though I am a gentlemans son, Id a deal liever be a cabin-boy on board your ship. And the lad, having hurried out his say fiercely enough, dropped his head again.
And you shall, cried Oxenham, with a great oath; and take a galloon, and dine off carbonadoed Dons. Whose son are you, my gallant fellow?
Mr. Leighs, of Burrough Court.
Bless his soul! I know him as well as I do the Eddystone, and his kitchen too. Who sups with him to-night?
Sir Richard Grenville.
Dick Grenville? I did not know he was in town. Go home and tell your father John Oxenham will come and keep him company. There, off with you! Ill make all straight with the good gentleman, and you shall have your venture with me; and as for the horn, let him have the horn, Yeo, and Ill give you a noble for it.