In Greek Waters Part 9

"Yes, Mr. Horace, and he told me to tell you as soon as you returned that he wished you to go to him at once in the library."

It was so unlike his father to want to see him particularly about anything, that Horace went in in some wonder as to what could be the matter. Mr. Beveridge was walking up and down the room.

"Is your mind very much set on going back to Eton, Horace?" he asked abruptly.

"I don't know, father," Horace said, taken somewhat aback at the question. "Well, I would very much rather go back, father, than be doing nothing here. I am very fond of sailing as an amus.e.m.e.nt, but one would not want to be at it always. Of course if there is anything really to do it would be different."

"Well, I think there is something else to do, Horace. You know my feeling with regard to this insurrection in Greece."

"Yes, father," Horace, who was indeed rather tired of the subject, replied.

"Well, you see, my boy, they have now resisted the Turks for some five months and have gained rather than lost ground. That seems to show decisively that this is no mere hasty rising, but that the people are in earnest in the determination to win their liberty. Now that I am thoroughly convinced of this my course is clear, and I have determined upon going out to give such a.s.sistance as I can."

Horace was astounded. "Going out to fight, father?"

"Yes, if necessary to fight, but I can be of more use than in merely fighting. I have never, since I came into the property some twenty-four years ago, spent anything like a third of my income.

Indeed, since my return from Greece my expenses here have been but a few hundreds a year. I have always hoped that I should have the opportunity of devoting the savings to help Greece to regain her independence. That moment has come. At first I feared that the movement would speedily die out; but the letters that I receive show that it is increasing daily, and indeed that the Greeks have placed themselves beyond the hope of forgiveness by, I am sorry to say, the ma.s.sacre of large numbers of Turks. It is, of course, to be regretted that so glorious a cause should have been sullied by such conduct; but one cannot be surprised. Slaves are always cruel, and after the wrongs they have suffered, it could hardly be expected that they would forego their revenge when the opportunity at last came. However, the important point of the matter is, that there can be no drawing back now.

"For better or for worse the revolution has begun. Now, Horace, you are but sixteen, but you are a sensible lad, and I have stood so much apart from other men from my boyhood that I am what you might call unpractical; while I take it that you from your temperament, and from being at a great public school, are eminently practical, therefore, I shall be glad to hear your opinion as to how this thing had best be set about. I take it, of course, that you are as interested in the struggle as I am."

"Well, not so interested perhaps, father. I feel, of course, that it is a horrible thing that a people like the Greeks, to whom we all owe so much, should be kept in slavery by the Turks, who have never done any good to mankind that I know of, and I should certainly be glad to do everything in my power to help; but of course it all comes so suddenly upon me that just at present I don't see what had best be done."

"I heard from my friends in London that many young men are already starting to a.s.sist the Greeks. What they will need most is not men, but arms and money, so at least my Greek friends write me."

"Well, father," Horace said bluntly; "I should say you had much better give them arms than money. I have been reading the thing up as much as I could since it began, and as far as I can see the upper cla.s.s Greeks, the men who, I suppose, will be the leaders, are a pretty bad lot--quite as bad, I should say, as the Turkish pashas."

"Yes, I quite agree with you there, Horace. You see in a country that is enslaved, political and other careers are closed, and the young men devote themselves to making money. You see that in the history of the Jews. All through the middle ages they were everywhere persecuted, every avenue to honourable employment was closed to them, consequently they devoted themselves to making money, and have been the bankers of kings for hundreds of years. No doubt it is the same thing with the Greeks; but the ma.s.s of the people are uncorrupted, and with the deeds of their great forefathers always before them they will, I am sure, show themselves worthy of their name."

"No doubt, father; I think so too."

"You don't mind my spending this money on the Cause, Horace," his father asked anxiously, "because, though it is my savings, it would in the natural course of things come to you some day."

"Not at all, father; it is, as you say, your savings, and having at heart, as you have, the independence of Greece, I think it cannot be better laid out than a.s.sisting it. But I should certainly like it to be laid out for that, and not to go into the pockets of a lot of fellows who think more of feathering their own nests than of the freedom of Greece. So I should say the best thing would be to send out a cargo of arms and ammunition, as a beginning; other cargoes can go out as they are required. And you might, of course, take a certain amount of money to distribute yourself as you see it is required. I hope you mean to take me with you."

"I think so, Horace. You are young to do any fighting at present, but you will be a great support and comfort to me."

Horace could scarcely resist a smile, for he thought that if there was any fighting to be done he would be of considerably more use than his father.

"Well, I suppose the next thing, Horace, will be to go up to town to inquire about arms. My Greek friends there will advise me as to their purchase, and so on."

"Yes, father," Horace said a little doubtfully; "but as it is late now I think, if you don't mind, I will get some supper and turn in. I will think it over. I think we had better talk it over quietly and quite make up our minds what is best to be done before we set about anything; a few hours won't make any difference."

"Quite so, Horace; it is no use our beginning by making mistakes. It is a great comfort to me, my boy, to have you with me. At any rate I will write to-night to your headmaster and say that circ.u.mstances will prevent your return to Eton this term."

Horace went into the next room, had some supper, and then went thoughtfully up to bed. The idea of going out to fight for the independence of Greece was one which at any other time he would have regarded with enthusiasm, but under the present circ.u.mstances he felt depressed rather than excited. He admired his father for his great learning, and loved him for the kindness of his intentions towards him; but he had during the last two or three years been more and more impressed with the fact that in everything unconnected with his favourite subject his father was, as he said himself, utterly unpractical. He left the management of his estate to the steward, the management of the house to Zaimes, both happily, as it chanced, honest and capable men; but had they been rogues they could have victimized him to any extent. That his father, who lived in his library and who was absorbed in the past, should plunge into the turmoil of an insurrection was an almost bewildering idea. He would be plundered right and left, and would believe every story told him; while as for his fighting, the thing seemed absolutely absurd. Horace felt that the whole responsibility would be on his shoulders, and this seemed altogether too much for him. Then the admission of his father that abominable ma.s.sacres had been perpetrated by the Greeks shook his enthusiasm in the Cause.

"I should be glad to see them free and independent, and all that," he said, "but I don't want to be fighting side by side with murderers.

Among such fellows as these, my father, who is a great deal more Greek than any Greek of the present day, I should say, would be made utterly miserable. He admits that the upper cla.s.s are untrustworthy and avaricious. Now he says that the lower cla.s.s have ma.s.sacred people in cold blood. It does not affect him much in the distance, but if he were in the middle of it all it would be such a shock to him that I believe it would kill him. Besides, fancy his going long marches in the mountains, sleeping in the wet, and all that sort of thing, when he has never walked half a mile as far back as I can remember."

He lay tossing about for a couple of hours, and then sat suddenly up in bed. "That's it," he exclaimed, "that is a splendid idea. What a fool I was not to think of it before! If William Martyn is but at home that would be the thing above all."

Then he lay down, thought the matter over for another half-hour, and then went quietly off to sleep.

"Well, Horace, have you been turning the matter over in your mind?"

his father asked as soon as they sat down to breakfast.

"I have, father, and I have hit upon a plan that seems to me the very best thing possible in all ways."

"What is it, Horace?"

"Well, father, it seems to me that if we take out war material to Athens it will very likely get into wrong hands altogether, and when arms are really wanted by the people of the mountains, and I expect that it is they who will do the fighting and not the people of the towns, there won't be any to give them. The next thing is, if we go to Athens, and people know that you are a rich Englishman, you will get surrounded by sharks, and before you have time to know who is to be trusted, or anything about it, all your money will be gone. Then I am sure that you could not in that way take any active part in helping to free Greece, you never could stand marches in the mountains and sleeping in the open air, bad food, and all that sort of thing, after living the quiet indoor life you have for so many years. I know you would stick to it, father, as long as you could, but it seems to me you would be sure to get knocked up."

"Yes, I ought to have prepared for this, Horace. It would have been better for me to have taken regular exercise every day, even if I did get through a little less work. Still I am stronger than you think. I am only forty-four, and a man at forty-four ought to be able to do nearly as much as he ever could do."

"Yes, father, if he had lived an active life and exercised his muscles. I have no doubt you are just as strong in many things as other men; I never remember your being ill for a day; but I am sure you are not fit for knocking about among the mountains. What I have been thinking of is this. If you approve of it I will go over to Exmouth this morning and see if William Martyn is there. He is likely to be at home if his vessel is in port. If he is not, I will get his father to recommend some one. There must be lots of young lieutenants on half-pay who would jump at the idea. First I should engage with Martyn if he is there, or go to the man whom his father recommended to me at Plymouth, and get him to buy for you a fast schooner or brig--one that had either been an English privateer or a captured Frenchman would be about the thing--arrange with him to be the captain and engage officers and crew, and get him to arm her with as many guns as she will carry. He would be able probably to put us into the best way of buying muskets. As such immense numbers of soldiers have been paid off, no doubt there have been great sales of muskets by government, and we might get them at a quarter the price we should have to pay for new ones. Of course we should take in ammunition in large quant.i.ties. All these mountaineers have no doubt got guns, and ammunition will be the thing most wanted of all. We could also pick up some cannon. No doubt they are to be bought for sc.r.a.p iron. The Greeks will want them to arm their s.h.i.+ps and batteries. In that way you see, father, you would have everything under your own hands. n.o.body would know how many muskets you have got on board, and you could serve them out when or how they were required.

"The same with money. We could cruise about and pop into quiet places, and send arms and ammunition up into the hills. Of course directly you got out there you would put the s.h.i.+p under the Greek flag, and by hara.s.sing the Turks at sea we might do a hundred times more good than we could by land. There would be no fatigue and no discomfort. You would always be comfortable on board, and could take Zaimes and Marco with you. We would take Tom Burdett as boatswain. He was boatswain in the navy, you know. If he goes I daresay d.i.c.k will also go with us."

"That is an excellent plan, Horace. It seems to meet all the difficulties, and I was really feeling uncomfortable at the thought of being mixed up in all the confusion and excitement there will, no doubt, be at Athens. It is a most happy idea. We will not lose a moment about it. I like that young fellow Martyn, and I hope you will be able to get hold of him. Let him name his own terms. I have not the least idea whether the captain of a vessel of that sort is paid five pounds a week or twenty-five. Of course it will be dangerous service, and should be liberally paid for. Well, you had better pack up your bag directly we have finished breakfast. You may be away for a week or ten days."

"I can't start to-day, father, surely."

"No! why not, Horace?"

"Because, you know, you arranged we should both go over to dine at aunt's."

"Of course, Horace; I quite forgot that. It is very annoying, but I suppose it can't be helped."

Horace laughed. "A day won't make much difference, father. I am sure aunt would be very vexed if we did not turn up. Do you mean to tell her anything about it?"

Mr. Beveridge was silent for a minute. "I don't think there is any occasion; do you, Horace?" he said doubtfully. "She might raise objections, you know; though that, of course, would make no difference; arguments are always to be avoided, and your aunt was always a very positive woman."

"I think it is just as well to say nothing about it," Horace said with a slight smile, for he felt sure that his aunt would oppose the project tooth and nail if she were aware of it, and that she would be backed by the whole strength of his mother's family. He did not say this, but went on, "It is a nuisance being asked a tremendous lot of questions about things, especially when you don't know much about them yourself. No, I think, father, we had better keep it quite quiet. It will be time enough to write a line to aunt and tell her that we are off, the last thing before we get up anchor."

"I agree with you, Horace, so we will say nothing about this trip of ours. Well, as it seems you can't go to-day, you had better make your arrangements to catch the coach to-morrow morning. I will sign a dozen blank cheques, which you can fill up as required. Of course whoever accepts the post of captain will know all that will be wanted for the s.h.i.+p, and if he doesn't know himself about the arms and ammunition he may be able to introduce you to some officer who does. Will you take Marco with you?"

"No, I don't think so, father. I don't see that he would be any use, and having a man going about with you looks as if one was being taken care of."

Horace caught the coach and alighted at Exmouth, and hurried to the revenue officer's house.

"Is Mr. William Martyn in?" he asked the servant who opened the door.

"He is not in just at present, sir; I think he went down to the river."

"How long has he been home?" Horace asked, delighted at the news.

"He only got in last week, sir; his s.h.i.+p got wrecked, and Mr. William turned up without any clothes, or anything except just what he stood up in."

"Hurrah!" Horace exclaimed, to the astonishment of the woman, and then without another word ran down to the wharfs. He soon saw the figure he was in search of talking to two or three old sailors.