Fire and Sword Read Online Free PDF Page A

raced off happily again, Daniel crossed over to the newcomer.
    ‘Is that you, Martin?’ he asked, peering intently at him.
    ‘Indeed, it is,’ replied Martin Rye with a surprised grin. ‘And unless my eyes fail me, I’m talking to Dan Rawson.’
    ‘Yes, it’s me.’ They shook hands warmly. ‘It’s good to see you again after all this time. You’re a married man now, I see.’
    ‘I’ve two lovely children to show for it. I couldn’t bring myself to punish them just now. After all, when we were their age, we used to play games here in the churchyard.’
    Daniel smiled. ‘The verger chased us away many a time.’
    It was over twenty years since he’d seen his old friend. Martin Rye was a boy from the village who’d worked on the Rawson farm for a short while. He’d grown up to be tall and sturdy. Apart from memories of childhood fun together, they shared something else. When the Monmouth rebellion had been crushed at Sedgemoor, Nathan Rawson had been a captain in the defeated army. Rye had two brothers who’d also responded to the call to arms and fought on the losing side. All three of them had been condemned to death at the Bloody Assizes.
    ‘I know what brought you here, Dan,’ said Rye with envy. ‘When your father was hanged, you cut down hisbody so that it could lie here in the churchyard.’
    ‘Yes, we did.’
    ‘I wish we could have rescued my brothers but Will and Arthur had already been tossed into a common grave with all the other poor wretches who danced on the gallows that day.’
    ‘We were lucky enough to reach my father in time. We brought him here in the dead of night and buried him under the bushes where nobody could find him. It was many years later,’ recalled Daniel, ‘that I was able to dig up the body and see that it had a proper Christian burial.’ He touched Rye’s arm. ‘I’m sorry that your brothers don’t lie in consecrated ground as well. They were brave lads.’ He stood back to look his friend up and down. ‘You’ve filled out since we last met. What are you doing with yourself now?’
    ‘I’ve taken over the forge from my uncle. Being a blacksmith is hard work but I’ve never been one to shy away from that. What about you, Dan?’ he went on. ‘When I heard you’d fled to Holland with your mother, I thought you’d find a farm there.’
    ‘I chose to follow the drum instead.’
    ‘I can see that from your uniform. What regiment are you in?’
    ‘The 24 th Foot,’ said Daniel, ‘with the rank of captain.’
    Rye was impressed. ‘You’ve done well for yourself.’
    ‘Soldiering is a dangerous occupation, Martin. I’d feel a lot safer if I was a blacksmith like you.’
    ‘Don’t be so sure about that,’ said the other with a laugh.‘I’ve got burns all over my arms and horses can give you a nasty kick if they don’t want to be shoed.’
    ‘At least you don’t have someone trying to kill you every time you go into battle.’
    ‘That’s true. I’d hate that. How do you put up with it?’
    ‘You learn to survive.’
    ‘Are you married?’
    ‘Not yet.’
    ‘I don’t blame you.’
    ‘Why do you say that?’
    ‘Too many soldiers’ wives end up as widows.’
    ‘There’s always that risk,’ admitted Daniel, thinking wistfully of Amalia Janssen. ‘Casualties are often very high. It’s something you have to live with, Martin.’
    ‘I could never do that.’
    ‘It’s surprising what you can do when you’re put to the test.’
    ‘I like my life as it is, Dan.’
    There was an endearing simplicity about Martin Rye. He was a big, strong, healthy man in his thirties with limited needs and narrow horizons. The village provided him with everything he wanted and he’d never dream of moving away from it. Had he stayed on the family farm, Daniel mused, he’d probably have grown up to be like his friend and to enjoy a stable existence in the rural tranquillity of Somerset. He’d have employed Rye to shoe the farm horses and drunk with him