Фредерик Марриет - The Poacher; Or, Joseph Rushbrook

“McShane, she is a jewel, not because she has given me money, but because her heart’s in the right place, and always will be. But I really do not like taking you away with me.”

“Perhaps you don’t think I’d be of any use?”

“Yes; I do not doubt but that you will be, although at present I do not know how.”

“But I do, for I’ve thought upon it, and I shall take it very unkind if you don’t let me go with you. I want a little divarsion; for you see, O’Donahue, one must settle down to domestic happiness by degrees.”

“Be it so, then; all I fear is, I shall occasion pain to your excellent wife.”

“She has plenty to do, and that drives care away; besides, only consider the pleasure you’ll occasion to her when I come back.”

“I forgot that. Now, if you please, I’ll call and pay my respects, and also return my grateful thanks.”

“Then, come along.”

Captain O’Donahue found Mrs McShane very busily employed supplying her customers. She was, as McShane had said, a very good-looking woman, although somewhat corpulent: and there was an amiability, frankness, and kindness of disposition so expressed in her countenance, that it was impossible not to feel interested with her. They dined together. O’Donahue completely established himself in her good graces, and it was agreed that on that day week the gentlemen should embark for Hamburg, and proceed on to Petersburg, Joey to go with them as their little valet.

The first step taken by O’Donahue was to obtain a passport for himself and suit; and here there was a controversy, McShane having made up his mind that he would sink the officer, and travel as O’Donahue’s servant, in which capacity he declared that he would not only be more useful, but also swell his friend’s dignity. After a long combat on the part of O’Donahue, this was consented to, and the passport was filled up accordingly.

“But, by Saint Patrick! I ought to get some letters of introduction,” said O’Donahue; “and how is that to be managed—at all events to the English ambassador? Let me see—I’ll go to the Horse Guards.”

O’Donahue went accordingly, and, as was always the case there, was admitted immediately to an audience with the Commander of the Forces. O’Donahue put his case forward, stating that he was about to proceed on a secret mission to Russia, and requested his Royal Highness to give him a few letters of introduction. His Royal Highness very properly observed, that if sent on a secret mission, he would, of course, obtain all the necessary introductions from the proper quarters, and then inquired of O’Donahue what his rank was, where he had served, etcetera. To the latter questions O’Donahue gave a very satisfactory reply, and convinced the Duke that he was an officer of merit. Then came the question as to his secret mission, which his Royal Highness had never heard of. “May it please your Royal Highness, there’s a little mistake about this same secret mission; it’s not on account of government that I’m going, but on my own secret service;” and O’Donahue, finding himself fairly in for it, confessed that he was after a lady of high rank, and that if he did not obtain letters of introduction, he should not probably find the means of entering the society in which she was to be found, and that as an officer who had served faithfully, he trusted that he should not be refused.

His Royal Highness laughed at his disclosure, and, as there was no objection to giving O’Donahue a letter or two, with his usual good-nature he ordered them to be written, and having given them to him, wished him every success. O’Donahue bowed to the ground, and quitted the Horse Guards, delighted with the success of his impudent attempt.

Being thus provided, the party set off in a vessel bound to Hamburg, where they arrived without any accident, although very sea-sick; from Hamburg they proceeded to Lübeck, and re-embarked at Travemünde in a brig, which was bound for Riga; the wind was fair, and their passage was short. On their arrival they put up at an hotel, and finding themselves in a country where English was not understood, O’Donahue proceeded to the house of the English consul, informing him that he was going on a secret mission to Petersburg, and showing, as evidences of his respectability and the truth of his assertions, the letters given him by his Royal Highness. These were quite sufficient for the consul, who immediately offered his services. Not being able to procure at Riga a courier who could speak French or English, the consul took a great deal of trouble to assist them in their long journey to Petersburg. He made out a list of the posts, the number of versts, and the money that was to be paid; he changed some of O’Donahue’s gold into Russian paper-money, and gave all the necessary instructions. The great difficulty was to find any carriage to carry them to the capital, but at last they found an old cabriolet on four wheels which might answer, and, bidding adieu to the consul, they obtained horses, and set off.

“Now, McShane, you must take care of the money, and pay the driver,” said O’Donahue, pulling out several pieces of thick paper, some coloured red, some blue, and others of a dirty white.

“Is this money?” said McShane, with astonishment.

“Yes, that’s roubles.”

“Roubles, are they? I wonder what they’d call them in Ireland; they look like soup-tickets.”

“Never mind. And now, McShane, there are two words which the consul has told me to make use of: one is Scoro , and when you say that, it means ‘ Go fast ,’ and you hold up a small bit of money at the same time.”

“ Scoro ! well, that’s a word I sha’n’t forget.”

“But, then, there’s another, which is Scorae .”

“And what may be the English of that?”

“Why, that means ‘ Go faster ,’ and with that you hold up a larger piece of money.”

“Why, then, it’s no use remembering Scoro at all, for Scorae will do much better; so we need not burden ourselves with the first at all. Suppose we try the effect of that last word upon our bear-skin friend who is driving!”

McShane held up a rouble, and called out to the driver—“ Scorae !” The fellow turned his head, smiled, and lashed his horses until they were at the full speed, and then looked back at them for approval.

“By the powers, that’s no fool of a word! it will take us all the way to Saint Petersburg as fast as we wish.”

“We do not sleep on the road, but travel night and day,” said O’Donahue, “for there is no place worth sleeping at.”

“And the ’ating, O’Donahue?”

“We must get that by signs, for we have no other means.”

On that point they soon found they had no difficulty; and thus they proceeded, without speaking a word of the language, day and night, until they arrived at the capital.

At the entrance their passports were demanded, and the officer at the guard-house came out and told them that a Cossack would accompany them. A Cossack, with a spear as long as a fir-tree, and a beard not quite so long, then took them in charge, and trotted before the carriage, the driver following him at a slow pace.

“An’t we prisoners?” inquired McShane.

“I don’t know, but it looks very like it,” replied O’Donahue.

This, however, was not the case. The carriage drove to a splendid street called the Neffsky Perspective, and as soon as it stopped at the entrance of an hotel, the Cossack, after speaking to the landlord, who came out, took his departure.

A journey of four hundred miles, day and night, is no joke: our travellers fell fast asleep in their spacious apartment, and it was not till the next day that they found themselves clean and comfortable, Joey being dressed in a rich livery, as a sort of page, and McShane doing duty as valet when others were present, and when sitting alone with O’Donahue, taking his fair share of the bottle.