Westward Ho! | Page 6

chart of it, now, and see if he don't 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, dra'ed out so
natural as ever was life. I got mun from a Portingal, down to the Azores;
and he'd pricked mun out, and pricked mun out, wheresoever he'd
sailed, and whatsoever he'd seen. Take mun in your hands now, Simon
Evans, take mun in your hands; look mun over, and I'll warrant you'll
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
enchanter's 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 don't want your soul; it's 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: I'll fight you for it."
"Thank 'ee, sir!
"Break the jackanapes's 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 boy's age, sir, I have a man's 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 lad's 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?"
"He'll 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 gentleman's
son, I'd 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. Leigh's, of Burrough Court."
"Bless his soul! I know him as well as I do the Eddystone, and his
kitchen too. Who sups with him