The Fishguard Invasion by the French in 1797

wended their way to various points on the range of mountains which divides Pembrokeshire into two parts; the result of their mission being apparent when night fell and beacons flared along the lin

se we shall hear more anon. Mr. Mortimer was of a generous and confiding disposition-and, as a bishop should be, he was in truth-much given to hospitality. He was, moreover, about to celebrate the marriage of his son, and he had made ample provision of cakes and ale, not to mention meats and spirits for this purpose. The

f his good cheer; so his orders flew forth in every direction-compliments and invitations to

of the men occupying the fort near Fishguard; these fired as in duty and fair observance bound-a salute to the flag that had braved a thousand years, and had never in all that considerable period of time

the unwary by the careless placing of a hand on a magnetic eel. They had been completely deceived by the mock flag, and were more unprepared for the

the men on board these frigates were little better than freebooters. Many of the older persons present were minded to take them for a new and enlarged edition of the Black Prince-a pirate ship which had eighteen years previously brought his broadside to bear on the town of Fishguard, and kept up an animated fi

had just, in courtesy, saluted the frigate, who, not caring to face the other seven guns of the fort i

sudden rearward movement-anyway he found himself a prisoner, and his boat a prize. I had jumped up from my reclining position, and stood watching his fate with anxiety and awe,

ch inventions of schoolmasters, suggesting even to me the sudden, outspread, white wings of a flock of ducks frightened by the unwelcome appearance, from round the corner, of a fox.

ery well take care of themselves; while it was possible that my father, who was a somewhat stern parent, might not even accept the (to me) absolute necessity of keeping an eye on the French as a valid excuse for departing from my studies at St. David's without leave from my master. I had a certain amount of fear of the French, I do not deny it; but it was as yet in the abstract, and was a very different thing from the absolute fear I had of my father when I caught him (and he caught me) in a bad mood. Besides, though I considered curiosity a childish and feminine quality, and as such infinitely beneath my dignity, still I must own I d

swer a question, and, shrieking all the time, fled away into the interior, clutching tightly in her hand a foaming jug of beer. I heard afterwards that she ran on for miles, still clutching that jug of beer, whic

laughing in spite of the seriousness of the occasion, for he must needs smile at a j

h a twinkle still in his eye. "But, in truth,

about Master Mortimer's wedding

nting his horse which one of his farm-boys had brought out; "but

r leaves, but branches of myrtles and ever-blooming gorse and great bunches of primroses had made the place gay. Mr. Mortimer's face changed as he looked; he made no movement with the reins; he was very loath to leave his home. I

re isn't a minute; they are coming up the hill. For the young master's sak

king his rein, rode

o, Nancy?" said I. "Isn't it

slip off somehow, but I must

om me, and her voi

y-oh, wherever i

younger-an inequality made up for by my superior station and parts. "Wherever Davy is h

not at this time even a curate-being but fifteen-and the

rms and the sound of high-pit

o the melting mood. "Run, Dan, make for Fishguard as fast as you can." And withou

real fear, two feelings restrained me-one was a hesitation on account of Nancy, whom it seemed mean to desert; the other was that curiosity to which I have already alluded, and which powerfully possesses most of the inhabitants of these regions, but more especially the females. The twilight was rapidly sinking into darkness as I crouched lower among the bushes and peered out with eyes which doubtless resembled those of a frightened bird. Never hare in its form felt more of a flutter at the heart than I experienced as those screech

nd I passed from behind my bushes i

and I fear my expression was still more forc

n George, ungratefully. "I thought yo

t door, while the parlour window came flying into the room before the butt-end

ring into the house over its remains. Quickly, indeed, we went now and the falling night favoured us; the enemy's own noise too rendered the slight

le, Nan," I gasped, as we ran along under the

ng master's wedding feast. Oh, indeed, I wish I had known they

y divine, the Rev. David Bowen, whom we found about to depart hurriedly, he having been no quicker to hear the alarming tidings than his neighbour at Trehowel; but, having heard it, he and his family were off

nda," suggested this man. "We

y just under it lies the tiny village and church of Llanunda-Unda being manifestl

ge boulders of stone-the place is large enough to hold six or seven hundred m

ed at the landing place, if so one could call, what was merely some flat slabs of rock; and all up the cliffs we saw ant-like beings crawling, and even (by the aid of a little imagination) we could fancy we heard their strong exclamations at the steepness of the path-made even steeper to them by the nature of their occupation, for they were rolling casks (evidently heavy) of gunpowder from where the boats landed them up to the top of the cliff.

rd for that,"

is impossible to give any idea

are using over

ugh to hear them!" said I, totally

ripping discretion, they so over-weighted the boat, that lurching forward heavily she upset, and the whole of her cumbrous cargo was shortly at the bottom of the sea. It was a satisfaction even to think of it. Aye, an

ord again,"