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schoolmaster, whom you all admire for his great work among the smugglers here, to commit murder upon Sennacherib Pepper, who was seeing more upon the Marsh than was altogether healthy for him; but when my faithful murderer began thinking of Kings evidence, I had to see that he was removed by the Marsh witches and done to death. I like you to know all this, because I am something of a vain fellow, and I never can abide people having the laugh on me, and so, my dear friend Captain Collyer, oblige me like a good-natured and sensible fellow by handing over that blue paper that is sticking out of your pocket with my death written thereon.
No. Ill be damned
If you dont there will be such a nasty mess for Mister Mipps to clear up in that pew!
A man stepped from the choir and snatched the blue paper from the captain and handed it to Doctor Syn.
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Thank you, my man! said the cleric, taking it. And now for my farewell. You are all of you in this church in eminent peril. The place is surrounded by redcoats who are in danger of being badly hurt when the fight comes, and all in this church are in danger of me being caught by the redcoats, and being obliged to turn Kings evidence against you all to save my life. I should be very loath to do such a dirty thing, so you had better persuade our friend the captain to let me go quietly. do such a dirty thing, so you had better persuade our friend the captain to let me go quietly.
Doctor Syn deliberately thrust both his pistols beneath his black gown; at the same moment the captain sprang at the pulpit, but was knocked over with a violent blow from the brass candlestick that Doctor Syn had snatched from the pulpit socket. The sailors clambered out of their pew, but were met with a volley of hymn-books and hassocks from the sea salts in the choir. One or two pistols flashed, and in a second the entire church was a writhing, fighting mass of men. The women screamed and were trodden down as the redcoats entered
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the west door and forced their way over the upturned benches in the aisles. Above the congregation flew a shower of missileshassocks, books, hats, sticks, anything that could be grabbed went flying through the air, and Syn leaped the pulpit and fell upon the writhing mass that was fighting below.
It took the redcoats a quarter of an hour to restore order in the church, and then Mister Mipps and Doctor Syn had disappeared.
But although Collyer was very badly cut and bruised, he was confident, for the church had been surrounded, so he knew that the miscreants couldnt escape. Presently a cry from the vestry rang out: Help! It was Mippss voice. Collyer rushed the door, followed by some of his men. The remaining redcoats who had been watching the church were ordered inside to help in the arrest. These men cried out that they had seen the Doctor in the vestry from the window, and they were one and all eager to be in at the death.
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Within the vestry stood Sexton Mipps with a blunderbuss at the head of Doctor Syn, who was crouched in terror at the old oak table.
There he is! Seize him! The devil! The murderer! Seize him!
So youve turned Kings evidence after all, have you, Mister Sexton?
But Mipps only cried again: There he is! Aint none of you a-goin to take him?
Captain Collyer obeyed the sexton and cried: Clegg, I arrest you in the name of the King! and coming forward he laid his hand upon the Doctors shoulder. But the Doctor did not move. The captain shook him, but he did not move. Then the captain put his hand upon the white hair and the hand was covered with something white.
My God! he cried. Hes nailed to the table. Its not Syn! Its Morgan Walters. Wheres that damned sexton?
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But the sexton had disappeared, and Clegg had gone, and there, with three nails driven, one through the neck and one through each arm, driven right through into the table, lay the theatrical figure of Morgan Walters, in all points resembling Doctor Syn.
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Chapter 37
The Dead Mans Throttle
Then the redcoat got a bad time, for a great fight was put up by the Dymchurch men. Doctor Syns popularity had gone up at a bound. He had gauged his audience to a nicety, and had he declared himself to be the Prince Regent he couldnt have bettered his position, for around Cleggs name a million romances had been spun, but none so romantic, so daring, so altogether impertinent as this last announcement that he was the preacher Syn. That the greatest pirate hung should have unhanged himself upon the pulpit of a three-decker was indeed a colossal piece of impudence, and calculated to appeal to
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the innermost hearts of the Dymchurch folk, who at this period of history knew more about wool-running, demon riders, and Calais customs than anything else. Add to this the admiration that they had always borne toward Clegg, only surpassed by their dread of him, and couple this with Doctor Syns popularity and the Scarecrows ingenuity, not forgetting the remark in the sermon about Kings evidence, and the clerics escape was assured. For Doctor Syn could give evidence to hang them all, and although they thought that he was sportsman enough to hold his tongue if it came to a crisis, they didnt like to risk it; for Clegg had proved himself true enough to his friends but utterly criminal toward his foes. For all these reasons they put up a fight, and a sharp fight it was.
There was a rumour that Doctor Syn and Sexton Mipps had taken cover in one of the smugglers retreats at the Ship Inn, and although Mrs. Waggetts innocently protested against it, the order was given to ransack the place from
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cellar to attic. But it was none so easy to ransack such a rambling old house, defended as it was by desperate ruffians fighting for the secrets of their livelihood, for since Doctor Syn had hidden the wool-running scheme under his black gown money had flowed freely among the Dymchurch men. But the blood of the redcoats was up, for three of their number had been badly wounded, so when they eventually got possession of the inn they showed Mrs. Waggetts property no mercy. And for Mrs. Waggetts herselfwell, the rage of the redcoats was so uncontrolled when the old house was found stacked with smuggled goods that they cursed her for an old witch and hanged her from the old Ship sign above the door.
Meantime a lugger was trying to catch the breeze, trying to get out of the great bay to the open sea; but the wind had failed, so certain men aboard got out the oars and pulled away with a will. Then some fool lit one of the piled beacons on the shore. Others were lighted, and the flames shot up along the
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wall to Littlestone, and the Kings men managed to launch the preventers cutter and chase the lugger. The men routed out of the Ship Inn crowded to the wall to hinder the Kings men, but Collyer was in command and bravely kept his mens heads for them amid a hail of bullets from the sea-wall.