Page 336 - A Jacobite Exile

upper windows of the houses had been blown in by the force of the wind.
Tiles flew about like leaves in autumn, and occasionally gutters and sheets

of lead, stripped from the roofs, flew along with prodigious swiftness.

"This is as bad as a pitched battle, Charlie. I would as lief be struck by a
cannonball as by one of those strips of lead."

"Well, we must risk it, Harry. We must make the attempt, anyhow."

It was with the greatest difficulty that they made their way along. Although
powerful young fellows, they were frequently obliged to cling to the
railings, to prevent themselves from being swept away by the gusts, and

they had more than one narrow escape from falling chimneys. Although the
distance they had to traverse was not more than a quarter of a mile, it took

them half an hour to accomplish it.

The post master looked at them in surprise, as they entered his office

flushed and disordered.

"Why, gentlemen, you are not thinking of going on such a day as this? It
would be a sheer impossibility. Why, the carriage would be blown over,
and if it wasn't, no horses would face this wind."

"We would be willing to pay anything you may like to ask," Charlie said.

"It ain't a question of money, sir. If you were to buy the four horses and the
carriage, you would be no nearer, for no post boy would be mad enough to

ride them; and, even supposing you got one stage, which you never would
do, you would have to buy horses again, for no one would be fool enough

to send his animals out. You could not do it, sir. Why, I hear there are half a
dozen houses, within a dozen yards of this, that have been altogether
unroofed, and it is getting worse instead of better. If it goes on like this, I

doubt if there will be a steeple standing in London tomorrow.

"Listen to that!"