Roanoke of Roanoke Hall: A Romance — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

8 Roanoke of Roanoke Hall. awe upon the dainty speckled eggs. I have been witness of two traitorous but happily defeated rebellions, yet can I still recall my terror when, fishing in our little river here at . Roanoke, I drew out a great writhing eel and fled in haste, not less disturbed and astound- ed than he. True is it that I was but a child of eight: years at the time of the former rebellion, that of my lord Monmouth, but its influence on my after life was so truly vast, my own father losing his head for that mistaken cause, that it would be marvellous indeed if I could not even now set down clearly such acts of it as passed under my own eyes. And firstly do I mind me of the great stir and bustle at the Hall through the early months of that fatal year of Our Lord sixteen hundred and eight-five—messengers posting here and there, arriving secretly in haste and departing again by night; the assembling together of the neighboring gentry to hunt- ing-parties, whence iittle game was brought ~ home; the gathering of many guests to ban- quets held with doors locked and guarded, where little wine was drunk and few songs ' . comichbooks.com