Trentham

“ The moonlight revealed a bald crown and heavily bearded cheeks; it was certainly not Grimshaw, the planter who had been Trentham's fellow-passenger on the Berenisa.
Trentham was still undecided whether to risk a preliminary warning, when the movements of the savages showed that the critical moment had come. The cooking-pot had been removed from the embers and set before the leader, who plunged his hand into it, took out a small joint, and with a hollow, wailing cry flung it into the air in the direction of the moon, the other men chanting a weird chorus. ”

“ The man came forward, and after the chief had addressed a few words to him in his own tongue, he said to Trentham:
'White fella man no belongina this place. White fella man come this place, make fire houses belongina black fella man, fight black fella man all same too much; white man he belongina die.'
Trentham understood from this that he and his friends were supposed to be connected with the white men who had recently burnt the tree village and ill-treated the natives. ”

“ At the other side, near the fire, stood two iron cooking-pots. Beyond, in the same place, lay the motionless white figure. Everything was clearly illuminated by the flames, and Trentham wondered, with a feeling of despair, how it would be possible to approach the prisoner unseen.
A few minutes after his arrival, the dance and the drumming came to an abrupt end. In the ensuing silence he heard the wash of the waves beyond the wreck, and a strange squealing grunt which, until then, had been drowned by the deep tones of the drums and the barking cries of the men. ”

“ Trentham.
"Not a word from Flo about her mother," Henry reflected, on his way to bed. "Just like her—all about herself. I wonder if I'm an ass!"
How unreasonable men are. Why should Flo have written about anyone but herself?
It was time for Henry to wonder. But he was still wondering months later, when Trentham was not.
The fact is, this Trentham was a very fair specimen of the average bull-headed Englishman, and better than most in the eyes of Miss Winton, since he enjoyed a private income, which made him quite independent of the salary attaching to his official position. ”

“ The old church makes part of Trentham Hall, and contains monuments of the duke's family and ancestors, the Leveson-Gowers, whose extensive estates cover a wide domain in Staffordshire. Trentham, which is in the pottery district and not far from Newcastle-under-Lyme, was originally a monastery, founded by St. Werburgh, niece of Æthelred. She was one of the most famous of the Anglo-Saxon saints, and some venerable yews still mark the spot where her original house stood, it being known as Tricengham. These yews, said to have been planted about that time, form three sides of a square. ”

“ Some twenty minutes after the flight of the Germans two figures appeared at the farther end of the village, and walked quickly up the central path. Trentham, sitting just outside the gate, waved his hand and started to meet them. Hoole flourished his hat in reply, and turned to speak to the man accompanying him.
'Let me name to you Captain Rolfe, of the Wanda, old man,' said Hoole, when Trentham joined them.
'Pleased to meet you, sir,' said the seaman, clasping Trentham's hand in a crushing grip. 'We 're in at the death, and that's about all we can say for ourselves. ”

“ One of the savages, who wore a tall feathered headdress, glanced up at the moon, and said a few words to the others. All of them squatted on the sand except two, who went to the bush, some twenty yards away, to which the prisoner was bound. Trentham's blood ran cold. He wished he had brought Hoole's revolver, for it seemed that nothing else could save the helpless man, and he was on the point of shouting for Hoole, when a piercing squeal, such as no human being ever uttered, gave him at once a shock and a sense of relief. ”

“ The enemy huddled together, some still fighting, others merely seeking to escape from this human battering-ram. They began to retire in Trentham's direction; the natives in their front, taking heart, closed in; and Trentham, feeling that at this critical moment he might leave the wall unguarded, led his men to meet the discomfited enemy. Taken thus in front and on both flanks, so crowded together that those of them who had firearms were unable to use them, the Germans became a disorganised mob. ”

“ Immediately afterwards the air rang with a blood-curdling yell, and the whole troop of savages rushed towards the bush where they had left their prisoner, and swept round it in the direction of the sea.
Trentham hurried on. Panting heavily, the prisoner followed on his heels. At the foot of the chimney Hoole was waiting.
'The men are up--all's clear,' he said, flashing a look at the stranger, whose face was pallid and ghastly in the moonlight. 'Guess he 's about done,' he thought, and wondered whether his strength would hold out. 'You go first, Trentham ”

“ Trentham is a parish and township in the hundred of Pirehill and county of Stafford. Pop., parish, 2,344; An. As. Val. £11,909; Pop., town, 631, principally employed in the manufacture of bricks and tiles, the most of which are of a dark blue colour. The Trent and Mersey Canal passes through the parish. The church is a very ancient structure, dedicated to St. Mary; the living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry of Stafford, and diocese of Lichfield and Coventry, endowed with £1,400 by parliamentary grant and the Crown ”

“ Sheltered by the dense vegetation above the watercourse, Trentham and his companions had watched their movements with interest. The tenor of their discussion was easily divined. The seaplane could not be salved without help, but they hesitated to leave it, fearful of its being discovered by the natives, with whom, as they now knew, were white men. If they parted company, which was to return to the cove? The one left would be less able to defend himself and the machine. A revolver shot might have brought assistance from the Germans; on the other hand, it might attract a horde of cannibals. ”

“ Trentham beckoned to the interpreter.
'What all this?' he asked.
'This duk-duk,' replied the man in an awed whisper.
'Duk-duk! What is duk-duk?'
'Big medicine. Duk-duk dance; that say big bird no go away; white fella all belongina afraid.'
Hoole whistled.
'That's the stunt, is it? By gosh, Trentham, it must be that old medicine-man thinking he 'll scare us stiff. He 's gotten a kind of affection for the machine. Well, Grinson, come along with me.'
He rose slowly, walked towards the seaplane, dodging between two of the dancers, and got into the seat behind the engine. Grinson had followed him. ”

“ It is a square apartment, with Italian windows and trellised walls, and is also trellised between the lights of the ceiling. In the centre is a fine figure of “Venus at the Bath.” The noble ferns and the exotic and other plants are of the choicest kinds, and the arrangement of colour, especially when all are lighted from the number of lamps suspended from the roof, is exquisitely beautiful.
A pleasant feature of Trentham is the Bowling Alley—formerly the Orangery Arcade—which affords an almost unique and very pleasing indoor pastime for the family and friends. ”

“ While he was gone about his task, Trentham explained to Lafoa, the interpreter, that the position of the prisoners had been roughly located, and asked him to inform the rest of the party. They would have to march to the cliff in the waning moonlight, keeping absolute silence, and be ready to do instantly and exactly what they were ordered. The safety of their chief Flanso and his fellow prisoners would depend on their prompt obedience.
On Grinson's return, Trentham ordered one of the men to unwind the rope from his body, and the boatswain to fasten one end of it to the pole. ”

“ Trentham, the Mayor's secretary. You remember him? Short, stout, fair moustache, but always well dressed. Fancies himself, rather. He has asked me to go with him to another reception, when some sort of conference comes to Laysford. I don't know what it is, but the receptions are all right. Lots of fun and the best of everything. Perhaps you wouldn't like me to go, dearest? But really you needn't be jealous. Trentham is really a goose. Only one is so dull, and then everybody knows I'm engaged."
Henry knew, certainly ”

“ Miss Trentham and Mr Alworth keep up a constant correspondence by letters, but avoid meeting. His wife has brought him one daughter, and Miss Trentham's happiness has been rendered complete by obtaining from her permission to educate this child; a favour which contrary to what is usual is esteemed very [Pg 201] small by her who granted and very great by the person that received it. This girl is now ten years old, and the most accomplished of her age of any one, perhaps, in the kingdom. Her person is fine, and her temper extremely engaging. ”

“ Within the mazes of the forest the little party had no fear of pursuit, and they marched rapidly homeward with the alacrity of men conscious of success. They had gone only a few miles when Trentham heard the unmistakable purring of the seaplane's engine. At that spot the trees formed a canopy overhead through which the sky could scarcely be seen; but at his bidding Lafoa ordered one of the natives to climb a lofty trunk and discover if possible in what direction the machine was flying. ”

“ Trentham had sufficient diplomacy to conceal his amusement, and also a certain irritation at the threat to his scheme.
'Tell chief,' he said to the interpreter, 'medicine-man fella he savvy lot. Big bird belongina totem all right; all same big bird he fly long way, bring back lot of white fella; they fight bad white fella this side, eat bad white fella all up.'
At this moment, unluckily, one of the scouts returned with the report that the big ship no longer lay in the cove, and that all the white fellas had disappeared. ”

“ More worldly motives caused the erection of other houses. Trentham was founded by Hugh, Earl of Chester, as a help towards re-establishing the authority and pre-eminence he had lost in Staffordshire when the Palatine Earldom of Chester was created. Robert de Stafford re-founded Stone as an Austin Priory in order to assist in the building up of a great estate in the district (c. 1130) . Trentham became an Austin Priory when Earl Ralf of Chester left, on his [10] death-bed, 100 solidates of Trentham Manor to restore it. ”

“ Trentham Monastery was, it is stated, founded by Ethelred, who succeeded his brother Wulphere as King of Mercia in 675, and who induced his niece Werburgh (daughter of Wulphere) “to leave the religious house at Ely, where she was abbess, to superintend the nunnery he had built at Trentham, as well as other similar religious foundations in Mercia—viz. Hanbury, near Burton-on-Trent; Repton (the capital of the Mercian kingdom) , in Derbyshire ”

“ They 've got a port somewhere, but whether we 're east of it or west of it, I don't know no more than the dead.'
'So when we climb, we shan't know which way to go,' said Trentham. 'Yet our only chance is to make along the coast till we reach some white settlement, unless we could manage to attract attention on some passing ship. You don't know what the natives are like hereabout?'
'No, sir. They do say there 's little chaps about two feet high in the forests, but I never seed 'em. The folks on the coast ain't so little, and down Moresby way they 've learnt to behave decent ”

“ They pushed oh, and were met some little distance from the village by Hoole himself.
'Been scalp-hunting?' he said with a smile.
'No; playing bowls. But what's your news?' asked Trentham. 'Ours will keep.'
'Well, I guess it might be worse. I made Wilhelmshafen, and had to run the gauntlet of a score or so of rifles. It seems they 'd heard a thing or two about the seaplane, and had already reported to one of your warships that's cruising somewhere east. I didn't dare land till I 'd dropped a note telling 'em who I was. There's no warship within miles ”

“ The Prior in 1535 was Thomas Bradwall. According to Valor Ecclesiasticus, [113] the main part of the temporal income came from the Manor of Trentham (£39 6s. 6d. out of £83 19s.) . There were demesne lands worth £26, arable, meadow, and pasture, and a water-mill. The remainder was chief rents (18s. 8d.) , 11 tenements, another water-mill, and 16 cottages “cum pertinentibus” in Trentham (£11 15s. 10d.) ”

“ Here, as everywhere, are displayed the lavish deposits of the "Trenton gravel" as the railway passes under the streets, and even under the Delaware and Raritan Canal, to its depressed station alongside Assunpink Creek of Revolutionary memory, the chief part of the city spreading far to the northward. Trenton is as old as Philadelphia, its reputed founder being Mahlon Stacy, who came up from Burlington Friends' Meeting, while the settlement was named 212 for William Trent, an early Jersey law-maker. ”

“ The food they give one there is very plain, but good.'
'So long as they have a cask of beer,' said Trent, 'they are all right. We will have bread and cheese, and oh, may Heaven our simple lives prevent from luxury's contagion, weak and vile! Till then, goodbye.' He strode off to recover his hat from the veranda, waved it to Mr. Cupples, and was gone.
The old gentleman, seating himself in a deck-chair on the lawn, clasped his hands behind his head and gazed up into the speckless blue sky. 'He is a dear fellow,' he murmured. 'The best of fellows. And a terribly acute fellow. ”