MOONFLEET J. MEADE FALKNER 1898 We thought there was no more behindBut such a day tomorrow as todayAnd to be a boy eternal. Shakespeare TO ALL MOHUNESOF FLEET AND MOONFLEETIN AGRO DORCESTRENSILIVING OR DEAD CONTENTS 1 IN MOONFLEET VILLAGE 2 THE FLOODS 3 A DISCOVERY 4 IN THE VAULT 5 THE RESCUE 6 AN ASSAULT 7 AN AUCTION 8 THE LANDING 9 A JUDGEMENT 10 THE ESCAPE 11 THE SEA-CAVE 12 A FUNERAL 13 AN INTERVIEW 14 THE WELL-HOUSE 15 THE WELL 16 THE JEWEL 17 AT YMEGUEN 18 IN THE BAY 19 ON THE BEACH Says the Cap'n to the Crew, We have slipped the Revenue, I can see the cliffs of Dover on the lee:Tip the signal to the _Swan_, And anchor broadside on, And out with the kegs of Eau-de-Vie, Says the Cap'n: Out with the kegs of Eau-de-Vie. Says the Lander to his men, Get your grummets on the pin, There's a blue light burning out at sea. The windward anchors creep, And the Gauger's fast asleep, And the kegs are bobbing one, two, three, Says the Lander: The kegs are bobbing one, two, three. But the bold Preventive manPrimes the powder in his pan And cries to the Posse, Follow me. We will take this smuggling gang, And those that fight shall hang Dingle dangle from the execution tree, Says the Gauger:Dingle dangle with the weary moon to see. CHAPTER 1 IN MOONFLEET VILLAGE So sleeps the pride of former days--_More_ The village of Moonfleet lies half a mile from the sea on the right orwest bank of the Fleet stream. This rivulet, which is so narrow as itpasses the houses that I have known a good jumper clear it without apole, broadens out into salt marshes below the village, and loses itselfat last in a lake of brackish water. The lake is good for nothing exceptsea-fowl, herons, and oysters, and forms such a place as they call in theIndies a lagoon; being shut off from the open Channel by a monstrousgreat beach or dike of pebbles, of which I shall speak more hereafter. When I was a child I thought that this place was called Moonfleet, because on a still night, whether in summer, or in winter frosts, themoon shone very brightly on the lagoon; but learned afterwards that 'twasbut short for 'Mohune-fleet', from the Mohunes, a great family who wereonce lords of all these parts. My name is John Trenchard, and I was fifteen years of age when this storybegins. My father and mother had both been dead for years, and I boardedwith my aunt, Miss Arnold, who was kind to me in her own fashion, but toostrict and precise ever to make me love her. I shall first speak of one evening in the fall of the year 1757. It musthave been late in October, though I have forgotten the exact date, and Isat in the little front parlour reading after tea. My aunt had few books;a Bible, a Common Prayer, and some volumes of sermons are all that I canrecollect now; but the Reverend Mr. Glennie, who taught us villagechildren, had lent me a story-book, full of interest and adventure, called the _Arabian Nights Entertainment_. At last the light began tofail, and I was nothing loth to leave off reading for several reasons;as, first, the parlour was a chilly room with horse-hair chairs and sofa, and only a coloured-paper screen in the grate, for my aunt did not allowa fire till the first of November; second, there was a rank smell ofmolten tallow in the house, for my aunt was dipping winter candles onframes in the back kitchen; third, I had reached a part in the _ArabianNights_ which tightened my breath and made me wish to leave off readingfor very anxiousness of expectation. It was that point in the story ofthe 'Wonderful Lamp', where the false uncle lets fall a stone that sealsthe mouth of the underground chamber; and immures the boy, Aladdin, inthe darkness, because he would not give up the lamp till he stood safe onthe surface again. This scene reminded me of one of those dreadfulnightmares, where we dream we are shut in a little room, the walls ofwhich are closing in upon us, and so impressed me that the memory of itserved as a warning in an adventure that befell me later on. So I gave upreading and stepped out into the street. It was a poor street at best, though once, no doubt, it had been finer. Now, there were not two hundredsouls in Moonfleet, and yet the houses that held them straggled sadlyover half a mile, lying at intervals along either side of the road. Nothing was ever made new in the village; if a house wanted repair badly, it was pulled down, and so there were toothless gaps in the street, andoverrun gardens with broken-down walls, and many of the houses that yetstood looked as though they could stand but little longer. The sun had set; indeed, it was already so dusk that the lower orsea-end of the street was lost from sight. There was a little fog orsmoke-wreath in the air, with an odour of burning weeds, and that firstfrosty feeling of the autumn that makes us think of glowing fires andthe comfort of long winter evenings to come. All was very still, but Icould hear the tapping of a hammer farther down the street, and walkedto see what was doing, for we had no trades in Moonfleet save that offishing. It was Ratsey the sexton at work in a shed which opened on thestreet, lettering a tombstone with a mallet and graver. He had beenmason before he became fisherman, and was handy with his tools; so thatif anyone wanted a headstone set up in the churchyard, he went to Ratseyto get it done. I lent over the half-door and watched him a minute, chipping away with the graver in a bad light from a lantern; then helooked up, and seeing me, said: 'Here, John, if you have nothing to do, come in and hold the lantern forme, 'tis but a half-hour's job to get all finished. ' Ratsey was always kind to me, and had lent me a chisel many a time tomake boats, so I stepped in and held the lantern watching him chink outthe bits of Portland stone with a graver, and blinking the while whenthey came too near my eyes. The inscription stood complete, but he wasputting the finishing touches to a little sea-piece carved at the top ofthe stone, which showed a schooner boarding a cutter. I thought it finework at the time, but know now that it was rough enough; indeed, you maysee it for yourself in Moonfleet churchyard to this day, and read theinscription too, though it is yellow with lichen, and not so plain as itwas that night. This is how it runs: SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF DAVID BLOCK Aged 15, who was killed by a shot fired from the _Elector_ Schooner, 21 June 1757. Of life bereft (by fell design), I mingle with my fellow clay. On God's protection I recline To save me in the Judgement Day. There too must you, cruel man, appear, Repent ere it be all too late;Or else a dreadful sentence fear, For God will sure revenge my fate. The Reverend Mr. Glennie wrote the verses, and I knew them by heart, forhe had given me a copy; indeed, the whole village had rung with the taleof David's death, and it was yet in every mouth. He was only child toElzevir Block, who kept the Why Not? inn at the bottom of the village, and was with the contrabandiers, when their ketch was boarded that Junenight by the Government schooner. People said that it was MagistrateMaskew of Moonfleet Manor who had put the Revenue men on the track, andanyway he was on board the _Elector_ as she overhauled the ketch. Therewas some show of fighting when the vessels first came alongside, of oneanother, and Maskew drew a pistol and fired it off in young David's face, with only the two gunwales between them. In the afternoon of Midsummer'sDay the _Elector_ brought the ketch into Moonfleet, and there was a posseof constables to march the smugglers off to Dorchester Jail. Theprisoners trudged up through the village ironed two and two together, while people stood at their doors or followed them, the men greeting themwith a kindly word, for we knew most of them as Ringstave and Monkburymen, and the women sorrowing for their wives. But they left David's bodyin the ketch, so the boy paid dear for his night's frolic. 'Ay, 'twas a cruel, cruel thing to fire on so young a lad, ' Ratsey said, as he stepped back a pace to study the effect of a flag that he waschiselling on the Revenue schooner, 'and trouble is likely to come tothe other poor fellows taken, for Lawyer Empson says three of them willsurely hang at next Assize. I recollect', he went on, 'thirty years ago, when there was a bit of a scuffle between the _Royal Sophy_ and the_Marnhull_, they hanged four of the contrabandiers, and my old fathercaught his death of cold what with going to see the poor chaps turned offat Dorchester, and standing up to his knees in the river Frome to get asight of them, for all the countryside was there, and such a press therewas no place on land. There, that's enough, ' he said, turning again tothe gravestone. 'On Monday I'll line the ports in black, and get a brushof red to pick out the flag; and now, my son, you've helped with thelantern, so come down to the Why Not? and there I'll have a word withElzevir, who sadly needs the talk of kindly friends to cheer him, andwe'll find you a glass of Hollands to keep out autumn chills. ' I was but a lad, and thought it a vast honour to be asked to the WhyNot?--for did not such an invitation raise me at once to the dignity ofmanhood. Ah, sweet boyhood, how eager are we as boys to be quit of thee, with what regret do we look back on thee before our man's race ishalf-way run! Yet was not my pleasure without alloy, for I feared even tothink of what Aunt Jane would say if she knew that I had been at the WhyNot?--and beside that, I stood in awe of grim old Elzevir Block, grimmerand sadder a thousand times since David's death. The Why Not? was not the real name of the inn; it was properly the MohuneArms. The Mohunes had once owned, as I have said, the whole of thevillage; but their fortunes fell, and with them fell the fortunes ofMoonfleet. The ruins of their mansion showed grey on the hillside abovethe village; their almshouses stood half-way down the street, with thequadrangle deserted and overgrown; the Mohune image and superscriptionwas on everything from the church to the inn, and everything that bore itwas stamped also with the superscription of decay. And here it isnecessary that I say a few words as to this family badge; for, as youwill see, I was to bear it all my life, and shall carry its impress withme to the grave. The Mohune shield was plain white or silver, and borenothing upon it except a great black 'Y. I call it a 'Y', though theReverend Mr. Glennie once explained to me that it was not a 'Y' at all, but what heralds call a _cross-pall. Cross-pall_ or no _cross-pall, _ itlooked for all the world like a black 'Y', with a broad arm ending ineach of the top corners of the shield, and the tail coming down into thebottom. You might see that cognizance carved on the manor, and on thestonework and woodwork of the church, and on a score of houses in thevillage, and it hung on the signboard over the door of the inn. Everyoneknew the Mohune 'Y' for miles around, and a former landlord having calledthe inn the Why Not? in jest, the name had stuck to it ever since. More than once on winter evenings, when men were drinking in the WhyNot?, I had stood outside, and listened to them singing 'Ducky-stones', or 'Kegs bobbing One, Two, Three', or some of the other tunes thatsailors sing in the west. Such songs had neither beginning nor ending, and very little sense to catch hold of in the middle. One man would cronethe air, and the others would crone a solemn chorus, but there was littlehard drinking, for Elzevir Block never got drunk himself, and did notlike his guests to get drunk either. On singing nights the room grew hot, and the steam stood so thick on the glass inside that one could not seein; but at other times, when there was no company, I have peeped throughthe red curtains and watched Elzevir Block and Ratsey playing backgammonat the trestle-table by the fire. It was on the trestle-table that Blockhad afterwards laid out his son's dead body, and some said they hadlooked through the window at night and seen the father trying to wash theblood-matting out of the boy's yellow hair, and heard him groaning andtalking to the lifeless clay as if it could understand. Anyhow, there hadbeen little drinking in the inn since that time, for Block grew more andmore silent and morose. He had never courted customers, and now hescowled on any that came, so that men looked on the Why Not? as ablighted spot, and went to drink at the Three Choughs at Ringstave. My heart was in my mouth when Ratsey lifted the latch and led me into theinn parlour. It was a low sanded room with no light except a fire ofseawood on the hearth, burning clear and lambent with blue salt flames. There were tables at each end of the room, and wooden-seated chairs roundthe walls, and at the trestle table by the chimney sat Elzevir Blocksmoking a long pipe and looking at the fire. He was a man of fifty, witha shock of grizzled hair, a broad but not unkindly face of regularfeatures, bushy eyebrows, and the finest forehead that I ever saw. Hisframe was thick-set, and still immensely strong; indeed, the countrysidewas full of tales of his strange prowess or endurance. Blocks had beenlandlords at the Why Not? father and son for years, but Elzevir's mothercame from the Low Countries, and that was how he got his outland name andcould speak Dutch. Few men knew much of him, and folks often wondered howit was he kept the Why Not? on so little custom as went that way. Yet henever seemed to lack for money; and if people loved to tell stories ofhis strength, they would speak also of widows helped, and sick comfortedwith unknown gifts, and hint that some of them came from Elzevir Blockfor all he was so grim and silent. He turned round and got up as we came in, and my fears led me to thinkthat his face darkened when he saw me. 'What does this boy want?' he said to Ratsey sharply. 'He wants the same as I want, and that's a glass of Ararat milk to keepout autumn chills, ' the sexton answered, drawing another chair up to thetrestle-table. 'Cows' milk is best for children such as he, ' was Elzevir's answer, as hetook two shining brass candlesticks from the mantel-board, set them onthe table, and lit the candles with a burning chip from the hearth. 'John is no child; he is the same age as David, and comes from helping meto finish David's headstone. 'Tis finished now, barring the paint uponthe ships, and, please God, by Monday night we will have it set fair andsquare in the churchyard, and then the poor lad may rest in peace, knowing he has above him Master Ratsey's best handiwork, and the parson'sverses to set forth how shamefully he came to his end. ' I thought that Elzevir softened a little as Ratsey spoke of his son, andhe said, 'Ay, David rests in peace. 'Tis they that brought him to his endthat shall not rest in peace when their time comes. And it may comesooner than they think, ' he added, speaking more to himself than to us. Iknew that he meant Mr. Maskew, and recollected that some had warned themagistrate that he had better keep out of Elzevir's way, for there was noknowing what a desperate man might do. And yet the two had met since inthe village street, and nothing worse come of it than a scowling lookfrom Block. 'Tush, man!' broke in the sexton, 'it was the foulest deed ever mandid; but let not thy mind brood on it, nor think how thou mayest getthyself avenged. Leave that to Providence; for He whose wisdom letssuch things be done, will surely see they meet their due reward. "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord". ' And he took hishat off and hung it on a peg. Block did not answer, but set three glasses on the table, and then tookout from a cupboard a little round long-necked bottle, from which hepoured out a glass for Ratsey and himself. Then he half-filled the third, and pushed it along the table to me, saying, 'There, take it, lad, ifthou wilt; 'twill do thee no good, but may do thee no harm. ' Ratsey raised his glass almost before it was filled. He sniffed theliquor and smacked his lips. 'O rare milk of Ararat!' he said, 'it issweet and strong, and sets the heart at ease. And now get thebackgammon-board, John, and set it for us on the table. ' So they fell tothe game, and I took a sly sip at the liquor, but nearly choked myself, not being used to strong waters, and finding it heady and burning in thethroat. Neither man spoke, and there was no sound except the constantrattle of the dice, and the rubbing of the pieces being moved across theboard. Now and then one of the players stopped to light his pipe, and atthe end of a game they scored their totals on the table with a bit ofchalk. So I watched them for an hour, knowing the game myself, and beinginterested at seeing Elzevir's backgammon-board, which I had heard talkedof before. It had formed part of the furniture of the Why Not? for generations oflandlords, and served perhaps to pass time for cavaliers of the CivilWars. All was of oak, black and polished, board, dice-boxes, and men, butround the edge ran a Latin inscription inlaid in light wood, which I readon that first evening, but did not understand till Mr. Glennie translatedit to me. I had cause to remember it afterwards, so I shall set it downhere in Latin for those who know that tongue, _Ita in vita ut in lusualae pessima jactura arte corrigenda est_, and in English as Mr. Glennietranslated it, _As in life, so in a game of hazard, skill will makesomething of the worst of throws_. At last Elzevir looked up and spoketo me, not unkindly, 'Lad, it is time for you to go home; men say thatBlackboard walks on the first nights of winter, and some have met himface to face betwixt this house and yours. ' I saw he wanted to be rid ofme, so bade them both good night, and was off home, running all the waythither, though not from any fear of Blackbeard, for Ratsey had oftentold me that there was no chance of meeting him unless one passed thechurchyard by night. Blackbeard was one of the Mohunes who had died a century back, and wasburied in the vault under the church, with others of his family, butcould not rest there, whether, as some said, because he was alwayslooking for a lost treasure, or as others, because of his exceedingwickedness in life. If this last were the true reason, he must have beenbad indeed, for Mohunes have died before and since his day wicked enoughto bear anyone company in their vault or elsewhere. Men would have itthat on dark winter nights Blackbeard might be seen with an old-fashionedlanthorn digging for treasure in the graveyard; and those who professedto know said he was the tallest of men, with full black beard, copperyface, and such evil eyes, that any who once met their gaze must diewithin a year. However that might be, there were few in Moonfleet whowould not rather walk ten miles round than go near the churchyard afterdark; and once when Cracky Jones, a poor doited body, was found thereone summer morning, lying dead on the grass, it was thought that he hadmet Blackbeard in the night. Mr. Glennie, who knew more about such things than anyone else, told methat Blackbeard was none other than a certain Colonel John Mohune, deceased about one hundred years ago. He would have it that ColonelMohune, in the dreadful wars against King Charles the First, had desertedthe allegiance of his house and supported the cause of the rebels. Sobeing made Governor of Carisbrooke Castle for the Parliament, he becamethere the King's jailer, but was false to his trust. For the King, carrying constantly hidden about his person a great diamond which hadonce been given him by his brother King of France, Mohune got wind ofthis jewel, and promised that if it were given him he would wink at HisMajesty's escape. Then this wicked man, having taken the bribe, playstraitor again, comes with a file of soldiers at the hour appointed forthe King's flight, finds His Majesty escaping through a window, has himaway to a stricter ward, and reports to the Parliament that the King'sescape is only prevented by Colonel Mohune's watchfulness. But how true, as Mr. Glennie said, that we should not be envious against the ungodly, against the man that walketh after evil counsels. Suspicion fell onColonel Mohune; he was removed from his Governorship, and came back tohis home at Moonfleet. There he lived in seclusion, despised by bothparties in the State, until he died, about the time of the happyRestoration of King Charles the Second. But even after his death he couldnot get rest; for men said that he had hid somewhere that treasure givenhim to permit the King's escape, and that not daring to reclaim it, hadlet the secret die with him, and so must needs come out of his grave totry to get at it again. Mr. Glennie would never say whether he believedthe tale or not, pointing out that apparitions both of good and evilspirits are related in Holy Scripture, but that the churchyard was anunlikely spot for Colonel Mohune to seek his treasure in; for had it beenburied there, he would have had a hundred chances to have it up in hislifetime. However this may be, though I was brave as a lion by day, andused indeed to frequent the churchyard, because there was the widestview of the sea to be obtained from it, yet no reward would have taken methither at night. Nor was I myself without some witness to the tale, forhaving to walk to Ringstave for Dr. Hawkins on the night my aunt brokeher leg, I took the path along the down which overlooks the churchyard ata mile off; and thence most certainly saw a light moving to and fro aboutthe church, where no honest man could be at two o'clock in the morning. CHAPTER 2 THE FLOODS Then banks came down with ruin and rout, Then beaten spray flew round about, Then all the mighty floods were out, And all the world was in the sea _--Jean Ingelow_ On the third of November, a few days after this visit to the Why Not?, the wind, which had been blowing from the south-west, began about four inthe afternoon to rise in sudden strong gusts. The rooks had beenpitch-falling all the morning, so we knew that bad weather was due; andwhen we came out from the schooling that Mr. Glennie gave us in the hallof the old almshouses, there were wisps of thatch, and even stray tiles, flying from the roofs, and the children sang: Blow wind, rise storm, Ship ashore before morn. It is heathenish rhyme that has come down out of other and worse times;for though I do not say but that a wreck on Moonfleet beach was lookedupon sometimes as little short of a godsend, yet I hope none of us wereso wicked as to _wish_ a vessel to be wrecked that we might share in theplunder. Indeed, I have known the men of Moonfleet risk their own lives ahundred times to save those of shipwrecked mariners, as when the_Darius_, East Indiaman, came ashore; nay, even poor nameless corpseswashed up were sure of Christian burial, or perhaps of one of MasterRatsey's headstones to set forth sex and date, as may be seen in thechurchyard to this day. Our village lies near the centre of Moonfleet Bay, a great bight twentymiles across, and a death-trap to up-channel sailors in asouth-westerly gale. For with that wind blowing strong from south, ifyou cannot double the Snout, you must most surely come ashore; and manya good ship failing to round that point has beat up and down the bayall day, but come to beach in the evening. And once on the beach, thesea has little mercy, for the water is deep right in, and the wavescurl over full on the pebbles with a weight no timbers can withstand. Then if poor fellows try to save themselves, there is a deadlyunder-tow or rush back of the water, which sucks them off their legs, and carries them again under the thundering waves. It is that back-suckof the pebbles that you may hear for miles inland, even at Dorchester, on still nights long after the winds that caused it have sunk, andwhich makes people turn in their beds, and thank God they are notfighting with the sea on Moonfleet beach. But on this third of November there was no wreck, only such a wind as Ihave never known before, and only once since. All night long the tempestgrew fiercer, and I think no one in Moonfleet went to bed; for there wassuch a breaking of tiles and glass, such a banging of doon and rattlingof shutters, that no sleep was possible, and we were afraid besides lestthe chimneys should fall and crush us. The wind blew fiercest about fivein the morning, and then some ran up the street calling out a newdanger--that the sea was breaking over the beach, and that all the placewas like to be flooded. Some of the women were for flitting forthwith andclimbing the down; but Master Ratsey, who was going round with others tocomfort people, soon showed us that the upper part of the village stoodso high, that if the water was to get thither, there was no knowing if itwould not cover Ridgedown itself. But what with its being a spring-tide, and the sea breaking clean over the great outer beach of pebbles--a thingthat had not happened for fifty years--there was so much water piled upin the lagoon, that it passed its bounds and flooded all the sea meadows, and even the lower end of the street. So when day broke, there was thechurchyard flooded, though 'twas on rising ground, and the church itselfstanding up like a steep little island, and the water over the door-sillof the Why Not?, though Elzevir Block would not budge, saying he did notcare if the sea swept him away. It was but a nine-hours' wonder, for thewind fell very suddenly; the water began to go back, the sun shonebright, and before noon people came out to the doors to see the floodsand talk over the storm. Most said that never had been so fierce a wind, but some of the oldest spoke of one in the second year of Queen Anne, andwould have it as bad or worse. But whether worse or not, this storm was aweighty matter enough for me, and turned the course of my life, as youshall hear. I have said that the waters came up so high that the church stood outlike an island; but they went back quickly, and Mr. Glennie was able tohold service on the next Sunday morning. Few enough folks came toMoonfleet Church at any time; but fewer still came that morning, forthe meadows between the village and the churchyard were wet and miryfrom the water. There were streamers of seaweed tangled about the verytombstones, and against the outside of the churchyard wall was piled upa great bank of it, from which came a salt rancid smell like aguillemot's egg that is always in the air after a south-westerly galehas strewn the shore with wrack. This church is as large as any other I have seen, and divided into twoparts with a stone screen across the middle. Perhaps Moonfleet was once alarge place, and then likely enough there were people to fill such achurch, but never since I knew it did anyone worship in that part calledthe nave. This western portion was quite empty beyond a few old tombs anda Royal Arms of Queen Anne; the pavement too was damp and mossy; andthere were green patches down the white walls where the rains had got in. So the handful of people that came to church were glad enough to get theother side of the screen in the chancel, where at least the pew floorswere boarded over, and the panelling of oak-work kept off the draughts. Now this Sunday morning there were only three or four, I think, besideMr. Glennie and Ratsey and the half-dozen of us boys, who crossed theswampy meadows strewn with drowned shrew-mice and moles. Even my aunt wasnot at church, being prevented by a migraine, but a surprise waited thosewho did go, for there in a pew by himself sat Elzevir Block. The peoplestared at him as they came in, for no one had ever known him go to churchbefore; some saying in the village that he was a Catholic, and others aninfidel. However that may be, there he was this day, wishing perhaps toshow a favour to the parson who had written the verses for David'sheadstone. He took no notice of anyone, nor exchanged greetings withthose that came in, as was the fashion in Moonfleet Church, but kept hiseyes fixed on a prayer-book which he held in his hand, though he couldnot be following the minister, for he never turned the leaf. The church was so damp from the floods, that Master Ratsey had put a firein the brazier which stood at the back, but was not commonly lighted tillthe winter had fairly begun. We boys sat as close to the brazier as wecould, for the wet cold struck up from the flags, and besides that, wewere so far from the clergyman, and so well screened by the oak backs, that we could bake an apple or roast a chestnut without much fear ofbeing caught. But that morning there was something else to take off ourthoughts; for before the service was well begun, we became aware of astrange noise under the church. The first time it came was just as Mr. Glennie was finishing 'Dearly Beloved', and we heard it again before thesecond lesson. It was not a loud noise, but rather like that which a boatmakes jostling against another at sea, only there was something deeperand more hollow about it. We boys looked at each other, for we knew whatwas under the church, and that the sound could only come from the MohuneVault. No one at Moonfleet had ever seen the inside of that vault; butRatsey was told by his father, who was clerk before him, that it underlayhalf the chancel, and that there were more than a score of Mohunes lyingthere. It had not been opened for over forty years, since Gerald Mohune, who burst a blood-vessel drinking at Weymouth races, was buried there;but there was a tale that one Sunday afternoon, many years back, therehad come from the vault so horrible and unearthly a cry, that parson andpeople got up and fled from the church, and would not worship there forweeks afterwards. We thought of these stories, and huddled up closer to the brazier, beingfrightened at the noise, and uncertain whether we should not turn tailand run from the church. For it was certain that something was moving inthe Mohune vault, to which there was no entrance except by a ringed stonein the chancel floor, that had not been lifted for forty years. However, we thought better of it, and did not budge, though I could seewhen standing up and looking over the tops of the seats that othersbeside ourselves were ill at ease; for Granny Tucker gave such startswhen she heard the sounds, that twice her spectacles fell off her noseinto her lap, and Master Ratsey seemed to be trying to mask the one noiseby making another himself, whether by shuffling with his feet or bythumping down his prayer-book. But the thing that most surprised me wasthat even Elzevir Block, who cared, men said, for neither God nor Devil, looked unquiet, and gave a quick glance at Ratsey every time the soundcame. So we sat till Mr. Glennie was well on with the sermon. Hisdiscourse interested me though I was only a boy, for he likened life tothe letter 'Y', saying that 'in each man's life must come a point wheretwo roads part like the arms of a "Y", and that everyone must choose forhimself whether he will follow the broad and sloping path on the left orthe steep and narrow path on the right. For, ' said he, 'if you will lookin your books, you will see that the letter "Y" is not like the Mohune's, with both arms equal, but has the arm on the left broader and moresloping than the arm on the right; hence ancient philosophers hold thatthis arm on the left represents the easy downward road to destruction, and the arm on the right the narrow upward path of life. ' When we heardthat we all fell to searching our prayer-books for a capital 'Y'; andGranny Tucker, who knew not A from B, made much ado in fumbling with herbook, for she would have people think that she could read. Then just atthat moment came a noise from below louder than those before, hollow andgrating like the cry of an old man in pain. With that up jumps GrannyTucker, calling out loud in church to Mr. Glennie-- 'O Master, however can'ee bide there preaching when the Moons be risingfrom their graves?' and out from the church. That was too much for the others, and all fled, Mrs. Vining crying, 'Lordsakes, we shall all be throttled like Cracky Jones. ' So in a minute there were none left in the church, save and except Mr. Glennie, with me, Ratsey, and Elzevir Block. I did not run: first, notwishing to show myself coward before the men; second, because I thoughtif Blackbeard came he would fall on the men rather than on a boy; andthird, that if it came to blows, Block was strong enough to give accounteven of a Mohune. Mr. Glennie went on with his sermon, making as thoughhe neither heard any noise nor saw the people leave the church; and whenhe had finished, Elzevir walked out, but I stopped to see what theminister would say to Ratsey about the noise in the vault. The sextonhelped Mr. Glennie off with his gown, and then seeing me standing by andlistening, said-- 'The Lord has sent evil angels among us; 'tis a terrible thing, MasterGlennie, to hear the dead men moving under our feet. ' 'Tut, tut, ' answered the minister, 'it is only their own fears that makesuch noises terrible to the vulgar. As for Blackbeard, I am not here tosay whether guilty spirits sometimes cannot rest and are seen wanderingby men; but for these noises, they are certainly Nature's work as is thenoise of waves upon the beach. The floods have filled the vault withwater, and so the coffins getting afloat, move in some eddies that weknow not of, and jostle one another. Then being hollow, they give forththose sounds you hear, and these are your evil angels. 'Tis very true thedead do move beneath our feet, but 'tis because they cannot helpthemselves, being carried hither and thither by the water. Fie, Ratseyman, you should know better than to fright a boy with silly talk ofspirits when the truth is bad enough. ' The parson's words had the ring of truth in them to me, and I neverdoubted that he was right. So this mystery was explained, and yet it wasa dreadful thing, and made me shiver, to think of the Mohunes all adriftin their coffins, and jostling one another in the dark. I pictured themto myself, the many generations, old men and children, man and maid, allbones now, each afloat in his little box of rotting wood; and Blackbeardhimself in a great coffin bigger than all the rest, coming crashing intothe weaker ones, as a ship in a heavy sea comes crashing down sometimesin the trough, on a small boat that is trying to board her. And thenthere was the outer darkness of the vault itself to think of, and theclose air, and the black putrid water nearly up to the roof on which suchsorry ships were sailing. Ratsey looked a little crestfallen at what Mr. Glennie said, but put agood face on it, and answered-- 'Well, master, I am but a plain man, and know nothing about floods andthese eddies and hidden workings of Nature of which you speak; but, saving your presence, I hold it a fond thing to make light of suchwarnings as are given us. 'Tis always said, "When the Moons move, thenMoonfleet mourns"; and I have heard my father tell that the last timethey stirred was in Queen Anne's second year, when the great storm blewmen's homes about their heads. And as for frighting children, 'tis wellthat heady boys should learn to stand in awe, and not pry into what doesnot concern them--or they may come to harm. ' He added the last words withwhat I felt sure was a nod of warning to myself, though I did not thenunderstand what he meant. So he walked off in a huff with Elzevir, whowas waiting for him outside, and I went with Mr. Glennie and carried hisgown for him back to his lodging in the village. Mr. Glennie was always very friendly, making much of me, and talking tome as though I were his equal; which was due, I think, to there being noone of his own knowledge in the neighbourhood, and so he had as lief talkto an ignorant boy as to an ignorant man. After we had passed thechurchyard turnstile and were crossing the sludgy meadows, I asked himagain what he knew of Blackbeard and his lost treasure. 'My son, ' he answered, 'all that I have been able to gather is, that thisColonel John Mohune (foolishly called Blackbeard) was the first to impairthe family fortunes by his excesses, and even let the almshouses fall toruin, and turned the poor away. Unless report strangely belies him, hewas an evil man, and besides numberless lesser crimes, had on his handsthe blood of a faithful servant, whom he made away with because chancehad brought to the man's ears some guilty secret of the master. Then, atthe end of his life, being filled with fear and remorse (as must alwayshappen with evil livers at the last), he sent for Rector Kindersley ofDorchester to confess him, though a Protestant, and wished to make amendsby leaving that treasure so ill-gotten from King Charles (which was allthat he had to leave) for the repair and support of the almshouses. Hemade a last will, which I have seen, to this effect, but withoutdescribing the treasure further than to call it a diamond, nor sayingwhere it was to be found. Doubtless he meant to get it himself, sell it, and afterwards apply the profit to his good purpose, but before he coulddo so death called him suddenly to his account. So men say that he cannotrest in his grave, not having made even so tardy a reparation, and neverwill rest unless the treasure is found and spent upon the poor. ' I thought much over what Mr. Glennie had said and fell to wondering whereBlackbeard could have hid his diamond, and whether I might not find itsome day and make myself a rich man. Now, as I considered that noise wehad heard under the church, and Parson Glennie's explanation of it, I wasmore and more perplexed; for the noise had, as I have said, somethingdeep and hollow-booming in it, and how was that to be made by decayedcoffins. I had more than once seen Ratsey, in digging a grave, turn uppieces of coffins, and sometimes a tarnished name-plate would show thatthey had not been so very long underground, and yet the wood was quitedecayed and rotten. And granting that such were in the earth, and somight more easily perish, yet when the top was taken off old Guy's brickgrave to put his widow beside him, Master Ratsey gave me a peep in, andold Guy's coffin had cracks and warps in it, and looked as if a soundblow would send it to pieces. Yet here were the Mohune coffins that hadbeen put away for generations, and must be rotten as tinder, tappingagainst each other with a sound like a drum, as if they were still soundand air-tight. Still, Mr. Glennie must be right; for if it was not thecoffins, what should it be that made the noise? So on the next day after we heard the sounds in church, being theMonday, as soon as morning school was over, off I ran down street andacross meadows to the churchyard, meaning to listen outside the churchif the Mohunes were still moving. I say outside the church, for I knewRatsey would not lend me the key to go in after what he had said aboutboys prying into things that did not concern them; and besides that, Ido not know that I should care to have ventured inside alone, even if Ihad the key. When I reached the church, not a little out of breath, I listened firston the side nearest the village, that is the north side; putting my earagainst the wall, and afterwards lying down on the ground, though thegrass was long and wet, so that I might the better catch any sound thatcame. But I could hear nothing, and so concluded that the Mohunes hadcome to rest again, yet thought I would walk round the church and listentoo on the south or sea side, for that their worships might have driftedover to that side, and be there rubbing shoulders with one another. So Iwent round, and was glad to get out of the cold shade into the sun on thesouth. But here was a surprise; for when I came round a great buttresswhich juts out from the wall, what should I see but two men, and thesetwo were Ratsey and Elzevir Block. I came upon them unawares, and, lo andbehold, there was Master Ratsey lying also on the ground with his ear tothe wall, while Elzevir sat back against the inside of the buttress witha spy-glass in his hand, smoking and looking out to sea. Now, I had as much right to be in the churchyard as Ratsey or Elzevir, and yet I felt a sudden shame as if I had been caught in some bad act, and knew the blood was running to my cheeks. At first I had it in my mindto turn tail and make off, but concluded to stand my ground since theyhad seen me, and so bade them 'Good morning'. Master Ratsey jumped to hisfeet as nimbly as a cat; and if he had not been a man, I should havethought he was blushing too, for his face was very red, though that cameperhaps from lying on the ground. I could see he was a little put about, and out of countenance, though he tried to say 'Good morning, John', inan easy tone, as if it was a common thing for him to be lying in thechurchyard, with his ear to the wall, on a winter's morning. 'Goodmorning, John, ' he said; 'and what might you be doing in the churchyardthis fine day?' I answered that I was come to listen if the Mohunes were still moving. 'Well, that I can't tell you, ' returned Ratsey, 'not wishing to wastethought on such idle matters, and having to examine this wall whetherthe floods have not so damaged it as to need under-pinning; so if youhave time to gad about of a morning, get you back to my workshop andfetch me a plasterer's hammer which I have left behind, so that I cantry this mortar. ' I knew that he was making excuses about underpinning, for the wall wassound as a rock, but was glad enough to take him at his word and beat aretreat from where I was not wanted. Indeed, I soon saw how he wasmocking me, for the men did not even wait for me to come back with thehammer, but I met them returning in the first meadow. Master Ratsey madeanother excuse that he did not need the hammer now, as he had found outthat all that was wanted was a little pointing with new mortar. 'But ifyou have such time to waste, John, ' he added, 'you can come tomorrow andhelp me to get new thwarts in the _Petrel_, which she badly wants. ' So we three came back to the village together; but looking up at Elzevironce while Master Ratsey was making these pretences, I saw his eyestwinkle under their heavy brows, as if he was amused at the other'sembarrassment. The next Sunday, when we went to church, all was quiet as usual, there was no Elzevir, and no more noises, and I never heard theMohunes move again. CHAPTER 3 A DISCOVERY Some bold adventurers disdainThe limits of their little reign, And unknown regions dare descry;Still, as they run, they look behind, They hear a voice in every wind And snatch a fearful joy. --_Gray_ I have said that I used often in the daytime, when not at school, to goto the churchyard, because being on a little rise, there was the bestview of the sea to be had from it; and on a fine day you could watch theFrench privateers creeping along the cliffs under the Snout, and lying inwait for an Indiaman or up-channel trader. There were at Moonfleet fewboys of my own age, and none that I cared to make my companion; so I wasgiven to muse alone, and did so for the most part in the open air, allthe more because my aunt did not like to see an idle boy, with muddyboots, about her house. For a few weeks, indeed, after the day that I had surprised Elzevir andRatsey, I kept away from the church, fearing to meet them there again;but a little later resumed my visits, and saw no more of them. Now, myfavourite seat in the churchyard was the flat top of a raised stone tomb, which stands on the south-east of the church. I have heard Mr. Glenniecall it an altar-tomb, and in its day it had been a fine monument, beingcarved round with festoons of fruit and flowers; but had suffered so muchfrom the weather, that I never was able to read the lettering on it, orto find out who had been buried beneath. Here I chose most to sit, notonly because it had a flat and convenient top, but because it wasscreened from the wind by a thick clump of yew-trees. These yews hadonce, I think, completely surrounded it, but had either died or been cutdown on the south side, so that anyone sitting on the grave-top was snugfrom the weather, and yet possessed a fine prospect over the sea. On theother three sides, the yews grew close and thick, embowering the tomblike the high back of a fireside chair; and many times in autumn I haveseen the stone slab crimson with the fallen waxy berries, and taken somehome to my aunt, who liked to taste them with a glass of sloe-gin afterher Sunday dinner. Others beside me, no doubt, found this tomb acomfortable seat and look-out; for there was quite a path worn to it onthe south side, though all the times I had visited it I had never seenanyone there. So it came about that on a certain afternoon in the beginning ofFebruary, in the year 1758, I was sitting on this tomb looking out tosea. Though it was so early in the year, the air was soft and warm as aMay day, and so still that I could hear the drumming of turnips thatGaffer George was flinging into a cart on the hillside, near half a mileaway. Ever since the floods of which I have spoken, the weather had beenopen, but with high winds, and little or no rain. Thus as the land driedafter the floods there began to open cracks in the heavy clay soil onwhich Moonfleet is built, such as are usually only seen with us in theheight of summer. There were cracks by the side of the path in thesea-meadows between the village and the church, and cracks in thechurchyard itself, and one running right up to this very tomb. It must have been past four o'clock in the afternoon, and I was forreturning to tea at my aunt's, when underneath the stone on which I sat Iheard a rumbling and crumbling, and on jumping off saw that the crack inthe ground had still further widened, just where it came up to the tomb, and that the dry earth had so shrunk and settled that there was a holein the ground a foot or more across. Now this hole reached under the bigstone that formed one side of the tomb, and falling on my hands and kneesand looking down it, I perceived that there was under the monument alarger cavity, into which the hole opened. I believe there never was boyyet who saw a hole in the ground, or a cave in a hill, or much more anunderground passage, but longed incontinently to be into it and discoverwhither it led. So it was with me; and seeing that the earth had fallenenough into the hole to open a way under the stone, I slipped myself infeet foremost, dropped down on to a heap of fallen mould, and found thatI could stand upright under the monument itself. Now this was what I had expected, for I thought that there had been belowthis grave a vault, the roof of which had given way and let the earthfall in. But as soon as my eyes were used to the dimmer light, I saw thatit was no such thing, but that the hole into which I had crept was onlythe mouth of a passage, which sloped gently down in the direction of thechurch. My heart fell to thumping with eagerness and surprise, for Ithought I had made a wonderful discovery, and that this hidden way wouldcertainly lead to great things, perhaps even to Blackbeard's hoard; forever since Mr. Glennie's tale I had constantly before my eyes a vision ofthe diamond and the wealth it was to bring me. The passage was two pacesbroad, as high as a tall man, and cut through the soil, without bricks orany other lining; and what surprised me most was that it did not seemdeserted nor mouldy and cob-webbed, as one would expect such a place tobe, but rather a well-used thoroughfare; for I could see the soft clayfloor was trodden with the prints of many boots, and marked with a trailas if some heavy thing had been dragged over it. So I set out down the passage, reaching out my hand before me lest Ishould run against anything in the dark, and sliding my feet slowly toavoid pitfalls in the floor. But before I had gone half a dozen paces, the darkness grew so black that I was frightened, and so far from goingon was glad to turn sharp about, and see the glimmer of light that camein through the hole under the tomb. Then a horror of the darkness seizedme, and before I well knew what I was about I found myself wriggling mybody up under the tombstone on to the churchyard grass, and was once morein the low evening sunlight and the soft sweet air. Home I ran to my aunt's, for it was past tea-time, and beside that I knewI must fetch a candle if I were ever to search out the passage; and tosearch it I had well made up my mind, no matter how much I was scared forthis moment. My aunt gave me but a sorry greeting when I came into thekitchen, for I was late and hot. She never said much when displeased, buthad a way of saying nothing, which was much worse; and would only replyyes or no, and that after an interval, to anything that was asked of her. So the meal was silent enough, for she had finished before I arrived, andI ate but little myself being too much occupied with the thought of mystrange discovery, and finding, beside, the tea lukewarm and the victualsnot enticing. You may guess that I said nothing of what I had seen, but made up my mindthat as soon as my aunt's back was turned I would get a candle andtinder-box, and return to the churchyard. The sun was down before AuntJane gave thanks for what we had received, and then, turning to me, shesaid in a cold and measured voice: 'John, I have observed that you are often out and about of nights, sometimes as late as half past seven or eight. Now, it is not seemly foryoung folk to be abroad after dark, and I do not choose that my nephewshould be called a gadabout. "What's bred in the bone will come out inthe flesh", and 'twas with such loafing that your father began his wildways, and afterwards led my poor sister such a life as never was, tillthe mercy of Providence took him away. ' Aunt Jane often spoke thus of my father, whom I never remembered, butbelieve him to have been an honest man and good fellow to boot, ifsomething given to roaming and to the contraband. 'So understand', she went on, 'that I will not have you out again thisevening, no, nor any other evening, after dusk. Bed is the place foryouth when night falls, but if this seem to you too early you can sitwith me for an hour in the parlour, and I will read you a discourse ofDoctor Sherlock that will banish vain thoughts, and leave you in a fitframe for quiet sleep. ' So she led the way into the parlour, took the book from the shelf, put iton the table within the little circle of light cast by a shaded candle, and began. It was dull enough, though I had borne such tribulationsbefore, and the drone of my aunt's voice would have sent me to sleep, asit had done at other times, even in a straight-backed chair, had I notbeen so full of my discovery, and chafed at this delay. Thus all the timemy aunt read of spiritualities and saving grace, I had my mind ondiamonds and all kinds of mammon, for I never doubted that Blackbeard'streasure would be found at the end of that secret passage. The sermonfinished at last, and my aunt closed the book with a stiff 'good night'for me. I was for giving her my formal kiss, but she made as if she didnot see me and turned away; so we went upstairs each to our own room, andI never kissed Aunt Jane again. There was a moon three-quarters full, already in the sky, and onmoonlight nights I was allowed no candle to show me to bed. But on thatnight I needed none, for I never took off my clothes, having resolved towait till my aunt was asleep, and then, ghosts or no ghosts, to make myway back to the churchyard. I did not dare to put off that visit eventill the morning, lest some chance passer-by should light upon the hole, and so forestall me with Blackbeard's treasure. Thus I lay wide awake on my bed watching the shadow of the tester-postagainst the whitewashed wall, and noting how it had moved, by degrees, asthe moon went farther round. At last, just as it touched the picture ofthe Good Shepherd which hung over the mantelpiece, I heard my auntsnoring in her room, and knew that I was free. Yet I waited a few minutesso that she might get well on with her first sleep, and then took off myboots, and in stockinged feet slipped past her room and down the stairs. How stair, handrail, and landing creaked that night, and how my feet andbody struck noisily against things seen quite well but misjudged in theeffort not to misjudge them! And yet there was the note of safety stillsounding, for the snoring never ceased, and the sleeper woke not, thoughher waking then might have changed all my life. So I came safely to thekitchen, and there put in my pocket one of the best winter candles andthe tinder-box, and as I crept out of the room heard suddenly how loudthe old clock was ticking, and looking up saw the bright brass bandmarking half past ten on the dial. Out in the street I kept in the shadow of the houses as far as I might, though all was silent as the grave; indeed, I think that when the moon isbright a great hush falls always upon Nature, as though she was taken upin wondering at her own beauty. Everyone was fast asleep in Moonfleet andthere was no light in any window; only when I came opposite the Why Not?I saw from the red glow behind the curtains that the bottom room was litup, so Elzevir was not yet gone to bed. It was strange, for the Why Not?had been shut up early for many a long night past, and I crossed overcautiously to see if I could make out what was going forward. But thatwas not to be done, for the panes were thickly steamed over; and thissurprised me more as showing that there was a good company inside. Moreover, as I stood and listened I could hear a mutter of deep voicesinside, not as of roisterers, but of sober men talking low. Eagerness would not let me wait long, and I was off across the meadowstowards the church, though not without sad misgivings as soon as the lasthouse was left well behind me. At the churchyard wall my courage hadwaned somewhat: it seemed a shameless thing to come to rifle Blackbeard'streasure just in the very place and hour that Blackbeard loved; and as Ipassed the turnstile I half-expected that a tall figure, hairy andevil-eyed, would spring out from the shadow on the north side of thechurch. But nothing stirred, and the frosty grass sounded crisp under myfeet as I made across the churchyard, stepping over the graves andkeeping always out of the shadows, towards the black clump of yew-treeson the far side. When I got round the yews, there was the tomb standing out white againstthem, and at the foot of the tomb was the hole like a patch of blackvelvet spread upon the ground, it was so dark. Then, for a moment, Ithought that Blackbeard might be lying in wait in the bottom of the hole, and I stood uncertain whether to go on or back. I could catch the rustleof the water on the beach--not of any waves, for the bay was smooth asglass, but just a lipper at the fringe; and wishing to put off with anyexcuse the descent into the passage, though I had quite resolved to makeit, I settled with myself that I would count the water wash twenty times, and at the twentieth would let myself down into the hole. Only sevenwavelets had come in when I forgot to count, for there, right in themiddle of the moon's path across the water, lay a lugger moored broadsideto the beach. She was about half a mile out, but there was no mistake, for though her sails were lowered her masts and hull stood out blackagainst the moonlight. Here was a fresh reason for delay, for surely onemust consider what this craft could be, and what had brought her here. She was too small for a privateer, too large for a fishing-smack, andcould not be a revenue boat by her low freeboard in the waist; and 'twasa strange thing for a boat to cast anchor in the midst of Moonfleet Bayeven on a night so fine as this. Then while I watched I saw a blue flarein the bows, only for a moment, as if a man had lit a squib and flung itoverboard, but I knew from it she was a contrabandier, and signallingeither to the shore or to a mate in the offing. With that, courage cameback, and I resolved to make this flare my signal for getting down intothe hole, screwing my heart up with the thought that if Blackbeard wasreally waiting for me there, 'twould be little good to turn tail now, forhe would be after me and could certainly run much faster than I. Then Itook one last look round, and down into the hole forthwith, the same wayas I had got down earlier in the day. So on that February night JohnTrenchard found himself standing in the heap of loose fallen mould at thebottom of the hole, with a mixture of courage and cowardice in his heart, but overruling all a great desire to get at Blackbeard's diamond. Out came tinder-box and candle, and I was glad indeed when the lightburned up bright enough to show that no one, at any rate, was standing bymy side. But then there was the passage, and who could say what might belurking there? Yet I did not falter, but set out on this adventurousjourney, walking very slowly indeed--but that was from fear ofpitfalls--and nerving myself with the thought of the great diamond whichsurely would be found at the end of the passage. What should I not beable to do with such wealth? I would buy a nag for Mr. Glennie, a newboat for Ratsey, and a silk gown for Aunt Jane, in spite of her being sohard with me as on this night. And thus I would make myself the greatestman in Moonfleet, richer even than Mr. Maskew, and build a stone house inthe sea-meadows with a good prospect of the sea, and marry Grace Maskewand live happily, and fish. I walked on down the passage, reaching outthe candle as far as might be in front of me, and whistling to keepmyself company, yet saw neither Blackbeard nor anyone else. All the waythere were footprints on the floor, and the roof was black as with smokeof torches, and this made me fear lest some of those who had been therebefore might have made away with the diamond. Now, though I have spokenof this journey down the passage as though it were a mile long, andthough it verily seemed so to me that night, yet I afterwards found itwas not more than twenty yards or thereabouts; and then I came upon astone wall which had once blocked the road, but was now broken through soas to make a ragged doorway into a chamber beyond. There I stood on therough sill of the door, holding my breath and reaching out my candlearm's-length into the darkness, to see what sort of a place this wasbefore I put foot into it. And before the light had well time to fall onthings, I knew that I was underneath the church, and that this chamberwas none other than the Mohune Vault. It was a large room, much larger, I think, than the schoolroom where Mr. Glennie taught us, but not near so high, being only some nine feet fromfloor to roof. I say floor, though in reality there was none, but only abottom of soft wet sand; and when I stepped down on to it my heart beatvery fiercely, for I remembered what manner of place I was entering, andthe dreadful sounds which had issued from it that Sunday morning so shorta time before. I satisfied myself that there was nothing evil lurking inthe dark corners, or nothing visible at least, and then began to lookround and note what was to be seen. Walls and roof were stone, and at oneend was a staircase closed by a great flat stone at top--that same stonewhich I had often seen, with a ring in it, in the floor of the churchabove. All round the sides were stone shelves, with divisions betweenthem like great bookcases, but instead of books there were the coffins ofthe Mohunes. Yet these lay only at the sides, and in the middle of theroom was something very different, for here were stacked scores of casks, kegs, and runlets, from a storage butt that might hold thirty gallonsdown to a breaker that held only one. They were marked all of them inwhite paint on the end with figures and letters, that doubtless set forththe quality to those that understood. Here indeed was a discovery, andinstead of picking up at the end of the passage a little brass or silvercasket, which had only to be opened to show Blackbeard's diamond gleaminginside, I had stumbled on the Mohune's vault, and found it to be nothingbut a cellar of gentlemen of the contraband, for surely good liquor wouldnever be stored in so shy a place if it ever had paid the excise. As I walked round this stack of casks my foot struck sharply on the edgeof a butt, which must have been near empty, and straightway came from itthe same hollow, booming sound (only fainter) which had so frightened usin church that Sunday morning. So it was the casks, and not the coffins, that had been knocking one against another; and I was pleased withmyself, remembering how I had reasoned that coffin-wood could never givethat booming sound. It was plain enough that the whole place had been under water: the floorwas still muddy, and the green and sweating walls showed the flood-markwithin two feet of the roof; there was a wisp or two of fine seaweed thathad somehow got in, and a small crab was still alive and scuttled acrossthe corner, yet the coffins were but little disturbed. They lay on theshelves in rows, one above the other, and numbered twenty-three in all:most were in lead, and so could never float, but of those in wood somewere turned slantways in their niches, and one had floated right away andbeen left on the floor upside down in a corner when the waters went back. First I fell to wondering as to whose cellar this was, and how so muchliquor could have been brought in with secrecy; and how it was I hadnever seen anything of the contraband-men, though it was clear that theyhad made this flat tomb the entrance to their storehouse, as I had madeit my seat. And then I remembered how Ratsey had tried to scare me withtalk of Blackbeard; and how Elzevir, who had never been seen at churchbefore, was there the Sunday of the noises; and how he had looked ill atease whenever the noise came, though he was bold as a lion; and how I hadtripped upon him and Ratsey in the churchyard; and how Master Ratsey laywith his ear to the wall: and putting all these things together andcasting them up, I thought that Elzevir and Ratsey knew as much as anyabout this hiding-place. These reflections gave me more courage, for Iconsidered that the tales of Blackbeard walking or digging among thegraves had been set afloat to keep those that were not wanted from theplace, and guessed now that when I saw the light moving in the churchyardthat night I went to fetch Dr. Hawkins, it was no corpse-candle, but alantern of smugglers running a cargo. Then, having settled theseimportant matters, I began to turn over in my mind how to get at thetreasure; and herein was much cast down, for in this place was neithercasket nor diamond, but only coffins and double-Hollands. So it was that, having no better plan, I set to work to see whether I could learnanything from the coffins themselves; but with little success, for thelead coffins had no names upon them, and on such of the wooden coffins asbore plates I found the writing to be Latin, and so rusted over that Icould make nothing of it. Soon I wished I had not come at all, considering that the diamond hadvanished into air, and it was a sad thing to be cabined with so many deadmen. It moved me, too, to see pieces of banners and funeral shields, andeven shreds of wreaths that dear hearts had put there a century ago, nowall ruined and rotten--some still clinging, water-sodden, to the coffins, and some trampled in the sand of the floor. I had spent some time in thisbootless search, and was resolved to give up further inquiry and foot ithome, when the clock in the tower struck midnight. Surely never wasghostly hour sounded in more ghostly place. Moonfleet peal was known overhalf the county, and the finest part of it was the clock bell. 'Twas saidthat in times past (when, perhaps, the chimes were rung more often thannow) the voice of this bell had led safe home boats that were lost in thefog; and this night its clangour, mellow and profound, reached even tothe vault. Bim-bom it went, bim-bom, twelve heavy thuds that shook thewalls, twelve resonant echoes that followed, and then a purring andvibration of the air, so that the ear could not tell when it ended. I was wrought up, perhaps, by the strangeness of the hour and place, andmy hearing quicker than at other times, but before the tremor of the bellwas quite passed away I knew there was some other sound in the air, andthat the awful stillness of the vault was broken. At first I could nottell what this new sound was, nor whence it came, and now it seemed alittle noise close by, and now a great noise in the distance. And then itgrew nearer and more defined, and in a moment I knew it was the sound ofvoices talking. They must have been a long way off at first, and for aminute, that seemed as an age, they came no nearer. What a minute wasthat to me! Even now, so many years after, I can recall the anguish ofit, and how I stood with ears pricked up, eyes starting, and a clammysweat upon my face, waiting for those speakers to come. It was theanguish of the rabbit at the end of his burrow, with the ferret's eyesgleaming in the dark, and gun and lurcher waiting at the mouth of thehole. I was caught in a trap, and knew beside that contraband-men had away of sealing prying eyes and stilling babbling tongues; and Iremembered poor Cracky Jones found dead in the churchyard, and how men_said_ he had met Blackbeard in the night. These were but the thoughts of a second, but the voices were nearer, andI heard a dull thud far up the passage, and knew that a man had jumpeddown from the churchyard into the hole. So I took a last stare round, agonizing to see if there was any way of escape; but the stone walls androof were solid enough to crush me, and the stack of casks too closelypacked to hide more than a rat. There was a man speaking now from thebottom of the hole to others in the churchyard, and then my eyes were ledas by a loadstone to a great wooden coffin that lay by itself on the topshelf, a full six feet from the ground. When I saw the coffin I knew thatI was respited, for, as I judged, there was space between it and the wallbehind enough to contain my little carcass; and in a second I had put outthe candle, scrambled up the shelves, half-stunned my senses with dashingmy head against the roof, and squeezed my body betwixt wall and coffin. There I lay on one side with a thin and rotten plank between the dead manand me, dazed with the blow to my head, and breathing hard; while theglow of torches as they came down the passage reddened and flickered onthe roof above. CHAPTER 4 IN THE VAULT Let us hob and nob with Death--_Tennyson_ Though nothing of the vault except the roof was visible from where Ilay, and so I could not see these visitors, yet I heard every wordspoken, and soon made out one voice as being Master Ratsey's. Thisdiscovery gave me no surprise but much solace, for I thought that if theworst happened and I was discovered, I should find one friend with whomI could plead for life. 'It is well the earth gave way', the sexton was saying, 'on a night whenwe were here to find it. I was in the graveyard myself after midday, andall was snug and tight then. 'Twould have been awkward enough to have thehole stand open through the day, for any passer-by to light on. ' There were four or five men in the vault already, and I could hear morecoming down the passage, and guessed from their heavy footsteps that theywere carrying burdens. There was a sound, too, of dumping kegs down onthe ground, with a swish of liquor inside them, and then the noise ofcasks being moved. 'I thought we should have a fall there ere long, ' Ratsey went on, 'whatwith this drought parching the ground, and the trampling at the edge whenwe move out the side stone to get in, but there is no mischief donebeyond what can be easily made good. A gravestone or two and a few spadesof earth will make all sound again. Leave that to me. ' 'Be careful what you do, ' rejoined another man's voice that I did notknow, 'lest someone see you digging, and scent us out. ' 'Make your mind easy, ' Ratsey said; 'I have dug too often in thisgraveyard for any to wonder if they see me with a spade. ' Then the conversation broke off, and there was little more talking, onlya noise of men going backwards and forwards, and of putting down of kegsand the hollow gurgle of good liquor being poured from breakers into thecasks. By and by fumes of brandy began to fill the air, and climb towhere I lay, overcoming the mouldy smell of decayed wood and the dampnessof the green walls. It may have been that these fumes mounted to my head, and gave me courage not my own, but so it was that I lost something ofthe stifling fear that had gripped me, and could listen with more ease towhat was going forward. There was a pause in the carrying to and fro;they were talking again now, and someone said-- 'I was in Dorchester three days ago, and heard men say it will go hardwith the poor chaps who had the brush with the _Elector_ last summer. Judge Barentyne comes on Assize next week, and that old fox Maskew hasdriven down to Taunton to get at him before and coach him back; makingout to him that the Law's arm is weak in these parts against thecontraband, and must be strengthened by some wholesome hangings. ' 'Theyare a cruel pair, ' another put in, 'and we shall have new gibbets onRidgedown for leading lights. Once I get even with Maskew, the other maygo hang, ay, and they may hang me too. ' 'The Devil send him to meet me one dark night on the down alone, ' saidsomeone else, 'and I will give him a pistol's mouth to look down, andspoil his face for him. ' 'No, thou wilt not, ' said a deep voice, and then I knew that Elzevir wasthere too; 'none shall lay hand on Maskew but I. So mark that, lad, thatwhen his day of reckoning comes, 'tis _I_ will reckon with him. ' Then for a few minutes I did not pay much heed to what was said, beingterribly straitened for room, and cramped with pain from lying so long inone place. The thick smoke from the pitch torches too came curling acrossthe roof and down upon me, making me sick and giddy with its evil smelland taste; and though all was very dim, I could see my hands were blackwith oily smuts. At last I was able to wriggle myself over without makingtoo much noise, and felt a great relief in changing sides, but gave sucha start as made the coffin creak again at hearing my own name. 'There is a boy of Trenchard's, ' said a voice that I thought wasParmiter's, who lived at the bottom of the village--'there is a boy ofTrenchard's that I mistrust; he is for ever wandering in the graveyard, and I have seen him a score of times sitting on this tomb and looking outto sea. This very night, when the wind fell at sundown, and we were hungup with sails flapping, three miles out, and waited for the dark to getthe sweeps, I took my glass to scan the coast-line, and lo, here on thetomb-top sits Master Trenchard. I could not see his face, but knew him byhis cut, and fear the boy sits there to play the spy and then tellsMaskew. ' 'You're right, ' said Greening of Ringstave, for I knew hisslow drawl; 'and many a time when I have sat in The Wood, and watched theManor to see Maskew safe at home before we ran a cargo, I have seen thisboy too go round about the place with a hangdog look, scanning the houseas if his life depended on't. ' 'Twas very true what Greening said; for of a summer evening I would takethe path that led up Weatherbeech Hill, behind the Manor; both because'twas a walk that had a good prospect in itself, and also a sweet charmfor me, namely, the hope of seeing Grace Maskew. And there I often satupon the stile that ends the path and opens on the down, and watched theold half-ruined house below; and sometimes saw white-frocked Graciewalking on the terrace in the evening sun, and sometimes in returningpassed her window near enough to wave a greeting. And once, when she hadthe fever, and Dr. Hawkins came twice a day to see her, I had no heartfor school, but sat on that stile the livelong day, looking at the gabledhouse where she was lying ill. And Mr. Glennie never rated me for playingtruant, nor told Aunt Jane, guessing, as I thought afterwards, the cause, and having once been young himself. 'Twas but boy's love, yet serious forme; and on the day she lay near death, I made so bold as to stop Dr. Hawkins on his horse and ask him how she did; and he bearing with me forthe eagerness that he read in my face, bent down over his saddle andsmiled, and said my playmate would come back to me again. So it was quite true that I had watched the house, but not as a spy, andwould not have borne tales to old Maskew for anything that could beoffered. Then Ratsey spoke up for me and said--''Tis a false scent. Theboy is well enough, and simple, and has told me many a time he seeks thechurchyard because there is a fine view to be had there of the sea, and'tis the sea he loves. A month ago, when the high tide set, and thisvault was so full of water that we could not get in, I came with Elzevirto make out if the floods were going down inside, or what eddy 'twas thatset the casks tapping one against another. So as I lay on the ground withmy ear glued close against the wall, who should march round the churchbut John Trenchard, Esquire, not treading delicately like King Agag, orspying, but just come on a voyage of discovery for himself. For in thechurch on Sunday, when we heard the tapping in the vault below, my younggentleman was scared enough; but afterwards, being told by ParsonGlennie--who should know better--that such noises were not made byghosts, but by the Mohunes at sea in their coffins, he plucks up heart, and comes down on the Monday to see if they are still afloat. So there hecaught me lying like a zany on the ground. You may guess I stood atattention soon enough, but told him I was looking at the founds to see ifthey wanted underpinning from the floods. And so I set his mind at ease, for 'tis a simple child, and packed him off to get my dubbing hammer. AndI think the boy will not be here so often now to frighten honestParmiter, for I have weaved him some pretty tales of Blackbeard, and hehas a wholesome scare of meeting the Colonel. But after dark I pledge mylife that neither he nor any other in the town would pass the churchyardwall, no, not for a thousand pounds. ' I heard him chuckling to himself, and the others laughed loudly too, whenhe was telling how he palmed me off; but 'he laughs loudest who laughslast', thought I, and should have chuckled too, were it not for makingthe coffin creak. And then, to my surprise, Elzevir spoke: 'The lad isa brave lad; I would he were my son. He is David's age, and will make agood sailor later on. ' They were simple words, yet pleasing to me; for Elzevir spoke as if hemeant them, and I had got to like him a little in spite of all hisgrimness; and beside that, was sorry for his grief over his son. I was somoved by what he said, that for a moment I was for jumping up and callingout to him that I lay here and liked him well, but then thought better ofit, and so kept still. The carrying was over, and I fancy they were all sitting on the ends ofkegs or leaning up against the pile; but could not see, and was stillmuch troubled with the torch smoke, though now and then I caught throughit a whiff of tobacco, which showed that some were smoking. Then Greening, who had a singing voice for all his drawl, struck upwith-- Says the Cap'n to the crew, We have slipt the revenue, but Ratsey stopped him with a sharp 'No more of that; the words aren'tto our taste tonight, but come as wry as if the parson called _OldHundred_ and I tuned up with _Veni_. ' I knew he meant the last versewith a hanging touch in it; but Greening was for going on with the song, until some others broke in too, and he saw that the company would havenone of it. 'Not but what the labourer is worthy of his hire, ' went on Master Ratsey;'so spile that little breaker of Schiedam, and send a rummer round tokeep off midnight chills. ' He loved a glass of the good liquor well, and with him 'twas always thesame reasoning, namely, to keep off chills; though he chopped the wordsto suit the season, and now 'twas autumn, now winter, now spring, orsummer chills. They must have found glasses, though I could not remember to have seenany in the vault, for a minute later fugleman Ratsey spoke again-- 'Now, lads, glasses full and bumpers for a toast. And here's toBlackbeard, to Father Blackbeard, who watches over our treasure betterthan he did over his own; for were it not the fear of him that keeps offidle feet and prying eyes, we should have the gaugers in, and our storeransacked twenty times. ' So he spoke, and it seemed there was a little halting at first, as ofmen not liking to take Blackbeard's name in Blackbeard's place, or raisethe Devil by mocking at him. But then some of the bolder shouted'Blackbeard', and so the more timid chimed in, and in a minute therewere a score of voices calling 'Blackbeard, Blackbeard', till the placerang again. Then Elzevir cried out angrily, 'Silence. Are you mad, or has the liquormastered you? Are you Revenue-men that you dare shout and roister? orcontrabandiers with the lugger in the offing, and your life in your hand. You make noise enough to wake folk in Moonfleet from their beds. ' 'Tut, man, ' retorted Ratsey testily, 'and if they waked, they would butpull the blankets tight about their ears, and say 'twas Blackbeard pipinghis crew of lost Mohunes to help him dig for treasure. ' Yet for all that 'twas plain that Block ruled the roost, for there wassilence for a minute, and then one said, 'Ay, Master Elzevir is right;let us away, the night is far spent, and we have nothing but the sweepsto take the lugger out of sight by dawn. ' So the meeting broke up, and the torchlight grew dimmer, and died awayas it had come in a red flicker on the roof, and the footsteps soundedfainter as they went up the passage, until the vault was left to the deadmen and me. Yet for a very long time--it seemed hours--after all had goneI could hear a murmur of distant voices, and knew that some were talkingat the end of the passage, and perhaps considering how the landslip mightbest be restored. So while I heard them thus conversing I dared notdescend from my perch, lest someone might turn back to the vault, thoughI was glad enough to sit up, and ease my aching back and limbs. Yet inthe awful blackness of the place even the echo of these human voicesseemed a kindly and blessed thing, and a certain shrinking lonelinessfell on me when they ceased at last and all was silent. Then I resolved Iwould be off at once, and get back to the moonlight bed that I had lefthours ago, having no stomach for more treasure-hunting, and being gladindeed to be still left with the treasure of life. Thus, sitting where I was, I lit my candle once more, and then clamberedacross that great coffin which, for two hours or more, had been amid-wall of partition between me and danger. But to get out of the nichewas harder than to get in; for now that I had a candle to light me, I sawthat the coffin, though sound enough to outer view, was wormed throughand through, and little better than a rotten shell. So it was that I hadsome ado to get over it, not daring either to kneel upon it or to bringmuch weight to bear with my hand, lest it should go through. And nowhaving got safely across, I sat for an instant on that narrow ledge ofthe stone shelf which projected beyond the coffin on the vault side, andmade ready to jump forward on to the floor below. And how it happened Iknow not, but there I lost my balance, and as I slipped the candle flewout of my grasp. Then I clutched at the coffin to save myself, but myhand went clean through it, and so I came to the ground in a cloud ofdust and splinters; having only got hold of a wisp of seaweed, or ahandful of those draggled funeral trappings which were strewn about thisplace. The floor of the vault was sandy; and so, though I fell crookedly, I took but little harm beyond a shaking; and soon, pulling myselftogether, set to strike my flint and blow the match into a flame tosearch for the fallen candle. Yet all the time I kept in my fingers thishandful of light stuff; and when the flame burnt up again I held thething against the light, and saw that it was no wisp of seaweed, butsomething black and wiry. For a moment, I could not gather what I hadhold of, but then gave a start that nearly sent the candle out, andperhaps a cry, and let it drop as if it were red-hot iron, for I knewthat it was a man's beard. Now when I saw that, I felt a sort of throttling fright, as though onehad caught hold of my heartstrings; and so many and such strange thoughtsrose in me, that the blood went pounding round and round in my head, asit did once afterwards when I was fighting with the sea and near drowned. Surely to have in hand the beard of any dead man in any place was badenough, but worse a thousand times in such a place as this, and to knowon whose face it had grown. For, almost before I fully saw what it was, Iknew it was that black beard which had given Colonel John Mohune hisnickname, and this was his great coffin I had hid behind. I had lain, therefore, all that time, cheek by jowl with Blackbeardhimself, with only a thin shell of tinder wood to keep him from me, andnow had thrust my hand into his coffin and plucked away his beard. Sothat if ever wicked men have power to show themselves after death, andstill to work evil, one would guess that he would show himself now andfall upon me. Thus a sick dread got hold of me, and had I been a womanor a girl I think I should have swooned; but being only a boy, and notknowing how to swoon, did the next best thing, which was to put myself asfar as might be from the beard, and make for the outlet. Yet had I scarceset foot in the passage when I stopped, remembering how once already thissame evening I had played the coward, and run home scared with my ownfears. So I was brought up for very shame, and beside that thought how Ihad come to this place to look for Blackbeard's treasure, and might havegone away without knowing even so much as where he lay, had not chancefirst led me to be down by his side, and afterwards placed my hand uponhis beard. And surely this could not be chance alone, but must rather bethe finger of Providence guiding me to that which I desired to find. Thisconsideration somewhat restored my courage, and after several feints toreturn, advances, stoppings, and panics, I was in the vault again, walking carefully round the stack of barrels, and fearing to see theglimmer of the candle fall upon that beard. There it was upon the sand, and holding the candle nearer to it with a certain caution, as though itwould spring up and bite me, I saw it was a great full black beard, morethan a foot long, but going grey at the tips; and had at the back, keeping it together, a thin tissue of dried skin, like the false partingwhich Aunt Jane wore under her cap on Sundays. This I could see as it laybefore me, for I did not handle or lift it, but only peered into it, withthe candle, on all sides, busying myself the while with thoughts of theman of whom it had once been part. In returning to the vault, I had no very sure purpose in mind; only avague surmise that this finding of Blackbeard's coffin would somehow leadto the finding of his treasure. But as I looked at the beard andpondered, I began to see that if anything was to be done, it must be bysearching in the coffin itself, and the clearer this became to me, thegreater was my dislike to set about such a task. So I put off the evilhour, by feigning to myself that it was necessary to make a carefulscrutiny of the beard, and thus wasted at least ten minutes. But atlength, seeing that the candle was burning low, and could certainly lastlittle more than half an hour, and considering that it must now begetting near dawn, I buckled to the distasteful work of rummaging thecoffin. Nor had I any need to climb up on to the top shelf again, butstanding on the one beneath, found my head and arms well on a level withthe search. And beside that, the task was not so difficult as I hadthought; for in my fall I had broken off the head-end of the lid, andbrought away the whole of that side that faced the vault. Now, any lad ofmy age, and perhaps some men too, might well have been frightened to setabout such a matter as to search in a coffin; and if any had said, a fewhours before, that I should ever have courage to do this by night in theMohune vault, I would not have believed him. Yet here I was, and hadadvanced along the path of terror so gradually, and as it were foot byfoot in the past night, that when I came to this final step I was notnear so scared as when I first felt my way into the vault. It was not thefirst time either that I had looked on death; but had, indeed, always aleaning to such sights and matters, and had seen corpses washed up fromthe _Darius_ and other wrecks, and besides that had helped Ratsey to casesome poor bodies that had died in their beds. The coffin was, as I have said, of great length, and the side beingremoved, I could see the whole outline of the skeleton that lay in it. Isay the outline, for the form was wrapped in a woollen or flannel shroud, so that the bones themselves were not visible. The man that lay in it waslittle short of a giant, measuring, as I guessed, a full six and a halffeet, and the flannel having sunk in over the belly, the end of thebreast-bone, the hips, knees, and toes were very easy to be made out. Thehead was swathed in linen bands that had been white, but were now stainedand discoloured with damp, but of this I shall not speak more, andbeneath the chin-cloth the beard had once escaped. The clutch which I hadmade to save myself in falling had torn away this chin-band and let thelower jaw drop on the breast; but little else was disturbed, and therewas Colonel John Mohune resting as he had been laid out a century ago. Ilifted that portion of the lid which had been left behind, and reachedover to see if there was anything hid on the other side of the body; buthad scarce let the light fall in the coffin when my heart gave a greatbound, and all fear left me in the flush of success, for there I saw whatI had come to seek. On the breast of this silent and swathed figure lay a locket, attached tothe neck by a thin chain, which passed inside the linen bandages. Awhiter portion of the flannel showed how far the beard had extended, butlocket and chain were quite black, though I judged that they were made ofsilver. The shape of this locket was not unlike a crown-piece, only threetimes as thick, and as soon as I set eyes upon it I never doubted butthat inside would be found the diamond. It was then that a great pity came over me for this thin shadow of man;thinking rather what a fine, tall gentleman Colonel Mohune had once been, and a good soldier no doubt besides, than that he had wasted a nobleestate and played traitor to the king. And then I reflected that it wasall for the bit of flashing stone, which lay as I hoped within thelocket, that he had sold his honour; and wished that the jewel mightbring me better fortune than had fallen to him, or at any rate, that itmight not lead me into such miry paths. Yet such thoughts did not delaymy purpose, and I possessed myself of the locket easily enough, finding ahasp in the chain, and so drawing it out from the linen folds. I hadexpected as I moved the locket to hear the jewel rattle in the inside, but there was no sound, and then I thought that the diamond might cleaveto the side with damp, or perhaps be wrapped in wool. Scarcely was thelocket well in my hand before I had it undone, finding a thumb-nickwhereby, after a little persuasion, the back, though rusted, could beopened on a hinge. My breath came very fast, and I shook so that I had adifficulty to keep my thumbnail in the nick, yet hardly was it openedbefore exalted expectation gave place to deepest disappointment. For there lay all the secret of the locket disclosed, and there was nodiamond, no, nor any other jewel, and nothing at all except a littlepiece of folded paper. Then I felt like a man who has played away all hisproperty and stakes his last crown--heavy-hearted, yet hoping againsthope that luck may turn, and that with this piece be may win back all hismoney. So it was with me; for I hoped that this paper might have writtenon it directions for the finding of the jewel, and that I might yet risefrom the table a winner. It was but a frail hope, and quickly dashed; forwhen I had smoothed the creases and spread out the piece of paper in thecandle-light, there was nothing to be seen except a few verses from thePsalms of David. The paper was yellow, and showed a lattice of foldswhere it had been pressed into the locket; but the handwriting, thoughsmall, was clear and neat, and there was no mistaking a word of what wasthere set down. 'Twas so short, I could read it at once: The days of our age are threescore years and ten;And though men be so strong that they comeTo fourscore years, yet is their strength thenBut labour and sorrow, so soon passeth itAway, and we are gone. --Psalm 90, 21 And as for me, my feet are almost gone;My treadings are wellnigh slipped. --73, 6 But let not the waterflood drown me; neither letThe deep swallow me up. --69, 11 So, going through the vale of misery, I shallUse it for a well, till the pools are filledWith water. --84, 14 For thou hast made the North and the South:Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name. --89, 6 So here was an end to great hopes, and I was after all to leave the vaultno richer than I had entered it. For look at it as I might, I could notsee that these verses could ever lead to any diamond; and though I mightotherwise have thought of ciphers or secret writing, yet, rememberingwhat Mr. Glennie had said, that Blackbeard after his wicked life desiredto make a good end, and sent for a parson to confess him, I guessed thatsuch pious words had been hung round his neck as a charm to keep thespirits of evil away from his tomb. I was disappointed enough, but beforeI left picked up the beard from the floor, though it sent a shiverthrough me to touch it, and put it back in its place on the dead man'sbreast. I restored also such pieces of the coffin as I could get at, butcould not make much of it; so left things as they were, trusting thatthose who came there next would think the wood had fallen to pieces bynatural decay. But the locket I kept, and hung about my neck under myshirt; both as being a curious thing in itself, and because I thoughtthat if the good words inside it were strong enough to keep off badspirits from Blackbeard, they would be also strong enough to keepBlackbeard from me. When this was done the candle had burnt so low, that I could no longerhold it in my fingers, and was forced to stick it on a piece of thebroken wood, and so carry it before me. But, after all, I was not toescape from Blackbeard's clutches so easily; for when I came to the endof the passage, and was prepared to climb up into the churchyard, I foundthat the hole was stopped, and that there was no exit. I understood now how it was that I had heard talking so long after thecompany had left the vault; for it was clear that Ratsey had been asgood as his word, and that the falling in of the ground had beenrepaired before the contraband-men went home that night. At first I madelight of the matter, thinking I should soon be able to dislodge this newwork, and so find a way out. But when I looked more narrowly into thebusiness, I did not feel so sure; for they had made a sound job of it, putting one very heavy burial slab at the side to pile earth againsttill the hole was full, and then covering it with another. These wereboth of slate, and I knew whence they came; for there were a dozen ormore of such disused and weather-worn covers laid up against the northside of the church, and every one of them a good burden for four men. Yet I hoped by grouting at the earth below it to be able to dislodge thestone at the side; but while I was considering how best to begin, thecandle flickered, the wick gave a sudden lurch to one side, and I wasleft in darkness. Thus my plight was evil indeed, for I had nothing now to burn to give melight, and knew that 'twas no use setting to grout till I could see to goabout it. Moreover, the darkness was of that black kind that is neverfound beneath the open sky, no, not even on the darkest night, but lurksin close and covered places and strains the eyes in trying to see intoit. Yet I did not give way, but settled to wait for the dawn, which must, I knew, be now at hand; for then I thought enough light would comethrough the chinks of the tomb above to show me how to set to work. Norwas I even much scared, as one who having been in peril of life from thecontraband-men for a spy, and in peril from evil ghosts for riflingBlackbeard's tomb, deemed it a light thing to be left in the dark to waitan hour till morning. So I sat down on the floor of the passage, which, if damp, was at least soft, and being tired with what I had gone through, and not used to miss a night's rest, fell straightway asleep. How long I slept I cannot tell, for I had nothing to guide me to thetime, but woke at length, and found myself still in darkness. I stood upand stretched my limbs, but did not feel as one refreshed by wholesomesleep, but sick and tired with pains in back, arms, and legs, as ifbeaten or bruised. I have said I was still in darkness, yet it was notthe blackness of the last night; and looking up into the inside of thetomb above, I could see the faintest line of light at one corner, whichshowed the sun was up. For this line of light was the sunlight, filteringslowly through a crevice at the joining of the stones; but the sides ofthe tomb had been fitted much closer than I reckoned for, and it wasplain there would never be light in the place enough to guide me to mywork. All this I considered as I rested on the ground, for I had sat downagain, feeling too tired to stand. But as I kept my eye on the narrowstreak of light I was much startled, for I looked at the south-westcorner of the tomb, and yet was looking towards the sun. This I gatheredfrom the tone of the light; and although there was no direct outlet tothe air, and only a glimmer came in, as I have said, yet I knew certainlythat the sun was low in the west and falling full upon this stone. Here was a surprise, and a sad one for me, for I perceived that I hadslept away a day, and that the sun was setting for another night. And yetit mattered little, for night or daytime there was no light to help me inthis horrible place; and though my eyes had grown accustomed to thegloom, I could make out nothing to show me where to work. So I took outmy tinder-box, meaning to fan the match into a flame, and to get at leastone moment's look at the place, and then to set to digging with my hands. But as I lay asleep the top had been pressed off the box, and the tindergot loose in my pocket; and though I picked the tinder out easily enough, and got it in the box again, yet the salt damps of the place had soddenedit in the night, and spark by spark fell idle from the flint. And then it was that I first perceived the danger in which I stood; forthere was no hope of kindling a light, and I doubted now whether even inthe light I could ever have done much to dislodge the great slab ofslate. I began also to feel very hungry, as not having eaten fortwenty-four hours; and worse than that, there was a parching thirst anddryness in my throat, and nothing with which to quench it. Yet there wasno time to be lost if I was ever to get out alive, and so I groped withmy hands against the side of the grave until I made out the bottom edgeof the slab, and then fell to grubbing beneath it with my fingers. Butthe earth, which the day before had looked light and loamy to the eye, was stiff and hard enough when one came to tackle it with naked hands, and in an hour's time I had done little more than further weary myselfand bruise my fingers. Then I was forced to rest; and, sitting down on the ground, saw that theglimmering streak of light had faded, and that the awful blackness ofthe previous night was creeping up again. And now I had no heart to faceit, being cowed with hunger, thirst, and weariness; and so flung myselfupon my face, that I might not see how dark it was, and groaned for verylowness of spirit. Thus I lay for a long time, but afterwards stood upand cried aloud, and shrieked if anyone should haply hear me, calling toMr. Glennie and Ratsey, and even Elzevir, by name, to save me from thisawful place. But there came no answer, except the echo of my own voicesounding hollow and far off down in the vault. So in despair I turnedback to the earth wall below the slab, and scrabbled at it with myfingers, till my nails were broken and the blood ran out; having all thewhile a sure knowledge, like a cord twisted round my head, that no effortof mine could ever dislodge the great stone. And thus the hours passed, and I shall not say more here, for the remembrance of that time is stillterrible, and besides, no words could ever set forth the anguish I thensuffered, yet did slumber come sometimes to my help; for even while I wasworking at the earth, sheer weariness would overtake me, and I sank on tothe ground and fell asleep. And still the hours passed, and at last I knew by the glimmer of lightin the tomb above that the sun had risen again, and a maddening thirsthad hold of me. And then I thought of all the barrels piled up in thevault and of the liquor that they held; and stuck not because 'twasspirit, for I would scarce have paused to sate that thirst even withmolten lead. So I felt my way down the passage back to the vault, andrecked not of the darkness, nor of Blackbeard and his crew, if only Icould lay my lips to liquor. Thus I groped about the barrels till nearthe top of the stack my hand struck on the spile of a keg, and drawingit, I got my mouth to the hold. What the liquor was I do not know, but it was not so strong but that Icould swallow it in great gulps and found it less burning than my burningthroat. But when I turned to get back to the passage, I could not findthe outlet, and fumbled round and round until my brain was dizzy, and Ifell senseless to the ground. CHAPTER 5 THE RESCUE Shades of the dead, have I not heard your voicesRise on the night-rolling breath of the gale?--_Byron_ When I came to myself I was lying, not in the outer blackness of theMohune vault, not on a floor of sand; but in a bed of sweet clean linen, and in a little whitewashed room, through the window of which the springsunlight streamed. Oh, the blessed sunshine, and how I praised God forthe light! At first I thought I was in my own bed at my aunt's house, andhad dreamed of the vault and the smugglers, and that my being prisoned inthe darkness was but the horror of a nightmare. I was for getting up, butfell back on my pillow in the effort to rise, with a weakness and sicklanguor which I had never known before. And as I sunk down, I feltsomething swing about my neck, and putting up my hand, found 'twasColonel John Mohune's black locket, and so knew that part at least ofthis adventure was no dream. Then the door opened, and to my wandering thought it seemed that I wasback again in the vault, for in came Elzevir Block. Then I held up myhands, and cried-- 'O Elzevir, save me, save me; I am not come to spy. ' But he, with a kind look on his face, put his hand on my shoulder, andpushed me gently back, saying-- 'Lie still, lad, there is none here will hurt thee, and drink this. ' He held out to me a bowl of steaming broth, that filled the room with asavour sweeter, ten thousand times, to me than every rose and lily of theworld; yet would not let me drink it at a gulp, but made me sip it with aspoon like any baby. Thus while I drank, he told me where I was, namely, in an attic at the Why Not?, but would not say more then, bidding me getto sleep again, and I should know all afterwards. And so it was ten daysor more before youth and health had their way, and I was strong again;and all that time Elzevir Block sat by my bed, and nursed me tenderly asa woman. So piece by piece I learned the story of how they found me. 'Twas Mr. Glennie who first moved to seek me; for when the second daycame that I was not at school, he thought that I was ill, and went to myaunt's to ask how I did, as was his wont when any ailed. But Aunt Janeanswered him stiffly that she could not say how I did. 'For', says she, 'he is run off I know not where, but as he makes hisbed, must he lie on't; and if he run away for his pleasure, may stay awayfor mine. I have been pestered with this lot too long, and only bore withhim for poor sister Martha's sake; but 'tis after his father that thegraceless lad takes, and thus rewards me. ' With that she bangs the door in the parson's face and off he goes toRatsey, but can learn nothing there, and so concludes that I have runaway to sea, and am seeking ship at Poole or Weymouth. But that same day came Sam Tewkesbury to the Why Not? about nightfall, and begged a glass of rum, being, as he said, 'all of a shake', andtelling a tale of how he passed the churchyard wall on his return fromwork, and in the dusk heard screams and wailing voices, and knew 'twasBlackbeard piping his lost Mohunes to hunt for treasure. So, though hesaw nothing, he turned tail and never stopped running till he stood atthe inn door. Then, forthwith, Elzevir leaves Sam to drink at the WhyNot? alone, and himself sets off running up the street to call for MasterRatsey; and they two make straight across the sea-meadows in the dark. 'For as soon as I heard Tewkesbury tell of screams and wailings in theair, and no one to be seen, ' said Elzevir, 'I guessed that some poor soulhad got shut in the vault, and was there crying for his life. And to thisI was not guided by mother wit, but by a surer and a sadder token. Thouwilt have heard how thirteen years ago a daft body we called Cracky Joneswas found one morning in the churchyard dead. He was gone missing for aweek before, and twice within that week I had sat through the night uponthe hill behind the church, watching to warn the lugger with a flare shecould not put in for the surf upon the beach. And on those nights, theair being still though a heavy swell was running, I heard thrice or morea throttled scream come shivering across the meadows from the graveyard. Yet beyond turning my blood cold for a moment, it gave me little trouble, for evil tales have hung about the church; and though I did not set muchstore by the old yarns of Blackbeard piping up his crew, yet I thoughtstrange things might well go on among the graves at night. And so I neverbudged, nor stirred hand or foot to save a fellow-creature in his agony. 'But when the surf fell enough for the boats to get ashore, and Greeningheld a lantern for me to jump down into the passage, after we had got theside out of the tomb, the first thing the light fell on at the bottomwas a white face turned skyward. I have not forgot that, lad, for 'twasCracky Jones lay there, with his face thin and shrunk, yet all the doitedlook gone out of it. We tried to force some brandy in his mouth, but hewas stark and dead; with knees drawn up towards his head, so stiff we hadto lift him doubled as he was, and lay him by the churchyard wall forsome of us to find next day. We never knew how he got there, but guessedthat he had hung about the landers some night when they ran a cargo, andslipped in when the watchman's back was turned. Thus when Sam Tewkesburyspoke of screams and waitings, and no one to be seen, I knew what 'twas, but never guessed who might be shut in there, not knowing thou wert goneamissing. So ran to Ratsey to get his help to slip the side stone off, for by myself I cannot stir it now, though once I did when I was younger;and from him learned that thou wert lost, and knew whom we should findbefore we got there. ' I shuddered while Elzevir talked, for I thought how Cracky Jones hadperhaps hidden behind the self-same coffin that sheltered me, and hownarrowly I had escaped his fate. And that old story came back into mymind, how, years ago, there once arose so terrible a cry from the vaultat service-time, that parson and people fled from the church; and Idoubted not now that some other poor soul had got shut in that awfulplace, and was then calling for help to those whose fears would not letthem listen. 'There we found thee, ' Elzevir went on, 'stretched out on the sand, senseless and far gone; and there was something in thy face that made methink of David when he lay stretched out in his last sleep. And so I putthee on my shoulder and bare thee back, and here thou art in David'sroom, and shalt find board and bed with me as long as thou hast mindto. ' We spoke much together during the days when I was gettingstronger, and I grew to like Elzevir well, finding his grimness was buton the outside, and that never was a kinder man. Indeed, I think that mybeing with him did him good; for he felt that there was once moresomeone to love him, and his heart went out to me as to his son David. Never once did he ask me to keep my counsel as to the vault and what Ihad seen there, knowing, perhaps, he had no need, for I would have diedrather than tell the secret to any. Only, one day Master Ratsey, whooften came to see me, said-- 'John, there is only Elzevir and I who know that you have seen theinside of our bond-cellar; and 'tis well, for if some of the landersguessed, they might have ugly ways to stop all chance of prating. Sokeep our secret tight, and we'll keep yours, for "he that refraineth hislips is wise". ' I wondered how Master Ratsey could quote Scripture so pat, and yet cheatthe revenue; though, in truth, 'twas thought little sin at Moonfleet torun a cargo; and, perhaps, he guessed what I was thinking, for he added-- 'Not that a Christian man has aught to be ashamed of in landing a cask ofgood liquor, for we read that when Israel came out of Egypt, the chosenpeople were bid trick their oppressors out of jewels of silver and jewelsof gold; and among those cruel taskmasters, some of the wont mustcertainly have been the tax-gatherers. ' * * * * * The first walk I took when I grew stronger and was able to get about wasup to Aunt Jane's, notwithstanding she had never so much as been to askafter me all these days. She knew, indeed, where I was, for Ratsey hadtold her I lay at the Why Not?, explaining that Elzevir had found me onenight on the ground famished and half-dead, yet not saying where. But myaunt greeted me with hard words, which I need not repeat here; for, perhaps, she meant them not unkindly, but only to bring me back again tothe right way. She did not let me cross the threshold, holding the doorajar in her hand, and saying she would have no tavern-loungers in herhouse, but that if I liked the Why Not? so well, I could go back thereagain for her. I had been for begging her pardon for playing truant; butwhen I heard such scurvy words, felt the devil rise in my heart, and onlylaughed, though bitter tears were in my eyes. So I turned my back uponthe only home that I had ever known, and sauntered off down the village, feeling very lone, and am not sure I was not crying before I came againto the Why Not? Then Elzevir saw that my face was downcast, and asked what ailed me, andso I told him how my aunt had turned me away, and that I had no home togo to. But he seemed pleased rather than sorry, and said that I must comenow and live with him, for he had plenty for both; and that since chancehad led him to save my life, I should be to him a son in David's place. So I went to keep house with him at the Why Not? and my aunt sent down mybag of clothes, and would have made over to Elzevir the pittance that myfather left for my keep, but he said it was not needful, and he wouldhave none of it. CHAPTER 6 AN ASSAULT Surely after all, The noblest answer unto suchIs perfect stillness when they brawl--_Tennyson_ I have more than once brought up the name of Mr. Maskew; and as I shallhave other things to tell of him later on, I may as well relate here whatmanner of man he was. His stature was but medium, not exceeding five feetfour inches, I think; and to make the most of it, he flung his head farback, and gave himself a little strut in walking. He had a thin face witha sharp nose that looked as if it would peck you, and grey eyes thatcould pierce a millstone if there was a guinea on the far side of it. Hishair, for he wore his own, had been red, though it was now grizzled; andthe colour of it was set down in Moonfleet to his being a Scotchman, forwe thought all Scotchmen were red-headed. He was a lawyer by profession, and having made money in Edinburgh, had gone so far south as Moonfleet toget quit, as was said, of the memories of rascally deeds. It was aboutfour years since he bought a parcel of the Mohune Estate, which had beenbreaking up and selling piecemeal for a generation; and on his land stoodthe Manor House, or so much of it as was left. Of the mansion I havespoken before. It was a very long house of two storeys, with a projectinggable and doorway in the middle, and at each end gabled wings running outcrosswise. The Maskews lived in one of these wings, and that was the onlyhabitable portion of the place; for as to the rest, the glass was out ofthe windows, and in some places the roofs had fallen in. Mr. Maskew madeno attempt to repair house or grounds, and the bough of the great cedarwhich the snows had brought down in '49 still blocked the drive. Theentrance to the house was through the porchway in the middle, but morethan one tumble-down corridor had to be threaded before one reachedthe inhabited wing; while fowls and pigs and squirrels had possession ofthe terrace lawns in front. It was not for want of money that Maskew letthings remain thus, for men said that he was rich enough, only that hismood was miserly; and perhaps, also, it was the lack of woman's companythat made him think so little of neatness and order. For his wife wasdead; and though he had a daughter, she was young, and had not yet weightenough to make her father do things that he did not choose. Till Maskew came there had been none living in the Manor House for ageneration, so the village children used the terrace for a playground, and picked primroses in the woods; and the men thought they had a rightto snare a rabbit or shoot a pheasant in the chase. But the new ownerchanged all this, hiding gins and spring-guns in the coverts, and nailingup boards on the trees to say he would have the law of any thattrespassed. So he soon made enemies for himself, and before long hadeveryone's hand against him. Yet he preferred his neighbour's enmity totheir goodwill, and went about to make it more bitter by getting himselfposted for magistrate, and giving out that he would put down thecontraband thereabouts. For no one round Moonfleet was for the Excise;but farmers loved a glass of Schnapps that had never been gauged, andtheir wives a piece of fine lace from France. And then came the affairbetween the _Elector_ and the ketch, with David Block's death; and afterthat they said it was not safe for Maskew to walk at large, and that hewould be found some day dead on the down; but he gave no heed to it, andwent on as if he had been a paid exciseman rather than a magistrate. When I was a little boy the Manor woods were my delight, and many a sunnyafternoon have I sat on the terrace edge looking down over the village, and munching red quarantines from the ruined fruit gardens. And thoughthis was now forbidden, yet the Manor had still a sweeter attraction tome than apples or bird-batting, and that was Grace Maskew. She was anonly child, and about my own age, or little better, at the time of whichI am speaking. I knew her, because she went every day to the oldalmshouses to be taught by the Reverend Mr. Glennie, from whom I alsoreceived my schooling. She was tall for her age, and slim, with a thinface and a tumble of tawny hair, which flew about her in a wind or whenshe ran. Her frocks were washed and patched and faded, and showed more ofher arms and legs than the dressmaker had ever intended, for she was agrowing girl, and had none to look after her clothes. She was a favouriteplayfellow with all, and an early choice for games of 'prisoner's base', and she could beat most of us boys at speed. Thus, though we all hatedher father, and had for him many jeering titles among ourselves; yet wenever used an evil nickname nor a railing word against him when she wasby, because we liked her well. There were a half-dozen of us boys, and as many girls, whom Mr. Glennieused to teach; and that you may see what sort of man Maskew was, I willtell you what happened one day in school between him and the parson. Mr. Glennie taught us in the almshouses; for though there were now nobedesmen, and the houses themselves were fallen to decay, yet the littlehall in which the inmates had once dined was still maintained, and servedfor our schoolroom. It was a long and lofty room, with a high wainscotall round it, a carved oak screen at one end, and a broad window at theother. A very heavy table, polished by use, and sadly besmirched withink, ran down the middle of the hall with benches on either side of itfor us to use; and a high desk for Mr. Glennie stood under the window atthe end of the room. Thus we were sitting one morning with oursumming-slates and grammars before us when the door in the screen opensand Mr. Maskew enters. I have told you already of the verses which Mr. Glennie wrote for DavidBlock's grave; and when the floods had gone down Ratsey set up theheadstone with the poetry carved on it. But Maskew, through not going tochurch, never saw the stone for weeks, until one morning, walking throughthe churchyard, he lighted on it, and knew the verses for Mr. Glennie's. So 'twas to have it out with the parson that he had come to school thisday; and though we did not know so much then, yet guessed from hispresence that something was in the wind, and could read in his face thathe was very angry. Now, for all that we hated Maskew, yet were we gladenough to see him there, as hoping for something strange to vary thesameness of school, and scenting a disturbance in the air. Only Grace wasill at ease for fear her father should say something unseemly, and kepther head down with shocks of hair falling over her book, though I couldsee her blushing between them. So in vapours Maskew, and with an angryglance about him makes straight for the desk where our master sits at thetop of the room. For a moment Mr. Glennie, being shortsighted, did not see who 'twas; butas his visitor drew near, rose courteously to greet him. 'Good day to you, Mister Maskew, ' says he, holding out his hand. But Maskew puts his arms behind his back and bubbles out, 'Hold not outyour hand to me lest I spit on it. 'Tis like your snivelling cant towrite sweet psalms for smuggling rogues and try to frighten honest menwith your judgements. ' At first Mr. Glennie did not know what the other would be at, andafterwards understanding, turned very pale; but said as a minister hewould never be backward in reproving those whom he considered in thewrong, whether from the pulpit or from the gravestone. Then Maskewflies into a great passion, and pours out many vile and insolent words, saying Mr. Glennie is in league with the smugglers and fattens on theircrimes; that the poetry is a libel; and that he, Maskew, will have thelaw of him for calumny. After that he took Grace by the arm, and bade her get hat and cape andcome with him. 'For', says he, 'I will not have thee taught any more by apsalm-singing hypocrite that calls thy father murderer. ' And all thewhile he kept drawing up closer to Mr. Glennie, until the two stood verynear each other. There was a great difference between them; the one short and blustering, with a red face turned up; the other tall and craning down, ill-clad, ill-fed, and pale. Maskew had in his left hand a basket, with which hewent marketing of mornings, for he made his own purchases, and likedfish, as being cheaper than meat. He had been chaffering with thefishwives this very day, and was bringing back his provend with him whenhe visited our school. Then he said to Mr. Glennie: 'Now, Sir Parson, the law has given intoYour fool's hands a power over this churchyard, and 'tis your trade tostop unseemly headlines from being set up within its walls, or once setup, to turn them out forthwith. So I give you a week's grace, and iftomorrow sennight yon stone be not gone, I will have it up and flung inpieces outside the wall. ' Mr. Glennie answered him in a low voice, but quite clear, so that wecould hear where we sat: 'I can neither turn the stone out myself, norstop you from turning it out if you so mind; but if you do this thing, and dishonour the graveyard, there is One stronger than either you or Ithat must be reckoned with. ' I knew afterwards that he meant the Almighty, but thought then that'twas of Elzevir he spoke; and so, perhaps, did Mr. Maskew, for he fellinto a worse rage, thrust his hand in the basket, whipped out a greatsole he had there, and in a twinkling dashes it in Mr. Glennie's face, with a 'Then, take that for an unmannerly parson, for I would not foul myfist with your mealy chops. ' But to see that stirred my choler, for Mr. Glennie was weak as wax, andwould never have held up his hand to stop a blow, even were he strong asGoliath. So I was for setting on Maskew, and being a stout lad for myage, could have had him on the floor as easy as a baby; but as I rosefrom my seat, I saw he held Grace by the hand, and so hung back for amoment, and before I got my thoughts together he was gone, and I saw thetail of Grace's cape whisk round the screen door. A sole is at the best an ugly thing to have in one's face, and this solewas larger than most, for Maskew took care to get what he could for hismoney, so it went with a loud smack on Mr. Glennie's cheek, and then fellwith another smack on the floor. At this we all laughed, as childrenwill, and Mr. Glennie did not check us, but went back and sat very quietat his desk; and soon I was sorry I had laughed, for he looked sad, withhis face sanded and a great red patch on one side, and beside that thefin had scratched him and made a blood-drop trickle down his cheek. A fewminutes later the thin voice of the almshouse clock said twelve, and awaywalked Mr. Glennie without his usual 'Good day, children', and there wasthe sole left lying on the dusty floor in front of his desk. It seemed a shame so fine a fish should be wasted, so I picked it up andslipped it in my desk, sending Fred Burt to get his mother's gridironthat we might grill it on the schoolroom fire. While he was gone I wentout to the court to play, and had not been there five minutes when backcomes Maskew through our playground without Grace, and goes into theschoolroom. But in the screen at the end of the room was a chink, againstwhich we used to hold our fingers on bright days for the sun to shinethrough, and show the blood pink; so up I slipped and fixed my eye to thehole, wanting to know what he was at. He had his basket with him, and Isoon saw he had come back for the sole, not having the heart to leave sogood a bit of fish. But look where he would, he could not find it, for henever searched my desk, and had to go off with a sour countenance; butFred Burt and I cooked the sole, and found it well flavoured, for all ithad given so much pain to Mr. Glennie. After that Grace came no more to school, both because her father hadsaid she should not, and because she was herself ashamed to go backafter what Maskew had done to Mr. Glennie. And then it was that I took towandering much in the Manor woods, having no fear of man-traps, for Iknew their place as soon as they were put down, but often catching sightof Grace, and sometimes finding occasion to talk with her. Thus timepassed, and I lived with Elzevir at the Why Not?, still going to schoolof mornings, but spending the afternoons in fishing, or in helping himin the garden, or with the boats. As soon as I got to know him well, Ibegged him to let me help run the cargoes, but he refused, saying I wasyet too young, and must not come into mischief. Yet, later, yielding tomy importunity, he consented; and more than one dark night I was in thelanding-boats that unburdened the lugger, though I could never bringmyself to enter the Mohune vault again, but would stand as sentry at thepassage-mouth. And all the while I had round my neck Colonel JohnMohune's locket, and at first wore it next myself, but finding it blackthe skin, put it between shirt and body-jacket. And there by dint ofwear it grew less black, and showed a little of the metal underneath, and at last I took to polishing it at odd times, until it came out quitewhite and shiny, like the pure silver that it was. Elzevir had seen thislocket when he put me to bed the first time I came to the Why Not? andafterwards I told him whence I got it; but though we had it out morethan once of an evening, we could never come at any hidden meaning. Indeed, we scarce tried to, judging it to be certainly a sacred charm tokeep evil spirits from Blackbeard's body. CHAPTER 7 AN AUCTION What if my house be troubled with a rat, And I be pleased to give ten thousand ducatsTo have it baned--_Shakespeare_ One evening in March, when the days were lengthening fast, there came amessenger from Dorchester, and brought printed notices for fixing to theshutters of the Why Not? and to the church door, which said that in aweek's time the bailiff of the duchy of Cornwall would visit Moonfleet. This bailiff was an important person, and his visits stood as events invillage history. Once in five years he made a perambulation, or journey, through the whole duchy, inspecting all the Royal property, and arrangingfor new leases. His visits to Moonfleet were generally short enough, forowing to the Mohunes owning all the land, the only duchy estate there wasthe Why Not? and the only duty of the bailiff to renew that five-yearlease, under which Blocks had held the inn, father and son, forgenerations. But for all that, the business was not performed withoutceremony, for there was a solemn show of putting up the lease of the innto the highest bidder, though it was well understood that no one exceptElzevir would make an offer. So one morning, a week later, I went up to the top end of the villageto watch for the bailiff's postchaise, and about eleven of the forenoonsaw it coming down the hill with four horses and two postillions. Presently it came past, and I saw there were two men in it--a clerksitting with his back to the horses, and in the seat opposite a littleman in a periwig, whom I took for the bailiff. Then I ran down to myaunt's house, for Elzevir had asked me to beg one of her best wintercandles for a purpose which I will explain presently. I had not seenAunt Jane, except in church, since the day that she dismissed me, butshe was no stiffer than usual, and gave me the candle readily enough. 'There, ' she said, 'take it, and I wish it may bring light into yourdark heart, and show you what a wicked thing it is to leave your ownkith and kin and go to dwell in a tavern. ' I was for saying that it waskith and kin that left me, and not I them; and as for living in atavern, it was better to live there than nowhere at all, as she wouldwish me to do in turning me out of her house; but did not, and onlythanked her for the candle, and was off. When I came to the inn, there was the postchaise in front of the door, the horses being led away to bait, and a little group of villagersstanding round; for though the auction of the Why Not? was in itself atrite thing with a foregone conclusion, yet the bailiff's visit alwaysstirred some show of interest. There were a few children with their nosesflattened against the windows of the parlour, and inside were Mr. Bailiffand Mr. Clerk hard at work on their dinner. Mr. Bailiff, who was, as Iguessed, the little man in the periwig, sat at the top of the table, andMr. Clerk sat at the bottom, and on chairs were placed their hats, andtravelling-cloaks, and bundles of papers tied together with green tape. You may be sure that Elzevir had a good dinner for them, with hot rabbitpie and cold round of brawn, and a piece of blue vinny, which Mr. Bailiffate heartily, but his clerk would not touch, saying he had as lief chewsoap. There was also a bottle of Ararat milk, and a flagon of ale, for wewere afraid to set French wines before them, lest they should fall towondering how they were come by. Elzevir took the candle, chiding me a little for being late, and set itin a brass candlestick in the middle of the table. Then Mr. Clerk takes alittle rule from his pocket, measures an inch down on the candle, sticksinto the grease at that point a scarf-pin with an onyx head that Elzevirlent him, and lights the wick. Now the reason of this was, that thecustom ran in Moonfleet when either land or lease was put up to bidding, to stick a pin in a candle; and so long as the pin held firm, it was opento any to make a better offer, but when the flame burnt down and the pinfell out, then land or lease fell to the last bidder. So after dinner wasover and the table cleared, Mr. Clerk takes out a roll of papers andreads a legal description of the Why Not?, calling it the Mohune Arms, anexcellent messuage or tenement now used as a tavern, and speaking of theconvenient paddocks or parcels of grazing land at the back of it, calledMoons'-lease, amounting to sixteen acres more or less. Then he invitesthe company to make an offer of rent for such a desirable property undera five years' lease, and as Elzevir and I are the only company present, the bidding is soon done; for Elzevir offers a rent of 12 a year, whichhas always been the value of the Why Not? The clerk makes a note ofthis; but the business is not over yet, for we must wait till the pindrops out of the candle before the lease is finally made out. So the menfell to smoking to pass the time, till there could not have been morethan ten minutes' candle to burn, and Mr. Bailiff, with a glass of Araratmilk in his hand, was saying, 'Tis a curious and fine tap of Hollands youkeep here, Master Block, ' when in walked Mr. Maskew. A thunderbolt would not have astonished me so much as did his appearance, and Elzevir's face grew black as night; but the bailiff and clerk showedno surprise, not knowing the terms on which persons in our village stoodto one another, and thinking it natural that someone should come in tosee the pin drop, and the end of an ancient custom. Indeed, Maskew seemedto know the bailiff, for he passed the time of day with him, and was thenfor sitting down at the table without taking any notice of Elzevir or me. But just as he began to seat himself, Block shouted out, 'You are nowelcome visitor in my house, and I would sooner see your back than seeyour face, but sit at this table you shall not. ' I knew what he meant;for on that table they had laid out David's body, and with that he struckhis fist upon the board so smart as to make the bailiff jump and nearlybring the pin out of the candle. 'Heyday, sirs, ' says Mr. Bailiff, astonished, 'let us have no brawlinghere, the more so as this worshipful gentleman is a magistrate andsomething of a friend of mine. ' Yet Maskew refrained from sitting, butstood by the bailiff's chair, turning white, and not red, as he did withMr. Glennie; and muttered something, that he had as lief stand as sit, and that it should soon be Block's turn to ask sitting-room of _him_. I was wondering what possibly could have brought Maskew there, when thebailiff, who was ill at ease, said--'Come, Mr. Clerk, the pin hath butanother minute's hold; rehearse what has been done, for I must get thislease delivered and off to Bridport, where much business waits. ' So the clerk read in a singsong voice that the property of the duchy ofCornwall, called the Mohune Arms, an inn or tavern, with all its land, tenements, and appurtenances, situate in the Parish of St. Sebastian, Moonfleet, having been offered on lease for five years, would be let toElzevir Block at a rent of 12 per annum, unless anyone offered a higherrent before the pin fell from the candle. There was no one to make another offer, and the bailiff said to Elzevir, 'Tell them to have the horses round, the pin will be out in a minute, and'twill save time. ' So Elzevir gave the order, and then we all stood roundin silence, waiting for the pin to fall. The grease had burnt down to themark, or almost below it, as it appeared; but just where the pin stuck inthere was a little lump of harder tallow that held bravely out, refusingto be melted. The bailiff gave a stamp of impatience with his foot underthe table as though he hoped thus to shake out the pin, and then a littledry voice came from Maskew, saying-- 'I offer 13 a year for the inn. ' This fell upon us with so much surprise, that all looked round, seekingas it were some other speaker, and never thinking that it could beMaskew. Elzevir was the first, I believe, to fully understand 'twas he;and without turning to look at bailiff or Maskew, but having his elbowson the table, his face between his hands, and looking straight out tosea said in a sturdy voice, 'I offer 20. ' The words were scarce out of his mouth when Maskew caps them with 21, and so in less than a minute the rent of the Why Not? was near doubled. Then the bailiff looked from one to the other, not knowing what to makeof it all, nor whether 'twas comedy or serious, and said-- 'Kind sir, I warn ye not to trifle; I have no time to waste in Aprilfooling, and he who makes offers in sport will have to stand to themin earnest. ' But there was no lack of earnest in one at least of the men that he hadbefore him, and the voice with which Elzevir said 30 was still sturdy. Maskew called 31 and 41, and Elzevir 40 and 50, and then I looked atthe candle, and saw that the head of the pin was no longer level, it hadsunk a little--a very little. The clerk awoke from his indifference, andwas making notes of the bids with a squeaking quill, the bailiff frownedas being puzzled, and thinking that none had a right to puzzle him. Asfor me, I could not sit still, but got on my feet, if so I might betterbear the suspense; for I understood now that Maskew had made up his mindto turn Elzevir out, and that Elzevir was fighting for his home. _His_home, and had he not made it my home too, and were we both to be madeoutcasts to please the spite of this mean little man? There were some more bids, and then I knew that Maskew was saying 91, and saw the head of the pin was lower; the hard lump of tallow in AuntJane's candle was thawing. The bailiff struck in: 'Are ye mad, sirs, andyou, Master Block, save your breath, and spare your money; and if thisworshipful gentleman must become innkeeper at any price, let him have theplace in the Devil's name, and I will give thee the Mermaid, at Bridport, with a snug parlour, and ten times the trade of this. ' Elzevir seemed not to hear what he said, but only called out 100, withhis face still looking out to sea, and the same sturdiness in his voice. Then Maskew tried a spring, and went to 120, and Elzevir capped him with130, and 140, 150, 160, 170 followed quick. My breath came so fastthat I was almost giddy, and I had to clench my hands to remind myself ofwhere I was, and what was going on. The bidders too were breathing hard, Elzevir had taken his head from his hands, and the eyes of all were onthe pin. The lump of tallow was worn down now; it was hard to say why thepin did not fall. Maskew gulped out 180, and Elzevir said 190, and thenthe pin gave a lurch, and I thought the Why Not? was saved, though at theprice of ruin. No; the pin had not fallen, there was a film that held itby the point, one second, only one second. Elzevir's breath, which wasready to outbid whatever Maskew said, caught in his throat with thecatching pin, and Maskew sighed out 200, before the pin pattered on thebottom of the brass candlestick. The clerk forgot his master's presence and shut his notebook with a bang, 'Congratulate you, sir, ' says he, quite pert to Maskew; 'you are thelandlord of the poorest pothouse in the Duchy at 200 a year. ' The bailiff paid no heed to what his man did, but took his periwigoff and wiped his head. 'Well, I'm hanged, ' he said; and so the WhyNot? was lost. Just as the last bid was given, Elzevir half-rose from his chair, andfor a moment I expected to see him spring like a wild beast on Maskew;but he said nothing, and sat down again with the same stolid look on hisface. And, indeed, it was perhaps well that he thus thought better ofit, for Maskew stuck his hand into his bosom as the other rose; andthough he withdrew it again when Elzevir got back to his chair, yet thefront of his waistcoat was a little bulged, and, looking sideways, I sawthe silver-shod butt of a pistol nestling far down against his whiteshirt. The bailiff was vexed, I think, that he had been betrayed intosuch strong words; for he tried at once to put on as indifferent an airas might be, saying in dry tones, 'Well, gentlemen, there seems to behere some personal matter into which I shall not attempt to spy. Twohundred pounds more or less is but a flea-bite to the Duchy; and if you, sir, ' turning to Maskew, 'wish later on to change your mind, and be quitof the bargain, I shall not be the man to stand in your way. In anycase, I imagine 'twill be time enough to seal the lease if I send itfrom London. ' I knew he said this, and hinted at delay as wishing to do Elzevir a goodturn; for his clerk had the lease already made out pat, and it onlywanted the name and rent filled in to be sealed and signed. But, 'No, 'says Maskew, 'business is business, Mr. Bailiff, and the post uncertainto parts so distant from the capital as these; so I'll thank you to makeout the lease to me now, and on May Day place me in possession. ' 'So be it then, ' said the bailiff a little testily, 'but blame me not fordriving hard bargains; for the Duchy, whose servant I am, ' and he raisedhis hat, 'is no daughter of the horse-leech. Fill in the figures, Mr. Scrutton, and let us away. ' So Mr. Scrutton, for that was Mr. Clerk's name, scratches a bit with hisquill on the parchment sheet to fill in the money, and then Maskewscratches his name, and Mr. Bailiff scratches his name, and Mr. Clerkscratches again to witness Mr. Bailiff's name, and then Mr. Bailiff takesfrom his mails a little shagreen case, and out from the case comessealing-wax and the travelling seal of the Duchy. There was my aunt's best winter-candle still burning away in thedaylight, for no one had taken any thought to put it out; and Mr. Bailiffmelts the wax at it, till a drop of sealing-wax falls into the grease andmakes a gutter down one side, and then there is a sweating of theparchment under the hot wax, and at last on goes the seal. 'Signed, sealed, and delivered, ' says Mr. Clerk, rolling up the sheet and handingit to Maskew; and Maskew takes and thrusts it into his bosom underneathhis waistcoat front--all cheek by jowl with that silver-hafted pistol, whose butt I had seen before. The postchaise stood before the door, the horses were stamping on thecobble-stones, and the harness jingled. Mr. Clerk had carried out hismails, but Mr. Bailiff stopped for a moment as he flung the travellingcloak about his shoulders to say to Elzevir, 'Tut, man, take things nottoo hardly. Thou shalt have the Mermaid at 20 a year, which will beworth ten times as much to thee as this dreary place; and canst send thyson to Bryson's school, where they will make a scholar of him, for he isa brave lad'; and he touched my shoulder, and gave me a kindly look ashe passed. 'I thank your worship', said Elzevir, 'for all your goodness; but when Iquit this place, I shall not set up my staff again at any inn door. ' Mr. Bailiff seemed nettled to see his offer made so little of, and leftthe room with a sniff, 'Then I wish you good day. ' Maskew had slipped out before him, and the children's noses left thewindow-pane as the great man walked down the steps. There was a littlegroup to see the start, but it quickly melted; and before the clatter ofhoofs died away, the report spread through the village that Maskew hadturned Elzevir out of the Why Not? For a long time after all had gone, Elzevir sat at the table with hishead between his hands, and I kept quiet also, both because I was myselfsorry that we were to be sent adrift, and because I wished to showElzevir that I felt for him in his troubles. But the young cannot enterfully into their elders' sorrows, however much they may wish to, andafter a time the silence palled upon me. It was getting dusk, and thecandle which bore itself so bravely through auction and lease-sealingburnt low in the socket. A minute later the light gave some flickeringflashes, failings, and sputters, and then the wick tottered, and outpopped the flame, leaving us with the chilly grey of a March eveningcreeping up in the corners of the room. I could bear the gloom no longer, but made up the fire till the light danced ruddy across pewter andporcelain on the dresser. 'Come, Master Block, ' I said, 'there is timeenough before May Day to think what we shall do, so let us take a cup oftea, and after that I will play you a game of backgammon. ' But he stillremained cast down, and would say nothing; and as chance would have it, though I wished to let him win at backgammon, that so, perhaps, he mightget cheered, yet do what I would that night I could not lose. So as hisluck grew worse his moodiness increased, and at last he shut the boardwith a bang, saying, in reference to that motto that ran round its edge, 'Life is like a game of hazard, and surely none ever flung worse throws, or made so little of them as I. ' CHAPTER 8 THE LANDING Let my lamp at midnight hourBe seen in some high lonely tower--_Milton_ Maskew got ugly looks from the men, and sour words from the wives, as hewent up through the village that afternoon, for all knew what he haddone, and for many days after the auction he durst not show his faceabroad. Yet Damen of Ringstave and some others of the landers' men, whomade it their business to keep an eye upon him, said that he had beentwice to Weymouth of evenings, and held converse there with Mr. Luckhamof the Excise, and with Captain Henning, who commanded the troopers thenin quarters on the Nothe. And by degrees it got about, but how I do notknow, that he had persuaded the Revenue to strike hard at the smugglers, and that a strong posse was to be held in readiness to take the landersin the act the next time they should try to run a cargo. Why Maskewshould so put himself about to help the Revenue I cannot tell, nor didanyone ever certainly find out; but some said 'twas out of sheerwantonness, and a desire to hurt his neighbours; and others, that he sawwhat an apt place this was for landing cargoes, and wished first to makea brave show of zeal for the Excise, and afterwards to get the whole ofthe contraband trade into his own hands. However that may be, I think hewas certainly in league with the Revenue men, and more than once I sawhim on the Manor terrace with a spy glass in his hand, and guessed thathe was looking for the lugger in the offing. Now, word was mostly givento the lander, by safe hands, of the night on which a cargo should berun, and then in the morning or afternoon, the lugger would come justnear enough the land to be made out with glasses, and afterwards lie offagain out of sight till nightfall. The nights chosen for such work werewithout moon, but as still as might be, so long as there was wind enoughto fill the sails; and often the lugger could be made out from the beach, but sometimes 'twas necessary to signal with flares, though they wereused as little as might be. Yet after there had been a long spell ofrough weather, and a cargo had to be run at all hazards, I have known theboats come in even on the bright moonlight and take their risk, for 'twassaid the Excise slept sounder round us than anywhere in all the Channel. These tales of Maskew's doings failed not to reach Elzevir, and for somedays he thought best not to move, though there was a cargo on the otherside that wanted landing badly. But one evening when he had won atbackgammon, and was in an open mood, he took me into confidence, settingdown the dice box on the table, and saying-- 'There is word come from the shippers that we must take a cargo, for thatthey cannot keep the stuff by them longer at St. Malo. Now with thisdevil at the Manor prowling round, I dare not risk the job on Moonfleetbeach, nor yet stow the liquor in the vault; so I have told the_Bonaventure_ to put her nose into this bay tomorrow afternoon thatMaskew may see her well, and then to lie out again to sea, as she hasdone a hundred times before. But instead of waiting in the offing, shewill make straight off up Channel to a little strip of shingle underneathHoar Head. ' I nodded to show I knew the place, and he went on--'Men usedto choose that spot in good old times to beach a cargo before thepassage to the vault was dug; and there is a worked-out quarry theycalled Pyegrove's Hole, not too far off up the down, and choked withbrambles, where we can find shelter for a hundred kegs. So we'll be underHoar Head at five tomorrow morn with the pack-horses. I wish we could beearlier, for the sun rises thereabout, but the tide will not servebefore. ' It was at that moment that I felt a cold touch on my shoulders, as of thefresh air from outside, and thought beside I had a whiff of salt seaweedfrom the beach. So round I looked to see if door or window stood ajar. The window was tight enough, and shuttered to boot, but the door was notto be seen plainly for a wooden screen, which parted it from the parlour, and was meant to keep off draughts. Yet I could just see a top corner ofthe door above the screen and thought it was not fast. So up I got toshut it, for the nights were cold; but coming round the corner of thescreen found that 'twas closed, and yet I could have sworn I saw thelatch fall to its place as I walked towards it. Then I dashed forward, and in a trice had the door open, and was in the street. But the nightwas moonless and black, and I neither saw nor heard aught stirring, savethe gentle sea-wash on Moonfleet beach beyond the salt meadows. Elzevir looked at me uneasily as I came back. 'What ails thee, boy?' said he. 'I thought I heard someone at the door, ' I answered; 'did you not feel acold wind as if it was open?' 'It is but the night is sharp, the spring sets in very chill; slip thebolt, and sit down again, ' and he flung a fresh log on the fire, thatsent a cloud of sparks crackling up the chimney and out into the room. 'Elzevir, ' I said, 'I think there was one listening at the door, andthere may be others in the house, so before we sit again let us takecandle and go through the rooms to make sure none are prying on us. ' He laughed and said, ''Twas but the wind that blew the door open, ' butthat I might do as I pleased. So I lit another candle, and was forstarting on my search; but he cried, 'Nay, thou shalt not go alone'; andso we went all round the house together, and found not so much as amouse stirring. He laughed the more when we came back to the parlour. ''Tis the coldhas chilled thy heart and made thee timid of that skulking rascal ofthe Manor; fill me a glass of Ararat milk, and one for thyself, and letus to bed. ' I had learned by this not to be afraid of the good liquor, and while wesat sipping it, Elzevir went on-- 'There is a fortnight yet to run, and then you and I shall be cut adriftfrom our moorings. It is a cruel thing to see the doors of this houseclosed on me, where I and mine have lived a century or more, but I mustsee it. Yet let us not be too cast down, but try to make something evenof this worst of throws. ' I was glad enough to hear him speak in this firmer strain, for I had seenwhat a sore thought it had been for these days past that he must leavethe Why Not?, and how it often made him moody and downcast. 'We will have no more of innkeeping, ' he said; 'I have been sick andtired of it this many a day, and care not now to see men abuse goodliquor and addle their silly pates to fill my purse. And I havesomething, boy, put snug away in Dorchester town that will give us breadto eat and beer to drink, even if the throws run still deuce-ace. But wemust seek a roof to shelter us when the Why Not? is shut, and 'tis bestwe leave this Moonfleet of ours for a season, till Maskew finds a rope'send long enough to hang himself withal. So, when our work is donetomorrow night, we will walk out along the cliff to Worth, and take alook at a cottage there that Damen spoke about, with a walled orchard atthe back, and fuchsia hedge in front--'tis near the Lobster Inn, and hasa fine prospect of the sea; and if we live there, we will leave the vaultalone awhile and use this Pyegrove's Hole for storehouse, till the watchis relaxed. ' I did not answer, having my thoughts on other things, and he tossed offhis liquor, saying, 'Thou'rt tired; so let's to bed, for we shall getlittle sleep tomorrow night. ' It was true that I was tired, and yet I could not get to sleep, buttossed and turned in my bed for thinking of many things, and being vexedthat we were to leave Moonfleet. Yet mine was a selfish sorrow; for I hadlittle thought for Elzevir and the pain that it must be to him to quit, the Why Not?: nor yet was it the grief of leaving Moonfleet that sotroubled me, although that was the only place I ever had known, andseemed to me then--as now--the only spot on earth fit to be lived in; butthe real care and canker was that I was going away from Grace Maskew. Forsince she had left school I had grown fonder of her; and now that it wasdifficult to see her, I took the more pains to accomplish it, and met hersometimes in Manor Woods, and more than once, when Maskew was away, hadwalked with her on Weatherbeech Hill. So we bred up a boy-and-girlaffection, and must needs pledge ourselves to be true to one another, notknowing what such silly words might mean. And I told Grace all mysecrets, not even excepting the doings of the contraband, and the Mohunevault and Blackbeard's locket, for I knew all was as safe with her aswith me, and that her father could never rack aught from her. Nay, more, her bedroom was at the top of the gabled wing of the Manor House, andlooked right out to sea; and one clear night, when our boat was cominglate from fishing, I saw her candle burning there, and next day told herof it. And then she said that she would set a candle to burn before thepanes on winter nights, and be a leading light for boats at sea. And soshe did, and others beside me saw and used it, calling it 'Maskew'sMatch', and saying that it was the attorney sitting up all night to poreover ledgers and add up his fortune. So this night as I lay awake I vexed and vexed myself for thinking ofher, and at last resolved to go up next morning to the Manor Woods andlie in wait for Grace, to tell her what was up, and that we were goingaway to Worth. Next day, the 16th of April--a day I have had cause to remember all mylife--I played truant from Mr. Glennie, and by ten in the forenoon foundmyself in the woods. There was a little dimple on the hillside above the house, green withburdocks in summer and filled with dry leaves in winter--just big enoughto hold one lying flat, and not so deep but that I could look over thelip of it and see the house without being seen. Thither I went that day, and lay down in the dry leaves to wait and watch for Grace. The morning was bright enough. The chills of the night before had givenway to sunlight that seemed warm as summer, and yet had with it the softfreshness of spring. There was scarce a breath moving in the wood, thoughI could see the clouds of white dust stalking up the road that climbsRidge down, and the trees were green with buds, yet without leafage tokeep the sunbeams from lighting up the ground below, which glowed withyellow king-cups. So I lay there for a long, long while; and to make timepass quicker, took from my bosom the silver locket, and opening it, readagain the parchment, which I had read times out of mind before, and knewindeed by heart. 'The days of our age are threescore years and ten', and the rest. Now, whenever I handled the locket, my thoughts were turned to Mohune'streasure; and it was natural that it should be so, for the locketreminded me of my first journey to the vault; and I laughed at myself, remembering how simple I had been, and had hoped to find the placelittered with diamonds, and to see the gold lying packed in heaps. Andthus for the hundredth time I came to rack my brain to know where thediamond could be hid, and thought at last it must be buried in thechurchyard, because of the talk of Blackbeard being seen on wild nightsdigging there for his treasure. But then, I reasoned, that very like itwas the contrabandiers whom men had seen with spades when they weredigging out the passage from the tomb to the vault, and set them down forghosts because they wrought at night. And while I was busy with suchthoughts, the door opened in the house below me, and out came Grace witha hood on her head and a basket for wild flowers in her hand. I watched to see which way she would walk; and as soon as she took thepath that leads up Weatherbeech, made off through the dry brushwood tomeet her, for we had settled she should never go that road except whenMaskew was away. So there we met and spent an hour together on the hill, though I shall not write here what we said, because it was mostly sillystuff. She spoke much of the auction and of Elzevir leaving the Why Not?, and though she never said a word against her father, let me know whatpain his doing gave her. But most she grieved that we were leavingMoonfleet, and showed her grief in such pretty ways, as made me almostglad to see her sorry. And from her I learned that Maskew was indeedabsent from home, having been called away suddenly last night. Theevening was so fine, he said (and this surprised me, remembering how darkand cold it was with us), that he must needs walk round the policies; butabout nine o'clock came back and told her he had got a sudden call tobusiness, which would take him to Weymouth then and there. So to saddle, and off he went on his mare, bidding Grace not to look for him for twonights to come. I know not why it was, but what she said of Maskew made me thoughtful andsilent, and she too must be back home lest the old servant that kepthouse for them should say she had been too long away, and so we parted. Then off I went through the woods and down the village street, but as Ipassed my old home saw Aunt Jane standing on the doorstep. I bade her'Good day', and was for running on to the Why Not?, for I was late enoughalready, but she called me to her, seeming in a milder mood, and said shehad something for me in the house. So left me standing while she went offto get it, and back she came and thrust into my hand a littleprayer-book, which I had often seen about the parlour in past days, saying, 'Here is a Common Prayer which I had meant to send thee with thyclothes. It was thy poor mother's, and I pray may some day be as preciousa balm to thee as it once was to that godly woman. ' With that she gave methe 'Good day', and I pocketed the little red leather book, which didindeed afterwards prove precious to me, though not in the way she meant, and ran down street to the Why Not? * * * * * That same evening Elzevir and I left the Why Not?, went up through thevillage, climbed the down, and were at the brow by sunset. We had startedearlier than we fixed the night before, because word had come to Elzevirthat morning that the tide called Gulder would serve for the beaching ofthe _Bonaventure_ at three instead of five. 'Tis a strange thing theGulder, and not even sailors can count closely with it; for on the Dorsetcoast the tide makes four times a day, twice with the common flow, andtwice with the Gulder, and this last being shifty and uncertain as totime, flings out many a sea-reckoning. It was about seven o'clock when we were at the top of the hill, and therewere fifteen good miles to cover to get to Hoar Head. Dusk was upon usbefore we had walked half an hour; but when the night fell, it was notblack as on the last evening, but a deep sort of blue, and the heat ofthe day did not die with the sun, but left the air still warm and balmy. We trudged on in silence, and were glad enough when we saw by a whitestone here and there at the side of the path that we were nearing thecliff; for the Preventive men mark all the footpaths on the cliff withwhitewashed stones, so that one can pick up the way without risk on adark night. A few minutes more, and we reached a broad piece of opensward, which I knew for the top of Hoar Head. Hoar Head is the highest of that line of cliffs, which stretches twentymiles from Weymouth to St. Alban's Head, and it stands up eighty fathomsor more above the water. The seaward side is a great sheer of chalk, butfalls not straight into the sea, for three parts down there is a lowerledge or terrace, called the under-cliff. 'Twas to this ledge that we were bound; and though we were now straightabove, I knew we had a mile or more to go before we could get down toit. So on we went again, and found the bridle-path that slopes downthrough a deep dip in the cliff line; and when we reached thisunder-ledge, I looked up at the sky, the night being clear, and guessedby the stars that 'twas past midnight. I knew the place from having oncebeen there for blackberries; for the brambles on the under-cliff beingsheltered every way but south, and open to the sun, grow the finest inall those parts. We were not alone, for I could make out a score of men, some standing ingroups, some resting on the ground, and the dark shapes of thepack-horses showing larger in the dimness. There were a few words ofgreeting muttered in deep voices, and then all was still, so that oneheard the browsing horses trying to crop something off the turf. It wasnot the first cargo I had helped to run, and I knew most of the men, butdid not speak with them, being tired, and wishing to rest till I waswanted. So cast myself down on the turf, but had not lain there long whenI saw someone coming to me through the brambles, and Master Ratsey said, 'Well, Jack, so thou and Elzevir are leaving Moonfleet, and I fain wouldflit myself, but then who would be left to lead the old folk to theirlast homes, for dead do not bury their dead in these days. ' I was half-asleep, and took little heed of what he said, putting him offwith, 'That need not keep you, Master; they will find others to fill yourplace. ' Yet he would not let me be, but went on talking for the pleasureof hearing his own voice. 'Nay, child, you know not what you say. They may find men to dig a grave, and perhaps to fill it, but who shall toss the mould when Parson Glenniegives the "earth to earth"; it takes a mort of knowledge to make itrattle kindly on the coffin-lid. ' I felt sleep heavy on my eyelids, and was for begging him to let me rest, when there came a whistle from below, and in a moment all were on theirfeet. The drivers went to the packhorses' heads, and so we walked down tothe strand, a silent moving group of men and horses mixed; and before wecame to the bottom, heard the first boat's nose grind on the beach, andthe feet of the seamen crunching in the pebbles. Then all fell to thebusiness of landing, and a strange enough scene it was, what with themedley of men, the lanthorns swinging, and a frothy Upper from the searunning up till sometimes it was over our boots; and all the time therewas a patter of French and Dutch, for most of the _Bonaventure's_ menwere foreigners. But I shall not speak more of this; for, after all, onelanding is very like another, and kegs come ashore in much the same way, whether they are to pay excise or not. It must have been three o'clock before the lugger's boats were off againto sea, and by that time the horses were well laden, and most of the menhad a keg or two to carry beside. Then Elzevir, who was in command, gavethe word, and we began to file away from the beach up to the under-cliff. Now, what with the cargo being heavy, we were longer than usual ingetting away; and though there was no sign of sunrise, yet the night wasgreyer, and not so blue as it had been. We reached the under-cliff, and were moving across it to addressourselves to the bridle-path, and so wind sideways up the steep; when Isaw something moving behind one of the plumbs of brambles with which theplace is beset. It was only a glimpse of motion that I had perceived, andcould not say whether 'twas man or animal, or even frightened bird behindthe bushes. But others had seen it as well; there was some shouting, halfa dozen flung down their kegs and started in pursuit. All eyes were turned to the bridle-path, and in a twinkling hunters andhunted were in view. The greyhounds were Damen and Garrett, with someothers, and the hare was an older man, who leapt and bounded forward, faster than I should have thought any but a youth could run; but then heknew what men were after him, and that 'twas a race for life. For thoughit was but a moment before all were lost in the night, yet this was longenough to show me that the man was none other than Maskew, and I knewthat his life was not worth ten minutes' purchase. Now I hated this man, and had myself suffered something at his hand, besides seeing him put much grievous suffering on others; but I wishedthen with all my heart he might escape, and had a horrible dread of whatwas to come. Yet I knew all the time escape was impossible; for thoughMaskew ran desperately, the way was steep and stony, and he had behindhim some of the fleetest feet along that coast. We had all stopped withone accord, as not wishing to move a step forward till we had seen theissue of the chase; and I was near enough to look into Elzevir's face, but saw there neither passion nor bloodthirstiness, but only a calmresolve, as if he had to deal with something well expected. We had not long to wait, for very soon we heard a rolling of stones andtrampling of feet coming down the path, and from the darkness issued agroup of men, having Maskew in the middle of them. They were hustling himalong fast, two having hold of him by the arms, and a third by the neckof his shirt behind. The sight gave me a sick qualm, like an overdose oftobacco, for it was the first time I had ever seen a man man-handled, anda fellow-creature abused. His cap was lost, and his thin hair tangledover his forehead, his coat was torn off, so that he stood in hiswaistcoat alone; he was pale, and gasped terribly, whether from the sharprun, or from violence, or fear, or all combined. There was a babel of voices when they came up of desperate men who had abitterest enemy in their clutch; and some shouted, 'Club him', 'Shoothim', 'Hang him', while others were for throwing him over the cliff. Thensomeone saw under the flap of his waistcoat that same silver-haftedpistol that lay so lately next the lease of the Why Not? and snatching itfrom him, flung it on the grass at Block's feet. But Elzevir's deep voice mastered their contentions-- 'Lads, ye remember how I said when this man's reckoning day should come'twas I would reckon with him, and had your promise to it. Nor is itright that any should lay hand on him but I, for is he not sealed to mewith my son's blood? So touch him not, but bind him hand and foot, andleave him here with me and go your ways; there is no time to lose, forthe light grows apace. ' There was a little muttered murmuring, but Elzevir's will overbore themhere as it had done in the vault; and they yielded the more easily, because every man knew in his heart that he would never see Maskew againalive. So within ten minutes all were winding up the bridle-path, horsesand men, all except three; for there were left upon the bramblygreensward of the under-cliff Maskew and Elzevir and I, and the pistollay at Elzevir's feet. CHAPTER 9 A JUDGEMENT Let them fight it out, friend. Things have gone too far, God must judge the couple: leave them as they are--_Browning_ I made as if I would follow the others, not wishing to see what I mustsee if I stayed behind, and knowing that I was powerless to bend Elzevirfrom his purpose. But he called me back and bade me wait with him, forthat I might be useful by and by. So I waited, but was only able to makea dreadful guess at how I might be of use, and feared the worst. Maskew sat on the sward with his hands lashed tight behind his back, andhis feet tied in front. They had set him with his shoulders against agreat block of weather-worn stone that was half-buried and half-stuck upout of the turf. There he sat keeping his eyes on the ground, and wasbreathing less painfully than when he was first brought, but still verypale. Elzevir stood with the lanthorn in his hand, looking at Maskewwith a fixed gaze, and we could hear the hoofs of the heavy-laden horsesbeating up the path, till they turned a corner, and all was still. The silence was broken by Maskew: 'Unloose me, villain, and let me go. Iam a magistrate of the county, and if you do not, I will have yougibbeted on this cliff-top. ' They were brave words enough, yet seemed to me but bad play-acting; andbrought to my remembrance how, when I was a little fellow, Mr. Glennieonce made me recite a battle-piece of Mr. Dryden before my betters; andhow I could scarce get out the bloody threats for shyness and risingtears. So it was with Maskew's words; for he had much ado to gatherbreath to say them, and they came in a thin voice that had no sting ofwrath or passion in it. Then Elzevir spoke to him, not roughly, but resolved; and yet withmelancholy, like a judge sentencing a prisoner: 'Talk not to me of gibbets, for thou wilt neither hang nor see men hangedagain. A month ago thou satst under my roof, watching the flame burn downtill the pin dropped and gave thee right to turn me out from my old home. And now this morning thou shalt watch that flame again, for I will givethee one inch more of candle, and when the pin drops, will put this thineown pistol to thy head, and kill thee with as little thought as I wouldkill a stoat or other vermin. ' Then he opened the lanthorn slide, took out from his neckcloth that samepin with the onyx head which he had used in the Why Not? and fixed it inthe tallow a short inch from the top, setting the lanthorn down upon thesward in front of Maskew. As for me, I was dismayed beyond telling at these words, and madegiddy with the revulsion of feeling; for, whereas, but a few minutesago, I would have thought nothing too bad for Maskew, now I was turnedround to wish he might come off with his life, and to look with terrorupon Elzevir. It had grown much lighter, but not yet with the rosy flush of sunrise;only the stars had faded out, and the deep blue of the night given way toa misty grey. The light was strong enough to let all things be seen, butnot to call the due tints back to them. So I could see cliffs and ground, bushes and stones and sea, and all were of one pearly grey colour, orrather they were colourless; but the most colourless and greyest thing ofall was Maskew's face. His hair had got awry, and his head showed muchbalder than when it was well trimmed; his face, too, was drawn with heavylines, and there were rings under his eyes. Beside all that, he had gotan ugly fall in trying to escape, and one cheek was muddied, and down ittrickled a blood-drop where a stone had cut him. He was a sorry sightenough, and looking at him, I remembered that day in the schoolroom whenthis very man had struck the parson, and how our master had sat patientunder it, with a blood-drop trickling down his cheek too. Maskew kept hiseyes fixed for a long time on the ground, but raised them at last, andlooked at me with a vacant yet pity-seeking look. Now, till that moment Ihad never seen a trace of Grace in his features, nor of him in hers; andyet as he gazed at me then, there was something of her present in hisface, even battered as it was, so that it seemed as if she looked at mebehind his eyes. And that made me the sorrier for him, and at last I feltI could not stand by and see him done to death. When Elzevir had stuck the pin into the candle he never shut the slideagain; and though no wind blew, there was a light breath moving in themorning off the sea, that got inside the lanthorn and set the flameaskew. And so the candle guttered down one side till but little tallowwas left above the pin; for though the flame grew pale and paler to theview in the growing morning light, yet it burnt freely all the time. Soat last there was left, as I judged, but a quarter of an hour to runbefore the pin should fall, and I saw that Maskew knew this as well as I, for his eyes were fixed on the lanthorn. At last he spoke again, but the brave words were gone, and the thin voicewas thinner. He had dropped threats, and was begging piteously for hislife. 'Spare me, ' he said; 'spare me, Mr. Block: I have an only daughter, a young girl with none but me to guard her. Would you rob a young girl ofher only help and cast her on the world? Would you have them find me deadupon the cliff and bring me back to her a bloody corpse?' Then Elzevir answered: 'And had I not an only son, and was he not broughtback to me a bloody corpse? Whose pistol was it that flashed in his faceand took his life away? Do you not know? It was this very same that shallflash in yours. So make what peace you may with God, for you have littletime to make it. ' With that he took the pistol from the ground where it had lain, andturning his back on Maskew, walked slowly to and fro among thebramble-plumps. Though Maskew's words about his daughter seemed but to feed Elzevir'sanger, by leading him to think of David, they sank deep in my heart; andif it had seemed a fearful thing before to stand by and see afellow-creature butchered, it seemed now ten thousand times more fearful. And when I thought of Grace, and what such a deed would mean to her, mypulse beat so fierce that I must needs spring to my feet and run toreason with Elzevir, and tell him this must not be. He was still walking among the bushes when I found him, and let me saymy say till I was out of breath, and bore with me if I talked fast, andif my tongue outran my judgement. 'Thou hast a warm heart, lad, ' he said, 'and 'tis for that I like thee. And if thou hast a chief place in thy heart for me, I cannot grumble ifthou find a little room there even for our enemies. Would I could set thysoul at ease, and do all that thou askest. In the first flush of wrath, when he was taken plotting against our lives, it seemed a little thingenough to take his evil life. But now these morning airs have cooled me, and it goes against my will to shoot a cowering hound tied hand and foot, even though he had murdered twenty sons of mine. I have thought ifthere be any way to spare his life, and leave this hour's agony to read alesson not to be unlearned until the grave. For such poltroons dreaddeath, and in one hour they die a hundred times. But there is no way out:his life lies in the scale against the lives of all our men, yes, and thylife too. They left him in my hands well knowing I should take account ofhim; and am I now to play them false and turn him loose again to hangthem all? It cannot be. ' Still I pleaded hard for Maskew's life, hanging on Elzevir's arm, andusing every argument that I could think of to soften his purpose; but hepushed me off; and though I saw that he was loth to do it, I had aterrible conviction that he was not a man to be turned back from hisresolve, and would go through with it to the end. We came back together from the brambles to the piece of sward, and theresat Maskew where we had left him with his back against the stone. Only, while we were away he had managed to wriggle his watch out of the fob, and it lay beside him on the turf, tied to him with a black silk riband. The face of it was turned upwards, and as I passed I saw the hand pointedto five. Sunrise was very near; for though the cliff shut out the eastfrom us, the west over Portland was all aglow with copper-red and gold, and the candle burnt low. The head of the pin was drooping, though veryslightly, but as I saw it droop a month before, and I knew that the finalact was not far off. Maskew knew it too, for he made his last appeal, using such passionatewords as I cannot now relate, and wriggling with his body as if to gethis hands from behind his back and hold them up in supplication. Heoffered money; a thousand, five thousand, ten thousand pounds to be setfree; he would give back the Why Not?; he would leave Moonfleet; and allthe while the sweat ran down his furrowed face, and at last his voice waschoked with sobs, for he was crying for his life in craven fear. He might have spoken to a deaf man for all he moved his judge; andElzevir's answer was to cock the pistol and prime the powder in the pan. Then I stuck my fingers in my ears and shut my eyes, that I mightneither see nor hear what followed, but in a second changed my mind andopened them again, for I had made a great resolve to stop this matter, come what might. Maskew was making a dreadful sound between a moan and strangled cry; italmost seemed as if he thought that there were others by him besideElzevir and me, and was shouting to them for help. The sun had risen, andhis first rays blazed on a window far away in the west on top of PortlandIsland, and then there was a tinkle in the inside of the lanthorn, andthe pin fell. Elzevir looked full at Maskew, and raised his pistol; but before he hadtime to take aim, I dashed upon him like a wild cat, springing on hisright arm, and crying to him to stop. It was an unequal struggle, a lad, though full-grown and lusty, against one of the powerfullest of men, butindignation nerved my arms, and his were weak, because he doubted of hisright. So 'twas with some effort that he shook me off, and in thestruggle the pistol was fired into the air. Then I let go of him, and stumbled for a moment, tired with that bout, but pleased withal, because I saw what peace even so short a respite hadbrought to Maskew. For at the pistol shot 'twas as if a mask of horrorhad fallen from his face, and left him his old countenance again; andthen I saw he turned his eyes towards the cliff-top, and thought that hewas looking up in thankfulness to heaven. But now a new thing happened; for before the echoes of that pistol-shothad died on the keen morning air, I thought I heard a noise of distantshouting, and looked about to see whence it could come. Elzevir lookedround too, but Maskew forgetting to upbraid me for making him miss hisaim, still kept his face turned up towards the cliff. Then the voicescame nearer, and there was a mingled sound as of men shouting to oneanother, and gathering in from different places. 'Twas from the cliff-topthat the voices came, and thither Elzevir and I looked up, and there tooMaskew kept his eyes fixed. And in a moment there were a score of menstood on the cliff's edge high above our heads. The sky behind them waspink flushed with the keenest light of the young day, and they stood outagainst it sharp cut and black as the silhouette of my mother that usedto hang up by the parlour chimney. They were soldiers, and I knew thetall mitre-caps of the 13th, and saw the shafts of light from the sunrisecome flashing round their bodies, and glance off the barrels of theirmatchlocks. I knew it all now; it was the Posse who had lain in ambush. Elzevir sawit too, and then all shouted at once. 'Yield at the King's command: youare our prisoners!' calls the voice of one of those black silhouettes, far up on the cliff-top. 'We are lost, ' cries Elzevir; 'it is the Posse; but if we die, thistraitor shall go before us, ' and he makes towards Maskew to brain himwith the pistol. 'Shoot, shoot, in the Devil's name, ' screams Maskew, 'or I am adead man. ' Then there came a flash of fire along the black line of silhouettes, with a crackle like a near peal of thunder, and a fut, fut, fut, ofbullets in the turf. And before Elzevir could get at him, Maskew hadfallen over on the sward with a groan, and with a little red hole in themiddle of his forehead. 'Run for the cliff-side, ' cried Elzevir to me; 'get close in, and theycannot touch thee, ' and he made for the chalk wall. But I had fallen onmy knees like a bullock felled by a pole-axe, and had a scorching pain inmy left foot. Elzevir looked back. 'What, have they hit thee too?' hesaid, and ran and picked me up like a child. And then there is anotherflash and fut, fut, in the turf; but the shots find no billet this time, and we are lying close against the cliff, panting but safe. CHAPTER 10 THE ESCAPE . . . How fearfulAnd dizzy 'tis to cast one's eyes so low! . . . Ill look no moreLest my brain turn--_Shakespeare_ The while chalk was a bulwark between us and the foe; and though one ortwo of them loosed off their matchlocks, trying to get at us sideways, they could not even see their quarry, and 'twas only shooting at aventure. We were safe. But for how short a time! Safe just for so long asit should please the soldiers not to come down to take us, safe with adischarged pistol in our grasp, and a shot man lying at our feet. Elzevir was the first to speak: 'Can you stand, John? Is the bonebroken?' 'I cannot stand, ' I said; 'there is something gone in my leg, and I feelblood running down into my boot. ' He knelt, and rolled down the leg of my stocking; but though he onlymoved my foot ever so little, it caused me sharp pain, for feeling wascoming back after the first numbness of the shot. 'They have broke the leg, though it bleeds little, ' Elzevir said. 'Wehave no time to splice it here, but I will put a kerchief round, andwhile I wrap it, listen to how we lie, and then choose what we shall do. ' I nodded, biting my lips hard to conceal the pain he gave me, and he wenton: 'We have a quarter of an hour before the Posse can get down to us. But come they will, and thou canst judge what chance we have to saveliberty or life with that carrion lying by us'--and he jerked his thumbat Maskew--'though I am glad 'twas not my hand that sent him to hisreckoning, and therefore do not blame thee if thou didst make me waste acharge in air. So one thing we can do is to wait here until they come, and I can account for a few of them before they shoot me down; but thoucanst not fight with a broken leg, and they will take thee alive, andthen there is a dance on air at Dorchester Jail. ' I felt sick with pain and bitterly cast down to think that I was like tocome so soon to such a vile end; so only gave a sigh, wishing heartilythat Maskew were not dead, and that my leg were not broke, but that I wasback again at the Why Not? or even hearing one of Dr. Sherlock's sermonsin my aunt's parlour. Elzevir looked down at me when I sighed, and seeing, I suppose, that Iwas sorrowful, tried to put a better face on a bad business. 'Forgive me, lad, ' he said, 'if I have spoke too roughly. There is yet another waythat we may try; and if thou hadst but two whole legs, I would have triedit, but now 'tis little short of madness. And yet, if thou fear'st not, Iwill still try it. Just at the end of this flat ledge, farthest fromwhere the bridle-path leads down, but not a hundred yards from where westand, there is a sheep-track leading up the cliff. It starts where theunder-cliff dies back again into the chalk face, and climbs by slants andelbow-turns up to the top. The shepherds call it the Zigzag, and evensheep lose their footing on it; and of men I never heard but one hadclimbed it, and that was lander Jordan, when the Excise was on his heels, half a century back. But he that tries it stakes all on head and foot, and a wounded bird like thee may not dare that flight. Yet, if thou artcontent to hang thy life upon a hair, I will carry thee some way; andwhere there is no room to carry, thou must down on hands and knees andtrail thy foot. ' It was a desperate chance enough, but came as welcome as a patch of bluethrough lowering skies. 'Yes, ' I said, 'dear Master Elzevir, let us getto it quickly; and if we fall, 'tis better far to die upon the rocksbelow than to wait here for them to hale us off to jail. ' And with that Itried to stand, thinking I might go dot and carry even with a broken leg. But 'twas no use, and down I sank with a groan. Then Elzevir caught meup, holding me in his arms, with my head looking over his back, and madeoff for the Zigzag. And as we slunk along, close to the cliff-side, Isaw, between the brambles, Maskew lying with his face turned up to themorning sky. And there was the little red hole in the middle of hisforehead, and a thread of blood that welled up from it and trickled offon to the sward. It was a sight to stagger any man, and would have made me swoon perhaps, but that there was no time, for we were at the end of the under-cliff, and Elzevir set me down for a minute, before he buckled to his task. And'twas a task that might cow the bravest, and when I looked upon theZigzag, it seemed better to stay where we were and fall into the handsof the Posse than set foot on that awful way, and fall upon the rocksbelow. For the Zigzag started off as a fair enough chalk path, but in afew paces narrowed down till it was but a whiter thread against thegrey-white cliff-face, and afterwards turned sharply back, crossing ahundred feet direct above our heads. And then I smelt an evil stench, and looking about, saw the blown-out carcass of a rotting sheep lieclose at hand. 'Faugh, ' said Elzevir, 'tis a poor beast has lost his foothold. ' It was an ill omen enough, and I said as much, beseeching him to make hisown way up the Zigzag and leave me where I was, for that they might havemercy on a boy. 'Tush!' he cried; 'it is thy heart that fails thee, and 'tis too late nowto change counsel. We have fifteen minutes yet to win or lose with, andif we gain the cliff-top in that time we shall have an hour's start, ormore, for they will take all that to search the under-cliff. And Maskew, too, will keep them in check a little, while they try to bring the lifeback to so good a man. But if we fall, why, we shall fall together, andoutwit their cunning. So shut thy eyes, and keep them tight until I bidthee open them. ' With that he caught me up again, and I shut my eyesfirm, rebuking myself for my faint-heartedness, and not telling him howmuch my foot hurt me. In a minute I knew from Elzevir's steps that hehad left the turf and was upon the chalk. Now I do not believe that therewere half a dozen men beside in England who would have ventured up thatpath, even free and untrammelled, and not a man in all the world to do itwith a full-grown lad in his arms. Yet Elzevir made no bones of it, norspoke a single word; only he went very slow, and I felt him scuffle withhis foot as he set it forward, to make sure he was putting it down firm. I said nothing, not wishing to distract him from his terrible task, andheld my breath, when I could, so that I might lie quieter in his arms. Thus he went on for a time that seemed without end, and yet was reallybut a minute or two; and by degrees I felt the wind, that we could scarceperceive at all on the under-cliff, blow fresher and cold on thecliff-side. And then the path grew steeper and steeper, and Elzevir wentslower and slower, till at last he spoke: 'John, I am going to stop; but open not thy eyes till I have set theedown and bid thee. ' I did as bidden, and he lowered me gently, setting me on all-fours uponthe path; and speaking again: 'The path is too narrow here for me to carry thee, and thou must creepround this corner on thy hands and knees. But have a care to keep thyouter hand near to the inner, and the balance of thy body to the cliff, for there is no room to dance hornpipes here. And hold thy eyes fixed onthe chalk-wall, looking neither down nor seaward. ' 'Twas well he told me what to do, and well I did it; for when I opened myeyes, even without moving them from the cliff-side, I saw that the ledgewas little more than a foot wide, and that ever so little a lean of thebody would dash me on the rocks below. So I crept on, but spent much timethat was so precious in travelling those ten yards to take me round thefirst elbow of the path; for my foot was heavy and gave me fierce pain todrag, though I tried to mask it from Elzevir. And he, forgetting what Isuffered, cried out, 'Quicken thy pace, lad, if thou canst, the time isshort. ' Now so frail is man's temper, that though he was doing more thanany ever did to save another's life, and was all I had to trust to in theworld; yet because he forgot my pain and bade me quicken, my choler rose, and I nearly gave him back an angry word, but thought better of it andkept it in. Then he told me to stop, for that the way grew wider and he would pick meup again. But here was another difficulty, for the path was still sonarrow and the cliff-wall so close that he could not take me up in hisarms. So I lay flat on my face, and he stepped over me, setting his footbetween my shoulders to do it; and then, while he knelt down upon thepath, I climbed up from behind upon him, putting my arms round his neck;and so he bore me 'pickaback'. I shut my eyes firm again, and thus wemoved along another spell, mounting still and feeling the wind stillfreshening. At length he said that we were come to the last turn of the path, and hemust set me down once more. So down upon his knees and hands he went, andI slid off behind, on to the ledge. Both were on all-fours now; Elzevirfirst and I following. But as I crept along, I relaxed care for a moment, and my eyes wandered from the cliff-side and looked down. And far below Isaw the blue sea twinkling like a dazzling mirror, and the gulls wheelingabout the sheer chalk wall, and then I thought of that bloated carcass ofa sheep that had fallen from this very spot perhaps, and in an instantfelt a sickening qualm and swimming of the brain, and knew that I wasgiddy and must fall. Then I called out to Elzevir, and he, guessing what had come over me, cries to turn upon my side, and press my belly to the cliff. And how hedid it in such a narrow strait I know not; but he turned round, and lyingdown himself, thrust his hand firmly in my back, pressing me closer tothe cliff. Yet it was none too soon, for if he had not held me tight, Ishould have flung myself down in sheer despair to get quit of thatdreadful sickness. 'Keep thine eyes shut, John, ' he said, 'and count up numbers loud to me, that I may know thou art not turning faint. ' So I gave out, 'One, two, three, ' and while I went on counting, heard him repeating to himself, though his words seemed thin and far off: 'We must have taken ten minutesto get here, and in five more they will be on the under-cliff; and if weever reach the top, who knows but they have left a guard! No, no, theywill not leave a guard, for not a man knows of the Zigzag; and, if theyknew, they would not guess that we should try it. We have but fifty yardsto go to win, and now this cursed giddy fit has come upon the child, andhe will fall and drag me with him; or they will see us from below, andpick us off like sitting guillemots against the cliff-face. ' So he talked to himself, and all the while I would have given a world topluck up heart and creep on farther; yet could not, for the deadlysweating fear that had hold of me. Thus I lay with my face to the cliff, and Elzevir pushing firmly in my back; and the thing that frightened memost was that there was nothing at all for the hand to take hold of, forhad there been a piece of string, or even a thread of cotton, stretchedalong to give a semblance of support, I think I could have done it; butthere was only the cliff-wall, sheer and white, against that narrowestway, with never cranny to put a finger into. The wind was blowing infresh puffs, and though I did not open my eyes, I knew that it was movingthe little tufts of bent grass, and the chiding cries of the gullsseemed to invite me to be done with fear and pain and broken leg, andfling myself off on to the rocks below. Then Elzevir spoke. 'John' he said, 'there is no time to play the woman;another minute of this and we are lost. Pluck up thy courage, keep thyeyes to the cliff, and forward. ' Yet I could not, but answered: 'I cannot, I cannot; if I open my eyes, ormove hand or foot, I shall fall on the rocks below. ' He waited a second, and then said: 'Nay, move thou must, and 'tis betterto risk falling now, than fall for certain with another bullet in theelater on. ' And with that he shifted his hand from my back and fixed itin my coat-collar, moving backwards himself, and setting to drag meafter him. Now, I was so besotted with fright that I would not budge an inch, fearing to fall over if I opened my eyes. And Elzevir, for all he was sostrong, could not pull a helpless lump backwards up that path. So he gaveit up, leaving go hold on me with a groan, and at that moment there rosefrom the under-cliff, below a sound of voices and shouting. 'Zounds, they are down already!' cried Elzevir, 'and have found Maskew'sbody; it is all up; another minute and they will see us. ' But so strange is the force of mind on body, and the power of a greaterto master a lesser fear, that when I heard those voices from below, allfright of falling left me in a moment, and I could open my eyes without atrace of giddiness. So I began to move forward again on hands and knees. And Elzevir, seeing me, thought for a moment I had gone mad, and wasdragging myself over the cliff; but then saw how it was, and movedbackwards himself before me, saying in a low voice, 'Brave lad! Oncecreep round this turn, and I will pick thee up again. There is but fiftyyards to go, and we shall foil these devils yet!' Then we heard the voices again, but farther off, and not so loud; andknew that our pursuers had left the under-cliff and turned down on to thebeach, thinking that we were hiding by the sea. Five minutes later Elzevir stepped on to the cliff-top, with meupon his back. 'We have made something of this throw, ' he said, 'and are safe foranother hour, though I thought thy giddy head had ruined us. ' Then he put me gently upon the springy turf, and lay down himself uponhis back, stretching his arms out straight on either side, and breathinghard to recover from the task he had performed. * * * * * The day was still young, and far below us was stretched the moving floorof the Channel, with a silver-grey film of night-mists not yet lifted inthe offing. A hummocky up-and-down line of cliffs, all projections, dents, bays, and hollows, trended southward till it ended in the greatbluff of St. Alban's Head, ten miles away. The cliff-face was gleamingwhite, the sea tawny inshore, but purest blue outside, with the straightsunpath across it, spangled and gleaming like a mackerel's back. The relief of being once more on firm ground, and the exultation of anescape from immediate danger, removed my pain and made me forget that myleg was broken. So I lay for a moment basking in the sun; and the wind, which a few minutes before threatened to blow me from that narrow ledge, seemed now but the gentlest of breezes, fresh with the breath of thekindly sea. But this was only for a moment, for the anguish came backand grew apace, and I fell to thinking dismally of the plight we were in. How things had been against us in these last days! First there was losingthe Why Not? and that was bad enough; second, there was the being knownby the Excise for smugglers, and perhaps for murderers; third and last, there was the breaking of my leg, which made escape so difficult. But, most of all, there came before my eyes that grey face turned up againstthe morning sun, and I thought of all it meant for Grace, and would havegiven my own life to call back that of our worst enemy. Then Elzevir sat up, stretching himself like one waking out of sleep, andsaid: 'We must be gone. They will not be back for some time yet, and, when they come, will not think to search closely for us hereabouts; butthat we cannot risk, and must get clear away. This leg of thine will keepus tied for weeks, and we must find some place where we can lie hid, andtend it. Now, I know such a hiding-hole in Purbeck, which they callJoseph's Pit, and thither we must go; but it will take all the day to getthere, for it is seven miles off, and I am older than I was, and thou tooheavy a babe to carry over lightly. ' I did not know the pit he spoke of, but was glad to hear of some place, however far off, where I could lie still and get ease from the pain. Andso he took me in his arms again and started off across the fields. I need not tell of that weary journey, and indeed could not, if I wished;for the pain went to my head and filled me with such a drowsy anguishthat I knew nothing except when some unlooked-for movement gave me asharper twinge, and made me cry out. At first Elzevir walked briskly, butas the day wore on went slower, and was fain more than once to put medown and rest, till at last he could only carry me a hundred yards at atime. It was after noon, for the sun was past the meridian, and very hotfor the time of year, when the face of the country began to change; andinstead of the short sward of the open down, sprinkled with tiny whitesnail-shells, the ground was brashy with flat stones, and divided up intotillage fields. It was a bleak wide-bitten place enough, looking as if'twould never pay for turning, and instead of hedges there were drearywalls built of dry stone without mortar. Behind one of these walls, broken down in places, but held together with straggling ivy, andbuttressed here and there with a bramble-bush, Elzevir put me down atlength and said, 'I am beat, and can carry thee no farther for thispresent, though there is not now much farther to go. We have passedPurbeck Gates, and these walls will screen us from prying eyes if anychance comer pass along the down. And as for the soldiers, they are notlike to come this way so soon, and if they come I cannot help it; forweariness and the sun's heat have made my feet like lead. A score ofyears ago I would have laughed at such a task, but now 'tis different, and I must take a little sleep and rest till the air is cooler. So sitthee here and lean thy shoulder up against the wall, and thus thou canstlook through this broken place and watch both ways. Then, if thou seeaught moving, wake me up. --I wish I had a thimbleful of powder to makethis whistle sound'--and he took Maskew's silver-butted pistol again fromhis bosom, and handled it lovingly, --'tis like my evil luck to carryfire-arms thirty years, and leave them at home at a pinch like this. 'With that he flung himself down where there was a narrow shadow closeagainst the bottom of the wall, and in a minute I knew from his heavybreathing that he was asleep. The wind had freshened much, and was blowing strong from the west; andnow that I was under the lee of the wall I began to perceive thatdrowsiness creeping upon me which overtakes a man who has been tousledfor an hour or two by the wind, and gets at length into shelter. Moreover, though I was not tired by grievous toil like Elzevir, I hadpassed a night without sleep, and felt besides the weariness of pain tolull me to slumber. So it was, that before a quarter of an hour was past, I had much ado to keep awake, for all I knew that I was left on guard. Then I sought something to fix my thoughts, and looking on that side ofthe wall where the sward was, fell to counting the mole-hills that werecast up in numbers thereabout. And when I had exhausted them, andreckoned up thirty little heaps of dry and powdery brown earth, that layat random on the green turf, I turned my eyes to the tillage field on theother side of the wall, and saw the inch-high blades of corn coming upbetween the stones. Then I fell to counting the blades, feeling glad tohave discovered a reckoning that would not be exhausted at thirty, butwould go on for millions, and millions, and millions; and before I hadreached ten in so heroic a numeration was fast asleep. A sharp noise woke me with a start that set the pain tingling in my leg, and though I could see nothing, I knew that a shot had been fired verynear us. I was for waking Elzevir, but he was already full awake, and puta finger on his lip to show I should not speak. Then he crept a few pacesdown the wall to where an ivy bush over-topped it, enough for him to lookthrough the leaves without being seen. He dropped down again with a lookof relief, and said, ''Tis but a lad scaring rooks with a blunderbuss; wewill not stir unless he makes this way. ' A minute later he said: 'The boy is coming straight for the wall; weshall have to show ourselves'; and while he spoke there was a rattle offalling stones, where the boy was partly climbing and partly pullingdown the dry wall, and so Elzevir stood up. The boy looked frightened, and made as if he would run off, but Elzevir passed him the time of dayin a civil voice, and he stopped and gave it back. 'What are you doing here, son?' Block asked. 'Scaring rooks for Farmer Topp, ' was the answer. 'Have you got a charge of powder to spare?' said Elzevir, showing hispistol. 'I want to get a rabbit in the gorse for supper, and have droppedmy flask. Maybe you've seen a flask in walking through the furrows?' He whispered to me to lie still, so that it might not be perceived my legwas broken; and the boy replied: 'No, I have seen no flask; but very like have not come the same way asyou, being sent out here from Lowermoigne; and as for powder, I havelittle left, and must save that for the rooks, or shall get a beating formy pains. ' 'Come, ' said Elzevir, 'give me a charge or two, and there is half a crownfor thee. ' And he took the coin out of his pocket and showed it. The boy's eyes twinkled, and so would mine at so valuable a piece, andhe took out from his pocket a battered cowskin flask. 'Give flask andall, ' said Elzevir, 'and thou shalt have a crown, ' and he showed him thelarger coin. No time was wasted in words; Elzevir had the flask in his pocket, and theboy was biting the crown. 'What shot have you?' said Elzevir. 'What! have you dropped your shot-flask too?' asked the boy. And hisvoice had something of surprise in it. 'Nay, but my shot are over small; if thou hast a slug or two, I wouldtake them. ' 'I have a dozen goose-slugs, No. 2, ' said the boy; 'butthou must pay a shilling for them. My master says I never am to use them, except I see a swan or buzzard, or something fit to cook, come over: Ishall get a sound beating for my pains, and to be beat is worth ashilling. ' 'If thou art beat, be beat for something more, ' says Elzevir the tempter. 'Give me that firelock that thou carriest, and take a guinea. ' 'Nay, I know not, ' says the boy; 'there are queer tales afloat atLowermoigne, how that a Posse met the Contraband this morning, and shotswere fired, and a gauger got an overdose of lead--maybe of goose slugsNo. 2. The smugglers got off clear, but they say the hue and cry is upalready, and that a head-price will be fixed of twenty pound. So if Isell you a fowling-piece, maybe I shall do wrong, and have the Governmentupon me as well as my master. ' The surprise in his voice was changed tosuspicion, for while he spoke I saw that his eye had fallen on my foot, though I tried to keep it in the shadow; and that he saw the boot clottedwith blood, and the kerchief tied round my leg. ''Tis for that very reason, ' says Elzevir, 'that I want the firelock. These smugglers are roaming loose, and a pistol is a poor thing to stopsuch wicked rascals on a lone hill-side. Come, come, _thou_ dost not wanta piece to guard thee; they will not hurt a boy. ' He had the guinea between his finger and thumb, and the gleam of the goldwas too strong to be withstood. So we gained a sorry matchlock, slugs, and powder, and the boy walked off over the furrow, whistling with hishand in his pocket, and a guinea and a crown-piece in his hand. His whistle sounded innocent enough, yet I mistrusted him, having caughthis eye when he was looking at my bloody foot; and so I said as much toElzevir, who only laughed, saying the boy was simple and harmless. Butfrom where I sat I could peep out through the brambles in the open gap, and see without being seen--and there was my young gentleman walkingcarelessly enough, and whistling like any bird so long as Elzevir's headwas above the wall; but when Elzevir sat down, the boy gave a carefullook round, and seeing no one watching any more, dropped his whistlingand made off as fast as heels would carry him. Then I knew that he hadguessed who we were, and was off to warn the hue and cry; but beforeElzevir was on his feet again, the boy was out of sight, over thehill-brow. 'Let us move on, ' said Block; 'tis but a little distance now to go, andthe heat is past already. We must have slept three hours or more, forthou art but a sorry watchman, John. 'Tis when the sentry sleeps thatthe enemy laughs, and for thee the Posse might have had us both likedaylight owls. ' With that he took me on his back and made off with a lusty stride, keeping as much as possible under the brow of the hill and in the shelterof the walls. We had slept longer than we thought, for the sun waswestering fast, and though the rest had refreshed me, my leg had grownstiff, and hurt the more in dangling when we started again. Elzevir wasstill walking strongly, in spite of the heavy burden he carried, and inless than half an hour I knew, though I had never been there before, wewere in the land of the old marble quarries at the back of Anvil Point. Although I knew little of these quarries, and certainly was in evilplight to take note of anything at that time, yet afterwards I learntmuch about them. Out of such excavations comes that black Purbeck Marblewhich you see in old churches in our country, and I am told in otherparts of England as well. And the way of making a marble quarry is tosink a tunnel, slanting very steeply down into the earth, like a wellturned askew, till you reach fifty, seventy, or perhaps one hundred feetdeep. Then from the bottom of this shaft there spread out narrow passagesor tunnels, mostly six feet high, but sometimes only three or four, andin these the marble is dug. These quarries were made by men centuriesago, some say by the Romans themselves; and though some are still workedin other parts of Purbeck, those at the back of Anvil Point have beendisused beyond the memory of man. We had left the stony village fields, and the face of the country wascovered once more with the closest sward, which was just putting on thebrighter green of spring. This turf was not smooth, but hummocky, forunder it lay heaps of worthless stone and marble drawn out of thequarries ages ago, which the green vestment had covered for the mostpart, though it left sometimes a little patch of broken rubble peeringout at the top of a mound. There were many tumble-down walls and lowgables left of the cottages of the old quarrymen; grass-covered ridgesmarked out the little garden-folds, and here and there still stood aforlorn gooseberry-bush, or a stunted plum-or apple-tree with itsbranches all swept eastward by the up-Channel gales. As for the quarryshafts themselves, they too were covered round the tips with the greenturf, and down them led a narrow flight of steep-cut steps, with a slideof soap-stone at the side, on which the marble blocks were once hauled upby wooden winches. Down these steps no feet ever walked now, for not onlywere suffocating gases said to beset the bottom of the shafts, but menwould have it that in the narrow passages below lurked evil spirits anddemons. One who ought to know about such things, told me that when St. Aldhelm first came to Purbeck, he bound the old Pagan gods under a bandeep in these passages, but that the worst of all the crew was a certaindemon called the Mandrive, who watched over the best of the black marble. And that was why such marble might only be used in churches or forgraves, for if it were not for this holy purpose, the Mandrive wouldhave power to strangle the man that hewed it. It was by the side of one of these old shafts that Elzevir laid me downat last. The light was very low, showing all the little unevennesses ofthe turf; and the sward crept over the edges of the hole, and every crackand crevice in steps and slide was green with ferns. The green fernsshrouded the walls of the hole, and ruddy brown brambles overgrew thesteps, till all was lost in the gloom that hung at the bottom of the pit. Elzevir drew a deep breath or two of the cool evening air, like a man whohas come through a difficult trial. 'There, ' he said, 'this is Joseph's Pit, and here we must lie hid untilthy foot is sound again. Once get to the bottom safe, and we can laugh atPosse, and hue and cry, and at the King's Crown itself. They cannotsearch all the quarries, and are not like to search any of them, for theyare cowards at the best, and hang much on tales of the Mandrive. Ay, andsuch tales are true enough, for there lurk gases at the bottom of most ofthe shafts, like devils to strangle any that go down. And if they do comedown this Joseph's Pit, we still have nineteen chances in a score theycannot thread the workings. But last, if they come down, and thread thepath, there is this pistol and a rusty matchlock; and before they come towhere we lie, we can hold the troop at bay and sell our lives so dearthey will not care to buy them. ' We waited a few minutes, and then he took me in his arms and began todescend the steps, back first, as one goes down a hatchway. The sun wassetting in a heavy bank of clouds just as we began to go down, and Icould not help remembering how I had seen it set over peaceful Moonfleetonly twenty-four hours ago; and how far off we were now, and how long itwas likely to be before I saw that dear village and Grace again. The stairs were still sharp cut and little worn, but Elzevir paid greatcare to his feet, lest he should slip on the ferns and mosses with whichthey were overgrown. When we reached the brambles he met them with hisback, and though I heard the thorns tearing in his coat, he shoved themaside with his broad shoulders, and screened my dangling leg from gettingcaught. Thus he came safe without stumble to the bottom of the pit. When we got there all was dark, but he stepped off into a narrow openingon the right hand, and walked on as if he knew the way. I could seenothing, but perceived that we were passing through endless galleries cutin the solid rock, high enough, for the most part, to allow of walkingupright, but sometimes so low as to force him to bend down and carry mein a very constrained attitude. Only twice did he set me down at aturning, while he took out his tinder-box and lit a match; but at lengththe darkness became less dark, and I saw that we were in a large cave orroom, into which the light came through some opening at the far end. Atthe same time I felt a colder breath and fresh salt smell in the air thattold me we were very near the sea. CHAPTER 11 THE SEA-CAVE The dull loneness, the black shade, That these hanging vaults have made:The strange music of the wavesBeating on these hollow caves--_Wither_ He set me down in one corner, where was some loose dry silver-sand uponthe floor, which others had perhaps used for a resting-place before. 'Thou must lie here for a month or two, lad, ' he said; 'tis a mean bed, but I have known many worse, and will get straw tomorrow if I can, tobetter it. ' I had eaten nothing all day, nor had Elzevir, yet I felt no hunger, onlya giddiness and burning thirst like that which came upon me when I wasshut in the Mohune vault. So 'twas very music to me to hear a pat andsplash of water dropping from the roof into a little pool upon the floor, and Elzevir made a cup out of my hat and gave a full drink of it that wasicy-cool and more delicious than any smuggled wine of France. And after that I knew little that happened for ten days or more, forfever had hold of me, and as I learnt afterwards, I talked wild and couldscarce be restrained from jumping up and loosing the bindings thatElzevir had put upon my leg. And all that time he nursed me as tenderlyas any mother could her child, and never left the cave except when he wasforced to seek food. But after the fever passed it left me very thin, asI could see from hands and arms, and weaker than a baby; and I used tolie the whole day, not thinking much, nor troubling about anything, buteating what was given me and drawing a quiet pleasure from the knowledgethat strength was gradually returning. Elzevir had found a batteredsea-chest up on Peveril Point, and from the side of it made splints toset my leg--using his own shirt for bandages. The sand-bed too was mademore soft and easy with some armfuls of straw, and in one corner of thecave was a little pile of driftwood and an iron cooking-pot. And allthese things had Elzevir got by foraging of nights, using great care thatnone should see him, and taking only what would not be much missed orthought about; but soon he contrived to give Ratsey word of where wewere, and after that the sexton fended for us. There were none even ofthe landers knew what was become of us, save only Ratsey; and he nevercame down the quarry, but would leave what he brought in one of theruined cottages a half-mile from the shaft. And all the while there wasstrict search being made for us, and mounted Excisemen scouring thecountry; for though at first the Posse took back Maskew's dead body andsaid we must have fallen over the cliff, for there was nothing to befound of us, yet afterwards a farm-boy brought a tale of how he had comesuddenly on men lurking under a wall, and how one had a bloody foot andleg, and how the other sprung upon him and after a fierce strugglewrenched his master's rook-piece from his hands, rifled his pocket of apowder-horn, and made off with them like a hare towards Corfe. And as toMaskew, some of the soldiers said that Elzevir had shot him, and othersthat he died by misadventure, being killed by a stray bullet of one ofhis own men on the hill-top; but for all that they put a head-price onElzevir of 50, and 20 for me, so we had reason to lie close. It musthave been Maskew that listened that night at the door when Elzevir toldme the hour at which the cargo was to be run; for the Posse had beenordered to be at Hoar Head at four in the morning. So all the gang wouldhave been taken had it not been for the Gulder making earlier, and thesoldiers being delayed by tippling at the Lobster. All this Elzevir learnt from Ratsey and told me to pass the time, though in truth I had as lief not heard it, for 'tis no pleasant thingto see one's head wrote down so low as 20. And what I wanted most toknow, namely how Grace fared and how she took the bad news of herfather's death, I could not hear, for Elzevir said nothing, and I wasshy to ask him. Now when I came entirely to myself, and was able to take stock of things, I found that the place in which I lay was a cave some eight yards squareand three in height, whose straight-cut walls showed that men had oncehewed stone therefrom. On one side was that passage through which we hadcome in, and on the other opened a sort of door which gave on to a stoneledge eight fathoms above high-water mark. For the cave was cut out justinside that iron cliff-face which lies between St. Alban's Head andSwanage. But the cliffs here are different from those on the other sideof the Head, being neither so high as Hoar Head nor of chalk, butstanding for the most part only an hundred or an hundred and fifty feetabove the sea, and showing towards it a stern face of solid rock. Butthough they rise not so high above the water, they go down a long waybelow it; so that there is fifty fathom right up to the cliff, and many agood craft out of reckoning in fog, or on a pitch-dark night, has runfull against that frowning wall, and perished, ship and crew, without asoul to hear their cries. Yet, though the rock looks hard as adamant, theeternal washing of the wave has worn it out below, and even with theslightest swell there is a dull and distant booming of the surge in thosecavernous deeps; and when the wind blows fresh, each roller smites thecliff like a thunder-clap, till even the living rock trembles again. It was on a ledge of that rock-face that our cave opened, and sometimeson a fine day Elzevir would carry me out thither, so that I might sunmyself and see all the moving Channel without myself being seen. For thisledge was carved out something like a balcony, so that when the quarrywas in working they could lower the stone by pulleys to boats lyingunderneath, and perhaps haul up a keg or two by the way of ballast, asmight be guessed by the stanchions still rusting in the rock. Such was this gallery; and as for the inside of the cave, 'twas a greatempty room, with a white floor made up of broken stone-dust trodden hardof old till one would say it was plaster; and dry, without those sweatydamps so often seen in such places--save only in one corner aland-spring dropped from the roof trickling down over spikyrock-icicles, and falling into a little hollow in the floor. This basinhad been scooped out of set purpose, with a gutter seaward for theoverflow, and round it and on the wet patch of the roof above grew agarden of ferns and other clinging plants. The weeks moved on until we were in the middle of May, when even thenights were no longer cold, as the sun gathered power. And with thewarmer days my strength too increased, and though I dared not yet stand, my leg had ceased to pain me, except for some sharp twinges now and then, which Elzevir said were caused by the bone setting. And then he would puta poultice made of grass upon the place, and once walked almost as far asChaldron to pluck sorrel for a soothing mash. Now though he had gone out and in so many times in safety, yet I wasalways ill at ease when he was away, lest he might fall into some ambushand never come back. Nor was it any thought of what would come to me ifhe were caught that grieved me, but only care for him; for I had come tolean in everything upon this grim and grizzled giant, and love him like afather. So when he was away I took to reading to beguile my thoughts; butfound little choice of matter, having only my aunt's red Prayer-book thatI thrust into my bosom the afternoon that I left Moonfleet, andBlackbeard's locket. For that locket hung always round my neck; and Ioften had the parchment out and read it; not that I did not know it nowby heart, but because reading it seemed to bring Grace to my thoughts, for the last time I had read it was when I saw her in the Manor woods. Elzevir and I had often talked over what was to be done when my legshould be sound again, and resolved to take passage to St. Malo in the_Bonaventure_, and there lie hid till the pursuit against us should haveceased. For though 'twas wartime, French and English were as brothers inthe contraband, and the shippers would give us bit and sup, and glad to, as long as we had need of them. But of this I need not say more, because'twas but a project, which other events came in to overturn. Yet 'twas this very errand, namely, to fix with the _Bonaventure_'s menthe time to take us over to the other side, that Elzevir had gone out, onthe day of which I shall now speak. He was to go to Poole, and left ourcave in the afternoon, thinking it safe to keep along the cliff-edge evenin the daylight, and to strike across country when dusk came on. The windhad blown fresh all the morning from south-west, and after Elzevir hadleft, strengthened to a gale. My leg was now so strong that I could walkacross the cave with the help of a stout blackthorn that Elzevir had cutme: and so I went out that afternoon on to the ledge to watch the growingsea. There I sat down, with my back against a protecting rock, in such aplace that I could see up-Channel and yet shelter from the rushing wind. The sky was overcast, and the long wall of rock showed grey withorange-brown patches and a darker line of sea-weed at the base like theunder strake of a boat's belly, for the tide was but beginning to make. There was a mist, half-fog, half-spray, scudding before the wind, andthrough it I could see the white-backed rollers lifting over PeverilPoint; while all along the cliff-face the sea-birds thronged the ledges, and sat huddled in snowy lines, knowing the mischief that was brewing inthe elements. It was a melancholy scene, and bred melancholy in my heart; and aboutsun-down the wind southed a point or two, setting the sea more againstthe cliff, so that the spray began to fly even over my ledge and drove meback into the cave. The night came on much sooner than usual, and beforelong I was lying on my straw bed in perfect darkness. The wind had gonestill more to south, and was screaming through the opening of the cave;the caverns down below bellowed and rumbled; every now and then a giantroller struck the rock such a blow as made the cave tremble, and then asecond later there would fall, splattering on the ledge outside, theheavy spray that had been lifted by the impact. I have said that I was melancholy; but worse followed, for I grew timid, and fearful of the wild night, and the loneliness, and the darkness. Andall sorts of evil tales came to my mind, and I thought much of balefulheathen gods that St. Aldhelm had banished to these underground cellars, and of the Mandrive who leapt on people in the dark and strangled them. And then fancy played another trick on me, and I seemed to see a manlying on the cave-floor with a drawn white face upturned, and a red holein the forehead; and at last could bear the dark no longer, but got upwith my lame leg and groped round till I found a candle, for we had twoor three in store. 'Twas only with much ado I got it lit and set up inthe corner of the cave, and then I sat down close by trying to screen itwith my coat. But do what I would the wind came gusting round the corner, blowing the flame to one side, and making the candle gutter as anothercandle guttered on that black day at the Why Not? And so thought whiskedround till I saw Maskew's face wearing a look of evil triumph, when thepin fell at the auction, and again his face grew deadly pale, and therewas the bullet-mark on his brow. Surely there were evil spirits in this place to lead my thoughts so muchastray, and then there came to my mind that locket on my neck, which menhad once hung round Blackbeard's to scare evil spirits from his tomb. Ifit could frighten them from him, might it not rout them now, and makethem fly from me? And with that thought I took the parchment out, andopening it before the flickering light, although I knew all, word forword, conned it over again, and read it out aloud. It was a relief tohear a human voice, even though 'twas nothing but my own, and I took toshouting the words, having much ado even so to make them heard for theraging of the storm: 'The days of our age are threescore years and ten; and though men be sostrong that they come to fourscore years: yet is their strength then butlabour and sorrow; so soon passeth it away, and we are gone. 'And as for me, my feet were almost . . . ' At the 'almost' I stopped, being brought up suddenly with a fierce beatof blood through my veins, and a jump fit to burst them, for I had hearda scuffling noise in the passage that led to the cave, as if someone hadstumbled against a loose stone in the dark. I did not know then, but havelearnt since, that where there is a loud noise, such as the roaring of acascade, the churning of a mill, or, as here, the rage and bluster of astorm--if there arise some different sound, even though it be as slightas the whistle of a bird, 'twill strike the ear clear above the generaldin. And so it was this night, for I caught that stumbling tread evenwhen the gale blew loudest, and sat motionless and breathless, in myeagerness of listening, and then the gale lulled an instant, and I heardthe slow beat of footsteps as of one groping his way down the passage inthe dark. I knew it was not Elzevir, for first he could not be back fromPoole for many hours yet, and second, he always whistled in a certain wayto show 'twas he coming and gave besides a pass-word; yet, if notElzevir, who could it be? I blew out the light, for I did not want toguide the aim of some unknown marksman shooting at me from the dark; andthen I thought of that gaunt strangler that sprang on marbleworkers inthe gloom; yet it could not be the Mandrive, for surely he would know hisown passages better than to stumble in them in the dark. It was morelikely to be one of the hue and cry who had smelt us out, and hopedperhaps to be able to reconnoitre without being perceived on so awful anight. Whenever Elzevir went out foraging, he carried with him thatsilver-butted pistol which had once been Maskew's, but left behind theold rook-piece. We had plenty of powder and slugs now, having obtained astore of both from Ratsey, and Elzevir had bid me keep the matchlockcharged, and use it or not after my own judgement, if any came to thecave; but gave as his counsel that it was better to die fighting than toswing at Dorchester, for that we should most certainly do if taken. Wehad agreed, moreover, on a pass-word, which was _Prosper theBonaventure_, so that I might challenge betimes any that I heard coming, and if they gave not back this countersign might know it was not Elzevir. So now I reached out for the piece, which lay beside me on the floor, andscrambled to my feet; lifting the deckle in the darkness, and feelingwith my fingers in the pan to see 'twas full of powder. The lull in the storm still lasted, and I heard the footstepsadvancing, though with uncertain slowness, and once after a heavystumble I thought I caught a muttereth oath, as if someone had struckhis foot against a stone. Then I shouted out clear in the darkness a 'Who goes there?' that rangagain through the stone roofs. The footsteps stopped, but there was noanswer. 'Who goes there?' I repeated. 'Answer, or I fire. ' '_Prosper the Bonaventure_, ' came back out of the darkness, and I knewthat I was safe. 'The devil take thee for a hot-blooded young bantam toshoot thy best friend with powder and ball, that he was fool enough togive thee'; and by this time I had guessed 'twas Master Ratsey, andrecognized his voice. 'I would have let thee hear soon enough that 'twasI, if I had known I was so near thy lair; but 'tis more than a man's lifeis worth to creep down moleholes in the dark, and on a night like this. And why I could not get out the gibberish about the _Bonaventure_ sooner, was because I matched my shin to break a stone, and lost the wager and mybreath together. And when my wind returned 'tis very like that I wastrapped into an oath, which is sad enough for me, who am sexton, and soto say in small orders of the Church of England as by law established. ' By the time I had put down the gun and coaxed the candle again to light, Ratsey stepped into the cave. He wore a sou'wester, and was dripping withwet, but seemed glad to see me and shook me by the hand. He was welcomeenough to me also, for he banished the dreadful loneliness, and hiscoming was a bit out of my old pleasant life that lay so far away, andseemed to bring me once more within reach of some that were dearest. CHAPTER 12 A FUNERAL How he lies in his rights of a man!Death has done all death can--_Browning_ We stood for a moment holding one another's hands; then Ratsey spoke. 'John, these two months have changed thee from boy to man. Thou wast achild when I turned that morning as we went up Hoar Head with thepack-horses, and looked back on thee and Elzevir below, and Maskew lyingon the ground. 'Twas a sorry business, and has broken up the finest gangthat ever ran a cargo, besides driving thee and Elzevir to hide in cavesand dens of the earth. Thou shouldst have come with us that morn; nothave stayed behind. The work was too rough for boys: the skipper shouldhave piped the reefing-hands. ' It was true enough, or seemed to me true then, for I felt much cast down;but only said, 'Nay, Master Ratsey, where Master Block stays, there Imust stay too, and where he goes I follow. ' Then I sat down upon the bed in the corner, feeling my leg began to ache;and the storm, which had lulled for a few minutes, came up again all thefiercer with wilder gusts and showers of spray and rain driving into thecave from seaward. So I was scarce sat down when in came a roaring blast, filling even our corner with cold, wet air, that quenched the weaklingcandle flame. 'God save us, what a night!' Ratsey cried. 'God save poor souls at sea, ' said I. 'Amen to that, ' says he, 'and would that every Amen I have said had comeas truly from my heart. There will be sea enough on Moonfleet Beach thisnight to lift a schooner to the top of it, and launch her down into thefields behind. I had as lief be in the Mohune vault as in this fearsomeplace, and liefer too, if half the tales men tell are true of faces thatmay meet one here. For God's sake let us light a fire, for I caught sightof a store of driftwood before that sickly candle went out. ' It was some time before we got a fire alight, and even after the flamehad caught well hold, the rush of the wind would every now and again blowthe smoke into our eyes, or send a shower of sparks dancing through thecave. But by degrees the logs began to glow clear white, and such acheerful warmth came out, as was in itself a solace and remedy for man'safflictions. 'Ah!' said Ratsey, 'I was shrammed with wet and cold, and half-dead withthis baffling wind. It is a blessed thing a fire, ' and he unbuttoned hispilot-coat, 'and needful now, if ever. My soul is very low, lad, forthis place has strange memories for me; and I recollect, forty years ago(when I was just a boy like thee), old lander Jordan's gang, and I amongthem, were in this very cave on such another night. I was new to thetrade then, as thou might be, and could not sleep for noise of wind andsea. And in the small hours of an autumn morning, as I lay here, justwhere we lie now, I heard such wailing cries above the storm, ay, andsuch shrieks of women, as made my blood run cold and have not yet forgotthem. And so I woke the gang who were all deep asleep as seasonedcontrabandiers should be; but though we knew that there werefellow-creatures fighting for their lives in the seething flood beneathus, we could not stir hand or foot to save them, for nothing could beseen for rain and spray, and 'twas not till next morning that we learnedthe _Florida_ had foundered just below with every soul on board. Ay, 'tis a queer life, and you and Block are in a queer strait now, and thatis what I came to tell you. See here. ' And he took out of his pocket anoblong strip of printed paper: * * * * * G. R. WHITEHALL, 15 May 1758 Whereas it hath been humbly represented to the King that on Friday, thenight of the 16th of April last, THOMAS MASKEW, a Justice of the Peace, was most inhumanly murdered at Hoar Head, a lone place in the Parish ofChaldron, in the County of Dorset, by one ELZEVIR BLOCK and one JOHNTRENCHARD, both of the Parish of Moonfleet, in the aforesaid County: HisMajesty, for the better discovering and bringing to Justice thesePersons, is pleased to promise His Most Gracious PARDON to any of thePersons concerned therein, except the Persons who actually committed thesaid Murder; and, as a further Encouragement, a REWARD OF FIFTY POUNDS toany Person who shall furnish such INFORMATION as shall lead to theAPPREHENSION of the said ELZEVIR BLOCK, and a REWARD of TWENTY POUNDS toany Person who shall furnish such INFORMATION as shall lead to theAPPREHENSION of the said JOHN TRENCHARD. Such INFORMATION to be given toME, or to the GOVERNOUR of His MAJESTY'S GAOL in Dorchester. HOLDERNESSE. * * * * * 'There--that's the bill, ' he said; 'and a vastly fine piece it is, andyet I wish that 'twas played with other actors. Now, in Moonfleet thereis none that know your hiding-place, and not a man, nor woman either, that would tell if they knew it ten times over. But fifty pounds forElzevir, and twenty pounds for an empty pumpkin-top like thine, is a fairround sum, and there are vagabonds about this countryside scurvy enoughto try to earn it. And some of these have set the Excisemen on _my_track, with tales of how it is I that know where you lie hid, and bringyou meat and drink. So it is that I cannot stir abroad now, no, not evento the church o' Sundays, without having some rogue lurking at my heelsto watch my movements. And that is why I chose such a night to comehither, knowing these knaves like dry skins, but never thinking that thewind would blow like this. I am come to tell Block that 'tis not safe forme to be so much in Purbeck, and that I dare no longer bring food or whatnot, or these man-hounds will scent you out. Your leg is sound again, and'tis best to be flitting while you may, and there's the _Éperon d'Or, _and Chauvelais to give you welcome on the other side. ' I told him how Elzevir was gone this very night to Poole to settle withthe _Bonaventure_, when she should come to take us off; and at thatRatsey seemed pleased. There were many things I wished to learn of him, and especially how Grace did, but felt a shyness, and durst not ask him. And he said no more for a minute, seeming low-hearted and crouching overthe fire. So we sat huddled in the corner by the glowing logs, the redlight flickering on the cave roof, and showing the lines on Ratsey'sface; while the steam rose from his drying clothes. The gale blew asfiercely as ever, but the tide had fallen, and there was not so muchspray coming into the cave. Then Ratsey spoke again-- 'My heart is very heavy, John, tonight, to think how all the good oldtimes are gone, and how that Master Block can never again go back toMoonfleet. It was as fine a lander's crew as ever stood together, noteven excepting Captain Jordan's, and now must all be broken up; for thismess of Maskew's has made the place too hot to hold us, and 'twill bemany a long day before another cargo's run on Moonfleet Beach. But how toget the liquor out of Mohune's vault I know not; and that reminds me, Ihave something in my pouches for Elzevir an' thee'; and with that he drewforth either lapel a great wicker-bound flask. He put one to his lips, tilting it and drinking long and deep, and then passed it to me, with asigh of satisfaction. 'Ah, that has the right smack. Here, take it, child, and warm thy heart; 'tis the true milk of Ararat, and the lastthou'lt taste this side the Channel. ' Then I drank too, but lightly, for the good liquor was no stranger to me, though it was only so few months ago that I had tasted it for the firsttime in the Why Not? and in a minute it tingled in my fingertips. Soon agrateful sense of warmth and comfort stole over me, and our state seemednot so desperate, nor even the night so wild. Ratsey, too, wore a morecheerful air, and the lines in his face were not so deeply marked; thegolden, sparkling influence of the flask had loosed his tongue, and hewas talking now of what I most wanted to hear. 'Yes, yes, it is a sad break-up, and what will happen to the old Why Not?I cannot tell. None have passed the threshold since you left, only theDuchy men came and sealed the doors, making it felony to force them. Andeven these lawyer chaps know not where the right stands, for Maskew neverpaid a rent and died before he took possession; and Master Block's termis long expired, and now he is in hiding and an outlaw. 'But I am sorriest for Maskew's girl, who grows thin and pale as anylily. For when the soldiers brought the body back, the men stood at theirdoors and cursed the clay, and some of the fishwives spat at it; and oldMother Veitch, who kept house for him, swore he had never paid her apenny of wages, and that she was afear'd to stop under the same roof withsuch an evil corpse. So out she goes from the Manor House, leaving thatpoor child alone in it with her dead father; and there were not wantingsome to say it was all a judgement; and called to mind how Elzevir hadbeen once left alone with his dead son at the Why Not? But in the villagethere was not a man that doubted that 'twas Block had sent Maskew to hisaccount, nor did I doubt it either, till a tale got abroad that he waskilled by a stray shot fired by the Posse from the cliff. And when theytook the hue-and-cry papers to the Manor House for his lass, as next ofkin, to sign the requisition, she would not set her name to it, sayingthat Block had never lifted his hand against her father when they met atMoonfleet or on the road, and that she never would believe he was the manto let his anger sleep so long and then attack an enemy in cold blood. And as for thee, she knew thee for a trusty lad, who would not do suchthings himself, nor yet stand by whilst others did them. ' Now what Ratsey said was sweeter than any music in my ears, and I feltmyself a better man, as anyone must of whom a true woman speaks well, andthat I must live uprightly to deserve such praise. Then I resolved thatcome what might I would make my way once more to Moonfleet, before wefled from England, and see Grace; so that I might tell her all thathappened about her father's death, saving only that Elzevir had meanthimself to put Maskew away; for it was no use to tell her this when shehad said that he could never think to do such a thing, and besides, forall I knew, he never did mean to shoot, but only to frighten him. ThoughI thus resolved, I said nothing of it to Master Ratsey, but only nodded, and he went on-- 'Well, seeing there was no one save this poor girl to look to puttingMaskew under ground, I must needs take it in hand myself; roughingtogether a sound coffin and digging as fair a grave for him as could bemade for any lord, except that lords have always vaults to sleep in. ThenI got Mother Nutting's fish-cart to carry the body down, for there wasnot a man in Moonfleet would lay hand to the coffin to bear it; and offwe started down the street, I leading the wall-eyed pony, and the coffinfollowing on the trolley. There was no mourner to see him home except hisdaughter, and she without a bit of black upon her, for she had no time toget her crapes; and yet she needed none, having grief writ plain enoughupon her face. 'When we got to the churchyard, a crowd was gathered there, men and womenand children, not only from Moonfleet but from Ringstave and Monkbury. They were not come to mourn, but to make gibes to show how much theyhated him, and many of the children had old pots and pans for roughmusic. Parson Glennie was waiting in the church, and there he waited, forthe cart could not pass the gate, and we had no bearers to lift thecoffin. Then I looked round to see if there was any that would help tolift, but when I tried to meet a man's eye he looked away, and all Icould see was the bitter scowling faces of the women. And all the whilethe girl stood by the trolley looking on the ground. She had a littlekerchief over her head that let the hair fall about her shoulders, andher face was very white, with eyes red and swollen through weeping. Butwhen she knew that all that crowd was there to mock her father, and thatthere was not a man would raise hand to lift him, she laid her head uponthe coffin, hiding her face in her hands, and sobbed bitterly. ' Ratsey stopped for a moment and drank again deep at the flask; and as forme, I still said nothing, feeling a great lump in my throat; andreflecting how hatred and passion have power to turn men to brutes. 'I am a rough man, ' Ratsey resumed, 'but tender-like withal, and when Isaw her weep, I ran off to the church to tell the parson how it was, andbeg him to come out and try if we two could lift the coffin. So out hecame just as he was, with surplice on his back and book in hand. But whenthe men knew what he was come for, and looked upon that tall, fair girlbowed down over her father's coffin, their hearts were moved, and firstTom Tewkesbury stepped out with a sheepish air, and then Garrett, andthen four others. So now we had six fine bearers, and 'twas only womenthat could still look hard and scowling, and even they said no word, andnot a boy beat on his pan. 'Then Mr. Glennie, seeing he was not wanted for bearer, changed toparson, and strikes up with "I am the resurrection and the life". 'Tis agreat text, John, and though I've heard it scores and scores of times, itnever sounded sweeter than on that day. For 'twas a fine afternoon, andwhat with their being no wind, but the sun bright and the sea still andblue, there was a calm on everything that seemed to say "Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace". And was not the spring with us, and the whole landpreaching of resurrection, the birds singing, trees and flowers wakingfrom their winter sleep, and cowslips yellow on the very graves? Thensurely 'tis a fond thing to push our enmities beyond the grave, andperhaps even _he_ was not so bad as we held him, but might have trickedhimself into thinking he did right to hunt down the contraband. I knownot how it was, but something like this came into my mind, and didperhaps to others, for we got him under without a sign or word from anythat stood there. There was not one sound heard inside the church or out, except Mr. Glennie's reading and my amens, and now and then a sob fromthe poor child. But when 'twas all over, and the coffin safe lowered, upshe walks to Tom Tewkesbury saying, through her tears "I thank you, sir, for your kindness, " and holds out her hand. So he took it, looking askew, and afterwards the five other bearers; and then she walked away byherself, and no one moved till she had left the churchyard gate, lettingher pass out like a queen. ' 'And so she is a queen, ' I said, not beingable to keep from speaking, for very pride to hear how she had borneherself, and because she had always shown kindness to me. 'So she is, andfairer than any queen to boot. ' Ratsey gave me a questioning look, and I could see a little smile uponhis face in the firelight. 'Ay, she is fair enough, ' said he, as thoughreflecting to himself, 'but white and thin. Mayhap she would make a matchfor thee--if ye were man and woman, and not boy and girl; if she were notrich, and thou not poor and an outlaw; and--if she would have thee. ' It vexed me to hear his banter, and to think how I had let my secret out, so I did not answer, and we sat by the embers for a while withoutspeaking, while the wind still blew through the cave like a funnel. Ratsey spoke first. 'John, pass me the flask; I can hear voices mountingthe cliff of those poor souls of the _Florida_. ' With that he took another heavy pull, and flung a log on the fire, tillsparks flew about as in a smithy, and the flame that had slumbered wokeagain and leapt out white, blue, and green from the salt wood. Now, asthe light danced and flickered I saw a piece of parchment lying atRatsey's feet: and this was none other than the writing out ofBlackbeard's locket, which I had been reading when I first heardfootsteps in the passage, and had dropped in my alarm of hostilevisitors. Ratsey saw it too, and stretched out his hand to pick it up. Iwould have concealed it if I could, because I had never told him how Ihad rifled Blackbeard's coffin, and did not want to be questioned as tohow I had come by the writing. But to try to stop him getting hold of itwould only have spurred his curiosity, and so I said nothing when he tookit in his hands. 'What is this, son?' asked he. 'It is only Scripture verses, ' I answered, 'which I got some time ago. 'Tis said they are a spell against Spirits of Evil, and I was readingthem to keep off the loneliness of this place, when you came in and mademe drop them. ' I was afraid lest he should ask whence I had got them, but he did not, thinking perhaps that my aunt had given them to me. The heat of theflames had curled the parchment a little, and he spread it out on hisknee, conning it in the firelight. ''Tis well written, ' he said, 'and good verses enough, but he who putthem together for a spell knew little how to keep off evil spirits, forthis would not keep a flea from a black cat. I could do ten times bettermyself, being not without some little understanding of such things, ' andhe nodded seriously; 'and though I never yet met any from the otherworld, they would not take me unprepared if they should come. For I havespent half my life in graveyard or church, and 'twould be as foolish tomove about such places and have no words to meet an evil visitor withal, as to bear money on a lonely road without a pistol. So one day, afterParson Glennie had preached from Habakkuk, how that "the vision is for anappointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie: though ittarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry", Italked with him on these matters, and got from him three or four rousingtexts such as spectres fear more than a burned child does the fire. Iwill learn them all to thee some day, but for the moment take this Latinwhich I got by heart: "_Abite a me in ignem etemum qui paratus estdiabolo at angelis ejus. "_ Englished it means: "Depart from me intoeternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, " but hath at leastdouble that power in Latin. So get that after me by heart, and use itfreely if thou art led to think that there are evil presences near, andin such lonely places as this cave. ' I humoured him by doing as hedesired; and that the rather because I hoped his thoughts would thus beturned away from the writing; but as soon as I had the spell by rote heturned back to the parchment, saying, 'He was but a poor divine who wrotethis, for beside choosing ill-fitting verses, he cannot even give rightnumbers to them. For see here, "The days of our age are three-score yearsand ten; and though men be so strong that they come to four-score years, yet is their strength then but labour and sorrow, so soon passeth it awayand we are gone", and he writes Psalm 90, 21. Now I have said that Psalmwith parson verse and verse about for every sleeper we have laid to restin churchyard mould for thirty years; and know it hath not twenty versesin it, all told, and this same verse is the clerk's verse and comethtenth, and yet he calls it twenty-first. I wish I had here a CommonPrayer, and I would prove my words. ' He stopped and flung me back the parchment scornfully; but I folded itand slipped it in my pocket, brooding all the while over a strangethought that his last words had brought to me. Nor did I tell him that Ihad by me my aunt's prayer-book, wishing to examine for myself moreclosely whether he was right, after he should have gone. 'I must be away, ' he said at last, 'though loath to leave this good fireand liquor. I would fain wait till Elzevir was back, and fainer till thisgale was spent, but it may not be; the nights are short, and I must beout of Purbeck before sunrise. So tell Block what I say, that he and thoumust flit; and pass the flask, for I have fifteen miles to walk againstthe wind, and must keep off these midnight chills. ' He drank again, and then rose to his feet, shaking himself like a dog;and walking briskly across the cave twice or thrice to make sure, as Ithought, that the Ararat milk had not confused his steps. Then he shookmy hand warmly, and disappeared in the deep shadow of the passage-mouth. The wind was blowing more fitfully than before, and there was some signof a lull between the gusts. I stood at the opening of the passage, andlistened till the echo of Ratsey's footsteps died away, and thenreturning to the corner, flung more wood on the fire, and lit the candle. After that I took out again the parchment, and also my aunt's redprayer-book, and sat down to study them. First I looked out in the bookthat text about the 'days of our life', and found that it was indeed inthe ninetieth Psalm, but the tenth verse, just as Ratsey said, and notthe twenty-first as it was writ on the parchment. And then I took thesecond text, and here again the Psalm was given correct, but the versewas two, and not six, as my scribe had it. It was just the same with theother three--the number of the Psalm was right but the verse wrong. Sohere was a discovery, for all was painfully written smooth and cleanwithout a blot, and yet in every verse an error. But if the second numberdid not stand for the verse, what else should it mean? I had scarceformed the question to myself before I had the answer, and knew that itmust be the number of the word chosen in each text to make a secretmeaning. I was in as great a fever and excitement now as when I found thelocket in the Mohune vault, and could scarce count with trembling fingersas far as twenty-one, in the first verse, for hurry and amaze. It was'fourscore' that the number fell on in the first text, 'feet' in thesecond, 'deep' in the third, 'well' in the fourth, 'north' in the fifth. Fourscore--feet--deep--well--north. There was the cipher read, and what an easy trick! and yet I had notlighted on it all this while, nor ever should have, but for Sexton Ratseyand his burial verse. It was a cunning plan of Blackbeard; but other folkwere quite as cunning as he, and here was all his treasure at our feet. Ichuckled over that to myself, rubbing my hands, and read it throughagain: Fourscore--feet--deep--well--north. 'Twas all so simple, and the word in the fourth verse 'well' and not'vale' or 'pool' as I had stuck at so often in trying to unriddle it. Howwas it I had not guessed as much before? and here was something to tellElzevir when he came back, that the clue was found to the cipher, and thesecret out. I would not reveal it all at once, but tease him by makinghim guess, and at last tell him everything, and we would set to work atonce to make ourselves rich men. And then I thought once more of Grace, and how the laugh would be on my side now, for all Master Ratsey's banterabout her being rich and me being poor! Fourscore--feet-deep--well--north. I read it again, and somehow it was this time a little less dear, and Ifell to thinking what it was exactly that I should tell Elzevir, and howwe were to get to work to find the treasure. 'Twas hid in a _well_--thatwas plain enough, but in what well?--and what did 'north' mean? Was itthe _north well, _ or to _north of the well_--or, was it fourscore feet_north_ of the _deep well_? I stared at the verses as if the ink wouldchange colour and show some other sense, and then a veil seemed drawnacross the writing, and the meaning to slip away, and be as far as everfrom my grasp. _Fourscore--feet—deep--well--north_: and by degreesexulting gladness gave way to bewilderment and disquiet of spirit, andin the gusts of wind I heard Blackbeard himself laughing and mocking mefor thinking I had found his treasure. Still I read and re-read it, juggling with the words and turning them about to squeeze new meaningfrom them. 'Fourscore feet deep _in the north well_, '--'fourscore feet deep in thewell _to north_'--'fourscore feet _north of the deep well_, '--so thewords went round and round in my head, till I was tired and giddy, andfell unawares asleep. It was daylight when I awoke, and the wind had fallen, though I couldstill hear the thunder of the swell against the rock-face down below. Thefire was yet burning, and by it sat Elzevir, cooking something in thepot. He looked fresh and keen, like a man risen from a long night'ssleep, rather than one who had spent the hours of darkness in strugglingagainst a gale, and must afterwards remain watching because, forsooth, the sentinel sleeps. He spoke as soon as he saw that I was awake, laughing and saying: 'Howgoes the night, Watchman? This is the second time that I have caught theenapping, and didst sleep so sound it might have taken a cold pistol'slips against thy forehead to awake thee. ' I was too full of my story even to beg his pardon, but began at once totell him what had happened; and how, by following the hint that Ratseydropped, I had made out, as I thought, a secret meaning in these verses. Elzevir heard me patiently, and with more show of interest towards theend; and then took the parchment in his hands, reading it carefully, andchecking the errors of numbering by the help of the red prayer-book. 'I believe thou art right, ' he said at length; 'for why should thefigures all be false if there is no hidden trickery in it? If't had beenone or two were wrong, I would have said some priest had copied them inerror; for priests are thriftless folk, and had as lief set a thing downwrong as right; but with all wrong there is no room for chance. So if hemeans it, let us see what 'tis he means. First he says 'tis in a well. But what well? and the depth he gives of fourscore feet is over-deep forany well near Moonfleet. ' I was for saying it must be the well at the Manor House, but before thewords left my mouth, remembered there was no well at the manor at all, for the house was watered by a runnel brook that broke out from the woodsabove, and jumping down from stone to stone ran through the manorgardens, and emptied itself into the Fleet below. 'And now I come to think on it, ' Elzevir went on, ''tis more likely thatthe well he speaks of was not in these parts at all. For see here, thisBlackboard was a spendthrift, squandering all he had, and would mostsurely have squandered the jewel too, could he have laid his hands on it. And yet 'tis said he did not, therefore I think he must have stowed itsafe in some place where afterwards he could not get at it. For if't hadbeen near Moonfleet, he would have had it up a hundred times. But thouhast often talked of Blackbeard and his end with Parson Glennie; so speakup, lad, and let us hear all that thou know'st of these tales. Maybe'twill help us to come to some judgement. ' So I told him all that Mr. Glennie had told me, how that Colonel JohnMohune, whom men called Blackbeard, was a wastrel from his youth, andsquandered all his substance in riotous living. Thus being at his lastturn, he changed from royalist to rebel, and was set to guard the king inthe castle of Carisbrooke. But there he stooped to a bribe, and took fromhis royal prisoner a splendid diamond of the crown to let him go; then, with the jewel in his pocket, turned traitor again, and showed a file ofsoldiers into the room where the king was stuck between the window bars, escaping. But no one trusted Blackbeard after that, and so he lost hispost, and came back in his age, a broken man, to Moonfleet. There herusted out his life, but when he neared his end was filled with fear, andsent for a clergyman to give him consolation. And 'twas at the parson'sinstance that he made a will, and bequeathed the diamond, which was theonly thing he had left, to the Mohune almshouses at Moonfleet. These werethe very houses that he had robbed and let go to ruin, and they neverbenefited by his testament, for when it was opened there was the bequestplain enough, but not a word to say where was the jewel. Some said thatit was all a mockery, and that Blackbeard never had the jewel; othersthat the jewel was in his hand when he died, but carried off by some thatstood by. But most thought, and handed down the tale, that being takensuddenly, he died before he could reveal the safe place of the jewel; andthat in his last throes he struggled hard to speak as if he had somesecret to unburden. All this I told Elzevir, and he listened close as though some of it wasnew to him. When I was speaking of Blackbeard being at Carisbrooke, hemade a little quick move as though to speak, but did not, waiting till Ihad finished the tale. Then he broke out with: 'John, the diamond is yetat Carisbrooke. I wonder I had not thought of Carisbrooke before youspoke; and there he can get fourscore feet, and twice and thricefourscore, if he list, and none to stop him. 'Tis Carisbrooke. I haveheard of that well from childhood, and once saw it when a boy. It is dugin the Castle Keep, and goes down fifty fathoms or more into the bowelsof the chalk below. It is so deep no man can draw the buckets on a winch, but they must have an ass inside a tread-wheel to hoist them up. Now, why this Colonel John Mohune, whom we call Blackbeard, should have chosena well at all to hide his jewel in, I cannot say; but given he chose awell, 'twas odds he would choose Carisbrooke. 'Tis a known place, and Ihave heard that people come as far as from London to see the castle andthis well. ' He spoke quick and with more fire than I had known him use before, and Ifelt he was right. It seemed indeed natural enough that if Blackbeard wasto hide the diamond in a well, it would be in the well of that verycastle where he had earned it so evilly. 'When he says the "well north", ' continued Elzevir, ''tis clear he meansto take a compass and mark north by needle, and at eighty feet in thewell-side below that point will lie the treasure. I fixed yesterday withthe _Bonaventure's_ men that they should lie underneath this ledgetomorrow sennight, if the sea be smooth, and take us off on thespring-tide. At midnight is their hour, and I said eight days on, to givethy leg a week wherewith to strengthen. I thought to make for St. Malo, and leave thee at the _Éperon d'Or_ with old Chauvelais, where thoucouldst learn to patter French until these evil times have blown by. Butnow, if thou art set to hunt this treasure up, and hast a mind to run thyhead into a noose; why, I am not so old but that I too can play the fool, and we will let St. Malo be, and make for Carisbrooke. I know the castle;it is not two miles distant from Newport, and at Newport we can lie atthe Bugle, which is an inn addicted to the contraband. The king's writruns but lamely in the Channel Isles and Wight, and if we wear some otherkit than this, maybe we shall find Newport as safe as St. Malo. ' This was just what I wanted, and so we settled there and then that wewould get the _Bonaventure_ to land us in the Isle of Wight instead of atSt. Malo. Since man first walked upon this earth, a tale of buriedtreasure must have had a master-power to stir his blood, and mine washotly stirred. Even Elzevir, though he did not show it, was moved, Ithought, at heart; and we chafed in our cave prison, and those eight dayswent wearily enough. Yet 'twas not time lost, for every day my leg grewstronger; and like a wolf which I saw once in a cage at Dorchester Fair, I spent hours in marching round the cave to kill the time and put morevigour in my steps. Ratsey did not visit us again, but in spite of whathe said, met Elzevir more than once, and got money for him fromDorchester and many other things he needed. It was after meeting Ratseythat Elzevir came back one night, bringing a long whip in one hand, andin the other a bundle which held clothes to mask us in the next scene. There was a carter's smock for him, white and quilted over withneedlework, such as carters wear on the Down farms, and for me a smallerone, and hats and leather leggings all to match. We tried them on, andwere for all the world carter and carter's boy; and I laughed long to seeElzevir stand there and practise how to crack his whip and cry 'Who-ho'as carters do to horses. And for all he was so grave, there was a smileon his face too, and he showed me how to twist a wisp of straw out of thebed to bind above my ankles at the bottom of the leggings. He had cut offhis beard, and yet lost nothing of his looks; for his jaw and deep chinshowed firm and powerful. And as for me, we made a broth of young walnutleaves and twigs, and tanned my hands and face with it a ruddy brown, sothat I looked a different lad. CHAPTER 13 AN INTERVIEW No human creature stirred to go or come, No face looked forth from shut or open casement, No chimney smoked, there was no sign of home From parapet to basement--_Hood_ And so the days went on, until there came to be but two nights morebefore we were to leave our cave. Now I have said that the delay chafedus, because we were impatient to get at the treasure; but there wassomething else that vexed me and made me more unquiet with every day thatpassed. And this was that I had resolved to see Grace before I left theseparts, and yet knew not how to tell it to Elzevir. But on this evening, seeing the time was grown so short, I knew that I must speak or drop mypurpose, and so spoke. We were sitting like the sea-birds on the ledge outside our cave, lookingtowards St. Alban's Head and watching the last glow of sunset. Theevening vapours began to sweep down Channel, and Elzevir shrugged hisshoulders. 'The night turns chill, ' he said, and got up to go back to thecave. So then I thought my time was come, and following him inside said: 'Dear Master Elzevir, you have watched over me all this while and tendedme kinder than any father could his son; and 'tis to you I owe my life, and that my leg is strong again. Yet I am restless this night, and begthat you will give me leave to climb the shaft and walk abroad. It is twomonths and more that I have been in the cave and seen nothing but stonewalls, and I would gladly tread once more upon the Down. ' 'Say not that I have saved thy life, ' Elzevir broke in; ''twas I whobrought thy life in danger; and but for me thou mightst even now belying snug abed at Moonfleet, instead of hiding in the chambers of theserocks. So speak not of that, but if thou hast a mind to air thyself anhour, I see little harm in it. These wayward fancies fall on men as theyget better of sickness; and I must go tonight to that ruined house ofwhich I spoke to thee, to fetch a pocket compass Master Ratsey was to putthere. So thou canst come with me and smell the night air on the Down. ' He had agreed more readily than I looked for, and so I pushed thematter, saying: 'Nay, master, grant me leave to go yet a little farther afield. You knowthat I was born in Moonfleet, and have been bred there all my life, andlove the trees and stream and very stones of it. And I have set my hearton seeing it once more before we leave these parts for good and all. Sogive me leave to walk along the Down and look on Moonfleet but this once, and in this ploughboy guise I shall be safe enough, and will come back toyou tomorrow night' He looked at me a moment without speaking; and all the while I felt hesaw me through and through, and yet he was not angry. But I turned red, and cast my eyes upon the ground, and then he spoke: 'Lad, I have known men risk their lives for many things: for gold, andlove, and hate; but never one would play with death that he might see atree or stream or stones. And when men say they love a place or town, thou mayst be sure 'tis not the place they love but some that live there;or that they loved some in the past, and so would see the spot again tokindle memory withal. Thus when thou speakest of Moonfleet, I may guessthat thou hast someone there to see--or hope to see. It cannot be thineaunt, for there is no love lost between ye; and besides, no man everperilled his life to bid adieu to an aunt. So have no secrets from me, John, but tell me straight, and I will judge whether this secondtreasure that thou seekest is true gold enough to fling thy life into thescale against it. ' Then I told him all, keeping nothing back, but trying to make him seethat there was little danger in my visiting Moonfleet, for none wouldknow me in a carter's dress, and that my knowledge of the place would letme use a hedge or wall or wood for cover; and finally, if I were seen, myleg was now sound, and there were few could beat me in a running matchupon the Down. So I talked on, not so much in the hope of convincing himas to keep saying something; for I durst not look up, and feared to hearan angry word from him when I should stop. But at last I had spoken all Icould, and ceased because I had no more. Yet he did not break out as Ihad thought, but there was silence; and after a moment I looked up, andsaw by his face that his thoughts were wandering. When he spoke there wasno anger in his voice, but only something sad. 'Thou art a foolish lad, ' he said. 'Yet I was young once myself, and myways have been too dark to make me wish to darken others, or try to chillyoung blood. Now thine own life has got a shadow on't already that I havehelped to cast, so take the brightness of it while thou mayst, and getthee gone. But for this girl, I know her for a comely lass andgood-hearted, and have wondered often how she came to have _him_ for herfather. I am glad now I have not his blood on my hands; and never wouldhave gone to take it then, for all the evil he had brought on me, butthat the lives of every mother's son hung on his life. So make thy mindat ease, and get thee gone and see these streams and trees and stonesthou talkest of. Yet if thou'rt shot upon the Down, or taken off to jail, blame thine own folly and not me. And I will walk with thee to PurbeckGates tonight, and then come back and wait. But if thou art not hereagain by midnight tomorrow, I shall believe that thou art taken in somesnare, and come out to seek thee. ' I took his hand, and thanked him with what words I could that he had letme go, and then got on the smock, putting some bread and meat in mypockets, as I was likely to find little to eat on my journey. It wasdark before we left the cave, for there is little dusk with us, and thedivision between day and night sharper than in more northern parts. Elzevir took me by the hand and led me through the darkness of theworkings, telling me where I should stoop, and when the way was uneven. Thus we came to the bottom of the shaft, and looking up through fernsand brambles, I could see the deep blue of the sky overhead, and a greatstar gazing down full at us. We climbed the steps with the soap-stoneslide at one side, and then walked on briskly over the springy turfthrough the hillocks of the coveted quarry-heaps and the ruins of thedeserted cottages. There was a heavy dew which got through my boots before we had gone halfa mile, and though there was no moon, the sky was very clear, and I couldsee the veil of gossamers spread silvery white over the grass. Neither ofus spoke, partly because it was safer not to speak, for the voice carriesfar in a still night on the Downs; and partly, I think, because thebeauty of the starry heaven had taken hold upon us both, ruling ourhearts with thoughts too big for words. We soon reached that ruinedcottage of which Elzevir had spoken, and in what had once been an oven, found the compass safe enough as Ratsey had promised. Then on again overthe solitary hills, not speaking ourselves, and neither seeing light inwindow nor hearing dog stir, until we reached that strange defile whichmen call the Gates of Purbeck. Here is a natural road nicking thehighest summit of the hill, with walls as sharp as if the hand of man hadcut them, through which have walked for ages all the few travellers inthis lonely place, shepherds and sailors, soldiers and Excisemen. Andalthough, as I suppose, no carts have been through it for centuries, there are ruts in the chalk floor as wide and deep as if the cars ofgiants used it in past times. So here Elzevir stopped, and drawing from his bosom that silver-buttedpistol of which I have spoken, thrust it in my hand. 'Here, take it, child, ' he said, 'but use it not till thou art closely pressed, and thenif thou _must_ shoot, shoot low--it flings. ' I took it and gripped hishand, and so we parted, he going back to Purbeck, and I making along thetop of the ridge at the back of Hoar Head. It must have been near threewhen I reached a great grass-grown mound called Culliford Tree, thatmarks the resting-place of some old warrior of the past. The top isplanted with a clump of trees that cut the skyline, and there I satawhile to rest. But not for long, for looking back towards Purbeck, Icould see the faint hint of dawn low on the sea-line behind St. Alban'sHead, and so pressed forward knowing I had a full ten miles to cover yet. Thus I travelled on, and soon came to the first sign of man, namely aflock of lambs being fed with turnips on a summer fallow. The sun waswell up now, and flushed all with a rosy glow, showing the sheep and theroots they eat white against the brown earth. Still I saw no shepherd, nor even dog, and about seven o'clock stood safe on Weatherbeech Hillthat looks down over Moonfleet. There at my feet lay the Manor woods and the old house, and lower downthe white road and the straggling cottages, and farther still the WhyNot? and the glassy Fleet, and beyond that the open sea. I cannot sayhow sad, yet sweet, the sight was: it seemed like the mirage of thedesert, of which I had been told--so beautiful, but never to be reachedagain by me. The air was still, and the blue smoke of the morningwood-fires rose straight up, but none from the Why Not? or Manor House. The sun was already very hot, and I dropped at once from the hill-top, digging my heels into the brown-burned turf, and keeping as much as mightbe among the furze champs. So I was soon in the wood, and made straightfor the little dell and lay down there, burying myself in the wildrhubarb and burdocks, yet so that I could see the doorway of the ManorHouse over the lip of the hill. Then I reflected what I was to do, or how I should get to speak withGrace: and thought I would first wait an hour or two, and see whether shecame out, and afterwards, if she did not, would go down boldly and knockat the door. This seemed not very dangerous, for it was likely, from whatRatsey had said, that there was no one with her in the house, and ifthere was it would be but an old woman, to whom I could pass as astranger in my disguise, and ask my way to some house in the village. SoI lay still and munched a piece of bread, and heard the clock in thechurch tower strike eight and afterwards nine, but saw no one move in thehouse. The wood was all alive with singing-birds, and with the calling ofcuckoo and wood-pigeon. There were deep patches of green shade andlighter patches of yellow sunlight, in which the iris leaves gleamed witha sheeny white, and a shimmering blue sea of ground-ivy spread allthrough the wood. It struck ten, and as the heat increased the birds sangless and the droning of the bees grew more distinct, and at last I gotup, shook myself, smoothed my smock, and making a turn, came out on theroad that led to the house. Though my disguise was good, I fear I made but an indifferent badploughboy when walking, and found a difficulty in dealing with my hands, not knowing how ploughboys are wont to carry them. So I came round infront of the house, and gave a rat-tat on the door, while my pulse beatas loud inside of me as ever did the knocker without. The sound ran roundthe building, and backwards among the walks, and all was silent asbefore. I waited a minute, and was for knocking again, thinking theremight be no one in the house, and then heard a light footstep comingalong the corridor, yet durst not look through the window to see who itwas in passing, as I might have done, but kept myself close to the door. The bolts were being drawn, and a girl's voice asked, 'Who is there?' Igave a jump to hear that voice, knowing it well for Grace's, and had amind to shout out my name. But then I remembered there might be some inthe house with her besides, and that I must remain disguised. Moreover, laughing is so mixed with crying in our world, and trifling things withserious, that even in this pass I believe I was secretly pleased to haveto play a trick on her, and test whether she would find me out in thisdress or not. So I spoke out in our round Dorset speech, such as theytalk it out in the vale, saying, 'A poor boy who is out of his way. ' Then she opened one leaf of the door, and asked me whither I would go, looking at me as one might at a stranger and not knowing who it was. I answered that I was a farm lad who had walked from Purbeck, and soughtan inn called the Why Not? kept by one Master Block. When she heard that, she gave a little start, and looked me over again, yet could make nothingof it, but said: 'Good lad, if you will step on to this terrace I can show you the WhyNot? inn, but 'tis shut these two months or more, and Master Block away. ' With that she turned towards the terrace, I following, but when wewere outside of ear-shot from the door, I spoke in my own voice, quick but low: 'Grace, it is I, John Trenchard, who am come to say goodbye before Ileave these parts, and have much to tell that you would wish to hear. Arethere any beside in the house with you?' Now many girls who had suffered as she had, and were thus surprised, would have screamed, or perhaps swooned, but she did neither, onlyflushing a little and saying, also quick and low, 'Let us go back to thehouse; I am alone. ' So we went back, and after the door was bolted, took both hands and stoodup face to face in the passage looking into one another's eyes. I wastired with a long walk and sleepless night, and so full of joy to see heragain that my head swam and all seemed a sweet dream. Then she squeezedmy hands, and I knew 'twas real, and was for kissing her for very love;but she guessed what I would be at, perhaps, and cast my hands loose, drawing back a little, as if to see me better, and saying, 'John, youhave grown a man in these two months. ' So I did not kiss her. But if it was true that I was grown a man, it was truer still that shewas grown a woman, and as tall as I. And these recent sufferings hadtaken from her something of light and frolic girlhood, and left her witha manner more staid and sober. She was dressed in black, with longerskirts, and her hair caught up behind; and perhaps it was the mourningfrock that made her look pale and thin, as Ratsey said. So while I lookedat her, she looked at me, and could not choose but smile to see mycarter's smock; and as for my brown face and hands, thought I had beenhiding in some country underneath the sun, until I told her of thewalnut-juice. Then before we fell to talking, she said it was better weshould sit in the garden, for that a woman might come in to help her withthe house, and anyway it was safer, so that I might get out at the backin case of need. So she led the way down the corridor and through theliving-part of the house, and we passed several rooms, and one littleparlour lined with shelves and musty books. The blinds were pulled, butlet enough light in to show a high-backed horsehair chair that stood atthe table. In front of it lay an open volume, and a pair of horn-rimmedspectacles, that I had often seen on Maskew's nose; so I knew it was hisstudy, and that nothing had been moved since last he sat there. Even nowI trembled to think in whose house I was, and half-expected the oldattorney to step in and hale me off to jail; till I remembered how all mytrouble had come about, and how I last had seen him with his face turnedup against the morning sun. Thus we came to the garden, where I had never been before. It was a greatsquare, shut in with a brick wall of twelve or fifteen feet, big enoughto suit a palace, but then ill kept and sorely overgrown. I could spendlong in speaking of that plot; how the flowers, and fruit-trees, pot-herbs, spice, and simples ran all wild and intermixed. The pink brickwalls caught every ray of sun that fell, and that morning there was ahushed, close heat in it, and a warm breath rose from the strawberrybeds, for they were then in full bearing. I was glad enough to get out ofthe sun when Grace led the way into a walk of medlar-trees and quinces, where the boughs interlaced and formed an alley to a brick summer-house. This summer-house stands in the angle of the south wall, and by it twofig-trees, whose tops you can see from the outside. They are well knownfor the biggest and the earliest bearing of all that part, and Graceshowed me how, if danger threatened, I might climb up their boughs andscale the wall. We sat in the summer-house, and I told her all that had happened at herfather's death, only concealing that Elzevir had meant to do the deedhimself; because it was no use to tell her that, and besides, for all Iknew, he never did mean to shoot, but only to frighten. She wept again while I spoke, but afterwards dried her tears, and mustneeds look at my leg to see the bullet-wound, and if it was allsoundly healed. Then I told her of the secret sense that Master Ratsey's words put intothe texts written on the parchment. I had showed her the locket before, but we had it out again now; and she read and read again the writing, while I pointed out how the words fell, and told her I was going away toget the diamond and come back the richest man in all the countryside. Then she said, 'Ah, John! set not your heart too much upon this diamond. If what they say is true, 'twas evilly come by, and will bring evil withit. Even this wicked man durst not spend it for himself, but meant togive it to the poor; so, if indeed you ever find it, keep it not foryourself, but set his soul at rest by doing with it what he meant to do, or it will bring a curse upon you. ' I only smiled at what she said, taking it to be a girlish fancy, and didnot tell her why I wanted so much to be rich--namely, to marry her oneday. Then, having talked long about my own concerns as selfishly as a manalways does, I thought to ask after herself, and what she was going todo. She told me that a month past lawyers had come to Moonfleet, andpressed her to leave the place, and they would give her in charge to alady in London, because, said they, her father had died without a will, and so she must be made a ward of Chancery. But she had begged them tolet her be, for she could never live anywhere else than in Moonfleet, and that the air and commodity of the place suited her well. So they wentoff, saying that they must take direction of the Court to know whethershe might stay here or not, and here she yet was. This made me sad, forall I knew of Chancery was that whatever it put hand on fell to ruin, aswitness the Chancery Mills at Cerne, or the Chancery Wharf at Wareham;and certainly it would take little enough to ruin the Manor House, for itwas three parts in decay already. Thus we talked, and after that she put on a calico bonnet and picked me adish of strawberries, staying to pull the finest, although the sun wasbeating down from mid-heaven, and brought me bread and meat from thehouse. Then she rolled up a shawl to make me a pillow, and bade me liedown on the seat that ran round the summer-house and get to sleep, for Ihad told her that I had walked all night, and must be back again at thecave come midnight She went back to the house, and that was the mostsweet and peaceful sleep that ever I knew, for I was very tired, and hadthis thought to soothe me as I fell asleep--that I had seen Grace, andthat she was so kind to me. She was sitting beside me when I awoke and knitting a piece of work. Theheat of the day was somewhat less, and she told me that it was past fiveo'clock by the sun-dial; so I knew that I must go. She made me take apacket of victuals and a bottle of milk, and as she put it into, mypocket the bottle struck on the butt of Maskew's pistol, which I had inmy bosom. 'What have you there?' she said; but I did not tell her, fearing to call up bitter memories. We stood hand in hand again, as we had done in the morning, and she said:'John, you will wander on the sea, and may perhaps put into Moonfleet. Though you have not been here of late, I have kept a candle burning atthe window every night, as in the past. So, if you come to beach on anynight you will see that light, and know Grace remembers you. And if yousee it not, then know that I am dead or gone, for I will think of youevery night till you come back again. ' I had nothing to say, for my heartwas too full with her sweet words and with the sorrow of parting, butonly drew her close to me and kissed her; and this time she did not stepback, but kissed me again. Then I climbed up the fig-tree, thinking it safer so to get out over thewall than to go back to the front of the house, and as I sat on the wallready to drop the other side, turned to her and said good-bye. 'Good-bye, ' cried she; 'and have a care how you touch the treasure; itwas evilly come by, and will bring a curse with it. ' 'Good-bye, good-bye, ' I said, and dropped on to the soft leafy bottomof the wood. CHAPTER 14 THE WELL-HOUSE For those thou mayest not look uponAre gathering fast round the yawning stone--_Scott_ It wanted yet half an hour of midnight when I found myself at the shaftof the marble quarry, and before I had well set foot on the steps todescend, heard Elzevir's voice challenging out of the darkness below. Igave back '_Prosper the Bonaventure', _ and so came home again to sleepthe last time in our cave. The next night was well suited to flight. There was a spring-tide withfull moon, and a light breeze setting off the land which left the watersmooth under the cliff. We saw the _Bonaventure_ cruising in the Channelbefore sundown, and after the darkness fell she lay close in and took usoff in her boat. There were several men on board of her that I knew, andthey greeted us kindly, and made much of us. I was indeed glad to beamong them again, and yet felt a pang at leaving our dear Dorset coast, and the old cave that had been hospital and home to me for two months. The wind set us up-Channel, and by daybreak they put us ashore at Cowes, so we walked to Newport and came there before many were stirring. Such aswe saw in the street paid no heed to us but took us doubtless for somecarter and his boy who had brought corn in from the country for theSouthampton packet, and were about early to lead the team home again. 'Tis a little place enough this Newport, and we soon found the Bugle; butElzevir made so good a carter that the landlord did not know him, thoughhe had his acquaintance before. So they fenced a little with one another. 'Have you bed and victuals for a plain country man and his boy?'says Elzevir. 'Nay, that I have not, ' says the landlord, looking him up and down, andnot liking to take in strangers who might use their eyes inside, andperhaps get on the trail of the Contraband. ''Tis near the SummerStatute and the place over full already. I cannot move my gentlemen, and would bid you try the Wheatsheaf, which is a good house, and not sofull as this. ' 'Ay, 'tis a busy time, and 'tis these fairs that make things _prosper_, 'and Elzevir marked the last word a little as he said it. The man looked harder at him, and asked, 'Prosper what?' as if he werehard of hearing. '_Prosper the Bonaventure_, ' was the answer, and then the landlord caughtElzevir by the hand, shaking it hard and saying, 'Why, you are MasterBlock, and I expecting you this morn, and never knew you. ' He laughed ashe stared at us again, and Elzevir smiled too. Then the landlord led usin. 'And this is?' he said, looking at me. 'This is a well-licked whelp, ' replied Elzevir, 'who got a bullet in theleg two months ago in that touch under Hoar Head; and is worth more thanhe looks, for they have put twenty golden guineas on his head--so have acare of such a precious top-knot. ' So long as we stopped at the Bugle we had the best of lodging and thechoicest meat and drink, and all the while the landlord treated Elzeviras though he were a prince. And so he was indeed a prince among thecontrabandiers, and held, as I found out long afterwards, for captain ofall landers between Start and Solent. At first the landlord would take nomoney of us, saying that he was in our debt, and had received many a goodturn from Master Block in the past, but Elzevir had got gold fromDorchester before we left the cave and forced him to take payment. I wasglad enough to lie between clean sweet sheets at night instead of on aheap of sand, and sit once more knife and fork in hand before awell-filled trencher. 'Twas thought best I should show myself as littleas possible, so I was content to pass my time in a room at the back ofthe house whilst Elzevir went abroad to make inquiries how we could findentrance to the Castle at Carisbrooke. Nor did the time hang heavy on myhands, for I found some old books in the Bugle, and among them several tomy taste, especially a _History of Corfe Castle_, which set forth howthere was a secret passage from the ruins to some of the old marblequarries, and perhaps to that very one that sheltered us. Elzevir was out most of the day, so that I saw him only at breakfast andsupper. He had been several times to Carisbrooke, and told me that theCastle was used as a jail for persons taken in the wars, and was now fullof French prisoners. He had met several of the turnkeys or jailers, drinking with them in the inns there, and making out that he was himselfa carter, who waited at Newport till a wind-bound ship should bringgrindstones from Lyme Regis. Thus he was able at last to enter the Castleand to see well-house and well, and spent some days in trying to devise aplan whereby we might get at the well without making the man who hadcharge of it privy to our full design; but in this did not succeed. There is a slip of garden at the back of the Bugle, which runs down to alittle stream, and one evening when I was taking the air there afterdark, Elzevir returned and said the time was come for us to putBlackbeard's cipher to the proof. 'I have tried every way, ' he said, 'to see if we could work thissecretly; but 'tis not to be done without the privity of the man whokeeps the well, and even with his help it is not easy. He is a man I donot trust, but have been forced to tell him there is treasure hidden inthe well, yet without saying where it lies or how to get it. He promisesto let us search the well, taking one-third the value of all we find, forhis share; for I said not that thou and I were one at heart, but onlythat there was a boy who had the key, and claimed an equal third withboth of us. Tomorrow we must be up betimes, and at the Castle gates bysix o'clock for him to let us in. And thou shalt not be carter any more, but mason's boy, and I a mason, for I have got coats in the house, brushes and trowels and lime-bucket, and we are going to Carisbrooke toplaster up a weak patch in this same well-side. ' Elzevir had thought carefully over this plan, and when we left the Buglenext morning we were better masons in our splashed clothes than ever wehad been farm servants. I carried a bucket and a brush, and Elzevir aplasterer's hammer and a coil of stout twine over his arm. It was a wetmorning, and had been raining all night. The sky was stagnant, andone-coloured without wind, and the heavy drops fell straight down out ofa grey veil that covered everything. The air struck cold when we firstcame out, but trudging over the heavy road soon made us remember that itwas July, and we were very hot and soaking wet when we stood at thegateway of Carisbrooke Castle. Here are two flanking towers and a stoutgate-house reached by a stone bridge crossing the moat; and when I saw itI remembered that 'twas here Colonel Mohune had earned the wages of hisunrighteousness, and thought how many times he must have passed thesegates. Elzevir knocked as one that had a right, and we were evidentlyexpected, for a wicket in the heavy door was opened at once. The man wholet us in was tall and stout, but had a puffy face, and too much flesh onhim to be very strong, though he was not, I think, more than thirty yearsof age. He gave Elzevir a smile, and passed the time of day civillyenough, nodding also to me; but I did not like his oily black hair, and ashifty eye that turned away uneasily when one met it. 'Good-morning, Master Well-wright, ' he said to Elzevir. 'You have broughtugly weather with you, and are drowning wet; will you take a sup of alebefore you get to work?' Elzevir thanked him kindly but would not drink, so the man led on and wefollowed him. We crossed a bailey or outer court where the rain had madethe gravel very miry, and came on the other side to a door which led bysteps into a large hall. This building had once been a banquet-room, Ithink, for there was an inscription over it very plain in lead: _He ledme into his banquet hall, and his banner over me was love_. I had time to read this while the turnkey unlocked the door with one of aheavy bunch of keys that he carried at his girdle. But when we entered, what a disappointment!--for there were no banquets now, no banners, nolove, but the whole place gutted and turned into a barrack for Frenchprisoners. The air was very close, as where men had slept all night, anda thick steam on the windows. Most of the prisoners were still asleep, and lay stretched out on straw palliasses round the walls, but some weresitting up and making models of ships out of fish-bones, or building upcrucifixes inside bottles, as sailors love to do in their spare time. They paid little heed to us as we passed, though the sleepy guards, whowere lounging on their matchlocks, nodded to our conductor, and thus wewent right through that evil-smelling white-washed room. We left it atthe other end, went down three steps into the open air again, crossedanother small court, and so came to a square building of stone with ahigh roof like the large dovecots that you may see in old stackyards. Here our guide took another key, and, while the door was being opened, Elzevir whispered to me, 'It is the well-house, ' and my pulse beat quickto think we were so near our goal. The building was open to the roof, and the first thing to be seen in itwas that tread-wheel of which Elzevir had spoken. It was a great openwheel of wood, ten or twelve feet across, and very like a mill-wheel, only the space between the rims was boarded flat, but had treads nailedon it to give foothold to a donkey. The patient beast was lying loosestabled on some straw in a corner of the room, and, as soon as we camein, stood up and stretched himself, knowing that the day's work was tobegin. 'He was here long before my time, ' the turnkey said, 'and knowsthe place so well that he goes into the wheel and sets to work byhimself. ' At the side of the wheel was the well-mouth, a dark, roundopening with a low parapet round it, rising two feet from the floor. We were so near our goal. Yet, were we near it at all? How did we knowMohune had meant to tell the place of hiding for the diamond in thosewords. They might have meant a dozen things beside. And if it was of thediamond they spoke, then how did we know the well was this one? therewere a hundred wells beside. These thoughts came to me, making hope lesssure; and perhaps it was the steamy overcast morning and the rain, or ascant breakfast, that beat my spirit down--for I have known men's moodchange much with weather and with food; but sure it was that now we stoodso near to put it to the touch, I liked our business less and less. As soon as we were entered the turnkey locked the door from the inside, and when he let the key drop to its place, and it jangled with the otherson his belt, it seemed to me he had us as his prisoners in a trap. Itried to catch his eye to see if it looked bad or good, but could not, for he kept his shifty face turned always somewhere else; and then itcame to my mind that if the treasure was really fraught with evil, thiscoarse dark-haired man, who could not look one straight, was to become aminister of ruin to bring the curse home to us. But if I was weak and timid Elzevir had no misgivings. He had taken thecoil of twine off his arm and was undoing it. 'We will let an end of thisdown the well, ' he said, 'and I have made a knot in it at eighty feet. This lad thinks the treasure is in the well wall, eighty feet below us, so when the knot is on well lip we shall know we have the right depth. ' Itried again to see what look the turnkey wore when he heard where thetreasure was, but could not, and so fell to examining the well. A spindle ran from the axle of the wheel across the well, and on thespindle was a drum to take the rope. There was some clutch or fasteningwhich could be fixed or loosed at will to make the drum turn with thetread-wheel, or let it run free, and a footbreak to lower the bucket fastor slow, or stop it altogether. 'I will get into the bucket, ' Elzevir said, turning to me, 'and thisgood man will lower me gently by the break until I reach the string-enddown below. Then I will shout, and so fix you the wheel and give me timeto search. ' This was not what I looked for, having thought that it was I should go;and though I liked going down the well little enough, yet somehow now Ifelt I would rather do that than have Master Elzevir down the hole, andme left locked alone with this villainous fellow up above. So I said, 'No, master, that cannot be; 'tis my place to go, beingsmaller and a lighter weight than thou; and thou shalt stop here and helpthis gentleman to lower me down. ' Elzevir spoke a few words to try to change my purpose, but soon gave in, knowing it was certainly the better plan, and having only thought to gohimself because he doubted if I had the heart to do it. But the turnkeyshowed much ill-humour at the change, and strove to let the plan stand asit was, and for Elzevir to go down the well. Things that were settled, hesaid, should remain settled; he was not one for changes; it was a man'stask this and no child's play; a boy would not have his senses about him, and might overlook the place. I fixed my eyes on Elzevir to let him knowwhat I thought, and Master Turnkey's words fell lightly on his ears aswater on a duck's back. Then this ill-eyed man tried to work upon myfears; saying that the well is deep and the bucket small, I shall getgiddy and be overbalanced. I do not say that these forebodings werewithout effect on me, but I had made up my mind that, bad as it might beto go down, it was yet worse to have Master Elzevir prisoned in the well, and I remain above. Thus the turnkey perceived at last that he wasspeaking to deaf ears, and turned to the business. Yet there was one fear that still held me, for thinking of what I hadheard of the quarry shafts in Purbeck, how men had gone down to explore, and there been taken with a sudden giddiness, and never lived to tellwhat they had seen; and so I said to Master Elzevir, 'Art sure the wellis clean, and that no deadly gases lurk below?' 'Thou mayst be sure I knew the well was sweet before I let thee talk ofgoing down, ' he answered. 'For yesterday we lowered a candle to thewater, and the flame burned bright and steady; and where the candlelives, there man lives too. But thou art right: these gases change fromday to day, and we will try the thing again. So bring the candle, Master Jailer. ' The jailer brought a candle fixed on a wooden triangle, which he was wontto show strangers who came to see the well, and lowered it on a string. It was not till then I knew what a task I had before me, for looking overthe parapet, and taking care not to lose my balance, because the parapetwas low, and the floor round it green and slippery with water-splashings, I watched the candle sink into that cavernous depth, and from a brightflame turn into a little twinkling star, and then to a mere point oflight. At last it rested on the water, and there was a shimmer where thewood frame had set ripples moving. We watched it twinkle for a littlewhile, and the jailer raised the candle from the water, and dropped downa stone from some he kept there for that purpose. This stone struck thewall half-way down, and went from side to side, crashing and whirringtill it met the water with a booming plunge; and there rose a groan andmoan from the eddies, like those dreadful sounds of the surge that Iheard on lonely nights in the sea-caverns underneath our hiding-place inPurbeck. The jailer looked at me then for the first time, and his eyeshad an ugly meaning, as if he said, 'There--that is how you will soundwhen you fall from your perch. ' But it was no use to frighten, for I hadmade up my mind. They pulled the candle up forthwith and put it in my hand, and I flungthe plasterer's hammer into the bucket, where it hung above the well, andthen got in myself. The turnkey stood at the break-wheel, and Elzevirleant over the parapet to steady the rope. 'Art sure that thou canst doit, lad?' he said, speaking low, and put his hand kindly on my shoulder. 'Are head and heart sure? Thou art my diamond, and I would rather loseall other diamonds in the world than aught should come to thee. So, ifthou doubtest, let me go, or let not any go at all. ' 'Never doubt, master, ' I said, touched by tenderness, and wrung hishand. 'My head is sure; I have no broken leg to turn it sillynow'--for I guessed he was thinking of Hoar Head and how I had gonegiddy on the Zigzag. CHAPTER 15 THE WELL The grave doth gape and doting death is near--_Shakespeare_ The bucket was large, for all that the turnkey had tried to frighten meinto think it small, and I could crouch in it low enough to feel safe ofnot falling out. Moreover, such a venture was not entirely new to me, forI had once been over Gad Cliff in a basket, to get two peregrines' eggs;yet none the less I felt ill at ease and fearful, when the bucket beganto sink into that dreadful depth, and the air to grow chilly as I wentdown. They lowered me gently enough, so that I was able to take stock ofthe way the wall was made, and found that for the most part it was cutthrough solid chalk; but here and there, where the chalk failed or wasbroken away, they had lined the walls with brick, patching them now onthis side, now on that, and now all round. By degrees the light, whichwas dim even overground that rainy day, died out in the well, till allwas black as night but for my candle, and far overhead I could see thewell-mouth, white and round like a lustreless full-moon. I kept an eye all the time on Elzevir's cord that hung down thewell-side, and when I saw it was coming to a finish, shouted to them tostop, and they brought the bucket up near level with the end of it, so Iknew I was about eighty feet deep. Then I raised myself, standing up inthe bucket and holding by the rope, and began to look round, knowing notall the while what I looked for, but thinking to see a hole in the wall, or perhaps the diamond itself shining out of a cranny. But I couldperceive nothing; and what made it more difficult was, that the wallshere were lined completely with small flat bricks, and looked much thesame all round. I examined these bricks as closely as I might, and tookcourse by course, looking first at the north side where the plumb-linehung, and afterwards turning round in the bucket till I was afraid ofgetting giddy; but to little purpose. They could see my candle movinground and round from the well-top, and knew no doubt what I was at, butMaster Turnkey grew impatient, and shouted down, 'What are you doing?have you found nothing? can you see no treasure?' 'No, ' I called back, 'I can see nothing, ' and then, 'Are you sure, MasterBlock, that you have measured the plummet true to eighty feet?' I heard them talking together, but could not make out what they said, forthe bim-bom and echo in the well, till Elzevir shouted again, 'They saythis floor has been raised; you must try lower. ' Then the bucket began to move lower, slowly, and I crouched down in itagain, not wishing to look too much into the unfathomable, dark abyssbelow. And all the while there rose groanings and moanings from eddies inthe bottom of the well, as if the spirits that kept watch over me jewelwere yammering together that one should be so near it; and clear abovethem all I heard Grace's voice, sweet and grave, 'Have a care, have acare how you touch the treasure; it was evilly come by, and will bring acurse with it. ' But I had set foot on this way now, and must go through with it, so whenthe bucket stopped some six feet lower down, I fell again to diligentlyexamining the walls. They were still built of the shallow bricks, andscanning them course by course as before, I could at first see nothing, but as I moved my eyes downward they were brought up by a mark scratchedon a brick, close to the hanging plummet-line. Now, however lightly a man may glance through a book, yet if his ownname, or even only one nice it, should be printed on the page, hiseyes will instantly be stopped by it; so too, if his name be mentionedby others in their speech, though it should be whispered never so low, his ears will catch it. Thus it was with this mark, for though it wasvery slight, so that I think not one in a thousand would ever havenoticed it at all, yet it stopped my eyes and brought up my thoughtssuddenly, because I knew by instinct that it had something to do withme and what I sought. The sides of this well are not moist, green, or clammy, like the sides ofsome others where damp and noxious exhalations abound, but dry and clean;for it is said that there are below hidden entrances and exits for thewater, which keep it always moving. So these bricks were also dry andclean, and this mark as sharp as if made yesterday, though the issueshowed that 'twas put there a very long time ago. Now the mark was notdeeply or regularly graven, but roughly scratched, as I have known boysscore their names, or alphabet letters, or a date, on the alabasterfigures that lie in Moonfleet Church. And here, too, was scored a letterof the alphabet, a plain 'Y', and would have passed for nothing moreperhaps to any not born in Moonfleet; but to me it was the _cross-pall, _or black 'Y' of the Mohunes, under whose shadow we were all brought up. So as soon as I saw that, I knew I was near what I sought, and thatColonel John Mohune had put this sign there a century ago, either by hisown hands or by those of a servant; and then I thought of Mr. Glennie'sstory, that the Colonel's conscience was always unquiet, because of aservant whom he had put away, and now I seemed to understand somethingmore of it. My heart throbbed fiercely, as many another's heart has throbbed when hehas come near the fulfilment of a great desire, whether lawful or guilty, and I tried to get at the brick. But though by holding on to the ropewith my left hand, I could reach over far enough to touch the brick withmy right 'twas as much as I could do, and so I shouted up the well thatthey must bring me nearer in to the side. They understood what I would beat, and slipped a noose over the well-rope and so drew it in to the side, and made it fast till I should give the word to loose again. Thus I wasbrought close to the well-wall, and the marked brick near about the levelof my face when I stood up in the bucket. There was nothing to show thatthis brick had been tampered with, nor did it sound hollow when tapped, though when I came to look closely at the joints, it seemed as thoughthere was more cement than usual about the edges. But I never doubtedthat what we sought was to be found behind it, and so got to work atonce, fixing the wooden frame of the candle in the fastening of thechain, and chipping out the mortar setting with the plasterer's hammer. When they saw above that first I was to be pulled in to the side, andafterwards fell to work on the wall of the well, they guessed, no doubt, how matters were, and I had scarce begun chipping when I heard theturnkey's voice again, sharp and greedy, 'What are you doing? have youfound nothing?' It chafed me that this grasping fellow should be alwaysshouting to me while Elzevir was content to stay quiet, so I cried backthat I had found nothing, and that he should know what I was doing ingood time. Soon I had the mortar out of the joints, and the brick loose enough toprise it forward, by putting the edge of the hammer in the crack. Ilifted it clean out and put it in the bucket, to see later on, in caseof need, if there was a hollow for anything to be hidden in; but neverhad occasion to look at it again, for there, behind the brick, was alittle hole in the wall, and in the hole what I sought. I had my fingersin the wall too quick for words, and brought out a little parchment bag, for all the world like those dried fish-eggs cast up on the beach thatchildren call shepherds' purses. Now, shepherds' purses are crisp, andcrackle to the touch, and sometimes I have known a pebble get inside oneand rattle like a pea in a drum; and this little bag that I pulled outwas dry too, and crackling, and had something of the size of a smallpebble that rattled in the inside of it. Only I knew well that this wasno pebble, and set to work to get it out. But though the little bag wasparched and dry, 'twas not so easily torn, and at last I struck off thecorner of it with the sharp edge of my hammer against the bucket. Then Ishook it carefully, and out into my hand there dropped a pure crystal asbig as a walnut. I had never in my life seen a diamond, either large orsmall--yet even if I had not known that Blackbeard had buried a diamond, and if we had not come hither of set purpose to find it, I should nothave doubted that what I had in my hand was a diamond, and this ofmatchless size and brilliance. It was cut into many facets, and thoughthere was little or no light in the well save my candle, there seemed tobe in this stone the light of a thousand fires that flashed out, sparkling red and blue and green, as I turned it between my fingers. Atfirst I could think of nothing else, neither how it got there, nor how Ihad come to find it, but only of it, the diamond, and that with such aprize Elzevir and I could live happily ever afterwards, and that I shouldbe a rich man and able to go back to Moonfleet. So I crouched down in thebottom of the bucket, being filled entirely with such thoughts, andturned it over and over again, wondering continually more and more to seethe fiery light fly out of it. I was, as it were, dazed by itsbrilliance, and by the possibilities of wealth that it contained, andhad, perhaps, a desire to keep it to myself as long as might be; so thatI thought nothing of the two who were waiting for me at the well-mouth, till I was suddenly called back by the harsh voice of the turnkey, cryingas before-- 'What are you doing? have you found nothing?' 'Yes, ' I shouted back, 'I have found the treasure; you can pull me up. 'The words were scarcely out of my mouth before the bucket began to move, and I went up a great deal faster than I had gone down. Yet in that shortjourney other thoughts came to my mind, and I heard Grace's voice again, sweet and grave, 'Have a care, have a care how you touch the treasure; itwas evilly come by, and will bring a curse with it. ' At the same time Iremembered how I had been led to the discovery of this jewel--first, byMr. Glennie's stories, second, by my finding the locket, and third, byRatsey giving me the hint that the writing was a cipher, and so had cometo the hiding-place without a swerve or stumble; and it seemed to me thatI could not have reached it so straight without a leading hand, butwhether good or evil, who should say? As I neared the top I heard the turnkey urging the donkey to trot fasterin the wheel, so that the bucket might rise the quicker, but just beforemy head was level with the ground he set the break on and fixed me whereI was. I was glad to see the light again, and Elzevir's face lookingkindly on me, but vexed to be brought up thus suddenly just when I wasexpecting to set foot on _terra firma_. The turnkey had stopped me through his covetous eagerness, so that hemight get sooner at the jewel, and now he craned over the low parapet andreached out his hand to me, crying--'Where is the treasure? where is thetreasure? give me the treasure!' I held the diamond between finger and thumb of my right hand, and wavedit for Elzevir to see. By stretching out my arm I could have placed it inthe turnkey's hand, and was just going to do so, when I caught his eyesfor the second time that day, and something in them made me stop. Therewas a look in his face that brought back to me the memory of an autumnevening, when I sat in my aunt's parlour reading the book called the_Arabian Nights_; and how, in the story of the _Wonderful Lamp_, Aladdin's wicked uncle stands at the top of the stairs when the boy iscoming up out of the underground cavern, and will not let him out, unlesshe first gives up the treasure. But Aladdin refused to give up his lampuntil he should stand safe on the ground again, because he guessed thatif he did, his uncle would shut him up in the cavern and leave him to diethere; and the look in the turnkey's eyes made me refuse to hand him thejewel till I was safe out of the well, for a horrible fear seized methat, as soon as he had taken it from me, he meant to let me fall downand drown below. So when he reached down his hand and said, 'Give me the treasure, ' Ianswered, 'Pull me up then; I cannot show it you in the bucket. ' 'Nay, lad, ' he said, cozening me, 'tis safer to give it me now, and haveboth hands free to help you getting out; these stones are wet and greasy, and you may chance to slip, and having no hand to save you, fall back inthe well. ' But I was not to be cheated, and said again sturdily, 'No, you must pullme up first. ' Then he took to scowling, and cried in an angry tone, 'Give me thetreasure, I say, or it will be the worse for you'; but Elzevir wouldnot let him speak to me that way, and broke in roughly, 'Let the boy up, he is sure-footed and will not slip. 'Tis his treasure, and he shall dowith it as he likes: only that thou shalt have a third of it when wehave sold it. ' Then he: ''Tis not his treasure--no, nor yours either, but mine, for itis in my well, and I have let you get it. Yet I will give you ahalf-share in it; but as for this boy, what has he to do with it? We willgive him a golden guinea, and he will be richly paid for his pains. ' 'Tush, ' cries Elzevir, 'let us have no more fooling; this boy shall havehis share, or I will know the reason why. ' 'Ay, you shall know the reason, fair enough, ' answers the turnkey, 'and'tis because your name is Block, and there is a price of 50 upon yourhead, and 20 upon this boy's. You thought to outwit me, and are yourselfoutwitted; and here I have you in a trap, and neither leaves this room, except with hands tied, and bound for the gallows, unless I first havethe jewel safe in my purse. ' On that I whipped the diamond back quick into the little parchment bag, and thrust both down snug into my breeches-pocket, meaning to have afight for it, anyway, before I let it go. And looking up again, I saw theturnkey's hand on the butt of his pistol, and cried, 'Beware, beware! hedraws on you. ' But before the words were out of my mouth, the turn-keyhad his weapon up and levelled full at Elzevir. 'Surrender, ' he cries, 'or I shoot you dead, and the 50 is mine, ' and never giving time foranswer, fires. Elzevir stood on the other side of the well-mouth, and itseemed the other could not miss him at such a distance; but as I blinkedmy eyes at the flash, I felt the bullet strike the iron chain to which Iwas holding, and saw that Elzevir was safe. The turnkey saw it too, and flinging away his pistol, sprang round thewell and was at Elzevir's throat before he knew whether he was hit ornot. I have said that the turnkey was a tall, strong man, and twentyyears the younger of the two; so doubtless when he made for Elzevir, hethought he would easily have him broken down and handcuffed, and thenturn to me. But he reckoned without his host, for though Elzevir was theshorter and older man, he was wonderfully strong, and seasoned as asalted thong. Then they hugged one another and began a terrible struggle:for Elzevir knew that he was wrestling for life, and I daresay theturnkey guessed that the stakes were much the same for him too. As soon as I saw what they were at, and that the bucket was safe fixed, I laid hold of the well-chain, and climbing up by it swung myself on tothe top of the parapet, being eager to help Elzevir, and get the turnkeygagged and bound while we made our escape. But before I was well on thefirm ground again, I saw that little help of mine was needed, for theturnkey was flagging, and there was a look of anguish and desperatesurprise upon his face, to find that the man he had thought to master solightly was strong as a giant. They were swaying to and fro, and thejailer's grip was slackening, for his muscles were overwrought andtired; but Elzevir held him firm as a vice, and I saw from his eyes andthe bearing of his body that he was gathering himself up to give hisenemy a fall. Now I guessed that the fall he would use would be the Compton Toss, forthough I had never seen him give it, yet he was well known for a wrestlerin his younger days, and the Compton Toss for his most certain fall. Ishall not explain the method of it, but those who have seen it used willknow that 'tis a deadly fall, and he who lets himself get thrown that wayeven upon grass, is seldom fit to wrestle another bout the same day. Still 'tis a difficult fall to use, and perhaps Elzevir would never havebeen able to give it, had not the other at that moment taken one hand offthe waist, and tried to make a clutch with it at the throat. But theonly way of avoiding that fall, and indeed most others, is to keep bothhands firm between hip and shoulder-blade, and the moment Elzevir feltone hand off his back, he had the jailer off his feet and gave himCompton's Toss. I do not know whether Elzevir had been so taxed by thefierce struggle that he could not put his fullest force into the throw, or whether the other, being a very strong and heavy man, needed more tofling him; but so it was, that instead of the turnkey going down straightas he should, with the back of his head on the floor (for that is thereal damage of the toss), he must needs stagger backwards a pace or two, trying to regain his footing before he went over. It was those few staggering paces that ruined him, for with the last hecame upon the stones close to the well-mouth, that had been made wet andslippery by continual spilling there of water. Then up flew his heels, and he fell backwards with all his weight. As soon as I saw how near the well-mouth he was got, I shouted out andran to save him; but Elzevir saw it quicker than I, and springing forwardseized him by the belt just when he turned over. The parapet wall wasvery low, and caught the turnkey behind the knee as he staggered, tripping him over into the well-mouth. He gave a bitter cry, and therewas a wrench on his face when he knew where he was come, and 'twas thenElzevir caught him by the belt. For a moment I thought he was saved, seeing Elzevir setting his body low back with heels pressed firm againstthe parapet wall to stand the strain. Then the belt gave way at thefastening, and Elzevir fell sprawling on the floor. But the other wentbackwards down the well. I got to the parapet just as he fell head first into that black abyss. There was a second of silence, then a dreadful noise like a coconutbeing broken on a pavement--for we once had coconuts in plenty atMoonfleet, when the _Bataviaman_ came on the beach, then a deep echoingblow, where he rebounded and struck the wall again, and last of all, thethud and thundering splash, when he reached the water at the bottom. Iheld my breath for sheer horror, and listened to see if he would cry, though I knew at heart he would never cry again, after that firstsickening smash; but there was no sound or voice, except the moaningvoices of the water eddies that I had heard before. Elzevir slung himself into the bucket. 'You can handle the break, ' hesaid to me; 'let me down quick into the well. ' I took the break-lever, lowering him as quickly as I durst, till I heard the bucket touch waterat the bottom, and then stood by and listened. All was still, and yet Istarted once, and could not help looking round over my shoulder, for itseemed as if I was not alone in the well-house; and though I could see noone, yet I had a fancy of a tall black-bearded man, with coppery face, chasing another round and round the well-mouth. Both vanished from myfancy just as the pursuer had his hand on the pursued; but Mr. Glennie'sstory came back again to my mind, how that Colonel Mohune's consciencewas always unquiet because of a servant he had put away, and I guessednow that the turnkey was not the first man these walls had seen goheadlong down the well. Elzevir had been in the well so long that I began to fear something hadhappened to him, when he shouted to me to bring him up. So I fixed theclutch, and set the donkey going in the tread-wheel; and the patientdrudge started on his round, recking nothing whether it was a bucket ofwater he brought up, or a live man, or a dead man, while I looked overthe parapet, and waited with a cramping suspense to see whether Elzevirwould be alone, or have something with him. But when the bucket came insight there was only Elzevir in it, so I knew the turnkey had never cometo the top of the water again, and, indeed, there was but little chancehe should after that first knock. Elzevir said nothing to me, till Ispoke: 'Let us fling the jewel down the well after him, Master Block; itwas evilly come by, and will bring a curse with it. ' He hesitated for a moment while I half-hoped yet half-feared he was goingto do as I asked, but then said: 'No, no; thou art not fit to keep so precious a thing. Give it me. It isthy treasure, and I will never touch penny of it; but fling it down thewell thou shalt not; for this man has lost his life for it, and we haverisked ours for it--ay, and may lose them for it too, perhaps. ' So I gave him the jewel. CHAPTER 16 THE JEWEL All that glisters is not gold--_Shakespeare_ There was the turnkey's belt lying on the floor, with the keys andmanacles fixed to it, just as it had failed and come off him at the fatalmoment. Elzevir picked it up, tried the keys till he found the rightone, and unlocked the door of the well-house. 'There are other locks to open before we get out, ' I said. 'Ay, ' he answered, 'but it is more than our life is worth to be seen withthese keys, so send them down the well, after their master. ' I took them back and flung them, belt and keys and handcuffs, clankingdown against the sides into the blackness and the hidden water at thebottom. Then we took pail and hammer, brush and ropes, and turned ourbacks upon that hateful place. There was the little court to cross beforewe came to the doors of the banquet-hall. They were locked, but weknocked until a guard opened them. He knew us for the plasterer-men, whohad passed an hour before, and only asked, 'Where is Ephraim?' meaningthe turnkey. 'He is stopping behind in the well-house, ' Elzevir said, andso we passed on through the hall, where the prisoners were making whatbreakfast they might of odds and ends, with a savoury smell of cookingand a great patter of French. At the outer gate was another guard to be passed, but they opened for uswithout question, cursing Ephraim under their breath, that he did nottake the pains to let his own men out. Then the wicket of the great gatesswung-to behind us, and we went into the open again. As soon as we wereout of sight we quickened our pace, and the weather having much bettered, and a fresh breeze springing up, we came back to the Bugle about ten inthe forenoon. I believe that neither of us spoke a word during that walk, and thoughElzevir had not yet seen the diamond, he never even took the pains todraw it out of the little parchment bag, in which it still lay hid in hispocket. Yet if I did not speak I thought, and my thoughts were sadenough. For here were we a second time, flying for our lives, and if wehad not the full guilt of blood upon our hands, yet blood was surelythere. So this flight was very bitter to me, because the scene of deathof which I had been witness this morning seemed to take me farther stillaway from all my old happy life, and to stand like another dreadfulobstacle between Grace and me. In the Family Bible lying on the table inmy aunt's best parlour was a picture of Cain, which I had often looked atwith fear on wet Sunday afternoons. It showed Cain striding along in themidst of a boundless desert, with his sons and their wives stridingbehind him, and their little children carried slung on poles. There was aquick, swinging motion in the bodies of all, as though they must needsalways stride as fast as they might, and never rest, and their faces wereset hard, and thin with eternal wandering and disquiet. But the thinnestand most restless-looking and hardest face was Cain's, and on the middleof his forehead there was a dark spot, which God had set to show thatnone might touch him, because he was the first murderer, and cursed forever. This had always been to me a dreadful picture, though I could notchoose but look at it, and was sorry indeed for Cain, for all he was sowicked, because it seemed so hard to have to wander up and down the worldall his life long, and never be able to come to moorings. And yet thisvery thing had come upon me now, for here we were, with the blood of twomen on our hands, wanderers on the face of the earth, who durst never gohome; and if the mark of Cain was not on my forehead already, I felt itmight come out there at any minute. When we reached the Bugle I went upstairs and flung myself upon the bedto try to rest a little and think, but Elzevir shut himself in with thelandlord, and I could hear them talking earnestly in the room under me. After a while he came up and said that he had considered with thelandlord how we could best get away, telling him that we must be off atonce, but letting him suppose that we were eager to leave the placebecause some of the Excise had got wind of our whereabouts. He had saidnothing to our host about the turnkey, wishing as few persons as possibleto know of that matter, but doubted not that we should by all meanshasten our departure from the island, for that as soon as the turnkey wasmissed inquiry would certainly be made for the plasterers with whom hewas last seen. Yet in this thing at least Fortune favoured us, for there was now lyingat Cowes, and ready to sail that night, a Dutch couper that had run acargo of Hollands on the other side of the island, and was going back toScheveningen freighted with wool. Our landlord knew the Dutch captainwell, having often done business for him, and so could give us letters ofrecommendation which would ensure us a passage to the Low Countries. Thusin the afternoon we were on the road, making our way from Newport toCowes in a new disguise, for we had changed our clothes again, and nowwore the common sailor dress of blue. The clouds had returned after the rain, and the afternoon was wet, andworse than the morning, so I shall not say anything of another weary andsilent walk. We arrived on Cowes quay by eight in the evening, and foundthe couper ready to make sail, and waiting only for the tide to set out. Her name was the _Gouden Droom_, and she was a little larger than the_Bonaventure_, but had a smaller crew, and was not near so well found. Elzevir exchanged a few words with the captain, and gave him thelandlord's letter, and after that they let us come on board, but saidnothing to us. We judged that we were best out of the way, so went below;and finding her laden deep, and even the cabin full of bales of wool, flung ourselves on them to rest. I was so tired and heavy with sleep thatmy eyes closed almost before I was lain down, and never opened till thenext morning was well advanced. I shall not say anything about our voyage, nor how we came safe toScheveningen, because it has little to do with this story. Elzevir hadsettled that we should go to Holland, not only because the couper waswaiting to sail thither for we might doubtless have found other boatsbefore long to take us elsewhere--but also because he had learned atNewport that the Hague was the first market in the world for diamonds. This he told me after we were safe housed in a little tavern in the town, which was frequented by seamen, but those of the better class, such asmates and skippers of small vessels. Here we lay for several days whileElzevir made such inquiry as he could without waking suspicion as to whowere the best dealers in precious stones, and the most able to pay a goodprice for a valuable jewel. It was lucky, too, for us that Elzevir couldspeak the Dutch language--not well indeed, but enough to make himselfunderstood, and to understand others. When I asked where he had learnedit, he told me that he came of Dutch blood on his mother's side, and sogot his name of Elzevir; and that he could once speak in Dutch as readilyas in English, only that his mother dying when he was yet a boy he lostsomething of the facility. As the days passed, the memory of that dreadful morning at Carisbrookebecame dimmer to me, and my mind more cheerful or composed. I got thediamond back from Elzevir, and had it out many times, both by day and bynight, and every time it seemed more brilliant and wonderful than thelast. Often of nights, after all the house was gone to rest, I wouldlock the door of the room, and sit with a candle burning on the table, and turn the diamond over in my hands. It was, as I have said, as big asa pigeon's egg or walnut, delicately cut and faceted all over, perfectand flawless, without speck or stain, and yet, for all it was so clearand colourless, there flew out from the depth of it such flashes andsparkles of red, blue, and green, as made one wonder whence these tintscould come. Thus while I sat and watched it I would tell Elzevir storiesfrom the _Arabian Nights_, of wondrous jewels, though I believe therenever was a stone that the eagles brought up from the Valley ofDiamonds, no, nor any in the Caliph's crown itself, that could excelthis gem of ours. You may be sure that at such times we talked much of the value that wasto be put upon the stone, and what was likely to be got for it, but nevercould settle, not having any experience of such things. Only, I was surethat it must be worth thousands of pounds, and so sat and rubbed myhands, saying that though life was like a game of hazard, and our throwshad hitherto been bad enough, yet we had made something of this last. Butall the while a strange change was coming over us both, and our partsseemed turned about. For whereas a few days before it was I who wished tofling the diamond away, feeling overwrought and heavy-hearted in thatawful well-house, and Elzevir who held me from it; now it was he thatseemed to set little store by it, and I to whom it was all in all. Heseldom cared to look much at the jewel, and one night when I was praisingit to him, spoke out: 'Set not thy heart too much upon this stone. It is thine, and thine todeal with. Never a penny will I touch that we may get for it. Yet, were I thou, and reached great wealth with it, and so came back oneday to Moonfleet, I would not spend it all on my own ends, but putaside a part to build the poor-houses again, as men say Blackbeardmeant to do with it' I did not know what made him speak like this, and was not willing, evenin fancy, to agree to what he counselled; for with that gem before me, lustrous, and all the brighter for lying on a rough deal table, I couldonly think of the wealth it was to bring to us, and how I would mostcertainly go back one day to Moonfleet and marry Grace. So I neveranswered Elzevir, but took the diamond and slipped it back in the silverlocket, which still hung round my neck, for that was the safest place forit that we could think of. We spent some days in wandering round the town making inquiries, andlearnt that most of the diamond-buyers lived near one another in acertain little street, whose name I have forgotten, but that the richestand best known of them was one Krispijn Aldobrand. He was a Jew by birth, but had lived all his life in the Hague, and besides having bought andsold some of the finest stones, was said to ask few questions, and totrouble little whence stones came, so they were but good. Thus, aftermuch thought and many changes of purpose, we chose this Aldobrand, andsettled we would put the matter to the touch with him. We took an evening in late summer for our venture, and came toAldobrand's house about an hour before sundown. I remember the placewell, though I have not seen it for so long, and am certainly never liketo see it again. It was a low house of two stories standing back a littlefrom the street, with some wooden palings and a grass plot before it, anda stone-flagged path leading up to the door. The front of it waswhitewashed, with green shutters, and had a shiny-leaved magnolia trainedround about the windows. These jewellers had no shops, though sometimesthey set a single necklace or bracelet in a bottom window, but put upnotices proclaiming their trade. Thus there was over Aldobrand's door aboard stuck out to say that he bought and sold jewels, and would lendmoney on diamonds or other valuables. A sturdy serving-man opened the door, and when he heard our business wasto sell a jewel, left us in a stone-floored hall or lobby, while he wentupstairs to ask whether his master would see us. A few minutes later thestairs creaked, and Aldobrand himself came down. He was a little wizenedman with yellow skin and deep wrinkles, not less than seventy years old;and I saw he wore shoes of polished leather, silver-buckled, andtilted-heeled to add to his stature. He began speaking to us from thelanding, not coming down into the hall, but leaning over the handrail: 'Well, my sons, what would you with me? I hear you have a jewel to sell, but you must know I do not purchase sailors' flotsam. So if 'tis amoonstone or catseye, or some pin-head diamonds, keep them to makebrooches for your sweethearts, for Aldobrand buys no toys like that. ' He had a thin and squeaky voice, and spoke to us in our own tongue, guessing no doubt that we were English from our faces. 'Twas true hehandled the language badly enough, yet I was glad he used it, for so Icould follow all that was said. 'No toys like that, ' he said again, repeating his last words, and Elzeviranswered: 'May it please your worship, we are sailors from over sea, andthis boy has a diamond that he would sell. ' I had the gem in my hand all ready, and when the old man squeakedpeevishly, 'Out with it then, let's see, let's see, ' I reached it out tohim. He stretched down over the banisters, and took it; holding out hispalm hollowed, as if 'twas some little paltry stone that might otherwisefall and be lost. It nettled me to have him thus underrate our treasure, even though he had never seen it, and so I plumped it down into his handas if it were as big as a pumpkin. Now the hall was a dim place, beinglit only by a half-circle of glass over the door, and so I could not seevery well; yet in reaching down he brought his head near mine, and Icould swear his face changed when he felt the size of the stone in hishand, and turned from impatience and contempt to wonder and delight. Hetook the jewel quickly from his palm, and held it up between finger andthumb, and when he spoke again, his voice was changed as well as hisface, and had lost most of the sharp impatience. 'There is not light enough to see in this dark place--follow me, ' and heturned back and went upstairs rapidly, holding the stone in his hand; andwe close at his heels, being anxious not to lose sight of him now that hehad our diamond, for all he was so rich and well known a man. Thus we came to another landing, and there he flung open the door of aroom which looked out west, and had the light of the setting sunstreaming in full flood through the window. The change from the dimnessof the stairs to this level red blaze was so quick that for a minute Icould make out nothing, but turning my back to the window saw presentlythat the room was panelled all through with painted wood, with a bed letinto the wall on one side, and shelves round the others, on which weremany small coffers and strong-boxes of iron. The jeweller was sitting ata table with his face to the sun, holding the diamond up against thelight, and gazing into it closely, so that I could see every working ofhis face. The hard and cunning look had come back to it, and he turnedsuddenly upon me and asked quite sharply, 'What is your name, boy? Whencedo you come?' Now I was not used to walk under false names, and he took me unawares, so I must needs blurt out, 'My name is John Trenchard, sir, and I comefrom Moonfleet, in Dorset. ' A second later I could have bitten off my tongue for having said as much, and saw Elzevir frowning at me to make me hold my peace. But 'twas toolate then, for the merchant was writing down my answer in a parchmentledger. And though it would seem to most but a little thing that heshould thus take down my name and birthplace, and only vexed us at thetime, because we would not have it known at all whence we came; yet inthe overrulings of Providence it was ordered that this note in Mr. Aldobrand's book should hereafter change the issue of my life. 'From Moonfleet, in Dorset, ' he repeated to himself, as he finishedwriting my answer. 'And how did John Trenchard come by this?' and hetapped the diamond as it lay on the table before him. Then Elzevir broke in quickly, fearing no doubt lest I should be betrayedinto saying more: 'Nay, sir, we are not come to play at questions andanswers, but to know whether your worship will buy this diamond, and atwhat price. We have no time to tell long histories, and so must only saythat we are English sailors, and that the stone is fairly come by. ' Andhe let his fingers play with the diamond on the table, as if he feared itmight slip away from him. 'Softly, softly, ' said the old man; 'all stones are fairly come by; buthad you told me whence you got this, I might have spared myself sometedious tests, which now I must crave pardon for making. ' He opened a cupboard in the panelling, and took out from it a littlepair of scales, some crystals, a blackstone, and a bottle full of agreen liquid. Then he sat down again, drew the diamond gently fromElzevir's fingers, which were loth to part with it, and began using hisscales; balancing the diamond carefully, now against a crystal, nowagainst some small brass weights. I stood with my back to the sunset, watching the red light fall upon this old man as he weighed the diamond, rubbed it on the black-stone, or let fall on it a drop of the liquor, and so could see the wonder and emotion fade away from his face, andonly hard craftiness left in it. I watched him meddling till I could bear to watch no longer, feeling afierce feverish suspense as to what he might say, and my pulse beatingso quick that I could scarce stand still. For was not the decisivemoment very nigh when we should know, from these parched-up lips, thevalue of the jewel, and whether it was worth risking life for, whetherthe fabric of our hopes was built on sure foundation or on slipperysand? So I turned my back on the diamond merchant, and looked out of thewindow, waiting all the while to catch the slightest word that mightcome from his lips. I have found then and at other times that in such moments, though themind be occupied entirely by one overwhelming thought, yet the eyes takein, as it were unwittingly, all that lies before them, so that we canafterwards recall a face or landscape of which at the time we took nonote. Thus it was with me that night, for though I was thinking ofnothing but the jewel, yet I noted everything that could be seen throughthe window, and the recollection was of use to me later on. The windowwas made in the French style, reaching down to the floor, and openinglike a door with two leaves. It led on to a little balcony, and now stoodopen (for the day was still very hot), and on the wall below was traineda pear-tree, which half-embowered the balcony with its green leaves. Thewindow could be well protected in case of need, having latticed woodenblinds inside, and heavy shutters shod with iron on the outer wall, andthere were besides strong bolts and sockets from which ran certain wireswhose use I did not know. Below the balcony was a square garden-plot, shut in with a brick wall, and kept very neat and trim. There werehollyhocks round the walls, and many-coloured poppies, with many othershrubs and flowers. My eyes fell on one especially, a tall red-blossomedrushy kind of flower, that I had never seen before; and that seemedindeed to be something out of the common, for it stood in the middle of alittle earth-plot, and had the whole bed nearly to itself. I was looking at this flower, not thinking of it, but wondering all thewhile whether Mr. Aldobrand would say the diamond was worth ten thousandpounds, or fifty, or a hundred thousand, when I heard him speaking, andturned round quick. 'My sons, and you especially, son John, ' he said, andturned to me: 'this stone that you have brought me is no stone at all, but glass--or rather paste, for so we call it. Not but what it is goodpaste, and perhaps the best that I have seen, and so I had to try it tomake sure. But against high chymic tests no sham can stand; and first itis too light in weight, and second, when rubbed on this Basanus orBlack-stone, traces no line of white, as any diamond must. But, third andlast, I have tried it with the hermeneutic proof, and dipped it in thismost costly lembic; and the liquor remains pure green and clear, notturbid orange, a diamond leaves it. ' As he spoke the room spun round, and I felt the sickness andheart-sinking that comes with the sudden destruction of long-cherishedhope. So it was all a sham, a bit of glass, for which we had risked ourlives. Blackbeard had only mocked us even in his death, and from rich menwe were become the poorest outcasts. And all the other bright fanciesthat had been built on this worthless thing fell down at once, like ahouse of cards. There was no money now with which to go back rich toMoonfleet, no money to cloak past offences, no money to marry Grace; andwith that I gave a sigh, and my knees failing should have fallen had notElzevir held me. 'Nay, son John, ' squeaked the old man, seeing I was so put about, 'takeit not hardly, for though this is but paste, I say not it is worthless. It is as fine work as ever I have seen, and I will offer you ten silvercrowns for it; which is a goodly sum for a sailor-lad to have in hand, and more than all the other buyers in this town would bid you for it. ' 'Tush, tush, ' cried Elzevir, and I could hear the bitterness anddisappointment in his voice, however much he tried to hide it; 'we arenot come to beg for silver crowns, so keep them in your purse. And thedevil take this shining sham; we are well quit of it; there is a curseupon the thing!' And with that he caught up the stone and flung it awayout of the window in his anger. This brought the diamond-buyer to his feet in a moment. 'You fool, youcursed fool!' he shrieked, 'are you come here to beard me? and when I saythe thing is worth ten silver crowns do you fling it to the winds?' I had sprung forward with a half thought of catching Elzevir's arm; butit was too late--the stone flew up in the air, caught the low rays of thesetting sun for a moment, and then fell among the flowers. I could notsee it as it fell, yet followed with my eyes the line in which it shouldhave fallen, and thought I saw a glimmer where it touched the earth. Itwas only a flash or sparkle for an instant, just at the stem of that samerushy red-flowered plant, and then nothing more to be seen; but as Ifaced round I saw the little man's eyes turned that way too, and perhapshe saw the flash as well as I. 'There's for your ten crowns!' said Elzevir. 'Let us be going, lad. ' Andhe took me by the arm and marched me out of the room and down the stairs. 'Go, and a blight on you!' says Mr. Aldobrand, his voice being not sohigh as when he cried out last, but in his usual squeak; and then herepeated, 'a blight on you, ' just for a parting shot as we went throughthe door. We passed two more waiting-men on the stairs, but they said nothing tous, and so we came to the street. We walked along together for some time without a word, and thenElzevir said, 'Cheer up, lad, cheer up. Thou saidst thyself thoufearedst there was a curse on the thing, so now it is gone, maybe weare well quit of it. ' Yet I could not say anything, being too much disappointed to find thediamond was a sham, and bitterly cast down at the loss of all our hopes. It was all very well to think there was a curse upon the stone so long aswe had it, and to feign that we were ready to part with it; but now itwas gone I knew that at heart I never wished to part with it at all, andwould have risked any curse to have it back again. There was supperwaiting for us when we got back, but I had no stomach for victuals andsat moodily while Elzevir ate, and he not much. But when I sat andbrooded over what had happened, a new thought came to my mind and Ijumped up and cried, 'Elzevir, we are fools! The stone is no sham; 'tis areal diamond!' He put down his knife and fork, and looked at me, not saying anything, but waiting for me to say more, and yet did not show so much surprise asI expected. Then I reminded him how the old merchant's face was full ofwonder and delight when first he saw the stone, which showed he thoughtit was real then, and how afterwards, though he schooled his voice tobring out long words to deceive us, he was ready enough to spring to hisfeet and shriek out loud when Elzevir threw the stone into the garden. Ispoke fast, and in talking to him convinced myself, so when I stopped forwant of breath I was quite sure that the stone was indeed a diamond, andthat Aldobrand had duped us. Still Elzevir showed little eagerness, and only said-- ''Tis like enough that what you say is true, but what would you have usdo? The stone is flung away. ' 'Yes, ' I answered; 'but I saw where it fell, and know the very place; letus go back now at once and get it. ' 'Do you not think that Aldobrand saw the place too?' asked Elzevir; andthen I remembered how, when I turned back to the room after seeing thestone fall, I caught the eyes of the old merchant looking the same way;and how he spoke more quietly after that, and not with the bitter cry heused when Elzevir tossed the jewel out of the window. 'I do not know, ' I said doubtfully; 'let us go back and see. It felljust by the stem of a red flower that I marked well. What!' I added, seeing him still hesitate and draw back, 'do you doubt? Shall we not goand get it?' Still he did not answer for a minute, and then spoke slowly, as ifweighing his words. 'I cannot tell. I think that all you say is true, andthat this stone is real. Nay, I was half of that mind when I threw itaway, and yet I would not say we are not best without it. 'Twas you whofirst spoke of a curse upon the jewel, and I laughed at that as being achildish tale. But now I cannot tell; for ever since we first scentedthis treasure luck has run against us, John; yes, run against us verystrong; and here we are, flying from home, called outlaws, and with bloodupon our hands. Not that blood frightens me, for I have stood face toface with men in fair fight, and never felt a death-blow given so weighon my soul; but these two men came to a tricksy kind of end, and yet Icould not help it. 'Tis true that all my life I've served theContraband, but no man ever knew me do a foul action; and now I do notlike that men should call me felon, and like it less that they shouldcall thee felon too. Perhaps there may be after all some curse that hangsabout this stone, and leads to ruin those that handle it. I cannot say, for I am not a Parson Glennie in these things; but Blackbeard in an evilmood may have tied the treasure up to be a curse to any that use it forthemselves. What do we want with this thing at all? I have got money tobe touched at need; we may lie quiet this side the Channel, where thoushalt learn an honest trade, and when the mischief has blown over we willgo back to Moonfleet. So let the jewel be, John; shall we not let thejewel be?' He spoke earnestly, and most earnestly at the end, taking me by the handand looking me full in the face. But I could not look him back again, andturned my eyes away, for I was wilful, and would not bring myself to letthe diamond go. Yet all the while I thought that what he said was true, and I remembered that sermon that Mr. Glennie preached, saying that lifewas like a 'Y', and that to each comes a time when two ways part, andwhere he must choose whether he will take the broad and sloping road orthe steep and narrow path. So now I guessed that long ago I had chosenthe broad road, and now was but walking farther down it in seeking afterthis evil treasure, and still I could not bear to give all up, andpersuaded myself that it was a child's folly to madly fling away so finea stone. So instead of listening to good advice from one so much olderthan me, I set to work to talk him over, and persuaded him that if we gotthe diamond again, and ever could sell it, we would give the money tobuild up the Mohune almshouses, knowing well in my heart that I nevermeant to do any such thing. Thus at the last Elzevir, who was thestubbornest of men, and never yielded, was overborne by his great love tome, and yielded here. It was ten o'clock before we set out together, to go again toAldobrand's, meaning to climb the garden wall and get the stone. I walkedquickly enough, and talked all the time to silence my own misgivings, butElzevir hung back a little and said nothing, for it was sorely againsthis judgement that he came at all. But as we neared the place I ceased mychatter, and so we went on in silence, each busy with his own thoughts, We did not come in front of Aldobrand's house, but turned out of the mainstreet down a side lane which we guessed would skirt the garden wall. There were few people moving even in the streets, and in this little lanethere was not a soul to meet as we crept along in the shadow of the highwalls. We were not mistaken, for soon we came to what we judged was theoutside of Aldobrand's garden. Here we paused for a minute, and I believe Elzevir was for making a lastremonstrance, but I gave him no chance, for I had found a place wheresome bricks were loosened in the wall-face, and set myself to climb. Itwas easy enough to scale for us, and in a minute we both dropped down ina bed of soft mould on the other side. We pushed through somegooseberry-bushes that caught the clothes, and distinguishing the outlineof the house, made that way, till in a few steps we stood on the_Pelouse_ or turf, which I had seen from the balcony three hours before. I knew the twirl of the walks, and the pattern of the beds; the rank ofhollyhocks that stood up all along the wall, and the poppies breathingout a faint sickly odour in the night. An utter silence held all thegarden, and, the night being very clear, there was still enough light toshow the colours of the flowers when one looked close at them, though thegreen of the leaves was turned to grey. We kept in the shadow of thewall, and looked expectantly at the house. But no murmur came from it, itmight have been a house of the dead for any noise the living made there;nor was there light in any window, except in one behind the balcony, towhich our eyes were turned first. In that room there was someone not yetgone to rest, for we could see a lattice of light where a lamp shonethrough the open work of the wooden blinds. 'He is up still, ' I whispered, 'and the outside shutters are not closed. 'Elzevir nodded, and then I made straight for the bed where the red flowergrew. I had no need of any light to see the bells of that great rushything, for it was different from any of the rest, and besides that wasplanted by itself. I pointed it out to Elzevir. 'The stone lies by the stalk of thatflower, ' I said, 'on the side nearest to the house'; and then I stayedhim with my hand upon his arm, that he should stand where he was at thebed's edge, while I stepped on and got the stone. My feet sank in the soft earth as I passed through the fringe of poppiescircling the outside of the bed, and so I stood beside the tall rushyflower. The scarlet of its bells was almost black, but there was nomistaking it, and I stooped to pick the diamond up. Was it possible? wasthere nothing for my outstretched hand to finger, except the soft richloam, and on the darkness of the ground no guiding sparkle? I knelt downto make more sure, and looked all round the plant, and still foundnothing, though it was light enough to see a pebble, much more to catchthe gleam and flash of the great diamond I knew so well. It was not there, and yet I knew that I had seen it fall beyond all roomfor doubt. 'It is gone, Elzevir; it is gone!' I cried out in myanguish, but only heard a 'Hush!' from him to bid me not to speak soloud. Then I fell on my knees again, and sifted the mould through myfingers, to make sure the stone had not sunk in and been overlooked. But it was all to no purpose, and at last I stepped back to where Elzevirwas, and begged him to light a piece of match in the shelter of thehollyhocks; and I would screen it with my hands, so that the light shouldfall upon the ground, and not be seen from the house, and so search roundthe flower. He did as I asked, not because he thought that I should findanything, but rather to humour me; and, as he put the lighted match intomy hands, said, speaking low, 'Let the stone be, lad, let it be; foreither thou didst fail to mark the place right, or others have been herebefore thee. 'Tis ruled we should not touch the stone again, and so 'tisbest; let be, let be; let us get home. ' He put his hand upon my shoulder gently, and spoke with such anearnestness and pleading in his voice that one would have thought it wasa woman rather than a great rough giant; and yet I would not hear, andbroke away, sheltering the match in my hollowed hands, and making back tothe red flower. But this time, just as I stepped upon the mould, comingto the bed from the house side, the light fell on the ground, and there Isaw something that brought me up short. It was but a dint or impress on the soft brown loam, and yet, before myeyes were well upon it, I knew it for the print of a sharp heel--a sharpdeep heel, having just in front of it the outline of a little foot. Thereis a story every boy was given to read when I was young, of Crusoewrecked upon a desert isle, who, walking one day on the shore, wasstaggered by a single footprint in the sand, because he learnt thus thatthere were savages in that sad place, where he thought he stood alone. Yet I believe even that footprint in the sand was never greater blow tohim than was this impress in the garden mould to me, for I rememberedwell the little shoes of polished leather, with their silver buckles andhigh-tilted heels. He _had_ been here before us. I found another footprint, and anotherleading towards the middle of the bed; and then I flung the match away, trampling the fire out in the soil. It was no use searching farther now, for I knew well there was no diamond here for us. I stepped back to the lawn, and caught Elzevir by the arm. 'Aldobrand hasbeen here before us, and stole away the jewel, ' I whispered sharp; andlooking wildly round in the still night, saw the lattice of lamplightshining through the wooden blinds of the balcony window. 'Well, there's an end of it!' said he, 'and we are saved furtherquestion. 'Tis gone, so let us cry good riddance to it and be off. ' So heturned to go back, and there was one more chance for me to choose thebetter way and go with him; but still I could not give the jewel up, andmust go farther on the other path which led to ruin for us both. For Ihad my eyes fixed on the light coming through the blinds of that window, and saw how thick and strong the boughs of the pear-tree were trainedagainst the wall about the balcony. 'Elzevir, ' I said, swallowing the bitter disappointment which rose in mythroat, 'I cannot go till I have seen what is doing in that room above. Iwill climb to the balcony and look in through the chinks'. Perhaps he isnot there, perhaps he has left our diamond there and we may get it backagain. ' So I went straight to the house, not giving him time to raise aword to stop me, for there was something in me driving me on, and I wasnot to be stopped by anyone from that purpose. There was no need to fear any seeing us, for all the windows except thatone, were tight shuttered, and though our footsteps on the soft lawn wokeno sound, I knew that Elzevir was following me. It was no easy task toclimb the pear-tree, for all that the boughs looked so strong, for theylay close against the wall, and gave little hold for hand or foot. Twice, or more, an unripe pear was broken off, and fell rustling down throughthe leaves to earth, and I paused and waited to hear if anyone wasdisturbed in the room above; but all was deathly still, and at last I gotmy hand upon the parapet, and so came safe to the balcony. I was panting from the hard climb, yet did not wait to get my breath, butmade straight for the window to see what was going on inside. The outershutters were still flung back, as they had been in the afternoon, andthere was no difficulty in looking in, for I found an opening in thelattice-blind just level with my eyes, and could see all the room inside. It was well lit, as for a marriage feast, and I think there were a scoreof candles or more burning in holders on the table, or in sconces on thewall. At the table, on the farther side of it from me, and facing thewindow, sat Aldobrand, just as he sat when he told us the stone was asham. His face was turned towards the window, and as I looked full at himit seemed impossible but that he should know that I was there. In front of him, on the table, lay the diamond--our diamond, my diamond;for I knew it was a diamond now, and not false. It was not alone, but hada dozen more cut gems laid beside it on the table, each a little apartfrom the other; yet there was no mistaking mine, which was thrice as bigas any of the rest. And if it surpassed them in size, how much more didit excel in fierceness and sparkle! All the candles in the room weremirrored in it, and as the splendour flashed from every line and facetthat I knew so well, it seemed to call to me, 'Am I not queen of alldiamonds of the world? am I not your diamond? will you not take me toyourself again? will you save me from this sorry trickster?' I had my eyes fixed, but still knew that Elzevir was beside me. He wouldnot let me risk myself in any hazard alone without he stood by me himselfto help in case of need; and yet his faithfulness but galled me now, andI asked myself with a sneer, Am I never to stir hand or foot without thisman to dog me? The merchant sat still for a minute as though thinking, and then he took one of the diamonds that lay on the table, and thenanother, and set them close beside the great stone, pitting them, as itwere, with it. Yet how could any match with that?--for it outshone themall as the sun outshines the stars in heaven. Then the old man took the stone and weighed it in the scales which stoodon the table before him, balancing it carefully, and a dozen times, against some little weights of brass; and then he wrote with pen and inkin a sheepskin book, and afterwards on a sheet of paper as though castingup numbers. What would I not have given to see the figures that he wrote?for was he not casting up the value of the jewel, and summing out theprofits he would make? After that he took the stone between finger andthumb, holding it up before his eyes, and placing it now this way, nowthat, so that the light might best fall on it. I could have cursed himfor the wondering love of that fair jewel that overspread his face; andcursed him ten times more for the smile upon his lips, because I guessedhe laughed to think how he had duped two simple sailors that veryafternoon. There was the diamond in his hands--our diamond, my diamond--in hishands, and I but two yards from my own; only a flimsy veil of wood andglass to keep me from the treasure he had basely stolen from us. Then Ifelt Elzevir's hand upon my shoulder. 'Let us be going, ' he said; 'aminute more and he may come to put these shutters to, and find us here. Let us be going. Diamonds are not for simple folk like us; this is anevil stone, and brings a curse with it. Let us be going, John. ' But I shook off the kind hand roughly, forgetting how he had saved mylife, and nursed me for many weary weeks and stood by me through badand worse; for just now the man at the table rose and took out a littleiron box from a cupboard at the back of the room. I knew that he wasgoing to lock my treasure into it, and that I should see it no more. But the great jewel lying lonely on the table flashed and sparkled inthe light of twenty candles, and called to me, 'Am I not queen of alldiamonds of the world? am I not your diamond? save me from the hands ofthis scurvy robber. ' Then I hurled myself forward with all my weight full on the joining ofthe window frames, and in a second crashed through the glass, and throughthe wooden blind into the room behind. The noise of splintered wood and glass had not died away before there wasa sound as of bells ringing all over the house, and the wires I had seenin the afternoon dangled loose in front of my face. But I cared neitherfor bells nor wires, for there lay the great jewel flashing before me. The merchant had turned sharp round at the crash, and darted for thediamond, crying 'Thieves! thieves! thieves!' He was nearer to it than I, and as I dashed forward our hands met across the table, with hisunderneath upon the stone. But I gripped him by the wrist, and though hestruggled, he was but a weak old man, and in a few seconds I had ittwisted from his grasp. In a few seconds--but before they were past thediamond was well in my hand--the door burst open, and in rushed sixsturdy serving-men with staves and bludgeons. Elzevir had given a little groan when he saw me force the window, butfollowed me into the room and was now at my side. 'Thieves! thieves!thieves!' screamed the merchant, falling back exhausted in his chair andpointing to us, and then the knaves fell on too quick for us to make forthe window. Two set on me and four on Elzevir; and one man, even a giant, cannot fight with four--above all when they carry staves. Never had I seen Master Block overborne or worsted by any odds; andFortune was kind to me, at least in this, that she let me not see theissue then, for a staff caught me so round a knock on the head as madethe diamond drop out of my hand, and laid me swooning on the floor. CHAPTER 17 AT YMEGUEN As if a thief should steal a tainted vest, Some dead man's spoil, and sicken of his pest--_Hood_ 'Tis bitterer to me than wormwood the memory of what followed, and Ishall tell the story in the fewest words I may. We were cast into prison, and lay there for months in a stone cell with little light, and only foulstraw to lie on. At first we were cut and bruised from that tussle andcudgelling in Aldobrand's house, and it was long before we were recoveredof our wounds, for we had nothing but bread and water to live on, andthat so bad as barely to hold body and soul together. Afterwards theheavy fetters that were put about our ankles set up sores and galled usso that we scarce could move for pain. And if the iron galled my flesh, my spirit chafed ten times more within those damp and dismal walls; yetall that time Elzevir never breathed a word of reproach, though it was mywilfulness had led us into so terrible a strait. At last came our jailer, one morning, and said that we must be brought upthat day before the _Geregt_, which is their Court of Assize, to be triedfor our crime. So we were marched off to the court-house, in spite ofsores and heavy irons, and were glad enough to see the daylight oncemore, and drink the open air, even though it should be to our death thatwe were walking; for the jailer said they were like to hang us for whatwe had done. In the court-house our business was soon over, because therewere many to speak against us, but none to plead our cause; and all beingdone in the Dutch language I understood nothing of it, except whatElzevir told me afterwards. There was Mr. Aldobrand in his black gown and buckled shoes withtip-tilted heels, standing at a table and giving evidence: How that oneafternoon in August came two evil-looking English sailors to his houseunder pretence of selling a diamond, which turned out to be but a lump ofglass: and that having taken observation of all his dwelling, and moreparticularly the approaches to his business-room, they went their ways. But later in the same day, or rather night, as he sat matching togethercertain diamonds for a coronet ordered by the most illustrious the HolyRoman Emperor, these same ill-favoured English sailors burst suddenlythrough shutters and window, and made forcible entry into hisbusiness-room. There they furiously attacked him, wrenched the diamondfrom his hand, and beat him within an ace of his life. But by the goodProvidence of God, and his own foresight, the window was fitted with acertain alarm, which rang bells in other parts of the house. Thus histrusty servants were summoned, and after being themselves attacked andnearly overborne, succeeded at last in mastering these scurvy ruffiansand handing them over to the law, from which Mr. Aldobrand claimedsovereign justice. Thus much Elzevir explained to me afterwards, but at that time whenthat pretender spoke of the diamond as being his own, Elzevir cut inand said in open court that 'twas a lie, and that this precious stonewas none other than the one that we had offered in the afternoon, whenAldobrand had said 'twas glass. Then the diamond merchant laughed, andtook from his purse our great diamond, which seemed to fill the placewith light and dazzled half the court. He turned it over in his hand, poising it in his palm like a great flourishing lamp of light, andasked if 'twas likely that two common sailor-men should hawk a stonelike that. Nay more, that the court might know what daring rogues theyhad to deal with, he pulled out from his pocket the quittance given himby Shalamof the Jew of Petersburg, for this same jewel, and showed itto the judge. Whether 'twas a forged quittance or one for some otherstone we knew not, but Elzevir spoke again, saying that the stone wasours and we had found it in England. When Mr. Aldobrand laughed again, and held the jewel up once more: were such pebbles, he asked, found onthe shore by every squalid fisherman? And the great diamond flashed ashe put it back into his purse, and cried to me, 'Am I not queen of allthe diamonds of the world? Must I house with this base rascal?' but Iwas powerless now to help. After Aldobrand, the serving-men gave witness, telling how they hadtrapped us in the act, red-handed: and as for this jewel, they had seentheir master handle it any time in these six months past. But Elzevir was galled to the quick with all their falsehoods, and burstout again, that they were liars and the jewel ours; till a jailer whostood by struck him on the mouth and cut his lip, to silence him. The process was soon finished, and the judge in his red robes stood upand sentenced us to the galleys for life; bidding us admire the mercyof the law to Outlanders, for had we been but Dutchmen, we should surehave hanged. Then they took and marched us out of court, as well as we could walk forfetters, and Elzevir with a bleeding mouth. But as we passed the placewhere Aldobrand sat, he bows to me and says in English, 'Your servant, Mr. Trenchard. I wish you a good day, Sir John Trenchard--of Moonfleet, in Dorset. ' The jailer paused a moment, hearing Aldobrand speak to usthough not understanding what he said, so I had time to answer him: 'Good day, Sir Aldobrand, Liar, and Thief; and may the diamond bring youevil in this present life, and damnation in that which is to come. ' So we parted from him, and at that same time departed from our libertyand from all joys of life. We were fettered together with other prisoners in droves of six, ourwrists manacled to a long bar, but I was put into a different gang fromElzevir. Thus we marched a ten days' journey into the country to a placecalled Ymeguen, where a royal fortress was building. That was a wearymarch for me, for 'twas January, with wet and miry roads, and I hadlittle enough clothes upon my back to keep off rain and cold. On eitherside rode guards on horseback, with loaded flint-locks across thesaddlebow, and long whips in their hands with which they let fly at anylaggard; though 'twas hard enough for men to walk where the mud was overthe horses' fetlocks. I had no chance to speak to Elzevir all thejourney, and indeed spoke nothing at all, for those to whom I was chainedwere brute beasts rather than men, and spoke only in Dutch to boot. There was but little of the building of the fortress begun when wereached Ymeguen, and the task that we were set to was the digging of thetrenches and other earthworks. I believe that there were five hundred menemployed in this way, and all of them condemned like us to galley-workfor life. We were divided into squads of twenty-five, but Elzevir wasdrafted to another squad and a different part of the workings, so I sawhim no more except at odd times, now and again, when our gangs met, andwe could exchange a word or two in passing. Thus I had no solace of any company but my own, and was driven tothinking, and to occupy my mind with the recollection of the past. And atfirst the life of my boyhood, now lost for ever, was constantly presenteven in my dreams, and I would wake up thinking that I was at schoolagain under Mr. Glennie, or talking in the summer-house with Grace, orclimbing Weatherbeech Hill with the salt Channel breeze singing throughthe trees. But alas! these things faded when I opened my eyes, and knewthe foul-smelling wood-hut and floor of fetid straw where fifty of us layin fetters every night; I say I dreamt these things at first, but bydegrees remembrance grew blunted and the images less clear, and eventhese sweet, sad visions of the night came to me less often. Thus lifebecame a weary round, in which month followed month, season followedseason, year followed year, and brought always the same eternalprofitless-work. And yet the work was merciful, for it dulled the bitingedge of thought, and the unchanging evenness of life gave wings to time. In all the years the locusts ate for me at Ymeguen, there is but onething I need speak of here. I had been there a week when I was loosed onemorning from my irons, and taken from work into a little hut apart, wherethere stood a half-dozen of the guard, and in the midst a stout woodenchair with clamps and bands. A fire burned on the floor, and there was afume and smoke that filled the air with a smell of burned meat. My heartmisgave me when I saw that chair and fire, and smelt that sickly smell, for I guessed this was a torture room, and these the torturers waiting. They forced me into the chair and bound me there with lashings and acramp about the head; and then one took a red-iron from the fire upon thefloor, and tried it a little way from his hand to prove the heat. I hadscrewed up my heart to bear the pain as best I might, but when I saw thatiron sighed for sheer relief, because I knew it for only a branding tool, and not the torture. And so they branded me on the left cheek, settingthe iron between the nose and cheek-bone, where 'twas plainest to beseen. I took the pain and scorching light enough, seeing that I hadlooked for much worse, and should not have made mention of the thing hereat all, were it not for the branding mark they used. Now this mark was a'Y', being the first letter of Ymeguen, and set on all the prisoners thatworked there, as I found afterwards; but to me 'twas much more than amere letter, and nothing less than the black 'Y' itself, or _cross-pall_of the Mohunes. Thus as a sheep is marked, with his owner's keel and canbe claimed wherever he may be, so here was I branded with the keel ofthe Mohunes and marked for theirs in life or death, whithersoever Ishould wander. 'Twas three months after that, and the mark healed andwell set, that I saw Elzevir again; and as we passed each other in thetrench and called a greeting, I saw that he too bore the _cross-pall_full on his left cheek. Thus years went on and I was grown from boy to man, and that no weak oneeither: for though they gave us but scant food and bad, the air was freshand strong, because Ymeguen was meant for palace as well as fortress, andthey chose a healthful site. And by degrees the moats were dug, andramparts built, and stone by stone the castle rose till 'twas near thefinish, and so our labour was not wanted. Every day squads of ourfellow-prisoners marched away, and my gang was left till nearly last, being engaged in making good a culvert that heavy rains had broken down. It was in the tenth year of our captivity, and in the twenty-sixth of myage, that one morning instead of the guard marching us to work, theyhanded us over to a party of mounted soldiers, from whose matchlocks andlong whips I knew that we were going to leave Ymeguen. Before we left, another gang joined us, and how my heart went out when I saw Elzeviramong them! It was two years or more since we had met even to pass agreeting, for I worked outside the fortress and he on the great towerinside, and I took note his hair was whiter and a sadder look upon hisface. And as for the _cross-pall_ on his cheek, I never thought of it atall, for we were all so well used to the mark, that if one bore it notstamped upon his face we should have stared at him as on a man born withbut one eye. But though his look was sad, yet Elzevir had a kind smileand hearty greeting for me as he passed, and on the march, when theyserved out our food, we got a chance to speak a word or two together. Yet how could we find room for much gladness, for even the pleasure ofmeeting was marred because we were forced thus to take note, as it were, of each other's misery, and to know that the one had nothing for his oldage but to break in prison, and the other nothing but the prison to eataway the strength of his prime. Before long, all knew whither we were bound, for it leaked out we wereto march to the Hague and thence to Scheveningen, to take ship to thesettlements of Java, where they use transported felons on the sugarfarms. Was this the end of young hopes and lofty aims--to live and die aslave in the Dutch plantations? Hopes of Grace, hopes of seeingMoonfleet again, were dead long long ago; and now was there to be nohope of liberty, or even wholesome air, this side the grave, but onlyburning sun and steaming swamps, and the crack of the slave-driver'swhip till the end came? Could it be so? Could it be so? And yet whathelp was there, or what release? Had I not watched ten years for anygleam or loophole of relief, and never found it? If we were shut incells or dungeons in the deepest rock we might have schemed escape, buthere in the open, fettered up in-droves, what could we do? They werebitter thoughts enough that filled my heart as I trudged along the roughroads, fettered by my wrist to the long bar; and seeing Elzevir's whitehair and bowed shoulders trudging in front of me, remembered when thathead had scarce a grizzle on it, and the back was straight as themassive stubborn pillars in old Moonfleet church. What was it hadbrought us to this pitch? And then I called to mind a July evening, years ago, the twilight summer-house and a sweet grave voice that said, 'Have a care how you touch the treasure: it was evilly come by and willbring a curse with it. ' Ay, 'twas the diamond had done it all, andbrought a blight upon my life, since that first night I spent inMoonfleet vault; and I cursed the stone, and Blackbeard and his lostMohunes, and trudged on bearing their cognizance branded on my face. We marched back to the Hague, and through that very street whereAldobrand dwelt, only the house was shut, and the board that bore hisname taken away; so it seemed that he had left the place or else wasdead. Thus we reached the quays at last, and though I knew that I wasleaving Europe and leaving all hope behind, yet 'twas a delight to smellthe sea again, and fill my nostrils with the keen salt air. CHAPTER 18 IN THE BAY Let broad leagues dissever Him from yonder foam, O God! to think man ever Comes too near his home--_Hood_ The ship that was to carry us swung at the buoy a quarter of a mileoffshore, and there were row-boats waiting to take us to her. She was abrig of some 120 tons burthen, and as we came under the stern I saw hername was the _Aurungzebe_. 'Twas with regret unspeakable I took my last look at Europe; and castingmy eyes round saw the smoke of the town dark against the darkening sky;yet knew that neither smoke nor sky was half as black as was the prospectof my life. They sent us down to the orlop or lowest deck, a foul place where was noair nor light, and shut the hatches down on top of us. There were thirtyof us all told, hustled and driven like pigs into this deck, which was tobe our pigsty for six months or more. Here was just light enough, whenthey had the hatches off, to show us what sort of place it was, namely, as foul as it smelt, with never table, seat, nor anything, but roughestplanks and balks; and there they changed our bonds, taking away the bar, and putting a tight bracelet round one wrist, with a padlocked chainrunning through a loop on it. Thus we were still ironed, six together, but had a greater freedom and more scope to move. And more than this, theman who shifted the chains, whether through caprice, or perhaps becausehe really wished to show us what pity he might, padlocked me on to thesame chain with Elzevir, saying, we were English swine and might sink orswim together. Then the hatches were put on, and there they left us inthe dark to think or sleep or curse the time away. The weariness ofYmeguen was bad indeed, and yet it was a heaven to this night of hell, where all we had to look for was twice a day the moving of the hatches, and half an hour's glimmer of a ship's lantern, while they served us outthe broken victuals that the Dutch crew would not eat. I shall say nothing of the foulness of this place, because 'twas toofoul to be written on paper; and if 'twas foul at starting, 'twas tentimes worse when we reached open sea, for of all the prisoners onlyElzevir and I were sailors, and the rest took the motion unkindly. From the first we made bad weather of it, for though we were below andcould see nothing, yet 'twas easy enough to tell there was a heavyhead-sea running, almost as soon as we were well out of harbour. Although Elzevir and I had not had any chance of talking freely for solong, and were now able to speak as we liked, being linked so closetogether, we said but little. And this, not because we did not valuevery greatly one another's company, but because we had nothing to talkof except memories of the past, and those were too bitter, and came tooreadily to our minds, to need any to summon them. There was, too, thebanishment from Europe, from all and everything we loved, and the awfulcertainty of slavery that lay continuously on us like a weight of lead. Thus we said little. We had been out a week, I think--for time is difficult enough to measurewhere there is neither clock nor sun nor stars--when the weather, whichhad moderated a little, began to grow much worse. The ship plunged andlaboured heavily, and this added much to our discomfort; because therewas nothing to hold on by, and unless we lay flat on the filthy deck, weran a risk of being flung to the side whenever there came a more violentlurch or roll. Though we were so deep down, yet the roaring of wind andwave was loud enough to reach us, and there was such a noise when theship went about, such grinding of ropes, with creaking and groaning oftimbers, as would make a landsman fear the brig was going to pieces. Andthis some of our fellow-prisoners feared indeed, and fell to crying, orkneeling chained together as they were upon the sloping deck, while theytried to remember long-forgotten prayers. For my own part, I wondered whythese poor wretches should pray to be delivered from the sea, when allthat was before them was lifelong slavery; but I was perhaps able to lookmore calmly on the matter myself as having been at sea, and not thinkingthat the vessel was going to founder because of the noise. Yet the stormrose till 'twas very plain that we were in a raging sea, and the streamswhich began to trickle through the joinings of the hatch showed thatwater had got below. 'I have known better ships go under for less than this, ' Elzevir said tome; 'and if our skipper hath not a tight craft, and stout hands to workher, there will soon be two score slaves the less to cut the canes inJava. I cannot guess where we are now--may be off Ushant, may be not sofar, for this sea is too short for the Bay; but the saints send ussea-room, for we have been wearing these three hours. ' 'Twas true enough that we had gone to wearing, as one might tell from theheavier roll or wallowing when we went round, instead of the plunging ofa tack; but there was no chance of getting at our whereabouts. The onlything we had to reckon time withal, was the taking off of the hatch twicea day for food; and even this poor clock kept not the hour too well, foroften there were such gaps and intervals as made our bellies pine, and atthis present we had waited so long that I craved even that filthy brokenmeat they fed us with. So we were glad enough to hear a noise at the hatch just as Elzevir haddone speaking, and the cover was flung off, letting in a splash of saltwater and a little dim and dusky light. But instead of the guard withtheir muskets and lanterns and the tubs of broken victuals, there wasonly one man, and that the jailer who had padlocked us into gangs at thebeginning of the voyage. He bent down for a moment over the hatch, holding on to the combing tosteady himself in the sea-way, and flung a key on a chain down into theorlop, right among us. 'Take it, ' he shouted in Dutch, 'and make the mostof it. God helps the brave, and the devil takes the hindmost. ' That said, he stayed not one moment, but turned about quick and was gone. For an instant none knew what this play portended, and there was the keylying on the deck, and the hatch left open. Then Elzevir saw what it allmeant, and seized the key. 'John, ' cries he, speaking to me in English, 'the ship is foundering, and they are giving us a chance to save ourlives, and not drown like rats in a trap. ' With that he tried the key onthe padlock which held our chain, and it fitted so well that in a triceour gang was free. Off fell the chain clanking on the floor, and nothingleft of our bonds but an iron bracelet clamped round the left wrist. Youmay be sure the others were quick enough to make use of the key when theyknew what 'twas, but we waited not to see more, but made for the ladder. Now Elzevir and I, being used to the sea, were first through the hatchwayabove, and oh, the strength and sweet coolness of the sea air, instead ofthe warm, fetid reek of the orlop below! There was a good deal of watersousing about on the main deck, but nothing to show the ship was sinking, yet none of the crew was to be seen. We stayed there not a second, butmoved to the companion as fast as we could for the heavy pitching of theship, and so came on deck. The dusk of a winter's evening was setting in, yet with ample light tosee near at hand, and the first thing I perceived was that the deck wasempty. There was not a living soul but us upon it. The brig was broachedto, with her bows against the heaviest sea I ever saw, and the wavesswept her fore and aft; so we made for the tail of the deck-house, andthere took stock. But before we got there I knew why 'twas the crew weregone, and why they let us loose, for Elzevir pointed to something whitherwe were drifting, and shouted in my ear so that I heard it above all theraging of the tempest--'We are on a lee shore. ' We were lying head to sea, and never a bit of canvas left except onestorm-staysail. There were tattered ribands fluttering on the yards toshow where the sails had been blown away, and every now and then thestaysail would flap like a gun going off, to show it wanted to followthem. But for all we lay head to sea, we were moving backwards, and eachgreat wave as it passed carried us on stern first with a leap andswirling lift. 'Twas over the stern that Elzevir pointed, in the coursethat we were going, and there was such a mist, what with the wind andrain and spindrift, that one could see but a little way. And yet I sawtoo far, for in the mist to which we were making a sternboard, I saw awhite line like a fringe or valance to the sea; and then I looked tostarboard, and there was the same white fringe, and then to larboard, andthe white fringe was there too. Only those who know the sea know howterrible were Elzevir's words uttered in such a place. A moment before Iwas exalted with, the keen salt wind, and with a hope and freedom thathad been strangers for long; but now 'twas all dashed, and death, that isso far off to the young, had moved nearer by fifty years--was moving ayear nearer every minute. 'We are on a lee shore, ' Elzevir shouted; and I looked and knew what thewhite fringe was, and that we should be in the breakers in half an hour. What a whirl of wind and wave and sea, what a whirl of thought and wildconjecture! What was that land to which we were drifting? Was it cliff, with deep water and iron face, where a good ship is shattered at a blow, and death comes like a thunder-clap? Or was it shelving sand, where thereis stranding, and the pound, pound, pound of the waves for howls, beforeshe goes to pieces and all is over? We were in a bay, for there was the long white crescent of surf reachingfar away on either side, till it was lost in the dusk, and the brighelpless in the midst of it. Elzevir had hold of my arm, and gripped ithard as he looked to larboard. I followed his eyes, and where one horn ofthe white crescent faded into the mist, caught a dark shadow in the air, and knew it was high land looming behind. And then the murk and drivingrain lifted ever so little, and as it were only for that purpose; and wesaw a misty bluff slope down into the sea, like the long head of abasking alligator poised upon the water, and stared into each other'seyes, and cried together, 'The Snout!' It had vanished almost before it was seen, and yet we knew there was nomistake; it was the Snout that was there looming behind the moving rack, and we were in Moonfleet Bay. Oh, what a rush of thought then came, dazing me with its sweet bitterness, to think that after all these wearyyears of prison and exile we had come back to Moonfleet! We were so nearto all we loved, so near--only a mile of broken water--and yet so far, for death lay between, and we had come back to Moonfleet to die. Therewas a change came over Elzevir's features when he saw the Snout; his facehad lost its sadness and wore a look of sober happiness. He put his mouthclose to my ear and said: 'There is some strange leading hand has broughtus home at last, and I had rather drown on Moonfleet Beach than live inprison any more, and drown we must within an hour. Yet we will play theman, and make a fight for life. ' And then, as if gathering together allhis force: 'We have weathered bad times together, and who knows but weshall weather this?' The other prisoners were on deck now, and had found their way aft. Theywere wild with fear, being landsmen and never having seen an angry sea, and indeed that sea might have frighted sailors too. So they stumbledalong drenched with the waves, and clustered round Elzevir, for theylooked on him as a leader, because he knew the ways of the sea and wasthe only one left calm in this dreadful strait. It was plain that when the Dutch crew found they were embayed, and thatthe ship must drift into the breakers, they had taken to the boats, forgig and jolly-boat were gone and only the pinnace left amidships. 'Twastoo heavy a boat perhaps for them to have got out in such a fearful sea;but there it lay, and it was to that the prisoners turned their eyes. Some had hold of Elzevir's arms, some fell upon the deck and caught himby the knees, beseeching him to show them how to get the pinnace out. Then he spoke out, shouting to make them hear: 'Friends, any man thattakes to boat is lost. I know this bay and know this beach, and wasindeed born hereabouts, but never knew a boat come to land in such a sea, save bottom uppermost. So if you want my counsel, there you have it, namely, to stick by the ship. In half an hour we shall be in thebreakers; and I will put the helm up and try to head the brig bows on tothe beach; so every man will have a chance to fight for his own life, andGod have mercy on those that drown. ' I knew what he said was the truth, and there was nothing for it but tostick to the ship, though that was small chance enough; but those poor, fear-demented souls would have nothing of his advice now 'twas given, and must needs go for the boat. Then some came up from below who had beenin the spirit-room and were full of drink and drink-courage, andheartened on the rest, saying they would have the pinnace out, and everysoul should be saved. Indeed, Fate seemed to point them that road, for aheavier sea than any came on board, and cleared away a great piece oflarboard bulwarks that had been working loose, and made, as it were, aclear launching-way for the boat. Again did Elzevir try to prevail withthem to stand by the ship, but they turned away and all made for thepinnace. It lay amidships and was a heavy boat enough, but with so manyhands to help they got it to the broken bulwarks. Then Elzevir, seeingthey would have it out at any price, showed them how to take advantage ofthe sea, and shifted the helm a little till the _Aurungzebe_ fell off tolarboard, and put the gap in the bulwarks on the lee. So in a few minutesthere it lay at a rope's-end on the sheltered side, deep laden withthirty men, who were ill found with oars, and much worse found with skillto use them. There were one or two, before they left, shouted to Elzevirand me to try to make us follow them; partly, I think, because theyreally liked Elzevir, and partly that they might have a sailor in theboat to direct them; but the others cast off and left us with a curse, saying that we might go and drown for obstinate Englishmen. So we two were left alone on the brig, which kept drifting backwardsslowly; but the pinnace was soon lost to sight, though we saw that theywere rowing wild as soon as she passed out of the shelter of the ship, and that they had much ado to keep her head to the sea. Then Elzevir went to the kicking-wheel, and beckoned me to help him, andbetween us we put the helm hard up. I saw then that he had given up allhope of the wind shifting, and was trying to run her dead for the beach. She was broached-to with her bows in the wind, but gradually paid off asthe staysail filled, and so she headed straight for shore. The Novembernight had fallen, and it was very dark, only the white fringe of thebreakers could be seen, and grew plainer as we drew closer to it. Thewind was blowing fiercer than ever, and the waves broke more fiercelynearer the shore. They had lost their dirty yellow colour when the lightdied, and were rolling after us like great black mountains, with acombing white top that seemed as if they must overwhelm us every minute. Twice they pooped us, and we were up to our waists in icy water, butstill held to the wheel for our lives. The white line was nearer to us now, and above all the rage of wind andsea I could hear the awful roar of the under-tow sucking back thepebbles on the beach. The last time I could remember hearing that roarwas when I lay, as a boy, one summer's night 'twixt sleep and waking, inthe little whitewashed bedroom at my aunt's; and I wondered now if anysat before their inland hearths this night, and hearing that far distantroar, would throw another log on the fire, and thank God they were notfighting for their lives in Moonfleet Bay. I could picture all that wasgoing on this night on the beach--how Ratsey and the landers would havesighted the _Aurungzebe, _ perhaps at noon, perhaps before, and knew shewas embayed, and nothing could save her but the wind drawing to east. But the wind would hold pinned in the south, and they would see sailafter sail blown off her, and watch her wear and wear, and every timecome nearer in; and the talk would run through the street that there wasa ship could not weather the Snout, and must come ashore by sundown. Then half the village would be gathered on the beach, with the men readyto risk their lives for ours, and in no wise wishing for the ship to bewrecked; yet anxious not to lose their chance of booty, if Providenceshould rule that wrecked she must be. And I knew Ratsey would be there, and Damen, Tewkesbury, and Laver, and like enough Parson Glennie, andperhaps--and at that perhaps, my thoughts came back to where we were, for I heard Elzevir speaking to me: 'Look, ' he said, 'there's a light!' 'Twas but the faintest twinkle, or not even that; only something thattold there was a light behind drift and darkness. It grew clearer as welooked at it, and again was lost in the mirk, and then Elzevir said, 'Maskew's Match!' It was a long-forgotten name that came to me from so far off, down suchlong alleys of the memory, that I had, as it were, to grope and grapplewith it to know what it should mean. Then it all came back, and I was aboy again on the trawler, creeping shorewards in the light breeze of anAugust night, and watching that friendly twinkle from the Manor woodsabove the village. Had she not promised she would keep that lamp alightto guide all sailors every night till I came back again; was she notwaiting still for me, was I not coming back to her now? But what a comingback! No more a boy, not on an August night, but broken, branded convictin the November gale! 'Twas well, indeed, there was between us that whitefringe of death, that she might never see what I had fallen to. 'Twas likely Elzevir had something of the same thoughts, for he spokeagain, forgetting perhaps that I was man now, and no longer boy, andusing a name he had not used for years. 'Johnnie, ' he said, 'I am coldand sore downhearted. In ten minutes we shall be in the surf. Go down tothe spirit locker, drink thyself, and bring me up a bottle here. Weshall both need a young man's strength, and I have not got it any more. ' I did as he bid me, and found the locker though the cabin was all awash, and having drunk myself, took him the bottle back. 'Twas good Hollandsenough, being from the captain's own store, but nothing to the old Araratmilk of the Why Not? Elzevir took a pull at it, and then flung the bottleaway. 'Tis sound liquor, ' he laughed, '"and good for autumn chills", asRatsey would have said. ' We were very near the white fringe now, and the waves followed us higherand more curling. Then there was a sickly wan glow that spread itselfthrough the watery air in front of us, and I knew that they were burninga blue light on the beach. They would all be there waiting for us, though we could not see them, and they did not know that there were onlytwo men that they were signalling to, and those two Moonfleet born. Theyburn that light in Moonfleet Bay just where a little streak of claycrops out beneath the pebbles, and if a vessel can make that spot shegets a softer bottom. So we put the wheel over a bit, and set herstraight for the flare. There was a deafening noise as we came near the shore, the shrieking ofthe wind in the rigging, the crash of the combing seas, and over all theawful grinding roar of the under-tow sucking down the pebbles. 'It is coming now, ' Elzevir said; and I could see dim figures moving inthe misty glare from the blue light; and then, just as the _Aurungzebe_was making fair for the signal, a monstrous combing sea pooped her andwashed us both from the wheel, forward in a swirling flood. We grasped atanything we could, and so brought up bruised and half-drowned in thefore-chains; but as the wheel ran free, another sea struck her andslewed her round. There was a second while the water seemed over, under, and on every side, and then the _Aurungzebe_ went broadside on Moonfleetbeach, with a noise like thunder and a blow that stunned us. I have seen ships come ashore in that same place before and since, andbump on and off with every wave, till the stout balks could stand thepounding no more and parted. But 'twas not so with our poor brig, forafter that first fearful shock she never moved again, being flung so firmupon the beach by one great swamping wave that never another had power touproot her. Only she careened over beachwards, turning herself away fromthe seas, as a child bows his head to escape a cruel master's ferule, andthen her masts broke off, first the fore and then the main, with asplitting crash that made itself heard above all. We were on the lee side underneath the shelter of the deckhouse clingingto the shrouds, now up to our knees in water as the wave came on, nowleft high and dry when it went back. The blue light was still burning, but the ship was beached a little to the right of it, and the dim groupof fishermen had moved up along the beach till they were opposite us. Thus we were but a hundred feet distant from them, but 'twas the intervalof death and life, for between us and the shore was a maddened race ofseething water, white foaming waves that leapt up from all sides againstour broken bulwarks, or sucked back the pebbles with a grinding roar tillthey left the beach nearly dry. We stood there for a minute hanging on, and waiting for resolution tocome back to us after the shock of grounding. On the weather side theseas struck and curled over the brig with a noise like thunder, and theforce of countless tons. They came over the top of the deck-house in acataract of solid water, and there was a crash, crash, crash of rendingwood, as plank after plank gave way before that stern assault. We couldfeel the deck-house itself quiver, and shake again as we stood with ourbacks against it, and at last it moved so much that we knew it must soonbe washed over on us. The moment had come. 'We must go after the next big wave runs back, 'Elzevir shouted. 'Jump when I give the word, and get as far up thepebbles as you can before the next comes in: they will throw us arope's-end to catch; so now good-bye, John, and God save us both!' I wrung his hand, and took off my convict clothes, keeping my boots on tomeet the pebbles, and was so cold that I almost longed for the surf. Thenwe stood waiting side by side till a great wave came in, turning thespace 'twixt ship and shore into a boiling caldron: a minute later 'twasall sucked back again with a roar, and we jumped. I fell on hands and feet where the water was a yard deep under the ship, but got my footing and floundered through the slop, in a desperatestruggle to climb as high as might be on the beach before the next wavecame in. I saw the string of men lashed together and reaching down asfar as man might, to save any that came through the surf, and heard themshout to cheer us, and marked a coil of rope flung out. Elzevir was bymy side and saw it too, and we both kept our feet and plunged forwardthrough the quivering slack water; but then there came an awful thunderbehind, the crash of the sea over the wreck, and we knew that anothermountain wave was on our heels. It came in with a swishing roar, a rushand rise of furious water that swept us like corks up the beach, till wewere within touch of the rope's-end, and the men shouted again tohearten us as they flung it out. Elzevir seized it with his left handand reached out his right to me. Our fingers touched, and in that verymoment the wave fell instantly, with an awful suck, and I was sweptdown the beach again. Yet the under-tow took me not back to sea, foramid the floating wreckage floated the shattered maintop, and in thetruck of that great spar I caught, and so was left with it upon thebeach thirty paces from the men and Elzevir. Then he left his ownassured salvation, namely the rope, and strode down again into the veryjaws of death to catch me by the hand and set me on my feet. Sight andbreath were failing me; I was numb with cold and half-dead from thebuffeting of the sea; yet his giant strength was powerful to save methen, as it had saved me before. So when we heard once more the warningcrash and thunder of the returning wave we were but a fathom distantfrom the rope. 'Take heart, lad, ' he cried; ''tis now or never, ' and asthe water reached our breasts gave me a fierce shove forward with hishands. There was a roar of water in my ears, with a great shouting ofthe men upon the beach, and then I caught the rope. CHAPTER 19 ON THE BEACH Toll for the brave, The grave that are no more;All sunk beneath the wave Fast by their native shore--_Cowper_ The night was cold, and I had nothing on me save breeches and boots, andthose drenched with the sea, and had been wrestling with the surf so longthat there was little left in me. Yet once I clutched the rope I clung toit for very life, and in a minute found myself in the midst of thebeachmen. I heard them shout again, and felt strong hands seize me, butcould not see their faces for a mist that swam before my eyes, and couldnot speak because my throat and tongue were cracked with the salt water, and the voice would not come. There was a crowd about me of men and somewomen, and I spread out my hands, blindly, to catch hold of them, but myknees failed and let me down upon the beach. And after that I rememberonly having coats flung over me, and being carried off out of the wind, and laid in warmest blankets before a fire. I was numb with the cold, myhair was matted with the salt, and my flesh white and shrivelled, butthey forced liquor into my mouth, and so I lay in drowsy content tillutter weariness bound me in sleep. It was a deep and dreamless sleep for hours, and when it left me, gentlyand as it were inch by inch, I found I was still lying wrapped inblankets by the fire. Oh, what a vast and infinite peace was that, to liethere half-asleep, yet wake enough to know that I had slipped my prisonand the pains of death, and was a free man here in my native place! Atlast I shifted myself a little, growing more awake; and opening my eyessaw I was not alone, for two men sat at a table by me with glasses and abottle before them. 'He is coming-to, ' said one, 'and may live yet to tell us who he is, andfrom what port his craft sailed. ' 'There has been many a craft, ' the other said, 'has sailed for many aport, and made this beach her last; and many an honest man has landed onit, and never one alive in such a sea. Nor would this one be livingeither, if it had not been for that other brave heart to stand by andsave him. Brave heart, brave heart, ' he said over to himself. 'Here, passme the bottle or I shall get the vapours. 'Tis good against these earlychills, and I have not been in this place for ten years past, since poorElzevir was cut adrift. ' I could not see the speaker's face from where I lay upon the floor, yetseemed to know his voice; and so was fumbling in my weakened mind to puta name to it, when he spoke of Elzevir, and sent my thoughts flyingelsewhere. 'Elzevir, ' I said, 'where is Elzevir?' and sat up to look round, expecting to see him lying near me, and remembering the wreck moreclearly now, and how he had saved me with that last shove forward on thebeach. But he was not to be seen, and so I guessed that his greatstrength had brought him round quicker than had my youth, and that he wasgone back to the beach. 'Hush, ' said one of the men at the table, 'lie down and get to sleepagain'; and then he added, speaking to his comrade: 'His brain iswandering yet: do you see how he has caught up my words about Elzevir?' 'No, ' I struck in, 'my head is clear enough; I am speaking of ElzevirBlock. I pray you tell me where he is. Is, he well again?' They got upand stared at one another and at me, when I named Elzevir Block, and thenI knew the one that spoke for Master Ratsey only greyer than he was. 'Who are you?' he cried, 'who talk of Elzevir Block. ' 'Do you not know me, Master Ratsey?' and I looked full in his face. 'I amJohn Trenchard, who left you so long ago. I pray you tell me where isMaster Block?' Master Ratsey looked as if he had seen a ghost, and was struck dumb atfirst: but then ran up and shook me by the hand so warmly that I fellback again on my pillow, while he poured out questions in a flood. Howhad I fared, where had I been, whence had I come? until I stopped him, saying: 'Softly, kind friend, and I will answer; only tell me first, where is Master Elzevir?' 'Nay, that I cannot say, ' he answered, 'for never a soul has set eyes onElzevir since that summer morning we put thee and him ashore at Newport. ' 'Oh, fool me not!' I cried out, chafing at his excuses; 'I am notwandering now. 'Twas Elzevir that saved me in the surf last night. 'Twashe that landed with me. ' There was a look of sad amaze that came on Ratsey's face when I saidthat; a look that woke in me an awful surmise. 'What!' cried he, 'wasthat Master Elzevir that dragged thee through the surf?' 'Ay, 'twas he landed with me, 'twas he landed with me, ' I said; trying, as it were, to make true by repeating that which I feared was not thetruth. There was a minute's silence, and then Ratsey spoke very softly:'There was none landed with you; there was no soul saved from that shipalive save you. ' His words fell, one by one, upon my ear as if they were drops of moltenlead. 'It is not true, ' I cried; 'he pulled me up the beach himself, andit was he that pushed me forward to the rope. ' 'Ay, he saved thee, and then the under-tow got hold of him and swept himdown under the curl. I could not see his face, but might have known therenever was a man, save Elzevir, could fight the surf on Moonfleet beachlike that. Yet had we known 'twas he, we could have done no more, formany risked their lives last night to save you both. We could have doneno more. ' Then I gave a great groan for utter anguish, to think that hehad given up the safety he had won for himself, and laid down his life, there on the beach, for me; to think that he had died on the threshold ofhis home; that I should never get a kind look from him again, nor everhear his kindly voice. It is wearisome to others to talk of deep grief, and beside that nowords, even of the wisest man, can ever set it forth, nor even if we wereable could our memory bear to tell it. So I shall not speak more of thatterrible blow, only to say that sorrow, so far from casting my body down, as one might have expected, gave it strength, and I rose up from themattress where I had been lying. They tried to stop me, and even to holdme back, but for all I was so weak, I pushed them aside and must needsfling a blanket round me and away back to the beach. The morning was breaking as I left the Why Not?, for 'twas in no otherplace but that I lay, and the wind, though still high, had abated. Therewere light clouds crossing the heaven very swiftly, and between thempatches of clear sky where the stars were growing paler before the dawn. The stars were growing paler; but there was another star, that shone outfrom the Manor woods above the village, although I could not see thehouse, and told me Grace, like the wise virgins, kept her lamp alight allnight. Yet even that light shone without lustre for me then, for my heartwas too full to think of anything but of him who had laid down his lifefor mine, and of the strong kind heart that was stilled for ever. 'Twas well I knew the way, so sure of old, from Why Not? to beach; for Itook no heed to path or feet, but plunged along in the morning dusk, blind with sorrow and weariness of spirit. There was a fire of driftwoodburning at the back of the beach, and round it crouched a group of menin reefing jackets and sou'westers waiting for morning to save what theymight from the wreck; but I gave them a wide berth and so passed in thedarkness without a word, and came to the top of the beach. There waslight enough to make out what was doing. The sea was running very high, but with the falling wind the waves came in more leisurely and with lessof broken water, curling over in a tawny sweep and regular thunderousbeat all along the bay for miles. There was no sign left of the hull ofthe _Aurungzebe_, but the beach was strewn with so much wreckage as onewould have thought could never come from so small a ship. There werebarrels and kegs, gratings and hatch-covers, booms and pieces of mastsand trucks; and beside all that, the heaving water in-shore was coveredwith a floating mask of broken match-wood, and the waves, as they curledover, carried up and dashed down on the pebble planks and beams beyondnumber. There were a dozen or more of men on the seaward side of thebeach, with oilskins to keep the wet out, prowling up and down thepebbles to see what they could lay their hands on; and now and then theywould run down almost into the white fringe, risking their lives to savea keg as they had risked them to save their fellows last night--as theyhad risked their lives to save ours, as Elzevir had risked his life tosave mine, and lost it there in the white fringe. I sat down at the top of the beach, with elbows on knees, head betweenhands, and face set out to sea, not knowing well why I was there or whatI sought, but only thinking that Elzevir was floating somewhere in thatfloating skin of wreck-wood, and that I must be at hand to meet him whenhe came ashore. He would surely come in time, for I had seen others comeashore that way. For when the _Bataviaman_ went on the beach, I stood asnear her as our rescuers had stood to us last night, and there were someaboard who took the fatal leap from off her bows and tried to battlethrough the surf. I was so near them I could mark their features and readthe wild hope in their faces at the first, and then the under-tow tookhold of them, and never one that saved his life that day. And yet allcame to beach at last, and I knew them by their dead faces for the men Ihad seen hoping against hope 'twixt ship and shore; some naked and someclothed, some bruised and sorely beaten by the pebbles and the sea, andsome sound and untouched--all came to beach at last. So I sat and waited for him to come; and none of the beach-walkers saidanything to me, the Moonfleet men thinking I came from Ringstave, and theLangton men that I belonged to Moonfleet; and both that I had marked somecask at sea for my own and was waiting till it should come in. Only aftera while Master Ratsey joined me, and sitting down by me, begged me to eatbread and meat that he had brought. Now I had little heart to eat, buttook what he gave me to save myself from his importunities, and havingonce tasted was led by nature to eat all, and was much benefited thereby. Yet I could not talk with Ratsey, nor answer any of his questions, thoughanother time I should have put a thousand to him myself; and he seeing'twas no good sat by me in silence, using a spy-glass now and again tomake out the things floating at sea. As the day grew the men left thefire at the back of the beach, and came down to the sea-front where thewaves were continually casting up fresh spoil. And there all worked witha will, not each one for his own hand, but all to make a common hoardwhich should be divided afterwards. Among the flotsam moving outside the breakers I could see more than onedark ball, like black buoys, bobbing up and down, and lifting as thewave came by: and knew them for the heads of drowned men. Yet though Itook Ratsey's glass and scanned all carefully enough, I could makenothing of them, but saw the pinnace floating bottom up, and farther outanother boat deserted and down to her gunwale in the water. 'Twas middaybefore the first body was cast up, when the sky was breaking a little, and a thin and watery sun trying to get through, and afterwards threeother bodies followed. They were part of the pinnace's crew, for all hadthe iron ring on the left wrist, as Ratsey told me, who went down to seethem, though he said nothing of the branded 'Y', and they were taken upand put under some sheeting at the back of the beach, there to lie till agrave should be made ready for them. Then I felt something that told me he was coming and saw a body rolledover in the surf, and knew it for the one I sought. 'Twas nearest me hewas flung up, and I ran down the beach, caring nothing for the whitefoam, nor for the under-tow, and laid hold of him: for had he not leftthe rescue-line last night, and run down into the surf to save myworthless life? Ratsey was at my side, and so between us we drew him upout of the running foam, and then I wrung the water from his hair, andwiped his face and, kneeling down there, kissed him. When they saw that we had got a body, others of the men came up, andstared to see me handle him so tenderly. But when they knew, at last, Iwas a stranger and had the iron ring upon my wrist, and a 'Y' burned uponmy cheek, they stared the more; until the tale went round that I was hewho had come through the surf last night alive, and this poor body was myfriend who had laid down his life for me. Then I saw Ratsey speak withone and another of the group, and knew that he was telling them ournames; and some that I had known came up and shook me by the hand, notsaying anything because they saw my heart was full; and some bent downand looked in Elzevir's face, and touched his hands as if to greet him. Sea and stones had been merciful with him, and he showed neither bruisenor wound, but his face wore a look of great peace, and his eyes andmouth were shut. Even I, who knew where 'twas, could scarcely see the 'Y'mark on his cheek, for the paleness of death had taken out the colour ofthe scar, and left his face as smooth and mellow-white as the alabasterfigures in Moonfleet church. His body was naked from the waist up, as hehad stripped for jumping from the brig, and we could see the great broadchest and swelling muscles that had pulled him out of many a desperatepass, and only failed him, for the first and last time so few hours ago. They stood for a little while looking in silence at the old lander whohad run his last cargo on Moonfleet beach, and then they laid his armsdown by his side, and slung him in a sail, and carried him away. I walkedbeside, and as we came down across the sea-meadows, the sun broke out andwe met little groups of schoolchildren making their way down to the beachto see what was doing with the wreck. They stood aside to let us go by, the boys pulling their caps and the girls dropping a curtsy, when theyknew that it was a poor drowned body passing; and as I saw the children Ithought I saw myself among them, and I was no more a man, but just comeout from Mr. Glennie's teaching in the old almshouse hall. Thus we came to the Why Not? and there set him down. The inn had notbeen let, as I learned afterwards, since Maskew died; and they had puta fire in it last night for the first time, knowing that the brig wouldbe wrecked, and thinking that some might come off with their lives andrequire tending. The door stood open, and they carried him into theparlour, where the fire was still burning, and laid him down on thetrestle-table, covering his face and body with the sail. This done theyall stood round a little while, awkwardly enough, as not knowing whatto do; and then slipped away one by one, because grief is a thing thatonly women know how to handle, and they wanted to be back on the beachto get what might be from the wreck. Last of all went Master Ratsey, saying, he saw that I would as lief be alone, and that he would comeback before dark. So I was left alone with my dead friend, and with a host of bitterestthoughts. The room had not been cleaned; there were spider-webs on thebeams, and the dust stood so thick on the window-panes as to shut outhalf the light. The dust was on everything: on chairs and tables, save onthe trestle-table where he lay. 'Twas on this very trestle they had laidout David's body; 'twas in this very room that this still form, who wouldnever more know either joy or sorrow, had bowed down and wept over hisson. The room was just as we had left it an April evening years ago, andon the dresser lay the great backgammon board, so dusty that one couldnot read the lettering on it; 'Life is like a game of hazard; the skilfulplayer will make something of the worst of throws'; but what unskillfulplayers we had been, how bad our throws, how little we had made of them! 'Twas with thoughts like this that I was busy while the short afternoonwas spent, and the story went up and down the village, how that ElzevirBlock and John Trenchard, who left so long ago, were come back toMoonfleet, and that the old lander was drowned saving the young man'slife. The dusk was creeping up as I turned back the sail from off hisface and took another look at my lost friend, my only friend; for whowas there now to care a jot for me? I might go and drown myself onMoonfleet beach, for anyone that would grieve over me. What did it profitme to have broken bonds and to be free again? what use was freedom to menow? where was I to go, what was I to do? My friend was gone. So I went back and sat with my head in my hands looking into the fire, when I heard someone step into the room, but did not turn, thinking itwas Master Ratsey come back and treading lightly so as not to disturb me. Then I felt a light touch on my shoulder, and looking up saw standing byme a tall and stately woman, girl no longer, but woman in the fullstrength and beauty of youth. I knew her in a moment, for she had alteredlittle, except her oval face had something more of dignity, and the tawnyhair that used to fly about her back was now gathered up. She was lookingdown at me, and let her hand rest on my shoulder. 'John, ' she said, 'haveyou forgotten me? May I not share your sorrow? Did you not think to tellme you were come? Did you not see the light, did you not know there was afriend that waited for you?' I said nothing, not being able to speak, but marvelling how she had comejust in the point of time to prove me wrong to think I had no friend; andshe went on: 'Is it well for you to be here? Grieve not too sadly, for none could havedied nobler than he died; and in these years that you have been away, Ihave thought much of him and found him good at heart, and if he did aughtwrong 'twas because others wronged him more. ' And while she spoke I thought how Elzevir had gone to shoot her father, and only failed of it by a hair's-breadth, and yet she spoke so well Ithought he never really meant to shoot at all, but only to scare themagistrate. And what a whirligig of time was here, that I should havesaved Elzevir from having that blot on his conscience, and then that heshould save my life, and now that Maskew's daughter should be the one topraise Elzevir when he lay dead! And still I could not speak. And again she said: 'John, have you no word for me? have you forgotten?do you not love me still? Have I no part in your sorrow?' Then I took her hand in mine and raised it to my lips, and said, 'DearMistress Grace, I have forgotten nothing, and honour you above allothers: but of love I may not speak more to you--nor you to me, for weare no more boy and girl as in times past, but you a noble lady and I abroken wretch'; and with that I told how I had been ten years aprisoner, and why, and showed her the iron ring upon my wrist, and thebrand upon my cheek. At the brand she stared, and said, 'Speak not of wealth; 'tis not wealthmakes men, and if you have come back no richer than you went, you arecome back no poorer, nor poorer, John, in honour. And I am rich and havemore wealth than I can rightly use, so speak not of these things; but beglad that you are poor, and were not let to profit by that evil treasure. But for this brand, it is no prison name to me, but the Mohunes' badge, to show that you are theirs and must do their bidding. Said I not to you, Have a care how you touch the treasure, it was evilly come by and willbring a curse with it? But now, I pray you, with a greater earnestness, seeing you bear this mark upon you, touch no penny of that treasure if itshould some day come back to you, but put it to such uses as ColonelMohune thought would help his sinful soul. ' With that she took her hand from mine and bade me 'good night', leavingme in the darkening room with the glow from the fire lighting up the sailand the outline of the body that lay under it. After she was gone Ipondered long over what she had said, and what that should mean when shespoke of the treasure one day coming back to me: but wondered much themost to find how constant is the love of woman, and how she could stillfind a place in her heart for so poor a thing as I. But as to what shesaid, I was to learn her meaning this very night. Master Ratsey had come in and gone again, not stopping with me very long, because there was much doing on the beach; but bidding me be of goodcheer, and have no fear of the law; for that the ban against me and thehead-price had been dead for many a year. 'Twas Grace had made herlawyers move for this, refusing herself to sign the hue and cry, andsaying that the fatal shot was fired by misadventure. And so a dreadwhich was just waking was laid to rest for ever; and when Ratsey went Imade up the fire, and lay down in the blankets in front of it, for I wasdog-tired and longed for sleep. I was already dozing, but not asleep, when there was a knock at the door, and in walked Mr. Glennie. He wasaged, and stooped a little, as I could see by the firelight, but for allthat I knew him at once, and sitting up offered him what welcome I could. He looked at me curiously at first, as taking note of the bearded manthat had grown out of the boy he remembered, but gave me very kindlygreeting, and sat down beside me on a bench. First, he lifted the sailfrom the dead body, and looked at the sleeping face. Then he took out aCommon Prayer reading the Commendamus over the dead, and giving mespiritual comfort, and lastly, he fell to talking about the past. Fromhim I learnt something of what had happened while I was away, though forthat matter nothing had happened at all, except a few deaths, for thatis the only sort of change for which we look in Moonfleet. And amongthose who had passed away was Miss Arnold, my aunt, so that I wasanother friend the less, if indeed I should count her a friend: forthough she meant me well, she showed her care with too much strictnessto let me love her, and so in my great sorrow for Elzevir I found noroom to grieve for her. Whether from the spiritual solace Mr. Glennie offered me, or whether fromhis pointing out how much cause for thankfulness I had in being loosedout of prison and saved from imminent death, certain it was I felt someassuagement of grief, and took pleasure in his talk. 'And though I may by some be reprehended, ' he said, 'for presuming torefer to profane authors after citing Holy Scripture, yet I cannotrefrain from saying that even the great poet Homer counsels moderation inmourning, "for quickly, " says he, "cometh satiety of chilly grief". ' After this I thought he was going, but he cleared his throat in such away that I guessed he had something important to say, and he drew a longfolded blue paper from his pocket. 'My son, ' he said, opening itleisurely and smoothing it out upon his knee, 'we should never revileFortune, and in speaking of Fortune I only use that appellation in ourpoor human sense, and do not imply that there is any Chance at all butwhat is subject to an over-ruling Providence; we should never, I say, revile Fortune, for just at that moment when she appears to have desertedus, she may be only gone away to seek some richest treasure to bring backwith her. And that this is so let what I am about to read to you prove;so light a candle and set it by me, for my eyes cannot follow the writingin this dancing firelight. ' I took an end of candle which stood on the mantelpiece and did as he bidme, and he went on: 'I shall read you this letter which I received neareight years ago, and of the weightiness of it you shall yourself judge. ' I shall not here set down that letter in full, although I have it by me, but will put it shortly, because it was from a lawyer, tricked withlong-winded phrases and spun out as such letters are to afford coverafterwards for a heavier charge. It was addressed to the Reverend HoraceGlennie, Perpetual Curate of Moonfleet, in the County of Dorset, England, and written in English by Heer Roosten, Attorney and Signariat of theHague in the Kingdom of Holland. It set forth that one KrispijnAldobrand, jeweller and dealer in precious stones, at the Hague, had sentfor Heer Roosten to draw a will for him. And that the said KrispijnAldobrand, being near his end, had deposed to the said Heer Roosten, thathe, Aldobrand, was desirous to leave all his goods to one John Trenchard, of Moonfleet, Dorset, in the Kingdom of England. And that he was movedto do this, first, by the consideration that he, Aldobrand, had nochildren to whom to leave aught, and second, because he desired to makefull and fitting restitution to John Trenchard, for that he had onceobtained from the said John a diamond without paying the proper price forit. Which stone he, Aldobrand, had sold and converted into money, andhaving so done, found afterwards both his fortune and his health decline;so that, although he had great riches before he became possessed of thediamond, these had forthwith melted through unfortunate ventures andspeculations, till he had little remaining to him but the money that thissame diamond had brought. He therefore left to John Trenchard everything of which he should diepossessed, and being near death begged his forgiveness if he had wrongedhim in aught. These were the instructions which Heer Roosten receivedfrom Mr. Aldobrand, whose health sensibly declined, until three monthslater he died. It was well, Heer Roosten added, that the will had beendrawn in good time, for as Mr. Aldobrand grew weaker, he became a prey todelusions, saying that John Trenchard had laid a curse upon the diamond, and professing even to relate the words of it, namely, that it should'bring evil in this life, and damnation in that which is to come. ' Norwas this all, for he could get no sleep, but woke up with a horrid dream, in which, so he informed Heer Roosten, he saw continually a tall man witha coppery face and black beard draw the bed-curtains and mock him. Thushe came at length to his end, and after his death Heer Roostenendeavoured to give effect to the provision of the will, by writing toJohn Trenchard, at Moonfleet, Dorset, to apprise him that he was leftsole heir. That address, indeed, was all the indication that Aldobrandhad given, though he constantly promised his attorney to let him havecloser information as to Trenchard's whereabouts, in good time. Thisinformation was, however, always postponed, perhaps because Aldobrandhoped he might get better and so repent of his repentance. So all HeerRoosten had to do was to write to Trenchard at Moonfleet, and in duecourse the letter was returned to him, with the information thatTrenchard had fled that place to escape the law, and was then nowhere tobe found. After that Heer Roosten was advised to write to the minister ofthe parish, and so addressed these lines to Mr. Glennie. This was the gist of the letter which Mr. Glennie read, and you mayeasily guess how such news moved me, and how we sat far into the nighttalking and considering what steps it was best to take, for we fearedlest so long an interval as eight years having elapsed, the lawyers mighthave made some other disposition of the money. It was midnight when Mr. Glennie left. The candle had long burnt out, but the fire was bright, and he knelt a moment by the trestle-table before he went out. 'He made a good end, John, ' he said, rising from his knees, 'and I praythat our end may be in as good cause when it comes. For with the best ofus the hour of death is an awful hour, and we may well pray, as everySunday, to be delivered in it. But there is another time which those whowrote this Litany thought no less perilous, and bade us pray to bedelivered in all time of our wealth. So I pray that if, after all, thiswealth comes to your hand you may be led to use it well; for though I donot hold with foolish tales, or think a curse hangs on riches themselves, yet if riches have been set apart for a good purpose, even by evil men, as Colonel John Mohune set apart this treasure, it cannot be but that weshall do grievous wrong in putting them to other use. So fare you well, and remember that there are other treasures besides this, and that a goodwoman's love is worth far more than all the gold and jewels of theworld--as I once knew. ' And with that he left me. I guessed that he had spoken with Grace that day, and as I lay dozing infront of the fire, alone in this old room I knew so well, alone with thatsilent friend who had died to save me, I mourned him none the less, butyet sorrowed not as one without hope. * * * * * What need to tell this tale at any more length, since you may know, by mytelling it, that all went well? for what man would sit down to write ahistory that ended in his own discomfiture? All that great wealth came tomy hands, and if I do not say how great it was, 'tis that I may not wakeenvy, for it was far more than ever I could have thought. And of thatmoney I never touched penny piece, having learnt a bitter lesson in thepast, but laid it out in good works, with Mr. Glennie and Grace to helpme. First, we rebuilt and enlarged the almshouses beyond all that ColonelJohn Mohune could ever think of, and so established them as to be a havenfor ever for all worn-out sailors of that coast. Next, we sought theguidance of the Brethren of the Trinity, and built a lighthouse on theSnout, to be a Channel beacon for sea-going ships, as Maskew's match hadbeen a light for our fishing-boats in the past. Lastly, we beautified thechurch, turning out the cumbrous seats of oak, and neatly pewing it withdeal and baize, that made it most commodious to sit in of the Sabbath. There was also much old glass which we removed, and reglazed all thewindows tight against the wind, so that what with a high pulpit, reading-desk, and seat for Master Clerk and new Commandment boards eachside of the Holy Table, there was not a church could vie with ours in thecountryside. But that great vault below it, with its memories, was set inorder, and then safely walled up, and after that nothing was more everheard of Blackbeard and his lost Mohunes. And as for the landers, Icannot say where they went; and if a cargo is still run of a dark nightupon the beach, I know nothing of it, being both Lord of the Manor andJustice of the Peace. The village, too, renewed itself with the new almshouses and church. There were old houses rebuilt and fresh ones reared, and all are ours, except the Why Not? which still remains the Duchy Inn. And that was letagain, and men left the Choughs at Ringstave and came back to their oldhaunt, and any shipwrecked or travel-worn sailor found board and welcomewithin its doors. And of the Mohune Hospital--for that was what the alms-houses were nowcalled--Master Glennie was first warden, with fair rooms and a fulllibrary, and Master Ratsey head of the Bedesmen. There they spent happierdays, till they were gathered in the fullness of their years; and sleepon the sunny side of the church, within sound of the sea, by that greatbuttress where I once found Master Ratsey listening with his ear toground. And close beside them lies Elzevir Block, most faithful and mostloved by me, with a text on his tombstone: 'Greater love hath no man thanthis, that a man lay down his life for his friend, ' and some of Mr. Glennie's verses. And of ourselves let me speak last. The Manor House is a stately homeagain, with trim lawns and terraced balustrades, where we can sit andsee the thin blue smoke hang above the village on summer evenings. Andin the Manor woods my wife and I have seen a little Grace and a littleJohn and little Elzevir, our firstborn, play; and now our daughter isgrown up, fair to us as the polished corners of the Temple, and our sonsare gone out to serve King George on sea and land. But as for us, forGrace and me, we never leave this our happy Moonfleet, being wellcontent to see the dawn tipping the long cliff-line with gold, and thenight walking in dew across the meadows; to watch the spring clothe thebeech boughs with green, or the figs ripen on the southern wall: whilebehind all, is spread as a curtain the eternal sea, ever the same andever changing. Yet I love to see it best when it is lashed to madness inthe autumn gale, and to hear the grinding roar and churn of the pebbleslike a great organ playing all the night. 'Tis then I turn in bed andthank God, more from the heart, perhaps, than, any other living man, that I am not fighting for my life on Moonfleet Beach. And more thanonce I have stood rope in hand in that same awful place, and tried tosave a struggling wretch; but never saw one come through the surf alive, in such a night as he saved me.