Moonfleet

by John Meade Falkner

  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.