The Admirable Lady Biddy Fane

by Frank Barrett

  CHAPTER XXXIII.

  WE ARE LIKE TO BE CRUSHED UNDER A HUGE ROCK.

  We were, I say, not long in ignorance of their intent. First of allthere came some loose earth dropping in the water, and after that somelittle stones rattled down the side of the cliff, and then a bigger rockleaped down beside our boat, splashing the water in our faces. Upon myclapping my eye to one of the holes in the sail made by an arrow, Ispied the rabble of savages above pushing at a huge rock and prising itwith sticks and the poles of their spears. This rock was of a prodigioussize, weighing, as I judged, many tons, and was lodged on a shelf of thecliff right over our heads. Every time they heaved together at this,some corner broke off and bounded down into the sea; and the main body,losing each time something of its support, yielded more and more, sothat it swayed to and fro most terrible to behold.

  Seeing this, my courage left me altogether; for what availed my arm andmanhood against such an engine as this? My tell-tale face and quakinglimbs struck terror into Lady Biddy's heart, so that she had no power toraise her voice above a whisper.

  "What is it--what is it, Benet?" she asks, laying her hand on my arm.

  And all I could answer was, "Lord help us!" as I dropped on my knees.

  At this instant there sounded above a sharp snap, and this was followedby a terrific noise of rocks grating together, a huge shout from thesavages, then a deafening clap like the first discharge of a peal ofthunder, and with that there fell on us a terrible darkness, as if acloud had suddenly hidden up the sun.

  Then I counted our last moment had come, and with one last thought of mydear lady, I sprang to my feet and threw up my arms above her head,which was the mad folly of despair and no more, for my arms, had theybeen of iron or brass, must have bent and broken like reeds under theshock of such a vast mass.

  As my hands touched the canvas it was torn down by a stone as big as afirkin, which, pitching into the sea, did raise a wave that half-filledthe boat. Yet was I amazed that we yet lived, and perplexed to know whathad become of the great rock, till, casting my eye up, I perceived ithad stuck between the two walls of our fissure like a wedge, and so hungsuspended over us. But it was fearful to observe, through the cloud ofdust that filled the cove, how this monstrous block did now and thenbreak from its hold, with a noise like a great gun firing, as someportion of its edge splintered off, flying in fragments to the right andleft, the great mass threatening with each rupture to give way and buryus beneath it at the bottom of the sea. Indeed, it was in my heart towish it would descend at one sweep rather than come down little bylittle to our destruction, for the suspense and terror of watching ourcoming doom were most horrible and fearful.

  Those above, seeing that it wanted but a little to dislodge it from itsposition, now began to hurl big stones upon it, as we could plainly tellby the sound which echoed from it, as the noise of a galloping horseupon a bridge strikes the ear of one below. And at each blow this rockcrumbled and shattered at its edge, showering down rubble all around us.Lady Biddy clung trembling to my arm, and though it was frightful to adegree to stand there, helpless, watching the approach of death, yetcould we not turn our eyes from it, nor think of aught else. Otherwise,had I made a bold stroke to escape by shoving out of the cleft into theopen and running the gauntlet, maugre the arrows of the savages waitingfor us without; but, indeed, we were paralyzed with fear, and I not lessthan Lady Biddy.

  Of a sudden we heard the report of a musket, and instantly the babel ofsavage shouting and whooping was stilled as if by enchantment; nor wereany more stones hurled down on the rock above us.

  For a little space we stood feeble and trembling, as if spent withviolent exertion; but the silence continuing, and the rock above ceasingto labor, I plucked up heart, and bethought me to get out of that cove,no matter what befell us afterwards. So in a twinkling I loosed theboat, and, shoving out of the cleft, I turned about and drew through thenarrow opening and out of the shadow of that accursed rock. And beingnow in the open we saw nothing of the Indians, but only their canoeslying up on the beach about a quarter of a mile to the east; neitherwere any of those heathens to be seen on the top of the cliff whence thegreat rock had been hurled down. This would have struck us with wonderand excited our curiosity at any other time, but just then we had noroom in our breasts to harbor any feeling but that of profound anddevout gratitude for our marvelous preservation. Looking at me verytenderly, Lady Biddy clasped her hands in her lap and bowed her head,while I, resting my arms on the oars, drew a deep breath which my lungsdid seem sorely to need, for, as it seemed to me, I had not drawn breathfreely for many hours.

  While we sat thus, the boat gently tossing on the waves, I heard a voicehailing us, and turning about I spied a couple of men, decently clothedand armed with muskets like good Christians, standing amidst the rocksto the west of the cove. Seeing they were perceived, they held up theirhands and beckoned us to draw nigh.

  "It is they who have saved us from the savages," cries Lady Biddy withjoy; "they are friends."

  "That remains to be seen," says I, still resting on my oars andregarding them. "To my mind they look very like Spaniards."

  "And if they are, may we not trust them, Benet?" says she, with someconcern.

  "I am of two minds about it," says I; "and for my own part I should feeljust as content to pull out of reach of their muskets as to get withinreach of their swords."

  "Nay, you have a sword also, Benet, and are a match for two such littlefellows as they."

  "There are but two as we can see, that's certain," says I; "but we knownot how many may lurk within call. Englishmen they are not, I will vow."

  "Nor pirates," says Lady Biddy, as much as to tell me that allEnglishmen are not angels.

  "No," says I; "but they may be no better than pirates. In a word, I dofear they may turn out to be friends of Rodrigues from that town hespoke of."

  "As you will, Benet," says she; "but," she adds, with a sigh, "they lookvery civil, pretty little fellows."

  I hesitated still; for though I was dearly tempted to yield to LadyBiddy's evident desire, yet I knew that I was answerable for her lifeand welfare.

  The men hailed us again, and one turned his musket upside down, whilethe other pulls out his white handkerchief and waves it in sign ofpeace.

  "I do think they are Italian," says Lady Biddy, with hope lighting upher eyes again.

  That decided me, and so, forgetting her welfare, I pulled towards therocks to prevent those sweet eyes filling with tears, which was a weakpart to be played by a strong man, and nothing to my credit.

  Coming to the rocks, yet standing off a little from the shore, we begana parley; but, Lord! we might have held our peace, for I could speak butEnglish with a smattering of Dutch. They tried one or two tongues thatwere without meaning to our ears, and Lady Biddy got on no better withspeaking French and Italian. However, this jargon did so tickle us thatwe could not help but laugh, which put us in good humor one withanother; so, to cut a long story short, taking their gestures to meanthat they would die rather than injure a hair of our heads, and thatthey sought only to lead us to where we might get good treatment and runno risk of being further molested by savages, we resolved to putourselves in their hands; so, running the boat ashore in a convenientpart, we landed, and after I had buckled on my sword we signed to ourfriends to lead the way.

  Near to that spot was a path cut in the cliff, and coming to the top wefound ourselves in a fine level country, stretching away to the hillsbehind which rose the mountains. This champaign was cultivated with akind of corn and divers other crops of strange plants, which comfortedus with the hope of getting Christian entertainment. A fairly good pathlay between the fields and the edge of the cliff, and this we followedin an easterly direction, passing that part where the barbarians hadthrust down the rock upon us, as also a little village of huts hard bywhere the canoes were stranded. Pointing down at these huts our guidesgave us to understand in dumb show that the savages were slaves, andwould surely be punished for their
attempt upon our lives; indeed, onour way we saw above a score of armed men amidst the corn following thefurrows, to see if any of those wretches lay hid there, and heard many ayell as they were dragged to light and carried off to be whipped.

  These cries did pierce Lady Biddy's tender and forgiving heart, and sheurged many good reasons for their excuse: as that we must not expectmercy from those whom we treat without pity; that they must look uponall white people as their enemies and oppressors, since, but for us,they would still be free and happy in their native woods; that as it isour instinct to destroy the reptile or brute that would do us harm, sowas it natural to them for their own preservation to take the lives ofsuch as might one day become their tyrants, and sunder the wife from herhusband, the child from its parent, for their own mercenary ends, etc.,which gentle arguments did greatly soften that evil spirit of vengeancethat stirred within me.