The Admirable Lady Biddy Fane

by Frank Barrett

  CHAPTER XLVII.

  WE GO DOWN INTO THAT VALLEY OF DEATH.

  I knew too well what Matthew meant by this silent indication. He wouldhave me to understand that the Ingas' slaughtered victims had been castdown the precipice (as the traces in the road bore out), and that thecarrion birds were already feasting on their bodies.

  My imagination could furnish forth no argument against the justice ofthis conclusion, and having now no hope to animate me, all about meappeared a blank, as if my heart could no longer feel, and all myfaculties were stunned. So I stood there, watching the buzzard whirlround and round, as if I had nothing in the world to do but that.

  I was aroused from this apathy by Matthew laying his hand on myshoulder, and saying in a gentle voice:

  "Master, would it ease your mind to talk about her?"

  Then I felt that I would like to pour out the grief from my heart, yetnot to Matthew; so I turned away in an agony, thinking there was no onein the wide world to sympathize with me now she was gone. Who but I knewhow gentle and sweet her nature was, and what words of mine could evertell her praise as she deserved? Then recalling the sweet face, herdelicate, gracious manner, the pretty tone of her voice, and inparticular certain little kind words she had given me, with anencouraging look now and again, her brave habit of looking on the betterside of our misfortunes to cheer me up, the dainty movement of herhands, and one or two little episodes wherein she had shown a pleasantwit--recalling these things, I say, and reflecting that they couldnever, never be repeated, my heart was wrung with bitter grief.

  "Master," says Matthew again, seeing that I was in such greatpain--"master, are you minded to find her body, and save her from thosevile birds?"

  I nodded eagerly; not because of my respect for the dead so much as thatI longed to look once more upon that dear face, and kneel down besideher in secret, and weep, if the tears could find vent from my heart.

  So we began to cast about how we might get down into that dark valley;and while I was spying below I noticed that the buzzard was perched on apoint of rock about midway down, and near him were perched two others.Seeing this, a wild idea came across my mind, and calling to Matthew Ibade him observe these birds, and then says I:

  "Why are they there?"

  He looked at me as not quite seeing my drift.

  "If they are all dead below there, would those birds stand aloof? Whyhave they been soaring round and round above the trees this half-hourand more?"

  "What you say, master," says he, "is very much to the point. Certainlythey do not use to hold off in this manner, except there be sign of lifein their prey. And yet" (looking down the abyss) "is it possible thatany one hurled down from this height could survive the shock fiveminutes? Nay, even if the bough of a tree did somewhat break the fall,the poor wretch would be so broken that death were preferable to such amaimed existence."

  I wasted no time in replying to this argument, for I had no thought butthat my dear lady yet breathed. And I must needs think it was she of allthose who had been thrown down that had escaped, though any one notdistracted with a new-born hope would have seen that her frail bodyleast of any could survive that terrible catastrophe.

  I ran along the road, seeking a place to descend, with Matthew at myheels, imploring me to have a care of my own life, and not rashly exposemyself to death for the sake of two minutes. However, I paid no heed tohis warning, but at the first point where there seemed a possibility ofclimbing down the rocks to the valley I made the attempt.

  "Master, master!" cries Matthew, "for the love of Heaven, don't go downthere. 'Tis a hundred chances to one we be dashed to pieces that way.Look you a hundred yards ahead; there is a safer way."

  "Nay," says I, "stay where you are, Matthew, or go a safer way. I makeno doubt that Providence will help me here as before."

  "If you go I go, master," says he, following without a moment'shesitation. "For I count upon Providence being as merciful to me as toyou, though my legs _be_ shorter."

  We got down the face of that mountain-side better than we might haveexpected from the look of it above (though how, I knew not), and with nogreat hurt, thanks be to God. And now, being at the top of that slope onwhich the trees grew, though still a prodigious height above the bottomof the valley, we made our way over the crags and scattered stonestowards that part which lay below the road between the two bridges,which we made out at a distance clearly enough, because there the rockwas straight down as any wall, and its side brushed by the arms of thegreat pine-trees we had observed from above. When we got amongst thesetrees, the first sign of the Ingas' business was seen in the timbers ofthe bridge, of which one stood on end, held so by the boughs of the pinethrough which it had passed, but the rest lay splintered amongst therocks, Matthew said nothing, but I saw by a toss of his head and adesponding look in his face that he was asking himself how any humanbeing could escape death by such a fall when these solid timbers hadbeen shivered in pieces. Then perceiving we could be at no greatdistance from where the bodies had been flung down, I grew sick with thedread of seeing at the next footstep the crushed and mangled form of mydear lady, so that I could go no further for the weakness of my legs,but was forced to lean against a tree for support, while a cold sweatcame out upon my face.

  Observing my case, Matthew without a word slung round his wine-skin,which he had brought down (though our swords and all else that wasdispensable we had left above), and gave me a drink, but would have mesit down to it, making out he could not lift the skin high enough elseby reason it was nearly empty.

  "Do you feel a bit stronger now, master?" says he kindly, when I haddrunk.

  "Ay," says I; "in a minute I shall be ready to go on."

  While I was bracing up my courage, he silently went on a dozen paces,and then he comes to a stand, so that I knew he was in the presence ofthe dead; for had there been any room for hope he would not have stoppedshort. Then I forced myself to rise, and went to his side, where hestood with one hand on a pine-tree, looking beyond; indeed, thespectacle to be seen thence was enough to bring any one to a stand.

  At another time we might have rested there in admiration of nature'shandiwork, for we stood on the edge of a glade made fertile by afountain which, springing from the mountain-side, fell into a rockybasin, and thence spread abroad over the hillside; and it seemed as ifall rank and gross-growing things had been weeded out of this chosenspot, and only such plants left as might delight the eye. The trunk ofevery tree served as a pillar for creeping vines to twine around, andthe boughs as a trellis for them to festoon and garland from end toside; which vines were gayly decked one and all with blossoms of everyform and tint, so that above and around was naught but a transparenttapestry of bloom, through which the light penetrated in soft hues, asit might through the rich painted window of a cathedral; yet softer andmore tender than ever I have yet seen. Then in contract with thisgorgeous canopy of color, the ground spread out all carpeted with lightfeather-plants and slender grasses, while here and there stood up a rockcoated over with long soft moss, all of a cool greenness most refreshingto the eye.

  But now it was horror that brought us to a stand, since such a loathsomesight met our eyes as would have appalled the heart of a Nero. For somedistance around the herbage was beaten down and strewn with what seemedrather the refuse and outcasting of a shambles than aught else; for onlyon looking close could one see that this torn flesh was from the head ofman, that those broken bones were of a human body, etc.

  This spectacle was made more ghastly by contrast with the life, thepeace, the gayety, and loveliness of its surroundings. Terrible it wasto see how this wreck of humanity was wreathed about with those sweetblooms they had torn down in falling through the boughs of the trees.'Twas as if Death had arrayed himself in mockery with the flowers ofCupid. Here trailed a spray of tender green with purple blooms over theblack and festering vitals torn from the chest of an arquebusier, andthere from a bed of rose-pink buds gaped out a face (which I recognizedpresently for Lewis de Pino's) with d
ull, staring eyes, and a black,protruding tongue. Nor were our eyes alone shocked by this loathsomecontrast; for in place of sweet odors from the flowers we were sickenedby a stench of corruption which did seem to poison every breath I drew.

  My first thought (when my horror abated, and I could reason at all) wasthat those Ingas Matthew spoke of were a race of cannibals, who, aftercasting down their victims, had descended to glut their abominableappetite here at leisure and in security; yet on closer inspection Icould not believe this neither, for the bodies had not been stripped,but their clothes had been torn away with the flesh from their bones, sothat it looked more as if a band of famished fiends had been to thisfeast than any mortal creatures.

  I could no longer believe that Lady Biddy lived--nay, I could not hopethat she did; yet my eye wandered wildly over the ground for some traceof her. Then thinking she might yet lie hid beyond one of those manystones I have mentioned, I set out upon this horrible quest, picking myway amidst the remains of these mangled enemies.

  I had not gone far when Matthew, plucking me by the sleeve, says:

  "Master, that is why the carrion birds have kept aloof."

  And casting my eyes whither he pointed his finger I perceived, abouttwenty paces away, two great spotted ounces, which the Ingas calljagoaretes, stretched out at full length in the herbage--one with hispaw set on a body which he had dragged thither.

  At the sound of Matthew's voice the beasts raised their heads; then,seeing us, one of them got on his feet and the other sat up on hishaunches. Presently he who was on his feet bared his teeth and gave amenacing growl, lashing his tail the while from side to side.

  We had taken off our swords above and left them there, as I have said,for fear they should trip us in our descent, so that we had nothing todefend ourselves with against these brutes; nor could I see anythingproper for that purpose, the savages having carried off all thePortugals' weapons. So here we stood, within a few bounds of thosesavage ounces, with no means of attack or defense.

  "Don't stir, master, for the love of Heaven," says Matthew; "if we turntail we shall be cat's-meat for a certainty."

  And now the other ounce got on his feet, and, stretching out its neck,showed its teeth, yet without growling, for they were both gorged totheir full, and heavy with their food.

  Seeing they were not disposed to come at us, Matthew unslings hiswine-skin, and, swinging it in his hand, makes pretense to draw nighthem, as if he would take them by surprise; on which the ounces, as notknowing what to make of it, dropped their tails and shrunk back theirheads. Then one of them drawing back a pace, the other takes alarm, and,turning round, trots off; and the first, being in no mind to fight,presently does the same, whereupon Matthew, hallooing with all hismight, runs after them with such good effect that they set up a howl ofterror and were far out of sight ere he had gone a dozen yards.