CHAPTER V.
CHAT MOSS.
The pursuivant was taken so completely unawares by the sudden appearanceof Guy Fawkes and his companions, that he made no attempt at resistance.Nor were his attendants less confounded. Before they recovered fromtheir surprise, Humphrey Chetham seized Viviana in his arms, and dartingthrough the panel, called to the priest to follow him. Father Oldcornewas about to comply, when one of the soldiers, grasping the surcingle athis waist, dragged him forcibly backwards. The next moment, however, hewas set free by Guy Fawkes, who, felling the man to the ground, andinterposing himself between the priest and the other soldier, enabledthe former to make good his retreat. This done, he planted himself infront of the panel, and with a petronel in each hand, menaced hisopponents.
"Fly for your lives!" he shouted in a loud voice to the others. "Not amoment is to be lost. I have taken greater odds, and in a worse cause,and have not been worsted. Heed me not, I say. I will defend the passagetill you are beyond reach of danger. Fly!--fly!"
"After them!" vociferated the pursuivant, stamping with rage andvexation; "after them instantly! Hew down that bold traitor. Show him noquarter. His life is forfeit to the king. Slay him as you would a dog!"
But the men, having no fire-arms, were so much intimidated by the fiercelooks of Guy Fawkes, and the deadly weapons he pointed at their heads,that they hesitated to obey their leader's injunctions.
"Do you hear what I say to you, cravens?" roared the pursuivant. "Cuthim down without mercy."
"They dare not move a footstep," rejoined Guy Fawkes, in a decisivetone.
"Recreants!" cried the pursuivant, foaming with rage, "is my prey to besnatched from me at the very moment I have secured it, through yourcowardice? Obey me instantly, or, as Heaven shall judge me, I willdenounce you to my Lord Derby and the Commissioners as aiders andabettors in Father Oldcorne's escape!--and you well know what yourpunishment will be if I do so. What!--are you afraid of one man?"
"Our pikes are no match for his petronels," observed the foremostsoldier, sullenly.
"They are not," rejoined Guy Fawkes; "and you will do well not to compelme to prove the truth of your assertion. As to you, Master Pursuivant,"he continued, with a look so stern that the other quailed before it,"unwilling as I am to shed blood, I shall hold your life, if I amcompelled to take it, but just retribution for the fate you have broughtupon the unfortunate Elizabeth Orton.
"Ha!" exclaimed the pursuivant, starting. "I thought I recognised you.You are the soldier in the Spanish garb who saved that false prophetessfrom drowning."
"I saved her only for a more lingering death," rejoined Guy Fawkes.
"I know it," retorted the pursuivant. "I found her dead body when Ivisited her cell on my way hither, and gave orders to have it interredwithout coffin or shroud in that part of the burial-ground of theCollegiate Church in Manchester reserved for common felons."
"I know not what stays my hand," rejoined Guy Fawkes, fiercely. "But Iam strongly tempted to give you a grave beside her."
"I will put your daring to the proof!" cried the pursuivant, snatching apike from one of his followers, and brandishing it over his head. "Throwdown your arms, or you die!"
"Back!" exclaimed Guy Fawkes, presenting a petronel at him, "or I lodgea bullet in your brain."
"Be advised by me, and rush not on certain destruction, good MasterPursuivant," said the foremost soldier, plucking his mantle. "I see byhis bloodthirsty looks that the villain is in earnest."
"I hear footsteps," cried the other soldier; "our comrades are at hand."
"Then it is time for me to depart," cried Guy Fawkes, springing throughthe secret door, and closing it after him.
"Confusion!" exclaimed the pursuivant; "but he shall not escape. Breakopen the panel."
The order was promptly obeyed. The men battered the stout oak board,which was of great thickness, with their pikes, but it resisted everyeffort, nor was it until the arrival of a fresh band of soldiers withlights, mallets, chisels, and other implements suitable to the purpose,that it could be forced open. This accomplished, the pursuivant,commanding his attendants to follow him, dashed through the aperture. Asthey proceeded singly along the narrow passage, the roof became so lowthat they were compelled to adopt a stooping posture. In this mannerthey hurried on until their further progress was stopped by a massivestone door, which appeared to descend from above by some hiddencontrivance, no trace of bolt or other fastening being discernible. Theflag fitted closely in channels in the walls, and had all the appearanceof solid masonry. After examining this obstacle for a moment, thepursuivant was convinced that any attempt to move it would beimpracticable, and muttering a deep execration, he gave the word toreturn.
"From the course it appears to take," he observed, "this passage mustcommunicate with the garden,--perhaps with the further side of the moat.We may yet secure them, if we use despatch."
To return to the fugitives. On arriving at the point where the stonedoor was situated, which he discovered by the channels in the wallabove-mentioned, Guy Fawkes searched for an iron ring, and, having foundit, drew it towards him, and the ponderous flag slowly dropped into itsplace. He then groped his way cautiously along in the dark, until hisfoot encountered the top of a ladder, down which he crept, and landed onthe floor of a damp deep vault. Having taken the precaution to removethe ladder, he hastened onwards for about fifty yards, when he came to asteep flight of stone steps, distinguishable by a feeble glimmer oflight from above, and mounting them, emerged through an open trap-doorinto a small building situated at the western side of the moat, where,to his surprise and disappointment, he found the other fugitives.
"How comes it you are here?" he exclaimed, in a reproachful tone. "Ikept the wolves at bay thus long, to enable you to make good yourretreat."
"Miss Radcliffe is too weak to move," replied Humphrey Chetham; "and Icould not persuade Father Oldcorne to leave her."
"I care not what becomes of me," said the priest. "The sooner my painfulrace is run the better. But I cannot--will not abandon my dear chargethus."
"Think not of me, father, I implore you," rejoined Viviana, who had sunkoverpowered with terror and exhaustion. "I shall be better soon. MasterChetham, I am assured, will remain with me till our enemies havedeparted, and I will then return to the hall."
"Command me as you please, Miss Radcliffe," replied Humphrey Chetham."You have but to express a wish to insure its fulfilment on my part."
"Oh! that you had suffered Mr. Catesby to tarry with us till themorning, as he himself proposed, dear daughter," observed the priest,turning to Viviana.
"Has Catesby been here?" inquired Guy Fawkes, with a look ofastonishment.
"He has," replied Oldcorne. "He came to warn us that the hall would bethis night searched by the officers of state; and he also brought wordthat a warrant had been issued by the Privy Council for the arrest ofSir William Radcliffe."
"Where is he now?" demanded Fawkes, hastily.
"On the way to Chester, whither he departed in all haste, at Viviana'surgent request, to apprise her father of his danger," rejoined thepriest.
"This is strange!" muttered Guy Fawkes. "Catesby here, and I not knowit!"
"He had a secret motive for his visit, my son," whispered Oldcorne,significantly.
"So I conclude, father," replied Fawkes, in the same tone.
"Viviana Radcliffe," murmured Humphrey Chetham, in low and tenderaccents, "something tells me that this moment will decide my futurefate. Emboldened by the mysterious manner in which we have been broughttogether, and you, as it were, have been thrown upon my protection, Iventure to declare the passion I have long indulged for you;--a passionwhich, though deep and fervent as ever agitated human bosom, hashitherto, from the difference of our rank, and yet more from thedifference of our religious opinions, been without hope. What has justoccurred,--added to the peril in which your worthy father stands, andthe difficulties in which you yourself will necessarily beinvolved,--makes me cast aside all misgiving,
and perhaps with too muchpresumption, but with a confident belief that the sincerity of my loverenders me not wholly undeserving of your regard, earnestly solicit youto give me a husband's right to watch over and defend you."
Viviana was silent. But even by the imperfect light the young merchantcould discern that her cheek was covered with blushes.
"Your answer?" he cried, taking her hand.
"You must take it from my lips, Master Chetham," interposed the priest;"Viviana Radcliffe never can be yours."
"Be pleased to let her speak for herself, reverend sir," rejoined theyoung merchant, angrily.
"I represent her father, and have acquainted you with hisdetermination," rejoined the priest. "Appeal to her, and she willconfirm my words."
"Viviana, is this true?" asked Chetham. "Does your father object to yourunion with me?"
Viviana answered by a deep sigh, and gently withdrew her hand from theyoung merchant's grasp.
"Then there is no hope for me?" cried Chetham.
"Alas! no," replied Viviana; "nor for me--of earthly affection. I amalready dead to the world."
"How so?" he asked.
"I am about to vow myself to Heaven," she answered.
"Viviana!" exclaimed the young man, throwing himself at her feet,"reflect!--oh! reflect, before you take this fatal--this irrevocablestep."
"Rise, sir," interposed the priest, sternly; "you plead in vain. SirWilliam Radcliffe will never wed his daughter to a heretic. In his nameI command you to desist from further solicitation."
"I obey," replied Chetham, rising.
"We lose time here," observed Guy Fawkes, who had been lost for a momentin reflection. "I will undertake to provide for your safety, father.But, what must be done with Viviana? She cannot be left here. And herreturn to the hall would be attended with danger."
"I will not return till the miscreants have quitted it," said Viviana.
"Their departure is uncertain," replied Fawkes. "When they are baulkedof their prey they sometimes haunt a dwelling for weeks."
"What will become of me?" cried Viviana, distractedly.
"It were vain, I fear, to entreat you to accept an asylum with my fatherat Clayton Hall, or at my own residence at Crumpsall," said HumphreyChetham.
"Your offer is most kind, sir," replied Oldcorne, "and is dulyappreciated. But Viviana will see the propriety--on every account--ofdeclining it."
"I do; I do," she acquiesced.
"Will you entrust yourself to my protection?" observed Fawkes.
"Willingly," replied the priest, answering for her. "We shall find someplace of refuge," he added, turning to Viviana, "where your father canjoin us, and where we can remain concealed till this storm has blownover."
"I know many such," rejoined Fawkes, "both in this county and inYorkshire, and will guide you to one."
"My horses are at your service," said Humphrey Chetham. "They are tiedbeneath the trees in the avenue. My servant shall bring them to thedoor," and, turning to his attendant, he gave him directions to thateffect. "I was riding hither an hour before midnight," he continued,addressing Viviana, "to offer you assistance, having accidentally heardthe pursuivant mention his meditated visit to Ordsall Hall, to one ofhis followers, when, as I approached the gates, this person," pointingto Guy Fawkes, "crossed my path, and, seizing the bridle of my steed,demanded whether I was a friend to Sir William Radcliffe. I answered inthe affirmative, and desired to know the motive of his inquiry. He thentold me that the house was invested by a numerous band of armed men, whohad crossed the moat by means of a plank, and were at that momentconcealed within the garden. This intelligence, besides filling me withalarm, disconcerted all my plans, as I hoped to have been beforehandwith them--their inquisitorial searches being generally made at a latehour, when all the inmates of a house intended to be surprised arecertain to have retired to rest. While I was bitterly reproaching myselffor my dilatoriness, and considering what course it would be best topursue, my servant, Martin Heydocke, son to your father's old steward,who had ridden up at the stranger's approach, informed me that he wasacquainted with a secret passage communicating beneath the moat with thehall. Upon this, I dismounted; and fastening my horse to a tree, orderedhim to lead me to it without an instant's delay. The stranger, who gavehis name as Guy Fawkes, and professed himself a stanch Catholic, and afriend of Father Oldcorne, begged permission to join us, in a tone soearnest, that I at once acceded to his request. We then proceeded tothis building, and after some search discovered the trap-door. Much timewas lost, owing to our being unprovided with lights, in the subterraneanpassage; and it was more than two hours before we could find the ringconnected with the stone door, the mystery of which Martin explained tous. This delay we feared would render our scheme abortive, when, just aswe reached the panel, we heard your shrieks. The spring was touched,and--you know the rest."
"And shall never forget it," replied Viviana, in a tone of the deepestgratitude.
At this juncture, the tramp of horses was heard at the door; and thenext moment it was thrown open by the younger Heydocke, who, with alook, and in a voice of the utmost terror, exclaimed, "They arecoming!--they are coming!"
"The pursuivant?" cried Guy Fawkes.
"Not him alone, but the whole gang," rejoined Martin. "Some of them arelowering the drawbridge, while others are crossing the plank. Severalare on horseback, and I think I discern the pursuivant amongst thenumber. They have seen me, and are hurrying in this direction."
As he spoke, a loud shout corroborated his statement.
"We are lost!" exclaimed Oldcorne.
"Do not despair, father," rejoined Guy Fawkes. "Heaven will not abandonits faithful servants. The Lord will deliver us out of the hands ofthese Amalekites."
"To horse, then, if you would indeed avoid them," urged HumphreyChetham. "The shouts grow louder. Your enemies are fast approaching."
"Viviana," said Guy Fawkes, "are you willing to fly with us?"
"I will do anything rather than be left to those horrible men," sheanswered.
Guy Fawkes then raised her in his arms, and sprang with his lovelyburthen upon the nearest charger. His example was quickly followed byHumphrey Chetham, who, vaulting on the other horse, assisted the priestto mount behind him. While this took place, Martin Heydocke darted intothe shed, and instantly bolted the door.
It was a beautiful moonlight night, almost as bright as day, and themovements of each party were fully revealed to the other. Guy Fawkesperceived at a glance that they were surrounded; and, though he had nofears for himself, he was full of apprehension for the safety of hiscompanion. While he was debating with himself as to the course it wouldbe best to pursue, Humphrey Chetham shouted to him to turn to the left,and started off in that direction. Grasping his fair charge, whom he hadplaced before him on the saddle, firmly with his left arm, and wrappingher in his ample cloak, Guy Fawkes drew his sword, and striking spursinto his steed, followed in the same track.
The little fabric which had afforded them temporary shelter, it hasalready been mentioned, was situated on the west of the hall, at a shortdistance from the moat, and was screened from observation by a smallshrubbery. No sooner did the fugitives emerge from this cover, than loudoutcries were raised by their antagonists, and every effort was made tointercept them. On the right, galloping towards them on a light butswift courser, taken from Sir William Radcliffe's stables, came thepursuivant, attended by half-a-dozen troopers, who had accommodatedthemselves with horses in the same manner as their leader. Between themand the road leading to Manchester, were stationed several armed men onfoot. At the rear, voices proclaimed that others were in full pursuit;while in front, a fourth detachment menaced them with their pikes. Thusbeset on all sides, it seemed scarcely possible to escape. Nothingdaunted, however, by the threats and vociferations with which they werereceived, the two horsemen boldly charged this party. The encounter wasinstantaneous. Guy Fawkes warded off a blow, which, if it had takeneffect, must have robbed Viviana of life, and struck down the fellow
whoaimed it. At the same moment, his career was checked by anotherassailant, who, catching his bridle with the hook of his pike, commandedhim to surrender. Fawkes replied by cleaving the man's staff asunder,and, having thus disembarrassed himself, was about to pursue hiscourse, when he perceived that Humphrey Chetham was in imminent dangerfrom a couple of soldiers who had stopped him, and were trying tounhorse his companion. Riding up to them, Guy Fawkes, by a vigorous andwell-directed attack, speedily drove them off; and the fugitives, beingnow unimpeded, were enabled to continue their career.
The foregoing occurrences were witnessed by the pursuivant with theutmost rage and vexation. Pouring forth a torrent of threats andimprecations, he swore he would never rest till he had secured them, andurging his courser to its utmost speed, commanded his men to give chase.
Skirting a sluice, communicating between the Irwell and the moat,Humphrey Chetham, who, as better acquainted with the country than hiscompanions, took the lead, proceeded along its edge for about a hundredyards, when he suddenly struck across a narrow bridge covered with sod,and entered the open fields. Hitherto Viviana had remained silent.Though fully aware of the risk she had run, she gave no sign ofalarm--not even when the blow was aimed against her life; and it wasonly on conceiving the danger in some degree past, that she ventured toexpress her gratitude.
"You have displayed so much courage," said Guy Fawkes, in answer to herspeech, "that it would be unpardonable to deceive you. Our foes are toonear us, and too well mounted, to make it by any means certain we shallescape them,--unless by stratagem."
"They are within a hundred yards of us," cried Humphrey Chetham,glancing fearfully backwards. "They have possessed themselves of yourfather's fleetest horses; and, if I mistake not, the rascally pursuivanthas secured your favourite barb."
"My gentle Zayda!" exclaimed Viviana. "Then indeed we are lost. She hasnot her match for speed."
"If she bring her rider to us alone, she will do us good service,"observed Guy Fawkes, significantly.
The same notion, almost at the same moment, occurred to the pursuivant.Having witnessed the prowess displayed by Guy Fawkes in his recentattack on the soldiers, he felt no disposition to encounter soformidable an opponent single-handed; and finding that the high-mettledbarb on which he was mounted, by its superior speed and fiery temper,would inevitably place him in such a dilemma, he prudently resolved tohalt, and exchange it for a more manageable steed.
This delay was of great service to the fugitives, and enabled them toget considerably ahead. They had now gained a narrow lane, and, trackingit, speedily reached the rocky banks of the Irwell. Galloping along afoot-path that followed the serpentine course of the stream for aquarter of a mile, they arrived at a spot marked by a bed of osiers,where Humphrey Chetham informed them there was a ford.
Accordingly, they plunged into the river, and while stemming thecurrent, which here ran with great swiftness, and rose up above thesaddles, the neighing of a steed was heard from the bank they hadquitted. Turning at the sound, Viviana beheld her favourite courser onthe summit of a high rock. The soldier to whom Zayda was intrusted hadspeedily, as the pursuivant foresaw, distanced his companions, and chosethis elevated position to take sure aim at Guy Fawkes, against whom hewas now levelling a caliver. The next moment a bullet struck against hisbrigandine, but without doing him any injury. The soldier, however, didnot escape so lightly. Startled by the discharge, the fiery barb leapedfrom the precipice into the river, and throwing her rider, who was borneoff by the rapid stream, swam towards the opposite bank, which shereached just as the others were landing. At the sound of her mistress'svoice she stood still, and allowed Humphrey Chetham to lay hold of herbridle; and Viviana declaring she was able to mount her, Guy Fawkes, whofelt that such an arrangement was most likely to conduce to her safety,and who was, moreover, inclined to view the occurrence as a providentialinterference in their behalf, immediately assisted her into the saddle.
Before this transfer could be effected, the pursuivant and hisattendants had begun to ford the stream. The former had witnessed theaccident that had befallen the soldier from a short distance; and, whilehe affected to deplore it, internally congratulated himself on hisprudence and foresight. But he was by no means so well satisfied when hesaw how it served to benefit the fugitives.
"That unlucky beast!" he exclaimed. "Some fiend must have prompted me tobring her out of the stable. Would she had drowned herself instead ofpoor Dickon Duckesbury, whom she hath sent to feed the fishes! With heraid, Miss Radcliffe will doubtless escape. No matter. If I secure FatherOldcorne, and that black-visaged trooper in the Spanish garb, who, I'llbe sworn, is a secret intelligencer of the pope, if not of the devil, Ishall be well contented. I'll hang them both on a gibbet higher thanHaman's."
And muttering other threats to the same effect, he picked his way to theopposite shore. Long before he reached it, the fugitives haddisappeared; but on climbing the bank, he beheld them galloping swiftlyacross a well-wooded district steeped in moonlight, and spread outbefore his view, and inflamed by the sight he shouted to his attendants,and once more started in pursuit.
Cheered by the fortunate incident above related, which, in presentingher with her own steed in a manner so surprising and unexpected, seemedalmost to give her assurance of deliverance, Viviana, inspirited by theexercise, felt her strength and spirits rapidly revive. At her side rodeGuy Fawkes, who ever and anon cast an anxious look behind, to ascertainthe distance of their pursuers, but suffered no exclamation to escapehis lips. Indeed, throughout the whole affair, he maintained the reservebelonging to his sombre and taciturn character, and neither questionedHumphrey Chetham as to where he was leading them, nor proposed anydeviation from the route he had apparently chosen. To such remarks aswere addressed to him, Fawkes answered in monosyllables; and it was onlywhen occasion required, that he volunteered any observation or advice.He seemed to surrender himself to chance. And perhaps, if his bosomcould have been examined, it would have been found that he consideredhimself a mere puppet in the hands of destiny.
In other and calmer seasons, he might have dwelt with rapture on thebeautiful and varied country through which they were speeding, and whichfrom every knoll they mounted, every slope they descended, every gladethey threaded, intricacy pierced, or tangled dell tracked, presented newand increasing attractions. This charming district, since formed into apark by the Traffords, from whom it derives its present designation, wasat this time,--though part of the domain of that ancient family,--whollyunenclosed. Old Trafford Hall lies (for it is still in existence,) morethan a mile nearer to Manchester, a little to the east of Ordsall Hall;but the modern residence of the family is situated in the midst of thelovely region through which the fugitives were riding.
But, though the charms of the scene, heightened by the gentle mediumthrough which they were viewed, produced little effect upon the ironnature of Guy Fawkes, they were not without influence on his companions,especially Viviana. Soothed by the stillness of all around her, shealmost forgot her danger; and surrendering herself to the dreamyenjoyment generally experienced in contemplating such a scene at such anhour, suffered her gaze to wander over the fair woody landscape beforeher, till it was lost in the distant moonlit wolds.
From the train of thought naturally awakened by this spectacle, she wasroused by the shouts of the pursuers; and, glancing timorously behindher, beheld them hurrying swiftly along the valley they had justquitted. From the rapidity with which they were advancing, it wasevident they were gaining upon them, and she was about to urge hercourser to greater speed, when Humphrey Chetham laid his hand upon therein to check her.
"Reserve yourself till we gain the brow of this hill," he remarked; "andthen put Zayda to her mettle. We are not far from our destination."
"Indeed!" exclaimed Viviana. "Where is it?"
"I will show it to you presently," he answered.
Arrived at the summit of the high ground, which they had been for sometime gradually ascending, the young merchant pointed out a
vast boggytract, about two miles off, in the vale beneath them.
"That is our destination," he said.
"Did I not hold it impossible you could trifle with me at such a time asthis, I should say you were jesting," rejoined Viviana. "The place youindicate, unless I mistake you, is Chat Moss, the largest and mostdangerous marsh in Lancashire."
"You do not mistake me, neither am I jesting, Viviana," replied theyoung merchant, gravely. "Chat Moss _is_ the mark at which I aim."
"If we are to cross it, we shall need a Will-o'-the-wisp to guide us,and some friendly elf to make firm the ground beneath our steeds,"rejoined Viviana, in a slightly-sarcastic tone.
"Trust to me and you shall traverse it in safety," resumed HumphreyChetham.
"I would sooner trust myself to the pursuivant and his band, thanventure upon its treacherous surface," she replied.
"How is this, young sir?" interposed Guy Fawkes, sternly. "Is it fromheedlessness or rashness that you are about to expose us to this newdanger?--which, if Viviana judges correctly, and my own experience ofsuch places inclines me to think she does so,--is greater than thatwhich now besets us."
"If there is any danger I shall be the first to encounter it, for Ipropose to act as your guide," returned Humphrey Chetham, in an offendedtone. "But the treacherous character of the marsh constitutes oursafety. I am acquainted with a narrow path across it, from which thedeviation of a foot will bring certain death. If our pursuers attempt tofollow us their destruction is inevitable. Viviana may rest assured Iwould not needlessly expose so dear a life as hers. But it is our bestchance of safety."
"Humphrey Chetham is in the right," observed the priest. "I have heardof the path he describes; and if he can guide us along it, we shalleffectually baffle our enemies."
"I cry you mercy, sir," said Viviana. "I did not apprehend your meaning.But I now thankfully resign myself to your care."
"Forward, then," cried the young merchant. And they dashed swiftly downthe declivity.
Chat Moss, towards which they were hastening, though now drained, inpart cultivated, and traversed by the busiest and most-frequentedrailroad in England, or the world, was, within the recollection of manyof the youngest of the present generation, a dreary and almostimpassable waste. Surveyed from the heights of Dunham, whence thewriter has often gazed upon it, envying the plover her wing to skim overits broad expanse, it presented with its black boggy soil, striped likea motley garment, with patches of grey, tawny, and dunnish red, asingular and mysterious appearance. Conjecture fixes this morass as thesite of a vast forest, whose immemorial and Druid-haunted groves wereburnt by the Roman invaders; and seeks to account for its presentcondition by supposing that the charred trees--still frequently foundwithin its depths--being left where the conflagration had placed them,had choked up its brooks and springs, and so reduced it to a generalswamp. Drayton, however, in the following lines from the Faerie Land,places its origin as far back as the Deluge:--
----Great Chat Moss at my fall Lies fall of turf and marl, her unctuous mineral; And blocks as black as pitch, with boring augers found, There at the General Flood supposed to be drown'd.
But the former hypothesis appears the more probable. A curiousdescription of Chat Moss, as it appeared at the time of this history, isfurnished by Camden, who terms it, "a swampy tract of great extent, aconsiderable part of which was carried off in the last age by swollenrivers with great danger, whereby the rivers were infected, and greatquantities of fish died. Instead thereof is now a valley watered by asmall stream; and many trees were discovered thrown down, and lyingflat, so that one may suppose when the ground lay neglected, and thewaste water of brooks was not drained off into the open valleys, ortheir courses stopped by neglect or desolation, all the lower groundswere turned into swamps, (which we call _mosses_,) or into pools. Ifthis was the case, no wonder so many trees are found covered, and, as itwere, buried in such places all over England, but especially here. Forthe roots being loosened by too excessive wet, they must necessarilyfall down and sink in so soft a soil. The people hereabouts search forthem with poles and spits, and after marking the place, dig them up anduse them for firing, for they are like torches, equally fit to burn andto give light, which is probably owing to the bituminous earth thatsurrounds them, whence the common people suppose them firs, though Caesardenies that there were such trees in Britain."
But, though vast masses of the bog had been carried off by the Irwelland the Mersey, as related by Camden, the general appearance of thewaste,--with the exception of the valley and the small stream,--was muchthe same as it continued to our own time. Its surface was more brokenand irregular, and black gaping chasms and pits filled with water andslime as dark-coloured as the turf whence it flowed, pointed out thespots where the swollen and heaving swamp had burst its bondage. Narrowpaths, known only to the poor turf-cutters and other labourers who dweltupon its borders, and gathered fuel with poles and spits in the mannerabove described, intersected it at various points. But as they led inmany cases to dangerous and deep gulfs, to dismal quagmires andfathomless pits; and, moreover, as the slightest departure from theproper track would have whelmed the traveller in an oozy bed, fromwhich, as from a quicksand, he would have vainly striven to extricatehimself,--it was never crossed without a guide, except by those familiarwith its perilous courses. One painful circumstance connected with thehistory of Chat Moss remains to be recorded--namely, that the attemptmade to cultivate it by the great historian Roscoe,--an attempt sincecarried out, as has already been shown, with complete success,--ended ina result ruinous to the fortunes of that highly-gifted person, who, upto the period of this luckless undertaking, was as prosperous as he wasmeritorious.
By this time the fugitives had approached the confines of the marsh. Anaccident, however, had just occurred, which nearly proved fatal toViviana, and, owing to the delay it occasioned, brought their pursuersinto dangerous proximity with them. In fording the Irwell, which, fromits devious course, they were again compelled to cross, about a quarterof a mile below Barton, her horse missed its footing, and precipitatedher into the rapid current. In another instant she would have been borneaway, if Guy Fawkes had not flung himself into the water, and seized herbefore she sank. Her affrighted steed, having got out of its depth,began to swim off, and it required the utmost exertion on the part ofHumphrey Chetham, embarrassed as he was by the priest, to secure it. Ina few minutes all was set to rights, and Viviana was once more placed onthe saddle, without having sustained further inconvenience than wasoccasioned by her dripping apparel. But those few minutes, as has beenjust stated, sufficed to bring the pursuivant and his men close uponthem; and as they scrambled up the opposite bank, the plunging andshouting behind them told that the latter had entered the stream.
"Yonder is Baysnape," exclaimed Humphrey Chetham, calling Viviana'sattention to a ridge of high ground on the borders of the waste. "Belowit lies the path by which I propose to enter the moss. We shall speedilybe out of the reach of our enemies."
"The marsh at least will hide us," answered Viviana, with a shudder. "Itis a terrible alternative."
"Fear nothing, dear daughter," observed the priest. "The saints, whohave thus marvellously protected us, will continue to watch over us tothe end, and will make the path over yon perilous waste as safe as theground on which we tread."
"I like not the appearance of the sky," observed Guy Fawkes, lookinguneasily upwards. "Before we reach the spot you have pointed out, themoon will be obscured. Will it be safe to traverse the moss in thedark?"
"It is our only chance," replied the young merchant, speaking in a lowtone, that his answer might not reach Viviana's ears; "and after all,the darkness may be serviceable. Our pursuers are so near, that if itwere less gloomy, they might hit upon the right track. It will be a riskto us to proceed, but certain destruction to those who follow. And nowlet us make what haste we can. Every moment is precious."
The dreary and fast darkening waste had now opened upon them in
all itshorrors. Far as the gaze could reach appeared an immense expanse, flatalmost as the surface of the ocean, and unmarked, so far as could bediscerned in that doubtful light, by any trace of human footstep orhabitation. It was a stern and sombre prospect, and calculated toinspire terror in the stoutest bosom. What effect it produced on Vivianamay be easily conjectured. But her nature was brave and enduring, and,though she trembled so violently as scarcely to be able to keep herseat, she gave no utterance to her fears. They were now skirting thatpart of the morass since denominated, from the unfortunate speculationpreviously alluded to, "Roscoe's Improvements." This tract was the worstand most dangerous portion of the whole moss. Soft, slabby, andunsubstantial, its treacherous beds scarcely offered secure footing tothe heron that alighted on them. The ground shook beneath the fugitivesas they hurried past the edge of the groaning and quivering marsh. Theplover, scared from its nest, uttered its peculiar and plaintive cry;the bittern shrieked; other night-fowl poured forth their doleful notes;and the bull-frog added its deep croak to the ominous concert. Behindthem came the thundering tramp and loud shouts of their pursuers. GuyFawkes had judged correctly. Before they reached Baysnape the moon hadwithdrawn behind a rack of clouds, and it had become profoundly dark.Arrived at this point, Humphrey Chetham called to them to turn off tothe right.
"Follow singly," he said, "and do not swerve a hair's breadth from thepath. The slightest deviation will be fatal. Do you, sir," he added tothe priest, "mount behind Guy Fawkes, and let Viviana come next afterme. If I should miss my way, do not stir for your life."
The transfer effected, the fugitives turned off to the right, andproceeded at a cautious pace along a narrow and shaking path. The groundtrembled so much beneath them, and their horses' feet sank so deeply inthe plashy bog, that Viviana demanded, in a tone of some uneasiness, ifhe was sure he had taken the right course?
"If I had not," replied Humphrey Chetham, "we should ere this have foundour way to the bottom of the morass."
As he spoke, a floundering plunge, accompanied by a horrible andquickly-stifled cry, told that one of their pursuers had perished inendeavouring to follow them.
"The poor wretch is gone to his account," observed Viviana, in a tone ofcommiseration. "Have a care!--have a care, lest you share the samefate."
"If I can save you, I care not what becomes of me," replied the youngmerchant. "Since I can never hope to possess you, life has becomevalueless in my eyes."
"Quicken your pace," shouted Guy Fawkes, who brought up the rear. "Ourpursuers have discovered the track, and are making towards us."
"Let them do so," replied the young merchant. "They can do us no fartherinjury."
"That is false!" cried the voice of a soldier from behind. And, as thewords were uttered, a shot was fired, which, though aimed againstChetham, took effect upon his steed. The animal staggered, and his riderhad only time to slide from his back when he reeled off the path, andwas ingulfed in the marsh.
Hearing the plunge of the steed, the man fancied he had hit his mark,and hallooed in an exulting voice to his companions. But his triumph wasof short duration. A ball from the petronel of Guy Fawkes pierced hisbrain, and dropping from his saddle, he sank, together with his horse,which he dragged along with him into the quagmire.
"Waste no more shot," cried Humphrey Chetham; "the swamp will fight ourbattles for us. Though I grieve for the loss of my horse, I may bebetter able to guide you on foot."
With this, he seized Viviana's bridle, and drew her steed along at aquick pace, but with the greatest caution. As they proceeded, a lightlike that of a lantern was seen to rise from the earth, and approachthem.
"Heaven be praised!" exclaimed Viviana: "some one has heard us, and ishastening to our assistance."
"Not so," replied Humphrey Chetham. "The light you behold is an _ignisfatuus_. Were you to trust yourself to its delusive gleam, it would leadyou to the most dangerous parts of the moss."
And, as if to exhibit its real character, the little flame, whichhitherto had burnt as brightly and steadily as a wax-candle, suddenlyappeared to dilate, and assuming a purple tinge, emitted a shower ofsparks, and then flitted rapidly over the plain.
"Woe to him that follows it!" cried Humphrey Chetham.
"It has a strange unearthly look," observed Viviana, crossing herself."I have much difficulty in persuading myself it is not the work of somemalignant sprite."
"It is only an exhalation of the marsh," replied Chetham. "But, see!others are at hand."
Their approach, indeed, seemed to have disturbed all the weird childrenof the waste. Lights were seen trooping towards them in every direction;sometimes stopping, sometimes rising in the air, now contracting, nowexpanding, and when within a few yards of the travellers, retreatingwith inconceivable swiftness.
"It is a marvellous and incomprehensible spectacle," remarked Viviana.
"The common folk hereabouts affirm that these Jack-o'-lanterns, as theyterm them, always appear in greater numbers when some direfulcatastrophe is about to take place," rejoined the young merchant.
"Heaven avert it from us," ejaculated Viviana.
"It is an idle superstition," returned Chetham. "But we must now keepsilence," he continued, lowering his voice, and stopping near thecharred stump of a tree, left, it would seem, as a mark. "The road turnshere; and, unless our pursuers know it, we shall now quit them for ever.We must not let a sound betray the course we are about to take."
Having turned this dangerous corner in safety, and conducted hiscompanions as noiselessly as possible for a few yards along the crosspath, which being much narrower was consequently more perilous than thefirst, Humphrey Chetham stood still, and, imposing silence upon theothers, listened to the approach of their pursuers. His prediction wasspeedily and terribly verified. Hearing the movement in advance, butunable to discover the course taken by the fugitives, the unfortunatesoldiers, fearful of losing their prey, quickened their pace, in theexpectation of instantly overtaking them. They were fatally undeceived.Four only of their number, besides their leader, remained,--two havingperished in the manner heretofore described. The first of these,disregarding the caution of his comrade, laughingly urged his horse intoa gallop, and, on passing the mark, sunk as if by magic, and before hecould utter a single warning cry, into the depths of the morass. Hisdisappearance was so instantaneous, that the next in order, though heheard the sullen plunge, was unable to draw in the rein, and waslikewise ingulfed. A third followed; and a fourth, in his efforts toavoid their fate, backed his steed over the slippery edge of the path.Only one now remained. It was the pursuivant, who, with the prudencethat characterized all his proceedings, had followed in the rear. He wasso dreadfully frightened, that, adding his shrieks to those of hisattendants, he shouted to the fugitives, imploring assistance in themost piteous terms, and promising never again to molest them, if theywould guide him to a place of safety. But his cries were whollyunheeded; and he perhaps endured in those few minutes of agony as muchsuffering as he had inflicted on the numerous victims of his barbarity.It was indeed an appalling moment. Three of the wretched men had not yetsunk, but were floundering about in the swamp, and shrieking for help.The horses, as much terrified as their riders, added their piercingcries to the half-suffocated yells. And, as if to make the scene moreghastly, myriads of dancing lights flitted towards them, and throwing anunearthly glimmer over this part of the morass, fully revealed theirstruggling figures. Moved by compassion for the poor wretches, Vivianaimplored Humphrey Chetham to assist them, and, finding him immovable,she appealed to Guy Fawkes.
"They are beyond all human aid," the latter replied.
"Heaven have mercy on their souls!" ejaculated the priest "Pray forthem, dear daughter. Pray heartily, as I am about to do." And he recitedin an audible voice the Romish formula of supplication for those _inextremis_.
Averting her gaze from the spectacle, Viviana joined fervently in theprayer.
By this time two of the strugglers had disappeared. The third, havingfreed himself
from his horse, contrived for some moments, during whichhe uttered the most frightful cries, to keep his head above the swamp.His efforts were tremendous, but unavailing, and served only toaccelerate his fate. Making a last desperate plunge towards the bankwhere the fugitives were standing, he sank above the chin. Theexpression of his face, shown by the ghastly glimmer of the fen-fires,as he was gradually swallowed up, was horrible.
"_Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine_," exclaimed the priest.
"All is over," cried Humphrey Chetham, taking the bridle of Viviana'ssteed, and leading her onwards. "We are free from our pursuers."
"There is one left," she rejoined, casting a look backwards.
"It is the pursuivant," returned Guy Fawkes, sternly. "He is withinshot," he added, drawing his petronel.
"Oh, no--no!--in pity spare him!" cried Viviana. "Too many lives havebeen sacrificed already."
"He is the cause of all the mischief," answered Guy Fawkes, unwillinglyreplacing the petronel in his belt, "and may live to injure you and yourfather."
"I will hope not," rejoined Viviana; "but, spare him!--oh, spare him!"
"Be it as you please," replied Guy Fawkes. "The marsh, I trust, will notbe so merciful."
With this, they slowly resumed their progress. On hearing theirdeparture, the pursuivant renewed his cries in a more piteous tone thanever; but, in spite of the entreaties of Viviana, nothing could induceher companions to lend him assistance.
For some time they proceeded in silence, and without accident. As theyadvanced, the difficulties of the path increased, and it was fortunatethat the moon, emerging from the clouds in which, up to this moment, shehad been shrouded, enabled them to steer their course in safety. Atlength, after a tedious and toilsome march for nearly half a mile, thefooting became more secure, the road widened, and they were able toquicken their pace. Another half mile landed them upon the western bankof the morass. Viviana's first impulse was to give thanks to Heaven fortheir deliverance, nor did she omit in her prayer a supplication for theunfortunate beings who had perished.
Arrived at the point now known as Rawson Nook, they entered a lane, andproceeded towards Astley Green, where perceiving a cluster of thatchedcottages among the trees, they knocked at the door of the first, andspeedily obtained admittance from its inmates, a turf-cutter and hiswife. The man conveyed their steeds to a neighbouring barn, while thegood dame offered Viviana such accommodation and refreshment as herhumble dwelling afforded. Here they tarried till the following evening,as much to recruit Miss Radcliffe's strength, as for security.
At the young merchant's request, the turf-cutter went in the course ofthe day to see what had become of the pursuivant. He was nowhere to befound. But he accidentally learned from another hind, who followed thesame occupation as himself, that a person answering to the officer'sdescription had been seen to emerge from the moss near Baysnape atdaybreak, and take the road towards Manchester. Of the unfortunatesoldiers nothing but a steel cap and a pike, which the man brought awaywith him, could be discovered.
After much debate, it was decided that their safest plan would be toproceed to Manchester, where Humphrey Chetham undertook to procure themsafe lodgings at the Seven Stars,--an excellent hostel, kept by a worthywidow, who, he affirmed, would do anything to serve him. Accordingly,they set out at nightfall,--Viviana taking her place before Guy Fawkes,and relinquishing Zayda to the young merchant and the priest. Shapingtheir course through Worsley, by Monton Green and Pendleton, theyarrived in about an hour within sight of the town, which then,--not atithe of its present size, and unpolluted by the smoky atmosphere inwhich it is now constantly enveloped,--was not without some pretensionsto a picturesque appearance. Crossing Salford Bridge, they mountedSmithy-Bank, as it was then termed, and proceeding along Cateaton-streetand Hanging Ditch, struck into Whithing (now Withy) Grove, at the rightof which, just where a few houses were beginning to straggle up ShudeHill, stood, and still stands, the comfortable hostel of the SevenStars. Here they stopped, and were warmly welcomed by its buxommistress, Dame Sutcliffe. Muffled in Guy Fawkes's cloak, the priestgained the chamber to which he was ushered unobserved. And DameSutcliffe, though her Protestant notions were a little scandalized ather dwelling being made the sanctuary of a Popish priest, promised, atthe instance of Master Chetham, whom she knew to be no favourer ofidolatry in a general way, to be answerable for his safety.
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