Rob of the Bowl: A Legend of St. Inigoe's. Vol. 1 (of 2)

by John Pendleton Kennedy

  CHAPTER XIII.

  Up she rose, and forth she goes,-- I'll mote she speed therefor.

  ADAM BELL.

  Bell, my wife, she loves not strife, Yet she will lead me if she can; And oft, to live a quiet life, I'm forced to yield, though I'm goodman. It's not for a man a woman to threape, Unless he first give o'er his plea; As we began we now will leave And I'll take my old cloak about me.

  OLD SONG.

  It was nine o'clock of the morning before Dauntrees and his companions,Garret and Arnold, rose from their beds. Pamesack, whose taciturnitywas not greater than his indifference to fatigue, had, at an earlierhour, gone his way. A breakfast was provided in the Captain's quarters,and the three heroes of the past night sat down to it with a relishwhich showed that, however unfit they might be to contend againstspiritual foes, their talents for this encounter of material existenceswere highly respectable.

  "You have had a busy time of it in dreams, Master Weasel," saidDauntrees, since you laid yourself down on your truckle bed thismorning. You have been re-acting your exploits at the Chapel. I heardyou at daylight crying aloud for sword and dagger."

  "I warrant you, Captain Dauntrees," replied the publican, "my head hasbeen full of fantasies since I laid me down to rest--for I wasexceeding weary--and weariness doth set the brain to ramble in sleep.There was good argument, too, in our deeds at St. Jerome's for a worldof dreaming."

  "Ah, the night has made a man of you, my gallant vintner. You shouldbless your stars that you fell into such worthy company. You knew notheretofore--even with your experience at Worcester--what elements ofvalour it pleased Heaven to mix up in the mould whereof thou wert made.A man never sufficiently values himself until he has had some suchpassage as this."

  "Ay, and look you, Captain Dauntrees," said Garret, his eye flashingwith self-gratulation, "you will reflect that I had the brunt of it_alone_, whilst you three were banded together for common defenceand support. There I was, by my single self, in the very centre ofthem. A man needs more comfort and companionship in a matter withwitches and devils, than he does against your sword and bucklerfellows. Tut! I wouldn't have cared a fig for a foe that could bestruck at; but these pestilent things of the dark--hags on besoms, andflying bats as big as a man, great sword-fishes walking on legs, withtheir screechings, and mopings, and mewings--Lord, Lord, how it triesthe reins of a solitary man! But you had flashing and firing, andcharging, Captain, which is more in the way of what one expects in afight, and one is prepared for: it has life in it."

  "That is most true, doughty Garret. A culverin is but the whiff of anoaten pipe, compared with a hag upon her broomstick. Thou wert ever theman to encounter these women. It needs thy mettle to face them. Nowthere is thy wife, Master Weasel--oh, but that is a perilous venture instore for thee! You shall go to her and have it over, whilst I make myreport to his Lordship; when that is done I will straight for the Crowand Archer, to help you in the battle, which by that time willdoubtless find you sore at need."

  "I must go to his Lordship with you," replied Garret, in a lowered key;"I must have my hand in the report; after that we will set out togetherfor the inn."

  "Why, man!" exclaimed Dauntrees, with affected astonishment, "would youtarry to do your duty to Mistress Dorothy? Do you not know that shehath suffered agony of mind the live-long night in your behalf, andthat she is now in the very tempest of her affection waiting for you?"

  "I know it, I know it, worthy Captain; but it doth not become myrespect for Lord Charles's service to defer his business for mine own."

  "Thou shalt not budge an inch," said Dauntrees, "on any other path thanthat which takes thee quickly to thy loving wife."

  "Truly, Captain," replied Weasel, in a dolorous tone, "I would havethee to go with me; I beseech you heartily, allow me to bear youcompany to his Lordship. His Lordship will think it strange I did notcome: and it will take more than me to pacify the dame."

  "Well, friend Weasel, in consideration that you contended single handedlast night with a whole score of devils, and bore thee gallantly; and,moreover, as it is such heavy odds against thee in this matter of DameDorothy--for, of a verity, I know she is in a devil of a passion at thycontumacy, and not less at mine, I'll be sworn--why we will make amuster of it and breathe our defence in solid column. Arnold will gowith us. And mark me, Vintner, at the fitting time, we shall regale."

  "On the best in cellar or larder at the Crow and Archer," repliedGarret. "You have the word of a man and a soldier for it."

  "I wot of a woman and no soldier, whose word would go further to thatbargain, Garret, than yours. Make ready, friends, we must move."

  Dauntrees now set his beaver jauntily over his brow, and throwing hisshort cloak across his arm, marched through the postern of the fort,followed by his trusty allies, to the mansion of the Lord Proprietor.

  Lord Baltimore received them in his library, and there heard from theCaptain a circumstantial narrative of the events of the precedingnight.

  "It is a strange tale," he said, "and may well perplex the faith of thesimple rustics of the province. That evil spirits preside over thatblood-stained house, from your testimony, Captain Dauntrees, may nolonger be denied. Friends, you all saw these things?"

  "All," said Garret Weasel, with emphatic solemnity as he straitened hisbody even beyond the perpendicular line. "Pamesack and Arnold stood bythe Captain and can vouch for him. I maintained a post of danger, anplease your Lordship, alone; what I saw neither the Captain, Arnold,nor Pamesack, saw--it was a fearful sight."

  "What was it?" inquired the Proprietary, with some earnestness.

  "A woman," replied Garret, "_seemingly_ a woman, an your Lordshipcomprehends: but in truth a witch, as we all do know:--Kate ofWarrington, of whom your Lordship has heard. She it was who camesuddenly down upon the wold. How she came," here Garret shook his head,"and what came with her,--it was a sight to look upon!"

  "The vintner affirms to sundry fantastic shapes of imps and spectres incompany with the woman of Warrington," said Dauntrees. "We saw nothingof the hag, having left Master Weasel, some distance in our rear whenwe visited the Chapel. He was cold, and required comfort. What herecounts, my Lord, you have his own avouch for."

  "And what say you, Arnold?" inquired his Lordship, smiling.

  "These ghosts and goblins keep a hot house, and the less we have to dowith them the better," replied the forester, gravely.

  "They fired upon you, Captain?" said the Proprietary; "with whatweapons?"

  "They had the sharp crack of the musket and pistol," replied Dauntrees,"or what seemed to be such: yet I would not swear I saw carnal weaponsin the strife, though in the flash I thought I noted fire arms. Thismay tell better than guess of mine, my Lord," he added, as he held uphis cloak and pointed to a rent in one of its folds; "this hole wasmade by some missive from the house: whether it be a bullet mark or anelf-shot, I will not say."

  "Body o' me!" exclaimed Garret Weasel, as the Captain pointed to thedamage he had sustained, "I knew not this before. There was hot work, Iwarrant."

  "There is knavery in alliance with this sorcery," said the Proprietary,as he examined the cloak. "These wicked spirits ever find kindredamongst men. They have profligate companions of flesh to profit bytheir devilish arts. I thank you, friends, kindly, for this venture,and will turn it to wholesome account hereafter. Fare you well."

  The party left the room, and now shaping their course towards the Crowand Archer, soon descended below the bank and took the road along thebeach.

  Whilst they trudged through the sand and gravel, midway between thefort and the town, Dauntrees, looking behind, saw a figure descendingon horseback from the main gate of the fort down to the road upon whichthey now travelled. It was that of a woman, whose gestures, at thedistance of half a mile, were sufficiently observable to show that sheurged her horse forward with impatient earnestness. As soon as shearrived at the level of the beach, her speed was increased nearly tothe utmost of the faculty of the
animal which bore her, and she nowcame flying over the sand, with her garments and loose tresses floatingin the wind.

  "In the devil's name, what have we here?" exclaimed Dauntrees. "As Ilive, it is our queen of the hostel! Oh, Garret, Garret, here is avolcano! Here is an out-come with a conclusion at hand! Stand, masters,firmly on your legs, and brace up for the onset!"

  "Alack, alack!" groaned the publican; "the woman is bereft. She hath mynag from the fort."

  "Ay, and rides upon your saddle, as if it were made for her,"ejaculated the Captain. "Take post behind me, Garret: I will answer herspeech."

  "It were no more than the luck she deserves," said Garret, pettishly,"if she should fall from the nag and break her little finger, or at theleast sprain an ancle-joint."

  "Hold, runagates! varlets! out upon you for a filthy Captain!" shoutedthe dame, in a shrill voice, as she came within call of the party, andnow galloped up to the spot at which they had halted. "Give me thatidiot from your beastly company. Garret Weasel, Garret Weasel! you havebeen the death of me!"

  "Good lack, Mistress Dorothy, wife, why dost thou bear thyself in sucha sort as this?"

  "I will bare thee to the buff, driveller, for this. Are you not steepedin wickedness and abomination by evil-consorting with this copperCaptain, and this most horrid wood ranger? Hast no eye for thy family;no regard for good name, that you must be strolling o' nights withevery pot-guzzler and foul-breathed and cankered cast-off of the wars?I am ashamed of thee. You have been in your cups, I warrant, thelive-long night."

  "Dame, I must speak, now," said Dauntrees.

  "Thou, thou!" interrupted the hostess, with her face scarlet fromanger. "Never in a Christian land should such as thou be permitted tolift thy head before honest people. His Lordship would do but justiceto the province to chain thee up in a dark stable, as a bull which maynot be trusted at large. Did you not beguile me last night with a baselie? Did you not practice upon me, you faithless, false-heartedcoward?" here tears fell from the flashing eyes of the volublelandlady. "Did you not steal that lob, my husband, from me, thief?"

  "Appearances, dame," replied the Captain, with a grave composure, "ifthey might be trusted, were certainly to my disfavour last night. Butthen, I knew that when this matter was all over, I had a mostsufficient and excellent reason, which a considerate, virtuous, andtender-hearted woman like yourself would fully approve, when she cameto hear it. There was matter in hand of great import and urgency; norevelling, dame--no riot--but brave service, enjoined by his Lordship,and which it was his Lordship's most earnest desire should be committedin part to thy husband. It was an action of pith and bravery he had onhand; and his Lordship being well aware, dame, that Garret's wife was awoman of a loving heart, and gentle withal in her nature, and notfitted to endure the wringing of her affection by such a trial as theadventure imposed upon Garret, he charged me to make some light pretextfor withdrawing thy husband from thine eye, which, by fraud, I confess,I did, and am now--since Garret hath worthily achieved his mostperilous duty--here to avow my own treachery. There is promotion andgreat advantage at hand for this which will set up thy head, dame, thehighest amongst them that wear hoods."

  "We have barely escaped with our lives, Mistress Dorothy," said Weasel,in a whining accent of deprecation; "we should be made much of andpraised for our duty, not be set upon with taunts and foul rebukes; andwhen you know all, wife, you will be sorry for this wounding of ourgood name."

  "This is but another trick," said the landlady.

  "Nay, good mistress," interrupted the Captain, "I will agree to begibbeted by thine own fair hand, if I do not satisfy thee that in thisadventure we are deserving of all applause. The Lieutenant at the fort,doubtless, told thee that we were absent last night on special duty athis Lordship's command?"

  "The varlet did feign such a story, when I thought to catch this foolin thy company. And he would deny me, too, the nag; but I brought suchcoil about his ears that he was glad to give me the beast and set allgates open. Where do you say you have spent the night?"

  "At the Black Chapel, mistress," said Weasel, with a most portentoussolemnity of speech: "at the Black Chapel, by his Lordship's order;and, oh, the sights we have seen! and the time we have had of it, wife!it would make thy blood freeze to hear it."

  "On the honour of a soldier, dame! by the faith of this right hand!"said Dauntrees, as he offered it to the hostess and took hers, "I swearthis is true. We have had a night of wonders, which you shall hear infull when the time suits. We are on our way now to the Crow and Archer,for thine especial gratification."

  "Can this be true, Arnold?" inquired the mollified and bewilderedlandlady. "I will believe what you say."

  "You may trust in every word of it, as I am a Christian man. There bemarvellous doings at the Black Chapel. We have seen spirits and devilsin company."

  "It is graver matter, wife, than you wot of," said Weasel.

  "Ride forward, dame," added Dauntrees; "you shall see us soon at thehostel. And I promise you shall have the story, too, of the Mercer'sWife from beginning to end: you shall dame."

  "You are a wheedling, cogging cheat, Captain; thy roguery will have amelancholy end yet," replied the dame, as she now rode forward with asunshiny smile playing upon features which but a few moments beforewere dark with storm.

  When they reached the Crow and Archer they found a group of tradersassembled on the quay, gazing with a busy speculation towards the mouthof the river. By degrees the crowd increased, and the rumour soonspread abroad that the Olive Branch was in sight. A vessel was, indeed,discernible across the long flat of St. Inigoe's, just entering theriver, and those who professed a knowledge of nautical affairs had noscruple in announcing her as the brigantine of Cocklescraft. She wasapparently an active craft, belonging to the smaller class ofsea-vessels, and manifestly a faster sailer than was ordinarily to beseen at that period. A fair and fresh breeze impelled her steadilytowards her haven, and as she bounded over the glittering waters, thegood folks of the little city were seen clustering in knots on everyprominent cliff along the high bank, and counting the minutes whichbrought this messenger from the old world nearer to their salutation.

  Meantime the Olive Branch began to show the sparkling foam which brokeupon her bow; then to give forth voices from her deck, audible to thecrowd; presently to lower sail; and at last, being stripped to her barepoles and naked rigging, she glided with lessening speed, slower andslower, until her extended cable showed that her anchor was dropt andher voyage at an end.

  It was past noon when the brig came to her mooring, opposite the TownHouse wharf, and after a brief interval, Cocklescraft, arrayed as wehave before seen him, except that he had changed his sombrero for atasseled cap of cloth, landed on the quay, and soon became the lion ofthe Crow and Archer.