by T. Smollett
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
RENALDO MEETS WITH A LIVING MONUMENT OF JUSTICE, AND ENCOUNTERS APERSONAGE OF SOME NOTE IN THESE MEMOIRS.
As this domestic was very well qualified for making all the properdispositions, and adjusting every necessary article on the road, Renaldototally abstracted himself from earthly considerations, and mused withoutceasing on that theme which was the constant subject of hiscontemplation. He was blind to the objects that surrounded him; hescarce ever felt the importunities of nature; and had not they beenreinforced by the pressing entreaties of his attendant, he would haveproceeded without refreshment or repose. In this absence of mind did hetraverse a great part of Germany, in his way to the Austrian Netherlands,and arrived at the fortress of Luxemburg, where he was obliged to tarry awhole day on account of an accident which had happened to his chaise.Here he went to view the fortifications; and as he walked along theramparts, his ears were saluted with these words: "Heaven bless the nobleCount de Melvil! will not he turn the eyes of compassion on an oldfellow-soldier reduced to misfortune and disgrace?"
Surprised at this address, which was attended with the clanking ofchains, Renaldo lifted up his eyes, and perceived the person who spoketo be one of two malefactors shackled together, who had been sentencedfor some crime to work as labourers on the fortifications. His face wasso covered with hair, and his whole appearance so disguised by thesqualid habit which he wore, that the Count could not recollect hisfeatures, until he gave him to understand that his name was Ratchcali.Melvil immediately recognised his fellow-student at Vienna, and hisbrother-volunteer upon the Rhine, and expressed equal surprise andconcern at seeing him in such a deplorable situation.
Nothing renders the soul so callous and insensible as the searing brandsof infamy and disgrace. Without betraying the least symptoms of shame orconfusion, "Count," says he, "this is the fate of war, at least of thewar in which I have been engaged, ever since I took leave of the Imperialarmy, and retreated with your old companion Fathom. Long life to thatoriginal genius! If he is not unhappily eclipsed by some unfortunateinterposition, before his terrene parts are purified, I foresee that hewill shine a star of the first magnitude in the world of adventure."
At mention of this detested name, Renaldo's heart began to throb withindignation; yet he suppressed the emotion, and desired to know themeaning of that splendid encomium which he had bestowed upon hisconfederate. "It would be quite unnecessary," replied Ratchcali, "for aman in my present situation to equivocate or disguise the truth. Thenature of my disgrace is perfectly well known. I am condemned to hardlabour for life; and unless some lucky accident, which I cannot nowforesee, shall intervene, all I can expect is some alleviation of my hardlot from the generosity of such gentlemen as you, who compassionate thesufferings of your fellow-creatures. In order to engage your benevolencethe more in my behalf, I shall, if you will give me the hearing,faithfully inform you of some particulars, which it may import you toknow, concerning my old acquaintance Ferdinand Count Fathom, whose realcharacter hath perhaps hitherto escaped your notice."
Then he proceeded to give a regular detail of all the strokes of finessewhich he, in conjunction with our adventurer, had practised upon Melviland others, during their residence at Vienna, and the campaigns they hadmade upon the Rhine. He explained the nature of the robbery which wassupposed to have been done by the Count's valet, together with the mannerof their desertion. He described his separation from Fathom, theirmeeting at London, the traffic they carried on in copartnership; and themisfortune that reduced Ferdinand to the condition in which he was foundby Melvil.
"After having gratified the honest lawyer," said he, "with a share ofthe unfortunate Fathom's spoils, and packed up all my own valuableeffects, my new auxiliary Maurice and I posted to Harwich, embarked inthe packet-boat, and next day arrived at Helvoetsluys; from thence werepaired to the Hague, in order to mingle in the gaieties of the place,and exercise our talents at play, which is there cultivated withuniversal eagerness. But, chancing to meet with an old acquaintance,whom I did not at all desire to see, I found it convenient to withdrawsoftly to Rotterdam; from whence we set out for Antwerp; and, having madea tour of the Austrian Netherlands, set up our rest at Brussels, andconcerted a plan for laying the Flemings under contribution.
"From our appearance we procured admission into the most politeassemblies, and succeeded to a wonder in all our operations; until ourcareer was unfortunately checked by the indiscretion of my ally, who,being detected in the very act of conveying a card, was immediatelyintroduced to a magistrate. And this minister of justice was so curious,inquisitive, and clear-sighted, that Count Maurice, finding it impossibleto elude his penetration, was fain to stipulate for his own safety, bygiving up his friend to the cognisance of the law. I was accordinglyapprehended, before I knew the cause of my arrest; and being unhappilyknown by some soldiers of the Prince's guard, my character turned out solittle to the approbation of the inquisitors, that all my effects wereconfiscated for the benefit of the state, and I was by a formal sentencecondemned to labour on the fortifications all the days of my life; whileMaurice escaped at the expense of five hundred stripes, which he receivedin public from the hands of the common executioner.
"Thus have I, without evasion or mental reservation, given a faithfulaccount of the steps by which I have arrived at this barrier, which islikely to be the ne plus ultra of my peregrinations, unless the generousCount de Melvil will deign to interpose his interest in behalf of an oldfellow-soldier, who may yet live to justify his mediation."
Renaldo had no reason to doubt the truth of this story, everycircumstance of which tended to corroborate the intelligence he hadalready received touching the character of Fathom, whom he now consideredwith a double portion of abhorrence, as the most abandoned miscreant thatnature had ever produced. Though Ratchcali did not possess a much higherplace in his opinion, he favoured him with marks of his bounty, andexhorted him, if possible, to reform his heart; but he would by no meanspromise to interpose his credit in favour of a wretch self-convicted ofsuch enormous villany and fraud. He could not help moralising upon thisrencontre, which inspired him with great contempt for human nature. Andnext day he proceeded on his journey with a heavy heart, ruminating onthe perfidy of mankind, and, between whiles, transported with theprospect of revenging all his calamities upon the accursed author.
While he was wrapped up in these reveries, his carriage rolled along, andhad already entered a wood between Mons and Tournay, when his dream wassuddenly interrupted by the explosion of several pistols that were firedamong the thickets at a little distance from the road. Roused at thisalarm, he snatched his sword that stood by him, and springing from thechaise, ran directly towards the spot, being close followed by his valet,who had alighted and armed himself with a pistol in each hand. Aboutforty yards from the highway, they arrived in a little glade or opening,where they saw a single man standing at bay against five banditti, afterhaving killed one of their companions, and lost his own horse, that laydead upon the ground.
Melvil seeing this odds, and immediately guessing their design, rushedamong them without hesitation, and in an instant ran his sword throughthe heart of one whose hand was raised to smite the gentleman behind,while he was engaged with the rest in front. At the same time the valetdisabled another by a shot in the shoulder; so that the number being nowequal on both sides, a furious combat ensued, every man being paired withan antagonist, and each having recourse to swords, as all their pieceshad been discharged. Renaldo's adversary, finding himself pressed withequal fury and skill, retreated gradually among the trees, until hevanished altogether into the thickest of the wood; and his two companionsfollowed his example with great ease, the valet-de-chambre being hurt inthe leg, and the stranger so much exhausted by the wounds he had receivedbefore Renaldo's interposition, that, when the young gentleman approachedto congratulate him on the defeat of the robbers, he, in advancing toembrace his deliverer, dropped down motionless on the grass.
Th
e Count, with that warmth of sympathy and benevolence which was naturalto his heart, lifted up the wounded cavalier in his arms, and carried himto the chaise, in which he was deposited, while the valet-de-chambrereloaded his pistols, and prepared for a second attack, as they did notdoubt that the banditti would return with a reinforcement. However,before they reappeared, Renaldo's driver disengaged him from the wood,and in less than a quarter of an hour they arrived at a village, wherethey halted for assistance to the stranger, who, though still alive, hadnot recovered the use of his senses.
After he was undressed, and laid in a warm bed, a surgeon examined hisbody, and found a wound in his neck by a sword, and another in his rightside, occasioned by a pistol-shot; so that his prognostic was verydubious. Meanwhile, he applied proper dressings to both; and, in half anhour after this administration, the gentleman gave some tokens ofperception. He looked around him with a wildness of fury in his aspect,as if he had thought himself in the hands of the robbers by whom he hadbeen attacked. But, when he saw the assiduity with which the bystandersexerted themselves in his behalf, one raising his head from the pillow,while another exhorted him to swallow a little wine which was warmed forthe purpose; when he beheld the sympathising looks of all present, andheard himself accosted in the most cordial terms by the person whom herecollected as his deliverer, all the severity vanished from hiscountenance; he took Renaldo's hand, and pressed it to his lips; and,while the tears gushed from his eyes, "Praised be God," said he, "thatvirtue and generosity are still to be found among the sons of men."
Everybody in the apartment was affected by this exclamation; and Melvil,above all the rest, felt such emotions as he could scarcely restrain. Heentreated the gentleman to believe himself in the midst of such friendsas would effectually secure him from all violence and mortification; heconjured him to compose the perturbation of his spirits, and quiet theapprehensions of his mind with that reflection; and protested, that hehimself would not quit the house while his attendance should be deemednecessary for the stranger's cure, or his conversation conducive to hisamusement.
These assurances, considered with the heroic part which the youngHungarian had already acted in his behalf, inspired the cavalier withsuch a sublime idea of Melvil, that he gazed upon him with silentastonishment, as an angel sent from heaven for his succour; and, in thetransport of his gratitude, could not help exclaiming, "Sure Providencehath still something in reserve for this unfortunate wretch, in whosefavour such a miracle of courage and generosity hath interposed!"
Being accommodated with proper care and attendance, his constitution in alittle time overcame the fever; and, at the third dressing, the surgeondeclared him out of all danger from his wounds. Then was Renaldoindulged with opportunities of conversing with the patient, and ofinquiring into the particulars of his fortune and designs in life, with aview to manifest the inclination he felt to serve him in his futureoccasions.
The more this stranger contemplated the character of the Count, the morehis amazement increased, on account of his extraordinary benevolence infavour of a person whose merit he could not possibly know; he evenexpressed his surprise on this subject to Renaldo, who at length toldhim, that, although his best offices should always be ready for theoccasions of any gentleman in distress, his particular attachment andregard to him was improved by an additional consideration. "I am nostranger," said he, "to the virtues and honour of the gallant Don Diegode Zelos."
"Heaven and earth!" cried the stranger, starting from his seat withextreme emotion, "do I then live to hear myself addressed by thatlong-lost appellation! my heart glows at the expression! my spirits arekindled with a flame that thrills through every nerve! Say, younggentleman, if you are really an inhabitant of earth, by what means areyou acquainted with the unhappy name of Zelos?"
In answer to this eager interrogation, Renaldo gave him to understand,that in the course of his travels, he had resided a short time atSeville, where he had frequently seen Don Diego, and often heard hischaracter mentioned with uncommon esteem and veneration. "Alas!" repliedthe Castilian, "that justice is no longer done to the wretched Zelos; hishonours are blasted, and his reputation canker-bitten by the venomoustooth of slander."
He then proceeded to unfold his misfortunes, as they have already beenexplained in the former part of these memoirs; at the recapitulation ofwhich, the heart of Melvil, being intendered by his own calamities, wasso deeply affected, that he re-echoed the groans of Don Diego, and weptover his sufferings with the most filial sympathy. When he repeated thestory of that cruel fraud which was practised upon him by the faithlessFadini, Melvil, whose mind and imagination teemed with the villanies ofFathom, was immediately struck with the conjecture of his being theknave; because, indeed, he could not believe that any other person was soabandoned by principle and humanity as to take such a barbarous advantageof a gentleman in distress.