Chapter XVIII.
Never was any delight worthy of comparison with the raptures which Ithen experienced. Life, that was rapidly ebbing, appeared to return uponme with redoubled violence. My languors, my excruciating heat, vanishedin a moment, and I felt prepared to undergo the labours of Hercules.Having fully supplied the demands of nature in this respect, I returnedto reflection on the circumstances of my situation. The path windinground the hill was now free from all impediments. What remained but toprecipitate my flight? I might speedily place myself beyond all danger.I might gain some hospitable shelter, where my fatigues might berepaired by repose, and my wounds be cured. I might likewise impart tomy protectors seasonable information of the enemies who meditated theirdestruction.
I thought upon the condition of the hapless girl whom I had left in thepower of the savages. Was it impossible to rescue her? Might I notrelieve her from her bonds, and make her the companion of my flight? Theexploit was perilous, but not impracticable. There was somethingdastardly and ignominious in withdrawing from the danger, and leaving ahelpless being exposed to it. A single minute might suffice to snatchher from death or captivity. The parents might deserve that I shouldhazard or even sacrifice my life in the cause of their child.
After some fluctuation, I determined to return to the cavern and attemptthe rescue of the girl. The success of this project depended on thecontinuance of their sleep. It was proper to approach with wariness, andto heed the smallest token which might bespeak their condition. I creptalong the path, bending my ear forward to catch any sound that mightarise. I heard nothing but the half-stifled sobs of the girl.
I entered with the slowest and most anxious circumspection. Every thingwas found in its pristine state. The girl noticed my entrance with amixture of terror and joy. My gestures and looks enjoined upon hersilence. I stooped down, and, taking another hatchet, cut asunder thedeer-skin thongs by which her wrists and ankles were tied. I then madesigns for her to rise and follow me. She willingly complied with mydirections; but her benumbed joints and lacerated sinews refused tosupport her. There was no time to be lost; I therefore lifted her in myarms, and, feeble and tottering as I was, proceeded with this burdenalong the perilous steep and over a most rugged-path.
I hoped that some exertion would enable her to retrieve the use of herlimbs. I set her, therefore, on her feet, exhorting her to walk as wellas she was able, and promising her my occasional assistance. The poorgirl was not deficient in zeal, and presently moved along with light andquick steps. We speedily reached the bottom of the hill.
No fancy can conceive a scene more wild and desolate than that which nowpresented itself. The soil was nearly covered with sharp fragments ofstone. Between these, sprung brambles and creeping vines, whose twigs,crossing and intertwining with each other, added to the roughness below,made the passage infinitely toilsome. Scattered over this space weresingle cedars with their ragged spines and wreaths of moss, and copsesof dwarf oaks, which were only new emblems of sterility.
I was wholly unacquainted with the scene before me. No marks ofhabitation or culture, no traces of the footsteps of men, werediscernible. I scarcely knew in what region of the globe I was placed. Ihad come hither by means so inexplicable as to leave it equally in doubtwhether I was separated from my paternal abode by a river or an ocean.
I made inquiries of my companion, but she was unable to talk coherently.She answered my questions with weeping, and sobs, and entreaties to flyfrom the scene of her distress. I collected from her, at length, thather father's house had been attacked on the preceding evening, and allthe family but herself destroyed. Since this disaster she had walkedvery fast and a great way, but knew not how far or in what direction.
In a wilderness like this, my only hope was to light upon obscure paths,made by cattle. Meanwhile I endeavoured to adhere to one line, and toburst through the vexatious obstacles which encumbered our way. Theground was concealed by the bushes, and we were perplexed and fatiguedby a continual succession of hollows and prominences. At one moment wewere nearly thrown headlong into a pit. At another we struck our feetagainst the angles of stones. The branches of the oak rebounded in ourfaces or entangled our legs, and the unseen thorns inflicted on us athousand wounds.
I was obliged, in these arduous circumstances, to support not onlymyself, but my companion. Her strength was overpowered by her eveningjourney, and the terror of being overtaken incessantly harassed her.
Sometimes we lighted upon tracks which afforded us an easier footing andinspired us with courage to proceed. These, for a time, terminated at abrook or in a bog, and we were once more compelled to go forward atrandom. One of these tracks insensibly became more beaten, and, atlength, exhibited the traces of wheels. To this I adhered, confidentthat it would finally conduct us to a dwelling.
On either side, the undergrowth of shrubs and brambles continued asbefore. Sometimes small spaces were observed, which had lately beencleared by fire. At length a vacant space, of larger dimensions than hadhitherto occurred, presented itself to my view. It was a field of someacres, that had, apparently, been upturned by the hoe. At the corner ofthis field was a small house.
My heart leaped with joy at this sight. I hastened towards it, in thehope that my uncertainties, and toils, and dangers, were now drawing toa close. This dwelling was suited to the poverty and desolation whichsurrounded it. It consisted of a few unhewn logs laid upon each other,to the height of eight or ten feet, including a quadrangular space ofsimilar dimensions, and covered by a thatch. There was no window, lightbeing sufficiently admitted into the crevices between the logs. Thesehad formerly been loosely plastered with clay; but air and rain hadcrumbled and washed the greater part of this rude cement away. Somewhatlike a chimney, built of half-burnt bricks, was perceived at one corner.The door was fastened by a leathern thong, tied to a peg.
All within was silence and darkness. I knocked at the door and called,but no one moved or answered. The tenant, whoever he was, was absent.His leave could not be obtained, and I, therefore, entered without it.The autumn had made some progress, and the air was frosty and sharp. Mymind and muscles had been of late so strenuously occupied, that the coldhad not been felt. The cessation of exercise, however, quickly restoredmy sensibility in this respect, but the unhappy girl complained of beinghalf frozen.
Fire, therefore, was the first object of my search. Happily, some emberswere found upon the hearth, together with potato-stalks and dry chips.Of these, with much difficulty, I kindled a fire, by which some warmthwas imparted to our shivering limbs. The light enabled me, as I sat uponthe ground, to survey the interior of this mansion. Three saplings,stripped of their branches and bound together at their ends by twigs,formed a kind of bedstead, which was raised from the ground by fourstones. Ropes stretched across these, and covered by a blanket,constituted the bed. A board, of which one end rested on the bedsteadand the other was thrust between the logs that composed the wall,sustained the stale fragments of a rye-loaf, and a cedar bucket keptentire by withes instead of hoops. In the bucket was a little water,full of droppings from the roof, drowned insects, and sand. A basket ortwo neatly made, and a hoe, with a stake thrust into it by way ofhandle, made up all the furniture that was visible.
Next to cold, hunger was the most urgent necessity by which we were nowpressed. This was no time to give ear to scruples. We, therefore,unceremoniously divided the bread and water between us. I had nowleisure to bestow some regards upon the future.
These remnants of fire and food convinced me that this dwelling wasusually inhabited, and that it had lately been deserted. Some engagementhad probably carried the tenant abroad. His absence might be terminatedin a few minutes, or might endure through the night. On his return, Iquestioned not my power to appease any indignation he might feel at theliberties which I had taken. I was willing to suppose him one who wouldreadily afford us all the information and succour that we needed.
If he should not return till sunrise, I meant to resume my journey. Bythe comfortable mea
l we had made, and the repose of a few hours, weshould be considerably invigorated and refreshed, and the road wouldlead us to some more hospitable tenement.
My thoughts were too tumultuous, and my situation too precarious, toallow me to sleep. The girl, on the contrary, soon sank into a sweetoblivion of all her cares. She laid herself, by my advice, upon the bed,and left me to ruminate without interruption.
I was not wholly free from the apprehension of danger. What influencethis boisterous and solitary life might have upon the temper of thebeing who inhabited this hut, I could not predict. How soon the Indiansmight awake, and what path they would pursue, I was equally unable toguess. It was by no means impossible that they might tread upon myfootsteps, and knock, in a few minutes, at the door of this cottage. Itbehooved me to make all the preparations in my power against untowardincidents.
I had not parted with the gun which I had first seized in the cavern,nor with the hatchet which I had afterwards used to cut the bands of thegirl. These were at once my trophies and my means of defence, which ithad been rash and absurd to have relinquished. My present reliance wasplaced upon these.
I now, for the first time, examined the prize that I had made. Otherconsiderations had prevented me, till now, from examining the structureof the piece; but I could not but observe that it had two barrels, andwas lighter and smaller than an ordinary musket. The light of the firenow enabled me to inspect it with more accuracy.
Scarcely had I fixed my eyes upon the stock, when I perceived marks thatwere familiar to my apprehension. Shape, ornaments, and ciphers, wereevidently the same with those of a piece which I had frequently handled.The marks were of a kind which could not be mistaken. This piece wasmine; and, when I left my uncle's house, it was deposited, as Ibelieved, in the closet of my chamber.
Thou wilt easily conceive the inference which this circumstancesuggested. My hairs rose and my teeth chattered with horror. My wholeframe was petrified, and I paced to and fro, hurried from the chimney tothe door, and from the door to the chimney, with the misguided fury of amaniac.
I needed no proof of my calamity more incontestable than this. My uncleand my sisters had been murdered; the dwelling had been pillaged, andthis had been a part of the plunder. Defenceless and asleep, they wereassailed by these inexorable enemies, and I, who ought to have beentheir protector and champion, was removed to an immeasurable distance,and was disabled, by some accursed chance, from affording them thesuccour which they needed.
For a time, I doubted whether I had not witnessed and shared thiscatastrophe. I had no memory of the circumstances that preceded myawaking in the pit. Had not the cause of my being cast into this abysssome connection with the ruin of my family? Had I not been draggedhither by these savages and reduced, by their malice, to that breathlessand insensible condition? Was I born to a malignant destiny never tiredof persecuting? Thus had my parents and their infant offspring perished,and thus completed was the fate of all those to whom my affectionscleaved, and whom the first disaster had spared.
Hitherto the death of the savage, whom I had dispatched with my hatchet,had not been remembered without some remorse. Now my emotions weretotally changed. I was somewhat comforted in thinking that thus much ofnecessary vengeance had been executed. New and more vehement regretswere excited by reflecting on the forbearance I had practised when somuch was in my power. All the miscreants had been at my mercy, and abloody retribution might, with safety and ease, have been inflicted ontheir prostrate bodies.
It was now too late. What of consolation or of hope remained to me? Toreturn to my ancient dwelling, now polluted with blood, or, perhaps,nothing but a smoking ruin, was abhorred. Life, connected with theremembrance of my misfortunes, was detestable. I was no longer anxiousfor flight. No change of the scene but that which terminated allconsciousness could I endure to think of.
Amidst these gloomy meditations the idea was suddenly suggested ofreturning, with the utmost expedition, to the cavern. It was possiblethat the assassins were still asleep. He who was appointed to watch, andto make, in due season, the signal for resuming their march, was foreversilent. Without this signal it was not unlikely that they would sleeptill dawn of day. But, if they should be roused, they might be overtakenor met, and, by choosing a proper station, two victims might at leastfall. The ultimate event to myself would surely be fatal; but my owndeath was an object of desire rather than of dread. To die thusspeedily, and after some atonement was made for those who had alreadybeen slain, was sweet.
The way to the mountain was difficult and tedious, but the ridge wasdistinctly seen from the door of the cottage, and I trusted thatauspicious chance would lead me to that part of it where my prey was tobe found. I snatched up the gun and tomahawk in a transport ofeagerness. On examining the former, I found that both barrels weredeeply loaded.
This piece was of extraordinary workmanship. It was the legacy of anEnglish officer, who died in Bengal, to Sarsefield. It was constructedfor the purposes not of sport but of war. The artist had made it acongeries of tubes and springs, by which every purpose of protection andoffence was effectually served. A dagger's blade was attached to it,capable of being fixed at the end, and of answering the destructivepurpose of a bayonet. On his departure from Solesbury, my friend leftit, as a pledge of his affection, in my possession. Hitherto I hadchiefly employed it in shooting at a mark, in order to improve my sight;now was I to profit by the gift in a different way.
Thus armed, I prepared to sally forth on my adventurous expedition.Sober views might have speedily succeeded to the present tempest of mypassions. I might have gradually discovered the romantic and criminaltemerity of my project, the folly of revenge, and the duty of preservingmy life for the benefit of mankind. I might have suspected the proprietyof my conclusion, and have admitted some doubts as to the catastrophewhich I imagined to have befallen my uncle and sisters. I might, atleast, have consented to ascertain their condition with my own eyes, andfor this end have returned to the cottage, and have patiently waitedtill the morning light should permit me to resume my journey.
This conduct was precluded by a new incident. Before I opened the door Ilooked through a crevice of the wall, and perceived three human figuresat the farther end of the field. They approached the house. Thoughindistinctly seen, something in their port persuaded me that these werethe Indians from whom I had lately parted. I was startled but notdismayed. My thirst of vengeance was still powerful, and I believed thatthe moment of its gratification was hastening. In a short time theywould arrive and enter the house. In what manner should they bereceived?
I studied not my own security. It was the scope of my wishes to kill thewhole number of my foes; but, that being done, I was indifferent to theconsequences. I desired not to live to relate or to exult in the deed.
To go forth was perilous and useless. All that remained was to sit uponthe ground opposite the door, and fire at each as he entered. In thehasty survey I had taken of this apartment, one object had beenoverlooked, or imperfectly noticed. Close to the chimney was anaperture, formed by a cavity partly in the wall and in the ground. Itwas the entrance of an oven, which resembled, on the outside, a mound ofearth, and which was filled with dry stalks of potatoes and otherrubbish.
Into this it was possible to thrust my body. A sort of screen might beformed of the brushwood, and more deliberate and effectual execution bedone upon the enemy. I weighed not the disadvantages of this scheme, butprecipitately threw myself into this cavity. I discovered, in aninstant, that it was totally unfit for my purpose; but it was too lateto repair my miscarriage.
This wall of the hovel was placed near the verge of a sand-bank. Theoven was erected on the very brink. This bank, being of a loose andmutable soil, could not sustain my weight. It sunk, and I sunk alongwith it. The height of the bank was three or four feet, so that, thoughdisconcerted and embarrassed, I received no injury. I still grasped mygun, and resumed my feet in a moment.
What was now to be done? The bank screened me from the view of thesavages
. The thicket was hard by, and, if I were eager to escape, theway was obvious and sure. But, though single, though enfeebled by toil,by abstinence, and by disease, and though so much exceeded in number andstrength by my foes, I was determined to await and provoke the contest.
In addition to the desperate impulse of passion, I was swayed bythoughts of the danger which beset the sleeping girl, and from which myflight would leave her without protection. How strange is the destinythat governs mankind! The consequence of shrouding myself in this cavityhad not been foreseen. It was an expedient which courage and notcowardice suggested; and yet it was the only expedient by which flighthad been rendered practicable. To have issued from the door would onlyhave been to confront, and not to elude, the danger.
The first impulse prompted me to re-enter the cottage by this avenue,but this could not be done with certainty and expedition. What thenremained? While I deliberated, the men approached, and, after a moment'shesitation, entered the house, the door being partly open.
The fire on the hearth enabled them to survey the room. One of themuttered a sudden exclamation of surprise. This was easily interpreted.They had noticed the girl who had lately been their captive lying asleepon the blanket. Their astonishment at finding her here, and in thiscondition, may be easily conceived.
I now reflected that I might place myself, without being observed, nearthe entrance, at an angle of the building, and shoot at each as hesuccessively came forth. I perceived that the bank conformed to twosides of the house, and that I might gain a view of the front and of theentrance, without exposing myself to observation.
I lost no time in gaining this station. The bank was as high as mybreast. It was easy, therefore, to crouch beneath it, to bring my eyeclose to the verge, and, laying my gun upon the top of it among thegrass, with its muzzles pointed to the door, patiently to wait theirforthcoming.
My eye and my ear were equally attentive to what was passing. A low andmuttering conversation was maintained in the house. Presently I heard aheavy stroke descend. I shuddered, and my blood ran cold at the sound. Ientertained no doubt but that it was the stroke of a hatchet on the heador breast of the helpless sleeper.
It was followed by a loud shriek. The continuance of these shrieksproved that the stroke had not been instantly fatal. I waited to hear itrepeated, but the sounds that now arose were like those produced bydragging somewhat along the ground. The shrieks, meanwhile, wereincessant and piteous. My heart faltered, and I saw that mighty effortsmust be made to preserve my joints and my nerves steadfast. All dependedon the strenuous exertions and the fortunate dexterity of a moment.
One now approached the door, and came forth, dragging the girl, whom heheld by the hair, after him. What hindered me from shooting at his firstappearance, I know not. This had been my previous resolution. My handtouched the trigger, and, as he moved, the piece was levelled at hisright ear. Perhaps the momentous consequences of my failure made me waittill his ceasing to move might render my aim more sure.
Having dragged the girl, still piteously shrieking, to the distance often feet from the house, he threw her from him with violence. She fellupon the ground, and, observing him level his piece at her breast,renewed her supplications in a still more piercing tone. Little did theforlorn wretch think that her deliverance was certain and near. Irebuked myself for having thus long delayed. I fired, and my enemy sunkupon the ground without a struggle.
Thus far had success attended me in this unequal contest. The next shotwould leave me nearly powerless. If that, however, proved as unerring asthe first, the chances of defeat were lessened. The savages within,knowing the intentions of their associate with regard to the captivegirl, would probably mistake the report which they heard for that of hispiece. Their mistake, however, would speedily give place to doubts, andthey would rush forth to ascertain the truth. It behooved me to providea similar reception for him that next appeared.
It was as I expected. Scarcely was my eye again fixed upon the entrance,when a tawny and terrific visage was stretched fearfully forth. It wasthe signal of his fate. His glances, cast wildly and swiftly round,lighted upon me, and on the fatal instrument which was pointed at hisforehead. His muscles were at once exerted to withdraw his head, and tovociferate a warning to his fellow; but his movement was too slow. Theball entered above his ear. He tumbled headlong to the ground, bereavedof sensation though not of life, and had power only to struggle andmutter.
Edgar Huntly; or, Memoirs of a Sleep-Walker Page 18