Facing Death; Or, The Hero of the Vaughan Pit: A Tale of the Coal Mines

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XIX.

  THE GREAT RIOT.

  Stokebridge feast had not gone off with its usual spirit. The number ofyoung pitmen and lads from the surrounding villages were as large asever, and there was no lack of lasses in gay bonnets and bright dresses.The fact, however, that almost the whole of the lads and girls ofStokebridge between the ages of fifteen and eighteen had left thevillage and gone to a rival fete elsewhere, cast a damper on theproceedings. There were plenty of young women and young men inStokebridge who were as ready as ever to dance and to drink, and whowere, perhaps, even gaudier in attire and more boisterous in manner thanusual, as a protest against the recession of their juniors; forStokebridge was divided into two very hostile camps, and, as was perhapsnot unnatural, those over the age of the girls and lads at thenight-schools resented the changes which had been made, and rebelledagainst the, as they asserted, airs of superiority of younger sistersand brothers.

  In some cases no doubt there was ground for the feeling. The girls andlads, eager to introduce the new lessons of order and neatness whichthey had learned, may have gone too fast and acted with too much zeal,although their teacher had specially warned them against so doing. Hencethe feeling of hostility to the movement was strong among a smallsection of Stokebridge, and the feeling was heightened by the secessionin a body of the young people from the feast.

  As the day went on the public-houses were as full as ever, indeed it wassaid that never before had so much liquor been consumed; the fiddlesplayed and the dancing and boisterous romping went on as usual, butthere was less real fun and enjoyment. As evening came on the youngfellows talked together in angry groups. Whether the proposal emanatedfrom some of the Stokebridge men or from the visitors from othervillages was afterwards a matter of much dispute, but it graduallybecame whispered about among the dancing booths and public-houses thatthere was an intention to give the party from Brook's a warm receptionwhen they arrived. Volleys of mud and earth were prepared, and some ofthe overdressed young women tossed their heads, and said that aspattering with mud would do the stuck-up girls no harm.

  The older pitmen, who would have certainly opposed any such design beingcarried out, were kept in ignorance of what was intended; the greaterportion were indeed drunk long before the time came when the party wouldbe returning from the fete.

  At a quarter before twelve Jane Haden, who had been sitting quietly athome, went up to the "Chequers" to look after her husband, and to seeabout his being brought home should he be incapable of walking. Themusic was still playing in the dancing booths, but the dancing was keptup without spirit, for a number of young men and lads were gatheredoutside. As she passed she caught a few words which were sufficient toinform her of what was going on. "Get some sticks oot o' hedges." "Fillyour pockets oop wi' stones." "We'll larn 'em to spoil the feast."

  Jane saw that an attack was going to be made upon the party, andhesitated for a moment what to do. The rockets were going up in Mr.Brook's grounds, and she knew she had a few minutes yet. First she ranto the house of James Shepherd. The pitman, who was a sturdy man, hadbeen asleep for the last three hours. She knocked at the door, unlockedit, and went in.

  "Jim," she called in a loud voice.

  "Aye, what be't?" said a sleepy voice upstairs; "be't thou, Harry andSally?"

  "No, it be I, Jane Haden; get up quickly, Jim; quick, man, there be baddoings, and thy lad and lass are like to have their heads broke if noworse."

  Alarmed by the words and the urgent manner of his neighbour, Jim and hiswife slipped on a few clothes and came down. Jane at once told them whatshe had heard.

  "There be between two and three hundred of 'em," she said, "as far as Icould see the wust lot out o' Stokebridge, and a lot o' roughs from t'other villages. Quick, Jim, do you and Ann go round quick to the houseso' all the old hands who ha' kept away from the feast or who went homedrunk early, they may ha' slept 't off by this, and get 'un together.Let 'em take pick-helves, and if there's only twenty of ye and ye fallupon this crowd ye'll drive 'em. If ye doan't it will go bad wi' all ourlads and lasses. I'll go an' warn 'em, and tell 'em to stop a fewminutes on t' road to give 'ee time to coom up. My Jack and the ladswill foight, no fear o' that, but they can't make head agin so manyarmed wi' sticks and stones too; but if ye come up behind and fall on'em when it begins ye'll do, even though they be stronger."

  Fully awake now to the danger which threatened the young people, for thepitman and his wife knew that when blows were exchanged and blood heatedthings would go much further than was at first intended, they hurriedoff to get a few men together, while Jane Haden started for the hall.

  Already the riotous crowd had gone on and she had to make a detour, butshe regained the road, and burst breathless and panting into the midstof the throng of young people coming along the lane chatting gaily ofthe scenes of the evening.

  "Stop, stop!" she cried; "don't go a foot further--where be my Jack?"

  "It's Mrs. Haden," Nelly Hardy said. "Jack, it's your mother."

  "What is it?" Jack said in astonishment. "Anything wrong wi' dad?"

  "Stop!" Mrs. Haden gasped again; "there's three hundred and more youngchaps and boys wi' sticks and stones joost awaiting on this sidet'village, awaiting to pay you all oot."

  Ejaculations of alarm were heard all round, and several of the girlsbegan to whimper.

  "Hush!" Mr. Dodgson said, coming forward. "Let all keep silence, theremay be no occasion for alarm; let us hear all about it, Mrs. Haden."

  Mrs. Haden repeated her story, and said that Harry's father and motherwere getting a body of pitmen to help them.

  "I think, Mr. Dodgson," said Jack, "the girls had best go back to Mr.Brook's as quickly as possible; we will come and fetch them when it'sall over."

  "I think so too," said Mr. Dodgson, "they might be injured by stones. Mydear, do you lead the girls back to Mr. Brook's. The house will hardlybe shut up yet, and even if it is, Mr. Brook will gladly receive you.There is no chance of any of the ruffians pursuing them, do you think,Jack, when they find they have only us to deal with?"

  "I don't know, sir. If three or four of us were to put on their cloaks,something light to show in the dark, they will think the girls are amongus."

  "Quick! here they come," Mr. Dodgson said, "go back silently, girls, nota word."

  Two or three cloaks and shawls were hastily borrowed and the lads thenturned up the road, where the sound of suppressed laughter and coarseoaths could be heard, while the young women went off at a rapid pacetowards the hall.

  "There are four of the clubs, nigh twenty in each," Jack said; "let eachclub keep together and go right at 'em. Stick together whatever ye do."

  "I'll take my place by you, Jack," Mr. Dodgson said; "you are ourcaptain now."

  Talking in a careless voice the party went forward. The road here wasonly divided from the fields on either side by a newly planted hedge ofa foot or so in height. Jack had arranged that he, with the few marriedpitmen, Mr. Dodgson, and the eight Bull-dogs who did not belong to theother associations, should hold the road; that two of the other clubsshould go on each side, fight their way as far as they could, and thenclose in on the road to take the assailants there on both flanks.

  The spirit of association did wonders; many of the lads were butfourteen or fifteen, yet all gathered under their respective leaders andprepared for what they felt would be a desperate struggle. Presentlythey saw a dark mass gathered in the road.

  As soon as the light shawls were seen there was a cry of "Here they be,give it 'em well, lads;" and a volley of what were, in the majority ofcases, clods of earth, but among which were many stones, was poured in.Without an instant's pause the party attacked separated, two bands leaptinto the field on either side, and then the whole rushed at theassailants. No such charge as this had been anticipated. The cowardlyruffians had expected to give a complete surprise, to hear the shrieksof the girls, and perhaps some slight resistance from a few of the olderlads; the suddenness of this attack astonished them.

>   In an instant Jack and his supporters were in their midst, and the furywhich animated them at this cowardly attack, and the unity of theiraction, bore all before them; and in spite of their sticks the leadersof the assailants were beaten to the ground. Then the sheer weight ofthe mass behind stopped the advance and the conflict became a generalone. In the crowd and confusion it was difficult to distinguish friendfrom foe, and this prevented the assailants from making full use oftheir stakes, rails, and other implements with which they were armed.They were, however, getting the best of it, Mr. Dodgson had been knockeddown with a heavy stake and several others were badly hurt, when thestrong bands in the field who had driven back the scattered assailantsthere, fell upon the flanks of the main body in the road.

  For five minutes the fight was a desperate one, and then, just asnumbers and weapons were telling, there was a shout in the rear, andfifteen pitmen, headed by Jim Shepherd and armed with pick handles, asformidable weapons as could be desired in the hands of strong men, fellupon the rear of the assailants. Yells, shouts, and heavy crashing blowstold the tale to those engaged in front; and at once the assailantsbroke and scattered in flight.

  "Catch 'em and bring 'em down," Jack shouted; "they shall pay for thisnight's work."

  Such of the lads as were not disabled started off, and being fleet offoot, those of the assailants nearest to them had little chance ofescape. Two or three lads together sprung upon one and pulled him down,and so when the pursuit ended twenty-nine of the assailants had falleninto their hands. In addition to this a score of them lay or sat by theroad with broken heads and bones, the work of the pitmen's weapons.

  Of the lads the greater part had been badly knocked about, and some layinsensible in the road. The prisoners were brought together, five of thepitmen with twenty of the lads marched with those able to walk, to thevillage, where they shut them up in the school-room. The other pitmenremained in charge of the wounded of both sides, and the rest of theparty were sent back to Mr. Brook's to fetch the women and girls. Nearthe house they met Mr. Brook, accompanied by his two men-servants andgardener, armed with spades, hurrying forward; and he expressed hisdelight at the issue of the conflict, but shook his head at the numberof serious injuries on both sides.

  In a shed near the house were a number of hurdles, and twenty of thesewere at once sent forward with the men to carry those unable to walkinto the village.

  Mrs. Dodgson turned pale as her husband, his face covered with blood,entered the dining-room, where, huddled together, the frightened girlswere standing; Mrs. Dodgson, aided by Nelly Hardy, having done herutmost to allay their fears.

  "I am not hurt," Mr. Dodgson said heartily, "at least not seriously; butI fear that some are. It is all over now, and those ruffians have fled.Jack Simpson and a party are outside to escort you home. We don't knowwho are hurt yet, but they will be carried to the girls' school-room andattended there. Harry Shepherd has gone on to get the doctor up, and Mr.Brook is sending off a man on horseback to Birmingham for some moremedical aid and a body of police to take charge of the fellows we havecaptured; they will be in by the early train."

  Everything was quiet in Stokebridge when the party with the prisonersarrived. The pitmen, before starting, had gone into the public-house toget any sober enough to walk to join them; and the few who had kept upthe dancing, alarmed at the serious nature of the affair, of which theyhad tacitly approved, scattered to their homes.

  The news of the conflict, however, quickly circulated, lights appearedin windows, and the women who had sons or daughters at the fete flockedout into the streets to hear the news. Many other pitmen, whom therehad not been time enough to summon, soon joined them, and deep indeedwas the wrath with which the news of the assault was received. Most ofthe men at once hurried away to the scene of conflict to see who werehurt, and to assist to carry them in; and the sole ground forsatisfaction was that the women and girls had all escaped injury.