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CHAPTER LXX
COMPELLED TO VOLUNTEER
There had been some trouble in our own home during the
previous autumn, while yet I was in London. For
certain noted fugitives from the army of King Monmouth
(which he himself had deserted, in a low and currish
manner), having failed to obtain free shipment from the
coast near Watersmouth, had returned into the wilds of
Exmoor, trusting to lurk, and be comforted among the
common people. Neither were they disappointed, for a
certain length of time; nor in the end was their
disappointment caused by fault on our part. Major Wade
was one of them; an active and well-meaning man; but
prone to fail in courage, upon lasting trial; although
in a moment ready. Squire John Whichehalse (not the
baron) and Parson Powell* caught him (two or three
months before my return) in Farley farmhouse, near
Brendon. He had been up at our house several times;
and Lizzie thought a great deal of him. And well I
know that if at that time I had been in the
neighbourhood, he should not have been taken so easily.
* (Not our parson Bowden, nor any more a friend of his.
Our Parson Bowden never had naught whatever to do with
it; and never smoked a pipe with Parson Powell after it.--J.R.)
John Birch, the farmer who had sheltered him, was so
fearful of punishment, that he hanged himself, in a few
days' time, and even before he was apprehended. But
nothing was done to Grace Howe, of Bridgeball, who had
been Wade's greatest comforter; neither was anything
done to us; although Eliza had added greatly to
mother's alarm and danger by falling upon Rector
Powell, and most soundly rating him for his meanness,
and his cruelty, and cowardice, as she called it, in
setting men with firearms upon a poor helpless
fugitive, and robbing all our neighbourhood of its fame
for hospitality. However, by means of Sergeant
Bloxham, and his good report of us, as well as by
virtue of Wade's confession (which proved of use to the
Government) my mother escaped all penalties.
It is likely enough that good folk will think it hard
upon our neighbourhood to be threatened, and sometimes
heavily punished, for kindness and humanity; and yet to
be left to help ourselves against tyranny, and base
rapine. And now at last our gorge was risen, and our
hearts in tumult. We had borne our troubles long, as a
wise and wholesome chastisement; quite content to have
some few things of our own unmeddled with. But what
could a man dare to call his own, or what right could
he have to wish for it, while he left his wife and
children at the pleasure of any stranger?
The people came flocking all around me, at the
blacksmith's forge, and the Brendon alehouse; and I
could scarce come out of church, but they got me among
the tombstones. They all agreed that I was bound to
take command and management. I bade them go to the
magistrates, but they said they had been too often.
Then I told them that I had no wits for ordering of an
armament, although I could find fault enough with the
one which had not succeeded. But they would hearken to
none of this.
All they said was 'Try to lead us; and we will try not
to run away.'
This seemed to me to be common sense, and good stuff,
instead of mere bragging; moreover, I myself was moved
by the bitter wrongs of Margery, having known her at
the Sunday-school, ere ever I went to Tiverton; and
having in those days, serious thoughts of making her my
sweetheart; although she was three years my elder. But
now I felt this difficulty--the Doones had behaved very
well to our farm, and to mother, and all of us, while I
was away in London. Therefore, would it not be
shabby, and mean, for me to attack them now?
Yet being pressed still harder and harder, as day by
day the excitement grew (with more and more talking
over it, and no one else coming forward to undertake
the business, I agreed at last to this; that if the
Doones, upon fair challenge, would not endeavour to
make amends by giving up Mistress Margery, as well as
the man who had slain the babe, then I would lead the
expedition, and do my best to subdue them. All our men
were content with this, being thoroughly well assured
from experience, that the haughty robbers would only
shoot any man who durst approach them with such
proposal.
And then arose a difficult question--who was to take
the risk of making overtures so unpleasant? I waited
for the rest to offer; and as none was ready, the
burden fell on me, and seemed to be of my own inviting.
Hence I undertook the task, sooner than reason about
it; for to give the cause of everything is worse than
to go through with it.
It may have been three of the afternoon, when leaving
my witnesses behind (for they preferred the background)
I appeared with our Lizzie's white handkerchief upon a
kidney-bean stick, at the entrance to the robbers'
dwelling. Scarce knowing what might come of it, I had
taken the wise precaution of fastening a Bible over my
heart, and another across my spinal column, in case of
having to run away, with rude men shooting after me.
For my mother said that the Word of God would stop a
two-inch bullet, with three ounces of powder behind it.
Now I took no weapons, save those of the Spirit, for
fear of being misunderstood. But I could not bring
myself to think that any of honourable birth would take
advantage of an unarmed man coming in guise of peace to
them.
And this conclusion of mine held good, at least for a
certain length of time; inasmuch as two decent Doones
appeared, and hearing of my purpose, offered, without
violence, to go and fetch the Captain; if I would stop
where I was, and not begin to spy about anything. To
this, of course, I agreed at once; for I wanted no more
spying, because I had thorough knowledge of all ins and
outs already. Therefore, I stood waiting steadily,
with one hand in my pocket feeling a sample of corn for
market; and the other against the rock, while I
wondered to see it so brown already.
Those men came back in a little while, with a sharp
short message that Captain Carver would come out and
speak to me by-and-by, when his pipe was finished.
Accordingly, I waited long, and we talked about the
signs of bloom for the coming apple season, and the
rain that had fallen last Wednesday night, and the
principal dearth of Devonshire, that it will not grow
many cowslips--which we quite agreed to be the
prettiest of spring flowers; and all the time I was
wondering how many black and deadly deeds these two
innocent youths had committed, even since last
Christmas.
At length, a heavy and haughty step sounded along the
stone roof of the way; and then the great Carver Doone
drew up, and looked at me rather scornfully. Not with
any spoken scorn, nor flash of strong contumely; but
with that air of thinking little, and praying not to be
troubled, which always vexes a man who feels that he
ought not to be despised so, and yet knows not how to
help it.
'What is it you want, young man?' he asked, as if he
had never seen me before.
In spite of that strong loathing which I always felt at
sight of him, I commanded my temper moderately, and
told him that I was come for his good, and that of his
worshipful company, far more than for my own. That a
general feeling of indignation had arisen among us at
the recent behaviour of certain young men, for which he
might not be answerable, and for which we would not
condemn him, without knowing the rights of the
question. But I begged him clearly to understand that
a vile and inhuman wrong had been done, and such as we
could not put up with; but that if he would make what
amends he could by restoring the poor woman, and giving
up that odious brute who had slain the harmless infant,
we would take no further motion; and things should go
on as usual. As I put this in the fewest words that
would meet my purpose, I was grieved to see a
disdainful smile spread on his sallow countenance.
Then he made me a bow of mock courtesy, and replied as
follows,--
'Sir John, your new honours have turned your poor head,
as might have been expected. We are not in the habit
of deserting anything that belongs to us; far less our
sacred relatives. The insolence of your demand
well-nigh outdoes the ingratitude. If there be a man
upon Exmoor who has grossly ill-used us, kidnapped our
young women, and slain half a dozen of our young men,
you are that outrageous rogue, Sir John. And after all
this, how have we behaved? We have laid no hand upon
your farm, we have not carried off your women, we have
even allowed you to take our Queen, by creeping and
crawling treachery; and we have given you leave of
absence to help your cousin the highwayman, and to come
home with a title. And now, how do you requite us? By
inflaming the boorish indignation at a little frolic of
our young men; and by coming with insolent demands, to
yield to which would ruin us. Ah, you ungrateful
viper!'
As he turned away in sorrow from me, shaking his head
at my badness, I became so overcome (never having been
quite assured, even by people's praises, about my own
goodness); moreover, the light which he threw upon
things differed so greatly from my own, that, in a
word--not to be too long--I feared that I was a
villain. And with many bitter pangs--for I have bad
things to repent of--I began at my leisure to ask
myself whether or not this bill of indictment against
John Ridd was true. Some of it I knew to be (however
much I condemned myself) altogether out of reason; for
instance, about my going away with Lorna very quietly,
over the snow, and to save my love from being starved
away from me. In this there was no creeping neither
crawling treachery; for all was done with sliding; and
yet I was so out of training for being charged by other
people beyond mine own conscience, that Carver Doone's
harsh words came on me, like prickly spinach sown with
raking. Therefore I replied, and said,--
'It is true that I owe you gratitude, sir, for a
certain time of forbearance; and it is to prove my
gratitude that I am come here now. I do not think that
my evil deeds can be set against your own; although I
cannot speak flowingly upon my good deeds as you can.
I took your Queen because you starved her, having
stolen her long before, and killed her mother and
brother. This is not for me to dwell upon now; any
more than I would say much about your murdering of my
father. But how the balance hangs between us, God
knows better than thou or I, thou low miscreant, Carver
Doone.'
I had worked myself up, as I always do, in the manner
of heavy men; growing hot like an ill-washered wheel
revolving, though I start with a cool axle; and I felt
ashamed of myself for heat, and ready to ask pardon.
But Carver Doone regarded me with a noble and fearless
grandeur.
'I have given thee thy choice, John Ridd,' he said in a
lofty manner, which made me drop away under him; 'I
always wish to do my best with the worst people who
come near me. And of all I have ever met with thou art
the very worst, Sir John, and the most dishonest.'
Now after all my labouring to pay every man to a penny,
and to allow the women over, when among the couch-grass
(which is a sad thing for their gowns), to be charged
like this, I say, so amazed me that I stood, with my
legs quite open, and ready for an earthquake. And the
scornful way in which he said 'Sir John,' went to my
very heart, reminding me of my littleness. But seeing
no use in bandying words, nay, rather the chance of
mischief, I did my best to look calmly at him, and to
say with a quiet voice, 'Farewell, Carver Doone, this
time, our day of reckoning is nigh.'
'Thou fool, it is come,' he cried, leaping aside into
the niche of rock by the doorway; 'Fire!'
Save for the quickness of spring, and readiness,
learned in many a wrestling bout, that knavish trick
must have ended me; but scarce was the word 'fire!' out
of his mouth ere I was out of fire, by a single bound
behind the rocky pillar of the opening. In this jump I
was so brisk, at impulse of the love of life (for I saw
the muzzles set upon me from the darkness of the
cavern), that the men who had trained their guns upon
me with goodwill and daintiness, could not check their
fingers crooked upon the heavy triggers; and the volley
sang with a roar behind it, down the avenue of crags.
With one thing and another, and most of all the
treachery of this dastard scheme, I was so amazed that
I turned and ran, at the very top of my speed, away
from these vile fellows; and luckily for me, they had
not another charge to send after me. And thus by good
fortune, I escaped; but with a bitter heart, and mind
at their treacherous usage.
Without any further hesitation; I agreed to take
command of the honest men who were burning to punish,
ay and destroy, those outlaws, as now beyond all
bearing. One condition, however, I made, namely, that
the Counsellor should be spared if possible; not
because he was less a villain than any of the others,
but that he seemed less violent; and above all, had
been good to Annie. And I found hard work to make
them listen to my wish upon this point; for of all the
Doones, Sir Counsellor had made himself most hated, by
his love of law and reason.
We arranged that all our men should come and fall into
order with pike and musket, over against our dung-hill,
and we settled early in the day, that their wives might
come and look at them. For most of these men had good
wives; quite different from sweethearts, such as the
militia had; women indeed who could hold to a man, and
see to him, and bury him--if his luck were evil--and
perhaps have no one afterwards. And all these women
pressed their rights upon their precious husbands, and
brought so many children with them, and made such a
fuss, and hugging, and racing after little legs, that
our farm-yard might be taken for an out-door school for
babies rather than a review ground.
I myself was to and fro among the children continually;
for if I love anything in the world, foremost I love
children. They warm, and yet they cool our hearts, as
we think of what we were, and what in young clothes we
hoped to be; and how many things have come across. And
to see our motives moving in the little things that
know not what their aim or object is, must almost or
ought at least, to lead us home, and soften us. For
either end of life is home; both source and issue being
God.
Nevertheless, I must confess that the children were a
plague sometimes. They never could have enough of
me--being a hundred to one, you might say--but I had
more than enough of them; and yet was not contented.
For they had so many ways of talking, and of tugging at
my hair, and of sitting upon my neck (not even two with
their legs alike), and they forced me to jump so
vehemently, seeming to court the peril of my coming
down neck and crop with them, and urging me still to go
faster, however fast I might go with them; I assure you
that they were sometimes so hard and tyrannical over
me, that I might almost as well have been among the
very Doones themselves.
Nevertheless, the way in which the children made me
useful proved also of some use to me; for their mothers
were so pleased by the exertions of the 'great
Gee-gee'--as all the small ones entitled me--that they
gave me unlimited power and authority over their
husbands; moreover, they did their utmost among their
relatives round about, to fetch recruits for our little
band. And by such means, several of the yeomanry from
Barnstaple, and from Tiverton, were added to our
number; and inasmuch as these were armed with heavy
swords, and short carabines, their appearance was truly
formidable.
Tom Faggus also joined us heartily, being now quite
healed of his wound, except at times when the wind was
easterly. He was made second in command to me; and I
would gladly have had him first, as more fertile in
expedients; but he declined such rank on the plea that
I knew most of the seat of war; besides that I might be
held in some measure to draw authority from the King.
Also Uncle Ben came over to help us with his advice and
presence, as well as with a band of stout warehousemen,
whom he brought from Dulverton. For he had never
forgiven the old outrage put upon him; and though it
had been to his interest to keep quiet during the last
attack, under Commander Stickles--for the sake of his
secret gold mine--yet now he was in a position to give
full vent to his feelings. For he and his partners
when fully-assured of the value of their diggings, had
obtained from the Crown a licence to adventure in
search of minerals, by payment of a heavy fine and a
yearly royalty. Therefore they had now no longer any
cause for secrecy, neither for dread of the outlaws;
having so added to their force as to be a match for
them. And although Uncle Ben was not the man to keep
his miners idle an hour more than might be helped, he
promised that when we had fixed the moment for an
assault on the valley, a score of them should come to
aid us, headed by Simon Carfax, and armed with the guns
which they always kept for the protection of their
gold.
Now whether it were Uncle Ben, or whether it were Tom
Faggus or even my own self--for all three of us claimed
the sole honour--is more than I think fair to settle
without allowing them a voice. But at any rate, a
clever thing was devised among us; and perhaps it would
be the fairest thing to say that this bright stratagem
(worthy of the great Duke himself) was contributed,
little by little, among the entire three of us, all
having pipes, and schnapps-and-water, in the
chimney-corner. However, the world, which always
judges according to reputation, vowed that so fine a
stroke of war could only come from a highwayman; and so
Tom Faggus got all the honour, at less perhaps than a
third of the cost.
Not to attempt to rob him of it--for robbers, more than
any other, contend for rights of property--let me try
to describe this grand artifice. It was known that the
Doones were fond of money, as well as strong drink, and
other things; and more especially fond of gold, when
they could get it pure and fine. Therefore it was
agreed that in this way we should tempt them; for we
knew that they looked with ridicule upon our rustic
preparations; after repulsing King's troopers, and the
militia of two counties, was it likely that they should
yield their fortress to a set of ploughboys? We, for
our part, felt of course, the power of this reasoning,
and that where regular troops had failed, half-armed
countrymen must fail, except by superior judgment and
harmony of action. Though perhaps the militia would
have sufficed, if they had only fought against the foe,
instead of against each other. From these things we
took warning; having failed through over-confidence,
was it not possible now to make the enemy fail through
the selfsame cause?
Hence, what we devised was this; to delude from home a
part of the robbers, and fall by surprise on the other
part. We caused it to be spread abroad that a large
heap of gold was now collected at the mine of the
Wizard's Slough. And when this rumour must have
reached them, through women who came to and fro, as
some entirely faithful to them were allowed to do, we
sent Captain Simon Carfax, the father of little Gwenny,
to demand an interview with the Counsellor, by night,
and as it were secretly. Then he was to set forth a
list of imaginary grievances against the owners of the
mine; and to offer partly through resentment, partly
through the hope of gain, to betray into their hands,
upon the Friday night, by far the greatest weight of
gold as yet sent up for refining. He was to have one
quarter part, and they to take the residue. But
inasmuch as the convoy across the moors, under his
command, would be strong, and strongly armed, the
Doones must be sure to send not less than a score of
men, if possible. He himself, at a place agreed upon,
and fit for an ambuscade, would call a halt, and
contrive in the darkness to pour a little water into
the priming of his company's guns.
It cost us some trouble and a great deal of money to
bring the sturdy Cornishman into this deceitful part;
and perhaps he never would have consented but for his
obligation to me, and the wrongs (as he said) of his
daughter. However, as he was the man for the task,
both from his coolness and courage, and being known to
have charge of the mine, I pressed him, until he
undertook to tell all the lies we required. And right
well he did it too, having once made up his mind to it;
and perceiving that his own interests called for the
total destruction of the robbers.
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