The Lost Hunter Part 15

"Why I can give you chapter and va.r.s.e for 'em," said Tom. "You remember, Ba.s.set, all about Samuel and the witch o' Endor, and that's authority, I guess."

"Well, if I do I don't care to be chattering all the time about 'em, though there's some says, they don't appear now as they used to in old times."

This was an unfortunate remark for the badgered Ba.s.set. His two friends, as if it were of the extremest consequence to convert him from an opinion so heretical, opened for his benefit a whole budget of ghost stories In spite of most unwilling ears he was obliged to listen with a fascinated reluctance to tales of supernatural wonders, in most of which the narrators had themselves been actors, or derived their information from persons, whose veracity it would be a sin to doubt.

Among them was a legend told by Gladding, of a murdered fisherman, whose ghost he had seen himself, and which was said still to haunt the banks of the Severn, and never was seen without bringing ill-luck. It is the only one with which we will trouble our renders, and we relate it as a sort of specimen of the others:

"You see," said Tom, "it was the spring o' the year, and the shad begun to swim up stream, when I joined Sam Olmstead's company, and took a share in his fishing. Well, things went on pretty well for a while, it was fisherman's luck, fish one day, and none the next, and we was, on the whole, tolerable satisfied, seeing there was no use to be anything else, though towards the end, it's a fact, there wasn't many schools come along. We had built a sort o' hut of boards by the side of the river where we kept the nets, and where some on us slept to look after the property. Well, my turn came to stay at the shanty, and I recollect the night just as well! It was coolish, not so cool as this, though something like it, for there was some clouds floating around, but it was a good deal lighter, 'cause the moon was in her third quarter. I felt sort o' lonesome there, all alone with the nets and the fish, and I don't know what I should have done but for some of the 'O be joyful' I had in a jug. I tried my best to fortify my stomach, and keep up my sperits agin the damp, but I didn't seem to succeed. Finally, thinks I to myself, I'll go and take a snuff of the night air, perhaps it will set me up So I sort o' strolled down towards the sh.o.r.e, and then I walked up a piece, and then I walked back agin, and once in a while I'd step into the shanty and take a pull at old Rye. Well, seeing as how it agreed with me, and I begun to feel better, I kept making my walks longer and longer till I strolled to a considerable distance. It was in one of them turns I see the ghost. I supposed afore that ghosts always appeared in white, but this one didn't. He was dressed just like any other fisherman, in a dark grey jacket and trowsers and a tarpaulin. It seemed to me at first he wanted to git out of the way, but I made tracks for him, for I didn't then a bit mistrust about its being a sperit, and halloed out, 'Who's that?' The sperit, as soon as he heard me, came straight up, and then I noticed he had two fish dangling down by a string, and says he, in a sort o' hoa.r.s.e voice, as if he'd caught cold lying in the ground, 'It's me; it's the ghost of Jimmy Lanfear.' Well, when I heard him speak so, my flesh began to kind o' crawl, though I didn't know but it might be some fellow who had stole the shad out of the shanty, for I never heard of ghosts carrying fish afore. So says I, 'What are you doing with them fish?' Then, says he, 'Them ain't any real fish; see if you can touch 'em.' And then he swung 'em round and round in the moonlight, and I did my best to catch 'em, but I might just as well have s.n.a.t.c.hed at the moonshine, for my hands went right through 'em agin and agin, till I stubbed my toe, and fell somehow, and when I got up, the sperit was gone. Then I knew it was Jim Lanfear's sperit, who was murdered years ago right opposite the spot where I asked you, Prime, if you knew where you was; and I was sartin the luck was all up for that season, and sure enough it was, for we didn't make more'n two or three hauls more of any consequence."

"I am sure dere was one sperit dere," said Primus, in a musing way, and shaking his head.

"Now, Prime, what do you mean by bobbing up and down your wool? Do you intend to signify, you unbelieving old scamp, you doubt my word? I tell you I was no more corned than I am now. Why, if you want to, you can see Jim almost any dark night. Perhaps he's walking along sh.o.r.e now."

"What dat?" cried Primus, pretending to see something on the land.

Ba.s.set started, and strained his eyes through the darkness in the direction indicated, but could discover nothing. The vision of Primus and Gladding was better.

"Don't ye see someting," said the former, lowering his voice, "right under de bank. I can't just see de shape, but it seem as if it swim in de air widout legs. You eyes is younger, Missa Gladding; guess dey see furder dan mine."

"I can make him out now," whispered Gladding. "It's a man, sure as rates Golly!" he exclaimed, suddenly, "if it ain't Jim--look, Ba.s.set, look."

The constable had listened in an agony of terror to the colloquy, and at the exclamation of Primus, availing himself of his post as steersman, turned the bow of the boat towards the opposite sh.o.r.e, to place as great an interval as possible between himself and the spectre. The action had not pa.s.sed unnoticed, though neither of his companions made any remark upon it. Repeatedly his head had flown round over his shoulder, to catch a glimpse of what he dredded to see, but, notwithstanding the excitement of his imagination, he could behold nothing.

"O, Tom! O, Prime!" exclaimed the poor fellow, "let us go home. I wish we was fairly out of this sc.r.a.pe."

"Why," said Tom, "we're 'most there now. We should be laughed at if we was to give it up so. Who's afraid o' sperits? They're nothing but moonshine. I vow," he cried, pointing over the opposite side of the boat, "if he ain't there agin! Look, Ba.s.set."

But Ba.s.set was too busy with his paddle to look. With a twist of his wrist he had whirled the bow of the boat in the direction of the bank they had just left, and was paddling away for dear life. This time he appeared to arrive at the condition that the middle of the stream would be the safest position, and having attained that, he kept, as nearly as he could judge, at equal distances from the banks. A short s.p.a.ce only now remained to be pa.s.sed over, and in a few moments they were abreast of the island. Here the two men rested on their oars, and a whispered consultation was held, at the conclusion of which the boat was quietly pulled towards the goal. This was not done, however, without another attempt on the part of the constable to postpone the capture for that night, but the proposal was overruled by his a.s.sociates, who scouted at his fears, and declared there was no danger.

Ba.s.set's nerves were in a shocking condition. The doleful stories croaked into his ears the whole pa.s.sage down; the darkness of the hour; Holden's terrible character; and the remoteness from any a.s.sistance other than that of Gladding and Primus, in whom his confidence diminished every moment, conspired to throw him into the abjectest trepidation. But there was no retreat; Gladding was as obstinate as a mule, and as for the General, true to his military reputation, he insisted on advancing, and the unfortunate officer of the law, who was as much afflicted, with spiritual as with material fears, found himself in a dilemma, the solution of which was taken away from him. No alternative remained. He must, be the consequences what they might, see the adventure through. Borrowing, therefore, courage from despair, with a timid step and palpitating heart, he left the boat and closely followed his companions.

No light was visible, and the constable began to hope that Holden was away from home, and made the suggestion that since such was undoubtedly the fact, they had better return and come another time.

But Gladding, pointing to a canoe not before observed, convinced Ba.s.set of the contrary, and it was then agreed that they should first according to the plan arranged approach the cabin and reconnoitre through the window. This being the post of danger was offered to Ba.s.set who however could be prevailed on by no entreaties to accept it which finally forced Gladding to volunteer. They all stood now on a side of the hut where there was neither door nor window, being, indeed, the side they had been careful to approach in the boat.

Gladding was to steal to one of the windows and after examining the interior (if possible) to return and apprise them of his discoveries.

Accordingly he started off.

He had been gone but a few minutes when Primus began to be uneasy and proposed to change their position to one nearer the hut their figures being too much exposed where they were, in consequence of standing in relief against the sky and water. The constable would gladly have stuck by the boat, as furnishing a means of retreat, but dared not remain alone. Reluctantly therefore, and cursing the obstinacy of the provoking black he crouched his body towards the ground, and followed in the rear of the General, that brave officer seeming disposed to talk louder and make more noise generally than pleased his companion who, from time to time, earnestly remonstrated with him on the imprudence.

"What dat!" suddenly exclaimed Primus recoiling on the other and pointing with his hand directly in front.

"Where? where?" whispered Ba.s.set, with his heart in his mouth raising himself, and catching bold of Primus' arm.

"Hush!" said the General, "is dat a groan?"

At that instant a tremendous blow was applied to the shoulders of the constable which sent him flat upon his face, dragging the General who caught a part of the application after him. As Ba.s.set fell his hat dropped off and a paper flew out which Primus picked up and immediately pocketed, hastening then as fast as his wooden leg would permit towards the boat which lay only four or five rods distant.

There he found Gladding preparing to push off, and scrambling in, they had just succeeded in getting her afloat, when Ba.s.set, without his hat flung himself, in the extremity of his terror, headlong in, pitching Primus down upon the bottom, breaking his wooden leg, and capsizing Tom into the water. It was so shoal that he found no difficulty in getting in again, escaping with only a thorough ducking. It was now _sauve que peut_, and the three addressed themselves, so far as their bewildered faculties would permit, to the business of escape.

Thus closed the adventures of that disastrous night. All the way home, Primus kept groaning over the loss of his leg, the only consolation he could extract out of the calamity, being that it was easier to mend than one of flesh, and cheaper, and upbraiding Ba.s.set with his haste and carelessness. Gladding insisted on being landed in order to prevent, by exercise, taking cold, threatening in his turn the constable, that if his clothes were spoiled he should come upon him for the damage. Poor Ba.s.set, quite confounded by these harrowing events, had not a word to answer, and replied only by shrugging and twisting his shoulders with pain. The departure of Tom made it necessary for him to a.s.sist the negro in rowing back the boat, which he did with a handkerchief tied about his head, which Primus lent him and wincing with the soreness of his bones, the negro interspersed his moans with expressions of sorrow over their ill luck and of wonder whether it was Holden or the ghost of the fisherman that a.s.saulted the constable vowing he would "hab satisfacshum for de loss ob de leg."

CHAPTER XIV.

_Celia_.--Here comes Monsieur Le Beau, _Rosalind_.--With his mouth full of news.

AS YOU LIKE IT.

"You strike dreadful hard, Missa Gladding. If you can't write, I guess you can make you mark," said the General, rubbing his shoulders.

"I was larned to do one, and t'other come natural," said Tom, laughing; "but I didn't lay it on a bit too hard. You see I had to bring him a pretty good polt, so as to lay him flat, else he might ha'

found it all out, the good-for-nothing son-of-a-gun, to go to sarve a warrant on an old man, just for speaking his mind in meeting. I go in for liberty. And then to insult you and me, Prime, by asking us to help him! But I didn't mean to strike you, except in the way of friendship."

"You friendship too smart for me, Missa Gladding, and s'pose I break my neck in de fall, what you friendship good for den?"

"But you hain't broke nothing but your leg, and I see you've got another rigged, and the half dollar Ba.s.set give you will more'n pay for that; though, if I was you, I'd come down upon him in damages for the loss--'twas in his sarvice--and then his digging his head right into your stomach, when he come thundering into the boat, I call a regular a.s.sault and battery."

"How you like you cold duck wid sea-weed saace, Missa Gladding?"

retorted Primus; and here the two united in peals of laughter.

"Cunning fellow, dat Ba.s.set," said Primus. "He kill two bird wid one stone--knock me into de bottom ob de boat, and chuck you oberboard, all at once." And the merriment was renewed.

"Do you think he has any suspicions, Prime!" said Tom.

"Dat question acquire some reflexum," answered the General. "Whedder it was old Holden or de fisherman ghost dat gib him de strike on de back?"

"No, I don't mean that. I mean whether he thought you or me had anything to do with it."

"I guess not," said the General, doubtingly. "If sich an idee git into his head, somebody will put it dere."

"Well, what did he say coming home?"

"Not much; dere he set in front, wid his back to me, rowing, and his head all tie up wid my bandanna, and he seem sort o' snarl up, as if he want a night's rest to take de kinks out ob him. He was not much 'cline to 'greeable conversashum. I feel kind o' sorry when I see him so mellancholliky like."

"You needn't be so liberal with your sorry. The scamp desarves it all and more, too. The cretur's cheated us out of half our fun." How I should ha' liked to leave him, as we intended, alone with old Holden on the island! The chicken-hearted b.o.o.by would ha' half died o'

fright, and then 'twould ha' been worth nuts to see how he looked when the old man caught him in the morning, and asked after his business."

"He nebber stay till dat time. He would hab swum 'cross de channel, and run home."

"Well, he'd found out, then, how a fellow likes to be soused in the water, as the blundering blunderbus did me, darn him."

"O, nebber bear no malice. I 'scuse Ba.s.set 'cause he don't know no better, and you must forgib him."

"As to that, you needn't fret your gizzard. But how did you git home, Prime, with your broken leg?"

"Dat is a secret atween me and Ba.s.set; but I didn't walk."

"Then, I vow," said Tom, bursting into a laugh, "he either trundled you along in a wheelbarrow, like a load o' pumpkins, or else carried you on his back."