redgauntlet-第43部分
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confusion?'
It was indeed a scene of exquisite stillness; so much so; that the restless waves of the Solway seemed; if not absolutely to sleep; at least to slumber; on the shore no night…bird was heard the cock had not sung his first matins; and we ourselves walked more lightly than by day; as if to suit the sounds of our own paces to the serene tranquillity around us。 At length; the plaintive cry of a dog broke the silence; and on our return to the cottage; we found that the younger of the three animals which had gone along with John Davies; unaccustomed; perhaps; to distant journeys; and the duty of following to heel; had strayed from the party; and; unable to rejoin them; had wandered back to the place of its birth。
'Another feeble addition to our feeble garrison;' said Mr。 Geddes; as he caressed the dog; and admitted it into the cottage。 'Poor thing! as thou art incapable of doing any mischief; I hope thou wilt sustain none。 At least thou mayst do us the good service of a sentinel; and permit us to enjoy a quiet repose; under the certainty that thou wilt alarm us when the enemy is at hand。'
There were two beds in the superintendent's room; upon which we threw ourselves。 Mr。 Geddes; with his happy equanimity of temper; was asleep in the first five minutes。 I lay for some time in doubtful and anxious thoughts; watching the fire; and the motions of the restless dog; which; disturbed probably at the absence of John Davies; wandered from the hearth to the door and back again; then came to the bedside and licked my hands and face; and at length; experiencing no repulse to its advances; established itself at my feet; and went to sleep; an example which I soon afterwards followed。
The rage of narration; my dear Alanfor I will never relinquish the hope that what I am writing may one day reach your handshas not forsaken me; even in my confinement; and the extensive though unimportant details into which I have been hurried; renders it necessary that I commence another sheet。 Fortunately; my pygmy characters comprehend a great many words within a small space of paper。
CHAPTER IV
DARSIE LATIMER'S JOURNAL; IN CONTINUATION
The morning was dawning; and Mr。 Geddes and I myself were still sleeping soundly; when the alarm was given by my canine bedfellow; who first growled deeply at intervals; and at length bore more decided testimony to the approach of some enemy。 I opened the door of the cottage; and perceived; at the distance of about two hundred yards; a small but close column of men; which I would have taken for a dark hedge; but that I could perceive it was advancing rapidly and in silence。
The dog flew towards them; but instantly ran howling back to me; having probably been chastised by a stick or a stone。 Uncertain as to the plan of tactics or of treaty which Mr。 Geddes might think proper to adopt; I was about to retire into the cottage; when he suddenly joined me at the door; and; slipping his arm through mine; said; 'Let us go to meet them manfully; we have done nothing to be ashamed of。Friends;' he said; raising his voice as we approached them; 'who and what are you; and with what purpose are you here on my property?'
A loud cheer was the answer returned; and a brace of fiddlers who occupied the front of the march immediately struck up the insulting air; the words of which begin
Merrily danced the Quaker's wife; And merrily danced the Quaker。
Even at that moment of alarm; I think I recognized the tones of the blind fiddler; Will; known by the name of Wandering Willie; from his itinerant habits。 They continued to advance swiftly and in great order; in their front
The fiery fiddlers playing martial airs;
when; coming close up; they surrounded us by a single movement; and there was a universal cry; 'Whoop; Quakerwhoop; Quaker! Here have we them both; the wet Quaker and the dry one。'
'Hang up the wet Quaker to dry; and wet the dry one with a ducking;' answered another voice。
'Where is the sea…otter; John Davies; that destroyed more fish than any sealch upon Ailsa Craig?' exclaimed a third voice。 'I have an old crow to pluck with him; and a pock to put the feathers in。'
We stood perfectly passive; for; to have attempted resistance
against more than a hundred men; armed with guns; fish…spears; iron…crows; spades; and bludgeons; would have been an act of utter insanity。 Mr。 Geddes; with his strong sonorous voice; answered the question about the superintendent in a manner the manly indifference of which compelled them to attend to him。
'John Davies;' he said; 'will; I trust; soon be at Dumfries'
'To fetch down redcoats and dragoons against us; you canting old villain!'
A blow was; at the same time; levelled at my friend; which I parried by interposing the stick I had in my hand。 I was instantly struck down; and have a faint recollection of hearing some crying; 'Kill the young spy!' and others; as I thought; interposing on my behalf。 But a second blow on the head; received in the scuffle; soon deprived me of sense and consciousness; and threw me into it state of insensibility; from which I did not recover immediately。 When I did come to myself; I was lying on the bed from which I had just risen before the fray; and my poor companion; the Newfoundland puppy; its courage entirely cowed by the tumult of the riot; had crept as close to me as it could; and lay trembling and whining; as if under the most dreadful terror。 I doubted at first whether I had not dreamed of the tumult; until; as I attempted to rise; a feeling of pain and dizziness assured me that the injury I had sustained was but too real。 I gathered together my senses listenedand heard at a distance the shouts of the rioters; busy; doubtless; in their work of devastation。 I made a second effort to rise; or at least to turn myself; for I lay with my face to the wall of the cottage; but I found that my limbs were secured; and my motions effectually preventednot indeed by cords; but by linen or cloth bandages swathed around my ankles; and securing my arms to my sides。 Aware of my utterly captive condition; I groaned betwixt bodily pain and mental distress;
A voice by my bedside whispered; in a whining tone; 'Whisht a…ye; hinnieWhisht a…ye; haud your tongue; like a gude bairnye have cost us dear aneugh already。 My hinnie's clean gane now。'
Knowing; as I thought; the phraseology of the wife of the itinerant musician; I asked her where her husband was; and whether he had been hurt。
'Broken;' answered the dame; 'all broken to pieces; fit for naught but to be made spunks ofthe best blood that was in Scotland。'
'Broken?blood?is your husband wounded; has there been bloodshed broken limbs?'
'Broken limbs I wish;' answered the beldam; 'that my hinnie had broken the best bane in his body; before he had broken his fiddle; that was the best blood in Scotlandit was a Cremony; for aught that I ken。'
'Pshawonly his fiddle?' said I。
'I dinna ken what waur your honour could have wished him to do; unless he had broken his neck; and this is muckle the same to my hinnie Willie and me。 Chaw; indeed! It is easy to say chaw; but wha is to gie us ony thing to chaw?the bread…winner's gane; and we may e'en sit down and starve。'
'No; no;' I said; 'I will pay you for twenty such fiddles。'
'Twenty such! is that a' ye ken about it? the country hadna the like o't。 But if your honour were to pay us; as nae doubt wad be to your credit here and hereafter; where are ye to get the siller?'
'I have enough of money;' said I; attempting to reach my hand towards my side…pocket; 'unloose these bandages; and I will pay you on the spot。'
This hint appeared to move her; and she was approaching the bedside; as I hoped; to liberate me from my bonds; when a nearer and more desperate shout was heard; as if the rioters were close by the hut。
'I daurna I daurna;' said the poor woman; 'they would murder me and my hinnie Willie baith; and they have misguided us aneugh already;but if there is anything worldly I could do for your honour; leave out loosing ye?'
What she said recalled me to my bodily suffering。 Agitation; and the effects of the usage I had received; had produced a burning thirst。 I asked for a drink of water。
'Heaven Almighty forbid that Epps Ainslie should gie ony sick gentleman cauld well…water; and him in a fever。 Na; na; hinnie; let me alane; I'll do better for ye than the like of that。'
'Give me what you will;' I replied; 'let it but be liquid and cool。'
The woman gave me a large horn accordingly; filled with spirits and water; which; without minute inquiry concerning the nature of its contents; I drained at a draught。 Either the spirits taken in such a manner acted more suddenly than usual on my brain; or else there was some drug mixed with the beverage。 I remember little after drinking it off; only that the appearance of things around me became indistinct; that the woman's form seemed to multiply itself; and to flit in various figures around me; bearing the same lineaments as she herself did。 I remember also that the discordant noises and cries of those without the cottage seemed to die away in a hum like that with which a nurse hushes her babe。 At length I fell into a deep sound sleep; or rather; a state of absolute insensibility。
I have reason to think this species of trance lasted for many hours; indeed; for the whole subsequent day and part of the night。 It was not uniformly so profound; for my recollection of it is chequered with many dreams; all of a painful nature; but too faint and too indistinct to be remembered。 At length the moment of waking came; and my sensations were horrible。
A deep sound; which; in the confusion of my senses; I identified with the cries of the rioters; was the first thing of which I was sensible; next; I became conscious that I was carried violently forward in some conveyance; with an unequal motion; which gave me much pain。 My position was horizontal; and when I attempted to stretch my hands in order to find some mode of securing myself against this species of suffering; I found I was bound as before; and the horrible reality rushed on my mind that I was in the hands of those who had lately committed a great outrage on property; and were n