On the evening of the nineteenth of August, a little schooner, which
had occasionally stopped at the port of Salem, on trading voyages up
and down the coast, entered the harbor. She was called the 'Water
Witch,' a fore-and-aft vessel of beautiful model and fine proportions.
Whenever she was seen coming up the bay, crowds of people assembled
to witness her movements. She was always kept in the best condition,
and her nicely-trimmed sails, the perfect symmetry of her spars, her
graceful attitudes on the water, and above all, her rapid and varied
motions, procured for Captain Ringbolt, who commanded her, an enviable
and well-deserved reputation.
When the Water Witch appeared, it was always expected the next day
would be one of extensive traffic, particularly among the country
maidens of the neighborhood. Captain Ringbolt always had a good supply
of laces, brocades, muslins, and all sorts of fashionable ornaments;
and his very showy assortment was generally disposed of to good
advantage. How he obtained his merchandise was sometimes a mystery;
but the Salem ladies were careful not to inquire too curiously into
the matter; they were quite willing Captain Ringbolt should have
his own way; and, as he was uniformly courteous and obliging, any
suspicions would certainly be inexpedient, and perhaps unjust. It was
rather wonderful, however, that so much charity was extended towards
this gentleman, considering the very strict morals of the Puritans,
and the rigid honesty with which they were accustomed to discharge
their pecuniary obligations. The gallant captain generally told a good
story, and, as our narrative all along supposes, there was no want of
credulity among the people.
As the Water Witch dropped her anchor, Somers stood on the beach,
watching her motions with deep interest and evident anxiety; one of his
neighbors, named Bolton, who was also one of Miss Lyford's guards,
having obtained leave of absence for an hour, was strolling near him,
and remarked the closeness of his survey. Somers, absorbed in his own
reflections, did not notice Bolton, till he touched him on the shoulder
and said: 'What now, Somers? you are looking sharp for Ringbolt; what
kind of traffic do you mean to drive with him?'
'Is this you, Bolton?' said Somers, in some confusion; but in a moment
recovering himself, he added: 'These are perilous times, neighbor; the
witch proceedings have stopped all business, and I thought, as there
are not many fire-arms in town, if I could get all the pistols Ringbolt
has, it might be a little speculation.'
'This Captain Ringbolt will soon grow rich,' said Bolton, 'if my
guesses are right; he was here only two weeks ago, and sold all his
cargo in two days. But he may come to a bad market now, unless he
waits for better times before he sells his goods; he is a shrewd man,
however, and sells things for a good price, when nobody else can sell
at all. I wish I knew where he gets his articles. Neighbor Somers, I
shall have nothing to do after the witches are hung; you know this
captain--I wish you would try to get me a berth on board for the next
voyage.'
'You are no more fit for a sailor, Bolton, than a monkey is to furl a
topsail. Captain Ringbolt would tumble you overboard before you got ten
leagues from land. You had better stay where you are, and find honester
business than any I ever knew you to be employed about.'
'You are sharp this evening, Somers. You will one day be convinced that
the man who watches criminals is doing a great favor to the community.
But I cannot think what has brought Ringbolt back so soon; his vessel
is light; I think he must have intended to be here this morning, and
see how the devil hangs up his friends.'
'They had better send to the devil for a sheriff. And you, Bolton, are
nearly right: a man must be more than half a devil, to be engaged in
such business.'
'It is a truly godly business,' said Bolton, 'and I wonder at your
language, Somers; if these witches will serve their master, they must
take such wages as he gives them; and the wages of sin is death. The
sheriff deserves the thanks of all pious persons for his courage and
zeal in the cause.'
'I wonder they had not employed you in the business,' said Somers; 'you
talk like one who has no great compassion for a reputed witch, guilty
or not guilty.'
'I am too sinful to be thus employed,' returned Bolton. 'I am not
worthy, Somers, even to walk in the footsteps of those holy men, who
are now purging the land of its sin and shame.'
'You are worthy,' replied Somers, 'to have a rope fastened to your
neck, and to be swung from a gallows as high as Haman's. What a wretch
you are, Bolton, to see the innocent murdered around you, and exult in
their death!'
'You must take care of your language, Somers, if you would save your
own neck; there is to be another hanging to-morrow, and when that is
over we shall want other victims; and your chance is getting to be a
fair one. Why, if Mr. Parris, or Mr. Noyes, had heard half what you
have said to me, you would be in prison this very night!'
'As to my own chance, it will be hard business to hang me up; but no
thanks to you, Bolton, if it is not done to-morrow. You are under
a strange delusion, and I must allow something for that. You were a
good neighbor once, and I hope will be so again; but the time looks
very distant to me. I am down this afternoon to get the first chance
at Captain Ringbolt's assortment. Pistols, according to my way of
thinking, will be in good demand; and I want something to defend myself
with, and to put a shot or two into you, in case you should be an
informer. At any rate, I am determined to have a first-rate pair for
myself. You know I have some skill in the use of them. Will you go on
board?'
'Not I,' said Bolton; 'I never go where pistols and powder are about,
except when I use them in the holy cause. I hope you will think no more
of what I said, Somers; you know I would not betray a friend.'
'There is no telling what you may do in such times as these; but there
is little danger, so long as you are within reach of my pistol; beyond
that, I would not trust you an hour. By the way, Bolton, have you
no fears that Satan may carry you off, while you are hanging up his
subjects? I wonder he does not appear in their behalf. If I believed
as much as you do, I would not dare to stand guard over Miss Lyford.'
'I have weapons to fight him that you know nothing of, Somers. I have
had some glimpses of him at twilight, but he saw me clothed in such
armor that he dared not approach. I once met this same Apollyon in the
day-time, but only a small part of his dragon form was visible; and
when I held up the holy gospels, he vanished into thin air.'
'If you should be called to grapple with him in person,' returned
Somers, 'you would be more likely to make a treaty with him than to
show fight. I am not sure, but it would be well for you to see what
terms you can make with him; for I am well assured he will have his own
terms by and by, and carry you off;--not that you are worth even the
devil's acceptance, but because he is sent to look after such as you.'
At that moment Captain Ringbolt landed, and Bolton walked off, not
exactly at his ease; for he knew that the honest and sturdy Somers was
a dangerous enemy to such characters as he knew himself to possess;
besides, it was time to resume his station as guard to Miss Lyford. 'I
shall be released to-morrow,' thought he, 'and then I will make peace
with Somers, and see if I cannot muster a little pity for the witch,
and this will be sure to win his favor.'
Meanwhile, Somers went on board the Water Witch with Captain Ringbolt,
and, entering the cabin, they conferred a short time, and soon settled
the plan of operations. The crew of the schooner were entirely ignorant
of Ringbolt's intended movements; and though a little suspicious that
the voyage to Salem was not exactly of a trading character, they were
so well trained and disciplined as perfectly to understand that nothing
was to be said, even among themselves; all they had to do was to obey
the orders of their superior.
Captain Ringbolt sent up his usual notices, which were posted in the
streets, with an additional clause, stating that on account of the
great event, which he trusted all godly persons would wish to behold
on the morrow, he should not expose his goods for sale, till the day
after, when, at the usual time and place, a most valuable assortment
of articles, selected with great care, would be offered for sale. He
returned thanks for the patronage he had received in past times, and
assured the good people of Salem that no efforts would be wanting to
merit their confidence, and meet the wishes of the public.
Somers walked away in sad contemplation on that state of things which
seemed to make one delusion necessary to counteract and dispel another,
which was far worse and more dangerous. But he was not quite satisfied
with himself, especially with the kind of deception he had practiced on
Bolton. The die, however, was cast. He implored pardon for the part he
now felt compelled to act, and while he believed the extremity of the
case, in the main, justified his course, yet it was so uncongenial to
his feelings, and so opposite to the whole tenor of his life, that he
was not a little disquieted by the scruples that oppressed him. He had
a wife and one child. They were his earthly solace and hope, and his
precautions, and those of Strale, had provided for their safety. For
himself, the result was uncertain, but every possible contingency was
guarded against, so far as human sagacity could foresee, or human skill
provide.
The twilight had now fallen on the village and its surrounding
scenes. The shadows deepened into uncommon gloom, as if Nature were
spreading a funeral pall for the dead, and mourning over her deluded
children and her own disregarded voice. Well might she sympathize in
the sad desolation around her! Her own mighty impulses of gratitude
and affection were silenced and suppressed by the mighty fabric of
fanaticism and delusion, which occupied the throne of the intellect
and the heart. Who shall assure us, that such scenes will never recur?
Where, in the weak and erring temper of man, do we find a guarantee
that bloodshed and crime, the fruit of other delusions, shall not again
desolate the land? Let us not boast of the dignity of Reason, the
victories of Science, and the golden age of taste and refinement. These
are often the soil in which the worst delusions spring up and cover the
land with a foliage so rank and poisonous, that the moral atmosphere is
filled with pestilence and death.
As the evening advanced, the different agents in the events about to
take place, were all at their posts. Strale occupied the cottage of
Somers. Lyford was at Mr. Ellerson's, Somers was in attendance upon
Strale, and the Water Witch, with furled sails, was resting quietly on
the bosom of the river, while her vigilant crew, with a double watch,
waited the orders of their master.
It was late, the same night, when Trellison left Salem for Boston. His
subsequent reflections had determined him to see Governor Phipps, make
his confessions, and procure, if possible, a reprieve or pardon. In
case of failure in his application, he could return in season to make
his last effort at the scaffold. But new difficulties awaited him. Sir
William was absent from town, and would not return for several days.
There was no delegated authority to which application could be made,
and his lady, who at the hazard of her life once saved a condemned
individual, dared not and indeed could not interpose. The night was
spent in anxious consultations, and ended with the conviction that his
only chance of success was a public confession, and an appeal to the
multitude.