It was morning, and the glowing sunbeams danced gaily on the sparkling
waters of the dark blue deep, as, gently rippling, it laved the
rocky shore on which Edric and his tutor had been thrown; and seemed
to smile, as if in mockery of the mischiefs it had wrought. There,
sheltered by a rock, whose jutting crag had saved them from being
carried back into the devouring ocean, lay our travellers, apparently
buried in sleep; returning consciousness not having yet dispelled the
torpor produced by the fearful terrors of the night. The sun now shone
brightly, and its glowing heat revived Edric from his trance. Slowly
and heavily he unclosed his languid eyes, and, forgetting where he was,
attempted to rise. He succeeded; but weak and dizzy, he only staggered
a few paces ere he again fell: the roaring of the ocean still sounded
in his ears, his senses swam, and, giddy and enfeebled by his previous
exhaustion, he fancied himself still tossed upon the foaming billows.
For some time, he lay in a state of torture, the thrill of returning
circulation tingling through his veins, till the recollection of what
had passed flashing across his mind, he again endeavoured to rouse
himself, and seek his tutor. The unfortunate doctor, however, appeared
to be no more, and as Edric gazed upon his inanimate form, he might
have exclaimed with Prince Henry, "I could have better spared a better
man."
At this moment, Edric recollected the strong chemical preparations the
doctor generally carried about him, and, searching his pockets, found
a potent elixir. With some difficulty, he forced a few drops down his
throat, taking a dose also himself. The effects of the medicine were
soon visible: the doctor heaved a deep sigh, and, opening his eyes,
gazed vacantly around, whilst Edric himself felt perfectly restored.
"Where am I?" cried Doctor Entwerfen, as soon as he was sufficiently
recovered to speak, and then, as some of the horrors he had so lately
witnessed recurred to his mind, he exclaimed:--"I will never disclose
it--no torture shall compel me; where is the justice? He fled away in a
flame of fire hanging to the Devil's horn. Ah, Edric! where are we? Ah!
I have had such a horrid dream."
"Alas!" returned Edric, "it is but too real!"
"What! what!" cried the doctor, getting up and staring wildly around
him; "I remember now, we were drowned--but where--where are we?"
"I know not," replied his pupil mournfully. "You forget I have been
exposed to the same perils as yourself, and that I am equally ignorant
where fate has thrown us. I should think, however, from the position we
were in when the storm began, that we are somewhere on the shores of
the Mediterranean; but whether in Europe or Africa, I have as yet had
no means of ascertaining."
"We must explore," said the doctor solemnly; "we ought not to remain in
doubt another instant upon so important a subject. Follow me!"
They now quitted the rocky beach on which they had so long lain, and
advanced towards some cliffs which shut them out from the view of the
surrounding country. When they had surmounted this natural barrier,
they found the prospect that presented itself superb; and their eyes
wandered with delight over orange groves and forests of cork-trees;
whilst the green shining leaves, and rich scarlet blossoms of the
pomegranates, and light tender waving foliage of the olive, afforded
variety to the scene. The burning heat of the sun's rays felt softened
by the breezes from the sea; a balmy fragrance seemed to pervade the
air; birds flew twittering around them, or, perched upon the branches
of the trees, made the groves resound with melodious harmony; whilst
butterflies of the most brilliant colours fluttered from flower to
flower, and innumerable buzzing insects seemed to fill the air with
motion.
"What a lovely country!" said the doctor, as he and Edric penetrated
into the deep recesses of a shady grove; "and how delightful is this
sensation of refreshing coolness, after having been exposed to the
burning rays of the sun! It is yet early, for the sun has not yet
reached far above the horizon, and the dew-drops still glisten in his
rays like diamonds hanging from every leaf. Where can we be? Surely we
are not dead, and now in Paradise!"
Edric smiled: "I rather think," said he, "that we are in Andalusia.
I have often read of the exquisite beauty of some of the southern
provinces of Spain, and this seems well to accord with the ideas I have
always entertained of that country."
They now approached what appeared to be a cemetery, and which was
tastefully adorned with weeping willows hanging over the graves; whilst
roses, and a thousand beautiful flowering shrubs, flourishing in wild
luxuriance from the genial nature of the climate, spread around, and
gave this receptacle of the mouldering remains of mortality the aspect
of a blooming garden.
"How different from the Pyramids!" exclaimed the doctor and Edric at
the same moment.
"The tomb-stones seem to have inscriptions upon them," continued the
former, after a short pause; "let us approach and examine them: they
will at least declare the country we are in, by the language in which
they may be written."
The idea struck Edric as feasible, and they entered the cemetery. "You
are right, Edric," said the doctor; "we are in Spain, for here lie the
mortal remains of Don Alfonso, that mighty hero of the Bourbon race,
who, you doubtless remember, was the first that conquered the northern
part of Africa, and by transferring the seat of the Spanish empire to
Fez, contributed so powerfully to the civilization and conversion to
Christianity of all that vast territory."
"And who destroyed Spain as a monarchy, by so doing," added Edric.
"It is true," replied the doctor, "that Spain, finding itself too
mighty for a province, shook off in consequence the yoke of his
descendants, and erected its present republic, which it most probably
would never have done if the seat of government had remained at Madrid.
But that is trifling compared with the inestimable benefits produced to
the world at large, by the civilization and reduction to a Christian
state, of such a mighty empire as that of Morocco. Had it not been for
that, we might still have remained in the degrading ignorance in which
mankind were immersed for so many centuries respecting the interior of
Africa:--Timbuctoo would never have risen to its present eminence in
science and commerce; the real course of the Niger would never have
been discovered: and the sources of the Nile still remained wrapped
in oblivion. Yes, mighty shade! thou wert indeed a hero! Calumny may
assail thy fame, and unenlightened minds cavil at the wonders of thy
glory; but one firm and attached votary still remains to thee, and thus
he humbly bends to do thee homage."
So saying, the doctor prostrated himself upon the tomb, and
reverentially kissed the cold marble inscribed with the hero's
name.--"Hold! hold!" cried a man, rushing from behind a small temple,
and seizing him, whilst in an instant Edric and his tutor found
themselves surrounded by soldiers, whose grim visages spoke them inured
to blood and warfare.--"Wretch!" exclaimed the leader, apostrophizing
the terrified doctor; "but thy life shall soon pay the forfeit of thy
crimes. Away with him!" continued he, addressing his soldiers; "bear
him before the next alcaide, and let him there suffer the punishment
the law enacts against all those who dare to praise the actions or
worship the memory of the tyrannic Alfonso--Away with him, I say."
"Mercy! mercy!" implored the doctor.
"Impossible!" said the leader sternly; "do you not know that this is
a land of liberty, and that we abhor the very name of tyranny and
oppression? How then can the admirer of a tyrant hope for mercy at our
hands? Away with him, I say, and with his companion too; for as they
appear to be associates, no doubt their principles are the same."
"And do you call this a land of liberty?" asked Edric reproachfully.
"Hear him! he blasphemes!" cried the soldiers; "gag him if he
dare again to breathe such impiety!" and amidst their shouts and
execrations, Edric and his tutor were dragged away. Taught by this
lesson that the liberty of the republican Spaniards did not extend to
the tolerance of any opinions except their own, Edric and the doctor
did not again venture to speak; and they soon, to their infinite
dismay, found themselves in the presence of the alcaide; who, however,
luckily for our travellers, happened to be a man of some sense and
liberality. He smiled when he heard the substance of the facts gravely
stated against the prisoners. "This case requires a private hearing,"
said he: "Velasquez, conduct the prisoners to my own apartment."
"We will have no private hearing," clamoured the people and the
soldiers. "The crime was public, and the punishment should be so too;
we will not be gulled."
"But, gentlemen," said the magistrate, "supposing these prisoners
to be part of a gang of conspirators who have been plotting against
the state, it might defeat the ends of justice to have them examined
publicly; as it is possible--mind, gentlemen, I only say, as it is
possible--some traitors may lurk even among the crowd before me, who
might give intelligence to other parties interested, who might be thus
enabled to make their escape."
"Ay, now you speak reason," said the mob; "we are always willing to
listen to reason;" and without farther remonstrance they permitted the
alcaide and the prisoners to retire.
"You see, gentlemen," said the alcaide, shutting the door of the room
carefully, and placing chairs, in which he invited his prisoners to sit
down, "that all is not liberty which is called so, and that a mob can
occasionally be as tyrannical as an emperor. I know that in reality
there is not a shadow of complaint against you; yet I dare not release
you, as my own life would be the forfeit if I did. You must thus submit
to a temporary restraint, which you may rest assured I shall not only
endeavour to shorten, but shall render as light as possible whilst I am
compelled to inflict it."
"My dear sir," said the doctor, "we are exceedingly obliged by your
kindness. If we had not met with you, I do not know what would have
become of us. I could not have believed people were in existence so
illiberal as these Spaniards, or that any human beings could be so weak
as to fancy themselves in a land of liberty whilst they are practising
the most refined tyranny."
"And yet my countrymen are neither fools nor hypocrites," returned
the alcaide; "but, like many other people, they deceive themselves,
and talk about freedom till they fancy they possess it. Their great
fault, however, has been, that they did not know where to stop; and as
even virtue becomes vice when carried to the extreme, so have the most
sublime principles of liberty and patriotism become degraded in their
hands, by being attempted to be carried to an exaggerated degree of
perfection!"
"Oh, England! England!" sighed the doctor; "would to Heaven I had never
left thy happy shores! Alas! alas! what a crowd of horrible events have
occupied the last few months!"
"Why did you leave your country, since you so bitterly regret it?"
demanded the alcaide.
"Because we could not be contented," replied Edric. "Devoted from
my earliest youth to the pursuits of science, I craved ardently
for knowledge denied to mortals; I aspired to penetrate into the
profoundest secrets of Nature, and burnt to accomplish wishes destined
never to be realized. The desire of seeing foreign countries also
filled my soul: I longed to travel, to acquire new ideas and meet
with strange and wonderful adventures; I sickened of the quiet and
tranquillity of home. 'Give me change,' cried I in my madness, 'give me
variety, and I ask no more; for even wretchedness itself were better
to bear than this tiresome unvarying uniformity.' The unreasonableness
of my wishes deserved punishment, and I have been curst with the very
fulfilment of my wishes."
"Is this gentleman also a votary of science?" asked the alcaide, who
had appeared musing whilst Edric spoke.
"What a question!" exclaimed the doctor, in a transport of indignation.
"What! has my whole life been devoted to scientific pursuits! have I
deprived myself of rest and almost of food! and wasted the midnight
lamp in bringing to perfection some of the most sublime discoveries
ever vouchsafed to man, to be insulted suited with such a doubt
as that? Know, sir, that you see before you Doctor Entwerfen, the
fortunate inventor of the immortalizing snuff, one single pinch of
which cures all diseases by the smell; the discoverer of the capability
of caoutchouc being applied to aërial purposes; and the maker of the
most compendious and powerful galvanic battery ever yet beheld by
mortal!"
"Then you are the very man I want," said the alcaide; "go to prison
contentedly, and rest satisfied that your confinement will be of very
short duration. In a day or two I will see you, and explain the project
I have conceived for your deliverance."
So saying, he summoned his guards, and, ordering them to convey the
travellers to prison, the doctor and Edric were dragged away, and,
being immured in separate dungeons, were left there to ruminate upon
the varied and busy scenes in which they had been so lately engaged.
Sadly and heavily passed the time; yet days and weeks rolled on ere
they again saw the alcaide. At length, when they had begun almost to
despair, they were reconducted to his presence.
"Do you understand the management of an electrical machine?" asked he
abruptly.
"Certainly!" cried the doctor, transported with joy at the question,
before Edric, who was half blinded by the sudden change from his gloomy
prison to the broad light of day, had sufficiently recovered himself to
reply.
"Then it is in your own power to set yourselves free," continued the
alcaide. "The principal general of the army stationed here is ill;
a powerful party exists against him who wish his death, at the head
of whom stands the leader who was the cause of your being taken into
custody. The general himself is a mere nonentity; but the opposite
party, to which I belong, wish to save his life, as his name affords a
sanction under which they can act. He is now ill of a palsy, and has
been recommended to try the effects of an electrical shock. A machine
has been with difficulty procured in this remote district; but the
philosopher of the army being lately dead, and another not having been
yet appointed, no one here knows how to apply it. Now, if you--"
"Say no more!" cried the doctor, interrupting him, in a transport of
delight; "say no more--I see, I comprehend the whole! I shall restore
him, and receive my liberty as the reward. Nay more, I shall obtain
immortality amongst the Spaniards by the deed; their poets will sing my
fame, and their historians will pause upon the fact!"
"You will undertake it then?" said the alcaide, and, reading an
indignant affirmative in the doctor's looks, he led the way to a camp,
at a short distance from the village, where the paralytic general was
sitting in a kind of throne, placed without his tent, and surrounded by
the principal officers of his staff; the electrical machine, a large,
clumsy, heavy-looking thing, standing before him. The doctor looked
with dismay at this unwieldy apparatus, so different from his own neat,
powerful compendium of science, as he was wont to call it; and saw with
infinite horror that even its construction was totally different from
those he had been accustomed to. His natural vanity and presumption,
however, revolted from making this mortifying acknowledgment,
particularly after the boasts he had been indulging in to the alcaide;
and, relying upon his general knowledge of the principles of science,
he walked boldly up to the machine, with as much composure and
self-confidence as though he had been accustomed to the management of
it all his life.
A considerable trepidation, however, crept over him as he examined
it and found its movements intricate and complicated in the extreme;
and his hands trembled, and a thick film came over his eyes, as he
attempted to charge and adjust the cylinder. No time, however, was
allowed for deliberation; he was ordered to apply it instantly; and,
terrified by the recollection of the prompt manner in which the
Spaniards were accustomed to make themselves obeyed, and the already
long and severe imprisonment he had undergone, he set it in motion:
an unlucky wire, however, which he did not quite understand, pointed
upwards, and he tried in vain to arrange it; he tried again, but was
instantly felled to the ground by a tremendous shock, whilst a loud
crash of thunder burst with violence over his head, and a vivid flash
of lightning proclaimed that the ill-managed machine had drawn down
the electric fluid from a heavy cloud, that happened unfortunately to
be just above them, upon the head of the unfortunate general, whom it
scorched to a cinder, levelling some of his officers to the earth,
and scattering the rest in all directions. For the moment, the doctor
himself was blinded by the sudden light, and, when he recovered his
sight, the first thing that met his eyes was his friend the alcaide
sticking fast by the skirts of his coat in a hedge.
Terrified at the mischief he had done, the first impulse of the learned
doctor was to run away; but, notwithstanding the general confusion
and dismay, the first intimation he showed of his design, drew around
him a crowd of soldiers, like peasants round a mad dog, who seemed to
think him as little entitled to mercy as though he had really been one
of those unfortunate animals. "Cut him down!" cried one--"blow his
brains out!" shouted another--"chop his head off!" screamed a third;
and summary punishment would instantly have been inflicted, if the
alcaide, who in the mean time had contrived to extricate himself from
his uncomfortable situation, had not interfered. "Villain!" cried he,
as soon as he had recovered his breath--for being rather fat, he found
flying exercise rather too violent to suit his taste; "is this the
manner in which you treat me? Was it for this I brought you to the
camp, and would have made your fortune? Wretch that you are! hanging is
too good for you, and impaling alive mercy to what you deserve.--Away
to prison with him! he merits not a death so easy as you would give
him; carry him back to his dungeon, and let him there await what
punishment the council of state may judge fit for killing a general and
frightening an alcaide out of his senses."
"Mercy! mercy!" screamed the doctor; but his cries were disregarded,
and he and Edric were dragged back to prison, deprived of every hope
of obtaining forgiveness. Sadly and silently passed the hours in this
gloomy abode; for, though the doctor and his pupil were now permitted
to be together, little communication took place between them, as,
though Edric was too good-natured to upbraid his unfortunate companion,
yet it was past the power of human nature not to feel enraged at the
folly that had drawn them into so disagreeable a situation.
The poor doctor, however, needed not to be upbraided; for the
reproaches of his own conscience were more bitter than any Edric could
have lavished on him. "I am lost!" cried he; "ruined, and utterly
undone! Not only my body will perish miserably, but my fame, my
immortal fame is destroyed--oh! I shall go distracted!"
In this manner he lamented; wringing his hands and tearing his hair,
whilst Edric felt too angry to attempt to console him.
"Speak to me, Edric, dear," cried the poor doctor at last, quite in
despair at his silence; "for Heaven's sake, speak to me! Do let me
hear the sound of some voice, besides my own and that of those cursed
Spaniards. Oh, Edric! Edric! solitary confinement is quite enough to
drive a man distracted; but to have a companion in such a place as
this, and he to refuse to speak--Oh, Edric! Edric! your heart must be
turned to stone, if you can resolve to use me so cruelly."
Edric was moved by the doctor's sorrow.
"What do you wish me to say?" asked he, smiling.
"Oh, now that's like yourself," cried the poor doctor, bursting into
tears, and throwing his arms round Edric's neck, whilst he sobbed upon
his shoulder like a child. "Now I shall die happy! I don't care what
they do to me; I am quite ready for any thing that may happen."
Edric was affected by the doctor's manner, and returning his embrace
warmly, he could not restrain his own tears.
"Oh! my dear, dear Edric!" cried the doctor; "how I love you! would to
Heaven I could save you! I would not care for myself."
"And I would not accept of liberty without you, my dear tutor, I assure
you!" returned Edric. "No, no! the perils we have undergone together
have added new force to the ties that formerly united us; and our fate
now, be it good or ill, shall be the same. It is possible, however,
that there may be some means of escape."
"Alas! no!" said the doctor mournfully; seeing Edric look round at
the walls and windows: "this is the same dungeon I have been so long
confined in, and not even a mouse could get out of it without the
keeper's permission."
"What is to be done, then?" cried Edric.
"Ay," returned the doctor; "what, indeed! However, it is certainly
a great comfort to have a companion in one's misery; and though my
prospects are certainly not much improved since you joined me, my cares
are lessened at least one-half."
"Oh! my poor father!" exclaimed Edric. "The hardest part of my fate
seems to die without obtaining his forgiveness! Alas! if he could see
me now, he would surely repent his ill-timed severity. Fain would
I also know what has passed in England since we left it: if Edmund
be married, and if Claudia still reigns. It was spring when we left
England, it is now winter: alas! alas! how many changes this brief
space of time may have produced. If, however, my father's life has been
spared, I care not for the rest."
"How little did we anticipate," said the doctor, "when we first
proposed to travel, the misfortunes that were to attend us! Alas! they
seem a just punishment for our crime, in presuming to wish to pry into
secrets never intended to be revealed to man."
"Can you believe it," returned Edric, "but in spite of all the
misfortunes I have suffered, a restless curiosity to know the fate
of the Mummy we so strangely resuscitated, is one of the strongest
feelings in my bosom."
"I can readily credit it," said the doctor; "for the same feeling
operates upon me! It is, however, vain to indulge in useless regrets:
we must die; and all we have to do, is to endeavour to become resigned
to our fate."