When Duffel learned that Mr. Mandeville would not interpose parental
authority to compel his daughter to acquiesce in his wishes for her in
regard to marriage, he set his scheming wits to work for the purpose of
devising some means whereby to accomplish his ends. As we have already
said, Duffel had taken a fancy to Miss Mandeville, with whom he was better
pleased than with any other lady of his acquaintance. He called his passion
_love_, but it was too sordid and selfish to be worthy of a name so sacred.
More than once he called to see Eveline, and though she treated him
civilly, he saw plainly that she had an aversion for his society, and that
it cost her an effort to treat him with politeness, even though it was
formal; so, as we were saying, he endeavored to hit upon some more
successful mode of furthering his wishes.
"If Bill and Dick were only here," he thought to himself, "the matter could
be easily come at; but, as it is, I don't see my way exactly. I should not
like to trust every one, even of the League, with my secret, much less with
the execution of such a difficult undertaking as that of placing her there.
I wish I had not sent them after Hadley; I might have accomplished all
without that; and it is not the pleasantest thing in the world to have a
murder laying on one's conscience. But then, I thought other means would
succeed: I had no idea that old Mandeville was becoming so tender-hearted.
The old devil himself must have been playing mischief with my calculations.
Well, let him play away; once Bill and Dick return, and I'll try my hand at
heading his sulphurous majesty, and all others that oppose me."
In this mood, Duffel found himself when the duties of his office, in the
absence of the captain, required his presence at the cave, to preside over
the League at the regular meeting, as already known to the reader. The
night of the meeting came, and found him undecided as to the course of
action to pursue. Time was short; the captain might return any day and
resume command; and what was to be done must be done soon.
In this state of uncertainty, he repaired to the cave, with the vague and
indefinite hope that his associates in crime might be there also. Arrived
there, he began pacing up and down in a state of uneasy and restless
disquiet, looking expectantly At every new-comer, but with the same
result--disappointment. It was but a few minutes until the hour for
business, and he retired to the captain's room to make such preparations as
were necessary for the occasion.
When he returned, the members present were all masked, a rule of the order
making this a duty at initiating meetings, and he could not tell whether
Bill and Dick were among the number or not.
The business proceeded until the question was asked:
"Is there any one who, having knocked at the door of our order, is now
waiting for admission?"
"There is, your honor, Abram Hurd, who has been found worthy of a place
among us."
"Is he present?"
"He is in waiting, your honor."
"Let him be conducted into the presence of the order."
It is not our intention to enter into all the details attending the
ceremony of initiation into the order, as we apprehend that a few of the
leading features in the process of villain-making will be more entertaining
and acceptable to the reader.
When the candidate for admission entered the cave, he found himself
_vis-a-vis_ with fifty masks, of all shapes, forms and appearances; some
horrible, some odd, some commonplace, and some fantastical, and altogether,
a medley of strange, undecipherable, yet impressive combination of devices,
well calculated to excite a feeling of awe, and, with the timid, of terror,
in the mind of the beholder. Into this singular assemblage Hurd was
ushered, a wilderness of confused images before him. He was taken through a
course introductory to the more serious parts of the formula of induction
into the order, which were intended to increase the first bewildered
impressions on entering the cave, and was then led up in front of the
captain, who addressed him thus:
"Abram Hurd! by your presence here, I am to understand that you desire to
become a member of our order?"
"I do."
"Have you considered well before taking this step? The duties of members
are often laborious, and their performance attended with the most imminent
danger! We want no unwilling hands; are you ready to incur the risks?
"I am."
"Suppose the requirements exacted at your hands should cause you to look
the penitentiary in the face, have you the courage to do so?"
"I have."
"But further yet; should the good of our order require you to take the life
of a fellow-being, would you, in obedience to the commands of your
superior, perform that extreme act?"
"I was not aware that _murder_ was included in the catalogue of duties
imposed upon members of the order."
"Nor do I say that it is; I only wish to know if you are willing to go _any
lengths_ for the preservation or advantage of the order, in case of
necessity? You will mark the difference between murder and killing in
_self-defense_. With this explanation, are you willing to take the required
obligation?"
"I am."
"With the understanding, then, that you may have to face imprisonment or
death and obligate yourself to do all that shall be required of you for the
_good_ of the order, even to the taking of life, including all other acts
that are held criminal among men, are you still willing to proceed?"
"I am!"
"I must furthermore inform you, that if you falter in the discharge of any
duty imposed upon you, or manifest the least disposition to betray the
order, your life will fall an immediate sacrifice for such delinquency. Are
you prepared for this?"
"I am!"
"Will you take upon yourself these obligations in the form of an oath?"
"I will!"
"The oath is a most solemn and binding one; perhaps you may consider it
horrible, and we want no faltering."
"I will take it."
"It involves life and death."
"I am prepared if it does."
"You cannot release yourself from its binding force; it is for life; and
whether you abide with us or not, it binds you to secrecy. No
after-thought, no change of feeling, no repentance can unchain its iron
links from your soul. Are you still resolved?"
"I am!"
"Let me here advise you, that one more step will place you beyond the pale
of retreat. Consider well what you are about to do. Until the oath is
administered, you are at liberty to retire, and, blindfolded as you came,
will be escorted to a place of safety to yourself and us, where we will
leave you as we found you; but once you have taken upon yourself the
obligations of the oath, all is fixed and immutable. Are you yet willing to
take this last step?"
"I am!"
"Enough! you are worthy to become a member of our order. Lay your right
hand upon your heart, your left upon the Book, and receive the oath."
THE OATH.
"I, Abram Hurd, calling heaven, earth and hell to witness, do most solemnly
swear, in presence of these, my fellow-beings, and into the ears of the
spirits of the invisible world, that I now take upon myself the obligation
of a member of the _Order of the League of Independents_, as laid down in
the rules ordained for the government of said Order, and explained to me
this night; and I also obligate myself to obey the officers of the League
who shall be appointed over me for the good government of the same, in the
performance of all and singular the duties that shall be required at my
hands; and I furthermore obligate myself to advance the interests of the
Order to the utmost of my ability, in all things and in all ways, even to
the taking of property and life, if need be; and in so doing will use all
the means of aid in my reach, including fire, steel and powder. And I most
solemnly swear, in the presence aforesaid, of the visible and invisible
worlds, that I will faithfully keep the secrets of the Order, and of all
the members of the same that shall be intrusted with me, and no torture of
body or mind shall extort them from me. And I hereby bind myself, in the
same solemn manner, and in the same presence, that I will defend the
members of the Order in all circumstances and places, us far as in me lies,
even to the giving up of my own life, if such a sacrifice shall be
required--that I will stand by them one and all in every emergency, and, if
occasion require, will not hesitate to give false testimony in courts of
justice, to clear them in suits at law, or in criminal prosecutions,
choosing rather to brave the penalties of perjury than violate this my most
solemn oath. And as I faithfully perform this my oath to the Order, in
whole and in part, may I prosper; but if I willfully fail in anywise, to
fulfill all that I have herein obligated myself to perform, may the heavens
become black above me, may the earth become thorns and thistles, and a
curse to me in body and in soul; may my life be devoid of peace, and
harassing care be my portion, with blight and mildew on all my hopes, and
all that my hand shall touch; may my friends desert me, and my own blood
rise up and curse me; may I become an outcast, among men, a wanderer and a
vagabond on the face of the earth, a prey to fear, and to the lashings of
conscience: and, finally, when death comes, may he send me from the
tortures of this life, to those of endless perdition hereafter."
After taking this horrible and blasphemous oath, the initiated was required
to sign a compact with his own blood, when he was duly pronounced a member
of the Order, which might truly be termed hellish. This done, the captain
said:
"Brethren of the Order, remove your masks, and welcome your brother!"
In a minute the fifty masks were cast aside, and Hurd looked around him in
amazement, for in that company were more than a dozen of his acquaintances
and neighbors, who passed in society--most of them--for honest men; but
most of all was he surprised to see _Duffel_ there, in the character of
first officer.
All came and shook him by the hand, and to their friendly greeting he could
reply to many:
"Why, A., B., C., D., are you here? and here's 'Squire F., and Constable
H., as I'm alive!" and such like expressions of recognition.
When the masks were removed, Duffel had the satisfaction of seeing Bill and
Dick among those present, and so soon as the League adjourned, he drew them
one side, and began a confidential conversation with them; but fearing that
they might be overheard, before entering upon the secrets of their own, he
conducted them into the captain's room.
This room was a curious structure. Its walls were solid rock, naturally of
a brownish-gray color, but had been painted in a tasteful style of art,
with graceful nymphs, winged cupids, vases of flowers, and many other
embodiments of fancy, or representations from nature. The effect on the
beholder was pleasant and cheering at first view, but a more critical
observation would lead to the conclusion that there was too much of the
voluptuous in the design and execution of the penciling. In one corner of
the room was a door which opened into an inner room of small dimensions, in
which was a downy couch, and all the paraphernalia of a luxurious and
elegant bed-room. It was a place that contrasted very strangely with the
misery and crime it had sheltered--with the tears of unavailing agony that
had been wrung from eyes that sparkled above once happy hearts--alas! no
longer the abode of peace, hope or joy. Ah! had those walls the power of
speech, what tales of horror they could rehearse! what anguish reveal! what
eloquent pleadings for mercy disregarded! what silencing of hope in
despair! But they reveal not the secrets of the place, which are known to
but One, from whose eye no dark dells or earth-emboweled caves can hide the
transgressor; and the tears, the sighs, the blood--aye, the _blood_--of
that solitary cavern are all known to Him, are all put down by the
recording angel in the archives of heaven. But we digress.
When the three confederates were securely to themselves, Duffel inquired:
"How did you succeed in that affair. Well, I hope, as you are so soon
back."
"Yes, better than we expected. We passed Hadley and awaited him in the
mountains. Two pistol balls were sent through his heart, and in less than
an hour his body was devoured by howling and hungry wolves, from a ravenous
pack of which we escaped ourselves with difficulty, so fierce had a taste
of blood rendered them!"
It will be noticed that Bill drew largely upon his imagination in this
brief account of their adventures, and that he never once hinted at the
real truth of the matter, and how they were driven away, and had to flee
for their lives. He knew that his story had the characteristics of
probability; and he had an object in view in imposing on his superior,
though he had no doubt at all of Hadley's fate, believing him to be
certainly dead.
"So far good," replied Duffel; "but are you sure the act was undiscovered
and undiscoverable?"
"Quite sure, your honor; it was dark at the time, and no one near, and
therefore impossible that any one should know of the transaction."
"Very well, I am pleased with your promptness and dispatch in the execution
of this plot. You shall have your reward for the diligence and faithfulness
of your labors. But just now I have another affair on hand, in which I
shall need your aid."
"We are your men."
"I know I can rely upon you, and that is the reason I have chosen you from
among all the other members of the League to assist me."
"And you shall never regret the choice. What is the nature of the work you
would have us perform?"
"I have heretofore spoken to you concerning its principal feature. It
relates to a lady, and you may remember what was formerly said in regard to
the matter."
"Oh, yes, perfectly well."
"Well, I wish the young lady to be taken--kidnapped--and brought to this
place. Can I rely upon you to do the deed?"
"We have already pledged ourselves to that effect."
"So you did, I had forgotten. I shall soon need your services, if all
things proceed as present appearances indicate that they will. When
everything is ripe for action, I will inform you of particulars, and give
you the necessary instructions. Till, then, meet me every day in the
'swamp,' for I may wish your aid at any moment."
"All right; we'll be there."
And thus the conference of the villains ended.