"Nothing more goes down the line until the express has passed?"
"Nothing more, sir."
"Anything on the up line?" was my next inquiry.
"No, sir, not for some hours, except, maybe, some trucks of goods, but I
have had no notice of them yet."
As the station-master made this last answer he looked at me curiously,
no doubt wondering what the object of all these questions could be; but
he certainly had no notion of what was passing in my mind, or he would
not have turned into his office as he did, and left me there alone upon
the platform.
I was young and impetuous, and a sudden wild determination had taken
possession of me. In my intense anxiety to get back to my sick wife, the
delay of so many hours seemed unendurable, and my whole desire was to
catch the express at the junction; but how was that to be accomplished?
One way alone presented itself to me, and that was through the tunnel.
At another time I should have put the notion from me as a mad
impossibility, but now I clung to it as a last resource, reasoning
myself out of all my fears. Where was the danger, since nothing was to
come up or down the line for hours? A good level road, too, of little
more than three miles, and a full hour and a half to do it in. And what
would the darkness matter? There was no fear of missing the way; nothing
to be done but to walk briskly forward. Yes, it could be, and I was
resolved that it should be done.
I gave myself no more time for reflection. I walked to the end of the
platform and stepped down upon the line, not very far from the mouth of
the tunnel. As I entered the gloomy archway I wished devoutly that I had
a lantern to bear me company, but it was out of the question for me to
get anything of the kind at the station; as it was, I was fearful each
moment that my intentions would be discovered, when I knew for a
certainty that my project would be knocked on the head, and, for this
reason, I was glad to leave daylight behind me and to know that I was
unseen.
I walked on, at a smart pace, for fully ten minutes, trying not to
think, but feeling painfully conscious that my courage was ebbing fast.
Then I paused for breath. Ugh! how foul the air smelt! I told myself
that it was worse even than the impenetrable darkness--and that was bad
enough. I recalled to mind how I had gone through tunnels--this very one
among others--in a comfortable lighted carriage, and had drawn up the
window, sharply and suddenly, to keep out the stale, poisonous air; and
this was the atmosphere I was to breathe for the next hour! I shuddered
at the prospect. But it was not long before I was forced to acknowledge
that it was the darkness quite as much as the stifling air which was
affecting me. I had never been fond of the dark in my earliest days,
and now it seemed as if the strange, wild fancies of my childhood were
forcing themselves upon me, and I felt that, if only for an instant, I
must have light of some sort; so, standing still, I took from my pocket
a box of vestas, and struck one. Holding the little match carefully,
cherishing it with my hand, I gazed about me. How horrible it all
looked! Worse, if possible, in reality than in imagination. The outline
of the damp, mildewy wall was just visible in the feeble, flickering
light. On the brickwork close to me I could see a coarse kind of fungus
growing, and there was the silver, slimy trace of slugs in all
directions; I could fancy, too, the hundred other creeping things that
were about. As the match died out, a noise among the stones near the
wall caused me hastily to strike another, just in time to see a large
rat whisk into its hole.
[Illustration: "HOLDING THE LITTLE MATCH CAREFULLY, I GAZED ABOUT ME."]
A miner, a plate-layer--in fact, anyone whose avocations took them
underground--would have laughed to scorn these childish fears; but the
situation was so new to me, and also I must confess that I am naturally
of a nervous, imaginative turn of mind. Still, I was vexed with myself
for my cowardly feelings, and started on my walk again, trying not to
think of these gloomy surroundings, but drew a picture of my home,
wondering how Mary was, if she was well enough to be told of my coming,
and was looking out for me. Then I dwelt upon the satisfaction with
which I should enter the express, at the junction, feeling that the
troubles of the evening had not been in vain. After a while, when these
thoughts were somewhat exhausted, and I felt my mind returning to the
horrors of the present moment, I tried to look at it all from a
different point of view, telling myself that it was an adventure which I
should live to pride myself upon. Then I recalled to mind things I had
read of subterranean passages, and naturally stories of the Catacombs
presented themselves to me, and I thought how the early Christians had
guided themselves through those dim corridors by means of a line or
string; the fantastic notion came to me that I was in a like
predicament, and the line I was to follow was the steel rail at my feet.
For awhile this thought gave me courage, making me realize how straight
the way was, and that I had only to go on and on until the goal was
reached.
I walked for, perhaps, twenty minutes or half an hour, sometimes passing
a small grating for ventilation; but they were so choked by weeds and
rubbish that they gave little light and less air. Walking quickly
through a dark place, one has the feeling that unseen objects are close
at hand, and that at any moment you may come in sharp contact with them.
It was this feeling, at least, which made me as I went along continually
put out my hand as if to ward off a blow, and suddenly, while my right
foot still rested on the smooth steel rail, my left hand struck against
the wall of the tunnel. As my fingers grated on the rough brick a new
terror took possession of me--or at least, if not a new terror, one of
the fears which had haunted me at the outset rushed upon me with
redoubled force.
I had faced the possibility of the station-master's having been
mistaken, and of a train passing through the tunnel while I was still
there, but I told myself I had only to stand close in to the wall, until
the train had gone on its way; now, however, I felt, with a sinking
horror at my heart, that there was little room to spare. Again and again
I tested it, standing with my foot well planted on the rail and my arm
outstretched until my fingers touched the bricks. There was a
fascination in it--much as in the case of a timid swimmer who cannot
bear to think he is out of depth and must keep putting down his foot to
try for the bottom, knowing all the while he is only rendering himself
more nervous. During the next ten minutes I know I worked myself into a
perfect agony of mind, imagining the very worst that could happen.
Suppose that the up and the down trains should cross in the tunnel, what
chance should I then have? The mere thought was appalling! Retreat was
impossible, for I must have come more than half way by this time, and
turning back would only be going to meet the express. But surely in the
thickness of the wall there must be here and there recesses? I was sure
I had seen one, some little time back, when I had struck a light. This
was a gleam of hope. Out came the matches once more, but my hands were
so shaky that I had scarcely opened the box when it slipped from my
fingers and its precious contents were scattered on the ground. This was
a new trouble. I was down upon my knees at once, groping about to find
them. It was a hopeless task in the dark, and, after wasting much time,
I was forced to light the first one I found to look for the others, and,
when that died out, I had only four in my hand, and had to leave the
rest and go on my way for the time was getting short and my great desire
was to find a recess which should afford me shelter in case of need.
But, although I grudgingly lit one match after another and walked for
some distance with my hand rubbing against the wall, I could find
nothing of the kind.
At length, I don't know what time it was, or how far I had walked, I saw
before me, a long, long way off, a dim speck of light. At first I
thought, with a sudden rush of gladness, that it was daylight, and that
the end of the tunnel was in sight; then I remembered that it was now
evening and the sun had long set, so that it must be a lamp; and it was
a lamp. I began to see it plainly, for it was coming nearer and nearer,
and I knew that it was an approaching train. I stood still and looked at
it, and it was at that instant that the whole ground beneath me seemed
to be shaken. The rail upon which one of my feet was resting thrilled as
if with an electric shock, sending a strange vibration through me, while
a sudden rush of wind swept down the tunnel, and I knew that the express
was upon me!
I shall never forget the feeling that took possession of me: it seemed
as if, into that one moment, the experiences of years were
crowded--recollections of my childhood--tender thoughts of my
wife--dreams of the future, in which I had meant to do so much, all
thronged in, thick and fast upon me. Could this be death? I gave a wild,
despairing cry for help. I prayed aloud that God would not let me die. I
had lost all presence of mind; no thought of standing back against the
wall came to me. I rushed madly forward in a frenzy of despair. The
sound of my voice, as it echoed through that dismal place, was drowned
in an instant by the sharp, discordant scream of the express. On I
dashed, right in front of the goods train; the yellow light of the
engine shone full upon me; death was at hand. It seemed that nothing
short of a miracle could save me, and, to my thinking, it was a miracle
that happened.
Only a few yards from the engine and, as I struggled blindly on, a
strong hand seized me with a grasp of iron, and I was dragged on one
side. Even in my bewilderment I knew that I was not against the wall,
but in one of those very recesses I had searched for in vain. I sank
upon the ground, only half conscious, yet I saw the indistinct blur of
light as the trains swept by.
I am not given to swooning, so that, after the first moment, I was quite
alive to my exact situation. I knew that I was crouching on the ground,
and that that iron-like grasp was still on my collar. Presently the hand
relaxed its hold and a gruff, but not unkindly, voice said:--
"Well, mate, how are you?"
This inquiry unlocked my tongue, and I poured forth my gratitude. I
hardly know what I said; I only know I was very much in earnest. I told
him who I was and how I came to be there, and in return asked him his
name.
"That does not signify," was the answer; "you can think of me as a
friend."
"That I shall," I returned, gratefully; "for God knows you have been a
friend in need to me!"
"Ah!" he said, musingly, "your life must be very sweet, for you seemed
loath enough to part with it!"
I admitted the truth of this--indeed, I had felt it more than once
during the last hour. I had been one of those who, in fits of
depression, are wont to say that life is not worth living--that we shall
be well out of it, and the rest; yet, when it seemed really slipping
from my grasp, I had clung to it with a tenacity which surprised myself.
And now, with the future once more before me, in which so much seemed
possible, I was filled with gratitude to God and to my unknown friend,
by whose means I had been saved. There was a short silence; then I
asked, rather doubtfully, if there were not some way in which I could
prove my gratitude.
[Illustration: "A STRONG HAND SEIZED ME."]
"You speak as if you were sincere," my strange companion said, in his
gruff, downright way; "so I will tell you frankly that you can do me a
good turn if you have a mind to. I don't want your money, understand;
but I want you to do me a favour."
"What is it?" I asked, eagerly; "believe me, if it is in my power it
shall be done!"
"I would rather you passed your word before I explain more," he said
coolly. "Say my request shall be granted. I take it you are not a man to
break your promise."
Here was a predicament! Asked to pledge my word for I knew not what! To
be in the dark in more senses than one; for I could not even see my
mysterious deliverer's face to judge what manner of man he was. And yet,
how could I refuse his request? At last I said, slowly:--
"If what you ask is honest and above-board, you have my word that it
shall be done, no matter what it may cost me."
He gave a short laugh. "You are cautious," he said, "but you are right.
No, there is nothing dishonest about my request; it will wrong no one,
though it may cause you some personal inconvenience."
"That is enough," I said, hastily, ashamed of the half-hearted way in
which I had given my promise. "The instant we are out of this place I
will take steps to grant your request, whatever it may be."
"But that won't do," he put in, quickly; "what I want must be done here
and now!"
I was bewildered, as well I might be, and remained silent while he went
on:--
"There is no need to say much about myself, but this you must know. I am
in great trouble. I am accused of that which makes me amenable to the
law. I am innocent, but I cannot prove my innocence, and my only chance
of safety is in flight. That is the reason of my being here: I am hiding
from my pursuers."
The poor creature paused, with a deep-drawn sigh, as if he at least had
not found his life worth the struggle. I was greatly shocked by his
story, and warmly expressed my sympathy; then, on his telling me he had
been for two days and nights in the tunnel with scarcely a bit of food,
I remembered a packet of sandwiches that had been provided for my
journey, and offered them to him. It made me shudder to hear the
ravenous manner in which they were consumed. When this was done there
was another silence, broken by his saying, with evident hesitation, that
the one hope he had was in disguising himself in some way, and thus
eluding those who were watching for him. He concluded with:--
"The favour I have to ask is that you will help me in this by allowing
me to have your clothes in exchange for mine!"
There was such an odd mixture of tragedy and comedy in the whole thing
that for a moment I hardly knew how to answer him. The poor fellow must
have taken my silence for anything but consent, for he said, bitterly:--
"You object! I felt you would, and it is my only chance!"
"On the contrary," I returned, "I am perfectly willing to do as you
wish--indeed, how could I be otherwise when I have given you my word? I
was only fearing that you built too much upon this exchange. Remember,
it is no disguise!--the dress of one man is much like that of another."
"That is true enough, as a general rule," was the answer, "but not in
this case. I was last seen in a costume not common in these parts. A
coarse, tweed shooting-dress, short coat, knee-breeches, and rough
worsted stockings--so that an everyday suit is all I want."
After that there was nothing more to be said, and the change was
effected without more ado.
It seemed to me that my invisible companion had the advantage over me as
far as seeing went, for whereas I was sensible of nothing but touch and
sound, his hands invariably met and aided mine whenever they were at
fault. He confessed to this, saying that he had been so long in the dark
that his eyes were growing accustomed to it.
I never felt anything like the coarseness of those stockings as I drew
them on. The shoes, too, were of the clumsiest make; they were large for
me, which perhaps accounted for their extreme heaviness. I was a bit of
a dandy; always priding myself upon my spick and span get-up. No doubt
this made me critical, but certainly the tweed of which the clothes were
made was the roughest thing of its kind I had ever handled. I got into
them, however, without any comment, only remarking, when my toilet was
finished, that I could find no pocket.
My companion gave another of those short laughs.
"No," he said, "that suit was made for use, not comfort!"
From his tone and manner of expressing himself, I had taken him to be a
man fairly educated, and when he had declared that he did not require my
money, I naturally fancied he was not in want of funds; but the style of
his clothes made me think differently, and I decided that he should have
my watch--the most valuable thing I had about me. It had no particular
associations, and a few pounds would get me another. He seemed pleased,
almost touched, by the proposal, and also by my suggesting that the
money in my pockets should be divided between us. It was not a large
sum, but half of it would take me to my journey's end, I knew. He seemed
full of resource, for when I was wondering what to do with my loose
change, in my pocketless costume, he spread out my handkerchief, and
putting my money and the small things from my pockets into it, knotted
it securely up and thrust it into my breast. Then, as we stood facing
each other, he took my hand in farewell. I proposed our going on
together, but this he would not hear of.
"No," he said, with his grim laugh, "the sooner I and that suit of
clothes part company, the better!"
So we wished each other God-speed, and turned on our different ways--he
going back through the tunnel, and I keeping on.
[Illustration: "WE WISHED EACH OTHER GOD-SPEED."]
The experiences of the last few hours had made a great impression on me,
and, although I felt awed and somewhat shaken, my heart was light with
the gladness of one who rejoices in a reprieve. The express that I had
been so anxious to catch had long since gone on its way; still, in my
present hopeful frame of mind, that did not trouble me. I felt a
conviction that Mary was mending, that I should find her better, and,
comforted by this belief, I walked briskly on; at least, as briskly as
my clumsy shoes would allow me, but even in spite of this hindrance, it
was not long before I reached the end of the tunnel. The moonlight
streaming down upon the rails was a pleasant sight, and showed me, some
time before I reached it, that my goal was at hand. When I left the last
shadow behind me and stood out under the clear sky I drew a sigh of
intense thankfulness, drinking in the sweet fresh air.
I walked down the country road, thinking that I would rest for a few
hours at the station hotel and be ready for the first train in the
morning. But my adventures were not yet over. As I glanced at my
clothes, thinking how unlike myself I looked and felt, something on the
sleeve of my coat attracted my attention; it must be tar, which I or the
former wearer of the clothes must have rubbed off in the tunnel. But,
no. I looked again--my eyes seemed riveted to it--it was unmistakable.
There, on the coarse grey material of the coat, was a large broad-arrow.
In an instant the whole truth had flashed upon me. No need to examine
those worsted stockings and heavy shoes--no need to take off the coat
and find upon the collar the name of one of Her Majesty's prisons, and
the poor convict's number. As my eyes rested on the broad-arrow I
understood it all.
At first I was very indignant at the position I was in. I felt that a
trick had been practised upon me, and I naturally resented it. I sat
down by the roadside and tried to think. The cool air blew in my face
and refreshed me. I had no hat; the convict--I was beginning to think of
him by that name--had given me none, saying he had lost his cap in the
tunnel. After a while, when my anger had somewhat subsided, I thought
more pitifully of the man whose clothes I wore. Poor wretch, without
doubt he had had a hard time of it; what wonder that he had seized upon
the first opportunity of escape! He had said that the favour he required
would entail personal inconvenience on myself, and that was exactly what
it did. I looked at the matter from all sides; I saw the dilemma I was
in. It would not do to be seen in this branded garb--the police would
lay hands on me at once; nothing would persuade them that I was not the
convict. Indeed, who was likely to believe the improbable story I had to
tell? I felt that I could expect few to credit it on my mere word, and I
had nothing to prove my identity, for I remembered now that my
pocket-book and letters were in my coat; I had never given them a
thought when making the exchange of clothes. So, as things were, it
might take some days for me to establish my real personality, and even
when that were done I should still be held responsible for conniving at
the prisoner's escape.
All things considered, therefore, I resolved not to get into the hands
of the police. But this was no easy matter. There was nothing for it but
to walk. I could not face the publicity of railway travelling or of any
other conveyance: indeed, it was impossible for me to buy food for
myself.
I had many narrow escapes from detection, but by dint of hiding through
the day and walking at night, and now and then bribing a small child to
buy me something to eat, I contrived to get slowly on my way. It was on
the evening of the third day that I reached home. I often thought,
somewhat bitterly, of my short cut through the tunnel and all the delay
it had caused!
[Illustration: "BRIBING A SMALL CHILD TO BUY ME SOMETHING TO EAT."]
When I actually stood outside the little cottage which I called home,
and looked up at the windows, the hope that had buoyed me up for so long
deserted me, and I dreaded to enter. At last, however, I opened the gate
and walked up the garden. There was a light in the small sitting-room;
the curtains were not drawn, and I could see my sister Kitty seated by
the table. She had evidently been weeping bitterly, and as she raised
her face there was an expression of such hopeless sorrow in her eyes
that my heart seemed to stop beating as I looked at her. Mary must be
very ill. Perhaps--but no, I could not finish the sentence even in
thought. I turned hastily, lifted the latch and went in.
"Kitty!" I said, with my hand on the room door; "it's I, Jack! don't be
frightened."
She gave a little scream, and, it seemed to me, shrank back from me, as
if I had been a ghost; but the next instant she sprang into my arms with
a glad cry of, "Jack, Jack! is it really you?"
"Yes, Kitty, who else should it be?" I said, reassuringly. "But tell
me--how is she? How is Mary? Let me hear the truth."
Kitty looked up brightly: "Mary! oh, she is better, much better, and now
that you are here, Jack, she will soon be well!"
I drew a breath of intense relief. Then, touching my little sister's
pale, tear-stained face, I asked what had so troubled her.
"Oh! Jack," she whispered, "it was you! I thought you were dead!" She
handed me an evening paper, and pointed out a paragraph which stated
that a fatal accident had occurred in the Blank Tunnel. A man named John
Blount, a commercial traveller, had been killed; it was believed while
attempting to walk through the tunnel to the junction station. The body
had been found, early the previous morning, by some plate-layers at work
on the line. The deceased was only identified by a letter found upon
him.
And so, poor fellow, he had met his fate in the very death from which he
had saved me! In the midst of my own happiness my heart grew very
sorrowful as I thought of him, my unknown friend, whose face I had never
seen!
_The Royal Humane Society_
[Illustration: THE MEDAL OF THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY.]
Few Institutions appeal more strongly to popular sympathy than the Royal
Humane Society. The rewards which it bestows upon its members, who are
distinguished for a self-forgetting bravery which thrills the blood to
read of, are merely the outward tokens of admiration which is felt by
every heart. Those members include persons of all ranks of life: men,
women, and children; nay, even animals are not excepted, and a dog wore
the medal with conscious pride. We have selected the following examples
out of thousands, not because they are more deserving of admiration than
the rest, but because they are fair specimens of the acts of
self-devotion which have won the medals of the Society in recent years.
[Illustration: CAPTAIN JAMES DE HOGHTON.
_From a Photograph._]