ITS CARGO
The afternoon sunshine lay hot upon the house and garden of Verney
Manor--the leaves drooped motionless, the glare of the white paths hurt
the eye, the flowers seemed all to be red. The odor of rose and
honeysuckle was drowned in the heavy cloying sweetness of the pendant
masses of locust bloom. Down in the garden the bees droned in the vines,
and on the steps the flies buzzed undisturbed about the sleeping hounds.
Above the long, deserted wharf and the green velvet of the marshes
quivered the heated air, while to look upon the water was like gazing
too closely at blue flame. From the tobacco fields floated the notes of
a monotonous many-versed chant, and a soft, uninterrupted cooing came
from the dove cot. Heat and fragrance and drowsy sound combined to give
a pleasant somnolence to the wide sunny scene.
Deep in the cavernous shade of the porch lounged the master of the
plantation, his body in one chair, his legs in another, and a silver
tankard of sack standing upon a third, over the back of which had been
flung his great peruke and his riding coat of green cloth, discarded
because of the heat. Thin, blue clouds curled up from his long pipe, and
obscured his ruddy countenance.
His shrewd gray eyes under their tufts of grizzled hair were half
closed in a lazy contentment, born of the hour, the pipe, and the drink.
The world went very well just then in Colonel Verney's estimation. His
crop of the preceding year had been a large and profitable one; this
year it bid fair to be still more satisfactory. During the past few
months he had acquired a number of servants and slaves, and his head
rights would add a goodly number of acres to his already enormous
holdings; land, land, always more land! being the ambition and the
necessity of the seventeenth century Virginia planter. Trader, planter,
magistrate, member of the council of state, soldier, author on occasion,
and fine gentleman all rolled into one, after the fashion of the times;
Cavalier of the Cavaliers, hand in glove with Governor Berkeley, and
possessed of a beautiful daughter, for whose favor one half of the young
gentlemen of the counties of York and Gloucester were ready to draw
rapier on the other half,--Colonel Verney's world was a fair and
stirring one, and gave him plentiful food for meditation on a fine
afternoon.
Opposite him sat his kinsman and guest, Sir Charles Carew. He was
similarly equipped with pipe and sack, but there the resemblance to his
host ended, Sir Charles Carew being a man who made it a point of honor
to be clad like the lilies of the field on every possible occasion in
life, from the carrying a breach to the ogling a milkmaid. The sultry
afternoon had no power to affect the scrupulous elegance of his attire,
or to alter the careful repose of his manner. In his hand he held a
volume of "Hudibras," but his thoughts were not upon the book, wandering
instead, with those of his kinsman, over the fertile fields of Verney
Manor.
"You have a princely estate, sir, in this fair, new world," he said at
last, in a sweetly languid voice.
The planter roused himself from considering at what point of his newly
acquired land he should begin the attack upon the forest. "It's a fair
enough home for a man to end his days in," he said with complacence.
"We of the court have very erroneous ideas as to Virginia. I confess
that my expectation of finding a courteous and loving kinsman," a
gracious smile and inclination of the head towards the older man, "is
the only one in which I have not been disappointed. I thought to see a
rude wilderness, and I find, to borrow the language of our Roundhead
friends, a very land of Beulah."
"Ay, ay. D' ye remember what old Drayton sings?
'Virginia!
Earth's only paradise!'
And a paradise it is, with mighty few drawbacks, now that the King has
come to his own again, if you except these d--d canting Quakers and
Anabaptists, and those yelling red devils on the frontier, and the
danger of a servant insurrection, and the fact that his Majesty (God
bless him!) and the Privy Council fleece us more mercilessly than did
old Noll himself. I verily think they believe our tobacco plants made of
gold like those they say Pizarro saw in Peru. But 'tis a sweet land!
Why, look around you!" he cried, warming to his subject. "The waters
swarm with fish, the marshes with wild fowl. In the winter the air rings
with the _cohonk!_ _cohonk!_ of the wild geese. They darken the air when
they come and go. There in the forest stand the deer, waiting for your
bullet; badgers and foxes, bears, wolves, and catamounts are more
plentiful than are hares in England. You taste pleasure indeed when you
ride full tilt through the frosty moonlight, down the ringing glades of
the forest, and hear the hounds in full cry, and see before you, black
against the silver snow, a pack of yelling wolves. Then in summer the
woods are full of singing birds and of such flowers as you in England
only dream of. Strawberries make the ground red, and there are wild
melons and grapes and mulberries, and more nuts than squirrels, which is
saying much for the nuts. Everything grows here. 'Tis the garden of the
world. And what is there fairer than the green of the tobacco and the
golden corn tassels? And the noble rivers, whose head waters no man has
ever found, hidden by the Lord in the Blue Mountains near to the South
Sea! Sir, Virginia is God's country!"
"You in these lowlands have no trouble with the Indians?"
"None to speak of since 'forty-four, when Opechancanough came down upon
us. The brush with the Ricahecrians seven years ago was nothing. They
are utterly broken, both here and in Accomac. Further up the rivers the
devil still holds his own, we hearing doleful tales of the butchery of
pioneers with their wives and children; and above the falls of the far
west, in the Monacan country, and towards the Blue Mountains, is his
stronghold and capitol; but here in the lowlands all's safe enough.
There is no fear of the savages. Would we could say as much of the
servants!"
"Why, what do you fear from them?"
"It's hard to say; but an uneasy feeling has prevailed for a year or
more. It's this d--d Oliverian element among them. You see, ever since
his Majesty's blessed restoration, gang after gang of rebels have been
sent us--Independents, Muggletonians, Fifth Monarchy men, dour Scotch
Whigamores--dangerous fanatics all! Many are Naseby or Worcester rogues,
Ironsides who worship the memory of that devil's lieutenant, Oliver. All
have the gift of the gab. We disperse them as much as possible, not
allowing above five or six to any one plantation, we of the Council
realizing that they form a dangerous leaven. Should there be trouble,
which heaven forbid! they would be the instigators, restless
mischief-makers and overturners of the established order of things that
they are! Then there are their fellow criminals, the highwaymen,
forgers, cutpurses and bullies of whom we relieve his Majesty's
government. They are few in number, but each is a very plague spot,
infecting honester men. The slaves, always excepting the Portuguese and
Spanish mulattoes from the Indies, who are devils incarnate, have not
brain enough to conspire. But in the actual event of a rising they would
be fiends unchained."
"A pleasant state of affairs!"
"Oh, it is not so serious! We who govern the Colony have to take all
possibilities, however unpleasant, into consideration. I myself do not
think the danger imminent, and many in the Council and among the
Burgesses, and well-nigh all outside will not allow that there is danger
at all. We passed more stringent servant laws last year, and we depend
upon them, and upon the great body of indented servants, who are, for
the most part, honest and amenable and know upon which side their bread
is buttered, to repress the unruly element."
"What will you do with the convicts you brought with you this morning?"
"Use them in the tobacco fields just now when all hands are needed to
weed and sucker the plants, and afterwards put them to hewing down the
forest. I told Woodson to bring them around to me this afternoon when
they had been decently clothed. I always give the scoundrels a piece of
my mind to begin with. It saves trouble."
"Do they give you much trouble?"
"Not on this plantation. Woodson and Haines are excellent overseers."
The planter refilled his pipe, struck a light with his flint and steel,
and leaning back amidst the fragrant clouds, allowed his eyelids to
droop and his mind to wander over a pleasant sunshiny tract of nothing
in particular.
Sir Charles tasted his sack, adjusted his ruffles, and resumed his
reading. But even the delectable adventures of the Presbyterian knight,
over whom all London was laughing, palled on such an afternoon, and the
young gentleman, after listlessly turning a page or two, laid the book
across his knee, and with closed eyes commenced the construction of an
air castle of his own.
He was roused by the sound of approaching footsteps upon the shell path
leading to the back of the house, and by the harsh voice of the
overseer.
"Here come your hopeful purchases, sir," he said lazily.
The overseer turned the corner of the house and came forward with the
three convicts at his heels. He doffed his hat to the two gentlemen,
then turned to his charges. "Fall into line, you dogs, and salute his
Honor!"
The first man, he of the long nose and the twitching lip, smiled
sweetly, and bent so low that his fell of greasy hair well-nigh swept
the steps; the second, with a brow like a thunder cloud, gave a vicious
nod; the third, with as impassive a countenance as Sir Charles's own,
bowed gravely, and stood with folded arms and a quietly attentive mien.
The planter gathered himself up from his chair and came forward to the
top of the steps, his tall, corpulent figure towering above the men
below much as his fortunes towered above theirs.
"Now, men," he said, speaking sternly and with slow emphasis. "I have
just one word to say to you. Listen well to it. I am your master; you
are my servants. I reckon myself a good master, it not being my way to
treat those belonging to me, whether white or black, like dumb beasts.
Give me obedience and the faithful work of your hands, and you shall
find me kind. But if you are stubborn or rebellious, by the Lord, you
will rue the day you left Newgate! Whipping-post and branding-irons are
at hand, and death is something closer to a felon in Virginia than in
England. Be careful! Now, Woodson, what have you put these men to?"
"They'll go into the three-mile field to-morrow morning, your honor,
unless you wish other disposition made of them."
"No, that will do. Take them away."
The overseer faced about and was marching off with the recruits for the
three-mile field when his master's voice arrested him.
"Take those two in front on with you, Woodson, and send me back the
brown-haired one."
The "brown-haired one" turned as his companions disappeared around a
hedge of privet and came slowly back to the steps.
"You wished to speak to me, sir?" he said quietly.
"Yes. You are the man who was tolerably helpful in the squall last
night?"
"I was so fortunate as to be of some small service, sir."
"You understand the handling of a boat?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hum. I will tell Woodson to try you with a sloop when the press of work
in the fields is past. What is your name?"
"Godfrey Landless."
"Chevalier d'Industrie and frequenter of the Newgate Ordinary," put in
Sir Charles lazily. "Of the Roundhead persuasion too, if I mistake
not,--from robbery in the large, descended to thievery in the small;
from the murder of a King to knives and a black alley mouth. Commend me
to these grave rogues for real knaves! Pray inform us to what little
mishap we owe the honor of your company. Did you mercifully incline to
relieve weary travelers over Hounslow Heath by disburdening them of
their heavy purses? Or did you mistake your own handwriting for that of
some one else? Or did you woo a mercer's wife a thought too roughly? Or
perhaps--"
The man shot a fiery upward glance at the slim, elegant figure and
mocking lips of his tormentor, but kept silence. Colonel Verney, who had
returned to his pipe, interposed. "What is all this, Charles? What are
you saying to the man?"
"Oh, nothing, sir! This gentleman and I were shipmates, and I did but
ask after his health since the voyage."
"Sir Charles Carew is very good," the man said proudly. "I assure him
that the object of his solicitude is well, and only desires an
opportunity to repay, with interest, those little attentions shown him
by his courteous fellow voyager."
The planter looked puzzled; Sir Charles laughed.
"Our liking is mutual, I see," he said coolly. "I--but what is this,
Colonel Verney! Venus descending from Olympus?"
Out of the doorway fluttered a brilliant vision, all blue and white like
the great butterflies hovering over the clove pinks. Behind it appeared
the faded countenance of Mrs. Lettice, and a group of turbaned heads
peered, grinning, from out the cool darkness of the hall.
"Papa!" cried the vision. "I want to show you my new dress! Cousin
Charles, you are to tell me if it is all as it should be!"
Sir Charles bowed, with his hand upon his heart. "Alas, madam! I could
as soon play critic to the choir of angels. My eyes are dazzled."
"Stand out, child," said her father gazing at her with eyes of love and
pride, "and let us see your finery. D' ye know what the extravagant minx
has upon her back, Charles? Just five hogsheads of prime tobacco!"
Mistress Lettice struck in: "Well, I'm sure, brother, 'tis much the
prettiest use to put tobacco to, to turn it into lace and brocade and
jewels,--much better, say I, than to be forever using it to accumulate
filthy slaves."
Patricia floated to the centre of the porch and stood sunning herself
in a stray shaft of light, like a very bird of paradise. The
"tempestuous petticoat," sky-blue and laced with silver, swelled proudly
outwards, the gleaming satin bodice slipped low over the snowy shoulders
and the heaving bosom, and the sleeves, trimmed with magnificent lace
and looped with pearls, showed the rounded arms to perfection. Around
the slender throat was wound a double row of pearls, and the golden
ringlets were partially confined by a snood of blue velvet. She unfurled
a wonderful fan, and lifted her skirts to show the tiny white and silver
shoes and the silken silver-clocked ankles. Her eyes shone like stars,
faint wild roses bloomed in her cheeks, charming half smiles chased each
other across her dainty mouth. Such a picture of radiant youth and
loveliness did she present that the Englishman's pulses quickened, and
he swore under his breath. "Surely," he muttered, "this is the most
beautiful woman in the world, and my lucky stars have sent me to this No
Man's Land to win her."
"How do you like me?" she cried gayly. "Is 't not worth the five
hogsheads?"
Her father drew her to him and kissed the smooth forehead.
"You look just as your mother did, child, the day that we were
betrothed. I could not give you higher praise than that, sweetheart."
"And does it really lack nothing, cousin?" she cried anxiously. "Is it
in truth such a dress as they wear at Court?"
"Not at Whitehall, madam, nor at Brussels, nor even at St. Germains have
I seen anything more point device than the dress,--nor as beautiful as
the wearer," he added in a lower voice and with a killing look.
The girl's face dimpled with pleasure and innocent, gratified vanity.
She swept him a magnificent courtesy, and he bent low over the slender
fingers she gave him. Suddenly he felt them stiffen in his clasp, and
looking up, saw a curious expression of fear and aversion pass like a
shadow across her face. She spoke abruptly. "That man! I did not see
him! What does he here?"
Sir Charles wheeled. The convict, forgotten by the two gentlemen, had
been left standing at the foot of the steps, and his sombre eyes were
now fixed upon the girl in a look so strange and intent as fully to
explain her perturbation. Through his parted lips the breath came
hurriedly, in his eyes was a mournful exaltation as of one who looks
from a desert into Paradise. He stood absorbed, unconscious of aught
save the splendid vision above him. For a moment she stared at him in
return, her eyes, held by his, slowly widening and the color quite gone
from her face. With a slow, involuntary movement one white arm rose, and
stiffened before her in a gesture of repulsion. The fan fell from her
hand upon the floor with a click of breaking tortoise shell. The sound
broke the spell, and with a strong shudder she turned her eyes away.
"Make him go," she said in a trembling voice. "He frightens me."
Sir Charles sprang forward with an oath. "Curse you, you dog! Take your
ill-omened eyes from the lady! Colonel Verney, do you not see that the
fellow is annoying your daughter?"
The planter had fallen into a reverie born of recollections of the
Patricia of his youth, long laid in her grave, but he roused himself at
the words of his guest.
"What's that?" he cried. "Annoying Patricia!" He walked to the head of
the steps and raised his cane threateningly.
"Hark ye, sirrah! The servants of Verney Manor, white or black, felon or
indented, need all their eyesight for their work. They have none to
waste in idle gazing at their betters. Begone to your mates!"
The man who, at Sir Charles's intervention, had started as from a dream,
colored deeply and compressed his lips, then glanced from one to the
other of the group above him. There was pain, humiliation, almost
supplication in the look which he directed to the girl who had brought
this rating upon him. He glanced at his master with a countenance
studiously devoid of expression, at Mistress Lettice with indifference,
at Sir Charles Carew with chill defiance. Then, with a grave inclination
of his head, he turned, and a moment later had disappeared behind the
hedge.