and there was scarcely a man in whose breast, amid all his fears, the
thought did not arise that the result of this day's work had turned out
to be one so utterly unfortunate for the people, and so triumphant for
the crones, that the neighbourhood would have to submit to be
witch-ridden for ever after.
But, sometimes, in human affairs, whether those of an individual or a
community, at the very moment when things seem to be at their worst,
they begin to mend, and that amendment is not unfrequently brought
about by some agent which, to the wise and knowing of mankind, would
have appeared the most insignificant and the most unlikely to have
effected the change. So it was in the present instance. The affrighted
people came rushing through the gate, and, avoiding the road through
the wood, which was their natural way home, turned in an easterly
direction, and ran up the road leading away from the woods, and into
the main road leading from Aldington Corner to Hythe. They had run but
a very short distance when they came upon the "innocent," simple
Steenie Long, sitting on the bank of the road side, apparently looking
for flowers. He looked up with a vacant expression upon his face (which
I am told was not unusual with idiots in those days) and seemed
astonished to see so many people all running in such a hurry.
Several of the party hurried past the boy, too much occupied about
providing for their own safety to think either of him or of anybody
else. Presently, however, Farmer Long came running by, already somewhat
out of breath, and burning with rage and shame at having been unable to
resist the impulse which had made him fly before the power of the evil
creatures of the knoll. When he came to the place where his son was
sitting, he stopped short in his flight, and seizing the boy by the
arm, hastily exclaimed, "Come along, lad, come along; this is no place
for the likes of you!" endeavouring at the same time to hurry the youth
away with him.
But "Simple Steenie" was by no means of the same opinion. He drew
himself away from his father's hold, opened his large blue eyes to
their fullest extent, and observed in a calm but very decided tone.
"Steenie not."
"Not _what_, boy?" said the farmer eagerly. "You'd better not stop
here, anyhow; leastways if you do, the witches will have you." But the
boy, who had by this time risen to his feet, only smiled pleasantly
upon his father, with the simple smile of the weak of intellect, and
answered in a gentle tone. "Steenie not 'fraid. People run. Steenie not
run."
At this moment up came James Firminger, already bitterly repenting the
flight which seemed certain to lead to such disastrous consequences.
Overhearing the words of the boy, the thought instantly struck him that
they might be turned to good account.
Well did stout Firminger know that whatever be the power of witches and
warlocks, it has no effect upon those whom Heaven has deprived of their
full share of reason and intellect, and it occurred to him (and perhaps
it was true) that this unexpected meeting with "Simple Steenie" was not
accidental, but that it was possibly so ordered, that the victory of
the evil ones might be prevented.
He stopped instantly, and shouted aloud to the rest of the party.
"Mates!" he cried. "Are we not shamed by the words of this innocent?
_He_ will not run, he--why then should _we_ do so? The power which
protects _him_ can protect _us_. Let us turn once more, and never give
way like this to the evil ones."
The words of Firminger produced a great effect upon those who heard
him. Some indeed there were who had already made their way so far that
they neither saw nor heard anything that followed, but fully two-thirds
of the party checked their flight, and waited to see what would follow.
They were much reassured by that which immediately occurred. James
Firminger went up to the boy and spoke to him kindly to the following
effect. "Steenie boy, that's right! _You_ won't run, will you, lad?
_You_ ban't afraid of no witches nor crones neither, be you?"
Thus addressed, Steenie drew himself up to his full height, smiled upon
his questioner as he had upon his father, and said very gravely. "No.
Steenie not 'fraid. Good people help Steenie."
As this was immediately interpreted by all who heard him to mean that
the half-witted lad was assured of supernatural assistance in any
encounter which might ensue, it had a wonderfully comforting effect
upon the whole party.
The courage which, in the case of most of them, had been "oozing out at
their fingers' ends," suddenly and miraculously returned to its natural
home in their hearts, and they began to encourage each other by speech
and gesture, and to ask what there was to be afraid of.
Seeing his opportunity, Firminger used all his arts of persuasion, and
the result was that those of the party who had not got beyond hearing
when the above mentioned incident took place, wheeled boldly and bodily
round, and retraced their steps towards the knoll-field, Firminger and
Long leading the way, preceded by "Simple Steenie," who declined to
walk with any of them, but trotted on ahead. As for Finn, he had
disappeared and was no more seen that day, having been so completely
overcome by the total failure of the great invocation to which he had
pinned his faith, that he was incapable of further action for the time,
and was indeed never quite the same man afterwards.
When the party got near the gate, there was no sign of anything
unusual, but as soon as they set foot within the field, the same
roaring arose which they had heard before, and the same smoke began to
puff out from the knoll and to enwrap it once more in dark wreaths. At
this moment Firminger, Long, and their followers suddenly started with
surprise.
"Simple Steenie" was indeed walking before them, having left the
trotting pace at which he had started, but he was no longer alone! A
short, thick-set man, clad entirely in gray from head to foot, was
leading the boy by the hand as they advanced together. In his hand he
held a long staff, but otherwise appeared to be entirely unarmed.
Whence he had sprung from no one could tell; they had not seen any of
their own party rush forward, and certainly no one had descended from
the knoll. However, there was the Gray Man, sure enough, and on he
marched by "Simple Steenie's" side, as if they were the best friends in
the world, and had long ago arranged the enterprise on which they were
jointly bound. The others followed at a respectful distance, more and
more astonished as matters went on.
The roaring continued and presently the same process was repeated as
that which the people had previously witnessed and undergone. Figures
moved rapidly amid the thick smoke, and ever and anon a lurid flame
flashed from one side of the knoll to the other, affording a momentary
glimpse of awful forms with threatening gestures directed towards those
who appeared desirous to invade their territory.
Still "Simple Steenie" and his companion walked calmly on until they
were within a very short distance of the knoll, when, as before, it
opened, and a volume of cinders and ashes was again poured forth. But,
at the same instant, the Gray Man raised his staff high above his head
and shook it in the air. Suddenly, without a cloud in the sky or any
appearance whatever of rain, a perfect torrent of water descended from
the heavens upon the knoll, the effect of which was to produce just
such a "fiz" as when you throw a tumbler of water upon the fire, only
this sound was as if several hundred thousand tumblers had been thrown
upon the same number of fires all at once, producing the loudest and
most wonderful "fiz" that you can imagine. At the same moment a
prolonged and terrible howl arose from inside the hill, as if the
effects of the water had caused great discomfort therein.
Next happened a remarkable incident. The mouth of the knoll opened with
the same kind of yawning action as has been already described, as if
the same onslaught as before was about to be repeated. But instead of
waiting for this, "Steenie" and the "Gray Man" both raised a loud
shout, the latter brandished his staff once more over his head, and
both of them rushed boldly forward into the mound, which immediately
closed behind them. The bystanders were struck with horror and
amazement.
Was the Gray Man in league with the enemy, and had he thus lured poor
Steenie to his destruction? If so--why and whence the torrent of water,
which had evidently not been relished by the inhabitants of the knoll?
What on earth did it all mean?
For a few moments the whole party stood fearful and irresolute. Soon it
became evident that warm work was going on inside the knoll. Shouts,
yells, rumblings, howls, and the most discordant noises were heard
within, whilst there were those among the people, and notably James
Firminger and Bully Robus, who always declared that they heard, in and
above the outcry, the word, "Dunstan! Dunstan!" repeated ever and anon,
and the same thought crossed the minds of both of them at the same
time, namely, that the appearance of the Gray Man greatly resembled the
description of the great Saint Dunstan, so famous for the manner in
which he tackled the arch-enemy upon one occasion with a pair of tongs,
and whose name was said to be especially dreaded by all evil creatures.
Be this as it may, the noise had not continued above a minute or two,
before the spirit of James Firminger became too much excited to allow
of his remaining quiet any longer.
Calling to his companions to come on and help poor Steenie, he rushed
boldly forward, and was followed by most of the others. But they were
still several yards away from the scene of action, when they were
stopped by an occurrence so extraordinary that no one who witnessed it
ran the smallest chance of ever forgetting it.
The knoll burst open in at least twenty different places, and from it
there issued the same sort of creatures as those who had previously
attacked and routed the Mersham forces. But their aspect was now as
completely changed as their behaviour. Cowering, shrieking, huddling
together as if to escape some terrible pursuer, they rushed frantically
away on all sides, with heart-rending cries of despair and anguish.
Then, in the very middle of the knoll, rushing after the retreating
foe, appeared no less a personage than the Gray Man, flourishing his
staff, and closely followed by "Simple Steenie," whose features were
glowing with excitement, and whom they distinctly saw in the act of
administering a violent kick to a repulsive-looking creature with a
serpent's head and man's body, who was beyond all question an evil one
of the worst description, but whose departure was much quickened by the
action of the "innocent."
As everybody among the lookers-on was greatly confused and alarmed at
the extraordinary spectacle suddenly presented to their view, one
hardly knows how far it would be safe to rely upon the many different
accounts which were afterwards given of the details of the transaction
of which I am writing, and good Farmer Barrett always used to warn me
against believing as gospel every particular of this part of the story.
However, there were many worthy people out upon this day who declared
solemnly that among the strange and horrible creatures who were turned
out of Aldington Knoll that day, they recognised the faces and features
of several of their neighbours, dead and gone, who had been reputed
witches in their life-times. And little Dick Broadfoot, the tailor of
Mersham Street, an acute man as well as an honest, and one that would
not willingly either lie or exaggerate, always took his bible oath that
he saw, as plainly as he ever saw anything in his life, three awful
creatures, with cats' heads and bodies, but with horns and wings, and
with claws longer than any possessed by mortal cat, fly out of the
mount and down the woods, each having fast hold of and carrying with it
a form which writhed and struggled as if in fearful agony, but writhed
and struggled in vain. And furthermore, Dick avowed that he saw--though
how he had time to see it I don't know--he saw, I say, and knew it for
a certain fact, that these three unhappy wretches were the three crones
of Mersham, doubtless being carried off to their own place by the three
evil ones who had hitherto served them under the form of cats.
Whether to believe the little tailor or not I hardly know, but Bully
Robus backed him up in the story, and as the three crones never again
appeared in that part of the world, it may have been quite true.
Certain it is that all those creatures who issued from the knoll in the
way I have described were evidently driven out against their will,
utterly defeated and brought to tribulation by a superior power. In a
very short time they had utterly disappeared, a strong smell of sulphur
being the only remaining token that they had ever been there, whilst
upon the knoll, which had closed up behind them, "Simple Steenie" and
his companion remained, standing alone in triumph.
The people saw the Gray Man lay his hand upon the lad's head for an
instant, as if calling down a blessing upon him; then there came a mist
or cloud over the knoll, and when they looked again, Steenie was
standing alone. They hurried towards him, instinctively knowing that
there was no more danger to be apprehended from the place, and he
turned smilingly to meet them with an air of triumph.
"Steenie not 'fraid," he said. "Naughty people run 'way! All gone!"
[Illustration: SIMPLE STEENIE AND THE GRAY MAN ON THE KNOLL--P. 344]
But to all their questions about his late companion he could only
answer by a vacant smile and incoherent words, which left them as
ignorant as before. They had, however, the great consolation of knowing
that, whether it had come about by the aid of "Simple Steenie's"
innocent efforts, or whether the Gray Man had of his own accord planned
the whole affair, and arranged for the discomfiture of the wicked ones,
that discomfiture was certain and complete.
From that day forth Aldington Knoll has been a peaceful quiet spot,
from whence the views to which I have already alluded may be
contemplated without any fear of interference by any unpleasant inmates
of the mound, for there are none worse than rabbits now. More might be
told about some of the characters of our story, but short and casual
allusions are not desirable, and to do more would be to lengthen the
story too much. So I will leave my readers to fancy for themselves all
that happened afterwards to John Gower and his family, as well as to
Farmer Long, Simple Steenie, and all the rest of them. It is a good
many years ago now since these things occurred, and the actors in the
stirring scenes which I have related have long since passed away.
If I had not chronicled them now, from my recollection of good old
Farmer Barrett's gossips, I dare say Jack Barrett--who is a careless
fellow at best, and not equal to his father--(young men seldom are in
these days, according to my opinion) would have told the story
differently, and only in fragments, to his children, and they would
have varied it again in telling it to _their_ children, so that in
a couple of generations it would have been quite uncertain, and the
real truth never would have been known.
This is why I have thought it right to tell it. I drove down in my
pony-carriage the other day, with a young lady by my side, to see the
very spot where the crones' cottage used to stand, and to go through
all the places where these scenes occurred. I could make them all out
pretty clearly, though there is no vestige of the cottage left. We
drove on to Bilsington and back towards Aldington by the same road that
Mrs. Long and Tom the Bailiff drove, when they were taking the kitten
back to the Gowers.
We did not see any witches for certain, and perhaps there are none
left, though, as it is a good way from a railroad, I am not very sure
on this point. In a secluded spot by one of the woods, there was the
figure of a man seated by the side of the road breaking stones, and I
thought there was something in his look more than common. It was on a
hill, up which I was walking, and if I had been alone I might have
stopped and tried to find out more. But as I did not want to run the
least chance of the young lady with me being frightened, I only took
care to walk on the side of the road between the pony-carriage and the
figure, and as we passed it I laid my right hand on my heart, and
pronounced that famous mystic word of power---- Oh! I forgot, I must
not write it, because that is forbidden, but if any little girl wants
to know (boys are never curious, of course, so they won't mind not
being told) she must just write me a pretty little letter and ask, and
as I am very easily coaxed, I shall very likely either come and tell
her, or make some arrangement by which she shall be able to find out
for herself. It answered very well that day (as, indeed, it always
does) and we got home quite safe. Home is the best place at which to
leave one's friends, and therefore, having brought myself there in my
writing, I think I will stop, and only hope that others beside myself
will be interested in hearing the famous legend of the "Crones of
Mersham."
BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO., PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS.
* * * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.
Irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained
as printed.