Though it might be called night when we came in view of a house which
Mr. William Thornton had formerly occupied, and which his people still
called the old place, or the old quarters, everything around was
distinctly visible by the pale, whitish light, which often in this
part of the world lingers long in the sky after the sun is down. It
was a desolate-looking scene, in which everything spoke of neglect and
decay. In the fields, which had been once cultivated, and probably
exhausted, young self-sown pine-plants might be seen springing up
wherever the ground was not too thickly covered with weeds. Fences
there were none, except some fragments round a kitchen garden at the
side of the house, which seemed the only spot still cultivated. The
house itself, though not actually tumbling down, was sadly
dilapidated. Some of the rooms had not even the window-frames in them,
and in several others the glass was gone or broken.
I never could make out how it is that an uninhabited house always gets
its windows broken. Can it be that the persecution which always dogs
misery, extends itself to inanimate objects, and that the same spirit
which leads a dog to bark at a beggar on no other pretext but his
rags, leads the hand of mischief to hurry on ruin wherever it sees it
commenced?
I marched straight up to the front door, and aunt Jenny slipped
quietly off the horse, while I tried the door, and knocked with my
knuckles on finding it locked. The head of an old negro, covered with
white wool, was speedily put out of a window above, and I was saluted
with the words, spoken rather sharply,--
"What you want, mas'r? Can't get in dere."
"I want a night's lodging, and something to eat," I answered boldly.
"I have travelled a long way, and can't go farther. Come down, and
open the door."
"Can't, mas'r," answered the man, with a low chuckle. "Got the
rheumatiz very bad. My ole ooman out, and she got de key."
That the man was lying there could be no doubt, and I determined to
get into the house by some means, whatever might be the risk. I looked
round to see if there was any window near enough to the ground for me
to force it open, and then, for the first time, perceived that good
aunt Jenny had disappeared.
The next minute I heard the sound of steps, running down the stairs
inside of the house, and a voice calling out,--
"D----n you! What you doing dere? Let dat door alone. I teach you to
come in here, you ole debil!"
But aunt Jenny was too quick for him. I heard the key turn in the
lock, and, putting my shoulder to the door, I pushed it open, when a
scene presented itself which would have made me laugh at any other
time. My rheumatic friend from above, who had once been a tall and
powerful man, had got aunt Jenny by the throat, and, with the
expression of a demon, seemed bent upon strangling her, while she,
with not the sweetest expression either, was belabouring his head and
face with the large key which she had withdrawn from the door as soon
as she had unlocked it.
I soon settled the strife, however, by taking hold of the man's
collar, and throwing him back to the farther end of the hall.
"Ha! ha!" cried aunt Jenny, laughing, yet panting from the struggle.
"I know de way in. He not keep me here two months for nothing, arter
missus die. Why, old Sambo, arn't you 'shamed of yourself?"
"I'se an old man," said the negro, again advancing towards me. "And
I'se a nigger; but I can tell you, mas'r, dere will be udders here
very soon, not so old, not so black as I be."
"Who may they be?" I asked quietly.
"Why, mas'r Thornton," answered the man; "and de udders who he left
here, but who is just step out."
"As to Mr. Thornton and his son," I answered, "you are not likely to
see them again for some time, as they are both in prison for what they
have done to-day. As to any others that Mr. Thornton left, I will
settle with them when they come in again."
"Prison!" ejaculated the man. "Prison! You don't say mas'r Thornton in
prison?"
"Yes," I answered, assuming a very potential air; "and whether I send
you to prison or not will a good deal depend upon your behaviour. Go,
take my horse to the stable, and give him some oats and hay."
"Lor' bless 'ee, mas'r, I got no oats and hay," answered the man.
"Then give him some corn," I replied, in a peremptory tone. "I shall
come down presently and see that he eats it. Be quick; do what I tell
you. Return here quickly, for I want to speak more with you."
The man seemed to hesitate for a moment; but negroes, unless they are
greatly excited, are swayed by a commanding tone. After twice pausing
on his way to the door, he went out, took the horse, and led it away
towards the back of the house.
"Now, Jenny," I said, "make the best of your time. Get some food, see
who is in the lower part of the house, and come back and join me
speedily, for I have got to search for Miss Bessy."
"Let's look for her first, mas'r Conway," answered Jenny, eagerly. "I
get on now. Dat brandy make me quite strong."
"Let us search the lower part first," I replied.
Passing from room to room, through the dilapidated house, we came to
the kitchen, or sort of out-house, where we found two old women,
seated by a large open fireplace, and apparently concerning themselves
but little as to what took place in their neighbourhood. They seemed,
indeed, withered up, and hardened by neglect and solitude, and hardly
took any notice of us, except looking over their shoulders, till I
ordered one of them to get some food for my companion, when she
mechanically rose, and, opening a cupboard fixed to the wall, produced
some salt fish and coarse bread.
Jenny, however, was too eager in pursuit of her young lady to waste
her time in eating; and, taking some of the food in her hand, she
followed me up the creaking stairs to a large window at the top, on
the sill of which old Samuel had apparently been seated when we
arrived. The house was not a very large one, and the doors of several
of the rooms were open, showing a scene of utter desolation within;
but as darkness increased every moment, I thought it better to try
what effect my voice would have in discovering whether Bessy was there
or not; and I called as loudly as I could,--
"Bessy, dear Bessy, are you here?"
"Here! here!" answered a voice from the end of the corridor.
Springing forward, I found a door, locked, but without the key in it.
"Are you there?" ejaculated I.
"Yes, yes," answered that sweet, never-to-be-forgotten voice. "Is that
you, dear Richard?"
"Stand back from the door, love, and I will drive it in," I exclaimed.
And putting my foot against the balustrade of the stairs, and my
shoulder against the old, dilapidated door, I speedily forced the lock
from the wood-work, and fell almost headlong into the room. #
The windows looked to the eastward, so that it was darker within than
without; and I could just see a woman's figure at the other side near
the windows. But Bessy saw me better; and in another moment she was in
my arms, and weeping on my bosom. I am afraid I kissed her very often,
and very freely; but, in that moment, all restraint was broken down.
She and I both felt that she was mine; and her lips answered mine, I
am sure of it.
Old Jenny hugged her in turn, though she was very discreet not to
interrupt us too soon. But there was no time to be lost; and as soon
as we had somewhat recovered ourselves, I said,--
"Now, dearest Bessy, what is to be done? You know the state of affairs
here better than we do. Robert Thornton and his father have been
apprehended by the sheriff, and I find only one old negro man here and
two women. Is it safe to stay here till to-morrow morning?"
"There is another, younger man somewhere about," she answered; "but I
should think they would not venture upon any violence, especially when
they know their masters are in prison. Besides, you are well armed,
are not you?"
"I have this double-barrelled gun and one pistol," I replied. "You had
one, love, and Jenny here had one."
"Ah, dey took mine from me," cried Jenny, who was munching away as
hard as she could at the handful of bread and herring she had brought
from the kitchen; "dey got dat from me 'fore I knew what dey was
doing."
"I have got the one you gave me, safe," said Bessy; "and, indeed, to
have it was a great comfort to me; for I did not know what might
happen next; and I am afraid I felt as if I could have shot any of
them."
"I tell you what to do," cried Jenny; "better not stop here. We are in
Nort Carolina here. Let's get back, just to de State line. In Virginny
we shall be safer, and know what we are doing."
"But, my good woman," I answered, "this dear girl can't remain in the
Swamp all night; and if we were to try to get back to the sheriff's
plantation, a thousand to one we should be lost in the night, and she
might perish."
"Ay, ay," answered the old girl, with a conceited nod of her head.
"Leave all dat to aunt Jenny. Why, dere dat nice cabin, Habakkuk built
for hisself just upon de line, arter Miss Bab's death. Don't you know,
Missie Bessy? All of felled logs. There you be quite comferable, and I
cook for you."
"But where will you get anything to cook, Jenny?" asked Bessy, with a
laugh. "I have fared but poorly since I have been here."
"Oh, I see plenty in de kitchen," said Jenny. "I look about me--two or
tree dozen eggs, and butter, and tree gallon loaves. We take what we
can find. If dey carry us away, dey must feed us. When once we are
dere we are quite safe; for dere be two good large room; and dey could
never get old Habakkuk out."
After some consultation with Bessy, I judged that it was better to
follow the old woman's advice. We could not tell how many of Mr.
William Thornton's people were near us. We had no reason to believe
that our good friend, the sheriff, would venture to come over the
Virginian line to our assistance; and it was quite possible that Mr.
Thornton and his son might get bail that night, and be upon us early
on the following morning. It was evident, too, that they had already
gone so far in a daring and lawless course, that no slight
considerations would stop them; and in that old and dilapidated house,
which seemed to have only two rooms tenantable, there was no
possibility of making a good defence against violence from superior
numbers. I believe Bessy's evident anxiety to get away from the place
as speedily as possible contributed not a little to fix my
determination; and it was at length settled that, after allowing a
little time for my horse to feed, we should set out for the hut which
Jenny mentioned, and to which she professed to know the way perfectly,
night or day.
Before we came fully to this determination, we heard the voice of the
old negro speaking to the woman below; and he twice came to the foot
of the stairs with a lighted pine-knot in his hand, and looked up; but
he immediately retreated to the kitchen.
As soon as our resolution was taken, I unslung the gun from my
shoulders, and, leading the way down, proceeded at once to the
kitchen, to carry the war, if war it must be, into the enemy's
territory. I thought it very likely that the party might, by this
time, be reinforced; but I was mistaken. No one was there but the old
man and the two old women, and they seemed inclined to be more civil.
They all moved out of the way as we advanced towards the fireplace, of
which, although it was a very warm night, I made my little party take
possession, as a good strategetic position; and, knowing the advantage
of acting on the offensive, I said to the old man,--
"How dare you to be art and part in depriving a free white young lady
of her liberty?"
I then told him I had a great mind to tie his hands behind his back,
and carry him into Virginia.
"I am told there is another man here," I added; "where is he? Call him
up to me. I am determined to punish you all."
"He not here, mas'r," said the old man, in a subdued tone. "He am gone
over to see what de row over dere. Dey tell him, him cousin shot. I
only do what I'se told. It's mas'r's fault, not mine. He tell me keep
Miss Bessy here, and not let her see nobody, no account whatebber.
What can I do, poor nigger man?"
"Your master cannot make you do an illegal thing," I answered. "But
come, bring out whatever you have got to eat: we are all hungry."
"I see arter that," cried aunt Jenny, who seemed quite at home in the
kitchen. "Now, Venus, where you put de milk?"
Venus, who was as unlike her Grecian namesake as could well be
conceived, declared the cows were not milked; adding,--
"That black nigger Jack had gone away across de Swamp, and forget
'em."
But Jenny, who could play termagant when the occasion required it,
drove out the old man to milk the cows himself.
Our meal was certainly unwillingly given; but the grudging did not
detract from its savour to very hungry people; and I must say, we made
perfectly free with Mr. Thornton's house, without any remorse of
conscience.
After we had supped, Aunt Jenny gathered together whatever she could
find of an edible quality, helped herself to a basket, and piled upon
the top, besides a candle or two, a number of knotty pitch-pine
pieces, which often, in this part of the country, served the purpose
of torches.
"Now, come along, Sam'l," she said; "I'se not going to let you 'bide
here, plotting. I hope you fed de horses well, for we'se a long way to
go, to-night, and 'praps mayn't get to de sheriff's afore to-morrow
morning. Dat's why I'm taking all these purvisions; and if Mas'r
Thornton say I stole 'em, you tell 'im Sir Richard Conway will pay for
'em when he send in his bill."
The old man grumbled; but she drove him out before us, to the stable,
where we found my own horse, and that which had carried Bessy thither.
There was also a mule in the stable, which I had a strong inclination
to borrow, for the purpose of mounting old Jenny; but the good woman
declined the honour, saying she had rather walk; she didn't like
"'orseback," it made her "uncomferable."
With some little trouble, we got everything in order, and set out; the
moon, though not yet above the trees, afforded us light sufficient. We
went very slowly, and more than once I turned my head to make sure
that the old negro was not following to watch us. Jenny seemed to
divine my suspicion, and, at length, said, with a laugh,--
"Don't you be afraid, mas'r. He'll not come after we. He's a lazy old
debbil, as cross as two sticks; but he would not walk ten steps to
save his own soul, if he could help it. I know him long time, and was
two months in de house wid him. Oh! and he tell such big lies too. He
go and say to Mas'r Thornton, you came wid ten men and took away Miss
Bessy, and he couldn't help it; and he'll give all their names too,
jist as if he see 'em wid his own eyes."
"Those are lies which can do us no possible harm, Jenny," I answered;
"for if these two Thorntons were by any chance to get bailed out
to-night, they would not like to pursue us, if they thought we had a
large party."
Bessy was very silent as we rode along, and doubtless was tired and
exhausted; but we had good reason to thank Heaven for the hardy
education she had received from Aunt Bab; for one half of what she had
gone through during the last two days would have killed any ordinary
Virginia girl.
After having ridden on for about twenty minutes, we passed a very
large tree standing nearly alone, and Aunt Jenny said in an oracular
tone,--
"Nort Carolina line. Now we'se in Virginny. Tank God for dat!"
Here she turned away to the left, keeping, I supposed, along the
boundary line of the two states; and, in little more than a quarter of
an hour, we came to an open space just upon the edge of the Swamp
land, where, though the moon had now risen, and I looked round on
every side, I could perceive nothing at all like the cabin she had
mentioned. She trudged on sturdily, however, for a hundred yards
further, and then turned round the edge of a little clump of bushes
which had hitherto concealed, completely, a low hut, formed of logs,
roughly hewn square with the axe, and placed one upon the top of the
other, to form the walls. It seemed well thatched with branches and
reeds, and had two windows, or rather apertures, and a door, giving it
somewhat the appearance of the houses made out of a cat's head, which
we draw to amuse children.
"Ah! here it is!" cried Aunt Jenny. "Dis is de place, mas'r, where ole
Habakkuk live for a long time, 'cause he would not be under Mas'r
Thornton, when ole missus die. Mas'r Thornton could never find him
out; and we, none of us, never say a word. De ole man build it all
himself wid his own hands. A mighty smart man he were, and made
himself quite comferable here. I guess his ole bedstead here still; so
dat you and Miss Bessy can lie down and rest."
By this time we had arrived at the door--and Jenny was about to open
it, when I suggested that it might be better to have some light before
we went in, if she had the means of procuring any.
"O dear, yes," said Jenny. "I brought away de flint and steel. You
give me drop of gunpowder, mas'r, on de wick of dis candle, and we'll
soon have a light."
I did as she desired; and, after lifting Bessy from her horse, I took
the candle, which by this time was lighted, and went into the cabin. I
must say it had a much less desolate appearance than the house of Mr.
Thornton. The old man who constructed it must have had no little
skill, taste, and perseverance. He had divided it into two rooms;
patched up all the crevices between the logs with moss and mud; formed
two shutters for the windows, and a tight-fitting door; and had,
apparently with his own hands, constructed from the branches of the
trees, and the fallen logs in the neighbourhood, four seats and a
table in the outer room, and a bedstead, somewhat in the shape of a
knife-tray, in the inner one.
Though so near the Swamp, there was no appearance of damp about the
hut; and I heartily rejoiced, notwithstanding all its roughness, that
Bessy would have such a place of shelter for the night.
She and Aunt Jenny had by this time, followed me in; and, seating the
dear girl in one of the rude chairs, I pushed back the hair from her
forehead, gazing in her face to see what change all the fatigues and
annoyances she had undergone had made in her. She looked pale and
fatigued certainly, but not ill; and comprehending my anxiety, she
took my hand gently in hers, saying,--
"Oh, I shall do very well, dear Richard. A few days' rest and quiet is
all I want; and then I shall be as well and saucy again as ever. But
you had better look to the horses for fear they should ran away."
They had had too much work lately for that, and were still standing
with drooping heads at the door of the hut when I went out. Taking off
the saddles and bridles, I easily contrived to hamper their feet with
the stirrup-leathers; and then, leaving them to provide for themselves
during the night, I returned into the cabin and closed the door. It
had, unfortunately, no lock, bolt, or bar; but I had already made up
my mind to sit up and watch, so that the want of fastenings did not so
much matter.
In the meantime Aunt Jenny had been bustling about, and had really
given an air of some comfort to the place. She had gathered some
fragments of wood which lay about the door; had lighted a little fire
on the broad, flat stone which served for a hearth; had fixed the
candle into a hole in the table which had previously served for a
candlestick; and had fastened one of the pine-knots against the wall,
adding more light to the interior, though accompanied by a strong,
but, to my mind, aromatic smell, from the burning of the resin.
Seating myself beside Bessy, I took her hand in mine, saying,--
"One more night, dearest, one more uncomfortable night, and then I
trust all our troublous hours will have passed, and the memories of
them will be but like a distressing dream. Had you not better go and
lie down to obtain some sleep? We can easily get some leaves and dry
reeds to make up a tolerable couch."
"You had better, Missie Bessy," said old Jenny. "Dere going to be
storm to-night. Better get asleep before de tunder comes, and den you
sleep it troo."
"You go and sleep with her, Jenny," I said; "you must be tired out
too, poor woman! I will stay here and watch till morning. Then I will
wake you, and you shall get us some breakfast before we set out."
"Indeed I am not the least sleepy," said Bessy, with a smile. "Do you
know, Richard, so dull and insensible have I been--or perhaps I should
say, so benumbed by all that has occurred--that this morning after
they brought me to that old house, and I found I could not get out, I
fell sound asleep, and must have been still asleep when you arrived. I
will sit up and watch with you for an hour or two; but Jenny had
better go and sleep, for I am sure she must need it."
"Well, p'raps I do," answered the good woman. "Then you call me
by-and-by, and come and sleep yourself, my darling; but let's set off,
whatsoever, by daylight."
Jenny was somewhat more particular in regard to her bed than most
people of her colour. Going forth to the edge of the swamp once or
twice, she brought in several bundles of dry rushes, shaking her head
each time she returned, and saying,--
"Goin' to storm very soon. Great a'mighty big clouds coming up; hope
de water not come in."
At length all her preparations were complete; and retiring into the
little inner cell with a lighted pine-knot in her hand, she closed the
door between, and left Bessy and myself alone.
I drew my chair close to her, and I think I may be forgiven for
putting my arm round her and making her pillow her head upon my bosom
as she had done two nights before. I might also be forgiven for
pressing my lips upon hers, and drawing her somewhat closely to my
heart. At least _she_ forgave me, and that was all I cared about.
I told her how anxious I had been, how terrified, when I found she was
gone from the spot in which I had left her; what a night and day of
agitation and alarm I had undergone; and how I longed to hear all that
had befallen her from her own sweet lips.
"Oh, I will tell you all," said Bessy. "I wish I could call it a
'Midsummer Night's Dream,' dear Richard; but it has been too terribly
real for that. However, it will wile away half an hour of the night;
and so you shall hear it."