TELLS OF THE MANNER OF MY ESCAPE, OF THE STRANGE MAN I MET, AND OF ELI'S
STORY OF A BURIED TREASURE
The next thing I can remember was a sensation of choking, of trying in
vain to get my breath; then a weight seemed to be slowly rolled from me,
and I felt myself free.
I opened my eyes and found myself in a cave. At first I thought it was
the one in which I had fought with Nick Tresidder, but I soon found
myself to be mistaken. I lay upon coarse, dry sand, while close to me a
fire burned. Its grateful light and warmth caused a pleasant sensation;
then I realised that my wet clothes had been taken from me, and that I
was rolled in a warm, dry blanket.
"You be better now, Maaster Jasper, be'ant 'ee, then?" I looked up and
saw Eli Fraddam bending over me.
"How did I get here?" I asked, in a dazed kind of way, "and where am I?"
"You be cloase to Bedruthan Steps, an tha's where you be, Maaster
Jasper; you be in one of the caaves. 'Tes oal lew and coasy 'ere, and
you'll be oal right again. But you've bin as sick as a shag, and as
cowld as a coddle."
I tried to call to memory what had passed. Then I said, "But how did I
get here, Eli, and how long is it since we came?"
"We brought 'ee 'ere, Maaster Jasper, in the booat, ya knaw. You tumbled
in the say, and we was a goodish bit afore we cud git 'ee on boaard. We
was feard for a long time that you was dead, but you're oal right now.
Yer things 'll zoon be dry, and then you c'n dress up oal spruce and
purty."
Slowly my mind became clear; then I remembered the man who had been in
the boat while Eli and I had been together in the secret passage.
"Where is the man who helped you with the boat?" I asked.
"Here 'ee es. Come 'ere, maaster."
Then I saw a strange-looking man who, as far as I could judge, might be
any age between fifty and seventy. I looked at him steadily for some
time. Somehow his face seemed familiar. I could not call to mind where I
had seen it, however. He had a long gray beard, while his hair was also
long and unkempt. His eyes shone with a wild brilliancy, and he seemed
to be always eagerly watching.
"Thank you for helping me," I said; "it was very good of you."
"Was it?" he replied. "Do you really think it was good of me?"
"It was, indeed," I responded. "I wish I could repay you somehow. Some
time I hope to have the power."
He looked at me eagerly.
"I'm glad you think it was good of me," he said; "so very glad. Will you
tell me something?"
"If I can I will," I replied.
"Do you think it possible that many good deeds--many, many, many--can
atone for wild, bad, murderous actions?"
"God takes everything into account," I replied.
"Do you think He does--do you? I'll tell you something," and he drew
closer to me. "Years ago--long years ago--oh! so long, so long!--well,
say I was a smuggler, a wrecker--oh, what you like! Well, say in
self-defence, in passion, in frenzy, I killed a King's officer--do you
think God will forgive me? And say, too, that since then I've roamed and
roamed, all over the world, always trying to do good deeds, kind
deeds--do you think God takes them into account?"
"I'm sure He does," I answered.
"I only wanted to know your opinion," he replied, as though trying to
speak carelessly. "Of course I only imagined a case, only imagined
it--that's all."
Now this kind of talk set me wondering about the man, and imagining who
he might be. Wildly as he looked, strangely as he spoke, curiously as he
was dressed, he still spoke like an educated man. I watched him as he
continued to cast glances around the cave, and I came to the conclusion
that he was mad. I opened my mouth to ask him questions, but the
remembrance that Eli might be able to tell me what I wanted to know
about the Tresidders restrained me.
"How did you know how to find me?" I asked of Eli. "Tell me everything
that happened since I left you that morning."
Eli, who had continued to look at me all the time I had been speaking to
the stranger, gave a start as I asked the question.
"Wondered why you did'n come back from Fammuth," he grunted, "so I went
and axed 'bout 'ee. Cudden vind out nothin'. Then I beginned to worm
around. I vound out that Neck Trezidder 'ad tould the passon not to cry
the banns at church. Then I got the new cook at Pennington to come to
mawther and 'ave 'er fortin tould; then mawther an' me wormed out oal
she knawed 'bout the things up to Pennington."
"What?" I asked, while all the time the strange man seemed to be eagerly
devouring Eli's words.
"The Trezidders and the purty maid ev quaruled about you."
"Are you sure?"
"Iss. Neck wanted the purty maid to marry un, and she wudden, and they
axed 'er 'bout you, and she wudden tell nothin'."
"How did the new cook know this?"
"She 'arkened at the door."
I did not feel then, neither do I feel now, that I did wrong in trying
to find out the actions of the Tresidders even by such means as this. My
heart was torn by a great anxiety, and my love for Naomi seemed to grow
every hour.
"Well, what then?"
"The cook cudden maake it oal out, but the purty maid axed to go to some
plaace called a convent."
"Ah! a convent--yes," I cried, my mind reverting back to the
conversation I had heard between Richard Tresidder and his son.
"Well, she went; tha's oal I do knaw 'bout she."
"You are sure?" I asked, eagerly.
Eli hung his head.
"Tell me is that all?" I gasped. "Tell me all you know--everything."
"Poor Jasper, deear Jasper!" crooned Eli, patting my hands. "Eli loves
Jasper."
"But tell me everything, Eli."
"You wa'ant go maazed?"
"No."
"Then I heerd she was dead; but I dunnaw. There, do'ant 'ee give way,
Maaster Jasper."
For a few seconds I was stunned, but I called to mind Nick's words, and
I was comforted; at any rate, there was hope.
"And the rest, Eli?" I asked. "How did you find out where I was?"
"It took me a long time. I went to Kynance, and I 'arkened round
Pennington, but I cudden 'eer nothin'. Then wawn day I seed Israel
Barnicoat talkin' with Maaster Trezidder, then I beginned to wonder."
"Yes; what then?"
"I tried to pump un, but I cudden."
"Well?"
"Then wawn day I got'n home to mawther's, and we maade un nearly drunk,
and then I vound out. He'd bin 'ired by Maaster Trezidder to taake 'ee
to Trevawse 'Ouse. Little by little I vound out where it was, then I
comed to 'ee."
I did not ask him any more questions. I knew nearly all he could tell me
now; besides, the presence of the stranger kept me from entering into
further details. My imagination filled up what was not related.
"Eli got summin to tell Maaster Jasper when we git aloane," grunted Eli
presently.
The man with whom I had been speaking walked out of the cave, and I
could not but think he had been brought up as a gentleman in spite of
his wild, unkempt appearance.
"What is it?" I asked. "Where is the convent to which Miss Penryn was
taken? Can you tell me that?"
"No, I ca'ant; ted'n 'bout that."
"What then?"
"You reckleck thicky night when you comed 'ome from say--that night when
mawther brought out the crock and brandis, and tould yer fortin?"
"Yes."
"And you do mind to that Cap'n Jack and Cap'n Billy Coad comed to 'ee?"
"I remember."
"Well, you eerd 'em axin mawther 'bout the saicret paaper that tould 'em
'bout a treasure?"
"Yes."
"Well"--and Eli put his mouth close to my ear--"I do knaw where thicky
paaper es. I've vound un out, an' saved un for Maaster Jasper."
"What do you mean?"
"Eli do love Maaster Jasper"--and again the poor gnome began fondling
and caressing my hands--"so Eli have wormed around and around, and ev
vound out where et es. Aw, aw, when Cap'n Jack an' Cap'n Billy cudden
vind et they ded swear they ded, but Eli do knaw, an' Eli'll give ut to
Maaster Jasper, 'ee will, then Maaster Jasper c'n pay 'em oal out. Turn
out Maaster Trezidder, my deear, and live at Pennington."
"Tell me more about it, Eli?" I cried.
"Hush, we mus'n tell nobody. Aw, aw!" and again the dwarf laughed
gleefully.
"There's no witchcraft, no wizard's charms about the treasure, is
there? It wasn't made in hell, was it?"
"No, no; tes oal right. Granfer Fraddam was once a pirut on the 'igh
says."
"Yes; I know he was once a pirate on the high seas, but what of that?"
"Well, he got the paaper from another pirut. Some do zay he ded kill un,
but that ed'n true. Well, 'ee got et."
"Yes; but if he got a paper telling where the treasure was, why did he
not take it away?"
"Well, Granfer cudden raid, fur wawn thing, and fur another, 'ee wos
feared."
"Afraid of what?"
"Several things. For wawn thing, he was tould that 'twas onlucky to git
a treasure that was got through killin' people; but that wudden stop
Granfer, I do knaw."
"Then what was it?"
"Well, Granfer cudden raid the direckshuns, and 'ee cud never maake up
his mind to shaw et to anybody that cud. Now, they do zay that when 'ee
talked 'bout et 'ee was awful feared. He zed ef 'ee shawed et to anybody
they'd kill un. I spoase Granfer was a wisht ould man after 'ee 'ad a
accident, and was too ould to live out to say. He repented and turned
religious. That was why 'ee ded'n do nothin' but smugglin'. Well, so 'ee
did eed away the paper wot 'ee got from the man, and waited till 'ee cud
vind somebody to trust. But he cudden vind nobody--nobody toal. Besides,
everybody was frad to 'ave anything to do wi' Granfer. People did
believe 'ee was a wizard, and 'ad dailins weth the devil. Mawther do
zay that nobody would go out mor'n seven mile out to say weth Granfer."
"And where is this paper?"
"Aw, aw. I vound out I did. Granfer tould mawther, and mawther did tell
me. I vound et, and did eed it in another plaace. Aw, aw, you shud a
eerd Cap'n Jack and Cap'n Billy swear when they cudden vind et. Aw, aw.
But I did love Maaster Jasper, and I'll take 'ee to et, Maaster Jasper,
my deear."
All the time Eli was speaking he kept fondling my hands and caressing
me, just as a man would caress a maid whom he loves.
"But does your mother know what you have done?"
"No, she doan't. She do believe it have been sperrited away."
"Spirited away; what do you mean?"
"Mawther do knaw. Aw, aw. But she ed'n right this time, and yet she is
oal the time."
As I have before mentioned, it was no uncommon thing to hear about
hidden treasures along our coast. Indeed, from earliest childhood I have
heard of gangs of pirates burying treasures in many of our secret
hiding-places; so common were such stories that we had ceased to pay
attention to them. Consequently I had given but little attention to the
conversation I had heard between Cap'n Jack and Betsey, neither did I
attach much value to what Eli had been telling me. If such a treasure
existed, and if Granfer Fraddam knew of it, he would have found means to
have obtained it. I knew that during Granfer Fraddam's later years he
was said to have tried to get religion, and wanted very hard to break
away from a compact he made with the evil one in his young days. There
were also stories telling how he pleaded with Betsey to give up all
connection with witchcraft, and that because she would not agree to this
he died in his secret cave rather than have her near him. But all these
were stories to which I, who had had a fair amount of schooling, had
paid but little attention.
Besides, at this time I was thinking about the sweet maid that I loved
rather than the treasure that Eli spoke about. What were treasures to me
if she were dead? What was Pennington, the home of my fathers even, if
she had been slowly killed by the Tresidder brood? I asked myself many
times what Nick Tresidder had meant by his words; I wondered, too, where
the convent was in which she had been placed, and as I wondered my heart
was torn with anguish, for all the world was nothing to me without
Naomi.
And so for a long time I did not talk to Eli concerning that about which
he had spoken. I seemed rather to be eating my heart away, and almost
wished that I had died when I had plunged into the sea a few hours
before, for what could I do? Where was the convent in which she was
placed? How could I get to her? And if I tried, what steps would the
Tresidders take to hinder me? From the fact that Nick Tresidder had come
to Trevose, would it not suggest that he had come to claim the land as
his? And would he not take steps even now to get me out of the way?
These and a hundred other questions I asked myself, until my brain
became weary again, and my heart was sick with disappointment, sorrow,
and despair.
"Will Maaster Jasper go with poor little Eli?" grunted my companion
presently. "I knaw where the paper es, Maaster Jasper. 'Tes covered weth
ritin' and funny lines; but Maaster Jasper es clever, he can vind et
out. Spanish money, Maaster Jasper--'eaps and 'eaps ov et. You could buy
back Pennington, Maaster Jasper, and pay out the Trezidders--pay 'em
out; iss, an' turn 'em out, neck and crop!"
Why is it, I wonder, that the human heart turns so naturally to revenge?
In my despair it came to me as a comfort, this thought of driving the
Tresidders from Pennington. For the moment I became eager about Eli's
story of the treasure, and asked many questions--foolish as the whole
business might be--as to what Granfer Fraddam had told his mother, and
what she had told him.
After a while I remembered the man who had been our companion, and I
sent Eli to try and find him.
When Eli had gone I examined my clothes and found them dry. So I put
them on, wondering all the time as to whose they might be, and who had
worn them prior to the time the man had given them to me.
No sooner had I finished dressing than Eli and the man came in. I
thought the latter looked more calm and self-possessed. He brought some
bread, too, and some salted fish. Then for the first time I saw some
simple cooking utensils in the cave.
"Have you been living in this cave?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied; "I have been living here for a month. But you are
welcome. I want to do good deeds if I may. I want to atone."
"Have you done anything so bad, then," I asked, "else why do you wish to
atone?"
He looked at me eagerly for a few seconds; then, without speaking, he
put two pans on the fire, first of all filling them with water. After
this he placed the fish in one of the pans, and waited while the water
boiled.
"What is your name, young man?" he asked presently.
"Jasper Pennington."
"Of Pennington?"
"Yes; what do you know about it?"
"I knew of a family of that name long years ago. Pennington of
Pennington. Why are you in this plight?"
"Because I have been robbed of my birthright," I replied, bitterly.
"By whom?"
"The Tresidder family."
"The Tresidder family--ah!" He said this with great bitterness and
passion. After a few seconds he grew calm again. "And have you sought to
be revenged?"
"I have sought rather to win back my own. But what do you know of the
Tresidders?"
"Nothing--oh, nothing, nothing, nothing! What could I, a poor
shipwrecked sailor, know about a great family?" This he said hurriedly,
almost fearfully, I thought. Presently he continued, "And you have done
no rash deeds, Jasper Pennington?"
"No."
"You have not killed any of their men, their women?"
"No; not yet."
"Oh, be careful. Do you know"--and he heaped some driftwood on the
fire--"that one moment of madness drives a man to hell? I've been in
hell now for--oh, nigh upon twenty years. Hell, Jasper Pennington, a
burning hell! Suffer anything, anything rather than--than--oh, it's
nothing. I'm only imagining still; but there--" And he became silent
again.
In spite of my many doubts and fears I became interested in the man, and
I watched him closely.
"Look, Jasper Pennington," he said presently, "anything got through
evil, through bloodshed, through murder carries a curse with it. I've
had the curse of Cain upon me now for many a year. I have been a
wanderer on the face of the earth, but I have kept my eyes open.
Everywhere it has been the same. Blood money, hate money, money evilly
got, always carries a curse. Don't touch it, don't touch it! It does not
burn the hands--oh, but it burns the heart, the soul! Oh, I have seen! I
know!"
"But supposing your father had his home stolen from him by lies,
treachery, fraud--suppose your father said to you with his dying breath,
'Get back that land; it is yours, it is your birthright, your true
possession,' what would you do?"
"Jasper Pennington, there be other birthrights than those of law--there
be those of God. There is the birthright of clean, bloodless hands and a
pure heart; there is the birthright of an easy conscience, and the power
to pray! It is more than money."
"You do not know everything," I said, "or you would speak differently."
"I not know!" he cried; "I not know! My God! my God!"
For a few seconds I thought him mad again, but presently he became calm.
"The food is ready," he said; "we will eat of it. I got it from a
cottage yonder. After we have eaten you may like to tell me all about
yourself. Perchance I could help you; perchance, too, I am not what I
seem."
Something about the man charmed me. As I have mentioned, he spoke
correctly, and in spite of his strange attire he looked like a
gentleman. So when I had eaten I told him my story.
"Is that all?" he said, when I had finished. "There is something else.
Your eyes would never shine so at the thought of being robbed of lands."
"Yes, there is more," I cried, for I had not told him of my love; and
then--and I wondered at myself as I did so--I told him of my love for
Naomi, but only in barest outline. I did not tell her name, I did not
speak of her as coming from Trevose, I did not relate how Richard
Tresidder hoped through her to gain Trevose.
When I had finished he sat for many minutes looking steadfastly into the
fire, while his eyes grew as red as the red coals into which he looked.
"You have not told me all yet, Jasper Pennington," he said; "there is
much behind. Why do you think they have ill-treated if not killed the
fair maid you love? Why should they seek to put her into the convent?
Ay, more, how and by what right were you taken to yon house on the
cliffs? Tell me that, Jasper Pennington."
He spoke slowly, but with terrible intensity, and for a moment a feeling
which I cannot describe passed through my heart.
"There is something else, Jasper Pennington," he continued. "What is the
name of the fair maid you love, and whose child is she?"
On saying this he caught my hand with a hard, tight grasp, and looked
eagerly into my eyes.