The Admirable Lady Biddy Fane

by Frank Barrett

  CHAPTER LIV.

  WE PART COMPANY WITH OUR RIGHT GOOD FRIEND PENNYFARDEN, TO OUR COMMONSORROW.

  In the morning I told Matthew that I had resolved to abandon my designof staying amongst the Ingas, which he assured me he was heartily gladto hear.

  "For," says he, "the more you have praised the scheme and enlarged uponit, the more difficulties and dangers I have perceived, till, to tellyou the truth, I have more than once wished myself at Gilkicker before Iever put such a notion into your head. For look you, master, a man maybe thrown from his horse in a twinkling, but it takes him a plaguy longtime to catch the steed and get up in the saddle again. Whereby, ifthese Ingas have been a matter of a century or two sinking into theirpresent condition, we may safely argue that we should be pretty oldbefore we restored them to their former estate. In the mean while, as itseems to be the fashion all the world over to cut your king's head offas soon as he grows tiresome, we should have stood in a fair way to goto the block whenever we ventured to improve the condition of ourpeople. You will say that this is a trifling matter to a man under thesacred call of duty (though for my own part I'd as soon have my head cutoff with a knife as die abed of a colic), yet it won't do to be carriedaway by our own views of pleasure: we must consider, as doubtless youhave, that we have a female on our hands, and ought to avoid placing herin an awkward position."

  I believe the fellow would have run on in this fashion half an hour;but, cutting him short, I bade him tell the Ingas at once of ourdecision, and this he presently did.

  They heard him out patiently, but whether they were cast down or not byour refusal to join in their enterprise we could not judge, for theysuffer themselves to betray no sentiment which may detract from theirmanhood, and count all expressions of joy and sorrow as a weakness onlyfit for women and children. And it seems they do in all things shapetheir conduct (as far as they may) in keeping with the carriage of theirgod, the Sun; for when Matthew told them we hoped our refusal would nothinder them from putting us on our way to reach the Baraquan, the chiefreplied that they had given their promise to do so, and would not gofrom their word.

  "For," says he, lifting his hand, "does the Sun cease to complete hiscourse because of a chilling cloud? He gets to his height, and theclouds part; he goes his way and looks back kindly on the golden streakwhich was an inky cloud. Should we be worthy children to disregard ourfather's teaching?"

  "This is well for us," says Matthew, when he had translated this speech;"for if these fellows, instead of following their deity, were guided bytheir devil--as are nine-tenths of the rest of humanity--we should be ina pretty pickle."

  We reached the Ingas' village about midday, which was naught but abarren piece of ground fenced about with stakes at a little distancefrom the river, and screened from observation by a thick growth of treesand bushes. Their nets hung between trees, and half a dozen canoes layready to be carried to the water. These, with a beggarly account of potsand vessels made of gourds, constituted all their belongings.

  The men met each other with forced composure, the victors showing nosign of triumph, and those of the village none of envy, and yet it wasclear to see as they handled the arquebuses, examined the stores carriedby the mules, and regarded the captured slaves and ourselves, that theyregarded this foray as no small matter. Until the men had done talkingtogether, the women stood apart in silence, not daring to approach theirlords before they were bidden; but it was touching to see how they stoodthere, taking no heed of us or of each other, but watching their menwith eager, loving eyes, ready to dart forward at the first permittingsignal.

  "How do they justify this treatment of their women, Matthew?" says I."The Sun shines on men and women alike; but here the poor souls are leftin the shade."

  "Their turn will come," says he; "and 'tis clear by the faces of thewomen that they are loved. As for justification, I have no doubt theywill tell you that the Sun touches first the mountain-tops, and descendsafterwards to the little hills; and for that matter--with all respect toyour ladyship" (giving a scrape to Lady Biddy)--"I doubt if the femaleshave any reason to complain; for I have observed that those who dwell inhigh places, though they get more observation and admiration than othersdo, have but a chilly time of it, while they who hold a moderate heightenjoy an agreeable warmth. Hows'mever," says he, "let us leave 'em tothemselves awhile, for I see they are going to hold a meeting, and weshall do well to lay our heads together likewise."

  I had not left my Lady Biddy's side in descending the mountain, butMatthew had walked three parts of the way conversing with the Ingas, andfor the fourth part had fallen behind us and walked in silence, whence Igathered there was something weighty on his mind. And so it presentlyappeared, for as soon as we were seated together on that part of theenclosure where the canoes lay, he began as follows:

  "I have been questioning the Ingas, your ladyship, about getting downthe Oronoque," says he, "and it seems to me a more hopeful business thanwhen we first looked at it, thanks be to God. If I have not been quiteso chatty as I used to be, and look a little bit chop-fallen at thispresent, I do beg you to believe it is not by reason of anything theIngas have told me, but on another account. When you reach the RiverMeta they will obtain a canoe from a friendly tribe that dwells there,and furnish you with store of things necessary to your journey; andalso, by means of cut sticks, which pass among them for letters, theywill give you the means of securing help from other tribes that you maymeet with. And with their help I doubt not but you will come safe to themouth of the Oronoque."

  "But, Matthew," says I, "you speak as if you were not coming with us.Have you the heart to leave us after sharing our fortunes thus far?"

  "Lord love you, master, no. I haven't the heart to leave you, and that'sthe fact," says he, with a wry face and a scratch of his head. "There'snothing in the world would please me better than to go this journey withyou, for I do love you with all my soul. But the best things in thisworld are put here for us to look at and not to have, and we must put upwith what we can get, and be grateful to Providence it's no worse. 'Tisin this way, your ladyship. At the mouth of the Oronoque you would be asbadly off as you are here, if there was no one there to meet you; nay,worse, for here you have friends, and there you would stand a chance offinding naught but enemies, wherefore I design to go down this river toCartagena, or elsewhere, as may be expedient, and thence go in quest ofyour uncle, that he may come up the Oronoque to meet you. 'Tis but achance that I find him, to be sure; yet help of some kind I will bringto you by hook or by crook, I warrant, and certain am I that I may serveyou better in this manner than in any other, or I could not screw up mycourage to part."

  "Nay," says Lady Biddy, "why should we part? Can not we all descend toCartagena?"

  "No, your ladyship," says he, with a rueful shake of his head. "Yourface marks you out for observation; your speech would betray us, and weshould be undone."

  "But how can we consent to let you run a risk that we dare notencounter?" says she.

  "Alone my risk is small," says he, "for, as Master Benet knows, I have afamous preservative against the touch of Portugals in certain berriesthat produce a distemper of my skin, which will serve my turn to amarvel at this season when pestilence is rife. I pray you, do not thinkof me, but only of yourself; or if your generous disposition will notsuffer that, then think of your poor uncle and friends, to whom yourabsence must be torture, and so let me go my way with furtherdiscussion."

  However, we could not thus suddenly agree to this project, and rackedour invention to devise some better expedient; but there was none, andso were we forced at length to yield to his going, but with bitterregret, for we stood in need of a friend, and sure no man was ever amore cheerful, sensible, and devoted comrade than our poor Matthew.

  When the time came for him to depart, the Ingas made him a handsomepresent of a canoe, stored with dried flesh (which they call _buccan_),cassavy bread, etc., besides one of the Portugal's swords and a goodknife; and Lady Biddy gave him a little chain she wore a
bout her neck asa token; but I had nothing to give him, save a paltry brass tobacco-box,which I had managed to keep through all my accidents; but I do think hewas as well pleased to have this as if it had been a purse of a thousandcrowns.

  When he pushed off from the shore into the midst of the current he wavedhis hat and cried to us "Farewell" very cheerily, yet I knew by my ownfeeling that his heart was sore. And we cried to him "Farewell" ashappily as we could, but I could not see him presently for the tearsthat came into my eyes. "As like as not," says I to myself, "we shallnever meet again."

  Then Lady Biddy, seeing my dejection, slips her hand through my arm insilence, to remind me that I had yet a friend; whereupon my heart leaptfrom despondency to joy, and I thought, "What matters it if all theworld be lost so that this dear soul is left to me?" Yet I felt the morethat night for poor Matthew, because he had no such comfort in thecheerless, lonely wilds.