The Hot Swamp
Page 42
faith, Beniah, ina divided command. My men work together and feed together and playtogether and sleep together, united in the one object of carrying outthe grand designs of Prince Bladud, while I, as the superintendent ofthe work, see to it that the work is properly done. Nothing could bemore simple or satisfactory."
"Or more amazing," added Beniah, as they walked by the margin of a hotrivulet. "I could scarcely have known the Swamp had I not recognisedits beautiful surroundings."
"Just so; it is all, as I have said, the result of union, which I holdto be the very foundation of human power, for united action is strong,"said the captain, with enthusiasm, as he originated the idea which,years afterwards, became the familiar proverb, "Union is Strength."
"Most true, O mariner," returned Beniah, "your wisdom reminds me of oneof our kings who wrote many of our wisest sayings."
"Ah, wise sayings have their value, undoubtedly," returned Arkal, "butcommend me to wise doings. Look here, now, at the clever way in whichBladud has utilised this bush-covered knoll. It is made to divide thisrivulet in two, so that one branch, as you see, fills this pond, whichis intended for the male population of the place, while the other branchfills another pond--not in sight at present--intended for the women.Then, you see that large pond away to the left, a considerable distancefrom the fountain-head--that is supplied by a very small stream of thehot water, so that it soon becomes quite cold, and branch rivulets fromthe cold pond to the hot ponds cool them down till they are bearable.It took six days to fill up the cold pond."
"We have not yet got the booths made for the women to dress in,"continued the captain, "for we have no women yet in our settlement; butyou see what convenient ones we have set up for the men."
"But surely," said the Hebrew, looking round with interest, "you havefar more hot water than you require."
"Yes, much more."
"What, then, do you do with the surplus?"
"We just let it run into the swamp at present, as it has always done,but we are digging a big drain to carry it off into the river. Then,when the swamp is dry, we will plant eatable things in it, and perhapsset up more booths and huts and dig more baths. Thus, in course oftime--who knows?--we may have a big town here, and King Hudibras himselfmay condescend to lave his royal limbs in our waters."
"That may well be," returned the Hebrew thoughtfully. "The Hot Springis a good gift from the All-seeing One, and if it cures others as it hascured Prince Bladud, I should not wonder to see the people of the wholeland streaming to the place before long. But have you given up allthought of returning to your native land, Arkal? Do you mean to settlehere?"
"Nay, verily--that be far from me! Have I not a fair wife in Hellas,who is as the light of mine eyes; and a little son who is as the plagueof my life? No, I shall return home once more to fetch my wife andchild here--then I shall have done with salt water for ever, and devotemyself to hot water in time to come."
"A wise resolve, no doubt," said Beniah, "and in keeping with all yourother doings."
"See," interrupted Arkal, "there is the river and the women's bath, andthe big drain that I spoke of."
He pointed to a wide ditch extending from the swamp towards the river.It had been cut to within a few yards of the latter, and all the men ofthe place were busily engaged with primitive picks, spades, and shovels,in that harmonious unity of action of which the captain had expressedsuch a high opinion.
A few more yards of cutting, and the ditch, or drain, would becompleted, when the waters of the swamp would be turned into it. Thosewaters had been banked up at the head of the drain and formed a lake ofconsiderable size, which, when the neck of land separating it from thedrain should be cut, would rush down the artificial channel anddisappear in the river.
Engineering in those days, however, had not been studied--at least inAlbion--to the extent which now prevails in England. The neck of landwas not equal to the pressure brought to bear on it, and while thecaptain and his friend were looking at it, there appeared symptoms whichcaused the former some anxiety.
At that moment Konar the hunter came up. Although attached to thesettlement as hunter, he had agreed to take his turn with the diggers,for the water accumulated in the lake so fast that the work had to bedone rapidly, and every available man at the place was pressed into theservice. The overseer himself, even, lent a hand occasionally.
"I don't like the look of the lower part of that neck," he remarked tothe hunter.
Konar was a man of few words. By way of reply he laid aside his bow anddescended the bank to examine the weak point. He was still engaged inthe investigation and bending over a moist spot, when the entire mass ofearth gave way and the waters burst into the drain with a gush and aroar quite indescribable. Konar was swept away instantly as if he hadbeen a feather. Arkal and Beniah sprang down the bank to hisassistance, and were themselves nearly swept into the flood which hadswallowed up the hunter, but Konar was not quite gone. Another momentand his legs appeared above the flood, then his head turned up, and thenthe raging waters tossed him as if contemptuously on a projecting spitof bank, where he lay half in and half out of the torrent.
In a moment both Arkal and the Hebrew were at the spot, seized thehunter by an arm, the neck of his coat, and the hair of his head, anddrew him out of danger; but no sign of life did the poor man exhibit ashe lay there on the grass.
Meanwhile the energetic labourers at the lower end of the drain heardthe turmoil and stood motionless with surprise, but were unable to seewhat caused it, owing to a thick bush which intervened. Another momentand they stood aghast, for, round the corner of the only bend in thedrain, there appeared a raging head of foam, with mud, grass, sticks,stones, and rubbish on its crest, bearing down on them like arace-horse.
With a yell that was as fully united as their method of work, the menscrambled out of the drain and rushed up the bank, exhibiting a unity ofpurpose that must have gladdened the heart of Captain Arkal. And theywere not a moment too soon, for the last man was caught by the flood,and would have been swept away but for the promptitude of his fellows.
"H'm! it has saved you some work, lads," observed the captain, with atouch of grave irony as he pointed to the portion of the bank on whichthey had been engaged. He was right. The flood had not only overleapedthis, but had hollowed it out and swept it clean away into the river--thus accomplishing effectively in ten minutes what would have probablyrequired the labour of several hours.
On carrying Konar up to the village of the Swamp--afterwards Swamptown,later Aquae Sulis, ultimately Bath--which had already begun to grow onthe nearest height, they found that Bladud and his party had justarrived from the last of the searching expeditions.
"What! Beniah?" exclaimed the prince, when the Hebrew met him. "Youhave soon returned to us. Is all well at home?"
"All is well. I am sent on a mission to you, but that is not so urgentas the case of Konar."
As he spoke the young men laid the senseless form on the ground.Bladud, at once dismissing all other subjects from his mind, examinedhim carefully, while Brownie snuffed at him with sympathetic interest.
"He lives, and no bones are broken," said the prince, looking up after afew minutes; "here, some of you, go fetch hot water and pour it on him;then rub him dry; cover him up and let him rest. He has only beenstunned. And let us have something to eat, Arkal. We are ravenous aswolves, having had scarce a bite since morning."
"You come in good time," replied the captain. "Our evening meal is justready."
"Come along, then, let us to work. You will join us, Beniah, and tellme the object of your mission while we eat."
The men of old may not have been epicures, but there can be no questionthat they were tremendous eaters. No doubt, living as they did,constantly in fresh air, having no house drains or gas, and beingblessed with superabundant exercise, their appetites were keen and theircapacities great. For at least ten minutes after the evening mealbegan, Bladud, Arkal, Dromas, little Maikar, and the Hebrew, were asdumb and
as busy as Brownie. They spake not a single word--except thatonce the prince took a turkey drumstick from between his teeth to lookup and repeat, "All well at home, you say?" To which Beniah, checkingthe course of a great wooden spoon to his lips, replied, "All well."
There was roast venison at that feast, and roast turkey and roast hare,and plover and ducks of various kinds, all roasted, and nothing whateverboiled, except some sorts of green vegetables, the names of which have,unfortunately, not been handed down to us, though we have the strongestground for believing that they were boiled in earthenware pots--for, inrecent excavations in Bath, vessels of that description have been foundamong the traces of the most ancient civilisation.
"Now," said the prince, wiping his mouth