The Lifeboat

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER EIGHT.

  THE LIVING LEFT AMONG THE DEAD--A WILD CHASE ON A WILD NIGHT STOPPED BYA GHOST.

  On turning the corner of one of those houses on the beach of Deal whichstand so close to the sea that in many cases they occupy common groundwith the boats, Tommy found himself suddenly close to a group of men,one of whom, a very tall man, was addressing the others in an excitedtone.

  "I'll tell 'ee wot it is, lads, let's put 'im in a sack an' leave him inthe Great Chapel Field to cool hisself." [The "Great Chapel Field" wasthe name formerly applied by the boatmen to Saint George's Churchyard.]

  "Sarve him right, the beggar," said another man, with a low laugh, "he'sspoilt our game many a night. What say, boys? heave 'im shoulder high?"

  The proposal was unanimously agreed to, and the party went towards anobject which lay recumbent on the ground, near to one of those largecapstans which are used on this part of the Kentish coast to haul up theboats. The object turned out to be a man, bound hand and foot, and witha handkerchief tied round the mouth to insure silence. Tommy was sonear that he had no difficulty in recognising in this unfortunate theperson of old Coleman, the member of the coast-guard who had been mostsuccessful in thwarting the plans of the smugglers for some years past.Rendered somewhat desperate by his prying disposition, they had seizedhim on this particular night, during a scuffle, and were now about todispose of him in a time-honoured way.

  Tommy also discovered that the coast-guard-man's captors were LongOrrick, Rodney Nick, and a few more of his boatmen acquaintances. Hewatched them with much interest as they enveloped Coleman's burly figurein a huge sack, tied it over his head, and, raising him on theirshoulders bore him away.

  Tommy followed at a safe distance, but he soon stopped, observing thattwo of the party had fallen behind the rest, engaged apparently inearnest conversation. They stood still a few minutes under the lee of alow-roofed cottage. Tommy crept as close to them as possible andlistened.

  "Come, Rodney Nick," said one of the two, whose height proclaimed him tobe Long Orrick, "a feller can't talk in the teeth o' sich a gale asthis. Let's stand in the lee o' this old place here, and I'll tell yein two minits wot I wants to do. You see that old sinner Jeph refusespint-blank to let me use his `hide;' he's become such a hypocrite thathe says he won't encourage smugglin'."

  "Well, wot then?" inquired Rodney Nick.

  "W'y, I means to _make_ 'im give in," returned Long Orrick.

  "An' s'pose he won't give in?" suggested Rodney.

  "Then I'll cut his throat," replied Orrick, fiercely.

  "Then I'll have nothin' to do with it."

  "Stop!" cried the other, seizing his comrade by the arm as he wasturning to go away. "A feller might as well try to joke with a jackassas with you. In coorse I don't mean _that_; but I'll threaten the oldhypocrite and terrify him till he's half dead, and _then_ he'll givein."

  "He's a frail old man," said Rodney; "suppose he should die withfright?"

  "Then let him die!" retorted Long Orrick.

  "Humph; and s'pose he can't be terrified?"

  "Oh! get along with yer s'posin'. Will ye go or will ye not? that's thequestion, as Shukspere's ghost said to the Hemperer o' Sweden."

  "Just you an' me?" inquired Rodney.

  "Ain't we enough for an old man?"

  "More nor enough," replied Rodney, with a touch of sarcasm in his tone,"if the old boy han't got friends with him. Don't ye think Bax mighthave took a fancy to spend the night there?"

  "No," said Long Orrick; "Bax is at supper in Sandhill Cottage, and _he_ain't the man to leave good quarters in a hurry. But if yer afraid,we'll go with our chums to the churchyard and take them along with us."

  Rodney Nick laughed contemptuously, but made no reply, and the twoimmediately set off at a run to overtake their comrades. Tommy Bogeyfollowed as close at their heels as he prudently could. They reachedthe walls of Saint George's Church, or the "Great Chapel," almost at thesame moment with the rest of the party.

  The form of the old church could be dimly seen against the tempestuoussky as the smugglers halted under the lee of the churchyard wall like aband of black ghosts that had come to lay one of their defunct comrades,on a congenial night.

  At the north end of the burying-ground of Saint George's Church there isa spot of ground which is pointed out to visitors as being the lastresting-place of hundreds of the unfortunate men who fell in thesea-fights of our last war with France. A deep and broad trench was dugright across the churchyard, and here the gallant tars were laid inghastly rows, as close together as they could be packed. Near to thisspot stands the tomb of one of Lord Nelson's young officers, and besideit grows a tree against which Nelson is said to have leaned when heattended the funeral.

  It was just a few yards distant from this tree that the smugglers scaledthe wall and lifted over the helpless body of poor Coleman. They did itexpeditiously and in dead silence. Carrying him into the centre of theyard, they deposited the luckless coast-guard-man flat on his backbeside the tomb of George Philpot, a man who had done good service inhis day and generation--if headstones are to be believed. Theinscription, which may still be seen by the curious, runs thus:--

  A TRIBUTE TO THE SKILL AND DETERMINED COURAGE OF THE BOATMEN OF DEAL, AND IN MEMORY OF GEORGE PHILPOT, WHO DIED MARCH 22, 1850.

  "FULL MANY LIVES HE SAVED WITH HIS UNDAUNTED CREW; HE PUT HIS TRUST IN PROVIDENCE, AND CARED NOT HOW IT BLEW."

  In the companionship of such noble dead, the smugglers left Coleman tohis fate, and set off to finish their night's work at old Jeph's humblecottage.

  Tommy Bogey heard them chuckle as they passed the spot where he layconcealed behind a tombstone, and he was sorely tempted to spring upwith an unearthly yell, well knowing that the superstitious boatmenwould take him for one risen from the dead, and fly in abject terrorfrom the spot; but recollecting the importance of discretion in the workwhich now devolved on him, he prudently restrained himself.

  The instant they were over the wall Tommy was at Coleman's side. Hefelt the poor man shudder, and heard him gasp as he cut the rope thattied the mouth of the sack; for Coleman knew well the spot to which theyhad conveyed him, and his face, when it became visible, was ghastlywhite and covered with a cold sweat caused by the belief that he wasbeing opened out for examination by some inquisitive but unearthlyvisitor.

  "It's only me," said Tommy with an involuntary laugh. "Hold on, I'llset you free in no time."

  "Hah!" coughed Coleman when the kerchief was removed from his mouth,"wot a 'orrible sensation it is to be choked alive!"

  "It would be worse to be choked dead," said Tommy.

  "Cut the lines at my feet first, lad," said Coleman, "they've a'mostsawed through my ankle bones. There, that's it now, help me to git upan' shake myself."

  A few minutes elapsed before he recovered the full use of his benumbedlimbs. During this period, the boy related all he had heard, and urgedhis companion to "look alive." But Coleman required no urging. Themoment he became aware of what was going on he felt for his cutlass,which the smugglers had not taken the trouble to remove, and, slappingTommy on the back, stumbled among the tombs and over the graves towardsthe wall, which he vaulted with a degree of activity that might haverendered a young man envious. Tommy followed like a squirrel, and in avery few minutes more they were close at the heels of Long Orrick andhis friends.

  While they hurried on in silence and with cautious tread Coleman maturedhis plans. It was absolutely necessary that the utmost circumspectionshould be used, for a man and a boy could not hope to succeed incapturing six strong men.

  "Run, Tommy, to the beach and fetch a friend or two. There are sure tobe two of the guard within hail."

  Tommy was off, as he himself would have said, like a shot, and ongaining
the beach almost ran into the arms of a young coast-guard-mannamed Supple Rodger, to whom he breathlessly told his tale.

  "Stop, I'll call out the guard," said Rodger, drawing a pistol from thebreast-pocket of his overcoat. But Tommy prevented him, explained thatit was very desirable to catch the villains in the very act of breakinginto old Jeph's cottage, and hurried him away.

  At the back of the cottage they found Coleman calmly observing theproceedings of the smugglers, one of whom was calling in a hoarsewhisper through the keyhole. Apparently he received no reply, for heswore angrily a good deal, and said to his comrades more than once, "Ido b'lieve the old sinner's dead."

  "Come, I'll burst in the door," said the voice of Long Orrick, savagely.

  The words were followed by a crash; and the trampling of feet in thepassage proved that the slender fastenings of the door had given way.

  "Now, lads," cried Coleman, "have at 'em!"

  He struck a species of port-fire, or bluelight, against the wall as hespoke; it sprang into a bright flame, and the three friends rushed intothe cottage.

  The smugglers did not wait to receive them. Bursting the fastenings ofthe front window Long Orrick leaped out into the street. Supple Rodgerdashed aside the man who was about to follow and leaped after him likean avenging spirit. All the men but two were over the window beforeColeman gained it. He seized the man who was in the act of leaping bythe collar, but the treacherous garment gave way, and in a moment thesmuggler was gone, leaving only a rag in Coleman's grasp.

  Meanwhile Tommy flung himself down in front of the only man who nowremained, as he made a dash for the window. The result was that the mantumbled over the boy and fell to the ground. Having accomplished thisfeat, Tommy leaped up and sprang through the window to aid in the chase.As the smuggler rose, the disappointed Coleman turned round, flourishedthe rag in the air with a shout of defiance, and hit his opponentbetween the eyes with such force as to lay him a second time flat on thefloor. A fierce struggle now ensued, during which the light wasextinguished. The alarmed neighbours found them there, a few minuteslater, writhing in each other's arms, and punching each other's headsdesperately; Coleman, however, being uppermost.

  When Tommy Bogey leaped over the window, as has been described, all thesmugglers had disappeared, and he was at a loss what to do; but thefaint sound of quick steps at the north end of the street led him to runat the top of his speed in that direction. Tommy was singularly fleetof foot. He ran so fast on this occasion that he reached the end of thestreet before the fugitive had turned into the next one. He sawdistinctly that two men were running before him, and, concluding thatthey were Long Orrick and Supple Rodger, he did his best to keep them inview.

  Long Orrick and his pursuer were well matched as to speed. Both weregood runners; but the former was much the stronger man. Counting onthis he headed for the wild expanse of waste ground lying to the northof Deal, already mentioned as the sand hills.

  Here he knew that there would be no one to interfere between him and hisantagonist.

  Tommy Bogey thought of this too, as he sped along, and wondered not alittle at the temerity of Supple Rodger in thus, as it were, placinghimself in the power of his enemy. He chuckled, however, as he ran, atthe thought of being there to render him assistance to the best of hispower. "Ha!" thought he, "for Long Orrick to wollop Supple Rodger outon the sandhills is _one_ thing; but for Long Orrick to wallop SuppleRodger with me dancin' round him like a big wasp is quite anotherthing!"

  Tommy came, as he thought thus, upon an open space of ground on whichwere strewn spare anchors and chain cables. Tumbling over a fluke ofone of the former he fell to the earth with a shock that well-nigh droveall the wind out of his stout little body. He was up in a moment,however, and off again.

  Soon the three were coursing over the downs like hares. It wasdifficult running, for the ground was undulating and broken, besidesbeing covered in a few places with gorse, and the wind and rain beat sofiercely on their faces as almost to blind them.

  About a mile or so beyond the ruins of Sandown Castle there is an oldinn, called the "Checkers of the Hope," or "The Checkers," named after,it is said, and corrupted from, "Chaucer's Inn" at Canterbury. Itstands in the midst of the solitary waste; a sort of half-way housebetween the towns of Sandwich and Deal; far removed from either,however, and quite beyond earshot of any human dwelling. This, so saysreport, was a celebrated resort of smugglers in days gone by, and of menof the worst character; and as one looks at the irregular old buildingstanding, one might almost say unreasonably, in that wild place, onecannot help feeling that it must have been the scene of many a savagerevelry and many a deed of darkness in what are sometimes styled "thegood old times."

  Some distance beyond this, farther into the midst of the sandhills,there is a solitary tombstone; well known, both by tradition and by theinscription upon it, as "Mary Bax's tomb."

  Here Long Orrick resolved to make a stand; knowing that no shout thatRodger might give vent to could reach the Checkers in the teeth of sucha gale.

  The tale connected with poor Mary Bax is brief and very sad. She livedabout the end of the last century, and was a young and beautiful girl.Having occasion to visit Deal, she set out one evening on her solitarywalk across the bleak sandhills. Here she was met by a brutal foreignseaman, a Lascar, who had deserted from one of the ships then lying inthe Downs. This monster murdered the poor girl and threw her body intoa ditch that lies close to the spot on which her tomb now stands. Thedeed, as may well be supposed, created great excitement in Deal and theneighbourhood; for Mary Bax, being young, beautiful, and innocent, waswell known and much loved.

  There was, at the time this murder was perpetrated, a youth named JohnWinter, who was a devoted admirer of poor Mary. He was much youngerthan she, being only seventeen, while she was twenty-three. He becamealmost mad when he heard of the murder. A little brother of JohnWinter, named David, happened to be going to the Checkers' Inn at thetime the murder was committed and witnessed it. He ran instantly to hisbrother to tell him what he had seen. It was chiefly through theexertions of these two that the murderer was finally brought to justice.

  John Winter rested neither night nor day until he tracked the Lascardown, and David identified him. He was hanged on a gallows erectedclose to the spot where he murdered his innocent victim. On the exactspot where the murder took place Mary's grave was dug, and a tombstonewas put up, which may be seen there at the present time, with thefollowing inscription upon it:--

  ON THIS SPOT, AUGUST THE 25TH 1782, MARY BAX, SPINSTER, AGED 23 YEARS, WAS MURDERED BY MARTIN LASH, A FOREIGNER, WHO WAS EXECUTED FOR THE SAME.

  Poor John Winter left the country immediately after, and did not returnuntil thirty years had elapsed, when the event was forgotten, and mostof his old friends and companions were dead or gone abroad. His littlebrother David was drowned at sea.

  This Mary Bax was cousin to the father of John Bax, who figures soconspicuously in our tale.

  At the tomb of Mary Bax, then, as we have said, Long Orrick resolved tomake a stand. Tommy Bogey had, by taking a short cut round a piece ofmarshy ground, succeeded in getting a little in advance of Orrick, and,observing that he was running straight towards the tombstone, he leapedinto the ditch, the water in which was not deep at the time, and,coursing along the edge of it, reached the rear of the tomb and hidhimself there, without having formed any definite idea as to what coursehe meant to pursue.

  Whatever the intentions of the smuggler were, they were effectuallyfrustrated by an apparition which suddenly appeared and struck terroralike to the heart of pursuer and pursued. As Long Orrick approachedthe tomb there suddenly arose from the earth a tall gaunt figure withsilver hair streaming wildly in the gale. To Tommy, who crouched behindthe tomb, and Rodger and Orrick, who approached in front, it seemed asif the
spirit of the murdered girl had leaped out of the grave. Theeffect on all three was electrical. Orrick and Rodger, diverging rightand left, fled like the wind in opposite directions, and were out ofsight in a few seconds, while Tommy, crouching on the ground behind thetomb, trembled in abject terror.

  The spirit, if such it was, did not attempt to pursue the fugitives, butturning fiercely towards the boy, seized him by the collar and shookhim.

  "Oh! mercy! mercy!" cried poor Tommy, whose heart quaked within him.

  "Hallo! Tommy Bogey, is it you, boy?" said the spirit, releasing thelad from a grasp that was anything but gentle.

  "What! old Jeph, can it be _you_?" exclaimed Tommy, in a tone of intensesurprise, as he seated himself on the tombstone, and wiped the coldperspiration from his forehead with the cuff of his coat.

  "Ay, it _is_ me," replied the old man, sadly, "although I do sometimesdoubt my own existence. It ain't often that I'm interrupted--but whatbrings ye here, lad, and who were these that I saw running like foulfiends across the sandhills on such a night as this?"

  "They were Supple Rodger and Long Orrick," replied Tommy, "and a foulfiend is one of 'em, anyhow, as you'd have found out, old Jeph, if ye'dbin at home this evenin'. As for bein' out on sich a night as this, itseems to me ye han't got much more sense to boast of in this respectthan I have. You'll ketch your death o' cold, old man."

  "Old man!" echoed Jeph, with a peculiar chuckle. "Ha! yes, I _am_ anold man, and I've bin used to such nights since I wos a _young_ man.But come away, lad, I'll go home with ye now."

  Old Jeph took the boy's hand as he said this, and the two went over themoor together--slowly, for the way was rough and broken, and silently,for the howling of the gale rendered converse almost impossible.

  It is not to be supposed that Tommy Bogey had such command over himself,however, as altogether to restrain his curiosity. He did make one ortwo attempts to induce old Jeph to explain why he was out in such astormy night, and on such a lonely spot; but the old man refused to becommunicative, and finally put a stop to the subject by telling Tommy tolet other people's business alone, and asking him how it happened thatLong Orrick came to make an attempt on his house, and how it was hefailed?

  Tommy related all he knew with alacrity and for a time secured oldJeph's attention, as was plain from the way in which he chuckled when heheard how his enemy had been outwitted; but gradually the narrative fellon uninterested ears, and before they regained the town the old man'scountenance had become grave and sad, and his mind was evidentlywandering among the lights--mayhap among the shadows--of "other days."