Dick o' the Fens: A Tale of the Great East Swamp

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

  AFTER A SPACE.

  The time rolled on. The drain-making progressed, and for a while therewas no further trouble. Mr Winthorpe improved in health, but alwaysseemed to avoid any allusion to the outrage; and after the constableshad been a few times and found out nothing, and the magistrates of theneighbourhood had held consultation, the trouble once more dropped.

  Dick Winthorpe always lived in apprehension of being examined, andpressed to tell all he knew, but his father never said a word, to hisgreat relief, and the matter died out.

  "I can't take any steps about it," Dick said to himself, "if my fatherdoesn't;" and there were times when he longed to speak, others when hewished that he could forget everything about the past.

  "Yow two med it up yet?" Hickathrift used to ask every time he sawDick; but the answer was always the same--"No."

  "Ah, well, you will some day, my lad. It arn't good for boys to makequarrels last."

  There was no more warm friendship with Mr Marston, who, whenever hecame over to the Toft, was studiously polite to Dick, treating him as ifhe were not one whose friendship was worth cultivating, to the lad'sgreat disgust, though he was too proud to show it; and the result wasthat Dick's life at the Toft grew very lonely, and he was driven to seekthe companionship of John Warren and his rabbits, and of Dave with hisboat, gun, and fishing-tackle.

  Then all at once there was a change. The outrages, which had ceased fora time, broke out again furiously; and all through the winter there werefires here and there, the very fact of a person, whether farmer orlabourer, seeming to favour the making of the drain, being enough tomake him receive an unwelcome visit from the party or parties whoopposed the scheme.

  So bad did matters grow that at last people armed and preparedthemselves for the struggle which was daily growing more desperate; andat the same time a feeling of suspicion increased so strongly thatthroughout the fen every man looked upon his neighbour as an enemy.

  But still the drain grew steadily in spite of the fact that Mr Marstonhad been shot at twice again, and never went anywhere now without abrace of pistols in his pocket.

  One bright wintry morning John Warren came in with a long tale of woe,and his arm in a sling.

  It was the old story. He had been out with his gun to try and get awild-goose which he had marked down, when, just in the dusk, abouthalf-past four, he was suddenly startled by a shot, and received thecontents of a gun in his arm.

  "But you'd got a gun," said Hickathrift, who was listening with Dick,while Tom Tallington, who had business at the wheelwright's thatmorning, stood hearing all. "Why didst na let him hev it again?"

  "What's the use o' shuting at a sperrit?" grumbled John Warren."'Sides, I couldn't see him."

  "Tchah! it warn't a sperrit," said Hickathrift contemptuously.

  "Well, I don't know so much about that," grumbled John Warren. "If itweern't a sperrit what was to mak my little dog, Snig, creep down in thebottom of the boat and howl? Yow mark my words: it's sperrits, that'swhat it is; and it's because o' that theer dreern; but they needn'tshute at me, for I don't want dreern made."

  "Going over to town to see the doctor, John?" said Dick.

  "Nay, lad, not I. It's only a hole in my arm. There arn't nowt thematter wi' me. I've tied it oop wi' some wet 'bacco, and it'll all growoop again, same as a cooten finger do."

  "But someone ought to see it."

  "Well, someun has sin it. I showed it to owd Dave, and he said it weerall right. Tchah! what's the good o' doctors? Did they cure my ager?"

  "Well, go up and ask mother to give you some clean linen rag for it."

  "Ay," said the rabbit-trapper with a grim smile, "I'll do that."

  So John Warren went to the Toft, obtained the clean linen rag, butrefused to have his wound dressed, and went off again; while the squireknit his brow when he returned soon after, and, taking Dick with him,poled across in the punt to see Dave and make him promise to keep asharp look-out.

  A week passed away, and the frost had come in so keenly that the icepromised to bear, and consequent upon this Dick was at the wheelwright'sone evening superintending the finishing up of his pattens, as theycalled their skates. Hickathrift had ground the blades until they wereperfectly sharp at the edges, and had made a new pair of ashen soles forthem, into which he had just finished fitting the steel.

  "There, Mester Dick," said the bluff fellow with a grin; "that's a pairo' pattens as you ought 'most to fly in. Going out in the morning?"

  "Yes, Hicky, I shall go directly after breakfast."

  "Ay, she'll bear splendid to-morrow, and the ice is as hard and black asit can be. Hello, who's this? Haw-haw! I thowt you'd want yoursdone," he added, as he heard steps coming over the frozen ground, andthe jingle of skates knocking together. "It's young Tom Tallington,Mester Dick. Come, you two ought to mak friends now, and go and hev agood skate to-morrow."

  "I'm never going to be friends with Tom Tallington again," said Dicksternly; but he sighed as he said it.

  Just then Tom rushed into the workshop. "Here," he cried, "DickWinthorpe, come along. I've been to the house."

  "What do you want?" said Dick coldly.

  "What do I want! Why, they don't know!" cried Tom. "Look here!"

  He caught Dick by the collar, dragged him to the door, and pointed.

  "Fire!" he cried.

  "Hey!" cried the wheelwright. "Fire! So it is. But there's no houseor stack out theer."

  "Only old Dave's. Father said he thought it must be his place. Comeon, Dick."

  "But how are we to get there?" cried Dick, forgetting the feud in theexcitement.

  "How are we to get there! Why, skate."

  "Will it be strong enough, Hicky?"

  "Mebbe for you, lads; but it wouldn't bear me, and I couldn't get alongthe boat nor yet a sled."

  Tom had already seated himself, and was putting on his skates, whileDick immediately began to follow suit, with the result that in fiveminutes both were ready and all past troubles forgotten. The memory ofthe terrible night when his father was shot did come for a moment toDick, but the trouble had grown dull, and the excitement of Dave's placebeing on fire carried everything before it.

  "Poor owd Dave!" said Hickathrift, as he gazed over the mere at the glowin the black frosty night. "He's got off so far. Mebbe it'll be myturn next. Come back and tell me, lads."

  "Yes, yes," they shouted, as they walked clumsily to the ice edge, Dickfirst, and as he glided on there was an ominous ringing crack whichseemed to run right out with a continuous splitting noise.

  "Will it bear, Hicky?"

  "Ay, she'll bear you, lad, only keep well out, and away from the reeds."

  Tom dashed on, and as the wheelwright stood with the group of labourers,who were just beginning to comprehend the new alarm, the two lads wentoff stroke for stroke over the ringing ice, which cracked now and againbut did not yield, save to undulate beneath them, as they kept gatheringspeed and glided away.

  Far ahead there was the ruddy glow, showing like a golden patch upon thedark sky, which overhead was almost black, and glittering with thebrilliant stars. The ice gleamed, little puffs of white powder rose atevery stroke of the skates, and on and on they went, gathering speedtill they were gliding over the ringing metallic surface like arrowsfrom a bow, while as soon as the first timidity had passed away theybegan to feel their feet, and in a few minutes were skating nearly aswell as when the ice broke up last.

  The feud was forgotten, and it had lasted long enough. With a buoyantfeeling of excitement, and a sensation of joy increased by the briskbeat of the freezing wind upon their cheeks, the two lads joined handsin a firm grip, kept time together, and sped on as Lincoln and Cambridgeboys alone can speed over the ice.

  Not that they are more clever with their legs than the boys of othercounties; but from the fact that skating has always been a favouritepastime with them, and that when others were longing for a bit ofbearing ice, and getting
it sometimes in a crowded place, the marsh andfen lads had miles of clear bright surface, over which they could careeras a swallow flies.

  Away and away over the open ice, unmarked before by skate-iron andlooking black as hardened unpolished steel, stroke for stroke, strokefor stroke, the wind whistling by them, and the ominous crackingforgotten as they dashed on past reed-bed and bog-clump, keeping to theopen water where they had so often been by punt.

  "His reed-stack must be on fire," panted Dick as they dashed on.

  "Ay, and his peat-stack and cottage too," shouted Tom so as to be heardabove the ringing of their skates. "Oh, Dick, if I only knew who it wasdid these things I think I could kill him!"

  Dick was silent for a minute, for his companion's words jarred upon him.

  "How much farther is it?" he said at last.

  "Good mile and a half," said Tom; "but it's fine going. I say, look atthe golden smoke. It must be at Dave's, eh?"

  "Yes, it's there, sure enough. Oh, Tom, suppose some one were to burndown the duck 'coy!"

  "It wouldn't burn so as to do much harm. Look, there goes a flock ofplovers."

  They could just catch the gleam of the wings in the dark night, as thegreat flock, evidently startled by the strange glare, swept by.

  "I say!" cried Dick, as they dashed on as rapidly as the birdsthemselves.

  "What is it?"

  "Suppose poor Dave--"

  "Oh, don't think things like that!" cried Tom with a shudder. "He'd beclever enough to get out. Come along. Look at the sparks."

  What Tom called sparks were glowing flakes of fire which floated on,glittering against the black sky, and so furiously was the fire burningthat it seemed as if something far more than the hut and stacks of thedecoy-man must be ablaze.

  And now they had to curve off some distance to the right, for they cameupon an embayment of the mere, so well sheltered from the icy blast thatto have persevered in skating over the very thin ice must have meantserious accident to one, probably to both.

  For a long time past the ice had been blushing, as it were, with thewarm glow from the sky; but now, as they drew nearer and passed a littlecopse of willows, they glided full into the view of the burning hut andstacks, and found that a bed of dry reeds was burning too. At thispoint of their journey the cold black ice was lit up, and as theyadvanced it seemed as if they were about to skim over red-hot glowingsteel.

  "Now, then," cried Dick excitedly, "a rush--as fast as we can go!"

  But they could get on at no greater speed, and rather slackened thanincreased as they drew near to the fire; while a feeling of thankfulnesscame over both as all at once they were aware of the fact that a tallthin figure was standing apparently with its back to them staring at theglowing fire, against which it stood out like a black silhouette.

  "Dave, ho!" shouted Dick.

  The figure turned slowly, and one hand was raised as if to shade theeyes.

  "Dave, ho!" shouted Tom.

  "Ay, ay!" shouted back the man; and the next minute the boys glided upto the firm earth and leaped ashore, as their old fishing and trappingfriend came slowly to meet them.

  "How was it, Dave?" cried Dick.

  "Was it an accident?" cried Tom.

  "Accident! Just such an accident as folks hev as shoves a burningcandle in a corn stack. Just you two slither out yonder straight away,and see if you can see anyone."

  "But there can't be anyone," said Dick, looking in the directionindicated.

  "Ice wouldn't bear, and they couldn't come in a punt."

  "Nay, they coom i' pattens," said Dave sharply. "I joost caught a blinkof 'em as they went off, and I let 'em hev the whole charge o' my goon."

  "A bullet?" said Tom huskily.

  "Nay, lad; swan-shot. I'd been out after the wild-geese at the end ofthe bit o' reed-bed here, when I see a light wheer there couldn't be nolight, and I roon back and see what they'd done, and let fly at 'em."

  "And hit them, Dave?" said Dick.

  "Nay, lad, I can't say. I fired and I heered a squeal. Ice wouldn'tbear for me to go and see."

  "Come along, Tom," cried Dick; and they skated away once more, to curvehere and there in all directions, till a hail from the island took themback.

  "Can't you find 'em?"

  "No."

  "Then they must have got away; but they've took some swan-shot wi' 'em,whoever they be."

  "But, Dave, were there two?"

  "Don't know, lad. I only see one, and fired sharp. Look ye here," hecontinued, pointing to the glowing remains of his hut, "I nivver made nodreerns. They might have left me alone. Now they'll come back some dayand pay me back for that shot. All comes o' your father makkin dreerns,Mester Dick, just as if we weren't reight before."

  "It's very, very sad, Dave."

  "Ay, bairn, and I feel sadly. Theer's a whole pound o' powder gone, andif I'd happened to be happed up i' my bed instead of out after theygeese, I should hev gone wi' it, or been bont to dead. Why did theywant to go meddling wi' me?"

  "They've been meddling with every one, Dave," said Tom.

  "'Cept you two," grumbled Dave. "Theer was my sheepskin coat and a pairo' leggin's and my new boots."

  "Were the nets there, Dave?" asked Dick.

  "Course they weer. Look, dessay that's them burning now. All my shottoo melted down, and my tatoes, and everything I have."

  "Where was the dog?"

  "Over at John Warren's. Wasn't well. Nice sort o' neighbour he is tostop away!"

  "But he couldn't come, Dave," said Tom in remonstrant tones. "The icewouldn't bear anyone but us boys."

  "Why, I'd ha' swimmed to him," growled Dave, "if his place had beenafire."

  "No you wouldn't, Dave. You couldn't when it's frozen. I say, couldn'twe put anything out?"

  "Nay, lads. It must bon right away, and then there'll be a clear placeto build again."

  "But," cried Dick, "a bucket or two, and we could do a good deal."

  "Boocket's bont," said Dave sadly, "and everything else. They might hevleft me alone, for I hates the dreerns."

  The trio stood watching the fire, which was rapidly going down now forwant of something to burn; but as they stood near, their faces scorched,while the cold wind drawn by the rising heat cut by their ears andthreatened to stiffen their backs. The reeds and young trees which hadbeen burning were now smoking feebly, and the only place which made anyshow was the peat-stack, which glowed warmly and kept crumbling down incream-coloured ash. But when a fire begins to sink it ceases to beexciting, and as the two lads stood there upon their skates, with theirfaces burning, the tightness of their straps stopped the circulation,and their feet grew cold.

  "I say, Dave," said Dick just then, "what's to be done?"

  "Build 'em up again. I builded this, and I can build another, lad."

  "Yes, but I mean about you. What's to be done? The ice won't bear you,and you've got no shelter."

  The rough fellow shook his head.

  "Nay, but it wean't rain, and I can sit close to the fire and keep mysenwarm."

  "But you ought to have some cover."

  "Ay, I ought to hev some cover, and I'll get my punt ashore, and turnher up, and sit under her."

  "And no wraps! Look here, I shall be warm enough skating back. I'lllend you my coat."

  "Nay, nay, lad," said Dave, with his eyes twinkling, and his facelooking less grim. "Keep on thy coat, lad, I wean't hev it. Thankye,though, all the same, and thou shalt hev a good bit o' sport for that,Mester Dick. But, theer, you two had best go back."

  "But we don't like leaving you," said Tom.

  "Thankye, lads, thankye. Bud nivver yow mind about me. Look at thetimes I've wetched all night in my poont for the wild-geese, and wi'outa fire, eh? Yow both get back home. Wouldn't bear me to walk wi' ye tosleep in one of the barns at the Toft, would it?"

  "I don't think it would, Dave."

  "Nay, it wouldn't, lad; and I don't want to get wet, so off with you."

&
nbsp; The boys hesitated; but Dave was determined.

  "Here, give me a hand wi' my poont," he said; and going to where it wasmoored, he took hold of the boat, drew it close in, and then, he on oneside, the two lads on the other, they ran it right up ashore, and closeto the glowing peat-stack, where, with a good deal of laughter at theirclumsiness in skates ashore, the punt was turned over, and Dave proppedone side up with a couple of short pieces of wood.

  "Theer," he said. "Looks like setting a trap to ketch a big bird. I'mthe big bird, and I shall be warm enew faacing the fire. When it goesout I can tak' away the sticks and let the poont down and go to sleep.Come and see me again, lads, and bring me a moothful o' something.Mebbe the ice'll bear to-morrow."

  "We'll come, Dave, never fear," said Dick, taking out his knife as hereached the ice, and cleaning the mud off his skates, for the ground wassoft near the fire, though hard as iron everywhere else.

  "I don't fear, lads," said Dave smiling, and letting off hiswatchman-rattle laugh. "It's a bad job, but not so bad as FarmerTallington's stables burning, or squire's beasts heving theer legscooten. I'll soon get oop another house when I've been and seenneighbour Hickathrift for some wood. Now, then, off you go, and seewho's best man over the ice."

  "One moment, Dave," cried Dick, checking himself in the act of starting."It was easy enough to come here with the fire to guide us, but we mustknow which way to go back."

  "Ay, to be sure, lad," cried Dave eagerly. "You mak' straight for yonstar and yow'll be right. That star's reight over the Toft. Now,then--off!"

  There was a momentary hesitation, and then the boys struck the icealmost at the same time. There was a ringing hissing sound, mingledwith a peculiar splitting as if the ice were parting from where theystarted across the mere to the Toft, and then they were going at arapidly increasing speed straight for home.