Arrah Neil; or, Times of Old

by G. P. R. James

  CHAPTER XLIV.

  Parties of the royalist army were moving in every direction roundHull, and from time to time saker and falconet, and such otherartillery as the garrison had been able to muster on the walls, weredischarged at the adventurous Cavaliers who approached too near, whenMr. Dry, of Longsoaken, having been permitted by the guard who had himin charge to gather his baggage hastily together at the "Swan," and tosaddle his horse, issued forth from the gates, leaving behind him, inthe hands of Mrs. White, in part payment of his bill, the horse onwhich Arrah Neil had ridden thither. Not that Mr. Dry had comeunprovided with the needful means of meeting any expenses he mightincur; far from it, for he was a wealthy man, and for many years hadnever known what even temporary want was; but he loved barter, andgenerally gained by; and though he was indeed obliged to dispose ofthe nag to the good landlady at a loss, yet this loss, as he contrivedit, was less than would have been incurred by any other process.

  However, when he stood without the gates and saw them closed behindhim; when he beheld, wherever he turned, some body of horse or foot atthe distance of less than a mile: and, more than all, when he heard acannon boom over his head from above, the heart of Mr. Dry, ofLongsoaken, sank, and he felt a degree of trepidation he had neverknown in life before. What to do he could not tell; but after muchdeliberation he resolved to stay where he was till the royalist troopswere withdrawn, calculating justly that they would not approach sonear as to do him any harm, and that the troops within would not issueforth while the others were in sight.

  One point, indeed, he did not foresee. The Earl of Beverley andColonel Ashburnham had passed out while he was at the inn, but theredoubtable Captain Barecolt was still behind; and, as the evil fateof Mr. Dry would have it, just after he had remained under shelter ofthe archway to one hour and a quarter by the great clock, holding hishorse by the bridle all the time, the gate behind him suddenly beganto clank and rattle in the painful operation of giving exit to thatgreat hero.

  Mr. Dry started up and looked behind him, lifting his foot towards thestirrup at the same moment; and as soon as he beheld Captain Barecolt,he scrambled into the saddle as well as he could; but, alas! thatrenowned officer was already mounted, and Mr. Dry had to perform anoperation which was difficult to him. He had got his left foot in thestirrup; he had swung himself up into the saddle; but before his rightfoot could find its place of repose (and Mr. Dry did not venture tospur on till it had), the gates were closed behind Captain Barecolt,and he himself was by the Puritan's side.

  "Ha, ha! old drybones!" said that officer, "have I caught thee atlength?"

  "What want you with me, man of Belial?" demanded the master ofLongsoaken, with the cat-in-a-corner courage of despair. "Get you goneupon your way, and let better men than yourself follow theirs."

  "Nay, good faith!" answered Barecolt, stretching out his left hand andgrasping Mr. Dry's rein: "I always love that better men than myselfshould bear me company, and such is to be thy fate, O Dry! so do notthink to escape it; for, as sure as my name is de Capitaine Jersval,if you attempt any one of all those running tricks which you know sowell how to practice, I will slit your weasand incontinent. It mattersnot two straws to me whether I have you alive or dead, but have yourcorpus I will, as the prisoner of my bow and spear, as you would callit. Come, use your spurs, or I must spur your beast for you. You seethat party of honest Cavaliers there on the hill--terrible malignants,every one of them, that would have a pleasure in roasting you by aslow fire, like a tough old goose, and basting you with those strongwaters that you love so well. To them we are going, so spur on withthe alacrity which your good luck deserves. What! you will not? Oh,then, I must make you!" and drawing his sword, he pricked Mr. Dry'shorse so close to that worthy gentleman's thigh, that he started androse in the stirrups.

  The poor beast darted on in an instant, and in so doing shook Mr. Drya good deal; but whether the concussion elicited a brilliant thoughtfrom his brain or not, he exclaimed immediately after--

  "Harkye, Captain Barecolt! I have a word for ye. Do not let us ride sofast. I have an offer to make. Listen a moment."

  Mr. Dry understood the peculiar genus of captain to which Barecoltbelonged, but he did not understand the exact variety. He knew that,with most adventurous soldiers like himself, the food for which theyhungered was gold. Drink might do much, dice might do much, fairladies might do more; but gold, gold was paramount--an attraction notto be resisted. Mr. Dry loved gold, too, and overvalued itsimportance; but he felt a strong internal conviction that, if carriedat once to the quarters of Lord Walton, life, which was the grandmeans of getting and enjoying gold, would be of a very short duration.He saw a noose dangling from a cross-tree before his eyes, and hewisely calculated that it would be better to sacrifice some portion ofthe less valuable commodity to save the more valuable; and thereforehe prepared to tempt his companion's cupidity--not without a fainthope of cheating him after all, but with the resolution of givinganything that might save his life.

  A sudden thought, too, had struck Captain Barecolt, which he proceededto follow out, as will be seen presently; but its first effect was tomake him draw in his rein, and also check the horse of Mr. Dry, overwhich he exercised supreme command; and as he did so, he said in a dryand bantering tone--

  "Well, worshipful Mr. Dry, speak what you have to speak. As you willnot have leisure to use your tongue much more on earth, it would behard to deny you a few words. You are going to the gallows, Mr.Dry--you are going to the gallows; and though I cannot promise thatyou shall swing as high as Haman, yet you shall have as decent anexecution as time and circumstances permit, and plenty of room foryour feet.

  "Nay," said Dry, with a sort of sobbing sigh, "you would not be sobarbarous, so unchristian, especially when I am willing to pay ransom.Listen, captain--listen, noble Captain Barecolt: if you will not takeme and put me into the hands of yonder men of Belial, I will--I willgo as far as a hundred pounds."

  "Men of Belial, sirrah!" cried Barecolt, turning upon him fiercely."How dare you call his majesty's forces men of Belial. Those verywords shall cost you five hundred pounds, if you would save yourlife."

  Though the captain's words were fierce, yet they served to show thathe was not quite inaccessible, and Mr. Dry began at once to higgleabout his ransom; but Barecolt showed himself as hard a bargainer ashe was himself; and as he perceived that every step they took inadvance increased the trepidation of the worthy man of Longsoaken, heused the screw thus afforded him to squeeze Mr. Dry very painfully.Now he pushed on his horse--now he slackened his pace--now he pointedout a party of Cavaliers approaching very near; and, discoveringexactly what Mr. Dry had upon his person, he took care to make hisdemand much more, in order that he might have the opportunity ofkeeping him in his hands till the sum was paid, which was indeed theprincipal object he had in view.

  Some difficulties, totally independent of Mr. Dry's natural reluctanceto part with his money, even to save his life, occurred in the courseof the negotiation. Barecolt was well aware, from what he had seen ofthe king's conduct, that if the prisoner were taken to the camp,instead of mounting a ladder, he would more likely regain his libertyvery speedily; and the worthy Puritan, on the contrary, was terrifiedat the very thought of approaching the royal quarters, hisconsciousness of offences grave and manifold presenting instant deathto his imagination as the only result. What then was to be done withhim while he remained in the custody of Captain Barecolt? That valiantgentleman proposed that he should assume a false name, and pass as afriend of his in the camp; but Mr. Dry, remembering that he was knownto many in Lord Walton's troop, rejected this idea as totallyinconsistent with his own safety.

  "You might as well hang me at once," he said.

  "That might be pleasant enough," answered Barecolt, "were it not thatyou have only a hundred and fifty pounds about you, Master Dry.However, let me see: if we take this little hollow way to the left,methinks it will lead us to the hamlet just below the old church. Icould stow you away i
n that building, as a young friend of mine wasonce served by some of your people, while I send for some of my ownmen to keep guard over you, and I go and report myself."

  "No, not there! not there!" cried he of Longsoaken, turning paler thanever. "No, no! But there is an alehouse farther on, where we could findaccommodation. They are good and pious people there."

  "For which reason I will have nothing to do with them," answered theprofane captain. "No, but I know of a tavern just a mile fromBeverley, where you can be lodged safely, Mr. Dry; and as, if you aretaken and hanged, I lose five hundred good pounds, you may be quitesure that I will take as much pains to keep your neck out of thehalter as I will to guard against your escape. We will talk about themeans of getting the money from Bishop's Merton hereafter; so now comeon quick. We shall turn the flank of that party we saw upon the hillin five minutes, without their seeing us, if we keep in the hollowway; and should we meet any stragglers, you must either keep a silenttongue in your head or curse and swear like a trooper."

  "Heaven forbid!" exclaimed Mr. Dry, turning up his eyes.

  "Phoo!" cried Captain Barecolt, "I know you would trample on the crossas the Dutchmen do in Japan, to save your life;" and after theassertion of this undeniable fact he hurried forward, nor drew a reintill they reached the village, and the inn which he had mentioned.

  They found three or four of the inferior followers of the court inpossession of the public-house; but, though two of them were known tothe politic captain, they were not personages whom he chose to trust;and, conveying Mr. Dry to an upper room, he bestowed a small piece ofsilver upon one of the boys of the place, to run up to Beverley andbring down one Corporal Curtis from his troop. In the mean while, heinformed Mr. Dry that it would be as well if he would give up into hissecure keeping, to be duly accounted for at an after period, all hisworldly goods and chattels, including his tawny-sheathed steel-mountedsword; and, though that worshipful person submitted with but an illgrace to the law of necessity, the pitiless captain employed verysearching measures to ascertain that he retained nothing, either onhis person or in his saddle-bags, but a decent change of apparel. Whenthis was done, as Corporal Curtis had not yet appeared, CaptainBarecolt called for a pottle of good wine, the cost of which hedisbursed from Mr. Dry's store, noting it carefully down in a small,dirty memorandum-book, as he sagely remarked that he would have toreckon with that gentleman when they parted. The last cup was in thepottle-pot, and the gallant officer was seriously thinking of callingfor more, when a tall, athletic man was ushered in, having someresemblance to Barecolt himself, into whose hands the captainconsigned Mr. Dry, with a positive and loud injunction not to losesight of him even for a moment, and to shoot him through the head ifhe attempted to escape.

  Corporal Curtis promised to obey, saying drily, with a nod at theircompanion, that he remembered the march from Bishop's Merton; andBarecolt, leaving him in such good hands, mounted his horse and rodeoff to Beverley. He was kept there for many hours before he couldobtain a private audience of Lord Walton; but at the end of thatperiod he was closeted with the young nobleman for a long time, andwhen their conference was at an end they walked away together to thequarters of Major Randal, where another long private conversation tookplace. What passed might be difficult as well as tedious to tell; butin the end, towards five o'clock of the afternoon, Captain Barecoltreturned to the village, where he had left his captive, accompanied bytwo stout troopers selected by himself from his own troop; andascending to the chamber of Mr. Dry, he announced to him, in a tonethat admitted of no reply, that he must mount and accompany him atonce towards Bishop's Merton.

  "I have determined, most worshipful sir," he said, as soon as he hadsent Corporal Curtis out of the room, "to see you safe on your waytill we are within half-a-day's march of Longsoaken. You will thenhave the goodness to give an order for the payment of your ransom toone of my friends, who will rejoin us when he has received it, andthen I will set you free."

  "How do I know you will do that?" demanded Dry, of Longsoaken, in asullen tone.

  "By making use of your common sense, Mr. Dry," replied CaptainBarecolt. "Could I not hang you now if I liked it? Can I not hang younow if it pleases me? Will I not hang you now if you affect to doubtthe honour of a gentleman and a soldier? So no more on that score, butdescend, mount, and march--as you needs must."

  There was no remedy And Mr. Dry obeyed, with vague hopes indeed ofmaking his escape by some fortunate accident on the way. He arguedthat, in the distracted state of the country, it was barely possiblefor Captain Barecolt to pass across a great part of England withouteither encountering some force of the opposite party or pausing insome town which had espoused the parliamentary cause, and he believedthat in either case his liberation must take place. But he little knewthe forethought of that great stratagetic mind. Barecolt had furnishedhimself with correct information regarding the views and feelings ofall the places he had to pass; and, instead of taking his way byCoventry and Worcester, he led his little troop direct to Nottingham,Derby, and Shrewsbury, almost in the same course that the kingfollowed shortly after; and at every halting-place Mr. Dry foundhimself so strictly watched that his hopes declined from hour to hour.He was never left alone, even for a moment, Captain Barecolt himself,or one of the three soldiers who accompanied him, remaining with himnight and day. The only chance that seemed left was in meeting withsome friends as the party approached Bishop's Merton; but when Mr. Dryremembered that he was totally unarmed, his heart, never the most firmor most daring, felt inconceivably low at the thought of a struggle;and the sanguinary and ferocious conversation of his captor, the listof slain that his arm had sent to their long account, the bloodybattles he had seen, and the dire deeds he had done, made him tremblefor the result of any attempt to escape.

  At length familiar objects began to greet the eyes of Mr. Dry. He sawplaces and things which he had often seen before, and knew that hemust be within one day's journey of Bishop's Merton; and the veryfeeling revived in some degree his fainting courage. "Surely," hethought, "the people here must have retained their devotion to thegood cause." But, alas! as he rode one morning into a town where hehad often bought and sold, he beheld a party of Lord Hertford's horsesitting jesting with the girls in the market-place; and theconversation which he heard as he went along showed him that times hadchanged, and that people had changed with them.

  On leading him up, as had been the inviolable custom since they setout, to a high room in the inn, Captain Barecolt, with a stern toneand countenance, told Corporal Curtis to set a soldier at the door,and to suffer no one to enter. Then waving his captive to a seat, hetook a stool opposite, and after a solemn pause addressed him thus:--

  "Now, worshipful Master Dry, doubtless you have been puzzling thesmall wits that God has given you to discover how it happens that anofficer like myself, high in the king's confidence, has been inducedto traverse so great an extent of country, solely for the purpose ofreceiving from a mechanical and trading person like yourself thepitiful sum of five hundred pounds, which might have been transmittedby various other means; and it is but fitting that you should know theworst. I and other persons of high rank and station have been madeacquainted how, on the death of a poor old man, one Sergeant Neil, yourifled his cottage, and possessed yourself, amongst other things, ofsundry papers appertaining to a young lady, who for some years hasgone under the name of Arrah Neil, and was supposed to be hisgrand-daughter.--Don't interrupt me. Having brought you thus far, itis necessary to tell you, that besides an order upon some wealthy manat Bishop's Merton for the five hundred pounds before mentioned, whichI shall send on by one of my troopers, it is necessary to your safetyand liberation that you should furnish Corporal Curtis with an exactstatement of where the said papers are to be found in your house atLongsoaken, and with an order to your people there to aid and assistmy said corporal in searching for and finding those documents,expressly stating that you have immediate need of them--don'tinterrupt me--which indeed is the exact truth; for you must know tha
tI have authority, under the hand of competent persons, in case youshould show any reluctance to deliver up property belonging to otherpeople, which you have stolen, to hang you upon the branch of aconvenient tree in Wilbury Wood, as one taken in arms in openrebellion, otherwise in flagrant delict, worshipful Master Dry. Whiledinner is getting ready, therefore, you will be good enough to thinkdeliberately over these particulars, and make up your mind as towhether you will like the state of suspense at which I have hintedbetter than a surrender of that which is not yours."

  The varieties of hue which Mr. Dry's countenance had assumed while helistened to this long oration cannot be described here, for the veryattempt would require us to go through almost every shade that evergraced a painter's pallet. Captain Barecolt had three times told himnot to interrupt him, but it was a very unnecessary caution, as thatworthy gentleman was too much confounded and thunderstruck to be ableto utter a word; and when at length his captor rose, and, going to thedoor, conversed with the soldier for a few minutes, he remained in astate of impotent rage, bitterness, and disappointment, which had thecurious effect of making him bite his under lip well-nigh through withhis teeth.

  Captain Barecolt was inexorable, however; the dinner was served; andMr. Dry, though he could with difficulty be brought to eat a mouthful,drank a good deal. The dinner was over, and Captain Barecolt calledfor writing materials, which were laid before the unfortunate Mr. Dry.He paused, and his hand shook; but the captain was wonderfully calmand composed. He enjoyed the operation very much.

  "First, if you please, worshipful Master Dry," he said, "the order onsome responsible citizen of Bishop's Merton for five hundred pounds,to be paid at sight; and you will be good enough to eschew the word'ransom,' putting in that it is for your private necessities."

  Mr. Dry wrote as he was directed, and then Captain Barecolt, havingexamined the paper, placed another sheet before him, saying, "Now forthe order to your steward, housekeeper, and all others of your peopleat Longsoaken, to aid and assist Mr. Curtis: eschew the word'corporal,' and merely style him 'your friend'--to search for,&c. &c."

  Mr. Dry again paused, and Captain Barecolt added, "Remember, I do notpress you. I have orders not to press you. If you sign, well; we willgo on to a certain cave you know of in Wilbury Wood, where I willkeep you company till my men return, and as soon as I find that allwhich is required comes safe to hand, I will instantly set you freewithout let or hindrance. But if you refuse to sign, I am not to pressyou--no, not in the least: I am only to hang you in Wilbury Wood as aterror to all offenders. No, I do not press you in the least, Mr. Dry.Act as in your judgment you shall think it expedient."

  Mr. Dry took the pen once more, and with a wavering and uncertain handwrote down the order, very nearly in the terms which Captain Barecolthad dictated. He then stopped a moment, dipped the pen in the ink,gazed in the officer's face, and then added his name.

  "Hal ha! ha!" cried Captain Barecolt, taking the paper with a mockinglaugh. "Here is a man who prefers giving up things that don't belongto him to being hung in a nice cool wood. What an extraordinarytaste!" and walking to the door he put his head out, saying, "Saddlethe horses."

  "Devil!" cried Mr. Dry, of Longsoaken, setting his teeth hard;and at the same time, by a rapid but silent movement, he drew a long,sharp-pointed knife off the table, and hastily put it in his pocket.

  "Come, Mr. Dry," said Barecolt, turning round, "we shall soon part ifyour people obey your orders and your correspondent pays the money; sowe may as well have another tankard to drink to our next merrymeeting. It will make but a small item in your bill. Holloa, there!Bring another tankard, and mind it be of the best."

  But when the wine came Mr. Dry refused to drink, saying sullenly thathe had had enough to quench his thirst for a week. Captain Barecoltlaughed again, for the writhing of his victim was pleasant to him; andtaking up the large jug of wine he replied, "We have not had you longenough amongst us, Mr. Dry: you should really bear us company a littlelonger, to learn to drink deep. This is the way a true _soldado_discusses a stoup of good Bordeaux," and setting the brim to his lips,he never took it away till the tankard was empty.

  "Now, to horse! to horse!" he cried, and making Mr. Dry go down andmount before him, he sprang lightly upon horseback, seeming all themore brisk and active for his liquor.

  After some little shaking of hands and bidding good-bye betweenCaptain Barecolt and his men and the troopers of Lord Hertford, in thestreets, the captain's little party rode out of the town, and weresoon in the midst of fields and lanes again. Then came a wide, barecommon, extending for three or four miles on every side; and as theycrossed it, a large old wood appeared lying straight before them, andfalling into deep waves of brown foliage, with misty dells between.

  "Ay, there is old Wilbury Wood, Master Dry," said Captain Barecolt;"you know it well, I dare say."

  "You seem to know it well too," answered the Puritan, eyeing himaskance.

  "To be sure I do," replied the renowned captain; "and while the menare gone upon their errand, I will tell you how. Keep your curiositycool till then, Master Dry, and you shall be satisfied."

  "I have no curiosity about it," growled the Puritan.

  "Well, then, you shall hear, whether you have curiosity or not,"answered the captain; and on they rode, following a somewhat lonelyand unfrequented path into the heart of the wood. The old trees rosearound them in wild groups and strange fantastic forms; the haresbounded away in the underwood, and the squirrels, crossing the path,ran gaily up the trees, while a jay flew on before and scolded themfrom a bough overhead.

  "I think this should be the turning," said the gallant captain, atlength. "Does not this lead to the cave, Master Dry?"

  "Seek it yourself if you want it," said his companion.

  "You are discourteous, knave!" said Barecolt, giving him a blow on theribs that made the worthy gentleman's breath come short. "Learn to becivil to your betters;" and turning his horse up the path, at themouth of which he had stopped, he led his little party with unerringsagacity to a high rocky promontory in the wood, in the base of whichappeared a hollow, some ten or twelve feet deep. He there dismountedand made Mr. Dry do the same, and, seeing him safely lodged in thecave, he gave one of the papers to Corporal Curtis, saying, "TakeJukes with you, and do as I told you, corporal. Avoid the town, and beback before dark; for if they do not give up the papers, I shall wantyou to help to hang our friend there."

  His back was turned to Master Dry; and as he uttered these wordsaloud, he winked upon the corporal significantly with one small eye.

  "They will obey my order," said Dry.

  "I trust they will," rejoined Barecolt, solemnly. "You, James, takethis to Bishop's Merton, and get the money. You may tell MasterWinkfield, on whom it is drawn, that Master Dry wants it sadly. So hedoes, poor man! Look about the town, too, before you return, and seewhat is going on. I heard this morning that they are turning loyal;and if so, I may honour them with a visit myself some day."

  The men rode away, and Captain Barecolt, after having secured thehorses to two trees, took his pistols from the saddle and rejoined hisprisoner in the cave. There seating himself on the ground, with hislong legs stretched out across the mouth of the excavation, hebeckoned Mr. Dry with a commanding air to seat himself also. It waseasy to perceive that Captain Barecolt had been rendered somewhat moregrand in his own opinion by the last stoup of wine, which he hadtossed off with no more ceremony than if it had been a gill; and hiscaptive, feeling that it might be dangerous to oppose him even in atrifle, instantly seated himself on the ground, being at the timesomewhat weary with a ride of more than thirty miles that morning.

  Captain Barecolt first began by examining the priming of his pistols,the muzzles of which every now and then swept Mr. Dry's person in amanner that made him very uncomfortable; but when this operation wasfinished and the pistols were replaced in his belt, the royalistofficer turned his looks upon Mr. Dry with a sort of compassionatecontempt that was extremely irritating. "Ah! Master Dry, Ma
ster Dry!"he said, "both you and I know this wood very well. You often used tocome here when you were an apprentice boy with old Nicholas Cobalter;and many a pound of sugar and salt you hid away in that corner, justbehind where you are now sitting; many an ounce of pepper you laid inthe nook just over your head, till you could dispose of yourpilferings."

  Mr. Dry said nothing, but gazed at Captain Barecolt from under hisbent brows, with a look of hatred and fear, such as might be supposedto pass over his countenance if he had seen the infernal spirit.

  "Ay," continued the officer, in a somewhat maudlin and sentimentaltone, "those were pleasant days, Mr. Dry, especially when you used totake a walk in this wood with buxom Mrs. Cobalter, when her husbandwent to London town; and she used to say, if ever he died you shouldbe her second, because you were tender of her feelings, and connivedat her dealing with the pottle-pot more freely than her husbandliked."

  "And who the devil are you?" cried Mr. Dry, furiously, forgetting allhis sanctity in the irritating state of apprehension and astonishmentto which he was reduced.

  "Ay, those were merry times, Master Dry," continued Barecolt, withoutnoticing his intemperate question, and fixing one eye upon hiscompanion's face, while the other rolled vacantly round the cave, asif searching for memories or ideas. "Yes, Master Dry, no one wouldhave thought to see you the master of Longsoaken in those days. But itall came of the widow, and your stepping in, by her help, into allthat old Cobalter left. Fair or foul, Master Dry, it matters not--yougot it, and that made a man of you."

  "And who in the fiend's name are you?" demanded the Puritan, almostspringing at his throat.

  "I will tell you, Ezekiel Dry," answered Barecolt, bending forwardand gazing sternly in his face--"I will tell you. I am DanielCobalter--ay, little Daniel, the old man's only nephew--his brother'sson, whom with the widow's aid you cheated of his uncle's inheritance,and left to go out into the world with five crown-pieces and a stoutheart; and, now that I have you here face to face in Wilbury Wood,what have you to say why I should not blow your brains out for allthat you have done to me and mine?"

  Mr. Dry, of Longsoaken, shrank into nothing, while Barecolt continuedto gaze upon him as sternly as if he could have eaten him alive. Amoment after, however, the gallant captain's face relaxed its awfulfrown, and with a withering and contemptuous smile he went on:--"Butset your mind at ease, worm! You are safe in my scorn. I have donebetter for myself than if I had been tied down to a mechanical life.But take warning by what has happened, and do not let me catch you anymore at these tricks, or I will put my boot heel upon your head andtread your brains out like a viper's. There--sit there, and be silenttill the men come back; for, if I see you move or hear you speak, youwill raise choler in me."

  The gallant captain rose, and stood for a minute in the mouth of thecave, then returned again and seated himself, looking at Dry with asneering smile. "Now art thou hammering thy poor thin brains to findhow Daniel Cobalter has become Captain Barecolt; but if thou twistestthe letters into proper form, thou wilt find that I have not taken onefrom any man's name but my own. This is no robbery, Dry."

  "Nay, I see! I see!" said the Puritan.

  "Ay! dost thou so?" rejoined Barecolt; "then see and be silent;" andhe leaned his head upon his hand and gazed forth from the mouth of thecave. Presently, Captain Barecolt's head nodded and his breath camemore heavily. Dry, of Longsoaken, gazed at him with his small eyesfull of fierce and baleful light; but his face did not grow red orheated with the angry passion that was evidently working within him;on the contrary, it was as white as that of a corpse. "Ruin!" hemuttered in a low voice to himself--"ruin!" and at the same time heput his right hand into his pocket, where he had concealed the knife.

  But Captain Barecolt suddenly raised his head. "You moved!" he saidsternly.

  "It was but for my ease," answered Dry in a whining tone; "this groundis very hard."

  "Sit still!" rejoined the captain, frowning, and then resumed the sameattitude. In two or three minutes he breathed hard again, and then hesnored, for he had drunk much wine and ridden far. For a few minutesMr. Dry thought he was feigning sleep, and yet it seemed very likereality--sound, heavy, dull.

  "It must be speedily, or not at all!" he thought to himself; "theother men may soon be back. Softly! I will try him;" and rising, heaffected to look out of the mouth of the cave. Captain Barecolt slepton.

  Ezekiel Dry trembled very much, but he quietly put his hand once moreinto his pocket and drew forth the knife. He grasped it tight; he tooka step forward to the sleeping man's side. Barecolt, accustomed towatch, started and was rising; but ere he could gain his feet the blowdescended on his right breast, and, leaving the knife behind, Drydarted out of the cave.

  The blood gushed forth in a stream; but with a quick and firm handBarecolt drew a pistol from his belt, cocked it, took a step forward,levelled, and fired. Dry, of Longsoaken, sprang up a foot from theground, and fell heavily upon the forest grass, his blood and brainsscattered around.

  "Ha!" cried Barecolt; "ha, Master Dry! But I feel marvellousfaint--very faint: I will sit down;" and, resuming his seat, he leanedback, while his face became as pale as ashes and the pistol fell fromhis hands.