CHAPTER IV
TELLETH HOW I MET ONE ADAM PENFEATHER
I awoke to find the waggon at a standstill and Master Trueman watchingme with a scowl the while his plump fingers toyed lovingly with hiswhip-stock; but as I roused, this hand crept up to finger his severalchins.
"Yonder lieth Lamberhurst!" quoth he sulkily, and nodded where, in thevalley below, was a village with a green wherein was a placid poolshaded by trees; and about this green stood white-walled cottages, manyof them bowered in roses or honeysuckle to the very thatch (rightpleasant to the eye), while beyond these again rose gables of barns orthe pointed roofs of oasthouses. "Lamberhurst!" says Trueman again;whereon, having yawned and stretched myself, I clambered down into theroad.
"Well?" I questioned, seeing how he watched me, triple chin in hand.
"Well," quoth he stoutly, "I be wondering what the likes o' you shouldbe wanting wi' the likes o' Sir Richard Brandon o' Shene?"
"Nought but this," says I, shaking the hay from my tattered cloak, "Iam come to watch him die, and the manner of it shall mayhap besomething slow and painful!" and speaking, I clenched my right hand toa sunburnt fist. Now looking on this clutching hand, Trueman blinkedand, saying no word, whipped his horses and the heavy wain rumbled andcreaked on its way. But, when he had gone some distance, he grinned atme over his shoulder and called something whereof I caught the words"labour lost." For a moment I was minded to run after and demand hismeaning; howbeit, in a little, I turned and went down the hill veryfull of thought.
Reaching the village I found it not yet astir, for the clock of thechurch tower showed the time was but half after four; and now, leaningon my staff I stared up at the church tower with its new weathercock,brave with gilding, agleam in the early sun, and from thence turned mygaze where (hard beside the pool upon the green) rose the grim shape ofSir Richard's new pillory. Just now it stood untenanted and I wonderedidly what unhappy wight was destined next to suffer there. Thus stoodI some while, staring round me on this peaceful hamlet where all (saveonly myself) forgot their cares awhile in blessed sleep; the wide road,the gabled cottages, oast-house and fragrant rick yard--all was as Iminded it five weary years since: nothing strange was there savingonly Sir Richard's hateful pillory, wherefore I smote it with my staffand, cursing him that set it there, turned away.
Now within a stone's-cast of the church was a goodly tavern with aweatherbeaten signboard a-swing above the door, whereon was paintedwhat purported to be a leopard asleep and below the following legend,viz.:
ROUSE ME NOT
and below this again:
YE CONISBY ARMS.
From this I glanced at the third finger of my left hand, which was abattered signet ring that bore the semblance of another sleepingleopard and the like inscription; and looking from the sleeping leopardon the signboard to the sleeping leopard on my ring, I fell to deep andgloomy thought. Howbeit, rousing in a while, I perceived ahorse-trough hard by full of clean water, and came thither minded towash the dust and sweat from me. But, stooping, I paused and stoodthus, staring down at the face that scowled up at me; a face lean andhaggard with wide, fierce eyes agleam beneath knitted brows, aprominent nose and square chin with short, peaked, golden beard; anunlovely face framed in shaggy, yellow hair patched and streaked withsilver; and beholding lowering brow and ferocious mouth and jaw I stoodawhile marvelling at the ill-changes evil and hardship had wrought inme.
For thus was it that I first beheld myself after five years of slavery.
Having looked my fill, I nodded grimly at my watery image and plungedmy face and head within the trough to my great refreshment, which done,I made shift to dry myself on my tattered shirt. Thereafter, coming tothe broad oak settle beside the tavern door, I sat down and fell tomeditation. But now, moved by sudden impulse, I unbuckled the walletat my girdle and taking thence the strange dagger, unwound theneckerchief that swathed it and began to examine the weapon, firstcarelessly enough, then with growing interest and wonder. The blade(as I have told elsewhere) was triangular of form, very narrow and someeight inches in length and exceeding sharp of point; but that whichdrew and held my gaze was the wonder of its haft. I have seen andhandled many fair weapons in my day, but never before or since have Ibeheld such rare craftsmanship as went to the chiselling of this hilt.Of silver it was, wrought into the shape of a standing woman, her feetpoised upon the small, chiselled cross-guard, her head forming thepommel; naked she stood in languorous pose, arms raised and handslocked behind her head. The delicate chiselling of the features wasworn somewhat by handling and rough usage, but even so the evil beautyof the face was plain and manifest, the wanton languor of the longeyes, the mocking cruelty of the smiling mouth. The longer I viewedit, the more manifest became the nameless evil of the thing, so that Iwas greatly minded to whirl it into the horse-pond and be done with it.But bethinking me of my destitution and not doubting but that I mightfind a ready market for a thing so rare, I lapped it up again andthrusting it back into my wallet, stretched myself out upon the broadsettle and presently fell asleep.
But (even as I slept) methought I was back in torment. I seemed tohear again the crack of whips, the harsh cries of the drivers, theshrill screams and curses, the long, groaning breaths with the rattleand creak of the great oars as they swung ceaselessly back and forth;nay, I could even feel the kick of the oar-shaft that had escaped myfainting grasp. So real was it all that I waked groaning (as I haddone many a time and oft), waked to find the kindly sun making a gloryabout me and a blackbird hard by a-piping most sweet to hear, whilebefore me stood a little, thin fellow in a broad-eaved, steeple-crownedhat, who peered at me through narrowed eyes and poked at me with astick.
"And how's the wind, shipmate?" he questioned. I sat up and scowled,whereupon he tucked the stick beneath an arm and stood viewing me, chinin hand. "You sleep mighty sound," says he, "here I've stood a-pokingat ye with my stick, d'ye see, and you snore but the louder--or was itgroans?"
"For the which poking I'm minded to throw you into the horse-pond--"
"Why, that's as may be!" says he, falling back a step. "But nooffence, shipmate."
"Then leave me in peace." And I laid me down again.
"You sleep mighty sound," says he, "and your bed none so easy!"
"I've known worse!"
"Aye--the rowing-bench of a Spanish floating hell, shipmate--ha?"
At this, I started and turned to look at him again. He was (as I say)a little man and clad in suit of russet-brown (very trim and sober),but at his hip he bore a long rapier or tuck, while in his ears (whichwere trimmed to points in mighty strange fashion) swung great, goldrings such as mariners do wear; his face was lean and sharp and wide ofmouth and lighted by very quick, bright eyes, seeming to take in allthings with swift-darting glances. A scar that ran from brow to chinlent to him a certain hangdog air; as to his age, it might have beenthirty or forty or sixty, for, though he seemed vigorous and active,with smooth, unwrinkled face, his hair was snow-white.
"Well, shipmate," he questioned, meeting my searching gaze, "and howd'ye like me?"
"No whit!"
"Sink me, but that's plain enough!" says he, smiling ruefully. "Sothere's nought in me as draws you, then?"
"No!"
"'Tis pity, for I've a feeling we shall sail aboard ship together yet."
"How should you know I've rowed aboard a Spanish ship?"
"You bear the mark, shipmate; as you lay a-groaning in your sleep Itook occasion to cast an eye over ye, d'ye see, and what wi' thenew-healed scars on your wrist, your sunburnt skin and the desperatesink-or-swim look o' you I judged you new-broke from slavery, and nameda Spanish galleass at a venture, d'ye see."
"You are an observant man, it seems," says I, frowning.
"I have a way o' putting one and one together--'tis a trick I've founduseful now and then!"
"Ha!" says I, mighty scornful, "You'll be telling me my own name next!"
"Why, as to that," says he, pinching his long,
clean-shaven chinthoughtfully, "how would Conisby suit?"
"Damned spy!" I cried, and caught him in my grip; the fellow never somuch as flinched, and there was something formidable in his veryquietude.
"Easy all, shipmate!" says he mildly and staring up at me eye to eye."Use me kindly, for I'm a timid soul with a good heart, meaning nooffence."
"How learned ye my name? What devilry is here?"
"None in the world, Lord love ye! 'Tis just my trick of adding one andone, d'ye see? There's the ring on your finger and the signboard aboveyou."
"And wherefore spy on a sleeping man?"
"Because I'm a lonely soul doth seek a comrade. Because the moment Iclapped eyes on you I felt drawn to ye, and seeing the scars on yourwrist, knew 'em for shackle-marks--and 'twas a bond betwixt us."
"How a bond?"
"Loose me, shipmate, and I'll show ye." Which done, he bared a longand sinewy arm, discovering thereon marks of old fetter-sores likethose upon my own.
"So you've slaved at an oar, then?" says I.
"Aye, shipmate!"
"Endured the shame of stripes and nakedness and filth?"
"Aye, shipmate. And more, I've fought for my life on the IncaDeath-stone ere now, as you may see by my ears if you know aught of theMaya Indians."
And here without so much as a "by your leave" he sat him down on thebench beside me, and leaning forward began to trace idle patterns inthe dust with his stick.
"Shipmate," says he, "I'm a timid man--"
"As a snake," quoth I, "and as deadly!"
Here he stayed his drawing to glance at me askance, to sigh and shakehis head. "You misjudge me," says he, "howbeit we'll say cautious--acautious man with an honest, kindly heart as yearns to fellowship."
"And with a pistol 'neath each armpit!"
"True!" he nodded. "I might ha' shot ye a moment since anddidn't--which doth but prove my words, for I'm one as never harmed anyman--without just cause--save once, and that--" here he sighed, "wasyears agone. And me a lonely man to this day. So 'tis I seek acomrade--a right man, one at odds wi' fortune and the world andtherefore apt to desperate ploys, one hath suffered and endured andtherefore scornful of harms and dangers, one as knoweth the sea. Nowlet that man pledge me the blood-brotherhood, let him stand staunch andfaithful blow fair, blow foul, and I'll help him to a fortune greaterthan ever came out of Manoa, El Dorado, or the Indies. Come, what d'yesay, friend?"
"I say sheer off and leave me to my sleep lest I mischief you."
"Ha' ye no lust for riches, then?"
"No more than I have to your company and I love that less and less."
"'Tis pity!" says he, shaking his head. "Aye, 'tis pity, for I do likeyou more and more, such a fine blood-and-beef, dare-and-be-damned,gibbet-like figure of a rogue, shipmate, as would grace a cross-roadsbetter than most, which is one reason I was drawn to ye, d'ye see, Ibeing a quiet soul--"
"And a pirate, like as not!"
"Easy, shipmate, easy. Passion is an ill word to steer by. And I'm alonely man as seeks a comrade--"
"And I'm a lonely man that loveth solitude, so e'en now will I go seekit!" and I rose.
"Stay a bit, shipmate, haul your wind and listen!" says he, laying handon my arm. "Stand in wi' me, blow high, blow low, and I offeryou--wealth untold--riches, fortune--"
"Tush!" says I, "empty things all." At this his hold tightened whilehis keen gaze held mine.
"More than this," says he slowly, "I offer you rank, honours, power andmayhap--love, shipmate."
"Enough!" quoth I. "You offer nought I desire."
"Why then," says he, "in the Fiend's name what would ye have?"
"Vengeance!" I answered, and shaking off his grasp I turned and strodeaway along the dusty road.