CHAPTER XIX Wi' coulters and wi' forehammers We garr'd the bars bang merrily, Until we came to the inner prison, Where Willie o' Kinmont he did lie.
Old Border Ballad.
We return to Portanferry, and to Bertram and his honest-hearted friend,whom we left most innocent inhabitants of a place built for the guilty.The slumbers of the farmer were as sound as it was possible.
But Bertram's first heavy sleep passed away long before midnight, norcould he again recover that state of oblivion. Added to the uncertain anduncomfortable state of his mind, his body felt feverish and oppressed.This was chiefly owing to the close and confined air of the smallapartment in which they slept. After enduring for some time the broilingand suffocating feeling attendant upon such an atmosphere, he rose toendeavour to open the window of the apartment, and thus to procure achange of air. Alas! the first trial reminded him that he was in jail,and that the building being contrived for security, not comfort, themeans of procuring fresh air were not left at the disposal of thewretched inhabitants.
Disappointed in this attempt, he stood by the unmanageable window forsome time. Little Wasp, though oppressed with the fatigue of his journeyon the preceding day, crept out of bed after his master, and stood by himrubbing his shaggy coat against his legs, and expressing by a murmuringsound the delight which he felt at being restored to him. Thusaccompanied, and waiting until the feverish feeling which at presentagitated his blood should subside into a desire for warmth and slumber,Bertram remained for some time looking out upon the sea.
The tide was now nearly full, and dashed hoarse and near below the baseof the building. Now and then a large wave reached even the barrier orbulwark which defended the foundation of the house, and was flung up onit with greater force and noise than those which only broke upon thesand. Far in the distance, under the indistinct light of a hazy and oftenoverclouded moon, the ocean rolled its multitudinous complication ofwaves, crossing, bursting, and mingling with each other.
'A wild and dim spectacle,' said Bertram to himself, 'like those crossingtides of fate which have tossed me about the world from my infancyupwards. When will this uncertainty cease, and how soon shall I bepermitted to look out for a tranquil home, where I may cultivate inquiet, and without dread and perplexity, those arts of peace from whichmy cares have been hitherto so forcibly diverted? The ear of Fancy, it issaid, can discover the voice of sea-nymphs and tritons amid the burstingmurmurs of the ocean; would that I could do so, and that some siren orProteus would arise from these billows to unriddle for me the strangemaze of fate in which I am so deeply entangled! Happy friend!' he said,looking at the bed where Dinmont had deposited his bulky person, 'thycares are confined to the narrow round of a healthy and thrivingoccupation! Thou canst lay them aside at pleasure, and enjoy the deeprepose of body and mind which wholesome labour has prepared for thee!'
At this moment his reflections were broken by little Wasp, who,attempting to spring up against the window, began to yelp and bark mostfuriously. The sounds reached Dinmont's ears, but without dissipating theillusion which had transported him from this wretched apartment to thefree air of his own green hills. 'Hoy, Yarrow, man! far yaud, far yaud!'he muttered between his teeth, imagining, doubtless, that he was callingto his sheep-dog, and hounding him in shepherds' phrase against someintruders on the grazing. The continued barking of the terrier within wasanswered by the angry challenge of the mastiff in the courtyard, whichhad for a long time been silent, excepting only an occasional short anddeep note, uttered when the moon shone suddenly from among the clouds.Now his clamour was continued and furious, and seemed to be excited bysome disturbance distinct from the barking of Wasp, which had first givenhim the alarm, and which, with much trouble, his master had contrived tostill into an angry note of low growling.
At last Bertram, whose attention was now fully awakened, conceived thathe saw a boat upon the sea, and heard in good earnest the sound of oarsand of human voices mingling with the dash of the billows. 'Somebenighted fishermen,' he thought, 'or perhaps some of the desperatetraders from the Isle of Man. They are very hardy, however, to approachso near to the custom-house, where there must be sentinels. It is a largeboat, like a long-boat, and full of people; perhaps it belongs to therevenue service.' Bertram was confirmed in this last opinion by observingthat the boat made for a little quay which ran into the sea behind thecustom-house, and, jumping ashore one after another, the crew, to thenumber of twenty hands, glided secretly up a small lane which divided thecustom-house from the bridewell, and disappeared from his sight, leavingonly two persons to take care of the boat.
The dash of these men's oars at first, and latterly the suppressed soundsof their voices, had excited the wrath of the wakeful sentinel in thecourtyard, who now exalted his deep voice into such a horrid andcontinuous din that it awakened his brute master, as savage a ban-dog ashimself. His cry from a window, of 'How now, Tearum, what's the matter,sir? down, d--n ye, down!' produced no abatement of Tearum'svociferation, which in part prevented his master from hearing the soundsof alarm which his ferocious vigilance was in the act of challenging. Butthe mate of the two-legged Cerberus was gifted with sharper ears than herhusband. She also was now at the window. 'B--t ye, gae down and let loosethe dog,' she said; 'they're sporting the door of the custom-house, andthe auld sap at Hazlewood House has ordered off the guard. But ye hae naemair heart than a cat.' And down the Amazon sallied to perform the taskherself, while her helpmate, more jealous of insurrection within doorsthan of storm from without, went from cell to cell to see that theinhabitants of each were carefully secured.
These latter sounds with which we have made the reader acquainted hadtheir origin in front of the house, and were consequently imperfectlyheard by Bertram, whose apartment, as we have already noticed, lookedfrom the back part of the building upon the sea. He heard, however, astir and tumult in the house, which did not seem to accord with the sternseclusion of a prison at the hour of midnight, and, connecting them withthe arrival of an armed boat at that dead hour, could not but supposethat something extraordinary was about to take place. In this belief heshook Dinmont by the shoulder. 'Eh! Ay! Oh! Ailie, woman, it's no time toget up yet,' groaned the sleeping man of the mountains. More roughlyshaken, however, he gathered himself up, shook his ears, and asked, 'Inthe name of Providence what's the matter?'
'That I can't tell you,' replied Bertram; 'but either the place is onfire or some extraordinary thing is about to happen. Are you not sensibleof a smell of fire? Do you not hear what a noise there is of clashingdoors within the house and of hoarse voices, murmurs, and distant shoutson the outside? Upon my word, I believe something very extraordinary hastaken place. Get up, for the love of Heaven, and let us be on our guard.'
Dinmont rose at the idea of danger, as intrepid and undismayed as any ofhis ancestors when the beacon-light was kindled. 'Od, Captain, this is aqueer place! they winna let ye out in the day, and they winna let yesleep in the night. Deil, but it wad break my heart in a fortnight. But,Lordsake, what a racket they're making now! Od, I wish we had some light.Wasp, Wasp, whisht, hinny; whisht, my bonnie man, and let's hear whatthey're doing. Deil's in ye, will ye whisht?'
They sought in vain among the embers the means of lighting their candle,and the noise without still continued. Dinmont in his turn had recourseto the window--'Lordsake, Captain! come here. Od, they hae broken thecustom-house!'
Bertram hastened to the window, and plainly saw a miscellaneous crowd ofsmugglers, and blackguards of different descriptions, some carryinglighted torches, others bearing packages and barrels down the lane to theboat that was lying at the quay, to which two or three other fisher-boatswere now brought round. They were loading each of these in their turn,and one or two had already put off to seaward. 'This speaks for itself,'said Bertram; 'but I fear something worse has happened. Do you perceive astrong smell of smoke, or is it my fancy?'
'Fancy?' answered Dinmont, 'there's a reek like a killogie. Od, if theyburn the custom-house it w
ill catch here, and we'll lunt like atar-barrel a' thegither. Eh! it wad be fearsome to be burnt alive fornaething, like as if ane had been a warlock! Mac-Guffog, hear ye!'roaring at the top of his voice; 'an ye wad ever hae a haill bane in yourskin, let's out, man, let's out!'
The fire began now to rise high, and thick clouds of smoke rolled pastthe window at which Bertram and Dinmont were stationed. Sometimes, as thewind pleased, the dim shroud of vapour hid everything from their sight;sometimes a red glare illuminated both land and sea, and shone full onthe stern and fierce figures who, wild with ferocious activity, wereengaged in loading the boats. The fire was at length triumphant, andspouted in jets of flame out at each window of the burning building,while huge flakes of flaming materials came driving on the wind againstthe adjoining prison, and rolling a dark canopy of smoke over all theneighbourhood. The shouts of a furious mob resounded far and wide; forthe smugglers in their triumph were joined by all the rabble of thelittle town and neighbourhood, now aroused and in complete agitation,notwithstanding the lateness of the hour, some from interest in the freetrade, and most from the general love of mischief and tumult natural to avulgar populace.
Bertram began to be seriously anxious for their fate. There was no stirin the house; it seemed as if the jailor had deserted his charge, andleft the prison with its wretched inhabitants to the mercy of theconflagration which was spreading towards them. In the meantime a new andfierce attack was heard upon the outer gate of the correction house,which, battered with sledge-hammers and crows, was soon forced. Thekeeper, as great a coward as a bully, with his more ferocious wife, hadfled; their servants readily surrendered the keys. The liberatedprisoners, celebrating their deliverance with the wildest yells of joy,mingled among the mob which had given them freedom.
In the midst of the confusion that ensued three or four of the principalsmugglers hurried to the apartment of Bertram with lighted torches, andarmed with cutlasses and pistols. 'Der deyvil,' said the leader, 'here'sour mark!' and two of them seized on Bertram; but one whispered in hisear,' Make no resistance till you are in the street.' The same individualfound an instant to say to Dinmont--'Follow your friend, and help whenyou see the time come.'
In the hurry of the moment Dinmont obeyed and followed close. The twosmugglers dragged Bertram along the passage, downstairs, through thecourtyard, now illuminated by the glare of fire, and into the narrowstreet to which the gate opened, where in the confusion the gang werenecessarily in some degree separated from each other. A rapid noise, asof a body of horse advancing, seemed to add to the disturbance. 'Hageland wetter, what is that?' said the leader; 'keep together, kinder; lookto the prisoner.' But in spite of his charge the two who held Bertramwere the last of the party.
The sounds and signs of violence were heard in front. The press becamefuriously agitated, while some endeavoured to defend themselves, othersto escape; shots were fired, and the glittering broadswords of thedragoons began to appear flashing above the heads of the rioters. 'Now,'said the warning whisper of the man who held Bertram's left arm, the samewho had spoken before, 'shake off that fellow and follow me.'
Bertram, exerting his strength suddenly and effectually, easily burstfrom the grasp of the man who held his collar on the right side. Thefellow attempted to draw a pistol, but was prostrated by a blow ofDinmont's fist, which an ox could hardly have received without the samehumiliation. 'Follow me quick,' said the friendly partizan, and divedthrough a very narrow and dirty lane which led from the main street.
No pursuit took place. The attention of the smugglers had been otherwiseand very disagreeably engaged by the sudden appearance of Mac-Morlan andthe party of horse. The loud, manly voice of the provincial magistratewas heard proclaiming the Riot Act, and charging 'all those unlawfullyassembled to disperse at their own proper peril.' This interruptionwould, indeed, have happened in time sufficient to have prevented theattempt, had not the magistrate received upon the road some falseinformation which led him to think that the smugglers were to land at thebay of Ellangowan. Nearly two hours were lost in consequence of thisfalse intelligence, which it may be no lack of charity to suppose thatGlossin, so deeply interested in the issue of that night's daringattempt, had contrived to throw in Mac-Morlan's way, availing himself ofthe knowledge that the soldiers had left Hazlewood House, which wouldsoon reach an ear so anxious as his.
In the meantime, Bertram followed his guide, and was in his turn followedby Dinmont. The shouts of the mob, the trampling of the horses, thedropping pistol-shots, sunk more and more faintly upon their ears, whenat the end of the dark lane they found a post-chaise with four horses.'Are you here, in God's name?' said the guide to the postilion who drovethe leaders.
'Ay, troth am I,' answered Jock Jabos, 'and I wish I were ony gate else.'
'Open the carriage then. You, gentlemen, get into it; in a short timeyou'll be in a place of safety, and (to Bertram) remember your promise tothe gipsy wife!'
Bertram, resolving to be passive in the hands of a person who had justrendered him such a distinguished piece of service, got into the chaiseas directed. Dinmont followed; Wasp, who had kept close by them, sprungin at the same time, and the carriage drove off very fast. 'Have a careo' me,' said Dinmont, 'but this is the queerest thing yet! Od, I trustthey'll no coup us. And then what's to come o' Dumple? I would rather beon his back than in the Deuke's coach, God bless him.'
Bertram observed, that they could not go at that rapid rate to any verygreat distance without changing horses, and that they might insist uponremaining till daylight at the first inn they stopped at, or at leastupon being made acquainted with the purpose and termination of theirjourney, and Mr. Dinmont might there give directions about his faithfulhorse, which would probably be safe at the stables where he had left him.'Aweel, aweel, e'en sae be it for Dandie. Od, if we were ance out o' thistrindling kist o' a thing, I am thinking they wad find it hard wark togar us gang ony gate but where we liked oursells.'
While he thus spoke the carriage, making a sudden turn, showed themthrough the left window the village at some distance, still widelybeaconed by the fire, which, having reached a store-house wherein spiritswere deposited, now rose high into the air, a wavering column ofbrilliant light. They had not long time to admire this spectacle, foranother turn of the road carried them into a close lane betweenplantations, through which the chaise proceeded in nearly total darkness,but with unabated speed.