CHAPTER XIX.
THE SWEET SINGERS OF THE DEER-SLUNK.
Now my father had drilled it into me that Anton Lennox, called theCovenanter, was a good and sound-hearted man, even as he was doubtless amanifest and notable Christian. But the tale concerning him that mostimpressed me and touched my spirit nearest, was the tale of how heserved Muckle John Gib and his crew, after godly Mr. Cargill haddelivered them over to Satan.
It was Sandy, my brother, that was the eye-witness of the affair. He wasever of the extreme opinion--as my mother used often to say, "Our Sandywas either in the moon or the midden"--but in my judgment oftenest inthe latter.
Yet I will never deny that he has had a great deal of experience, thoughI would rather want than have some of it. Now at this time, Sandy,perhaps by means of his wife, Jean Hamilton (who, like her brotherRobert, was just inordinate for preachings and prophesyings), was muchinclined to kick over the traces, and betake himself to the wilderextremes that were much handled by our enemies for the purpose ofbringing discredit on the good name of the Covenants.
There was one great hulking sailor of Borrowstounness that was speciallyafflicted with these visions and maunderings. Nothing but his own crazywill in all things could satisfy him. He withdrew himself into the wastewith two or three men and a great company of feeble-minded women, andthere renounced all authority and issued proclamations of the wildestand maddest kinds.
The godly and devout Mr. Donald Cargill (as he was called, for his realname was Duncan) was much exercised about the matter. And findinghimself in the neighbourhood to which these people had betakenthemselves, he spared no pains, but with much and sore foot-travel hefound them out, and entered into conference with them. But John Gib, whocould be upon occasion a most faceable and plausible person, persuadedhim to abide with them for a night. Which accordingly he did, but havingwrestled with them in prayer and communing half the night, and makingnothing of them, presently he rose and went out into the fields mostunhappy. So after long wandering he came homeward, having failed in hismission. Then it was that he told the matter to old Anton Lennox, whohad come from Galloway to attend the great Society's Meeting at Howmuir.With him at the time was my brother Sandy, and here it is that Sandy'sstory was used to commence.
And of all Sandy's stories it was the one I liked best, because therewas the least chance of his having anything about himself to tell.
"I mind the day"--so he began--"a fine heartsome harvest day inmid-September. We had our crop in early that year, and Anton, my fatherand I, had gotten awa' betimes to the Societies' meeting at Lesmahagow.It was in the earliest days of them--for ye maun mind that I am one o'the few surviving original members. We were a' sitting at our duty, whenin there came into the farm kitchen where we abode, Mr. Donald Cargillhimself. He was leaning upon his staff, and his head was hanging down.We desisted from our worship and looked at him steadfastly, for we sawthat the hand of the Lord had been upon him and that for grief. So wewaited for the delivery of his testimony.
"'My heart is heavy,' he said at long and last, 'for the people of thewilderness are delivered over to the gainsayer, and that by reason ofJohn Gib, called Muckle John, sailor in Borrowstounness, and presentlyleading the silly folks astray.' Then he told them how he had wrestledwith the Gibbites mightily in the Spirit, and had been overthrown.Whereat he was notified that the hearts of all those that hated the Waywould be lifted up.
"He also brought a copy of the foolish sheet called the 'Proclamation ofthe Sweet Singers,' which was much handed about among all thepersecutors at this time, and made to bring terrible discredit on thesober and God-fearing folk of the South and West, who had nothingwhatever to do with the matter.
"'Let me see it,' said Anton Lennox, holding out his hand for it.
"Mr. Cargill gave it to him, saying sadly, 'The Spirit will not alwaysstrive with them!'
"'Na,' said Auld Anton, 'but I'll e'en strive wi' them mysel'! Reek medoon Clickie!'
"He spoke of his great herd's stave that had a shank of a yard and ahalf long and was as thick as my wrist.
"'Come you, Sandy,' he cried over his shoulder as he strode out, 'and yewill get your bellyful of Sweet Singing this day!'
"Now I did not want to move for the exercise was exceeding pleasant. Butmy father also bade me go with Auld Anton, and as you know, it was noteasy to say nay to my father.
"It was over a moor that we took our way--silent because all the wildbirds had by with their nesting, and where Mr. Cargill had left thecompany of John Gib was in a very desert place where two counties met.But Auld Anton went stegging[4] over the hills, till I was fair drivenout of my breath. And ever as he went he drove his staff deeper anddourer into the sod.
[Footnote 4: Walking rapidly with long steps.]
"It was a long season before we arrived at the place, but at last wecame to the top of a little brow-face, and stood looking at the strangecompany gathered beneath us.
"There was a kind of moss-hag of dry peat, wide and deep, yet levelalong the bottom. Down upon the black coom was a large company of womenall standing close together and joining their hands. A little way aparton a mound of peat in the midst, stood a great hulk of a fellow, with agown upon him, like a woman's smock, of white linen felled with purpleat the edges. But whenever it blew aside with the wind, one sawunderneath the sailor's jerkin of rough cloth with the bare tanned skinof the neck showing through.
"'Certes, Master Anton,' said I, 'but yon is a braw chiel, him wi' thebroad hat and the white cock ontill the bob o't!'
"And indeed a brave, braw, blythesome-like man he was, for all thetrashery of his attire. He kept good order among the men and women thatcompanied with him in the Deer-Slunk. There were thirty ofthem--twenty-six being women--many of them very respectable of family,that had been led away from their duty by the dangerous, persuadingtongue of John Gib. But Auld Anton looked very grim as he stood a momenton the knowe-top and watched them, and he took a shorter grip of thecudgel he carried in his hand. It was of black crabtree, knotted andgrievous.
"'John Gib!' cried Anton Lennox from the hilltop suddenly in a loudvoice:
"The great sea slug of a man in the white petticoat turned slowly round,and looked at us standing on the parched brae-face with no friendly eye.
"'Begone--ye are the children of the devil--begone to your father!' hecried back.
"'Belike--John Gib--belike, but bide a wee--I am coming down to have aword or two with you as to that!' replied Auld Anton, and his look had asmile in it, that was sour as the crab-apples which his cudgel wouldhave borne had it bidden in the hedge-root.
"'I have come,' he said slowly and tartly, 'that I might converseseriously with you, John Gib, and that concerning the way that you havetreated Mr. Donald Cargill, an honoured servant of the Lord!'
"'Poof!' cried John Gib, standing up to look at us, while the women drewthemselves together angrily to whisper, 'speak not to us of ministers.We deny them every one. We have had more comfort to our souls since wehad done with ministers and elders, with week-days and fast-days, andBibles and Sabbaths, and came our ways out here by ourselves to thedeeps of the Deer-Slunk!'
"'Nay,' said Old Anton, 'ministers indeed are not all they might be. Butwithout them, ye have proved yourself but a blind guide leading theblind, John Gib! Ye shall not long continue sound in the faith orstraight in the way if ye want faithful guides! But chiefly for thefashion in which ye have used Mr. Cargill, am I come to wrestle withyou,' cried Anton.
"'He is but an hireling,' shouted Muckle John Gib, making his white gownflutter.
"'Yea, Yea, and Amen!' cried the women that were at his back. But DavieJamie, Walter Ker, and John Young, the other three men who were withhim, looked very greatly ashamed and turned away their faces--as indeedthey had great need.
"'Stand up like men! David Jamie, Walter Ker, and John Young!' criedAnton to them, 'Do ye bide to take part with these silly women and thishulker from the bilboes, or will ye return with me to good doctrine andwholesome correction?
'
"But the three men answered not a word, looking like men surprised in ashameful thing and without their needful garments.
"'Cargill me no Cargills!' said John Gib; 'he is a traitor, a ledcaptain and an hireling. He deserted the poor and went to another land.He came hither to us, yet neither preached to us nor prayed with us.'
"John Young looked about him as John Gib said this, as though he wouldhave contradicted him had he dared. But he was silent again and lookedat the ground.
"'Nay,' said Auld Anton, 'that is a lie, John Gib; for I know that heoffered to preach to you, standing with his Bible open between his handsas is his ordinary. But ye wanted him to promise to confine hispreaching to you--which when he would not consent to do, ye were forthrusting him out. And he came home, wet and weary, with the coldeasterly wet fog all night upon the muir, very melancholy, and withgreat grief for you all upon his spirit!'
"Then at this John Gib became suddenly very furious and drew a pistolupon us. This made Anton Lennox laugh.
"'I shall come down and wrestle with your pistols in a wee, John Gib.But I have a word to say to you all first.'
"He stood awhile and looked at them with contempt as if they were themeanest wretches under heaven, as indeed they were.
"'You, John Gib, that lay claim to being a wizard, I have little to sayto you. Ye have drawn away these silly folk with your blasphemousdevices. Your name is legion, for there are many devils within you. Youare the herd of swine after the devils had entered into them. Hath yourmaster given you any word to speak before I come down to you?'
"'Ay,' said John Gib, leaping up in the air and clapping his handstogether as if he would again begin the dance, which, accompanied by ahorrid yowling like that of a beaten dog, they called Sweet Singing.
"'Ay, that I have! Out upon you, Anton Lennox, that set up for a man ofGod and a reprover of others. I alone am pure, and God dwells in me. Ilift up my testimony against all the months of the year, for their namesare heathen. I alone testify against January and February; againstSunday, Monday, and Tuesday; against Martinmas and holidays, againstLammas-day, Whitsun-day, Candle-mas, Beltan, stone crosses, saints'images, Kelton Hill Fair and Stonykirk Sacrament. Against Yule andChristmas, old wife's fables, Palm Sunday, Carlin Sunday, Pasch, Hallow,and Hogmanay; against the cracking of nits and the singing of sangs;again all romances and story-buiks; against Handsel Monday, kirks,kirkyairds and ministers, and specially against cock-ups in the front o'the Sabbath bonnets o' ministers' wives; against registers, lawyers andall lawbooks----'
"He cried out this rigmarole at the top of his voice, speakingtrippingly by rote as one that says his lesson in school and has learnedit often and well. He rolled his eyes as he recited, and all the womenclapped their hands and made a kind of moaning howl like a dog when itbays the moon.
"'Yea, Yea, and Amen!' they cried after him, like children singing inchorus.
"'Peace, devil's brats all!' cried Anton Lennox, like a tower abovethem.
"And they hushed at his word, for he stood over them all, like onegreater than man, till even Muckle John Gib seemed puny beside the oldman.
"'David Jamie, hearken to me, you that has your hand on your bitshable.[5] Better put up your feckless iron spit. It will do you nogood. You are a good scholar lost, and a decent minister spoiled. Iwonder at you--a lad of some lear--companying with this hairy-throated,tarry-fisted deceiver.'
[Footnote 5: Short sword.]
"This David Jamie was a young limber lad, who looked paler and moredelicate than the others. What brought him into the company of mad menand misguided women, it is perhaps better only guessing.
"He looked sufficiently ashamed now at all events.
"'Walter Ker and John Young, hearken ye to me; I have more hope of you.You are but thoughtless, ignorant, land-ward men, and the Lord may bepleased to reclaim you from this dangerous and horrible delusion.'
"Anton Lennox looked about him. There was a fire smouldering at no greatdistance from him. Something black and square lay upon it. He took threegreat strides to the place. Lifting the dark smouldering object up fromoff the fire, he cried aloud in horror, and began rubbing with hishands. It was a fine large-print Bible, with more than half of it burnedaway. There were also several little ones upon the fire underneath. Inever saw a man's anger fire up more quickly. For me, I was both amazedand afraid at the awful and unthinkable blasphemy.
"'John Gib,' cried Anton Lennox, 'stand up before the Lord, andanswer--who has done this?'
"'I, that am the head of the Sweet Singers, and the Lord's anointed!'said he. 'I have done it!'
"'Then, by the Lord's great name, I will make you sing right sweetly forthis!' cried Anton, taking a vow.
"Then one of the women took up the parable.
"'We heard a voice in the Frost Moss,' she said, 'and a light shoneabout us there; and John Gib bade us burn our Bibles, for that thePsalms in Metre, the chapter headings, and the Table of Contents werebut human inventions.'
"'And I did it out of despite against God!' cried John Gib.
"Then Anton Lennox said not a word more, but cast away his plaid, spatupon his cudgel-palm, and called over his shoulder to me:
"'Come, Sandy, and help me to wrestle in the Spirit with these SweetSingers.'
"As he ran down the brae, David Jamie, the student youth, came at himwith a little spit-stick of a sword, and cried that if he came nearer hewould run him through.
"'The Lord forgie ye for leein', callant,' cried Anton, catching thepoor thin blade on his great oak cudgel, for Anton was a great playerwith the single-sticks, and as a lad had been the cock of thecountry-side. The steel, being spindle-thin, shivered into twentypieces, and the poor lad stood gaping at the sword-hilt left in hishand, which had grown suddenly light.
"'Bide you there and wrestle with him, Sandy!' Auld Anton cried againover his shoulder.
"So I took my knee and tripped David up. And so sat up upon him verycomfortable, till his nose was pressed into the moss, and all hismembers sprawled and waggled beneath me like a puddock under a stone.
"Then Auld Anton made straight for John Gib himself, who stood backamong his circle of women, conspicuous in his white sark and with apistol in his hand. When he saw Auld Anton coming so fiercely at himacross the peat-hags, he shot off his pistol, and turned to run. But hiswomen caught hold of him by the flying white robe, thinking that he wasabout to soar upward out of their sight.
"'Let me be,' he cried, with a great sailor oath; and tearing away fromthem, he left half the linen cloth in their hands, and betook him to hisheels.
"Anton Lennox went after him hot foot, and there they had it, likecoursing dogs, upon the level moor. It was noble sport. I laughed tillDavid Jamie was nearly choked in the moss with me rocking to and froupon him. Anton Lennox was twice the age of John Gib, but Muckle Johnbeing a sailor man, accustomed only to the short deck, and also havinghis running gear out of order by his manner of life, did exceedinglypant and blow. Yet for a time he managed to keep ahead of his pursuer.But there was no ultimate city of refuge for him.
"Anton Lennox followed after him a little stiffly, with a grimdetermined countenance; and as he ran I saw him shorten his cudgel ofcrabtree in his hand. Presently he came up with the muckle man ofBorrowstounness. The great stick whistled through the air, soughing likea willow-wand. Once, twice, thrice--it rose and fell.
"And the sound that ensued was like the beating of a sack of meal.
"'I'll learn you to burn the Bible!' cried Anton, as he still followed.His arm rose and fell steadily while John Gib continued to run as if thedogs were after him. The great hulk cried out with the intolerable painof the blows.
"'I'll mak' ye Sweet Singers a', by my faith! I'll score ilka point o'your paper screed on your back, my man--Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Pasch,Beltan, and Yule!'
"At the Yule stroke John Gib fell into a moss-hole. We could not easilysee what followed then. But the grievous cudgel steadfastly rose andfell like the flail of a man that threshes c
orn in a barn, and a howlingand roaring that was aught but sweet singing came to us over the moor.
"Presently Anton returned, striding back to where I sat upon David Jamiehis back.
"'Rise!' he said. And that was all he said.
"But he took his foot and turned the bit clerk over, pulling him out ofthe moss with a _cloop_ like the cork being drawn out of a brisk bottleof small ale.
"'David, lad, do ye renounce John Gib and all his ways?'
"The limber-limbed student looked doubtful, but the sight of the cudgeland the distant sound of the sweet singing of Muckle John decided him.
"'Ay,' he said. 'I am content to renounce them and him.'
"'See ye and stick to it then!' said Anton, and went after Walter Kerand John Young, who stood together as though they had gotten a deadstroke.
"'Ye saw visions, did ye?' he said. 'See ye if this be a vision?'
"And he gave them certain dour strokes on their bodies, for they werestrong carles and could bide the like--not like the poor feckless loonof a colleger.
"'Did ye see a light shining in the moss late yestreen?' he asked them.
"'It was but glow-worms!' said Walter Ker.
"'It was, aiblins, Wull-o'-the-Wisp?' said John Young.
"'Ay, that's mair like the thing, noo!' said Auld Anton, with somethinglike a smile on his face.
"So saying he drove all the women (save two or three that had scatteredover the moss) before him, till we came to the place of the ordinarySocieties' Meeting at Howmuir, from which we set out.
"Here were assembled sundry of the husbands of the women--for the blackshame of it was, that the most part of them were wives and mothers offamilies, of an age when the faults of youth were no longer eithertemptation or excuse.
"To them he delivered up the women; each to her own husband, withcertain advice.
"'I have wrestled with the men,' he said, 'and overcome them. Wrestle yewith the women, that are your own according to the flesh. And if yethink that my oaken stave is too sore, discharge your duty with a birchrod, of the thickness of your little finger--for it is the law of therealm of Scotland that every husband is allowed to give his wifereasonable correction therewith. But gin ye need my staff or gin yourwives prefer it, it is e'en at your service.'
"So saying, he threw his plaid over his shoulder, and made for the door.
"'Learn them a' the sweet singin',' he said. 'John Gib was grand at it.He sang like a mavis oot by there, on the moor at the Deer-Slunk.'"
This was the matter of Sandy's cheerful tale about John Gib and AuldAnton Lennox.
And this cured Sandy of some part of his extremes, though to my thinkingat times, he had been none the worse of Auld Anton at his elbow to givehim a lesson or two in sweet singing. I might not in that case have hadto buy all over again the bonny house of Earlstoun, and so had more tospend upon Afton, which is now mine own desirable residence.