CHAPTER XX
Flatter and praise, commend, extol their graces, Though ne'er so black, say they have angels' faces, That man who hath a tongue I say is no man, If with that tongue he cannot win a woman. --_Two Gentlemen of Verona_.
In making the arrangements by which Captain Lawton had been left, withSergeant Hollister and twelve men, as a guard over the wounded, andheavy baggage of the corps, Dunwoodie had consulted not only theinformation which had been conveyed in the letter of Colonel Singleton,but the bruises of his comrade's body. In vain Lawton declared himselffit for any duty that man could perform, or plainly intimated that hismen would never follow Tom Mason to a charge with the alacrity andconfidence with which they followed himself; his commander was firm, andthe reluctant captain was compelled to comply with as good a grace as hecould assume. Before parting, Dunwoodie repeated his caution to keep awatchful eye on the inmates of the cottage; and especially enjoined him,if any movements of a particularly suspicious nature were seen in theneighborhood, to break up from his present quarters, and to move downwith his party, and take possession of the domains of Mr. Wharton. Avague suspicion of danger to the family had been awakened in the breastof the major, by the language of the peddler, although he was unable torefer it to any particular source, or to understand why it was to beapprehended.
For some time after the departure of the troops, the captain was walkingbefore the door of the "Hotel," inwardly cursing his fate, thatcondemned him to an inglorious idleness, at a moment when a meeting withthe enemy might be expected, and replying to the occasional queries ofBetty, who, from the interior of the building, ever and anon demanded,in a high tone of voice, an explanation of various passages in thepeddler's escape, which as yet she could not comprehend. At this instanthe was joined by the surgeon, who had hitherto been engaged among hispatients in a distant building, and was profoundly ignorant ofeverything that had occurred, even to the departure of the troops.
"Where are all the sentinels, John?" he inquired, as he gazed aroundwith a look of curiosity, "and why are you here alone?"
"Off--all off, with Dunwoodie, to the river. You and I are left here totake care of a few sick men and some women."
"I am glad, however," said the surgeon, "that Major Dunwoodie hadconsideration enough not to move the wounded. Here, you Mrs. ElizabethFlanagan, hasten with some food, that I may appease my appetite. I havea dead body to dissect and am in haste."
"And here, you Mister Doctor Archibald Sitgreaves," echoed Betty,showing her blooming countenance from a broken window of the kitchen,"you are ever a-coming too late; here is nothing to ate but the skin ofJenny, and the body ye're mentioning."
"Woman!" said the surgeon, in anger, "do you take me for a cannibal,that you address your filthy discourse to me, in this manner? I bid youhasten with such food as may be proper to be received into thestomach fasting."
"And I'm sure it's for a popgun that I should be taking you sooner thanfor a cannon ball," said Betty, winking at the captain; "and I tell yethat it's fasting you must be, unless ye'll let me cook ye a steak fromthe skin of Jenny. The boys have ate me up intirely."
Lawton now interfered to preserve the peace, and assured the surgeonthat he had already dispatched the proper persons in quest of food forthe party. A little mollified with this explanation, the operator soonforgot his hunger, and declared his intention of proceeding tobusiness at once.
"And where is your subject?" asked Lawton.
"The peddler," said the other, glancing a look at the signpost. "I madeHollister put a stage so high that the neck would not be dislocated bythe fall, and I intend making as handsome a skeleton of him as there isin the states of North America; the fellow has good points, and hisbones are well knit. I will make a perfect beauty of him. I have longbeen wanting something of this sort to send as a present to my old auntin Virginia, who was so kind to me when a boy."
"The devil!" cried Lawton. "Would you send the old woman a dead man'sbones?"
"Why not?" said the surgeon. "What nobler object is there in nature thanthe figure of a man--and the skeleton may be called his elementaryparts. But what has been done with the body?"
"Off too."
"Off! And who has dared to interfere with my perquisites?"
"Sure, jist the divil," said Betty; "and who'll be taking yeerself awaysome of these times too, without asking yeer lave."
"Silence, you witch!" said Lawton, with difficulty suppressing a laugh."Is this the manner in which to address an officer?"
"Who called me the filthy Elizabeth Flanagan?" cried the washerwoman,snapping her fingers contemptuously. "I can remimber a frind for a yearand don't forgit an inimy for a month."
But the friendship or enmity of Mrs. Flanagan was alike indifferent tothe surgeon, who could think of nothing but his loss; and Lawton wasobliged to explain to his friend the apparent manner in which ithad happened.
"And a lucky escape it was for ye, my jewel of a doctor," cried Betty,as the captain concluded. "Sargeant Hollister, who saw him face to face,as it might be, says it's Beelzeboob, and no piddler, unless it may bein a small matter of lies and thefts, and sich wickedness. Now a prettyfigure ye would have been in cutting up Beelzeboob, if the major hadhanged him. I don't think it's very 'asy he would have been underyeer knife."
Thus doubly disappointed in his meal and his business, Sitgreavessuddenly declared his intention of visiting the Locusts, and inquiringinto the state of Captain Singleton. Lawton was ready for the excursion;and mounting, they were soon on the road, though the surgeon was obligedto submit to a few more jokes from the washerwoman, before he could getout of hearing. For some time the two rode in silence, when Lawton,perceiving that his companion's temper was somewhat ruffled by hisdisappointments and Betty's attack, made an effort to restore thetranquillity of his feelings.
"That was a charming song, Archibald, that you commenced last evening,when we were interrupted by the party that brought in the peddler," hesaid. "The allusion to Galen was much to the purpose."
"I knew you would like it, Jack, when you had got the fumes of the wineout of your head. Poetry is a respectable art, though it wants theprecision of the exact sciences, and the natural beneficence of thephysical. Considered in reference to the wants of life, I should definepoetry as an emollient, rather than as a succulent."
"And yet your ode was full of the meat of wit."
"Ode is by no means a proper term for the composition; I should term ita classical ballad."
"Very probably," said the trooper. "Hearing only one verse, it wasdifficult to class the composition."
The surgeon involuntarily hemmed, and began to clear his throat,although scarcely conscious himself to what the preparation tended. Butthe captain, rolling his dark eyes towards his companion, and observinghim to be sitting with great uneasiness on his horse, continued,--
"The air is still, and the road solitary--why not give the remainder? Itis never too late to repair a loss."
"My dear John, if I thought it would correct the errors you haveimbibed, from habit and indulgence, nothing could give me morepleasure."
"We are fast approaching some rocks on our left; the echo will double mysatisfaction."
Thus encouraged, and somewhat impelled by the opinion that he both sangand wrote with taste, the surgeon set about complying with the requestin sober earnest. Some little time was lost in clearing his throat, andgetting the proper pitch of his voice; but no sooner were these twopoints achieved, than Lawton had the secret delight of hearing hisfriend commence--
"'Hast thou ever'"--
"Hush!" interrupted the trooper. "What rustling noise is that among therocks?"
"It must have been the rushing of the melody. A powerful voice is likethe breathing of the winds.
"'Hast thou ever'"--
"Listen!" said Lawton, stopping his horse. He had not done speaking,when a stone fell at his feet, and rolled harmlessly across the path.
"A frie
ndly shot, that," cried the trooper. "Neither the weapon, nor itsforce, implies much ill will."
"Blows from stones seldom produce more than contusions," said theoperator, bending his gaze in every direction in vain, in quest of thehand from which the missile had been hurled. "It must be meteoric; thereis no living being in sight, except ourselves."
"It would be easy to hide a regiment behind those rocks," returned thetrooper, dismounting, and taking the stone in his hand. "Oh! here is theexplanation along with the mystery." So saying, he tore a piece of paperthat had been ingeniously fastened to the small fragment of rock whichhad thus singularly fallen before him; and opening it, the captain readthe following words, written in no very legible hand: "_A musket bulletwill go farther than a stone, and things more dangerous than yarbs forwounded men lie hid in the rocks of Westchester. The horse may be good,but can he mount a precipice?_"
"Thou sayest the truth, strange man," said Lawton. "Courage and activitywould avail but little against assassination and these rugged passes."Remounting his horse, he cried aloud, "Thanks, unknown friend; yourcaution will be remembered."
A meager hand was extended for an instant over a rock, in the air, andafterwards nothing further was seen, or heard, in that quarter, bythe soldiers.
"Quite an extraordinary interruption," said the astonished Sitgreaves,"and a letter of very mysterious meaning."
"Oh! 'tis nothing but the wit of some bumpkin, who thinks to frightentwo of the Virginians by an artifice of this kind," said the trooper,placing the billet in his pocket. "But let me tell you, Mr. ArchibaldSitgreaves, you were wanting to dissect, just now, a damnedhonest fellow."
"It was the peddler--one of the most notorious spies in the enemy'sservice; and I must say that I think it would be an honor to such a manto be devoted to the uses of science."
"He may be a spy--he must be one," said Lawton, musing; "but he has aheart above enmity, and a soul that would honor a soldier."
The surgeon turned a vacant eye on his companion as he uttered thissoliloquy, while the penetrating looks of the trooper had alreadydiscovered another pile of rocks, which, jutting forward, nearlyobstructed the highway that wound directly around its base.
"What the steed cannot mount, the foot of man can overcome," exclaimedthe wary partisan. Throwing himself again from his saddle, and leaping awall of stone, he began to ascend the hill at a pace which would soonhave given him a bird's-eye view of the rocks in question, together withall their crevices. This movement was no sooner made, than Lawton caughta glimpse of the figure of a man stealing rapidly from his approach, anddisappearing on the opposite side of the precipice.
"Spur, Sitgreaves--spur," shouted the trooper, dashing over everyimpediment in pursuit, "and murder the villain as he flies."
The former part of the request was promptly complied with, and a fewmoments brought the surgeon in full view of a man armed with a musket,who was crossing the road, and evidently seeking the protection of thethick wood on its opposite side.
"Stop, my friend--stop until Captain Lawton comes up, if you please,"cried the surgeon, observing him to flee with a rapidity that baffledhis horsemanship. But as if the invitation contained new terrors, thefootman redoubled his efforts, nor paused even to breathe, until he hadreached his goal, when, turning on his heel, he discharged his muskettowards the surgeon, and was out of sight in an instant. To gain thehighway, and throw himself into his saddle, detained Lawton but amoment, and he rode to the side of his comrade just as the figuredisappeared.
"Which way has he fled?" cried the trooper.
"John," said the surgeon, "am I not a noncombatant?"
"Whither has the rascal fled?" cried Lawton, impatiently.
"Where you cannot follow--into that wood. But I repeat, John, am I nota noncombatant?"
The disappointed trooper, perceiving that his enemy had escaped him, nowturned his eyes, which were flashing with anger, upon his comrade, andgradually his muscles lost their rigid compression, his brow relaxed,and his look changed from its fierce expression, to the covert laughterwhich so often distinguished his countenance. The surgeon sat indignified composure on his horse; his thin body erect, and his headelevated with the indignation of one conscious of having beenunjustly treated.
"Why did you suffer the villain to escape?" demanded the captain. "Oncewithin reach of my saber, and I would have given you a subject for thedissecting table."
"'Twas impossible to prevent it," said the surgeon, pointing to thebars, before which he had stopped his horse. "The rogue threw himself onthe other side of this fence, and left me where you see; nor would theman in the least attend to my remonstrances, or to an intimation thatyou wished to hold discourse with him."
"He was truly a discourteous rascal; but why did you not leap the fence,and compel him to a halt? You see but three of the bars are up, andBetty Flanagan could clear them on her cow."
The surgeon, for the first time, withdrew his eyes from the place wherethe fugitive had disappeared, and turned his look on his comrade. Hishead, however, was not permitted to lower itself in the least, as hereplied,--
"I humbly conceive, Captain Lawton, that neither Mrs. ElizabethFlanagan, nor her cow, is an example to be emulated by Doctor ArchibaldSitgreaves. It would be but a sorry compliment to science, to say that adoctor of medicine had fractured both his legs by injudiciously strikingthem against a pair of barposts." While speaking, the surgeon raised thelimbs in question to a nearly horizontal position, an attitude whichreally appeared to bid defiance to anything like a passage for himselfthrough the defile; but the trooper, disregarding this ocular proof ofthe impossibility of the movement, cried hastily,--
"Here was nothing to stop you, man; I could leap a platoon through, bootand thigh, without pricking with a single spur. Pshaw! I have oftencharged upon the bayonets of infantry, over greater difficultiesthan this."
"You will please to remember, Captain John Lawton, that I am not theriding master of the regiment--nor a drill sergeant--nor a crazy cornet;no, sir--and I speak it with a due respect for the commission of theContinental Congress--nor an inconsiderate captain, who regards his ownlife as little as that of his enemies. I am only, sir, a poor humble manof letters, a mere doctor of medicine, an unworthy graduate ofEdinburgh, and a surgeon of dragoons; nothing more, I do assure you,Captain John Lawton." So saying, he turned his horse's head towards thecottage, and recommenced his ride.
"Aye, you speak the truth," muttered the dragoon. "Had I but the meanestrider of my troop with me, I should have taken the scoundrel, and givenat least one victim to the laws. But, Archibald, no man can ride wellwho straddles in this manner like the Colossus of Rhodes. You shoulddepend less on your stirrup, and keep your seat by the power ofthe knee."
"With proper deference to your experience, Captain Lawton," returned thesurgeon, "I conceive myself to be no incompetent judge of muscularaction, whether in the knee, or in any other part of the human frame.And although but humbly educated, I am not now to learn that the widerthe base, the more firm is the superstructure."
"Would you fill a highway, in this manner, with one pair of legs, whenhalf a dozen might pass together in comfort, stretching them abroad likethe scythes of the ancient chariot wheels?"
The allusion to the practice of the ancients somewhat softened theindignation of the surgeon, and he replied, with rather less hauteur,--
"You should speak with reverence of the usages of those who have gonebefore us, and who, however ignorant they were in matters of science,and particularly that of surgery, yet furnished many brilliant hints toour own improvements. Now, sir, I have no doubt that Galen has operatedon wounds occasioned by these very scythes that you mention, although wecan find no evidence of the fact in contemporary writers. Ah! they musthave given dreadful injuries, and, I doubt not, caused great uneasinessto the medical gentlemen of that day."
"Occasionally a body must have been left in two pieces, to puzzle theingenuity of those gentry to unite. Yet, venerable and learned as theywere, I do
ubt not they did it."
"What! unite two parts of the human body, that have been severed by anedged instrument, to any of the purposes of animal life?"
"That have been rent asunder by a scythe, and are united to do militaryduty," said Lawton.
"'Tis impossible--quite impossible," cried the surgeon. "It is in vain,Captain Lawton, that human ingenuity endeavors to baffle the efforts ofnature. Think, my dear sir; in this case you separate all thearteries--injure all of the intestines--sever all of the nerves andsinews, and, what is of more consequence, you--"
"You have said enough, Dr. Sitgreaves, to convince a member of a rivalschool. Nothing shall ever tempt me willingly to submit to be divided inthis irretrievable manner."
"Certes, there is little pleasure in a wound which, from its nature, isincurable."
"I should think so," said Lawton, dryly.
"What do you think is the greatest pleasure in life?" asked the operatorsuddenly.
"That must greatly depend on taste."
"Not at all," cried the surgeon; "it is in witnessing, or ratherfeeling, the ravages of disease repaired by the lights of sciencecooperating with nature. I once broke my little finger intentionally, inorder that I might reduce the fracture and watch the cure: it was onlyon a small scale, you know, dear John; still the thrilling sensationexcited by the knitting of the bone, aided by the contemplation of theart of man thus acting in unison with nature, exceeded any otherenjoyment that I have ever experienced. Now, had it been one of the moreimportant members, such as the leg, or arm, how much greater must thepleasure have been!"
"Or the neck," said the trooper; but their desultory discourse wasinterrupted by their arrival at the cottage of Mr. Wharton. No oneappearing to usher them into an apartment, the captain proceeded to thedoor of the parlor, where he knew visitors were commonly received. Onopening it, he paused for a moment, in admiration at the scene within.The person of Colonel Wellmere first met his eye, bending towards thefigure of the blushing Sarah, with an earnestness of manner thatprevented the noise of Lawton's entrance from being heard by either ofthe parties. Certain significant signs which were embraced at a glanceby the prying gaze of the trooper, at once made him a master of theirsecret; and he was about to retire as silently as he had advanced, whenhis companion, pushing himself through the passage, abruptly entered theroom. Advancing instantly to the chair of Wellmere, the surgeoninstinctively laid hold of his arm, and exclaimed,--
"Bless me!--a quick and irregular pulse--flushed cheek and fieryeye--strong febrile symptoms, and such as must be attended to." Whilespeaking, the doctor, who was much addicted to practicing in a summaryway,--a weakness of most medical men in military practice,--had alreadyproduced his lancet, and was making certain other indications of hisintentions to proceed at once to business. But Colonel Wellmere,recovering from the confusion of the surprise, arose from his seathaughtily, and said,--
"Sir, it is the warmth of the room that lends me the color, and I amalready too much indebted to your skill to give you any further trouble.Miss Wharton knows that I am quite well, and I do assure you that Inever felt better or happier in my life."
There was a peculiar emphasis on the latter part of this speech, that,however it might gratify the feelings of Sarah, brought the color to hercheeks again; and Sitgreaves, as his eye followed the direction of thoseof his patient, did not fail to observe it.
"Your arm, if you please, madam," said the surgeon, advancing with abow. "Anxiety and watching have done their work on your delicate frame,and there are symptoms about you that must not be neglected."
"Excuse me, sir," said Sarah, recovering herself with womanly pride;"the heat is oppressive, and I will retire and acquaint Miss Peyton withyour presence."
There was but little difficulty in practicing on the abstractedsimplicity of the surgeon; but it was necessary for Sarah to raise hereyes to return the salutation of Lawton, as he bowed his head nearly toa level with the hand that held open the door for her passage. One lookwas sufficient; she was able to control her steps sufficiently to retirewith dignity; but no sooner was she relieved from the presence of allobservers, than she fell into a chair and abandoned herself to a feelingof mingled shame and pleasure.
A little nettled at the contumacious deportment of the British colonel,Sitgreaves, after once more tendering services that were again rejected,withdrew to the chamber of young Singleton, whither Lawton had alreadypreceded him.