Part 49 (2/2)
”Ah then, Gyu marchi! Here's a blanket--and the lantern--rope's in barn.
You get a bed ready,” to the woman, and they went off towards the Coupee.
And mighty glad the Doctor was to see them coming. He had begun to fear the Senechal had lost his head and made a bolt for home.
He had been sitting under the bank of the cutting as the surest way of keeping out of one or other of the black gulfs. But the interval had given him time to recover himself, and he jumped up at once, all ready for business, and hailed them.
”Down this side, I think,” he said, and they swung the lantern over the Grande Greve slope below the bit of crumbly pathway.
”Le velas!” said Thomas Carre, and handed the lantern to the Senechal, and let himself heavily over the side, and groped his way down to the motionless form among the bramble bushes.
”Pardie, he is dead, I do think!” as he bent over it.
”Let's see!” said the Doctor's quick voice at his elbow. ”Hand down the light;” and the Senechal waited above in grievous anxiety.
”Not dead,” said the Doctor at last. ”Stunned and badly knocked about.
He'll come round. Now, how are we to get him up?”
”Here's a blanket--and a rope.”
”Good! The blanket!... So!... Now--gently, my man!... Got it, Senechal?
Right! Ease him down on to the path. That's right! Give me a hand, will you? My legs aren't as limber as they used to be. Now we'll get him on to a bed and see what the damage is;” and they set off slowly for Plaisance.
”My G.o.d, Senechal! That pa.s.sed belief! To think of our never thinking of that infernal brute!” said the Doctor, as they stumbled slowly along in the joggling light.
”He was possessed of the devil, without a doubt. That last scream of his when he got my two bullets--”
”'T woke us,” said Carre. ”And we wondered what was up. What was it, then, monsieur?”
”That devil of a white stallion of Le Pelley's. It was him killed Tom Hamon and Peter Mauger, and he tried to kill Mr. Gard. We've been on this job for weeks past, while you were all sleeping in your beds.”
”Mon Gyu! and we none of us knew anything about it till we heard yon scream! And he's dead----”
”He's dead--unless he's the devil,” said the Senechal sententiously.
CHAPTER x.x.xIX
HOW THEY THANKED G.o.d FOR HIS MERCIES
Vast was the wonder of the Sark folk when they heard next day of that night's doings, and learned who the murderer of the Coupee was, and how and by whom he had been laid by the heels.
The whole Island breathed freely once more, and was outspokenly grateful to the courage and pertinacity which had lifted from it the cloud and the reproach.
Some of them even had the grace to be not a little ashamed of their previous doings, but ascribed the greater part of the blame to Tom's widow and Peter Mauger.
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