Part 16 (1/2)

”With all my heart,” replied Oaklands, divesting himself of his waistcoat, braces, and neckcloth--which latter article he braced tightly round his waist--an example speedily followed by Lawless, who exclaimed, as he completed his preparations:--

”Now, you young shavers, pull in your oars, and we'll give you a ride, all free, gratis, for nothing”.

Mullins and I hastened to comply with Lawless's directions, by placing the oars and seating ourselves so as not to interfere with the trim of the boat; while he and Oaklands, each taking a firm grasp of his oar, commenced pulling away in real earnest. They were more evenly matched than may be at first imagined, for Lawless, though much shorter than Oaklands, was very square-built and broad about the shoulders, and his arms, which were unusually long in proportion to his height, presented a remarkable development of muscle, while it was evident, from the manner in which he handled his oar, that he was the more practised rower of the two. The boat, urged by their powerful strokes, appeared to fly through the water, while cliff and headland (we were rowing along sh.o.r.e about half a mile from the beach) came in view and disappeared again like scenes in some moving panorama. We must now have proceeded some miles, yet still the rival champions continued their exertions with unabated energy and a degree of strength that seemed inexhaustible. Greatly interested in the event, I had at first watched the contending parties with anxious attention, but, perceiving that the efforts they were making did not produce any visible effects upon them, and that the struggle was likely to be a protracted one, I took advantage of the opportunity to open a letter from my sister, which I had received just as I was leaving the house. I was sorry to find, on perusing it, that my father had been suffering from an inflammatory attack, brought on by a cold which he had caught in returning from a visit to a sick paris.h.i.+oner, through a pouring rain. A postscript from my mother, however, added that I need not make myself in the least uneasy, as the apothecary a.s.sured her that my father was going on as well as possible, and would probably be quite restored in the course of a week or so. On observing the date of the letter I found I ought to have received it the day before. Arguing from this (on the ”no-news-being-good-news” system) -98--that I should have heard again if anything had gone wrong, I dismissed the subject from my mind, and was reading f.a.n.n.y's account of a juvenile party she had been at in the neighbourhood, when my attention was roused by Coleman, who, laying his hand on my shoulder, said:

”Look out, Frank, it won't be long now before we shall see who's best man; the work's beginning to tell”.

Thus invoked, I raised my eyes, and perceived that a change had come over the aspect of affairs while I had been engaged with my letter.

Oaklands and Lawless were still rowing with the greatest energy, but it appeared to me that their strokes were drawn with less and less vigour each succeeding time, while their flushed faces, and heavy breathing, proved that the severe labour they had undergone had not been without its effect. The only visible difference between them was, that Lawless, from his superior training, had not, as a jocky would say, ”turned a hair,” while the perspiration hung in big drops upon the brow of Oaklands, and the knotted, swollen veins of his hands stood out like tightly strained cordage.

”Hold hard!” shouted Lawless. ”I say, Harry,” he continued, as soon as they left off rowing, ”how are you getting on?”

”I have been cooler in my life,” replied Oaklands, wiping his face with his handkerchief.

”Well, I think it's about a drawn battle,” said Lawless; ”though I am free to confess, that if you were in proper training, I should be no match for you, even with the oar.”

”What made you stop just then?” inquired Oaklands; ”I'm sure I could have kept on for a quarter of an hour longer, if not more.”

”So could I,” replied Lawless, ”ay, or for half an hour, if I had been put to it; but I felt the work was beginning to tell, I saw you were getting used up, and I recollected that we should have to row back with the wind against us, which, as the breeze is freshening, will be no such easy matter; so I thought if we went on till we were both done up we should be in a regular fix.”

”It's lucky you remembered it,” said Oaklands; ”I was so excited, I should have gone on pulling as long as I could have held an oar; we must be some distance from Helmstone by this time. Have you any idea whereabouts we are?”

”Let's have a look,” rejoined Lawless. ”Yes, that tall cliff you see there is the Nag's Head, and in the little bay -99--beyond stands the village of Fisherton. I vote we go ash.o.r.e there, have some bread and cheese, and a draught of porter at the inn, and then we shall be able to pull back again twice as well.”

This proposal seemed to afford general satisfaction; Mullins and I resumed our oars, and, in less than half an hour, we were safely ensconced in the sanded parlour of the Dolphin, while the pretty bar-maid, upon whom also devolved the duties of waitress, hastened to place before us a smoking dish of eggs and bacon, which we had chosen in preference to red herrings--the only other dainty the Dolphin had to offer us--Coleman observing that a ”hard roe” was the only part of a herring worth eating, and we had had that already, as we came along.

”I say, my dear, have you got any bottled porter?” inquired Lawless.

”Yes, sir, and very good it is,” replied the smiling damsel.

”That's a blessing,” observed Coleman, piously.

”Bring us up a lot of it, my beauty,” resumed Lawless, ”and some pewter pots--porter's twice as good out of its own native pewter.”

Thus exhorted, the blooming waitress tripped off, and soon returned with a basket containing six bottles of porter.

”That's the time of day,” said Lawless; ”now for a corkscrew, pretty one; here you are, Oaklands.”

”I must own that is capital, after such hard work as we have been doing,” observed Oaklands, as he emptied the pewter pot at a draught.

”I say, Mary,” asked Coleman, ”what's gone of that young man that used to keep company along with you--that nice young chap, that had such insinivatin ways with him?”

”I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, sir; I've nothink to say to no young man whatsumever,” replied the damsel addressed, shaking her curls coquettishly.

”Ah!” sighed Coleman, ”if I were but single now.”

”Why, you never mean to say you've got a wife already, such a very young gentleman as you are?”

”Not only that, but a small family with a large appet.i.te,” continued Coleman, pathetically.