Part 15 (1/2)
”Why I can give you chapter and varse for 'em,” said Tom ”You remember, Basset, all about Sauess”
”Well, if I do I don't care to be chattering all the tih there's some says, they don't appear now as they used to in old tiered Basset His two friends, as if it were of the extremest consequence to convert him froet of ghost stories In spite of ed to listen with a fascinated reluctance to tales of supernatural wonders, in most of which the narrators had themselves been actors, or derived their information from persons, whose veracity it would be a sin to doubt
A, of a host he had seen himself, and which was said still to haunt the banks of the Severn, and never was seen without bringing ill-luck It is the only one hich ill trouble our renders, and we relate it as a sort of specimen of the others:
”You see,” said Toun to swim up stream, when I joined Sa Well, things went on pretty well for a while, it was fisherman's luck, fish one day, and none the next, and as, on the whole, tolerable satisfied, seeing there was no use to be anything else, though towards the end, it's a fact, there wasn'tWe had built a sort o' hut of boards by the side of the river where we kept the nets, and where some on us slept to look after the property Well, ht just as well! It was coolish, not so cool as this, though so around, but it was a good deal lighter, 'cause the moon was in her third quarter I felt sort o' lonesome there, all alone with the nets and the fish, and I don't knohat I should have done but for so I tried in the damp, but I didn't seeo and take a snuff of the night air, perhaps it will set me up So I sort o' strolled doards the shore, and then I walked up a piece, and then I walked back agin, and once in a while I'd step into the shanty and take a pull at old Rye Well, seeing as how it agreed with er and longer till I strolled to a considerable distance It was in one of thehosts always appeared in white, but this one didn't He was dressed just like any other fisherrey jacket and trowsers and a tarpaulin It seeit out of the way, but I made tracks for hi a sperit, and halloed out, 'Who's that?' The sperit, as soon as he heard ling down by a string, and says he, in a sort o' hoarse voice, as if he'd caught cold lying in the ground, 'It's host of Jian to kind o' crawl, though I didn't know but it ht be some felloho had stole the shad out of the shanty, for I never heard of ghosts carrying fish afore So says I, 'What are you doing with them fish?' Then, says he, 'Them ain't any real fish; see if you can touch 'eht, and I did ht just as well have snatched at the in, till I stubbed one Then I kneas Jiht opposite the spot where I asked you, Prime, if you knehere you was; and I was sartin the luck was all up for that season, and sure enough it was, for we didn't make more'n two or three hauls more of any consequence”
”I a way, and shaking his head
”Now, Pri up and down your wool? Do you intend to signify, you unbelieving old scamp, you doubt my word? I tell you I was no more corned than I am now Why, if you want to, you can see Ji shore now”
”What dat?” cried Pri on the land
Basset started, and strained his eyes through the darkness in the direction indicated, but could discover nothing The vision of Pri,” said the forht under de bank I can't just see de shape, but it seeer, Missa Gladding; guess dey see furder dan”It's a man, sure as rates Golly!” he exclaimed, suddenly, ”if it ain't Jim--look, Basset, look”
The constable had listened in an agony of terror to the colloquy, and at the excla himself of his post as steersman, turned the bow of the boat towards the opposite shore, to place as great an interval as possible between himself and the spectre The action had not passed unnoticed, though neither of his companions made any remark upon it Repeatedly his head had flown round over his shoulder, to catch a gli the excite
”O, Too home I as fairly out of this scrape”
”Why,” said Tohed at if as to give it up so Who's afraid o' sperits? They're nothing butover the opposite side of the boat, ”if he ain't there agin! Look, Basset”
But Basset was too busy with his paddle to look With a twist of his wrist he had whirled the bow of the boat in the direction of the bank they had just left, and was paddling away for dear life This time he appeared to arrive at the condition that theattained that, he kept, as nearly as he could judge, at equal distances from the banks A short space only now remained to be passed over, and in a few moments they were abreast of the island Here the two men rested on their oars, and a whispered consultation was held, at the conclusion of which the boat was quietly pulled towards the goal This was not done, however, without another attempt on the part of the constable to postpone the capture for that night, but the proposal was overruled by his associates, who scouted at his fears, and declared there was no danger
Basset's nerves were in a shocking condition The doleful stories croaked into his ears the whole passage down; the darkness of the hour; Holden's terrible character; and the re and Primus, in whom his confidence diminished every moment, conspired to throw him into the abjectest trepidation But there was no retreat; Gladding was as obstinate as a mule, and as for the General, true to his , and the unfortunate officer of the laas as much afflicted, with spiritual as with material fears, found himself in a dilemma, the solution of which was taken away from him No alternative reht, see the adventure through Borrowing, therefore, courage fro heart, he left the boat and closely followed his coan to hope that Holden ay froestion that since such was undoubtedly the fact, they had better return and co to a canoe not before observed, convinced Basset of the contrary, and it was then agreed that they should first according to the plan arranged approach the cabin and reconnoitre through theThis being the post of danger was offered to Basset who however could be prevailed on by no entreaties to accept it which finally forced Gladding to volunteer They all stood now on a side of the hut where there was neither door nor , being, indeed, the side they had been careful to approach in the boat
Gladding was to steal to one of the s and after exa the interior (if possible) to return and apprise thely he started off
He had been gone but a few e their position to one nearer the hut their figures being tooin relief against the sky and water The constable would gladly have stuck by the boat, as furnishi+ng a means of retreat, but dared not re the obstinacy of the provoking black he crouched his body towards the ground, and followed in the rear of the General, that brave officer seeenerally than pleased his companion who, from time to time, earnestly remonstrated with him on the imprudence
”What dat!” suddenly exclai with his hand directly in front
”Where? where?” whispered Basset, with his heart in hisbold of Priroan?”
At that instant a tremendous bloas applied to the shoulders of the constable which sent hiht a part of the application after him As Basset fell his hat dropped off and a paper flew out which Pri then as fast as his wooden leg would permit towards the boat which lay only four or five rods distant
There he found Gladding preparing to push off, and scra her afloat, when Basset, without his hat flung hi Pri, and capsizing Tom into the water It was so shoal that he found no difficulty in getting in again, escaping with only a thorough ducking It was now _sauve que peut_, and the three addressed themselves, so far as their bewildered faculties would permit, to the business of escape
Thus closed the adventures of that disastrous night All the way ho, the only consolation he could extract out of the cala that it was easier toBasset with his haste and carelessness Gladding insisted on being landed in order to prevent, by exercise, taking cold, threatening in his turn the constable, that if his clothes were spoiled he should coe Poor Basset, quite confounded by these harrowing events, had not a word to answer, and replied only by shrugging and twisting his shoulders with pain The departure of To back the boat, which he did with a handkerchief tied about his head, which Pri with the soreness of his bones, the negro interspersed his moans with expressions of sorrow over their ill luck and of wonder whether it was Holden or the ghost of the fisher he would ”hab satisfacshu”
CHAPTER XIV
_Celia_--Here comes Monsieur Le Beau, _Rosalind_--With his mouth full of news