Part 11 (1/2)
Just then everybody would look at the Squire, while it ith great effort I kept from my face a smile I knew honesty was the best policy; I kneas the true policy to all praiseworthy ends; but how could I help conte who never practised it, seeing that the Squire was not what he seeled an hundred barrels of flour for every one he paid duty upon I had also seen him pass sentence of iled a deled a thousand
”Thanks to a more liberal commercial policy, that has precluded the necessity for such scenes as the Dash stealing her way into a river at night to land her cargo of contraband goods Those violations of law, so prevalent a few years ago, have ceased; and in the improved condition of the people we see the result of a new and o, that sht to establish as considered a doubtful trade with the port of Boston; now, some forty pursue a profitable traffic with the State of Massachusetts, which has annually brought to her in British bottorown fire-wood
CHAPTER XXVI
SMOOTH ENCOUNTERS A COLONIAL JUSTICE OF STRANGE CHARACTER
”Nova Scotia being what a South Carolinian would call a hard country to live in (though the people were proverbially kind, and hospitable, and loyal, and simple-minded), Sive up his ust, and, without further delay, seek the ar the province, he visited the shores of Cape Breton (an island belonging to Her Most Gracious Majesty), and there ularly eccentric character of the nareat rotundity a square, red face, s forehead, and a head covered with red, crispy hair, which he took great pains to part in the centre The only expression the Squire's face could lay claim to was that of a pumpkin burned ripe in the sun When in his favorite dress of blue-grey hoed (for Belhash was a Squire), no greater functionary lived on the island; that is, in his well-developed opinion of hi all disputes arising between the people on shore and the Yankee fisherainst the law, infested the coast, and for whom the Squire had a hatred he always made known in his decisions To Belhash the Ale, take a Nova Scotiaman's eyeteeth out, and, what he most hated, concoct soovernment 'Now,' said the Squire to me, one day, 'I have no bad opinion of you individually, Shteous, you're a sort of clever feller--an exception to Yankees in general--nor do I think you'll steal!'
”I said, 'No, I didn't think I would!' And he continued: 'Youof a man here on these shores; in fact, sir, souished; but I hardly think I have arrived at that yet, though the honorable attorney-general of the province, when this way lectioneerin about a year ago, in referring to uished gentleman, Squire Belhash, than who the law;' he did, sir, I assure you!'
”Of course I bowed to this, and declared the compliment as merited as handsomely bestowed And then he continued: 'You see now, sir--and it's no small compliment to a man in this out of the way part of the world!--I holds her Majesty's commission to alienate (some call it demonstrate) the laws of the land' Here the Squire's face broadened and got redder, and the flashy handkerchief see blue-veined neck
”'Now and then, though, I gets a law case so confoundedly cross-grained, that I'se forced to call in Lawyer Songster (he's a cute un, ye know), afore I can get the point o'nt halucinated Then, Smooth, you see, I isn't one a theentry; and that's how I'se got where I has! A squire in this part of the world is somebody, I assure ye, sir Then, what's more, I've always bin as loyal as a body could be; but, remember ye, I warn't on the Tory side, and for the very reason that they never appreciated native talent and native larnin The the words with a sort of political flourish, what tried the souls of us county-folk Tory Johnson, and Radical Joe Howe, used to come this way lectioneerin, and set the whole country by the ears; what folk neither of 'eet drunk; and poor folks were so fascinated with politics there was no getting a stroke of work done for a month after Joe Howe, see ye I was a perfect Jones on politics--hat them that know e; and, as more nor all, worked hi a stick of stronger cast over the whole province, not even excepting our own country In fact, he kicked Sir Rupert George out of the Colonial Office only for hi talk, and lectioneer for hiot in the _place_--and he kept his word, you see Joe once see'd me try a case, and he was so taken with it, there was no describin' his feelins I take it you'd think natur had done her part for me in knowin' so h'
”The Squire had it all his oay, Sewise 'But, see the coast, I isn't so rich as I used to be
There wor a tiold et any kind of a price for goods; and New England rum, what I liquidated with a sprinklin of Jaallon'
”Here, by the way of diversifying the conversation, I inquired if he remembered the Queen, in the way of _duties paid!_
”The Squire opened his spacious reat shark-like teeth, threay his worn quid, gave his eyes a significant roll sideways, laughed out heartily, and with his left fist added a warning pinch under my left ribs 'Don't ask that unanswerable question! The custoht it any harle, just a little! Bless ye! Mr Smooth, why (here Belhash wiped his face with a flashy Spitalfields) the Rector used to get all his tea sled; nor a bit of harm did he think it But, times ain't as they wos then, nor did folks deal so ave his head a significant twist, as his face glowed as expressive as a fatherly pue After another dissertation on thethe laws of the land, he invited me into his law establishment, which was the kitchen of a somewhat dilapidated farled after the old style I (S, and so, following him very cheerfully into the kitchen, he fussed about for soeth drew from a chest that stood firmly fixed under an old deal table near a spacious fire-place, in which was a , from behind which the ferret eyes of three mischievous urchins peered curious and coain froe steel chain, and a veryhi manner This done, he repaired to the door, in all his profuseness, and seated himself on a block of wood just outside, where as if suddenly beco very necessary to his personal appearance, he doffed his coat, rolled up his shi+rt-sleeves, and what, readers, do you suppose he co less than a pound of chalk before hiht on an e; but the Squire adapted it to thesafe his ponderous pinchbeck watch Belhash now puffed, and blowed, and swore, and sweated, and piled on the chalk, and rubbed and tugged criss-crass his knee, until, with the h covered his cloth with the white substance, frohtness he invited me back into his forum, which served the double purpose of kitchen and law-shop Here he again smothered himself in an extra coat of judicial ho the bandanna tight about his neck 'I looks so ered the broad turn of his shi+rt-collar, which seriously threatened his ears and chin I said I never saw a judicial gentleman look more upish In fact, nobody could deny that in clothes the Squire was all consequence; and when he loomed into 'Court,' all over the steel chain, believe it, there were bows and servilities without stint Taking his seat on a high birch block, the plank table being set before him, on which to spread his inseparable law-book, the plaintiffs and defendants assembled, and took seats on a wooded bench in front 'All persons whatsoever havin'
any business whatever with this 'ere court--Squire Belhash sitting--must come for'ard now or never,' cries out at the top of a deep sonorous voice a little scraggy-looking Scotchman, ithout coat or vest (his shi+rt-sleeves rolled up, and the right leg of his nether garment tucked away beneath a coarse deck-boot), acted the double part of usher and constable Again directing a few legal phrases to the Squire, who bowed acknowledgingly, he turned to those present--hoped gentlemen would take their hats off, and spit in the fire-place, seeing how the Court had been newly sanded
”Having examined a paper, sonified endurance, turning to his usher, said:--'Well, I reckon, it's best to try the case of Hornblower versus the herrins!' Down he laid Justice's Guide It see nets had by some mysterious process been relieved of their burden This, one of the Squire's sons charged to the ingenuity, and, as he set forth without fear or tre propensities of one skipper Hornbloho at this ti craft called the 'Virtue of Cape Cod' This Hornbloas one of the independent school, cared not seven coppers for anybody, nor had the hbours; he looked the pink-perfection of a Cape Cod fisherman The skipper rose before his accusers; his hard, weather-bleached face looking as if his intention to throw a harpoon into somebody was the very best in the world Then his dark eyes flashed lightning at the Squire, who commanded the little Scotch document set forth that one skipper Hornblower, of the schooner Virtue, had feloniously, and with ht, extracted from the nets of one Ja justice, sundry herring, mackerel, and other fish--such as usually come into such nets, and are found on these Her Majesty's shores Here the Squire interrupted by co an essay on the enorent re a look in the law-book, you're guilty; there's always stealin done when you're about the shore
Anyhohat say ye for yourself? Reistrate's Court--in the presence of a justice of the peace!'
”'So far as that is concerned, I'll knock under, Squire; but I just wants to see yer prove a thing or two afore ye come possum over this salt-water citizen!' returns Hornblower, spunkily, pulling froe of tobacco, which so te out his hand and supplying his spacious enerous to nature, so also did I interrupt here by offering to plead Hornblower's case; to whichoff my coat
”'Don't want nobody to soft-soap the case--especially a Yankee--for there's the law in that ar' book (here the high functionary turned down the corner of the very page on which it stood forcible to his mind), and I knows all about it--d----d if I don't!'
”'Swearin' ain't judiciary, Squire!' says I
”'Tain't none a' your business,' he rejoined, letting his anger get above his caution 'Call Jacob--he'll swar t' what he see'd the skipper do!' Here Jacob, a younger son of the Squire, was called
Jacob had seen some seventeen suin hi business, for the furtherance of which his abilities were frequently invoked
”'There is not ashore what don't know and respect Jacob,'
continued the Squire, shutting up his law book, angrily 'Jacob's a son a' ot larnin, too--Jacob 's bin more nor two years to Master Jacques's school at the corner; and he has taken Master Jacques's place entleman had taken a drop too much Now, Jacob, tell all you know; and let it be just as straight!'
”'Well, Dad,' ejaculated Jacob, who, one , and slipped very unexpectedly into a suit of linsey-woolsey grey ht broad off the nets, which the skipper kept a facksinatin eye on, as he paced up and down the quarter-deck'
”'The devil you did!' Hornblower cried out, at the top of his deep, coarse voice, letting fly a streaan