"Twenty shillings!" cries Jones; "why, you just now asked me
twenty guineas."- "How!" cries the serjeant, "sure your honour must
have mistaken me: or else I mistook myself- and indeed I am but half
awake. Twenty guineas, indeed! no wonder your honour flew into such
a passion. I say twenty guineas too. No, no, I mean twenty
shillings, I assure you. And when your honour comes to consider
everything, I hope you will not think that so extravagant a price.
It is indeed true, you may buy a weapon which looks as well for less
money. But-"
Here Jones interrupted him, saying, "I will be so far from making
any words with you, that I will give you a shilling more than your
demand." He then gave him a guinea, bid him return to his bed, and
wished him a good march; adding, he hoped to overtake them before
the division reached Worcester.
The serjeant very civilly took his leave, fully satisfied with his
merchandize, and not a little pleased with his dexterous recovery from
the false step into which his opinion of the sick man's
light-headedness had betrayed him.
As soon as the serjeant was departed, Jones rose from his bed, and
dressed himself entirely, putting on even his coat, which, as its
colour was white, showed very visibly the streams of blood which had
flowed down it; and now, having grasped his new-purchased sword in his
hand, he was going to issue forth, when the thought of what he was
about to undertake laid suddenly hold of him, and he began to
reflect that in a few minutes he might possibly deprive a human
being of life, or might lose his own. "Very well," said he, "and in
what cause do I venture my life? Why, in that of my honour. And who is
this human being? A rascal who hath injured and insulted me without
provocation. But is not revenge forbidden by Heaven? Yes, but it is
enjoined by the world. Well, but shall I obey the world in
opposition to the express commands of Heaven? Shall I incur the Divine
displeasure rather than be called- ha- coward- scoundrel?- I'll think
no more; I am resolved, and must fight him."
The clock had now struck twelve, and every one in the house were
in their beds, except the centinel who stood to guard Northerton, when
Jones softly opening his door, issued forth in pursuit of his enemy,
of whose place of confinement he had received a perfect description
from the drawer. It is not easy to conceive a much more tremendous
figure than he now exhibited. He had on, as we have said, a
light-coloured coat, covered with streams of blood. His face, which
missed that very blood, as well as twenty ounces more drawn from him
by the surgeon, was pallid. Round his head was a quantity of
bandage, not unlike a turban. In the right hand he carried a sword,
and in the left a candle. So that the bloody Banquo was not worthy
to be compared to him. In fact, I believe a more dreadful apparition
was never raised in a church-yard, nor in the imagination of any
good people met in a winter evening over a Christmas fire in
Somersetshire.
When the centinel first saw our heroe approach, his hair began
gently to lift up his grenadier cap; and in the same instant his knees
fell to blows with each other. Presently his whole body was seized
with worse than an ague fit. He then fired his piece, and fell flat on
his face.
Whether fear or courage was the occasion of his firing, or whether
he took aim at the object of his terror, I cannot say. If he did,
however, he had the good fortune to miss his man.
Jones seeing the fellow fall, guessed the cause of his fright, at
which he could not forbear smiling, not in the least reflecting on the
danger from which he had just escaped. He then passed by the fellow,
who still continued in the posture in which he fell, and entered the
room where Northerton, as he had heard, was confined. Here, in a
solitary situation, he found- an empty quart pot standing on the
table, on which some beer being spilt, it looked as if the room had
lately been inhabited; but at present it was entirely vacant.
Jones then apprehended it might lead to some other apartment; but
upon searching all round it, he could perceive no other door than that
at which he entered, and where the centinel had been posted. He then
proceeded to call Northerton several times by his name; but no one
answered; nor did this serve to any other purpose than to confirm
the centinel in his terrors, who was now convinced that the
volunteer was dead of his wounds, and that his ghost was come in
search of the murderer: he now lay in all the agonies of horror; and I
wish, with all my heart, some of those actors who are hereafter to
represent a man frighted out of his wits had seen him, that they might
be taught to copy nature, instead of performing several antic tricks
and gestures, for the entertainment and applause of the galleries.
Perceiving the bird was flown, at least despairing to find him,
and rightly apprehending that the report of the firelock would alarm
the whole house, our heroe now blew out his candle, and gently stole
back again to his chamber, and to his bed; whither he would not have
been able to have gotten undiscovered, had any other person been on
the same staircase, save only one gentleman who was confined to his
bed by the gout; for before he could reach the door to his chamber,
the hall where the centinel had been posted was half full of people,
some in their shirts, and others not half drest, all very earnestly
enquiring of each other what was the matter.
The soldier was now found lying in the same place and posture in
which we just now left him. Several immediately applied themselves
to raise him, and some concluded him dead; but they presently saw
their mistake, for he not only struggled with those who laid their
hands on him, but fell a roaring like a bull. In reality, he
imagined so many spirits or devils were handling him; for his
imagination being possessed with the horror of an apparition,
converted every object he saw or felt into nothing but ghosts and
spectres.
At length he was overpowered by numbers, and got upon his legs; when
candles being brought, and seeing two or three of his comrades
present, he came a little to himself; but when they asked him what was
the matter? he answered, "I am a dead man, that's all, I am a dead
man, I can't recover it, I have seen him." "What hast thou seen,
Jack?" says one of the soldiers. "Why, I have seen the young volunteer
that was killed yesterday." He then imprecated the most heavy curses
on himself, if he had not seen the volunteer, all over blood, vomiting
fire out of his mouth and nostrils, pass by him into the chamber where
Ensign Northerton was, and then seizing the ensign by the throat,
fly away with him in a clap of thunder.
This relation met with a gracious reception from the audience. All
the women present believed it firmly, and prayed Heaven to defend them
from murder. Amongst the men too, many had faith in the story; but
others turned it into derision and ridicule; and a serjeant who was
present answered very coolly, "Young man, you will hear more of
this, for going to sleep and dreaming on your post."
The soldier replied, "You may punish me if you please; but I was
as broad awake as I am now; and the devil carry me away, as he hath
the ensign, if I did not see the dead man, as I tell you, with eyes as
big and as fiery as two large flambeaux."
The commander of the forces, and the commander of the house, were
now both arrived; for the former being awake at the time, and
hearing the centinel fire his piece, thought it his duty to rise
immediately, though he had no great apprehensions of any mischief;
whereas the apprehensions of the latter were much greater, lest her
spoons and tankards should be upon the march, without having
received any such orders from her.
Our poor centinel, to whom the sight of this officer was not much
more welcome than the apparition, as he thought it, which he had
seen before, again related the dreadful story, and with many additions
of blood and fire; but he had the misfortune to gain no credit with
either of the last-mentioned persons: for the officer, though a very
religious man, was free from all terrors of this kind; besides, having
so lately left Jones in the condition we have seen, he had no
suspicion of his being dead. As for the landlady, though not over
religious, she had no kind of aversion to the doctrine of spirits; but
there was a circumstance in the tale which she well knew to be
false, as we shall inform the reader presently.
But whether Northerton was carried away in thunder or fire, or in
whatever other manner he was gone, it was now certain that his body
was no longer in custody. Upon this occasion the lieutenant formed a
conclusion not very different from what the serjeant is just mentioned
to have made before, and immediately ordered the centinel to be
taken prisoner. So that, by a strange reverse of fortune (though not
very uncommon in a military life), the guard became the guarded.
Chapter 15
The conclusion of the foregoing adventure
Besides the suspicion of sleep, the lieutenant harboured another and
worse doubt against the poor centinel, and this was, that of
treachery; for as he believed not one syllable of the apparition, so
he imagined the whole to be an invention formed only to impose upon
him, and that the fellow had in reality been bribed by Northerton to
let him escape. And this he imagined the rather, as the fright
appeared to him the more unnatural in one who had the character of
as brave and bold a man as any in the regiment, having been in several
actions, having received several wounds, and, in a word, having
behaved himself always like a good and valiant soldier.
That the reader, therefore, may not conceive the least ill opinion
of such a person, we shall not delay a moment in rescuing his
character from the imputation of this guilt.
Mr. Northerton then, as we have before observed, was fully satisfied
with the glory which he had obtained from this action. He had
perhaps seen, or heard, or guessed, that envy is apt to attend fame.
Not that I would here insinuate that he was heathenishly inclined to
believe in or to worship the goddess Nemesis: for, in fact, I am
convinced he never heard of her name. He was, besides, of an active
disposition, and had a great antipathy to those close quarters in
the castle of Gloucester, for which a justice of peace might
possibly give him a billet. Nor was he moreover free from some
uneasy meditations on a certain wooden edifice, which I forbear to
name, in conformity to the opinion of mankind, who, I think, rather
ought to honour than to be ashamed of this building, as it is, or at
least might be made, of more benefit to society than almost any
other public erection. In a word, to hint at no more reasons for his
conduct, Mr. Northerton was desirous of departing that evening, and
nothing remained for him but to contrive the quomodo, which appeared
to be a matter of some difficulty.
Now this young gentleman, though somewhat crooked in his morals, was
perfectly straight in his person, which was extremely strong and
well made. His face too was accounted handsome by the generality of
women, for it was broad and ruddy, with tolerably good teeth. Such
charms did not fail making an impression on my landlady, who had no
little relish for this kind of beauty. She had, indeed, a real
compassion for the young man; and hearing from the surgeon that
affairs were like to go ill with the volunteer, she suspected they
might hereafter wear no benign aspect with the ensign. Having
obtained, therefore, leave to make him a visit, and finding him in a
very melancholy mood, which she considerably heightened by telling him
there were scarce any hopes of the volunteer's life, she proceeded
to throw forth some hints, which the other readily and eagerly
taking up, they soon came to a right understanding; and it was at
length agreed that the ensign should, at a certain signal, ascend
the chimney, which communicating very soon with that of the kitchen,
he might there again let himself down; for which she would give him an
opportunity by keeping the coast clear.
But lest our readers, of a different complexion, should take this
occasion of too hastily condemning all compassion as a folly, and
pernicious to society, we think proper to mention another particular
which might possibly have some little share in this action. The ensign
happened to be at this time possessed of the sum of fifty pounds,
which did indeed belong to the whole company; for the captain having
quarrelled with his lieutenant, had entrusted the payment of his
company to the ensign. This money, however, he thought proper to
deposit in my landlady's hand, possibly by way of bail or security
that he would hereafter appear and answer to the charge against him;
but whatever were the conditions, certain it is, that she had the
money and the ensign his liberty.
The reader may perhaps expect, from the compassionate temper of this
good woman, that when she saw the poor centinel taken prisoner for a
fact of which she knew him innocent, she should immediately have
interposed in his behalf; but whether it was that she had already
exhausted all her compassion in the above-mentioned instance, or
that the features of this fellow, though not very different from those
of the ensign, could not raise it, I will not determine; but, far from
being an advocate for the present prisoner, she urged his guilt to his
officer, declaring, with uplifted eyes and hands, that she would not
have had any concern in the escape of a murderer for all the world.
Everything was now once more quiet, and most of the company returned
again to their beds; but the landlady, either from the natural
activity of her disposition, or from her fear for her plate, having no
propensity to sleep, prevailed with the officers, as they were to
