Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor
with nothing to betoken which was the proper access; all being pretty
much alike, and all unfenced and yawning. And the common rumour was
that in times of any danger, when any force was known to be on muster in
their neighbourhood, they changed their entrance every day, and diverted
the other two, by means of sliding doors to the chasms and dark abysses.
Now I could see those three rough arches, jagged, black, and terrible;
and I knew that only one of them could lead me to the valley; neither
gave the river now any further guidance; but dived underground with a
sullen roar, where it met the cross-bar of the mountain. Having no means
at all of judging which was the right way of the three, and knowing that
the other two would lead to almost certain death, in the ruggedness and
darkness,--for how could a man, among precipices and bottomless depths
of water, without a ray of light, have any chance to save his life?--I
do declare that I was half inclined to go away, and have done with it.
However, I knew one thing for certain, to wit, that the longer I stayed
debating the more would the enterprise pall upon me, and the less my
relish be. And it struck me that, in times of peace, the middle way was
the likeliest; and the others diverging right and left in their farther
parts might be made to slide into it (not far from the entrance), at the
pleasure of the warders. Also I took it for good omen that I remembered
(as rarely happened) a very fine line in the Latin grammar, whose
emphasis and meaning is “middle road is safest.”
Therefore, without more hesitation, I plunged into the middle way,
holding a long ash staff before me, shodden at the end with iron.
Presently I was in black darkness groping along the wall, and feeling a
deal more fear than I wished to feel; especially when upon looking back
I could no longer see the light, which I had forsaken. Then I stumbled
over something hard, and sharp, and very cold, moreover so grievous to
my legs that it needed my very best doctrine and humour to forbear from
swearing, in the manner they use in London. But when I arose and felt
it, and knew it to be a culverin, I was somewhat reassured thereby,
inasmuch as it was not likely that they would plant this engine except
in the real and true entrance.
Therefore I went on again, more painfully and wearily, and presently
found it to be good that I had received that knock, and borne it with
such patience; for otherwise I might have blundered full upon the
sentries, and been shot without more ado. As it was, I had barely time
to draw back, as I turned a corner upon them; and if their lanthorn had
been in its place, they could scarce have failed to descry me, unless
indeed I had seen the gleam before I turned the corner.
There seemed to be only two of them, of size indeed and stature as all
the Doones must be, but I need not have feared to encounter them both,
had they been unarmed, as I was. It was plain, however, that each had a
long and heavy carbine, not in his hands (as it should have been), but
standing close beside him. Therefore it behoved me now to be exceedingly
careful, and even that might scarce avail, without luck in proportion.
So I kept well back at the corner, and laid one cheek to the rock
face, and kept my outer eye round the jut, in the wariest mode I could
compass, watching my opportunity: and this is what I saw.
The two villains looked very happy--which villains have no right to be,
but often are, meseemeth--they were sitting in a niche of rock, with
the lanthorn in the corner, quaffing something from glass measures, and
playing at push-pin, or shepherd's chess, or basset; or some trivial
game of that sort. Each was smoking a long clay pipe, quite of new
London shape, I could see, for the shadow was thrown out clearly; and
each would laugh from time to time, as he fancied he got the better of
it. One was sitting with his knees up, and left hand on his thigh; and
this one had his back to me, and seemed to be the stouter. The other
leaned more against the rock, half sitting and half astraddle, and
wearing leathern overalls, as if newly come from riding. I could see his
face quite clearly by the light of the open lanthorn, and a handsomer
or a bolder face I had seldom, if ever, set eyes upon; insomuch that it
made me very unhappy to think of his being so near my Lorna.
“How long am I to stand crouching here?” I asked of myself, at last,
being tired of hearing them cry, “score one,” “score two,” “No,
by--, Charlie,” “By --, I say it is, Phelps.” And yet my only chance of
slipping by them unperceived was to wait till they quarrelled more, and
came to blows about it. Presently, as I made up my mind to steal along
towards them (for the cavern was pretty wide, just there), Charlie, or
Charleworth Doone, the younger and taller man, reached forth his hand
to seize the money, which he swore he had won that time. Upon this,
the other jerked his arm, vowing that he had no right to it; whereupon
Charlie flung at his face the contents of the glass he was sipping,
but missed him and hit the candle, which sputtered with a flare of
blue flame (from the strength perhaps of the spirit) and then went out
completely. At this, one swore, and the other laughed; and before they
had settled what to do, I was past them and round the corner.
And then, like a giddy fool as I was, I needs must give them a
startler--the whoop of an owl, done so exactly, as John Fry had taught
me, and echoed by the roof so fearfully, that one of them dropped the
tinder box; and the other caught up his gun and cocked it, at least as
I judged by the sounds they made. And then, too late, I knew my madness,
for if either of them had fired, no doubt but what all the village would
have risen and rushed upon me. However, as the luck of the matter went,
it proved for my advantage; for I heard one say to the other,--
“Curse it, Charlie, what was that? It scared me so, I have dropped my
box; my flint is gone, and everything. Will the brimstone catch from
your pipe, my lad?”
“My pipe is out, Phelps, ever so long. Damn it, I am not afraid of an
owl, man. Give me the lanthorn, and stay here. I'm not half done with
you yet, my friend.”
“Well said, my boy, well said! Go straight to Carver's, mind you. The
other sleepy heads be snoring, as there is nothing up to-night. No
dallying now under Captain's window. Queen will have nought to say to
you; and Carver will punch your head into a new wick for your lanthorn.”
“Will he though? Two can play at that.” And so after some rude jests,
and laughter, and a few more oaths, I heard Charlie (or at any rate
somebody) coming toward me, with a loose and not too sober footfall. As
he reeled a little in his gait, and I would not move from his way one
inch, after his talk of Lorna, but only longed to grasp him (if common
sense permitted it), his braided coat came against my thumb, and his
leathern gaiters brushed my knee. If he had turned or noticed it, he
would have been a dead man in a moment; but his drunkenness saved him.
So I let him reel on unharmed; and thereupon it occurred to me that I
could have no better guide, passing as he would exactly where I wished
to be; that is to say under Lorna's window. Therefore I followed him
without any especial caution; and soon I had the pleasure of seeing
his form against the moonlit sky. Down a steep and winding path, with
a handrail at the corners (such as they have at Ilfracombe), Master
Charlie tripped along--and indeed there was much tripping, and he must
have been an active fellow to recover as he did--and after him walked I,
much hoping (for his own poor sake) that he might not turn and espy me.
But Bacchus (of whom I read at school, with great wonder about his
meaning--and the same I may say of Venus) that great deity preserved
Charlie, his pious worshipper, from regarding consequences. So he led
me very kindly to the top of the meadow land, where the stream from
underground broke forth, seething quietly with a little hiss of bubbles.
Hence I had fair view and outline of the robbers' township, spread
with bushes here and there, but not heavily overshadowed. The moon,
approaching now the full, brought the forms in manner forth, clothing
each with character, as the moon (more than the sun) does, to an eye
accustomed.
I knew that the Captain's house was first, both from what Lorna had
said of it, and from my mother's description, and now again from seeing
Charlie halt there for a certain time, and whistle on his fingers, and
hurry on, fearing consequence. The tune that he whistled was strange to
me, and lingered in my ears, as having something very new and striking,
and fantastic in it. And I repeated it softly to myself, while I marked
the position of the houses and the beauty of the village. For the
stream, in lieu of any street, passing between the houses, and affording
perpetual change, and twinkling, and reflections moreover by its sleepy
murmur soothing all the dwellers there, this and the snugness of the
position, walled with rock and spread with herbage, made it look, in the
quiet moonlight, like a little paradise. And to think of all the inmates
there, sleeping with good consciences, having plied their useful trade
of making others work for them, enjoying life without much labour, yet
with great renown.
Master Charlie went down the village, and I followed him carefully,
keeping as much as possible in the shadowy places, and watching the
windows of every house, lest any light should be burning. As I passed
Sir Ensor's house, my heart leaped up, for I spied a window, higher than
the rest above the ground, and with a faint light moving. This could
hardly fail to be the room wherein my darling lay; for here that
impudent young fellow had gazed while he was whistling. And here my
courage grew tenfold, and my spirit feared no evil--for lo, if Lorna had
been surrendered to that scoundrel, Carver, she would not have been at
her grandfather's house, but in Carver's accursed dwelling.
Warm with this idea, I hurried after Charleworth Doone, being resolved
not to harm him now, unless my own life required it. And while I watched
from behind a tree, the door of the farthest house was opened; and sure
enough it was Carver's self, who stood bareheaded, and half undressed in
the doorway. I could see his great black chest, and arms, by the light
of the lamp he bore.
“Who wants me this time of night?” he grumbled, in a deep gruff voice;
“any young scamp prowling after the maids shall have sore bones for his
trouble.”
“All the fair maids are for thee, are they, Master Carver?” Charlie
answered, laughing; “we young scamps must be well-content with coarser
stuff than thou wouldst have.”
“Would have? Ay, and will have,” the great beast muttered angrily. “I
bide my time; but not very long. Only one word for thy good, Charlie. I
will fling thee senseless into the river, if ever I catch thy girl-face
there again.”
“Mayhap, Master Carver, it is more than thou couldst do. But I will not
keep thee; thou art not pleasant company to-night. All I want is a light
for my lanthorn, and a glass of schnapps, if thou hast it.”
“What is become of thy light, then? Good for thee I am not on duty.”
“A great owl flew between me and Phelps, as we watched beside the
culvern, and so scared was he at our fierce bright eyes that he fell and
knocked the light out.”
“Likely tale, or likely lie, Charles! We will have the truth to-morrow.
Here take thy light, and be gone with thee. All virtuous men are in bed
now.”
“Then so will I be, and why art thou not? Ha, have I earned my schnapps
now?”
“If thou hast, thou hast paid a bad debt; there is too much in thee
already. Be off! my patience is done with.”