Chapter xiv.

A most dreadful chapter indeed; and which few readers ought to venture

upon in an evening, especially when alone.

Jones swallowed a large mess of chicken, or rather cock, broth, with a

very good appetite, as indeed he would have done the cock it was made

of, with a pound of bacon into the bargain; and now, finding in

himself no deficiency of either health or spirit, he resolved to get

up and seek his enemy.

But first he sent for the serjeant, who was his first acquaintance

among these military gentlemen. Unluckily that worthy officer having,

in a literal sense, taken his fill of liquor, had been some time

retired to his bolster, where he was snoring so loud that it was not

easy to convey a noise in at his ears capable of drowning that which

issued from his nostrils.

However, as Jones persisted in his desire of seeing him, a vociferous

drawer at length found means to disturb his slumbers, and to acquaint

him with the message. Of which the serjeant was no sooner made

sensible, than he arose from his bed, and having his clothes already

on, immediately attended. Jones did not think fit to acquaint the

serjeant with his design; though he might have done it with great

safety, for the halberdier was himself a man of honour, and had killed

his man. He would therefore have faithfully kept this secret, or

indeed any other which no reward was published for discovering. But as

Jones knew not those virtues in so short an acquaintance, his caution

was perhaps prudent and commendable enough.

He began therefore by acquainting the serjeant, that as he was now

entered into the army, he was ashamed of being without what was

perhaps the most necessary implement of a soldier; namely, a sword;

adding, that he should be infinitely obliged to him, if he could

procure one. “For which,” says he, “I will give you any reasonable

price; nor do I insist upon its being silver-hilted; only a good

blade, and such as may become a soldier's thigh.”

The serjeant, who well knew what had happened, and had heard that

Jones was in a very dangerous condition, immediately concluded, from

such a message, at such a time of night, and from a man in such a

situation, that he was light-headed. Now as he had his wit (to use

that word in its common signification) always ready, he bethought

himself of making his advantage of this humour in the sick man. “Sir,”

says he, “I believe I can fit you. I have a most excellent piece of

stuff by me. It is not indeed silver-hilted, which, as you say, doth

not become a soldier; but the handle is decent enough, and the blade

one of the best in Europe. It is a blade that--a blade that--in short,

I will fetch it you this instant, and you shall see it and handle it.

I am glad to see your honour so well with all my heart.”

Being instantly returned with the sword, he delivered it to Jones, who

took it and drew it; and then told the serjeant it would do very well,

and bid him name his price.

The serjeant now began to harangue in praise of his goods. He said

(nay he swore very heartily), “that the blade was taken from a French

officer, of very high rank, at the battle of Dettingen. I took it

myself,” says he, “from his side, after I had knocked him o' the head.

The hilt was a golden one. That I sold to one of our fine gentlemen;

for there are some of them, an't please your honour, who value the

hilt of a sword more than the blade.”

Here the other stopped him, and begged him to name a price. The

serjeant, who thought Jones absolutely out of his senses, and very

near his end, was afraid lest he should injure his family by asking

too little. However, after a moment's hesitation, he contented himself

with naming twenty guineas, and swore he would not sell it for less to

his own brother.

“Twenty guineas!” says Jones, in the utmost surprize: “sure you think

I am mad, or that I never saw a sword in my life. Twenty guineas,

indeed! I did not imagine you would endeavour to impose upon me. Here,

take the sword--No, now I think on't, I will keep it myself, and show

it your officer in the morning, acquainting him, at the same time,

what a price you asked me for it.”

The serjeant, as we have said, had always his wit (_in sensu

praedicto_) about him, and now plainly saw that Jones was not in the

condition he had apprehended him to be; he now, therefore,

counterfeited as great surprize as the other had shown, and said, “I

am certain, sir, I have not asked you so much out of the way. Besides,

you are to consider, it is the only sword I have, and I must run the

risque of my officer's displeasure, by going without one myself. And

truly, putting all this together, I don't think twenty shillings was

so much out of the way.”

“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

that 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.