The Brownie of Bodsbeck, and Other Tales Volume I Part 7

"Does he perform family wors.h.i.+p?"

"Sometimes."

"Is he reckoned a great and exemplary performer of that duty?"

"Na, he's nae great gun, I trow; but he warstles away at it as weel as he can."

"Can you repeat any part, or any particular pa.s.sage of his usual prayer?"

"I'm sure I might, for he gangs often aneuch oure some o' them. Let me see-there's the still waters, and the green pastures, and the blood of bulls and of goats; and then there's the goshawk, and the slogy riddle, and the tyrant an' his lang neb; I hae the maist o't i' my head, but then I canna mouband it."

"What does he mean by the tyrant and his long neb?"

"Aha! But that's mair nor ever I could find out yet. We whiles think he means the Kelpy-him that raises the storms an' the floods on us, ye ken, and gars the waters an' the burns come roarin down wi' bracks o'

ice an' snaw, an' tak away our sheep. But whether it's Kelpy, or Clavers, or the Deil, we can never be sure, for we think it applies gay an' weel to them a'."

"Repeat the pa.s.sage as well as you can."

"Bring down the tyrant an' his lang neb, for he has done muckle ill this year, and gie him a cup o' thy wrath; an' gin he winna tak that, gie him kelty."

"What is meant by kelty?"

"That's double-it means twa cups-ony body kens that."

"Does he ever mention the king in his prayer?"

"O yes: always."

"What does he say about him?"

"Something about the sceptre of righteousness, and the standard of truth. I ken he has some rhyme about him."

"Indeed! And does he likewise make mention of the Covenant?"

"Ay, that's after-that's near the end, just afore the resurrection. O yes, he harls aye in the Covenant there. 'The bond o' the everlasting Covenant,' as he ca's it, weel ordered in all things, and sure."

"Ay, that's very well; that's quite sufficient. Now, you have yourself confessed, that you were at an unlawful and abominable conventicle, holding fellows.h.i.+p with intercommuned rebels, along with your wife and family. You _must_ be made an example of to the snarling and rebellious hounds that are lurking in these bounds; but as you have answered me with candour, though I might order you instantly to be shot, I will be so indulgent as to give you your choice, whether you will go to prison in Edinburgh, and be there tried by the Council, or submit to the judgment which I may p.r.o.nounce on you here?"

"O, sir, I canna win to Edinbrough at no rate-that's impossible. What think ye wad come o' the sheep? The hoggfence o' the Quave Brae is maistly ruined already; and war I to gae to the prison at Edinbrough, it wad be mair loss than a' that I'm worth. I maun just lippen to yoursel; but ye maunna be very sair on me. I never did ony ill designedly; and as for ony rebellion against the Bruce's blood, I wad be hangit or I wad think o' sic a thing."

"Take the old ignorant animal away-Burn him on the cheek, cut off his ears, and do not part with him till he pay you down a fine of two hundred merks, or value to that amount. And, do you hear, make him take all the oaths twice; and a third oath, that he is never to repent of these. By G--; if either Monmouth or Argyle get him, they shall have a perjured dog of him."

As John was dragged off to this punishment, which was executed without any mitigation, he shook his head and said, "Ah, laka day! I fear things are muckle waur wi' us than I had ony notion o'! I trowed aye that even down truth an' honesty bure some respect till now-I fear our country's a' wrang thegither."-Then looking back to Clavers, he added, "Gudesooth, lad, but ye'll mak mae whigs wherever ye show your face, than a' the hill preachers o' Scotland put thegither."

CHAPTER IX.

It has been remarked by all the historians of that period, that the proceedings of Clavers about this time were severe in the extreme. The rising, both in the north and south at the same time, rendered the situation of affairs somewhat ticklish. Still the Lowlands were then perfectly peaceable; but he seemed determined, lest he should be called away, to destroy the Covenanters, and all that hankered after civil and religious liberty, root and branch. Certainly his behaviour at Chapelhope that morning, was sufficient to stamp his character for ever in that district, where it is still held in at least as great detestation as that of the archfiend himself.

When the soldiers, by his order, seized and manacled Walter, he protested vehemently against such outrage, and urged the general to prove his fidelity to his sovereign by administering to him the test oath, and the oath of abjuration; but this Clavers declined, and said to him, with a sneer, that "they had other ways of trying dogs beside that."

When those who had been appointed to search the house came before him, and gave in their report, among other things, they said they had found as much bread new baked, and mutton newly cooked, as would be a reasonable allowance for an hundred men for at least one whole day.

Clavers remarked, that in a family so few in number, this was proof positive that others were supported from that house. "But we shall disappoint the whigs of one hearty meal," added he; and with that he ordered the meat to be brought all out and set down upon the green-bid his troopers eat as much as they could-feed their horses with the bread which they left, and either destroy the remainder of the victuals or carry them away.

It was in vain that Walter told him the honest truth, that the food was provided solely for himself and his soldiers, as he knew they were to come by that road, either on that day or the one following; nay, though all the family avouched it, as they well might, he only remarked, with a look of the utmost malignity, that "he never in his life knew a whig who had not a d--d lie ready on his tongue, or some kind of equivocation to save his stinking life, but that they must necessarily all be taught who they were dealing with." He then made them all swear that they were to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and to utter the most horrid imprecations on themselves and their souls for ever, if they deviated in one single item; and beginning with old John, as before related, he examined them all separately and out of hearing of one another.

The interrogations and answers are much too long to be inserted here at full length; but the only new circ.u.mstances that came to light were these two. One of the young men deponed, that, when the bodies of the soldiers were found in the Hope, their muskets were all loaded, which showed that they had not fallen in a regular skirmish; and the other boy swore, that he had lately seen eighty large thick bannocks baked in one day in his father's house, for that he had counted them three times over as they stood cooling. This was another suspicious circ.u.mstance, and Clavers determined to search it to the bottom. He sifted the two youths backward and forward, trying to get the secret out of them by every wile in his power; and because they were unable to give him any satisfactory account who consumed all that store of bread, he caused his dragoons to take hold of the youngest and gird his head with a cord, twisting it with a horse pistol, until in some places it cut him to the skull. The eldest he hung up to the beam by the thumbs until he fainted through insufferable pain; but he could get nothing more out of them, for they had at first told him all that they knew, being quite unconscious of any evil.

Still bent, as it seemed, on the full conviction and ruin of the family, he told the boys that they were two of the most consummate knaves and rebels that he had in all his life seen; and that if they had any hopes at all of going to Heaven, they should say their prayers, for in a few minutes he would order them both to be shot.

John, the eldest, who possessed a good deal of his mother's feebleness of character, and was besides but newly recovered from a fainting fit, was seized with a stupor, appeared quite pa.s.sive, and acted precisely as they bade him, without seeming to know what he did; but the youngest, whose name was William, preserved an interesting firmness, in such a trial, for a considerable time. On being advised by Clavers to tell all he knew rather than die, and asked if he was not afraid of death? He answered, with the tear in his eye, "I'm nouther feared for you nor death, man. I think if fock may be guidit this way at their ain hames, the sooner they're dead the better." Then turning his looks to his brother, who kneeled according to the general's order on the green beside him, he added, with convulsive sobs, "But poor Jock's gaun to be shot too-I wonder what ye need kill him for?-What ill hae we ever done t'ye?-Jock's a very good callant-I canna pray weel, but if ye'll let my billy Jock gang, I'll pray for ye as I can, and kiss ye too."

Happy was it for the wits of poor Maron that she saw nothing of this touching scene; she, as well as Walter, being then with the rest under a strong guard in the Old Room. Clavers paid no regard to the kneeling boy's request. He caused his troopers to draw up around them, present their firelocks, and then an executioner, who was always one of his train, tied up both their eyes. He gave the word himself, and instantly ten or twelve carabines were discharged on them at once. John fell flat on the earth; but William, with a violent start, sprung to his feet, and, being blindfolded, ran straight on the files of soldiers.

Clavers laid hold of him. "My brave little fellow," said he, "the soldiers have all missed you, bungling beasts that they are! and since so wonderful a thing hath befallen, you shall yet have your life, though a most notorious rebel, if you will tell me what people frequent your father's house."

"What's comed o' Jock?" said the boy, "O tell me what's comed o' Jock, for I canna see."

"Jock is lying dead on the green there, all bathed in his blood," said Clavers; "poor wretch! it is over with him, and unless you instantly tell me who it was that consumed all that store of bread that has been baked in your father's house for the last month, you must be sent after him."

William withdrew backward a few paces, and kneeling a second time down on the sward with great decency and deliberation, "Shoot again," said he; "try me aince mair; an' O see to airch a wee better this time. I wad rather dee a hunder times, or I saw poor Jock lying a b.l.o.o.d.y corp."

Clavers made a sign to one of his dragoons, who unbound William, and took the bandage from his eyes. Regardless of all else, he looked wildly around in search of his brother, and seeing his only companion lying flat on his face, he at first turned away, as if wis.h.i.+ng to escape from a scene so dismal; but his helpless and forlorn situation staring him in the face, and the idea doubtless recurring that he was never to part with his brother, but forthwith to be slaughtered and carried to the grave with him, he returned, went slowly up to the body, kneeled down beside it, and pulling the napkin farther down over the face to keep the dead features from view, he clasped his arms about his brother's neck, laid his cheek to his, and wept bitterly.

The narrator of this part of the tale was wont to say, that the scene which followed had something more touching in it than any tongue could describe, although Clavers and his troops only laughed at it. William had now quite relinquished all sensations of fear or danger, and gave full vent to a flood of pa.s.sionate tenderness and despair. He clasped his brother's neck closer and closer, steeped his cheek with his tears, and seemed to cling and grow to the body with a miserable fondness.

While he was giving full scope in this manner to the affections of his young heart, his brother made a heave up with his head and shoulder, saying at the same time, like one wakening from a dream, "Little Will, is that you?-Haud aff-What ails ye?"

William raised up his head,-fixed his eyes on vacancy,-the tears dried on his cheek, and his ruby lips were wide open,-the thing was beyond his comprehension, and never was seen a more beautiful statue of amazement. He durst not turn his eyes towards his brother, but he uttered in words scarcely articulate, "Lord! I believe they hae missed Jock too!"

Clavers had given private orders to his dragoons to fire over the heads of the two boys, his intent being to intimidate them so much as to eradicate every principle of firmness and power of concealment from their tender minds; a scheme of his own fertile invention, and one which he often practised upon young people with too sure effect. When William found that his brother was really alive, and that both of them were to be spared on condition that he gave up the names and marks of all the people that had of late been at Chapelhope; he set himself with great earnestness to recount them, along with every mark by which he remembered them, determined that every hidden thing should be brought to light, rather than that poor Jock should be shot at again.

"Weel, ye see, first there was Geordie Skinhimalive the flesher, him that took away the crocks and the paulies, and my brockitlamb, and gae me a penny for setting him through atween the lochs. Then there was Hector Kennedy the tinkler, him that the bogles brought and laid down at the door i' the nighttime-he suppit twa bickerfu's o' paritch, an'

cleekit out a hantle o' geds an' perches wi' his toum. Then there was Ned Huddersfield the wooman, wi' the leather bags and the skeenzie thread-him that kissed our birewoman i' the barn in spite o' her teeth,-he had red cheeks and grit thees, and wasna unlike a glutton; he misca'd my father's woo, an' said aye, 'Nay, it's nane clean, howsomever,-it's useless, that's its warst fault.' Then there was wee Willie the nout herd, him that had the gude knife an' the duddy breeks; but the Brownie's put him daft, an' his mither had to come an' tak him away upon a cuddy."

In this manner went he on particularizing every one he remembered, till fairly cut short with a curse. John continued perfectly stupid, and when examined, answered only _Yes_, or _No_, as their way of asking the question dictated.

"Are there not great numbers of people who frequent your father's house during the night?"

"Yes."

"Do you see and hear them, after you go to bed?"

"Yes."

"What are they generally employed in when you hear them? Do they read, and pray, and sing psalms?"