The Broad Highway by Jeffery Farnol (ebook reader with highlight function TXT) đ
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âMarry you!â she panted; âmarry you?âno and no and no!â And so she stamped her foot, and sobbed, and turning, fled from me, out of the cottage.
And now to fear came wonder, and with wonder was despair.
Truly, was ever man so great a fool!
CHAPTER XXX
CONCERNING THE FATE OF BLACK GEORGE
A broad, white road; on either hand some half-dozen cottages with roofs of thatch or red tile, backed by trees gnarled and ancient, among which rises the red conical roof of some oast-house. Such, in a word, is Sissinghurst.
Now, upon the left-hand side of the way, there stands a square, comfortable, whitewashed building, peaked of roof, bright as to windows, and with a mighty sign before the door, whereon you shall behold the picture of a bull: a bull rolling of eye, astonishingly curly of horn and stiff as to tail, and with a prodigious girth of neck and shoulder; such a snorting, fiery-eyed, curly-horned bull as was never seen off an inn-sign.
It was at this bull that I was staring with much apparent interest, though indeed, had that same curly-horned monstrosity been changed by some enchanterâs wand into a green dragon or griffin, or swan with two necks, the chances are that I should have continued sublimely unconscious of the transformation.
Yet how should honest Silas Hoskins, ostler, and general factotum of âThe Bullâ inn, be aware of this fact, who, being thus early at work, and seeing me lost in contemplation, paused to address me in all good faith?
âA fine bull âe be, eh, Peter? Look at them âorns, anâ that theer tail; itâs seldom as you sees âorns or a tail the like oâ them, eh?â
âVery seldom!â I answered, and sighed.
âAnâ thenââis nose-âoles, Peter, jest cast your eye on them noseâoles, will ye; why, dang me! if I canât âear âim a-snortinâ when I looks at âem! Anâ âe were all painted by a chapâa little old chap wiâ gray whiskersâno taller ân your elber, Peter! Think oâ thatâa little chap no taller ân your elber! I seen âim do it wiâ my two eyesâa-sittinâ on a box. Drored tâ bull in wiâ a bit oâ chalk, first; then âe outs wiâ a couple oâ brushes; dab âe goes, anâ dab, dab again, anââby Goles! theer was a pair oâ eyes a-rollinâ theirselves at meâjust a pair oâ eyes, Peter. Ah! âe were a wonder were that little old chap wiâ gray whiskers! The way âe went at that theer bull, a-dabbinâ at âim âere, anâ a-dabbinâ at âim theer till âe come to âis tailââe done âis tail last of all, Peter. âGive un a good tail!â says I. âAh! that I will,â says âe. âAnâ a good stiff un!â says I. âYe jest keep your eye on it, anâ watch!â says âe. Talk about tails, Peter! âE put in that theer tail so quick as nigh made my eyes water, anââas for stiffnessâwell, look at it! I tell âee that chap could paint a bull wiâ âis eyes shut, ah, that âe could! anâ âim such a very small man wiâ gray whiskers. No, ye donât see many bulls like that un theer, Iâm thinkinâ, Peter?â
âThey would be very hard to find!â said I, and sighed again. Whereupon Silas sighed, for companyâs sake, and nodding, went off about his many duties, whistling cheerily.
So I presently turned about and crossed the road to the smithy. But upon the threshold I stopped all at once and drew softly back, for, despite the early hour, Prudence was there, upon her knees before the anvil, with Georgeâs great hand-hammer clasped to her bosom, sobbing over it, and, while she sobbed, she kissed its worn handle. And because such love was sacred and hallowed that dingy place, I took off my hat as I once more crossed the road.
Seeing âThe Bullâ was not yet astir, for the day was still young (as I say), I sat me down in the porch and sighed.
And after I had sat there for some while, with my chin sunk upon my breast, and plunged in bitter meditation, I became aware of the door opening, and next moment a tremulous hand was laid upon my head, and, looking round, I beheld the Ancient.
âBless âee, Peterâbless âee, lad!âanâ a old manâs blessinâ be no light thingââspecially such a old, old man as I beâanâ it beanât often as I feels in a blessinâ sperritâbut oh, Peter! âtwere me as found ye, werenât it?â
âWhy, to be sure it was, Ancient, very nearly five months ago.â
âAnâ I be allus ready wiâ some noos for ye, beanât I?â
âYes, indeed!â
âWell, I got more noos for âee, Peterâgert noos!â
âAnd what is it this time?â
âI be allus full up oâ noos, beanât I?â he repeated.
âYes, Ancient,â said I, and sighed; âand what is your news?â
âWhy, first of all, Peter, jest reach me my snuff-box, will âee? ââere it beâin my back âind pocketâthankee! thankee!â Hereupon he knocked upon the lid with a bony knuckle. âI du be that full oâ noos this marninâ that my innards be all of a quake, Peter, all of a quake!â he nodded, saying which, he sat down close beside me.
âPeter.â
âYes, Ancient?â
âSome dayâwhen that theer old stapil be all rusted away, anâ these old bones is a-restinâ in the churchyard over to Cranbrook, Peterâyouâll think, sometimes, oâ the very old man as was always so full oâ noos, wonât âee, Peter?â
âSurely, Ancient, I shall never forget you,â said I, and sighed.
âAnâ now, Peter,â said the old man, extracting a pinch of snuff, ânow for the noosââbout Black Jarge, it be.â
âWhat of him, Ancient?â The old man shook his head.
âIt took eight on âem to du it, Peter, anâ now four on âemâs a-layinâ in their beds, anâ four on âemâs âobblinâ on crutchesâanâ all over a couple oâ rabbitsâthough theer be some fules as says they was paâtridges!â
âWhyâwhat do you mean?â
âWhy, ye see, Peter, Black Jarge be such a gert, strong man (I were much such another when I were young) like; lion, in âis wrath, âe beâah!âa bull beanât nothinâ to Black Jarge! Anâ they keepers come anâ found âim under a tree, fast asleepâlike David in the Cave of Adullam, Peter, wiâ a couple oâ rabbits as âeâd snared. Anâ when they keepers tried to takâ âim, âe rose up, âe did, anâ throwed some on âem this way anâ some on âem that wayââtwere like Samson anâ the Philistines; if only âeâd âappened to find the jaw-bone of a ass lyinâ âandy, âeâd haâ killed âem all anâ got away, sure as sure. But it werenât to be, Peter, no; dead donkeys be scarce nowadays, anâ as for assesâ jaw-bonesââ
âDo you mean that George is takenâa prisoner?â
The Ancient nodded, and inhaled his pinch of snuff with much evident relish.
âIt be gert noos, beanât it, Peter?â
âWhat have they done with him? Where is he, Ancient?â But, before the old man could answer, Simon appeared.
âAh, Peter!â said he, shaking his head, âthe Gafferâs been tellinâ ye âow theyâve took Jarge for poachinâ, I supposeââ
âSimon!â cried the Ancient, âshut thy mouth, lad hold thy gab anâ give thy poor old feyther a chanceâI be tellinâ âim so fast as I can! As I was a-sayinâ, Peter like a furâus lion were Jarge wiâ they keepersâeight on âem, Peterâlike dogs, a-growlinâ anâ growlinâ, anâ leapinâ, and worryinâ all round âimâah!âlike a lion âe wereââ
âWaitinâ for a chance to use âis âright, dâye see, Peter!â added Simon.
ANCIENT. Wiâ âis eyes a-rollinâ anâ flaminâ, Peter, anâ âis mane all bristlinââ
SIMON. Cool as any cucumber, Peterâ
ANCIENT. A-roarinâ anâ a-lashinâ of âis tailâ
SIMON. And sparrinâ for an openinâ, Peter, and when âe sees one âdowninâ âis man every timeâ
ANCIENT. Leapinâ in the air, rollinâ in the grass, wiâ they keepers clinginâ to âim like leechesâah! leechesâ
SIMON. And every time they rushed, tap âud go âis âleft,â and bang âud go âis ârightââ
ANCIENT. Anâ up âeâd get, like Samson again, Peter, anâ give âisself a shake; bellerinââlike a bull oâ Bashanâ
SIMON. Ye see, they fouât so close together that the keepers was afearâd to use their gunsâ
ANCIENT (indignantly). Guns!âwhoâs a-talkinâ oâ guns? Simon, my byeâyou be allus a-magginâ anâ a-magginâ; bridle thy tongue, lad, bridle thy tongue afore it runs away wiâ ye.
SIMON (sheepishly). All right, Old Unâfire away!
But, at this juncture, Old Amos hove in view, followed by the Apologetic Dutton, with Job and sundry others, on their way to work, and, as they came, they talked together, with much solemn wagging of heads. Having reached the door of âThe Bull,â they paused and greeted us, and I thought Old Amosâs habitual grin seemed a trifle more pronounced than usual.
âSo poor Jarge âas been anâ gone anâ done for âisself at last, eh? Oh, my soul! think oâ that, now!â sighed Old Amos.
âAllus knowed as âe would!â added Job; âmanyâs the time Iâve said as âe would, anâ you know itâall on you.â
âItâll be the Barbadies, or Austrayley!â grinned Amos; âtransportation, itâll beâOh, my soul! think oâ that nowâanâ âim a Sissânâurst man!â
âAnâ all along oâ a couple oâârabbits!â said the Ancient, emphasizing the last word with a loud rap on his snuff-box.
âPaâtridges, Gaffer!âthey was paâtridges!â returned Old Amos.
âI allus said as Black Jargeâd come to a bad end,â reiterated Job, âanâ whatâs moreââe arenât got nobody to blame but âisself!â
âAnâ all for a couple oâârabbits!â sighed the Ancient, staring Old Amos full in the eye.
âPaâtridges, Gaffer, they was paâtridgesâyou, James Duttonâwas they paâtridges or was they notâspeak up, James.â
Hereupon the man Dutton, all perspiring apology, as usual, shuffled forward, and, mopping his reeking brow, delivered himself in this wise:
âWâich I must sayâmeaninâ no offence to nobody, anâ if so be, apologizinââwâich I must sayâme âavinâ seen âemâthey was âleastways,â he added, as he met the Ancientâs piercing eye, âleastwaysâthey might âave been, wâichâif they ainâtâno matter!â
Having said which, he apologetically smeared his face all over with his shirt-sleeve, and subsided again.
âIt do wring my âeartâah, that it do! to think oâ pore Jarge a convicâ at Botâny Bay!â said Old Amos, âa-workinâ, anâ digginâ, anâ slavinâ wiâ irons on âis legs anâ arms, a-jinglinâ, anâ ajanglinâ when âe walks.â
âWell, but itâs Justice, arenât it?â demanded Jobââa poacherâs a thief, anâ a thiefâs a convicââor should be!â
âIâve âeerd,â said Old Amos, shaking his head, âIâve âeerd as they ties they convicâs up to posts, anâ lashes anâ lashes âem wiâ the cat-oâ-nine-tails!â
âThey generally mostly deserves it!â nodded Job.
âBut âtis âard to think oâ pore Jarge tied up to one oâ them flogginâ-posts, wiâ âis back all raw anâ bleedin!â pursued Old Amos; âcrool âard it be, anâ âim such a fine, strappinâ young chap.â
ââE were allus a sight too fond oâ pitchinâ into folk, Jarge were!â said Job; âit be a mercy as my back werenât broke more nor once.â
âAh!â nodded the Ancient, âyou must be amazinâ strong in the back, Job! The way Iâve seed âee come a-rollinâ anâ awallerinâ out oâ that theer smithyâs wonnerful, wonnerful.
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