Bob, Son of Battle by Alfred Ollivant (classic literature list TXT) 📖

“Maggie’ll niver forgie us if we dinna bring yo’ home wi’ us.”

“Thank you kindly, Mr. Moore,” the boy replied. “I’ve to see squire first; and then yo’ may be sure I’ll be after you.”

The Master faltered a moment.

“David, ha’n yo’ spoke to yer father yet?” he asked in low voice. “Yo’ should, lad.”

The boy made a gesture of dissent.

“I canna,” he said petulantly.

“I would, lad,” the other advised. “An’ yo’ don’t yo’ may be sorry after.”

As he turned away he heard the boy’s steps, dull and sodden, as he crossed the hall; and then a thin, would-be cordial voice in the emptiness:

“I declar’ if ‘tisna David! The return o’ the Prodeegal—he! he! So ye’ve seen yer auld dad at last, and the last; the proper place, say ye, for yen father—he! he! Eh, lad, but I’m blithe to see ye. D’ye mind when we was last thegither? Ye was kneelin’ on ma chest: ‘Your time’s come, dad,’ says you, and wangs me o’er the face—he! he! I mind it as if ‘twas yesterday. Weel, weel, we’ll say nae mair about it. Boys will be boys. Sons will be sons. Accidents will happen. And if at first ye don’t succeed, why, try, try again—he! he!”

Dusk was merging into darkness when the Master and Andrew reached the Dalesman’s Daughter. It had been long dark when they emerged from the cosy parlor of the inn and plunged out into the night.

As they crossed the Silver Lea and trudged over that familiar ground, where a fortnight since had been fought out the battle of the Cup, the wind fluttered past them in spasmodic gasps.

“There s trouble in the wind,” said the Master.

“Ay,” answered his laconic son.

All day there had been no breath of air, and the sky dangerously blue. But now a world of black was surging up from the horizon, smothering the star-lit night; and small dark clouds, like puffs of smoke, detaching themselves from the main body, were driving tempestuously forward—the vanguard of the storm.

In the distance was a low tumbling like heavy tumbrils on the floor of heaven. All about, the wind sounded hollow like a mighty scythe on corn. The air was oppressed with a leaden blackness—no glimmer of light on any hand; and as they began the ascent of the Pass they reached out blind hands to feel along the rock-face.

A sea-fret, cool and wetting, fell. A few big rain-drops splashed heavily down. The wind rose with a leap and roared past them up the rocky track. And the water-gates of heaven were flung wide.

Wet and weary, they battled on; thinking sometimes of the cosy parlor behind; sometimes of the home in front; wondering whether Maggie, in flat contradiction of her father’s orders, would be up to welcome them; or whether only Owd Bob would come out to meet lhem.

The wind volleyed past them like salvoes of artillery. The rain stormed at them from above; spat at them from the rock-face; and leapt up at them from their feet.

Once they halted for a moment, finding a miserable shelter in a crevice of the rock.

“It’s a Black Killer’s night,” panted the Master. “I reck’n he’s oot.”

“Ay,” the boy gasped, “reck’n he is.” Up and up they climbed through the blackness, blind and buffeted. The eternal thunder of the rain was all about them; the clamor of the gale above; and far beneath, the roar of angry waters.

Once, in a lull in the storm, the Master turned and looked back into the blackness along the path they had come.

“Did ye hear onythin’?” he roared above the muffled soughing of the wind.

“Nay!” Andrew shouted back.

“I thowt I heard a step!” the Master cried, peering down. But nothing could he see.

Then the wind leaped to life again like a giant from his sleep, drowning all sound with its hurricane voice; and they turned and bent to their task again.

Nearing the summit, the Master turned once more.

“There it was again!” he called; but his words were swept away on the storm; and they buckled to the struggle afresh.

Ever and anon the moon gleamed down through the riot of tossing sky. Then they could see the wet wall above them, with the water tumbling down its sheer face; and far below, in the roaring gutter of the Pass a brown-stained torrent. Hardly, however, had they time to glance around when a mass of cloud would hurry jealously up, and all again was blackness and noise.

At length, nigh spent, they topped the last and steepest pitch of the Pass, and emerged into the Devil’s Bowl. There, overcome with their exertions, they flung themselves on to the soaking ground to draw breath.

Behind them, the wind rushed with a sullen roar up the funnel of the Pass. It screamed above them as though ten million devils were a-horse; and blurted out on to the wild Marches beyond.

As they lay there, still panting, the moon gleamed down in momentary graciousness. In front, through the lashing rain, they could discern the hillocks that squat, hag-like, round the Devil’s Bowl; and lying in its bosom, its white waters, usually so still, ploughed now into a thousand furrows, the Lone Tarn.

The Master raised his head and craned forward at the ghostly scene. Of a sudden he reared himself on to his arms, and stayed motionless awhile. Then he dropped as though dead, forcing down Andrew with an iron hand.

“Lad, did’st see?” he whispered.

“Nay; what was’t?” the boy replied, roused by his father’s tone.

“There!”

But as the Master pointed forward, a blur of cloud intervened and all was dark. Quickly it passed; and again the lantern of the night shone down. And Andrew, looking with all his eyes, saw indeed.

There, in front, by the fretting waters of the Tarn, packed in a solid phalanx, with every head turned in the same direction, was a flock of sheep. They were motionless, all-intent, staring with horror-bulging eyes. A column of steam rose from their bodies into the rain-pierced air. Panting and palpitating, yet they stood with their backs to the water, as though determined to sell their lives dearly. Beyond them, not fifty yards away, crouched a humpbacked boulder, casting a long, misshapen shadow in the moonlight. And beneath it were two black objects, one still struggling feebly.

“The Killer!” gasped the boy, and, all ablaze with excitement, began forging forward.

“Steady, lad, steady!” urged his father, dropping a restraining hand on the boy’s shoulder.

Above them a huddle of clouds flung in furious rout across the night, and the moon was veiled.

“Follow, lad!” ordered the Master, and began to crawl silently forward. As stealthily Andrew pursued. And over the sodden ground they crept, one behind the other, like two’ night-hawks on some foul errand.

On they crawled, lying prone during the blinks of moon, stealing forward in the dark; till, at length, the swish of the rain on the waters of the Tarn, and the sobbing of the fock in front, warned them they were near.

They skirted the trembling pack, passing so close as to brush against the flanking sheep; and yet unnoticed, for the sheep were soul-absorbed in the tragedy in front. Only, when the moon was in, Andrew could hear them huddling and stamping in the darkness. And again, as it shone out, fearfully they edged closer to watch the bloody play.

Along the Tarn edge the two crept. And still the gracious moon hid their approach, and the drunken wind drowned with its revelry the sound of their coming.

So they stole on, on hands and knees, with hearts aghast and fluttering breath; until, of a sudden, in a lull of wind, they could hear, right before them, the smack and slobber of bloody lips, chewing their bloody meal.

“Say thy prayers, Red Wull. Thy last minute’s come!” muttered the Master, rising to his knees. Then, in Andrew’s ear: “When I rush, lad, follow!” For he thought, when the moon rose, to jump in on the great dog, and, surprising him as he lay gorged and Unsuspicious, to deal him one terrible swashing blow, and end forever the lawless doings of the Tailless Tyke.

The moon flung off its veil of cloud. White and cold, it stared down into the Devil’s Bowl; on murderer and murdered.

Within a hand’s cast of the avengers of blood humped the black boulder. On the border of its shadow lay a dead sheep; and standing beside the body, his coat all ruffled by the hand of the storm—Owd Bob—Owd Bob o’ Kenmuir.

Then the light went in, and darkness covered the land.