CHAPTER XVII. SOUTH RIVER
My grandfather's defection from St. Anne's called forth a deal ofcomment in Annapolis. His Excellency came to remonstrate, but to noavail, and Mr. Carvel denounced the rector in such terms that theGovernor was glad to turn the subject. My Uncle Grafton acted withsuch quickness and force as would have served to lull the sharpestsuspicions. He forbid the rector his house, attended the curate'sservice, and took Philip from his care. It was decided that both mycousin and I were to go to King's College after Christmas. Grafton'sconduct greatly pleased my grandfather. "He has behaved very loyally inthis matter, Richard." he said to me. "I grow to reproach myself moreevery day for the injustice I once did him. He is heaping coals of fireupon my old head. But, faith! I cannot stomach your Aunt Caroline. Youdo not seem to like your uncle, lad."
I answered that I did not.
"It was ever the Carvel way not to forget," he went on. "Nevertheless,Grafton hath your welfare at heart, I think. His affection for you ashis brother's son is great."
O that I had spoken the words that burned my tongue!
Christmas fell upon Monday of that year, 1769. There was to be a ball atUpper Marlboro on the Friday before, to which many of us were invited.Though the morning came in with a blinding snowstorm from the north, thefirst of that winter, about ten of the clock we set out from Annapolisan exceeding merry party, the ladies in four coaches-and-six, thegentlemen and their servants riding at the wheels. We laughed and jokeddespite the storm, and exchanged signals with the fair ones behind theglasses.
But we had scarce got two miles beyond the town gate when a messengerovertook us with a note for Mr. Carvel, writ upon an odd slip of paper,and with great apparent hurry:
HONOURED SIR,
"I have but just come to Annapolis from New York, with Instructionsto put into your Hands, & no Others, a Message of the greatest Import.Hearing you are but now set out for Upper Marlboro I beg of you toreturn for half an Hour to the Coffee House. By so doing you will beof service to a Friend, and confer a Favour upon y'r most ob'd't HumbleServant,
"SILAS RIDGEWAY."
Our cavalcade had halted while I read, the ladies letting down theglasses and leaning out in their concern lest some trouble had befallenme or my grandfather. I answered them and bade them ride on, vowing thatI would overtake the coaches before they reached the Patuxent. Then Iturned Cynthia's head for town, with Hugo at my heels.
Patty, leaning from the window of the last coach, called out to me as Ipassed. I waved my hand in return, and did not remember until long afterthe anxiety in her eyes.
As I rode, and I rode hard, I pondered over the words of this letter. Iknew not this Mr. Ridgeway from the Lord Mayor of London; but I came tothe conclusion before I had reprised the gate that his message was fromCaptain Daniel. And I greatly feared that some evil had befallen my goodfriend. So I came to the Coffee House, and throwing my bridle to Hugo, Iran in.
I found Mr. Ridgeway neither in the long room nor in the billiard roomnor the bar. Mr. Claude told me that indeed a man had arrived thatmorning from the North, a spare person with a hooked nose and scanthair, in a brown greatcoat with a torn cape. He had gone forth afoothalf an hour since. His messenger, a negro lad whose face I knew, wasin the stables with Hugo. He had never seen the stranger till he methim that morning in State House Circle inquiring for Mr. Carvel, and hadbeen given a shilling to gallop after me. Impatient as I was to be gone,I sat me down in the coffee room, thinking every minute the man mustreturn, and strongly apprehensive that Captain Daniel must be in somegrave predicament. That the favour he asked was of such a nature as I,and not my grandfather, could best fulfil.
At length, about a quarter after noon, my man comes in with Mr. Claudeclose behind him. I liked his looks less than his description, and themoment I clapped eyes on him I knew that Captain Daniel had never chosesuch a messenger.
"This is Mr. Richard Carvel," said Mr. Claude.
The fellow made me a low bow, which I scarcely returned.
"I am sure, 'sir," he began in a whining voice, "that I crave yourforbearance for this prodigious, stupid mistake I have made."
"Mistake!" I exclaimed hotly; "you mean to say, sir, that you havebrought me back for nothing?"
The man's eye shifted, and he made me another bow.
"I scarce know what to say, Mr. Carvel," he answered with much humility;"to speak truth, 'twas zeal to my employers, and methought to you, thatcaused you to retrace your steps in this pestiferous storm. I travel,"he proceeded with some importance, "I travel for Messrs. Rinnell andRunn, Barristers of the town of New York, and carry letters to men ofmark all over these middle and southern colonies. And my instructions,sir, were to come to Annapolis with all reasonable speed with thisdouble-sealed enclosure for Mr. Carvel: and to deliver it to him, andhim only, the very moment I arrived. As I came through your town I madeinquiries, and was told by a black fellow in the Circle that Mr.Carvel was but just left for Upper Marlboro with a cavalcade of fourcoaches-and-six and some dozen gentlemen with their servants. I am suremy mistake was pardonable, Mr. Carvel," he concluded with a smirk; "thisgentleman was plainly of the first quality, as was he to whom I wasdirected. And as he was about to leave town for I knew not how long, Ihope I was in the right in bidding the black ride after him, for Igive you my word the business was most pressing for him. I crave yourforgiveness, and the pleasure of drinking your honour's health."
I barely heard the fellow through, and was turning on my heel indisgust, when it struck me to ask him what Mr. Carvel he sought, for Ifeared lest my grandfather had got into some lawsuit.
"And it please your honour, Mr. Grafton Carvel," said he; "your uncle,I understand. Unfortunately he has gone to his estate in Kent County,whither I must now follow him."
I bade Mr. Claude summon my servant, not stopping to question the manfurther, such was my resentment against him. And in ten minutes we wereout of the town again, galloping between the nearly filled tracks of thecoaches, now three hours ahead of us. The storm was increasing, and thewind cutting, but I dug into Cynthia so that poor Hugo was put to it tohold the pace, and, tho' he had a pint of rum in him, was near perishedwith the cold. As my anger cooled somewhat I began to wonder how Mr.Silas Ridgeway, whoever he was, could have been such a simpleton as hisstory made him out. Indeed, he looked more the rogue than the ass; norcould I conceive how reliable barristers could hire such a one. I wishedheartily that I had exhausted him further, and a suspicion crossed mybrain that he might have come to Mr. Allen, who had persuaded him todeliver a letter to Grafton intended for me. Some foreboding besetme, and I was once close to a full mind for going back, and slackedCynthia's pace to a trot. But the thought of the pleasures at UpperMarlboro' and the hope of overtaking the party at Mr. Dorsey's place,over the Patuxent, where they looked to dine, decided me in pushing on.And thus we came to South River, with the snow so thick that we couldscarce see ten yards in front of us.
Beyond, the road winds up the hill'around the end of Mr. Wiley'splantation and plunges shortly into the woods, gray and cold indeedto-day. At their skirt a trail branches off which leads to Mr. Whey'swarehouses, on the water's edge a mile or so below. And I marked thatthis path was freshly trodden. I recall a small shock of surprise atthis, for the way was used only in the early autumn to connect withsome fields beyond the hill. And then I heard a sharp cry from Hugo andpulled Cynthia short. He was some ten paces behind me.
"Marse Dick!" he shouted, the whites of his eyes rolled up. "We'se gwineto be robbed, Marse Dick." And he pointed to the footprints in the snow;"somefin done tole Hugo not come to-day."
"Nonsense!" I cried; "Mr. Wiley is making his lazy beggars cut woodagainst Christmas."
When in this temper the poor fellow had more fear of me than of aughtelse, and he closed up to my horse's flank, glancing apprehensively tothe right and left, his teeth rattling. We went at a brisk trot. We knownot, indeed, how to account for many things in this world, for with.each beat of Cynthia's feet I found myself repea
ting the words SouthRiver and Marlboro, and seeking in my mind a connection to somethinggone before. Then, like a sudden gust of wind, comes to me that strangetalk between Grafton and the rector, overheard by old Harvey in thestables at Carvel Hall. And Cynthia's ears were pointing forward.
With a quick impulse I loosed the lower frogs of my coat, for my swordwas buckled beneath, and was reaching for one of the brace of pistolsin my saddle-bags. I had but released them when Hugo cried out: "Gawd,Marse Dick, run for yo' life!" and I caught a glimpse of him flying downthe road. As I turned a shot rang out, Cynthia reared high with a roughbrute of a fellow clinging to her bridle. I sent my charge full into hischest, and as he tumbled in the snow I dug my spurs to the rowels.
What happened then is still a blurred picture in my brain. I know thatCynthia was shot from under me before she had taken her leap, and wefell heavily together. And I was scarcely up again and my sword drawn,when the villains were pressing me from all sides. I remember spittingbut one, and then I heard a great seafaring oath, the first word out oftheir mouths, and I was felled from behind with a mighty blow.