_ CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR. SURPRISES
Since we last met Adam Halliburt the _Nancy_ had shared the fate of other craft; her stout planks and timbers gradually yielding to age, she had become too leaky to put to sea, and had been broken up for firewood. Adam having no sons to help him, had taken to inshore fishing in a small boat which he and a lad could manage. The dame's baskets were, however, still well supplied with fish.
Honest Jacob, to his parents' joy, had arrived at home. Adam was about to set out on his daily fishing.
"I will go with you, father," he said; "maybe with my help you will sooner be able to get back."
The dame, glad that Adam should enjoy his son's company, was willing to wait till their return, to hear all Jacob had to tell them.
They stood away under sail to the south, where the best fishing ground lay.
Seldom had Adam been so happy as he was listening to Jacob's account of his adventures, and not often had he been more successful in making a good catch of fish.
The evening was drawing on, and it was time to return, when the wind shifting, headed them, and they were compelled to take to their oars, Jacob and the boy pulling, while Adam steered. They kept close in shore to avoid the tide, which was running to the southward. The wind increased too, and they made but slow progress, so that night overtook them before they had proceeded half the distance.
There was still light sufficient to enable Adam to see a man on horseback galloping along the beach under the cliff, the water already reaching up to the animal's knees.
"What can he be about?" exclaimed Adam. "He must be mad to try and pass along there; he will be lost to a certainty if he moves a few fathoms further on."
Adam shouted at the top of his voice, and waved his hat, but the horseman neither saw nor heard him.
Presently, as Adam had anticipated, the horse began to struggle violently in a vain effort to escape from a soft quicksand which prevented it either from swimming or wading. The next instant a sea rolling in washed the rider from its back. He struck out boldly, making a desperate effort for life. Jacob and the boy pulled with all their might towards him, but before they could reach him a sea had dashed him against the cliff. By a mighty effort he got clear of it, when a receding wave carried him towards them. Before the boat reached him, however, he had ceased to struggle, and was sinking for the last time when Adam caught him by the collar, and with Jacob's assistance hauled him into the boat. Jacob had at once to resume his oar, for they were so near the cliff that the boat might, in another instant, have been dashed against it. They got clear, however, but the tide had drifted them to the south.
"He is still alive," said Adam, "but seems much hurt, and I fear will die if we don't soon get him before a warm fire. We are just under Mad Sal's hut, and the best thing we can do will be to carry him up there."
"It will be a hard matter to land though, father, won't it?" said Jacob, "and we may risk the loss of the boat."
"Worth risking it for the sake of a human life, even if the man was our greatest enemy. There is a little creek in there, and if I can hit it, the boat will be safe enough. Stand by to jump out when I tell you."
Jacob and the boy pulled on, and in another minute a sea lifted the boat, and though the surf broke on board she floated on, and dropped down safely into a pool, where there was no danger of her being carried away. Adam and his companions jumping out, hauled the boat up on the beach. Leaving the boy in charge of her, he and Jacob then carried the man they had rescued, and who was still insensible, towards Mad Sal's hut, which could just be distinguished on the side of the ravine by the glare of light coming through the chinks in the window and door.
Adam knocked loudly.
"Who comes to disturb me now?" exclaimed the old woman from within. "Is my solitude constantly to be broken in upon by strangers?"
"We bring you a well-nigh drowned man, who will die if you refuse him your aid, good dame," said Adam. "In mercy do not keep us outside."
The door was opened.
"What! another victim murdered by the cruel salt sea," exclaimed old Sal, as she saw the burden Adam and Jacob carried.
"We must have off his wet clothes, and warm his hands and feet, or he soon will be dead," said Adam, as they carried the man into the room.
The sight seemed to calm instead of agitating the old woman, for she set about attending to the man in a more sensible way than might have been expected. While Adam and Jacob took off the man's wet clothes, she brought a blanket that they might wrap it round his body. She then, kneeling down, assisted them in chafing his hands and feet. A deep groan showed that their efforts were successful, and the man soon opened his eyes, and gazed wildly at them. The old woman threw some sticks on the fire, which blazing up now for the first time, revealed his features more clearly than before.
"Why, father, he is Miles Gaffin," exclaimed Jacob.
"I knew that," answered Adam, "when we hauled him into the boat."
"Miles Gaffin," cried Mad Sal, "the bloodthirsty and wretched man shall not live out half his days; yet, as the sea refused to keep him, we must not be more cruel."
Gaffin made no answer, but continued to glare wildly at the faces bent over him. He occasionally groaned and muttered a few unintelligible words.
"He seems to have lost his senses," whispered Adam to Jacob.
Such, indeed, was evidently the case. Several times he tried to sit up, but he had received some severe injuries, and each movement made him shriek with pain.
What now to do was the question. Adam was unwilling to leave him alone with the poor mad woman, yet he was naturally anxious to return home. The sound of the wind, which howled and whistled up the glen, warned him that he could scarcely hope to continue his voyage.
Telling old Sal that they would speedily return, Adam and Jacob went down to the beach, and made safe their boat and fish. Then they sent the boy quickly to Hurlston, with instructions to tell the dame that they hoped to be home in the morning. The lad being warned to keep away from the edge of the cliff, set off without fear. Adam and Jacob, carrying up a few fish and some bread, returned to the hut.
As they entered they heard Gaffin's voice raving incoherently. Mad Sal stood like a statue, the light of the fire falling on her pale features, gazing at him with a look of mingled astonishment and dread. They stopped to listen to what Gaffin was saying.
"Who are you?" she exclaimed at last, gasping for breath, and advancing towards the unhappy man.
"Who has a right to ask me that?" he shrieked out. "Martin Goul I was once called. They tell me I broke my father's heart, that my mother threw herself from the cliffs, and that the only being I ever loved was laid in the cold grave. So I went forth to do battle with the hard world, to live in hopes of revenging myself on those who had scorned and wronged me. Each time, though I missed my aim, I thought the day of vengeance would come at last, but again and again have I been mocked by the cunning devil who deceived me."
"Martin Goul! who speaks of him," exclaimed the old woman, moving a step nearer the man.
"Let me be at peace, old hag; why torment me with questions?" shrieked out Gaffin.
"Young Martin Goul has long been fathoms deep beneath the ocean wave; and you tell me that you bear that name," said Mad Sal, in a hollow frightened voice.
"No one else would dare to claim it," cried Gaffin. "When my son marries the heiress of Texford, I will shout it out to all the world. She will be his bride before many hours are over, and then those who have scorned me will have to ask favours at my hand. They did not know that I possessed the secret of her birth, that it still lies locked up in the chest guarded safely in the vault beneath the mill, and that it will be beyond their reach before to-morrow. Ah! ah! ah!" and he broke out into a cry of maniac laughter.
The old woman passed her hand across her brow, and took another stride which brought her close to where Gaffin lay.
"Answer me, I adjure you; again I ask you, are you the Martin Goul who years gone by was pressed and carried off to sea?"
"Yes, I am that Martin Goul, the pirate, smuggler, spy, murderer," he shrieked, out raising himself. "There are no deeds I have not dared to do. I, by forged letters, kept Ranald Castleton from his home, and willingly would I have allowed his innocent child to perish. Now I have answered you, what more would you learn from me? Ah! ah! ah!" he shouted out, as if impelled by an uncontrollable impulse to utter the very things he would have desired to keep secret.
"It's false, it's false," cried the unhappy woman. "My son was wild and extravagant, but he could not have been guilty of the crimes you name. I was the mother of young Martin Goul; he was the only being on earth I loved. Oh the salt, salt sea."
"You my mother, you," shrieked out the wretched man, and he again burst forth into a fit of hideous laughter, which froze the hearts of Adam and his son. "Begone, old hag, begone, begone," he shouted, and endeavoured to raise himself up, but his strength, from some internal injury, was fast giving way. The effort produced a paroxysm of pain. He shrieked out, and sinking back on the bed no longer moved.
The old woman gazed at him like one transfixed. Suddenly the fire sent up a bright flame, which fell on his face.
"Yes, yes," cried the unhappy creature, "I know you now, you are my son, my boy Martin." But the person she addressed no longer heard her. His spirit had fled to stand before the Judge of all men. She waited as if expecting him to reply, then suddenly she became aware of what had happened, and lifting up her hands fell forward over his body.
Adam and Jacob sprang to assist her, for they feared from the force with which she fell that she must have injured herself. She neither moved nor groaned. They endeavoured to lift her up.
"Poor creature, she is dead!" said Adam. She had survived but a few moments her unhappy son.
Adam and Jacob placed her body by his side, and closed the eyes of both. As they could no longer be of assistance they would gladly have set off for their home at once, but the night had become very dark, the storm raged furiously, and as they had their fish to carry, they would have found it difficult to make their way over the downs. They therefore agreed to wait till daylight.
Adam had noted what the dying man said with regard to the chest and the little girl.
"Could he have been speaking of our Maiden May, and how came he to call her the heiress of Texford?"
"He did call her so, there is no doubt about that," observed Jacob. "He cannot tell us now, though, what he meant."
"But the chest may. I was always sure that Gaffin had visited the wreck, and carried off something of value, but little did I think all the time that he knew who our Maiden May was," said Adam.
"If we can get the chest we shall soon know all about that father; and it will be the thing of all others that Lieutenant Castleton will like to know, and I shall be glad to help him find it out."
As neither Adam nor Jacob felt disposed to go to sleep after the scene they had witnessed, they sat up discussing the subject till dawn. The wind having shifted, and the sea gone down, they launched their boat and sailed before the wind for Hurlston. As they passed close under the mill they saw a vessel cast on the beach, which they recognised as Gaffin's lugger. They afterwards discovered that having been left with only two or three hands on board she had been driven on shore, and, like the _Nancy_, having seen her best days, had been quickly knocked to pieces by the heavy sea which had for a short time broken on the coast.
Young Jack had arrived safely, and delivered the message Adam had sent the dame, so that she had not been anxious about them. But she had a terrible account to give of the events which, according to report, had taken place at Texford and Downside, and which had caused her the greatest alarm, and she was only waiting their arrival to set off to ascertain the truth.
Adam agreed to accompany her, as he wished to give Lieutenant Castleton the information he had obtained, and thought it probable that he might be at Downside. He had besides to give notice of the deaths of Martin Goul and his mother. _