"Water won't touch him, I sees that," observed Smallbones.
"No. Mein Gott, das was to trow time and de trouble away," replied the corporal.
"Hanging's just as natural a death for a cur," observed Spurey.
"I'm a-feared that the rope's not laid that's to hang that animal," observed Coble, shaking his head. "If water won't do, I'm persuaded nothing will, for did not they use, in former days, today all spirits in the Red Sea?"
"But he ban't a spirit yet," replied Smallbones; "he be flesh and blood o' some sort. If I gets fairly rid of his body, d—n his soul, I say; he may keep that and welcome."
"But then, you know, he'll haunt us just as much as ever —we shall see him here just the same."
"A spirit is only a spirit," observed Smallbones; "he may live in the cabin all day and night afore I care; but, d'ye see, there's a great difference between the ghost of a dog and the dog himself."
"Why, if the beast ar'n't natural, I can't see much odds," observed Spurey.
"But I can't feel 'em," replied Smallbones. "This here dog has a-bitten me all to bits, but a ghost of a dog can't bite, anyhow."
"And now, d'ye see, as Obadiah Coble has said as how spirits must be laid, I think if we were to come for to go for to lay this here hanimal in the cold hearth, he may perhaps not be able to get up again."
"That's only a perhaps," observed Coble.
"Well, a perhaps is better than nothing at all," said the lad.
"That depends upon sarcumstances," observed Spurey. "What sort of a breakfast would you make upon a perhaps?"
"A good one, perhaps," replied Smallbones, grinning at the jingling of the words.
"Twenty dozen tyfels! Smallbones is in de right," observed Jansen, who had taken no part in the previous conversation. "Suppose you bury de dog, de dog body not get up again. Suppose he will come, his soul come, leave him body behind him."
"That's exactly my notion of the thing," observed Smallbones.
"Do you mean for to bury him alive?" inquired Spurey.
"Alive! Gott in himmel —no. I knock de brains out first, perry afterwards."
"There's some sense in that, corporal."
"And the dog can't have much left anyhow, dog or devil, when his brains are all out."
"Corporal and I," replied Smallbones; "we be agreed, ban't we, corporal?"
"And now I votes that we tries it off-hand; what's the use of shilly-shally? I made a mortal vow that that 'ere dog and I won't live together —there ban't room enough for us two."
"It's a wide world, nevertheless," observed Coble, hitching up his trousers; "howsomever, I have nothing to say, but I wish you, luck; but if you kill that dog, I'm a bishop —that's all."
"And if I don't try for to do so, I am an harchbishop, that's all," replied the gallant Smallbones. "Come along, corporal."
And, here was to be beheld a novel scene. Smallbones fob lowed in obedience by his former persecutor and his superior, officer; a bag of bones —a reed —a lath —a scarecrow; like a pilot cutter ahead of an Indiaman, followed in his wake by Corporal Van Spitter, weighing twenty stone. How could this be? It was human nature. Smallbones took the lead, because he was the more courageous of the two, and the corporal following, proved he tacitly admitted it.
"He be a real bit of stuff, that 'ere Phil Smallbones," said one of the men.
"I thinks he be a supernatural himself, for my part," rejoined Spurey.
"At all events, he ar'n't afeard of him," said another.
"We shall see," replied Coble, squirting out his tobacco-juice under the gun.
"Come, men, we must go to work now. Shall we, Mr. Short?"
"Yes," replied the commanding officer; and the conference broke up.
In the meantime the consultation was continued between Smallbones and the corporal. The latter had received instruction to take on shore Mr. Vanslyperken's dirty linen to the washerwoman, and of course, as a corporal, he was not obliged to carry it, and would take Smallbones for that purpose. Then he could easily excuse taking the dog on shore upon the plea of taking care of it. It was therefore so arranged; the dog would follow the corporal in the absence of his master, but no one else. In a few minutes the corporal, Smallbones, Snarleyyow, and a very small bundle of linen, were in the boat, and shoved off with as many good wishes and as much anxiety for their success, as probably Jason and his followers received when they departed in search of the Golden Fleece.
The three parties kept in company, and passed through the town of Portsmouth. The washerwoman lived outside the Lines, and there they proceeded. Snarleyyow very much in spirits at being able to eat the grass, which his health very much required. They walked on until they arrived at a large elm-tree, on the side of the road, which lay between two hedges and ditches.
"This will do," observed the corporal solemnly. "Mein Gott! I wish it was over," continued he, wiping the perspiration from his bull-forehead.
"How shall we kill him, corporal?" inquired Smallbones.
"Mein Gott! knock him head against de tree, I suppose."
"Yes, and bury him in the ditch. Here, dog —Snarleyyow —here, dog," said Smallbones; "come, a poor doggy —come here."
But Snarleyyow was not to be coaxed by Smallbones; he suspected treachery.
"He won't a-come to me, corporal, or I'd soon settle his hash," observed Smallbones.
The corporal had now got over a little panic which had seized him. He called Snarleyyow, who came immediately. Oh! had he imagined what the corporal was about to do, he might have died like Caesar, exclaiming, "Et tu, Brute?" which in plain English means, "and you —you brute?"
The corporal, with a sort of desperation, laid hold of the dog by the tail, drawing him back till he could swing him round. In a second or two, Snarleyyow was whirling round the corporal, who turned with him, gradually approaching the trunk of the elm-tree, till at last his head came in contact with it with a resounding blow, and the dog fell senseless. "Try it again, corporal, let's finish him." The corporal again swung round the inanimate body of the dog; again, and again, and again, did the head come in contact with the hard wood; and then the corporal, quite out of breath with the exertion, dropped the body on the grass. Neither of them spoke a word for some time, but watched the body, as it lay motionless, doubled up, with the fore and hind feet meeting each other, and the one eye closed.
"Well, I've a notion that he is done for, any how," said Smallbones, "at last."
"Mein Gott, yes!" replied the corporal. "He never get on his legs again, be he tog or be he tyfel."
"Now for to come for to go for to bury him," said Smallbones, swinging the dog by the tail, and dragging him towards the ditch. "I wonder if we could get a spade anywhere, corporal."
"Mein Gott! if we ask for a spade they will ask what for, and Vanslyperken may find it all out."
"Then I'll bury him and cover him up, anyhow; he'll not come to life again; if he does, may I be knocked on the head like him, that's all." Smallbones dragged the body into the ditch, and collecting out of the other parts of the ditch a great quantity of wet leaves, covered the body a foot deep. "There, they won't find him now, because they won't know where to look for him. I say, corporal, I've a notion we had better not be seen here too long."
"No," said the corporal, wiping his forehead, putting his handkerchief in his cap, and his cap on his head; "we must go now."
They went to the washerwoman's, delivered the bundle, and then returned on board, when the whole crew were informed of the success of the expedition, and appeared quite satisfied that there was an end of the detested cur; all but Coble, who shook his head.
"We shall see," says he; "but I'm blessed if I don't expect the cur back to-morrow morning."
We must now return to Vanslyperken, who left the public house in a state of consternation. "How could she possibly know anything about it?" exclaimed he. "My life in the power of that she-devil!" And Vanslyperken walked on, turning over the affair in his mind. "I have gone too far to retreat now. I must either go on, or fly the country. Fly —where? What a fool have I been!" but then Vanslyperken thought of the money. "No, no, not a fool, but I am very unfortunate." Vanslyperken continued his route, until it at last occurred to him that he would go to the Jew Lazarus, and speak with him; for, thought Vanslyperken, if all is discovered, they may think that I have informed, and then my life will be sought by both parties. Vanslyperken arrived at the Jew's abode, knocked softly, but received no answer: he knocked again, louder; a bustle and confusion was heard inside, and at last the door, with the chain fixed, was opened a couple of inches, and the Jew stammered out, "Wot vash there at this late hour of the night?"
"It is me, the lieutenant of the cutter," replied Vanslyperken. "I must speak with you directly."
The, door was opened, several figures, and the clatter of arms, were heard in the dark passage, and as soon as Vanslyperken had entered it was relocked, and he was left in the dark.
In a minute the Jew, in a woollen wrapper, made his appearance with a light, and led Vanslyperken into the room where he had been shown before. "Now then, Mishter Leeftenant, vat vash de matter?"
"We are discovered, I'm afraid!" exclaimed Vanslyperken.
"Holy father Abraham!" exclaimed the Jew, starting back. "But tell me vy you shay sho."
"A woman told me this night that she knew why I came to your house —that I was in her power."
"A hell-cat, who hates me as she does the devil."
"A hell-cat vould not hate de divil," slowly observed the Jew.
"Well, perhaps not; but she will ruin me if she can."
"Vat vash her name?" said Lazarus.
"Paah! is dat all? vy, my good friend, she is one of us. Dere, you may go vay —you may go to bed, Mr. Vanslyperken."
"I mean dat she laughed at you, and frighten you —dat she is one of us, and so is her husband, who was in your chip. Ven you hang, she and I vill all hang together; now you comprehend?"
"Yes," replied Vanslyperken, "I do now: but how could you trust such people?"
"Trust such people, Mr. Vanslyperken! If you prove as true as those people, vy all de bitter; now go avay —go to bed —you have vaked up all the peoples here. Good night, Mr. Leeftenant" and the Jew led the way to the door, and let Vanslyperken out.
"So then," thought Vanslyperken, as he pursued his way down to the Point, "that woman and her husband are —damnation, but I've a great mind to discover all, if it's only to hang them." But on second thoughts, Vanslyperken thought that it was not worth while to be hanged himself, just for the pleasure of hanging others. It was a great relief to his mind to know that there was no fear of discovery. The tip of his nose itched, and he rubbed it mechanically; the rubbing brought away all the skin. He remembered the hot poker —the money he had been forced to pay —his being made to sing and to beg pardon on his knees; and he cursed Moggy in his heart, the more so, as he felt that he dared not take any steps against her.
When he came to the Point, he stood on the shingle, looking for his boat, but the men had waited till twelve o'clock, and then, presuming that their commander did not intend to come at all that night, had pulled on board again. He was looking round for a waterman to pull him off, when something cold touched his hand, Vanslyperken started, and almost screamed with fear. He looked and it was the cold nose of Snarleyyow, who now leaped upon his master.
"Snarleyyow, my poor dog how came you on shore?"
But the dog not being able to speak, made no answer.
While Vanslyperken was wondering how the dog could possibly have come on shore, and what Corporal Van Spitter could be about to have allowed it, the small casement of a garret window near him was opened, and a head was thrust out.
"Do you want to go on board, sir?" said a tremulous voice.
"I will be down directly, sir," replied the old boatman, who in a minute or two appeared with his sculls on his shoulder.
"Not easy to find a boat at this time of the morning, sir," said the man; "but I heard you speaking, for I've had such a toothache these two nights that I can't shut my eyes."
The old man unlocked the chain which fastened his wherry, and in a few minutes Vanslyperken was on the deck of the cutter, but he found there was no one to receive him —no watch kept.
"Very well," thought he, "we'll talk about this to-morrow morning. Short or Coble, I wonder which of the two —pretty neglect of duty indeed —report to the admiral, by heavens!"
So saying, Mr. Vanslyperken, with Snarleyyow at his heels, went down into the cabin —undressed in the dark, for he would not let any one know that he was on board. It being about three o'clock in the morning, and Mr. Vanslyperken being well tired with the events of the day, he was soon in a sound sleep. There will be no difficulty in accounting for the return of the dog, which had a skull much thicker than even the corporal's. He had been stunned with the heavy blows, but not killed. After a certain time he came to himself in his bed of leaves, first scratched with one paw, and then with another, till his senses returned: he rose, worked his way out, and lay down to sleep. After he had taken a long nap, he rose recovered, shook himself, and trotted down to the beach, but the boat had shoved off, and the cur had remained there waiting for an opportunity to get on board, when his master came down with the same object in view.
But as every soul is fast asleep, we shall now finish the chapter.
