"He worse than ebber now," cried the discontented African. "A t"ink colored man like a sheep! I nebber see sich a lip, Harvey; he most as big as a sausage!"
Great pains had been taken in forming the different articles used in the disguise of Captain Wharton, and when arranged, under the skillful superintendence of the peddler, they formed together a transformation that would easily escape detection, from any but an extraordinary observer.
The mask was stuffed and shaped in such a manner as to preserve the peculiarities, as well as the color, of the African visage; and the wig was so artfully formed of black and white wool, as to imitate the pepper-and-salt color of Caesar"s own head, and to exact plaudits from the black himself, who thought it an excellent counterfeit in everything but quality.
"There is but one man in the American army who could detect you, Captain Wharton," said the peddler, surveying his work with satisfaction, "and he is just now out of our way."
"And who is he?"
"The man who made you prisoner. He would see your white skin through a plank. But strip, both of you; your clothes must be exchanged from head to foot."
Caesar, who had received minute instructions from the peddler in their morning interview, immediately commenced throwing aside his coa.r.s.e garments, which the youth took up and prepared to invest himself with; unable, however, to repress a few signs of loathing.
In the manner of the peddler there was an odd mixture of care and humor; the former was the result of a perfect knowledge of their danger, and the means necessary to be used in avoiding it; and the latter proceeded from the unavoidably ludicrous circ.u.mstances before him, acting on an indifference which sprang from habit, and long familiarity with such scenes as the present.
"Here, captain," he said, taking up some loose wool, and beginning to stuff the stockings of Caesar, which were already on the leg of the prisoner; "some judgment is necessary in shaping this limb. You will have to display it on horseback; and the Southern dragoons are so used to the brittle-shins, that should they notice your well-turned calf, they"d know at once it never belonged to a black."
"Golly!" said Caesar, with a chuckle, that exhibited a mouth open from ear to ear, "Ma.s.sa Harry breeches fit."
"Anything but your leg," said the peddler, coolly pursuing the toilet of Henry. "Slip on the coat, captain, over all. Upon my word, you"d pa.s.s well at a pinkster frolic; and here, Caesar, place this powdered wig over your curls, and be careful and look out of the window, whenever the door is open, and on no account speak, or you will betray all."
"I s"pose Harvey t"ink a colored man ain"t got a tongue like oder folk," grumbled the black, as he took the station a.s.signed to him.
Everything now was arranged for action, and the peddler very deliberately went over the whole of his injunctions to the two actors in the scene. The captain he conjured to dispense with his erect military carriage, and for a season to adopt the humble paces of his father"s negro; and Caesar he enjoined to silence and disguise, so long as he could possibly maintain them. Thus prepared, he opened the door, and called aloud to the sentinel, who had retired to the farthest end of the pa.s.sage, in order to avoid receiving any of that spiritual comfort, which he felt was the sole property of another.
"Let the woman of the house be called," said Harvey, in the solemn key of his a.s.sumed character; "and let her come alone. The prisoner is in a happy train of meditation, and must not be led from his devotions."
Caesar sank his face between his hands; and when the soldier looked into the apartment, he thought he saw his charge in deep abstraction. Casting a glance of huge contempt at the divine, he called aloud for the good woman of the house. She hastened at the summons, with earnest zeal, entertaining a secret hope that she was to be admitted to the gossip of a death-bed repentance.
"Sister," said the minister, in the authoritative tones of a master, "have you in the house `The Christian Criminal"s last Moments, or Thoughts on Eternity, for them who die a violent Death"?"
"I never heard of the book!" said the matron in astonishment.
""Tis not unlikely; there are many books you have never heard of: it is impossible for this poor penitent to pa.s.s in peace, without the consolations of that volume. One hour"s reading in it is worth an age of man"s preaching."
"Bless me, what a treasure to possess! When was it put out?"
"It was first put out at Geneva in the Greek language, and then translated at Boston. It is a book, woman, that should be in the hands of every Christian, especially such as die upon the gallows. Have a horse prepared instantly for this black, who shall accompany me to my brother-, and I will send down the volume yet in season. Brother, compose thy mind; you are now in the narrow path to glory."
Caesar wriggled a little in his chair, but he had sufficient recollection to conceal his face with hands that were, in their turn, concealed by gloves. The landlady departed, to comply with this very reasonable request, and the group of conspirators were again left to themselves.
"This is well," said the peddler; "but the difficult task is to deceive the officer who commands the guard-he is lieutenant to Lawton, and has learned some of the captain"s own cunning in these things. Remember, Captain Wharton," continued he with an air of pride, "that now is the moment when everything depends on our coolness."
"My fate can be made but little worse than it is at present, my worthy fellow," said Henry; "but for your sake I will do all that in me lies."
"And wherein can I be more forlorn and persecuted than I now am?" asked the peddler, with that wild incoherence which often crossed his manner. "But I have promised one to save you, and to him I have never yet broken my word."
"And who is he?" said Henry, with awakened interest.
"No one."
The man soon returned, and announced that the horses were at the door. Harvey gave the captain a glance, and led the way down the stairs, first desiring the woman to leave the prisoner to himself, in order that he might digest the wholesome mental food that he had so lately received.
A rumor of the odd character of the priest had spread from the sentinel at the door to his comrades; so that when Harvey and Wharton reached the open s.p.a.ce before the building, they found a dozen idle dragoons loitering about with the waggish intention of quizzing the fanatic, and employed in affected admiration of the steeds.
"A fine horse!" said the leader in this plan of mischief; "but a little low in flesh. I suppose from hard labor in your calling."
"My calling may be laborsome to both myself and this faithful beast, but then a day of settling is at hand, that will reward me for all my outgoings and incomings," said Birch, putting his foot in the stirrup, and preparing to mount.
"You work for pay, then, as we fight for"t?" cried another of the party.
"Even so-is not the laborer worthy of his hire?"
"Come, suppose you give us a little preaching; we have a leisure moment just now, and there"s no telling how much good you might do a set of reprobates like us, in a few words. Here, mount this horseblock, and take your text where you please."
The men now gathered in eager delight around the peddler, who, glancing his eye expressively towards the captain, who had been suffered to mount, replied,-
"Doubtless, for such is my duty. But, Caesar, you can ride up the road and deliver the note-the unhappy prisoner will be wanting the book, for his hours are numbered."
"Aye, aye, go along, Caesar, and get the book," shouted half a dozen voices, all crowding eagerly around the ideal priest, in antic.i.p.ation of a frolic.
The peddler inwardly dreaded, that, in their unceremonious handling of himself and garments, his hat and wig might be displaced, when detection would be certain; he was therefore fain to comply with their request. Ascending the horseblock, after hemming once or twice, and casting several glances at the captain, who continued immovable, he commenced as follows:-
"I shall call your attention, my brethren, to that portion of Scripture which you will find in the second book of Samuel, and which is written in the following words:-"And the king lamented over Abner, and said. Died Abner as a fool dieth? Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him." Caesar, ride forward, I say, and obtain the book as directed; thy master is groaning in spirit even now for the want of it."
"An excellent text!" cried the dragoons. "Go on-go on-let the s...o...b..ll stay; he wants to be edified as well as another."
"What are you at there, scoundrels?" cried Lieutenant Mason, as he came in sight from a walk he had taken to sneer at the evening parade of the regiment of militia. "Away with every man of you to your quarters, and let me find that each horse is cleaned and littered, when I come round." The sound of the officer"s voice operated like a charm, and no priest could desire a more silent congregation, although he might possibly have wished for one that was more numerous. Mason had not done speaking, when it was reduced to the image of Caesar only. The peddler took that opportunity to mount, but he had to preserve the gravity of his movements, for the remark of the troopers upon the condition of their beasts was but too just, and a dozen dragoon horses stood saddled and bridled at hand, ready to receive their riders at a moment"s warning.
"Well, have you bitted the poor fellow within," said Mason, "that he can take his last ride under the curb of divinity, old gentleman?"
"There is evil in thy conversation, profane man," cried the priest, raising his hands and casting his eyes upwards in holy horror; "so I will depart from thee unhurt, as Daniel was liberated from the lions" den."
"Off with you, for a hypocritical, psalm-singing, canting rogue in disguise," said Mason scornfully. "By the life of Washington! it worries an honest fellow to see such voracious beasts of prey ravaging a country for which he sheds his blood. If I had you on a Virginia plantation for a quarter of an hour, I"d teach you to worm the tobacco with the turkeys."
"I leave you, and shake the dust off my shoes, that no remnant of this wicked hole may tarnish the vestments of the G.o.dly."
"Start, or I will shake the dust from your jacket, designing knave! A fellow to be preaching to my men! There"s Hollister put the devil in them by his exhorting; the rascals were getting too conscientious to strike a blow that would raze the skin. But hold! Whither do you travel, Master Blackey, in such G.o.dly company?"
"He goes," said the minister, hastily speaking for his companion, "to return with a book of much condolence and virtue to the sinful youth above, whose soul will speedily become white, even as his outwards are black and unseemly. Would you deprive a dying man of the consolation of religion?"
"No, no, poor fellow, his fate is bad enough; a famous good breakfast his prim body of an aunt gave us. But harkee, Mr. Revelation, if the youth must die secundum arlem, let it be under a gentleman"s directions, and my advice is, that you never trust that skeleton of yours among us again, or I will take the skin off and leave you naked."
"Out upon thee for a reviler and scoffer of goodness!" said Birch, moving slowly, and with a due observance of clerical dignity, down the road, followed by the imaginary Caesar. "But I leave thee, and that behind me that will prove thy condemnation, and take from thee a hearty and joyful deliverance."
"d.a.m.n him," muttered the trooper. "The fellow rides like a stake, and his legs stick out like the c.o.c.ks of his hat. I wish I had him below these hills, where the law is not over-particular, I"d--"
"Corporal of the guard!-corporal of the guard!" shouted the sentinel in the pa.s.sage to the chambers, "corporal of the guard!-corporal of the guard!"