"Which other?" shouts Peter, while Thurnall eyes Trebooze keenly.
"Why that! He"s none o" mine! Nasty black cur, how did he get here?"
"Where? There"s never no cur here!"
"You lie, you oaf--no--why--Doctor--How many hounds are there here?"
"I can"t see," says Tom, "among those bushes."
"Can"t see, eh? Why don"t those brutes. .h.i.t it off?" says Trebooze, drawling, as if he had forgotten the matter, and lounging over the fence, drops into the stream, followed by Tom, and wades across.
The hounds are all round him, and he is couraging them on, fussing again more than ever; but without success.
"Gone to hole somewhere here," says Peter.
"....!" cries Trebooze, looking round, with a sudden shudder, and face of terror. "There"s that black brute again! there, behind me! Hang it, he"ll bite me next!" and he caught up his leg, and struck behind him with his spear.
There was no dog there.
Peter was about to speak; but Tom silenced him by a look, and shouted,--
"Here we are! Gone to holt in this alder root!"
"Now then, little Carlingford! Out of the way, puppies!" cries Trebooze, righted again for the moment by the excitement, and thrusting the hounds right and left, he stoops down to put in the little terrier.
Suddenly he springs up, with something like a scream, and then bursts out on Peter with a volley of oaths.
"Didn"t I tell you to drive that cur away?"
"Which cur, sir?" cries Peter, trembling, and utterly confounded.
"That cur!... Can"t I believe my own eyes? Will you tell me that the beggar didn"t bolt between my legs this moment, and went into the hole before the terrier?"
Neither answered. Peter with utter astonishment; Tom because he saw what was the matter.
"Don"t stoop, Squire. You"ll make the blood fly to your head. Let me--"
But Trebooze thrust him back with curses.
"I"ll have the brute out, and send the spear through him!" and flinging himself on his knees again, Trebooze began tearing madly at the roots and stones, shouting to the half-buried terrier to tear the intruder.
Peter looked at Tom, and then wrung his hands in despair.
"Dirty work--beastly work!" muttered Trebooze. "Nothing but slugs and evats!--Toads, too,--hang the toads! What a plague brings all this vermin? Curse it!" shrieked he, springing back, "there"s an adder! and he"s gone up my sleeve! Help me! Doctor! Thurnall! or I"m a dead man!"
Tom caught the arm, thrust his hand up the sleeve, and seemed to s.n.a.t.c.h out the snake, and hurl it back into the river.
"All right now!--a near chance, though!"
Peter stood open mouthed.
"I never saw no snake!" cried he.
Tom caught him a buffet which sent him reeling. "Look after your hounds, you blind a.s.s! How are you now, Trebooze?" And he caught the squire round the waist, for he was reeling.
"The world! The world upside down! rocking and swinging! Who"s put me feet upwards, like a fly on a ceiling? I"m falling, falling off, into the clouds--into h.e.l.l-fire--hold me!--Toads and adders! and wasps--to go to holt in a wasp"s nest! Drive "em away,--get me a green bough! I shall be stung to death!"
And tearing off a green bough, the wretched man rushed into the river, beating wildly right and left at his fancied tormentors.
"What is it?" cry Campbell and Scoutbush, who have run up breathless.
"Delirium tremens. Campbell, get home as fast as you can, and send me up a bottle of morphine. Peter, take the hounds home. I must go after him."
"I"ll go home with Campbell, and send the bottle up by a man and horse,"
cries Scoutbush; and away the two trot at a gallant pace, for a cross-country run home.
"Mr. Tardrew, come with me, there"s a good man!--I shall want help."
Tardrew made no reply, but dashed through the river at his heels.
Trebooze had already climbed the plashed fence, and was running wildly across the meadow. Tom dragged Tardrew up it after him.
"Thank "ee, sir," but nothing more. The two had not met since the cholera.
Trebooze fell, and lay rolling, trying in vain to shield his face from the phantom wasps.
They lifted him up, and spoke gently to him.
"Better get home to Mrs. Trebooze, sir," said Tardrew, with as much tenderness as his gruff voice could convey.
"Yes, home! home to Molly! My Molly"s always kind. She won"t let me be eaten up alive. Molly, Molly!"
And shrieking for his wife, the wretched man started to run again.
"Molly, I"m in h.e.l.l! Only help me! you"re always right! only forgive me!
and I"ll never, never again--"
And then came out hideous confessions; then fresh hideous delusions.
Three weary up-hill miles lay between them and the house: but home they got at last.
Trebooze dashed at the house-door, tore it open; slammed and bolted it behind him, to shut out the pursuing fiends.
"Quick, round by the back-door!" said Tom, who had not opposed him for fear of making him furious, but dreaded some tragedy if he were left alone.
But his fear was needless. Trebooze looked into the breakfast-room. It was empty; she was not out of bed yet. He rushed upstairs into her bed-room, shrieking her name; she leaped up to meet him; and the poor wretch buried his head in that faithful bosom, screaming to her to save him from he knew not what.