Prisoners of Hope: A Tale of Colonial Virginia Read online

  CHAPTER II

  ITS CARGO

  The afternoon sunshine lay hot upon the house and garden of VerneyManor--the leaves drooped motionless, the glare of the white paths hurtthe eye, the flowers seemed all to be red. The odor of rose andhoneysuckle was drowned in the heavy cloying sweetness of the pendantmasses of locust bloom. Down in the garden the bees droned in the vines,and on the steps the flies buzzed undisturbed about the sleeping hounds.Above the long, deserted wharf and the green velvet of the marshesquivered the heated air, while to look upon the water was like gazingtoo closely at blue flame. From the tobacco fields floated the notes ofa monotonous many-versed chant, and a soft, uninterrupted cooing camefrom the dove cot. Heat and fragrance and drowsy sound combined to givea pleasant somnolence to the wide sunny scene.

  Deep in the cavernous shade of the porch lounged the master of theplantation, his body in one chair, his legs in another, and a silvertankard of sack standing upon a third, over the back of which had beenflung his great peruke and his riding coat of green cloth, discardedbecause of the heat. Thin, blue clouds curled up from his long pipe, andobscured his ruddy countenance.

  His shrewd gray eyes under their tufts of grizzled hair were halfclosed in a lazy contentment, born of the hour, the pipe, and the drink.The world went very well just then in Colonel Verney's estimation. Hiscrop of the preceding year had been a large and profitable one; thisyear it bid fair to be still more satisfactory. During the past fewmonths he had acquired a number of servants and slaves, and his headrights would add a goodly number of acres to his already enormousholdings; land, land, always more land! being the ambition and thenecessity of the seventeenth century Virginia planter. Trader, planter,magistrate, member of the council of state, soldier, author on occasion,and fine gentleman all rolled into one, after the fashion of the times;Cavalier of the Cavaliers, hand in glove with Governor Berkeley, andpossessed of a beautiful daughter, for whose favor one half of the younggentlemen of the counties of York and Gloucester were ready to drawrapier on the other half,--Colonel Verney's world was a fair andstirring one, and gave him plentiful food for meditation on a fineafternoon.

  Opposite him sat his kinsman and guest, Sir Charles Carew. He wassimilarly equipped with pipe and sack, but there the resemblance to hishost ended, Sir Charles Carew being a man who made it a point of honorto be clad like the lilies of the field on every possible occasion inlife, from the carrying a breach to the ogling a milkmaid. The sultryafternoon had no power to affect the scrupulous elegance of his attire,or to alter the careful repose of his manner. In his hand he held avolume of "Hudibras," but his thoughts were not upon the book, wanderinginstead, with those of his kinsman, over the fertile fields of VerneyManor.

  "You have a princely estate, sir, in this fair, new world," he said atlast, in a sweetly languid voice.

  The planter roused himself from considering at what point of his newlyacquired land he should begin the attack upon the forest. "It's a fairenough home for a man to end his days in," he said with complacence.

  "We of the court have very erroneous ideas as to Virginia. I confessthat my expectation of finding a courteous and loving kinsman," agracious smile and inclination of the head towards the older man, "isthe only one in which I have not been disappointed. I thought to see arude wilderness, and I find, to borrow the language of our Roundheadfriends, a very land of Beulah."

  "Ay, ay. D' ye remember what old Drayton sings?

  'Virginia! Earth's only paradise!'

  And a paradise it is, with mighty few drawbacks, now that the King hascome to his own again, if you except these d--d canting Quakers andAnabaptists, and those yelling red devils on the frontier, and thedanger of a servant insurrection, and the fact that his Majesty (Godbless him!) and the Privy Council fleece us more mercilessly than didold Noll himself. I verily think they believe our tobacco plants made ofgold like those they say Pizarro saw in Peru. But 'tis a sweet land!Why, look around you!" he cried, warming to his subject. "The watersswarm with fish, the marshes with wild fowl. In the winter the air ringswith the _cohonk!_ _cohonk!_ of the wild geese. They darken the air whenthey come and go. There in the forest stand the deer, waiting for yourbullet; badgers and foxes, bears, wolves, and catamounts are moreplentiful than are hares in England. You taste pleasure indeed when youride full tilt through the frosty moonlight, down the ringing glades ofthe forest, and hear the hounds in full cry, and see before you, blackagainst the silver snow, a pack of yelling wolves. Then in summer thewoods are full of singing birds and of such flowers as you in Englandonly dream of. Strawberries make the ground red, and there are wildmelons and grapes and mulberries, and more nuts than squirrels, which issaying much for the nuts. Everything grows here. 'Tis the garden of theworld. And what is there fairer than the green of the tobacco and thegolden corn tassels? And the noble rivers, whose head waters no man hasever found, hidden by the Lord in the Blue Mountains near to the SouthSea! Sir, Virginia is God's country!"

  "You in these lowlands have no trouble with the Indians?"

  "None to speak of since 'forty-four, when Opechancanough came down uponus. The brush with the Ricahecrians seven years ago was nothing. Theyare utterly broken, both here and in Accomac. Further up the rivers thedevil still holds his own, we hearing doleful tales of the butchery ofpioneers with their wives and children; and above the falls of the farwest, in the Monacan country, and towards the Blue Mountains, is hisstronghold and capitol; but here in the lowlands all's safe enough.There is no fear of the savages. Would we could say as much of theservants!"

  "Why, what do you fear from them?"

  "It's hard to say; but an uneasy feeling has prevailed for a year ormore. It's this d--d Oliverian element among them. You see, ever sincehis Majesty's blessed restoration, gang after gang of rebels have beensent us--Independents, Muggletonians, Fifth Monarchy men, dour ScotchWhigamores--dangerous fanatics all! Many are Naseby or Worcester rogues,Ironsides who worship the memory of that devil's lieutenant, Oliver. Allhave the gift of the gab. We disperse them as much as possible, notallowing above five or six to any one plantation, we of the Councilrealizing that they form a dangerous leaven. Should there be trouble,which heaven forbid! they would be the instigators, restlessmischief-makers and overturners of the established order of things thatthey are! Then there are their fellow criminals, the highwaymen,forgers, cutpurses and bullies of whom we relieve his Majesty'sgovernment. They are few in number, but each is a very plague spot,infecting honester men. The slaves, always excepting the Portuguese andSpanish mulattoes from the Indies, who are devils incarnate, have notbrain enough to conspire. But in the actual event of a rising they wouldbe fiends unchained."

  "A pleasant state of affairs!"

  "Oh, it is not so serious! We who govern the Colony have to take allpossibilities, however unpleasant, into consideration. I myself do notthink the danger imminent, and many in the Council and among theBurgesses, and well-nigh all outside will not allow that there is dangerat all. We passed more stringent servant laws last year, and we dependupon them, and upon the great body of indented servants, who are, forthe most part, honest and amenable and know upon which side their breadis buttered, to repress the unruly element."

  "What will you do with the convicts you brought with you this morning?"

  "Use them in the tobacco fields just now when all hands are needed toweed and sucker the plants, and afterwards put them to hewing down theforest. I told Woodson to bring them around to me this afternoon whenthey had been decently clothed. I always give the scoundrels a piece ofmy mind to begin with. It saves trouble."

  "Do they give you much trouble?"

  "Not on this plantation. Woodson and Haines are excellent overseers."

  The planter refilled his pipe, struck a light with his flint and steel,and leaning back amidst the fragrant clouds, allowed his eyelids todroop and his mind to wander over a pleasant sunshiny tract of nothingin particular.

  Sir Charles tasted his sack, adjusted
his ruffles, and resumed hisreading. But even the delectable adventures of the Presbyterian knight,over whom all London was laughing, palled on such an afternoon, and theyoung gentleman, after listlessly turning a page or two, laid the bookacross his knee, and with closed eyes commenced the construction of anair castle of his own.

  He was roused by the sound of approaching footsteps upon the shell pathleading to the back of the house, and by the harsh voice of theoverseer.

  "Here come your hopeful purchases, sir," he said lazily.

  The overseer turned the corner of the house and came forward with thethree convicts at his heels. He doffed his hat to the two gentlemen,then turned to his charges. "Fall into line, you dogs, and salute hisHonor!"

  The first man, he of the long nose and the twitching lip, smiledsweetly, and bent so low that his fell of greasy hair well-nigh sweptthe steps; the second, with a brow like a thunder cloud, gave a viciousnod; the third, with as impassive a countenance as Sir Charles's own,bowed gravely, and stood with folded arms and a quietly attentive mien.

  The planter gathered himself up from his chair and came forward to thetop of the steps, his tall, corpulent figure towering above the menbelow much as his fortunes towered above theirs.

  "Now, men," he said, speaking sternly and with slow emphasis. "I havejust one word to say to you. Listen well to it. I am your master; youare my servants. I reckon myself a good master, it not being my way totreat those belonging to me, whether white or black, like dumb beasts.Give me obedience and the faithful work of your hands, and you shallfind me kind. But if you are stubborn or rebellious, by the Lord, youwill rue the day you left Newgate! Whipping-post and branding-irons areat hand, and death is something closer to a felon in Virginia than inEngland. Be careful! Now, Woodson, what have you put these men to?"

  "They'll go into the three-mile field to-morrow morning, your honor,unless you wish other disposition made of them."

  "No, that will do. Take them away."

  The overseer faced about and was marching off with the recruits for thethree-mile field when his master's voice arrested him.

  "Take those two in front on with you, Woodson, and send me back thebrown-haired one."

  The "brown-haired one" turned as his companions disappeared around ahedge of privet and came slowly back to the steps.

  "You wished to speak to me, sir?" he said quietly.

  "Yes. You are the man who was tolerably helpful in the squall lastnight?"

  "I was so fortunate as to be of some small service, sir."

  "You understand the handling of a boat?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Hum. I will tell Woodson to try you with a sloop when the press of workin the fields is past. What is your name?"

  "Godfrey Landless."

  "Chevalier d'Industrie and frequenter of the Newgate Ordinary," put inSir Charles lazily. "Of the Roundhead persuasion too, if I mistakenot,--from robbery in the large, descended to thievery in the small;from the murder of a King to knives and a black alley mouth. Commend meto these grave rogues for real knaves! Pray inform us to what littlemishap we owe the honor of your company. Did you mercifully incline torelieve weary travelers over Hounslow Heath by disburdening them oftheir heavy purses? Or did you mistake your own handwriting for that ofsome one else? Or did you woo a mercer's wife a thought too roughly? Orperhaps--"

  The man shot a fiery upward glance at the slim, elegant figure andmocking lips of his tormentor, but kept silence. Colonel Verney, who hadreturned to his pipe, interposed. "What is all this, Charles? What areyou saying to the man?"

  "Oh, nothing, sir! This gentleman and I were shipmates, and I did butask after his health since the voyage."

  "Sir Charles Carew is very good," the man said proudly. "I assure himthat the object of his solicitude is well, and only desires anopportunity to repay, with interest, those little attentions shown himby his courteous fellow voyager."

  The planter looked puzzled; Sir Charles laughed.

  "Our liking is mutual, I see," he said coolly. "I--but what is this,Colonel Verney! Venus descending from Olympus?"

  Out of the doorway fluttered a brilliant vision, all blue and white likethe great butterflies hovering over the clove pinks. Behind it appearedthe faded countenance of Mrs. Lettice, and a group of turbaned headspeered, grinning, from out the cool darkness of the hall.

  "Papa!" cried the vision. "I want to show you my new dress! CousinCharles, you are to tell me if it is all as it should be!"

  Sir Charles bowed, with his hand upon his heart. "Alas, madam! I couldas soon play critic to the choir of angels. My eyes are dazzled."

  "Stand out, child," said her father gazing at her with eyes of love andpride, "and let us see your finery. D' ye know what the extravagant minxhas upon her back, Charles? Just five hogsheads of prime tobacco!"

  Mistress Lettice struck in: "Well, I'm sure, brother, 'tis much theprettiest use to put tobacco to, to turn it into lace and brocade andjewels,--much better, say I, than to be forever using it to accumulatefilthy slaves."

  Patricia floated to the centre of the porch and stood sunning herselfin a stray shaft of light, like a very bird of paradise. The"tempestuous petticoat," sky-blue and laced with silver, swelled proudlyoutwards, the gleaming satin bodice slipped low over the snowy shouldersand the heaving bosom, and the sleeves, trimmed with magnificent laceand looped with pearls, showed the rounded arms to perfection. Aroundthe slender throat was wound a double row of pearls, and the goldenringlets were partially confined by a snood of blue velvet. She unfurleda wonderful fan, and lifted her skirts to show the tiny white and silvershoes and the silken silver-clocked ankles. Her eyes shone like stars,faint wild roses bloomed in her cheeks, charming half smiles chased eachother across her dainty mouth. Such a picture of radiant youth andloveliness did she present that the Englishman's pulses quickened, andhe swore under his breath. "Surely," he muttered, "this is the mostbeautiful woman in the world, and my lucky stars have sent me to this NoMan's Land to win her."

  "How do you like me?" she cried gayly. "Is 't not worth the fivehogsheads?"

  Her father drew her to him and kissed the smooth forehead.

  "You look just as your mother did, child, the day that we werebetrothed. I could not give you higher praise than that, sweetheart."

  "And does it really lack nothing, cousin?" she cried anxiously. "Is itin truth such a dress as they wear at Court?"

  "Not at Whitehall, madam, nor at Brussels, nor even at St. Germains haveI seen anything more point device than the dress,--nor as beautiful asthe wearer," he added in a lower voice and with a killing look.

  The girl's face dimpled with pleasure and innocent, gratified vanity.She swept him a magnificent courtesy, and he bent low over the slenderfingers she gave him. Suddenly he felt them stiffen in his clasp, andlooking up, saw a curious expression of fear and aversion pass like ashadow across her face. She spoke abruptly. "That man! I did not seehim! What does he here?"

  Sir Charles wheeled. The convict, forgotten by the two gentlemen, hadbeen left standing at the foot of the steps, and his sombre eyes werenow fixed upon the girl in a look so strange and intent as fully toexplain her perturbation. Through his parted lips the breath camehurriedly, in his eyes was a mournful exaltation as of one who looksfrom a desert into Paradise. He stood absorbed, unconscious of aughtsave the splendid vision above him. For a moment she stared at him inreturn, her eyes, held by his, slowly widening and the color quite gonefrom her face. With a slow, involuntary movement one white arm rose, andstiffened before her in a gesture of repulsion. The fan fell from herhand upon the floor with a click of breaking tortoise shell. The soundbroke the spell, and with a strong shudder she turned her eyes away."Make him go," she said in a trembling voice. "He frightens me."

  Sir Charles sprang forward with an oath. "Curse you, you dog! Take yourill-omened eyes from the lady! Colonel Verney, do you not see that thefellow is annoying your daughter?"

  The planter had fallen into a reverie born of recollections of thePatricia of
his youth, long laid in her grave, but he roused himself atthe words of his guest.

  "What's that?" he cried. "Annoying Patricia!" He walked to the head ofthe steps and raised his cane threateningly.

  "Hark ye, sirrah! The servants of Verney Manor, white or black, felon orindented, need all their eyesight for their work. They have none towaste in idle gazing at their betters. Begone to your mates!"

  The man who, at Sir Charles's intervention, had started as from a dream,colored deeply and compressed his lips, then glanced from one to theother of the group above him. There was pain, humiliation, almostsupplication in the look which he directed to the girl who had broughtthis rating upon him. He glanced at his master with a countenancestudiously devoid of expression, at Mistress Lettice with indifference,at Sir Charles Carew with chill defiance. Then, with a grave inclinationof his head, he turned, and a moment later had disappeared behind thehedge.