Chapter 6. An Escape, And A Suggestion

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_ CHAPTER SIX. AN ESCAPE, AND A SUGGESTION

I don't know whether I was any more cowardly than most boys of my age; but I certainly felt a curiously nervous sensation that morning, and I was not alone in it; for Esau had a strange scared look, and his fair hair did not curl nearly so tightly as usual.

"Eh?" he said, "feel frightened?" in answer to a question. "No, I don't think I do; but I wish they'd leave the door open so that a fellow could run."

But there were no doors open for us to escape, and at last, after a weary time of waiting, the big policeman who had us in his charge bent down to us in the place where we were waiting, and said--

"Your case comes on next. There, hold up, my lads. Speak out, both of you, like men, and tell the whole truth. It's Sir Thomas Browning to-day."

I listened to him, but I felt as if I was growing hopelessly confused, and that I should never be able to say a word in my defence, while when I looked at Esau, I found that he was looking at me with his forehead full of wrinkles.

"It's all very well for him to say 'hold up.' He haven't got to be tried," he whispered. "I'm 'fraid it's all up with us, Gordon. Wish we could be together when they sends us off."

"Now then!" said the policeman, clapping me on the shoulder; "it's us. Don't you be scared. Sir Thomas is a good 'un."

The next minute Esau and I were standing somewhere with our constable close by, and somewhere before us, in places that looked like pews, sat a number of gentlemen, some of whom wore wigs. Some were writing, and, seen as it were through a mist, a number of people looking on. Next, in a confused way, I saw a red-faced, white-headed gentleman, who took off his spectacles to have a good look at us, and put them on again to read a paper before him.

It was all dim and strange, and there was quite a singing in my ears, as I looked vacantly about while some talking went on, ending by a voice saying--

"Kiss the book."

Then the white-headed old gentleman said--

"Well, Mr Dempster, what have you to say?"

At the name Dempster, I started and looked sharply about me, to see that my employer was a little way off, very carefully dressed, and with a glossy hat in his hand.

"That can't be _the_ hat," I remember thinking, as I stared at him wildly.

The mist had cleared away now, and I stood listening to him as he went on speaking, in a very quiet subdued way, about the troubles he had had with the two defendants--boys whom he had taken into his service out of kindness.

"Yes, yes, yes, Mr Dempster," said the old gentleman testily; "but this isn't a sale of house property. There's a very long charge-sheet. You have given these two lads into custody on a charge of assault. Now, shortly, please, how did it happen?"

"The fact is, your worship," said Mr Dempster, "I have had much trouble with both of them. The boy Dean is idle in the extreme, while Gordon is a lad of vile and passionate temper."

"Well, sir--well, sir?"

"I had occasion to speak to them yesterday about idling in my absence, the consequence being that a great many mistakes were made."

"Allus careful as I could be," said Esau, in an ill-used tone.

"Silence, sir! How dare you?" cried the old gentleman. "You shall be heard presently. Now, Mr Dempster, please go on."

"I was angry, Sir Thomas, and I scolded them both severely, when to my utter surprise--stop, I will be perfectly accurate--things had come to such a pass that I had threatened them with dismissal--when in a fit of passion Dean struck my new hat from a chair on which it was laid, jumped upon it, and crushed it."

"Oh, what a whopper!" cried Esau, excitedly. "Will you be silent, sir?" cried the old gentleman, tapping the desk in front of him with his knuckles.

"Here is the hat, Sir Thomas," said Mr Dempster, and stooping down he held up his crushed and beaten head-covering in corroboration of his words, when a perfect roar of laughter ran round the court, and I saw the old gentleman lift his glasses and smile.

"Well, Mr Dempster, well?" he said.

"Then, Sir Thomas, then, to my utter astonishment, evidently by collusion, Gordon seized my Malacca cane, and the boy Dean shouted to him to come on now, and they made a combined attack upon me, breaking off the handle of my cane, inflicting the injuries you see, and but for my energetic defence I believe they would have robbed me and gone off. Fortunately I was able to call for the police, and give them into custody."

"Well, of all--" began Esau; but the old alderman turned upon him sharply.

"I shall commit you, sir, for contempt of court," he cried.

"But he is telling such--"

"Silence, sir!"

"Quiet, you young donkey," whispered the policeman. "Hsh!"

"Hm! Mr Dempster, Mr Dempster," said the old gentleman, "this is a police court, not an auctioneer's rostrum."

"I beg your pardon, Sir Thomas," said Mr Dempster, with dignity.

"You are sworn, sir, and I wished to remind you that this is not a rostrum. You auctioneers are licenced gentlemen, and you do exaggerate a little sometimes. Are you not doing so now?"

"Look at my face, Sir Thomas. My arm is terribly strained."

"Um--yes, but it does not sound reasonable to me, as an old man of the world who has had much to do with boys."

"I have stated my case, Sir Thomas," said Mr Dempster in an ill-used tone.

"Are you sure that you did not use the cane first yourself?"

"I--I will not swear I did not, Sir Thomas. I was very angry."

"Hah! yes," said the old gentleman, nodding his head. "Now, boy, speak the truth. This is a very serious business; what have you to say?"

"Got hold of me, sir, and was going to hit me, and we wrestled, and the hat was knocked over, and the stick, and he trod on his 'at, sir, and I sings out to Mayne Gordon--this is him, sir--to take the stick away, but he got it, sir, and I calls out to Gordon not to let him thrash me."

"Gently, gently," cried the old gentleman, holding up his hands, for Esau's words came pouring out in a breathless way, and every one was laughing.

"No, sir, not a bit gently; 'ard, sir, awful! and I can show the marks, and Gordon--that's him, sir--says he'd no business to 'it his mate, and he 'it him, and then Gordon got hold of the cane and held on, and Mr Dempster, he got it away again, and cut him across the ear, sir, and it bled pints, and 'it him again, and then I went at him and held him, and Gordon got the cane away and 'it 'im, sir, and then we ran away, and the police took us and locked us up, and that's all."

"And enough too," said Sir Thomas good-humouredly. "There, hold your tongue.--Now, you, sir, what have you to say?--the same as your companion?"

"I'm very sorry, sir," I said huskily; and then a feeling of indignation seemed to give me strength, and I continued, "What Esau Dean says is all true. Mr Dempster has behaved cruelly to us, and I could not stand still and see him beat Esau. I only tried to hold the stick so that he should not strike him, and then he hit me here, and here, and then I think I got hold of it, and--I don't remember any more, sir. I'm very sorry now."

"I ain't," said Esau defiantly.

"Do you want me to send you to prison, sir?" cried the old gentleman.

"No, sir."

"Then hold your tongue. Any witnesses, constable?"

"No, Sir Thomas."

"Humph! Well, really, Mr Dempster, from what I know of human nature, it seems to me that these lads have both spoken the truth."

"Incorrigible young scoundrels, Sir Thomas."

"No, no, no! Excuse me, I think not. A boy is only a very young man, and there is a great responsibility in properly managing them. The marks upon these lads show that they have had a very cruel attack made upon them by somebody. You confessed that you struck one of them. Well, I am not surprised, sir, that one took the other's part. I say this, not as a magistrate, but as a man. You have to my mind, sir, certainly been in the wrong--so have they, for they had their remedy if they were ill-used by applying to a magistrate. So understand this, boys--I do not consider you have done right, though I must own that you had great provocation."

"Then am I to understand, sir," began Mr Dempster, in a very different tone of voice to that which he had before used, "that you are not going to punish these young scoundrels?"

"Have the goodness to recollect where you are, sir," said the old alderman sternly. "Yes, sir, I dismiss the case."

"Then a more contemptible mockery of justice," roared Mr Dempster, "I never saw."

"Exactly," said the old alderman, quietly; "your words, Mr Dempster, quite endorse my opinion. You are a man of ungovernable temper, and not fit to have charge of boys."

"Then--"

"That will do, sir.--The next case."

"I should like to shake hands with that old chap," whispered Esau; and then aloud, as he tossed his cap in the air, "Hooray!"

There was a roar of laughter in the court, and the old alderman turned very fiercely upon Esau, and shook his head at him, but I half fancy I saw him smile, as he turned to a gentleman at his side.

Then in the midst of a good deal of bustle in the court, and the calling of people's names, the policeman hurried us both away, and soon after stood shaking hands with us both.

"You've both come off splendid, my lads," he said, "and I'm glad of it. Old Sir Thomas saw through Master Dempster at once. I know him; he's a bad 'un--regular bully. One of his men--Dingle, isn't his name?--has often told me about him."

"Ah, you don't know half," said Esau.

"Quite enough, anyhow," said the constable, clapping Esau on the shoulder; "and you take my advice, don't you go back to him."

"No," said Esau; "he wouldn't have us if we wanted."

"What are you going to do, then?"

"Join the Royal Artillery," said Esau, importantly.

"Join the Royal Nonsense, boy!" said the big, bluff constable. "Better be a p.c. than that. Plenty of gents in the city want clerks."

"Then," said Esau, "they shan't have me."

But he did not say it loud enough for the constable to hear, the words being meant for me, and after once more shaking hands with us the man said, "Good-bye," and we were out in the busy streets once more--as it seemed to me, the only two lads in London with nothing to do.

I was walking along by Esau's side, low-spirited in spite of our acquittal, for everything seemed so novel and strange, when Esau, who had been whistling, looked round at me.

"Now then," he said, "will you come with me?"

"Where?"

"Woolwich. 'Tillery."

"No. And you are not going."

"Oh, ain't I?"

"No," I said. "You are going home. Your mother must be very anxious about us."

"I'd forgotten all about her," cried Esau. "I say, look: here's old Demp."

If I had obeyed my first inclination I should have turned down the first street to avoid our late employer; but I kept on boldly, as he came towards us, and I expected that he would go by, but he stopped short, and looked from one to the other.

"Oh, here you are," he said; "look out, my lads, I have not done yet. If you think I am going to be beaten like this, you are--"

"Come on, Esau," I whispered, and we did not hear the end of his threat.

"There!" cried Esau. "Now what do you say? He'll be giving us into custody again. 'Tillery's our only chance. He daren't touch us there. But I say, he isn't going back to the office. Let's run and get what's in our desks. There's my old flute."

"I thought you did not want to be given into custody again?" I cried. "Why, if we go and try to touch anything there, and he catches us, he is sure to call in the police."

"Never thought o' that," said Esau, rubbing one ear. "I say, don't be a coward. Come on down to Woolwich."

"You go on directly to your mother and tell her all about it."

"I say, don't order a fellow about like that. You ain't master."

"You do as I tell you," I said, firmly.

"Oh, very well," he replied, in an ill-used tone. "If you say I am to, I suppose I must. Won't you come too?"

"No; I'm going up to see Mr John Dempster to tell him all about it, and ask him to give me his advice."

"Ah, it's all very fine," grumbled Esau; "it's always Mr John Dempster now. You used to make me a friend and ask my advice: now I'm nobody at all. You always was such a gentleman, and too fine for me."

"Don't talk like that, Esau," I said; "you hurt me."

He turned and caught hold of my hand directly. "I didn't mean it," he said, huskily. "On'y don't chuck me over. I won't go for a soldier if you don't want, but let's stick together."

"I should like to, Esau," I said, "for I've no friends but you and Mr John."

"Oh, I don't know 'bout friends," he said. "I don't want to be friends, 'cause I'm not like you, but let's keep together. I'll do anything you want, and I'll always stick up for you, same as you did for me."

"I should be an ungrateful brute if I did part from you, Esau, for I shall never forget how kind you and your mother have always--"

"Don't! don't! don't!" he cried, putting his fingers in his ears. "Now you're beginning to preach at me, and you know I hate that. I say, let's call at the auction-rooms and say good-bye to old Dingle. Dempster won't be there."

I hesitated, and then hurried down the next street with Esau, for I thought I should like to say a friendly word to the porter, who had always been pleasant and kind, little thinking how it would influence my future career.

He was just inside the long sale-room, and he came out to us directly to shake hands gleefully.

"All right, lads," he cried. "I know all about it. I was there, and heard every word. Serve him precious well right! Ah, you're lucky ones. Wish I was out of his service. What are you both going to do?"

"I don't know," I said sadly. "Esau here wants to be a soldier."

"Yes, he always was mad that way. Don't you listen to him."

"Better be a soldier than old Demp's clerk."

"Don't you be too sure, my lad," said Dingle. "There are such things as drill-sergeants in the army, and they tell me they're a kind of Double Dempsters. It's awkward for you, Master Gordon. You see, you'll have to send to the guv'nor for a reference when you try for another place, and he won't give you one, see if he does."

"No," I said sadly, "there is no chance there. What would you do?"

"Well," he said, taking off his carpet cap, and stroking his thin grey hair, "it's easy to advise anybody, but it ain't easy to advise right."

"Never mind," I said, "try."

"Well, sir, speaking as a poor man, if I was like you, out of a 'gagement, and no character 'cept for being able to thrash your own master--"

"Oh, Dingle!" I cried.

"Well, sir, it's true enough," he said; and he bent down to indulge in a long silent fit of laughter.

"Don't do that," I said uneasily, "it's nothing to laugh at."

"Well, 'tis, and it 'tisn't, sir," said Dingle, wiping his eyes on the corner of his apron.

"What would you do if you were out of an engagement?"

"Me? I should do what my brother did--hemigrate."

"Your brother did, Ding? To a nice place?" cried Esau.

"Yes, my lad, and he's getting on fine."

"Then why didn't you go too, and get on fine?"

"'Cause I've got a houseful o' children, and nearly all gals. That's why, Clevershakes."

"But what does your brother do?" I said eagerly. "Is he an auctioneer's porter?"

"Love and bless your heart, Mr Gordon, sir, no," he cried. "I don't believe there's such a thing over there. He went out in the woods, and got a bit o' land give him, and built hisself a log-house, and made a garden, and got cows, and shoots in the woods."

"Here, hold hard, Ding," cried Esau, excitedly; "that'll do. Goes shooting in the woods?"

"Yes, and gets a deer sometimes, and one winter he killed a bear and two wolves, my lad."

"That's the place," cried Esau. "Hooroar! Come on, Master Gordon, let's go there."

Dingle laughed.

"Hark at him, sir. What a one he is! Why, you don't know even where it is."

"I don't care where it is," cried Esau. "You say you can go there, and get some land, and live in the woods, and make your own house, and shoot bears and wolves--that's just the thing I should like to do."

"Why, you said you wanted to jyne the Ryle Artilleree."

"Yes, but I didn't know of this place then. Where is it? How do you go? You'll come too, won't you?"

"I don't know," I said, slowly, for my imagination was also fired by the idea of living in such a land of liberty as that. In fact, as I spoke, bright pictures of green forests and foaming rivers and boats began to form in my mind. "Yes," I cried, "I think I should like to go."

"Hooroar! Where is it, Ding?"

"Oh, my brother's in Bri'ish Columbia, but it's a long, long way."

"Oh, we don't mind that," cried Esau. "How do you get there?"

"Him and his wife and their boy went eight or nine year ago. Sailed in a ship from the docks, and it took 'em five months."

"Oh!" said Esau, in a disappointed tone. "Five months! Why, I didn't think there was anywhere so far off as that."

"Ah! but there is, and in one letter he told me that a man he knew was once a year going, but he went in a waggon instead of a ship."

"Get out! He's gammoning us," cried Esau. "You can't drive a waggon over the sea."

"Who said you could, Clevershakes?" said Dingle--then turning to me, "He went over to Canady by ship, and then all acrost the prayerees in a waggon--lots o' waggons all together, because o' the Injins."

"Fire-injins?" said Esau, eagerly. "No. Dunno though," said Dingle, grinning; "they did fire at 'em a deal."

"Red Injins!" cried Esau. "Oh, I say, I think I'd rather go that way, because there'd be some fighting."

"What, ain't you had fightin' enough, boy? Want to get at it again? What yer thinking about, Mr Gordon?"

I started, for my thoughts were far away. "I was thinking about your brother," I said, hastily.

"Ah! but such a life wouldn't do for you, my lad. There's no clean hands out there--leastwise I dessay they're clean sometimes. What I mean is, it's always hard, rough work, and no setting on a stuffed seat and writing on bloo paper. Why, what do you think my brother had for chairs in his house?"

"Boxes," I said.

"No, boxes made tables. Stumps of wood--logs cut off a fir tree--no castors on them, my lad."

"British Columbia?" I said, thoughtfully, as I tried to remember where that country was on the map, and I am afraid getting a very hazy notion as to its position.

"Yes, my lad, Bri'ish Columbia; and if you go out there and mention my name, my brother will be glad enough to see you, I know. There--I must get to work 'fore the guv'nor catches me, or p'r'aps there'll be another fight, and me wanting a fresh place too." So we shook hands, promising to go and see him again, and directly after Esau and I parted, he going south for home, I going north, and feeling a curious sensation of shrinking as I neared Mr John Dempster's home. _

Read next: Chapter 7. My Friends' Plans

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