Facing Death; Or, The Hero of the Vaughan Pit: A Tale of the Coal Mines Read online

  CHAPTER II.

  BULL-DOG.

  A curious group as they sit staring into the fire. Juno and Juno'sdaughter Bess, brindles both, with their underhanging lower jaws, andtheir black noses and wrinkled faces, and Jack Simpson, now six yearsold, sitting between them, as grave and as immovable as his supporters.One dog is on either side of him and his arms are thrown round theirbroad backs. Mrs. Haden is laying the table for her husband's return;she glances occasionally at the quiet group in front of the fire, andmutters to herself: "I never did see such a child in all my born days."

  Presently a sudden and simultaneous pricking of the closely-cropped earsof Juno and Bess proclaim that among the many footsteps outside theyhave detected the tread of their master.

  Jack accepts the intimation and struggles up to his feet just as BillHaden lifts the latch and enters.

  "It's a fine day, Bill," his wife said.

  "Be it?" the collier replied in return. "I took no note o't. However itdoant rain, and that's all I cares for. And how's the dogs? Did you giveJuno that physic ball I got for her?"

  "It's no manner of use, Bill, leaving they messes wi' me. I ha' touldyou so scores o' times. She woant take it from me. She sets her jawsthat fast that horses could na pull 'em apart, and all the while I'mtrying she keeps oop a growl like t' organ at the church. She's a' rightwi'out the physic, and well nigh pinned Mrs. Brice when she came into-day to borrow a flatiron. She was that frighted she skirled out andwell nigh fainted off. I had to send Jack round to the "Chequers" fortwo o' gin before she came round."

  "Mrs. Brice is a fool and you're another," Bill said. "Now, ooman, justtake off my boots for oim main tired. What be you staring at, Jack? Wereyou nearly pinning Mother Brice too?"

  "I doant pin folk, I doant," Jack said sturdily. "I kicks 'em, I do, butI caught hold o' Juno's tail, and held on. And look 'ee here, dad, I'vebeen a thinking, doant 'ee lift I oop by my ears no more, not yet. Theyare boath main sore. I doant believe neither Juno nor Bess would standbein lifted oop by their ears, not if they were sore. I be game enough,I be, but till my ears be well you must try some other part. I expectthe cheek would hurt just as bad, so you can try that."

  "I do wish, Bill, you would not try these tricks on the boy. He's gameenough, and if you'd ha' seen him fighting to-day with Mrs. Jackson'sBill, nigh twice as big as himself, you'd ha' said so too; but it ain'tChristian-like to try children the same way as pups, and really his earsare sore, awful sore. I chanced t' notice 'em when I washed his faceafore he went to school, and they be main bad, I tell 'ee."

  "Coom here," the miner said to Jack. "Aye, they be sore surely; whydidn't 'ee speak afore, Jack? I doant want to hurt 'ee, lad."

  "I wa'n't going to speak," Jack said. "Mother found it out, and saidshe'd tell 'ee o't; but the last two nights I were well nigh yelpingwhen 'ee took me up."

  "You're a good plucked 'un, Jack," Bill Haden said, "and I owt not t' hadone it, but I didn't think it hurt 'ee, leastways not more nor a boyowt to be hurt, to try if 'ee be game!"

  "And what's you and t' dogs been doing to-day, Jack?" the miner asked,as he began at his dinner.

  "We went for a walk, dad, after school, out in the lanes; we saw a bigblack cat, and t' dogs chased her into a tree, then we got 't a pond,and d'ye know, dad, Bess went in and swam about, she did!"

  "She did?" the miner said sharply. "Coom here, Bess;" and leaving hismeal, he began anxiously to examine the bull-dog's eyes and listenedattentively to her breathing. "That were a rum start for a bull too,Jack. She doant seem to ha' taken no harm, but maybe it ain't showeditself. Mother, you give her some hot grub t' night. Doant you let hergo in t' water again, Jack. What on airth made her tak it into her headto go into t' water noo, I wonder?"

  "I can't help it if she wants to," Jack said; "she doant mind I, notwhen she doant want to mind. I welted her t'other day when she wanted togo a't parson's coo, but she got hold o' t' stick and pulled it out o'my hand."

  "And quite raight too," Bill Haden said; "don't 'ee try to welt theydogs, or I'll welt thee!"

  "I doant care," the child said sturdily; "if I goes out in charge o'they dogs, theys got to mind me, and how can I make 'em mind me if Idoant welt 'em? What would 'ee say to I if Bess got had up afore thecourt for pinning t' parson's coo?"

  As no ready reply occurred to Bill Haden to this question he returned tohis meal. Juno and Bess watched him gravely till he had finished, andthen, having each received a lump of meat put carefully aside for them,returned to the fire. Jack, curling himself up beside them, lay with hishead on Juno's body and slept till Mrs. Haden, having cleared the tableand washed up the things, sent him out to play, her husband having atthe conclusion of his meal lighted his pipe and strolled over to the"Chequers."

  Bill Haden had, according to his lights, been a good father to the childof his old mate Simpson. He treated him just as if he had been his own.He spent twopence a day less in beer than before, and gave his wifefourteen pence in addition to her weekly money for household expenses,for milk for the kid, just as he allowed twopence a day each for bonesfor Juno and Bess. He also when requested by his wife handed over whatsum was required for clothing and shoes, not without grumbling, however,and comparisons as to the wants of dorgs and boys, eminentlyunfavourable to the latter. The weekly twopence for schooling Mrs. Hadenhad, during the year that Jack had been at school, paid out of herhousekeeping money, knowing that the expenses of the dogs afforded noprecedent whatever for such a charge.

  Bill Haden was, however, liberal to the boy in many ways, and when in agood temper would often bestow such halfpence as he might have in hispocket upon him, and now and then taking him with him into town,returned with such clothes and shoes that "mother" held up her hands atthe extravagance.

  Among his young companions Jack was liked but feared. When he had moneyhe would purchase bull's-eyes, and collecting all his acquaintances,distribute them among them; but he was somewhat sedate and old-fashionedin his ways, from his close friendships with such thoughtful andmeditative animals as Juno and Bess, and when his wrath was excited hewas terrible. Never uttering a cry, however much hurt, he would fightwith an obstinacy and determination which generally ended by giving himthe victory, for if he once got hold of an antagonist's hair--pinningcoming to him naturally--no amount of blows or ill-treatment couldforce him to leave go until his agonized opponent confessed himselfvanquished.

  It was not often, however, that Jack came in contact with the childrenof his own age. His duties as guardian of the "dorgs" absorbed thegreater part of his time, and as one or both of these animals generallyaccompanied him when he went beyond the door, few cared about havinganything to say to him when so attended; for the guardianship was by nomeans entirely on his side, and however excellent their qualities andpure their breed, neither Juno nor Bess were animals with whom strangerswould have ventured upon familiarity.

  Jack's reports to his "dad" of Bess's inclination to attack t' parson'scoo was not without effect, although Bill Haden had made no remark atthe time. That night, however, he observed to his wife: "I've been athinking it over, Jane, and I be come to the opinion that it's better t'boy should not go out any more wi' t' dorgs. Let 'em bide at home, I'lltake 'em oot when they need it. If Bess takes it into her head to pin acoo there might be trouble, an I doan't want trouble. Her last litter o'pups brought me a ten pun note, and if they had her oop at 'a court andswore her life away as a savage brute, which she ain't no way, it wouldpretty nigh break my heart."

  The execution of this, as of many other good intentions, however, waspostponed until an event happened which led to Jack's being definitelyrelieved of the care of his canine friends.

  Two years had passed, when one morning Jack was calmly strolling alongthe road accompanied by Juno and Bess. A gig came rapidly alongcontaining two young bagmen, as commercial travellers were still calledin Stokebridge. The driver, seeing a child with two dogs, conceived thatthis was a favourable opportunity for a display of that sense of playfulhumour whose poin
t lies in the infliction of pain on others, without anydanger of personal consequences to the inflictor.

  With a sharp sweep he brought down his whip across Jack's back, managingto include Bess in the stroke.

  Jack set up a shout of mingled pain and indignation, and stooping for astone, hurled it after the man who had struck him. Bess's response tothe assault upon her was silent, but as prompt and far more effectual.With two springs she was beside the horse, and leaping up caught it bythe nostrils and dragged it to the ground.

  Juno at once joined in the fray, and made desperate attempts to climbinto the gig and seize its inmates, who had nearly been thrown out asthe horse fell.

  Recovering himself, the driver, pale with terror, clubbed his whip, andstruck at Juno with the butt-end.

  "Don't 'ee hit her," Jack cried as he arrived on the spot; "if thou dostshe'll tear 'ee limb from limb."

  "Call the brute off, you little rascal," cried the other, "it's killingthe horse."

  "Thou'd best keep a civil tongue in thy head," the child said coolly,"or it will be bad for 'ee. What did 'ee hit I and Bess for? It wouldserve 'ee roight if she had pinned 'ee instead o' t' horse."

  "Call them off," the fellow shouted as Juno's teeth met in closeproximity to his leg.

  "It be all very well to say call 'em orf," Jack said, "but they doan'tmoind I much. Have 'ee got a strap?"

  The man hastily threw down a strap, and this Jack passed through Juno'scollar, she being too absorbed in her efforts to climb into the gig toheed what the child was doing; then he buckled it to the wheel.

  "Noo," he said, "ye can light down t' other side. She caan't reach 'eethere."

  The young men leapt down, and ran to the head of the horse; the poorbrute was making frantic efforts to rise, but the bull-dog held him downwith her whole might.

  Jack shouted and pulled, but in vain; Bess paid no attention to hisvoice.

  "Can you bite his tail?" one of the frightened men said; "I've heardthat is good."

  "Boite her tail!" Jack said in contempt; "doan't yer see she's afull-bred un; ye moight boite her tail off, and she would care nowtabout 't. I've got summat here that may do."

  He drew out a twisted paper from his pocket.

  "This is snuff," he said; "if owt will make her loose, this will. Nowone o' yer take holt by her collar on each side, and hoult tight, yerknow, or she'll pin ye when she leaves go o' the horse. Then when shesneezes you pull her orf, and hoult fast."

  The fear of the men that the horse would be killed overpowered theirdread of the dog, and each took a firm grip upon its collar. Then Jackplaced a large pinch of snuff to its nostrils. A minute later it tookeffect, the iron jaws unclosed with a snap, and in an instant Bess wassnatched away from the horse, which, delivered from its terrible foe,sank back groaning on the road. Bess made the most furious attempts tofree herself from her captors, but in vain, and Juno straineddesperately at the strap to come to the assistance of her offspring.

  "Ha' ye got another strap?" Jack asked.

  "There's a chain in the box under the seat."

  Jack with some difficulty and an amount of deliberation for which themen could gladly have slain him, climbed up into the gig, and presentlycame back with the chain.

  "Noo tak' her round to t' other side o' gig," he said; "we'll fasten herjust as Juno is."

  When Bess was securely chained to the wheel the men ran to raise thehorse, who lay with its head in a pool of blood.

  "There's a pond in yon field," Jack said, "if 'ee wants water."

  After Bess was secured Jack had slipped round to Juno, and kept his handupon the buckle in readiness to loose her should any attempt be madeupon his personal safety. The men, however, were for the moment tooscared to think of him. It was some time before the horse was got on toits legs, with a wet cloth wrapped round its bleeding wound. FortunatelyBess's grip had included the bit-strap as well as the nostrils, and thishad somewhat lessened the serious nature of the hurt.

  Jack had by this time pacified the dogs, and when the men looked round,after getting the horse on to its legs, they were alarmed to see himstanding by quietly holding the dogs by a strap passing through theircollar.

  "Doan't 'ee try to get into that ere cart," he said; "you've got to gowi' me back to Stokebridge to t' lock-oop for hitting I and Bess. Now doyou walk quietly back and lead t' horse, and oi'll walk beside 'ee, andif thou mov'st, or tries to get away, oi'll slip t' dogs, you see if Idoan't."

  "You little villain," began one of the men furiously, but a deep growlfrom Bess in reply to the angry tone at once silenced him; and burningwith rage they turned the horse's head back towards the village andwalked on, accompanied by Jack and his dogs on guard.

  The arrival of this procession created much excitement, and a crowd ofwomen and children soon gathered. Jack, however, serenely indifferentto questions and shouts, proceeded coolly on his way until he arrived atthe residence of the local constable, who, hearing the din, appeared athis door.

  "Maister Johnson," the child says, "I give them chaps in charge forsaulting I and Bess."

  "And we give this little ruffian in charge," shouted the men, securethat, in face of the constable and crowd, Jack could not loose histerrible bull-dogs, "for setting his dogs at us, to the risk of ourlives and the injury of our horse, which is so much hurt that we believeit will have to be killed."

  Just at this moment Bill Haden--who had returned from work at the momentthat a boy running in reported that there was a row, that a horse wascovered wi' blood, and two chaps all bluidy over t' hands and clothes,were agoing along wi' Jack and t' dorgs oop street to lock-oop--arrivedupon the spot.

  "What's oop, lad?" he asked as he came up.

  "They chaps hit I and Bess, dad, and Bess pinned t' horse, and Junowould ha' pinned 'em boath hadn't I strapped she oop, and then we gotBess orf, and I brought 'em back to t' lock-oop."

  "How dar 'ee hit my lad?" Bill Haden said angrily, stepping forwardthreateningly.

  "Look oot, dad, or t' dogs will be at 'em again," Jack shouted.

  Bill seized the strap from the child's hand, and with a stern wordsilenced the dogs.

  "Well," the constable said, "I can't do nowt but bring both partiesafore Mr. Brook i' the morning. I suppose I needn't lock 'ee all oop.Bill, will you bind yourself to produce Jack Simpson t'morrow?"

  "Ay," said Bill, "oi'll produce him, and he'll produce hisself, I'mthinking; seems to me as Jack be able to take 's own part."

  This sally was received with laughter and applause, for local feelingwas very strong in Stokebridge, and a storm of jeers and rough chaffwere poured upon the bagmen for having been brought in prisoners by achild.

  "Thee'd best get away to th' inn," the constable said, "else they'll bea stoaning thee next. There be only two on us here, and if they takes to't we sha'n't be able to do much."

  So the men, leading their horse, went off to the Inn, groaned and hootedat by the crowd on the way. On their arrival a messenger was at oncesent off for a veterinary surgeon who resided some four miles away.

  On the following morning the parties to the quarrel, the two bagmen andthe injured horse on the one hand, and Jack Simpson with the twobull-dogs under charge of Bill Haden on the other, appeared before Mr.Brook, owner of the Vaughan pit and a county magistrate.

  Jack first gave his account of the transaction, clearly and with muchdecision.

  "I war a walking along quiet wi' t' dogs," he said, "when I hears a carta coming from Stokebridge. I looks round and seed they two chaps, butdidn't mind no further about it till as they came oop that sandy-hairedchap as was a driving lets me and Bess ha' one which made me joomp, Ican tell 'ee. Bess she pinned the horse, and Juno she tried to get intot' cart at 'em. They were joost frighted, they hollers, and yawps, andlooks as white as may be. I fastens Juno oop wi' a strap and they houldsBess while I poot some snoof t' her nose."

  "Put what?" Mr. Brook asked.

  "Joost a pinch of snoof, sir. I heard feyther say as snoof would makedogs loose
, and so I bought a haporth and carried it in my pocket, forth' dogs don't moind oi when they are put oot. And then they gets horseoop and I makes 'em come back to t' lock-oop, but maister Johnson," hesaid, looking reproachfully at the constable, "wouldn't lock 'em oop asI wanted him."

  There was some laughter among the audience, and even the magistratesmiled. The young men then gave their story. They denied point blankthat either of them had struck Jack, and described him as having set hisdog purposely on the horse. Jack had loudly contradicted them, shouting,'That's a lee;' but had been ordered to silence. Then drawing back heslipped off his jacket and shirt, and when the evidence was closed hemarched forward up to the magistrate bare to the waist.

  "Look at moi back," he said; "that 'ull speak for itself."

  It did; there was a red weal across the shoulder, and an angry hiss ranthrough the court at the prisoners, which was with difficultysuppressed.

  "After what I have seen," Mr. Brook said, "there is no doubt whatever inmy mind that the version given by this child is the correct one, andthat you committed a cowardly and unprovoked assault upon him. For thisyou," he said to the man who had driven the horse, "are fined L5 or amonth's imprisonment. It is a good thing that cowardly fellows like youshould be punished occasionally, and had it not been that your horse hadbeen severely injured I should have committed you to prison withoutoption of a fine. Against you," he said to the other, "there is noevidence of assault. The charge against the child is dismissed, but itis for the father to consider whether he will prosecute you for perjury.At the same time I think that dogs of this powerful and ferocious kindought not to be allowed to go out under the charge of a child likethis."

  The man paid the fine; but so great was the indignation of the crowdthat the constable had to escort them to the railway-station; in spiteof this they were so pelted and hustled on the way that they weremiserable figures indeed when they arrived there.

  And so Jack was released from all charge of the "dorgs," and benefitedby the change. New friendships for children of his own age took theplace of that for the dogs, and he soon took part in their games, and,from the energy and violence with which, when once excited, he threwhimself into them, became quite a popular leader. Mrs. Haden rejoicedover the change; for he was now far more lively and more like otherchildren than he had been, although still generally silent except whenaddressed by her and drawn into talk. He was as fond as ever of thedogs, but that fondness was now a part only instead of the dominatingpassion of his existence. And so months after months went on and noevent of importance occurred to alter the current of Jack Simpson'slife.