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10 - Studies in the Art of Rat-Catching by Henry C. Barkley · Studies in the Art of Rat-Catching

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nine of Studies in the Art of Rat Catching
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  Speaker 1: by H. C. Barkley. This LibriVox recording is in the
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  Speaker 1: public domain recording by Clive Catterel. Studies in the Art
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  Speaker 1: of Rat Catching by H. C. Barkley, Chapter nine. Sunday
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  Speaker 1: was to us all a real day of rest, and
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  Speaker 1: we enjoyed every minute of it, and for once listened
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  Speaker 1: to a very long sermon without the fidgets. The rectory
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  Speaker 1: boys came up for a chat in the afternoon, so
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  Speaker 1: we let the dogs out and went down to the
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  Speaker 1: beach and strolled quietly about, neither dogs nor humans indulging
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  Speaker 1: in anything like play. All were too stiff and sore
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  Speaker 1: to think of it. We were all out again early
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  Speaker 1: on Monday morning, but without nets and taking only sticks,
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  Speaker 1: and we spent a short day with a long lunch,
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  Speaker 1: looking up outlying rabbits in the hedges of the farm
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  Speaker 1: at the foot of the day. And here the two lurchers,
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  Speaker 1: who during the day at the nets had taken it
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  Speaker 1: easy and refused to face the gorse had the chief
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  Speaker 1: of the work. For directly a rabbit was started by
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  Speaker 1: the other dogs. It made straight off across the open
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  Speaker 1: for the gorse of the Deans and the Lurches were
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  Speaker 1: the only dogs fast enough to catch them, and we
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  Speaker 1: finally had to give up work because the dogs of
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  Speaker 1: all sorts were too tired to move, and also because
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  Speaker 1: the weather that had been fine and calm all the
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  Speaker 1: previous week began to break. Before we reached shelter, there
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  Speaker 1: was half a gale, sending big green waves thundering on
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  Speaker 1: to the beach and carrying the salt spray far in land.
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  Speaker 1: That night, after Jack was in bed and to sleep,
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  Speaker 1: I put on my hat and went out. Called by
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  Speaker 1: the noise of the waters, I joined a group of
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  Speaker 1: weather beaten, hard featured men dressed in thick blue jerseys
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  Speaker 1: and southwester hats, who stood with their hands tucked deep
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  Speaker 1: into their trouser pockets, watching the sea from behind the
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  Speaker 1: shelter of a boat stranded high up on the beach.
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  Speaker 1: I got a civil word of greeting as I came up,
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  Speaker 1: and then we all watched in silence, for by this
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  Speaker 1: time the half gale had become a storm, and it
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  Speaker 1: was only by shouting we could have made each other.
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  Speaker 1: Here it was a wild, weird scene, or inspiring, but
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  Speaker 1: intensely attractive at least I found it so, But then
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  Speaker 1: such scenes did not often come before me, and I
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  Speaker 1: dare say my companions, who were well used to being
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  Speaker 1: out on such a night, only felt thankful they were
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  Speaker 1: safe on shore, and thought with anxiety of those their
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  Speaker 1: friends and neighbors who were out battling with the storm.
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  Speaker 1: The moon, when I reached the beach, was nearly at
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  Speaker 1: the full and high up in the heavens, but it
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  Speaker 1: shed a fitful light as each few seconds dark clouds
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  Speaker 1: and veils of mist flew across its face. One moment
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  Speaker 1: the sea lay before us a dark black mass, only
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  Speaker 1: marked along the beach by a broad strip of breaking
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  Speaker 1: foam crested waves, and the next it was a dancing, tossing,
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  Speaker 1: roaring sheet of ever changing liquid silver or far away
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  Speaker 1: we could see the spray like pearls rising high in
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  Speaker 1: the air before the storm, and at our feet the
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  Speaker 1: waves curled up like huge, furious monsters, dashing at the
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  Speaker 1: sands and shingle as if bent on destruction, and then
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  Speaker 1: with a swirl, sliding back a mass of foam to
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  Speaker 1: meet and join the next wave, and with its help
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  Speaker 1: again come on the attack. Over and over again. I
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  Speaker 1: fancied I could hear the shrieks and groans of people
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  Speaker 1: in distress, and I turned for confirmation of my fancies
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  Speaker 1: to the faces of my companions, but all remained unmoved,
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  Speaker 1: but bore the quiet, determined look that to show me
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  Speaker 1: that had any unfortunate beings called for help from the
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  Speaker 1: midst of those wild waters, at the risk of those
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  Speaker 1: men's lives, it would unhesitatingly have been given. Once for
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  Speaker 1: a moment, when a thin mist swept before the moon
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  Speaker 1: and made the light on the waters appear more like
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  Speaker 1: day than night, I clearly saw on the horizon the
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  Speaker 1: upper part of a ship's masts, with some sails bent
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  Speaker 1: to their yards, and all healed over, as if the
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  Speaker 1: ship were then about to found her. And I gave
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  Speaker 1: a loud exclamation, but an old sailor put his hand
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  Speaker 1: on my shoulder and called in my ear, all right, master,
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  Speaker 1: all right. We have watched her for a quarter of
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  Speaker 1: an hour, trying to make the point of the sands yonder,
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  Speaker 1: and she has now passed them and has an open sea.
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  Speaker 1: She is as safe as you are now, thank God.
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  Speaker 1: But it was a near shave. We thought she and
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  Speaker 1: all in her were gone. Often since then, in my
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  Speaker 1: dreams I have seen that wind tossed sea, and heard
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  Speaker 1: the roar of the waters and the screams of the storm,
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  Speaker 1: and seen those masts and sails healing over, and have
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  Speaker 1: woke with a start and dread fear in my heart.
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  Speaker 1: I had been tired when I came in from work,
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  Speaker 1: and I had a snug, warm bed waiting for me.
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  Speaker 1: And moreover, I reasoned that watching a storm in the
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  Speaker 1: dead of night was no part of a ratcatcher's duty.
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  Speaker 1: But I was so fascinated I could not tear myself away,
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  Speaker 1: and I stood with my companions behind the boat till
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  Speaker 1: long after midnight. Then two other figures dressed like my
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  Speaker 1: companions joined us, and it was only when they spoke
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  Speaker 1: that I recognized one as the parson of the parish,
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  Speaker 1: and the other as the young curate who had helped
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  Speaker 1: us with the rabbits. Both asked a few questions of
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  Speaker 1: the sailors, who seemed eager to give them information, and
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  Speaker 1: then the rector, turning to me, said, you will be
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  Speaker 1: perished by the cold if you stand here longer. Come
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  Speaker 1: with me, and I will show you a picture of
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  Speaker 1: a different sort, but yet one that I think will
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  Speaker 1: interest you. I readily accepted, and followed my friend, who,
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  Speaker 1: though far from a young man, bore the buffeting of
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  Speaker 1: the storm manfully, and he led me up through the
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  Speaker 1: village street, and then, turning down a short steep lane,
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  Speaker 1: brought me to a little cove that was partly sheltered
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  Speaker 1: by a spit of rock that jutted out into the sea. There,
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  Speaker 1: such as it was, was the harbor of the village,
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  Speaker 1: and by the fitful light I could see some dozen
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  Speaker 1: fishing boats drawn up high on the beach above the
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  Speaker 1: force of the waves, and beyond a cluster of low
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  Speaker 1: one storied cottages and sheds with small boats, spars, timbers, windlasses,
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  Speaker 1: et cetera, all denoting the home of fishermen. From this cove.
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  Speaker 1: Early that morning, two boats had sailed with their nets
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  Speaker 1: for the fishing grounds out beyond the sands, and it
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  Speaker 1: was for these my friends behind the boat were patiently watching.
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  Speaker 1: And it was to say a few words to cheer
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  Speaker 1: and comfort the wives and families of these men, that
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  Speaker 1: the old rector had now come from a latticed window
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  Speaker 1: just in front of us. A bright lamp shed its
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  Speaker 1: rays over the cove, and the rector took me straight
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  Speaker 1: to the door of this house and having knocked and
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  Speaker 1: been told to come in, he lifted the latch and
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  Speaker 1: ushered me inside. The room was like hundreds of others
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  Speaker 1: along that coast, the homes of the toilers of the deep,
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  Speaker 1: and bore evident signs of being made by men more
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  Speaker 1: used to ships than stone or brick buildings. It was
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  Speaker 1: a good, large room, very low, with heavy rafters overhead, which,
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  Speaker 1: with the planks of which the walls were constructed, had
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  Speaker 1: doubtless been taken from boats and ships that had served
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  Speaker 1: their time on the sea. The open fireplace at the end,
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  Speaker 1: with its wide chimney, was the only part of the
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  Speaker 1: building not made from old ships timbers and planks, and
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  Speaker 1: there was a strong smell of tar from these and
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  Speaker 1: from sundry coils of dark rope that were stowed away
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  Speaker 1: in the far corner. The long table down the middle
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  Speaker 1: of the room was of mahogany and had seen better
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  Speaker 1: days in a captain's cabin. The benches round the walls
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  Speaker 1: had served as seats on some big ship's deck, and
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  Speaker 1: there were swinging lamps and racks hung overhead from the rafters,
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  Speaker 1: with rudders, boat hook, snatch block and belaying pins and
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  Speaker 1: various things I did not know the use of, but
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  Speaker 1: all were neatly arranged. There was a large arm chair
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  Speaker 1: made out of a barrel, set ready by the side
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  Speaker 1: of the hearth, on which were spread clean flannel clothes
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  Speaker 1: to warm and air in readiness for the home coming
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  Speaker 1: of the wet and tired husband. In front of the fire,
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  Speaker 1: attending to it and to three or four pots and
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  Speaker 1: kettles that simmered on the hearth, stood a woman about
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  Speaker 1: thirty years of age, just an ordinary fisherman's wife, strong
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  Speaker 1: and well shaped, without beauty of feature, but bright and
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  Speaker 1: intelligent looking, And when a smile lit up her face,
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  Speaker 1: it shed such a kindly ray that one felt that
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  Speaker 1: the husband in the little fishing boat on the storm
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  Speaker 1: tossed deep, might have his eyes fixed on the lantern
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  Speaker 1: burning in the window, but it would be the light
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  Speaker 1: of the wife's smile that kept his hands steady on
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  Speaker 1: the helm and guided the boat, and made him long
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  Speaker 1: to round the point and come to anchor. On the
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  Speaker 1: other side of the hearth was another arm chair, also
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  Speaker 1: made out of a barrel, but much smaller, and in
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  Speaker 1: this packed tightly and slutly round with cushions, half sat,
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  Speaker 1: half reclined, A boy about ten years of age, but
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  Speaker 1: alas a pair of crutches leaning in the corner beside him,
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  Speaker 1: at once told a sad tale. I know the points
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  Speaker 1: and beauties of all sorts of dogs, and always admire them.
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  Speaker 1: But I am not much of a hand at the
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  Speaker 1: good points and beauties of men and women, And as
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  Speaker 1: for boys, it is rare I see anything but mischief
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  Speaker 1: written in their faces. But somehow I could not take
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  Speaker 1: my eyes off the boy in the chair, I suppose
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  Speaker 1: because it was so different to any other young face
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  Speaker 1: I had ever seen, and so deferent to what one
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  Speaker 1: might expect to find amidst the surroundings of a fisherman's cottage.
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  Speaker 1: It was a dark, delicate, oval face like a girl's,
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  Speaker 1: with finely cut features and a complexion as fair as
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  Speaker 1: the petals of an apple blossom. But it was his
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  Speaker 1: great brown eyes and long eyelashes black as night that
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  Speaker 1: held the attention, together with a look of deep patient
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  Speaker 1: suffering mingled with gentleness and love, that lit all up
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  Speaker 1: and filled even the heart of a rough old rat
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  Speaker 1: catcher like me with a feeling of deep pity and
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  Speaker 1: an intense desire to protect and befriend a small creature
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  Speaker 1: who looked too fragile, too beautiful, and too good for
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  Speaker 1: this old, workaday world of ours, and as if he
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  Speaker 1: were only tarrying for a short while before going to
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  Speaker 1: his eternal home, where his features will be beautified by
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  Speaker 1: perfect love and will lose the look of suffering and pain.
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  Speaker 1: The rector, taking off his sothwester as he entered, turned
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  Speaker 1: to the woman with a cheery voice and said, well, Mary,
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  Speaker 1: how are you? And the boy how are you? My man,
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  Speaker 1: I happened to be passing, just as if it were
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  Speaker 1: quite a common thing for a parson to be out
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  Speaker 1: on the loose at one a m on a winter's night,
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  Speaker 1: And I thought I would just call in to say
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  Speaker 1: that the men at the boats tell me that the
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  Speaker 1: bark of this gale is far worse than its bite,
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  Speaker 1: and that it is a fair, honest, rattling gale that
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  Speaker 1: such good sailors as your husband care nothing for, and
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  Speaker 1: that we may expect the boats in with the daylight,
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  Speaker 1: so you may keep the pots boiling. But why isn't
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  Speaker 1: that youngster snug in bed and to sleep? Oh, he
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  Speaker 1: can't sleep when the wind howls and Jack is away. Why,
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  Speaker 1: my boy, Jack will laugh at you when he comes
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  Speaker 1: home and say he don't want such big, tired looking
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  Speaker 1: eyes watching for him. Well, it will be morning soon,
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  Speaker 1: and please God, Jack will be here and will have
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  Speaker 1: popped you into bed himself before most of the world
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  Speaker 1: are up and about. At this, Mary smiled, and the
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  Speaker 1: little boy, with a low laugh, said, Jack knows Mary
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  Speaker 1: and I are waiting for him. Jack says he can
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  Speaker 1: often see us and all we are doing when he
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  Speaker 1: is out at sea in a raging storm. The night
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  Speaker 1: is ever so dark, and he'd feel bad Jack would
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  Speaker 1: if I was not up to see him eat his supper.
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  Speaker 1: And besides, Mary could not sit here alone and listen
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  Speaker 1: to the wind and see. And I am never tired
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  Speaker 1: and sleepy when waiting for Jack. Besides, Jack says he
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  Speaker 1: must tell some one all he has done and seen
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  Speaker 1: while he gets his supper. And Mary is too busy
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  Speaker 1: after the nets and things. So I sit here and
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  Speaker 1: Jack tells me of such wonderful things. It is just
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  Speaker 1: lovely to hear him. The rector would not sit down,
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  Speaker 1: and soon hurried me off to another cottage, much such
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  Speaker 1: another as the first. But instead of Mary and the boy,
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  Speaker 1: we found a great, tall, gaunt old woman sitting up
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  Speaker 1: before the fire, waiting for her two grandsons, who were
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  Speaker 1: away in the same boat with Jack. But to the
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  Speaker 1: rector's cheery, hopeful words, the woman answered with a bitter, sharp,
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  Speaker 1: complaining tongue. I don't want no stop at home, idle
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  Speaker 1: chaps to tell me what a storm is. Changer who
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  Speaker 1: says there's danger, danger with a little puff of wind
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  Speaker 1: like this? Not but what Both of those boys will
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  Speaker 1: be washed ashore one day, as their grandfather and father were.
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  Speaker 1: It's in the blood. And trying for a lone woman
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  Speaker 1: track the boys. I told them not to go off
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  Speaker 1: with Jack. I could see plain for days that it
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  Speaker 1: was coming on to blow. But oh no, they know
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  Speaker 1: better than me, who have lived to lose their father
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  Speaker 1: in such a storm as this, and to see his
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  Speaker 1: boat with my own eyes go to pieces on the
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  Speaker 1: point as she came in, and not a man saved,
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  Speaker 1: and me left with them boys to keep. God only
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  Speaker 1: knows how I did it. And now they are that
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  Speaker 1: masterful they won't pay no attention to me. And then
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  Speaker 1: as the hurricane of wind dashed at the door and
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  Speaker 1: windows and sent the smoke from the wood fire far
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  Speaker 1: out into the room, the poor old things started and
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  Speaker 1: turned to the night outside with a look of terror.
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  Speaker 1: And as the storm rushed on and then there was
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  Speaker 1: a lull, she threw her apron over her head and
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  Speaker 1: sobbed for fear and deep anxiety for her grandsons. The
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  Speaker 1: rector comforted her with gentle words and praise of her
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  Speaker 1: pluck and nerves, and as he and I returned to
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  Speaker 1: the beach, he told me that the old woman had
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  Speaker 1: once been the prettiest girl for many miles round, that
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  Speaker 1: when her boys were far too young to help her,
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  Speaker 1: the father had been drowned by the upsetting of his
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  Speaker 1: boat on the point, And from that day she had
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  Speaker 1: worked and toiled, mending nets and selling fish in fair
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  Speaker 1: weather and fowl, often weary and half starved, but succeeding
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  Speaker 1: in the end to keep her old cottage over her head,
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  Speaker 1: and to bring her boys up respectably and turn them
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  Speaker 1: out to be two of the smartest fishermen along the coast.
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  Speaker 1: As we left the cottage, the first tender light of
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  Speaker 1: the morning was paling the eastern sky far out to sea,
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  Speaker 1: and hastening on to the point. We could just make
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  Speaker 1: out a distant sail appearing now and then out of
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  Speaker 1: the departing darkness of the night, and before half an
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  Speaker 1: hour was over, the rector declared it to be Jack's boat,
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  Speaker 1: coming in fast before the wind. All the village was
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  Speaker 1: astir in a minute, old men and young women and
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  Speaker 1: children hurrying to the cove and making ready for the
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  Speaker 1: home coming. And in a few minutes the boat, with
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  Speaker 1: Jack holding the helm and the old woman's boys sitting
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  Speaker 1: crouched low, dashed past the point, turned sharp into the cove,
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  Speaker 1: and down in a moment fell the sail, and the
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  Speaker 1: anchor chain rattled out of the boughs. There was no
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  Speaker 1: cheering or noisy welcome or rejoicing, for such scenes were
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  Speaker 1: the daily incidents in the life of the village, but
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  Speaker 1: every one lent a helping hand, and in a few
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  Speaker 1: minutes Jack and his men were on shore. The old
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  Speaker 1: grandmother was there, but took no notice of her grandsons,
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  Speaker 1: who marched off to the cottage laden with oars et cetera,
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  Speaker 1: where the old woman had just preceded them to put
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  Speaker 1: out the breakfast. The Rector and I turned to go home,
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  Speaker 1: and as I passed the cottage where Jack lived, I
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  Speaker 1: glanced in and saw him standing on the hearth, tall,
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  Speaker 1: massive weather beaten and rugged, with a lame boy high
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  Speaker 1: up in his arms, looking hard in his face, and
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  Speaker 1: both man and child had such a happy, contented smile
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  Speaker 1: on their faces that it did me good to see,
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  Speaker 1: and I think may have rejoiced even the angels above.
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  Speaker 1: When parting from me at the inn door, the rector
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  Speaker 1: said that if I liked to step up to the
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  Speaker 1: rectory that evening after my supper, he would find me
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  Speaker 1: a pipe of tobacco and tell me all that was
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  Speaker 1: known of the history of the little boy who had
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  Speaker 1: awakened such an interest. For he added, it is a
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  Speaker 1: very curious story. End of chapter nine.