SCENE IV.
Another part of the wood. At a distance, on the
background, are discovered two men watching a
dead body by the light of a torch stuck between the
boughs of a tree: the stage otherwisc perfectly dark.
Enter Gobus on the front of the stage.
Gobus.
I fear they will all escape from us amongst
these 'tangled paths and vile perplexing thickets.
A man cannot get on half a dozen paces here but
some cursed clawing thing catches hold of him, and
when he turns round to collar his enemy, with a
good hearty curse in his mouth, it is nothing but a
thorn-bush or a briar after all. A plague upon't!
I'll run no more after them if they should never be
taken. — Who's there?
Enter a Companion.
Com
What, are you here, Gobus? I thought
you had been in search of the robbers.
Gobus
So I was; but what does it signify? they
have all got the start of us now, and we can scarcely
expect they will have the civility to wait till we
come up with them.
Com.
Ay, ay, Gobus, that is a lazy man's argument.
Why, there was one of them seen by Bertram
not five minutes since, with his head uncovered,
stalking strangely amongst the trees like
a madman, and he vows he will follow the scent
through every path of the wood but he will have
him, either alive or dead.
Gobus.
But if he be a young stout robber, he may
knock Bertram on the head in the mean time, and
relieve him from the obligation of keeping his vow.
Com.
Never fear that: his bugle-horn is by his
side, and as soon as he comes up with him he will
give his companions notice, and they will run to his
assistance.
Gobus.
Well, well, let them manage it the best
way they can, and let us join our friends yonder,
who keep watch by the body; there is good store
of dried sticks in that corner, we may make a fire,
and warm ourselves till they return.
[
Horn heard without.
Com.
Ha! there is the signal, and close at hand
too. He has caught his man and wants assistance;
let us run to him, or the villain will escape.
[
Exeunt companion and
Gobus,
who follows
rather unwillingly, whilst the men who were
watching the body run eagerly to the front of
the stage.
1st man.
It sounded to the right hand of us; let
us strike into this path.
[
Horn sounds again.
2d man.
Ay, there it sounds again; it is to this
hand of us, but it is so dark, there is no finding our
way.
1st man.
We have been so long by the torch-light
that the darkness is darker to us: run back
and fetch the light with thee.
[
Several other attendants from different parts of
the wood run across the stage, calling to one
another with great eagerness, whilst the 2
d man,
running back again to the bottom of the stage,
snatches the torch from the tree, and comes
forward with it.
Enter
Bertram, Gobus,
and others, with
Rayner
as their prisoner.
Gobus
(speaking as they enter).
Here is light!
here is light, friends! bring him near it, I pray
you, that we may see what kind of a fish we have
caught in our net. Ay, just as I said now, as
hanged a looking villain as ever scowled through
the grates of a dungeon. See what a wild murderous
look he has with his eyes! this is the very
man that did the deed, I warrant ye. Let us pull
the cords faster round his arms though: if he get
one of his mischievous hands loose again, there is
no knowing which of our brains he may knock out
first.
1st man.
It will never be thine, I am sure, thou'rt
always safe when the knocking out of brains is
going on.
Gobus.
As I'm a sinner he'll get one of his hands
loose if we do not take care of him.
(
Attempting to
tighten the cords round
Rayner'
s arms.)
Ber.
(putting him away with indignation).
For shame, man, he is bound tight enough; I will not
suffer thee to lay a finger upon him; and as for
the hanged face thou talkst of, alack a-day! it
goes to my heart to see him, such a goodly-looking
gentleman, for such I'll be sworn he is.
Gobus.
Ay, no doubt! it is ever thus with thee.
Thou didst never in thy life see a thief go to the
gallows without crying out, “alack a-day! what a
fine looking fellow it is!” Ay, and if he could but
make shift to howl out half a verse of a psalm
along with his father confessor, thou wert sure to
notch him down upon thy holiday tables as one of
the new made saints. Ay, there be no such great
saints now-a-days as those who pass, with the help
of a Dominican, through the hangman's hands to
the other world; he beats your pope and your
cardinals all to nothing in smuggling a sinner
cleverly in by the back door to heaven.
Ber.
So much the better for thee; it is the only
chance thou hast of ever getting there.—Stand off,
I say (pushing
Gobus
away)
, and do not stare thus
upon the prisoner! art thou not ashamed to stare
in an unhappy man's face after this fashion? we
don't know what hard fate may have brought him
into these circumstances. (To the attendants.) Move
on: we are losing time here.
Gobus.
What, will you not pinion him more closely?
Ber.
No, beast! I would rather flay the skin off
that fool's back of thine than gall a hair's breadth
of his body. (
In a softened voice to
Rayner.)
Speak,
sir, if the rope hurts your arms; we will not use
you cruelly.
Ray.
What didst thou say to me? was there kindness in thy voice?
Ber.
Yes, sir, there was kindness in it. Do the
ropes hurt your arms? if they do we will loosen
them a little.
Ray.
I wist not that my arms were bound: but
if thou hast any kindness in thee, give me a drink
of water when thou canst get it, for my mouth is
very parched.
Ber.
Yes, sir, that you shall not want, though I
should pay gold for it.—Move on, comrades: the
night is far advanced, and we must guard the
prisoner and the dead body of our master back to
the city before the morning break.
[
Exeunt.
