University of Virginia Library

26. CHAPTER XXVI.
MORE VIOLENCE.

Clayton rose the next morning, and found his friends
much better than he had expected after the agitation and
abuse of the night before. They seemed composed and
cheerful.

“I am surprised,” he said, “to see that your wife is able
to be up this morning.”

“They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength,”
said father Dickson. “How often I have found it so! We
have seen times when I and my wife have both been so ill
that we scarcely thought we had strength to help ourselves;
and a child has been taken ill, or some other emergency has
occurred that called for immediate exertion, and we have
been to the Lord and found strength. Our way has been
hedged up many a time — the sea before us and the Egyptians
behind us; but the sea has always opened when we
have stretched our hands to the Lord. I have never sought
the Lord in vain. He has allowed great troubles to come
upon us; but he always delivers us.”

Clayton recalled the sneering, faithless, brilliant Frank
Russel, and compared him, in his own mind, with the simple,
honest man before him.

“No,” he said, to himself, “human nature is not a humbug,
after all. There are some real men — some who will
not acquiesce in what is successful, if it be wrong.”

Clayton was in need of such living examples; for, in regard
to religion, he was in that position which is occupied
by too many young men of high moral sentiment in this

country. What he had seen of the worldly policy and timeserving
spirit of most of the organized bodies professing to
represent the Christian faith and life, had deepened the
shadow of doubt and distrust which persons of strong individuality
and discriminating minds are apt to feel in certain
stages of their spiritual development. Great afflictions —
those which tear up the roots of the soul — are often succeeded,
in the course of the man's history, by a period of
scepticism. The fact is, such afflictions are disenchanting
powers; they give to the soul an earnestness and a power
of discrimination which no illusion can withstand. They
teach us what we need, what we must have to rest upon;
and, in consequence, thousands of little formalities, and
empty shows, and dry religious conventionalities, are scattered
by it like chaff. The soul rejects them, in her indignant
anguish; and, finding so much that is insincere, and
untrue, and unreliable, she has sometimes hours of doubting
all things.

Clayton saw again in the minister what he had seen in
Nina — a soul swayed by an attachment to an invisible person,
whose power over it was the power of a personal attachment,
and who swayed it, not by dogmas or commands,
merely, but by the force of a sympathetic emotion. Beholding,
as in a glass, the divine image of his heavenly
friend, insensibly to himself the minister was changing into
the same image. The good and the beautiful to him was
an embodied person, — even Jesus his Lord.

“What may be your future course?” said Clayton, with
anxiety. “Will you discontinue your labors in this state?”

“I may do so, if I find positively that there is no gaining
a hearing,” said father Dickson. “I think we owe it to our
state not to give up the point without a trial. There are
those who are willing to hear me — willing to make a beginning
with me. It is true they are poor and unfashionable;
but still it is my duty not to desert them till I have
tried, at least, whether the laws can't protect me in the exercise
of my duty. The hearts of all men are in the hands

of the Lord. He turneth them as the rivers of water are
turned. This evil is a great and a trying one. It is gradually
lowering the standard of morals in our churches, till
men know not what spirit they are of. I held it my duty
not to yield to the violence of the tyrant, and bind myself
to a promise to leave, till I had considered what the will of
my Master would be.”

“I should be sorry,” said Clayton, “to think that North
Carolina could n't protect you. I am sure, when the particulars
of this are known, there will be a general reprobation
from all parts of the country. You might remove to
some other part of the state, not cursed by the residence of
a man like Tom Gordon. I will confer with my uncle, your
friend Dr. Cushing, and see if some more eligible situation
cannot be found, where you can prosecute your labors. He
is at this very time visiting his wife's father, in E., and I
will ride over and talk with him to-day. Meanwhile,” said
Clayton, as he rose to depart, “allow me to leave with you
a little contribution to help the cause of religious freedom
in which you are engaged.”

And Clayton, as he shook hands with his friend and his
wife, left an amount of money with them such as had not
crossed their palms for many a day. Bidding them adieu,
a ride of a few hours carried him to E., where he communicated
to Dr. Cushing the incidents of the night before.

“Why, it 's perfectly shocking — abominable!” said Dr.
Cushing. “Why, what are we coming to? My dear
young friend, this shows the necessity of prayer. `When
the enemy cometh in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord
must lift up a standard against him.'”

“My dear uncle,” said Clayton, rather impatiently, “it
seems to me the Lord has lifted up a standard in the person
of this very man, and people are too cowardly to rally
around it.”

“Well, my dear nephew, it strikes me you are rather excited,”
said Dr. Cushing, good-naturedly.

“Excited?” said Clayton. “I ought to be excited! You

ought to be excited, too! Here 's a good man beginning
what you think a necessary reform, and who does it in a
way perfectly peaceable and lawful, who is cloven down under
the hoof of a mob, and all you can think of doing is to
pray to the Lord to raise up a standard! What would you
think, if a man's house were on fire, and he should sit praying
the Lord that in his mysterious providence he would put
it out?”

“O, the cases are not parallel,” said Dr. Cushing.

“I think they are,” said Clayton. “Our house is the
state, and our house is on fire by mob law; and, instead of
praying the Lord to put it out, you ought to go to work
and put it out yourself. If all you ministers would make a
stand against this, uncle, and do all you can to influence
those to whom you are preaching, it would n't be done
again.”

“I am sure I should be glad to do something. Poor
father Dickson! such a good man as he is! But, then, I
think, Clayton, he was rather imprudent. It don't do, this
unadvised way of proceeding. We ought to watch against
rashness, I think. We are too apt to be precipitate, and
not await the leadings of Providence. Poor Dickson! I
tried to caution him, the last time I wrote to him. To be
sure, it 's no excuse for them; but, then, I 'll write to
brother Barker on the subject, and we 'll see if we can't
get an article in the Christian Witness. I don't think it
would be best to allude to these particular circumstances,
or to mention any names; but there might be a general article
on the importance of maintaining the right of free
speech, and of course people can apply it for themselves.”

“You remind me,” said Clayton, “of a man who proposed
commencing an attack on a shark by throwing a
sponge at him. But, now, really, uncle, I am concerned for
the safety of this good man. Is n't there any church near
you to which he can be called? I heard him at the camp-meeting,
and I think he is an excellent preacher.”

“There are a good many churches,” said Dr. Cushing,

“which would be glad of him, if it were not for the course
he pursues on that subject; and I really can't feel that he
does right to throw away his influence so. He might be
the means of converting souls, if he would only be quiet
about this.”

“Be quiet about fashionable sins,” said Clayton, “in order
to get a chance to convert souls! What sort of converts
are those who are not willing to hear the truth on
every subject? I should doubt conversions that can only
be accomplished by silence on great practical immoralities.”

“But,” said Dr. Cushing, “Christ and the apostles did n't
preach on the abuses of slavery, and they alluded to it as
an existing institution.”

“Nor did they preach on the gladiatorial shows,” said
Clayton; “and Paul draws many illustrations from them.
Will you take the principle that everything is to be let
alone now about which the apostles did n't preach directly?”

“I don't want to enter into that discussion now,” said
Dr. Cushing. “I believe I 'll ride over and see brother
Dickson. After all, he is a dear, good man, and I love
him. I 'd like to do something for him, if I were not afraid
it might be misunderstood.”

Toward evening, however, Clayton, becoming uneasy at
the lonely situation of his clerical friend, resolved to ride
over and pass the night with him, for the sake of protecting
him; and, arming himself with a brace of pistols, he proceeded
on his ride. As the day had been warm, he put off
his purpose rather late, and darkness overtook him before
he had quite accomplished his journey.

Riding deliberately through the woodland path in the
vicinity of the swamp, he was startled by hearing the tramp
of horses' hoofs behind him. Three men, mounted on horseback,
were coming up, the headmost of whom, riding up
quickly behind, struck him so heavy a blow with a gutta
percha cane, as to fell him to the earth. In an instant,
however, he was on his feet again, and had seized the bridle
of his horse.

“Who are you?” said he; for, by the dim light that
remained of the twilight, he could perceive that they all
wore masks.

“We are men,” said one of them, whose voice Clayton
did not recognize, “that know how to deal with fellows who
insult gentlemen, and then refuse to give them honorable
satisfaction.”

“And,” said the second speaker, “we know how to deal
with renegade abolitionists, who are covertly undermining
our institutions.”

“And,” said Clayton, coolly, “you understand how to be
cowards; for none but cowards would come three to one,
and strike a man from behind! Shame on you! Well,
gentlemen, act your pleasure. Your first blow has disabled
my right arm. If you wish my watch and my purse, you
may help yourselves, as cut-throats generally do!”

The stinging contempt which was expressed in these last
words seemed to enrage the third man, who had not spoken.
With a brutal oath, he raised his cane again, and struck at
him.

“Strike a wounded man, who cannot help himself — do!”
said Clayton. “Show yourself the coward you are! You
are brave in attacking defenceless women and children, and
ministers of the Gospel!”

This time the blow felled Clayton to the earth, and Tom
Gordon, precipitating himself from his saddle, proved his
eligibility for Congress by beating his defenceless acquaintance
on the head, after the fashion of the chivalry of South
Carolina. But, at this moment, a violent blow from an unseen
hand struck his right arm, and it fell, broken, at his side.
Mad with pain, he poured forth volumes of oaths, such as
our readers have never heard, and the paper refuses to receive.
And a deep voice said from the woods,

“Woe to the bloody and deceitful man!”

“Look for the fellow! where is he?” said Tom Gordon.

The crack of a rifle, and a bullet which passed right over

his head, answered from the swamp, and the voice, which
he knew was Harry's, called from within the thicket,

“Tom Gordon, beware! Remember Hark!” At the
same time another rifle-shot came over their heads.

“Come, come,” said the other two, “there 's a gang of
them. We had better be off. You can't do anything with
that broken arm, there.” And, helping Tom into the saddle,
the three rode away precipitately.

As soon as they were gone, Harry and Dred emerged
from the thicket. The latter was reported among his people
to have some medical and surgical skill He raised Clayton
up, and examined him carefully.

“He is not dead,” he said.

“What shall we do for him?” said Harry. “Shall we
take him along to the minister's cabin?”

“No, no,” said Dred; “that would only bring the Philistines
upon him!”

“It 's full three miles to E.,” said Harry. “It would n't
do to risk going there.”

“No, indeed,” said Dred. “We must take him to our
stronghold of Engedi, even as Samson bore the gates of
Gaza. Our women shall attend him, and when he is recovered
we will set him on his journey.”