A Dinner Of Herbs (43 page)

God, whoever did

this wants stringing up, and I would do it meselfifl could find them.”

“He’s not, is he? He’s not?”

“I’m afraid so, lass. I’m afraid so. Tis four days, remember, and strung up like this is more than human

flesh could stand.”

Tentatively now she opened the top button of Hal’s coat and put her hand onto his shirt, but she could

feel no movement. And she closed her eyes and bent over him, her whole being crying,

“Oh! Hal. Hal.

Oh!

my dear. Why? Why? “ Then straightening up, she said to the man, “ Kate was right.

She . she said

the Bannamans. She kept saying “Bannaman”

She must have known it would be one of them. “

“But they live miles away now, lass.”

“Well, Hal said he had seen them over here two or three times.”

“He had?”

“Yes. Aye.”

“Well, if that’s the case, they’ll be in for it this time and won’t get off by havin’ a stroke.”

As he unloosened the last of the ropes, the man said, “We’d better not try to unbend him, not till the

doctor gets here. Think ‘tis better he sees him like this, he’ll know what to do. And the authorities an’

all. Nobody would believe it, they’d have to see it.”

“Oh! Hal. Hal.” Her tears were dropping on to his face now. And the man put his hand on her

shoulder and said, “Don’t take on, lass. Don’t take on. Rest assured somebody’ll pay for this, ‘cos I’ve

seen some things in me life but never anything so cruel. A slow death.”

“If... if we rubbed his legs or hands?”

“Can’t see it’s much use, lass. You’ve got to admit he looks a gonner.”

“But ... but couldn’t we try? Just ... just rub them gently.”

“Well, if it would give you any satisfaction, lass, all right, all right, we’ll do that.”

She started on a hand. Taking the stiff fingers in hers, she massaged them one by one, while the man,

taking up the other hand, did the same. But so rough were his hands she could hear the chafing of the

skin as if a grater were being passed over the bloodless flesh.

“Knead his arms next, from the shoulder.”

“I can’t get at his shoulder at this side, lass, and I don’t think we’d better disturb him. But you do it

from where you are and I’ll work on his legs. I’m more used to working on the legs.” He gave a small

smile now.

“We often get the cramp you know, in the pit. Sittin’ in one position too long, you get all knotted up.

I’ll be all right on the legs.” And his hands began to move expertly up and down Hal’s legs.

And so they went on for almost an hour, but there was no response from the twisted

limbs.

When they heard the commotion in the yard the man rose to his feet and ran towards the end of the

platform, then beckoned four men up the ladder. And when the leading constable looked

down on the

twisted form and the ropes lying to its side he remained silent, until the miner said, “You should have seen

him trussed up there’—he pointed to the beam ‘as tight as a vice. As I said, whoever tied these knots

meant them never to be undone.”

“Is he gone?”

“Aye, I should say so. We’ve been rubbin’ him but there’s been no effect.”

One of the constables said quietly, “What’s to be done with him?”

And it was Mary Ellen who put in quickly, “Wait for the doctor, please, wait for the

doctor. He’ll know

what to do. He... he might still be alive.”

“Well, we can easily find that out.” The constable now knelt down on the hay. Then

gently opening the

jacket further and the shirt and the vest, he put his head on to the cold flesh, and it seemed an

interminable time before he raised it and, his eyes blinking quickly, he said, “I think I can hear his heart

still goin’. Could be, faint like.”

“You sure?” The miner’s voice was eager.

“Well, I’m not too sure but I’ll try again.” Once more he laid his head on Hal’s chest, then he muttered,

“Ease him over just a little bit.”

Ready hands now turned the stiff huddled limbs gently to the side and the constable laid his head once

more close to the flesh. Presently, sitting back quickly, he nodded and said, “Aye, I feel sure. I do, aye,

I do, I feel sure. Now now, lass’—he put his hand out ‘steady on. Look, you have the

hairn to see to,

so don’t you go and pass out on us. Here, sit over here.” He pulled her to the side.

“Lean your back against the wall, put your head down.”

She put her head down, all the while crying inside herself, “Come back, Hal. Come back, Hal. Oh,

God, let him come back.” She felt on the verge of a faint and heard one of the men say,

“Here, take hold

of the hairn. That’ll pull you round. Come on now, take her.” She took the child and her arms

instinctively went round it and she began to rock her gently, all the while staring at the dead white face

with the wide open mouth on the straw some feet away.

The further commotion in the yard brought her fully to her senses, and when she saw the doctor coming

over the top of the ladder she turned on her knees and, with the help of one of the men got to her feet.

And she watched as the doctor, just as the constable had done, stood staring down at Hal in absolute

amazement for a moment before dropping to his knees.

His actions, too, were much the same as the constables’ had been, but his voice wasn’t as enthusiastic

as he said, “Yes, he could be, but it’s a slim chance. We’ll have to have a door. We must get him

somewhere where I can apply hot water and oil.”

“Bring him home to... to Kate’s.”

He turned and looked at her.

“Too far,” he said; ‘his farm is nearer. “

“Please, please. I... I can see to him there, and... and she has the salve and things.”

“There’s a cart in the yard,” said one of the men.

“There are enough of us to pull him on that.”

Minutes later she watched them gently lifting Hal on to the cart in which the men had laid their outer

coats to soften the contact with the wood. There were now at least twenty people in the yard, for such

news spread quickly, and they formed a procession as they left the farm: two men at each shaft, two men

pushing at the back, the doctor riding to one side on his horse, and Mary Ellen, the child once more

tucked in the shawl between her breasts, walking at the other, the rest trailing behind.

There was no

chatter, it was like a funeral procession.

At the cottage the doctor spoke to the constables, and as if they were still attending a funeral quietly and

without any fuss they asked the followers to disperse. And most of them, nodding, moved away.

Once inside and the child in the basket, Mary Ellen sprang to life.

She pulled her mattress from the corner of the room, laid it by the fire, and the men

gently laid Hal on it.

Then thrusting a pail into the hands of a constable, she said, “Fetch some water.” Then she went to the

shelf and took down a large jar of goose fat.

The doctor now had his coat off and was kneeling by the mattress.

Looking up at her, he said, “Get me a knife.” And when she had fetched it, he

systematically split the

arm of the coat and then the trousers.

These he gently eased off the twisted limbs; then did the same with the shirt, and then the long clothes.

And when the body was lying bare he covered the middle with a sheet and said to Mary

Ellen, “Keep the

cloths coming.”

And she did this. Just as Hal had done for her, she thrust her hands into almost boiling water and wrung

out pieces of sheeting and handed them to the doctor who applied them to Hal’s arms and legs, while the

four constables stood around in awe-filled silence, at times shaking their heads at what they imagined to

be the futility of it all.

Following the application of the hot cloths, the doctor now scooped handfuls of the goose grease and

began to massage the stiff and seemingly frozen shoulders. And when at last he brought one arm gently

forward, Mary Ellen imagined that there was a slight twitching in the muscles of the dead white face. But

she said nothing, and the doctor continued massaging the other shoulder. Meanwhile she had been

working on Hal’s knees as the doctor had instructed her. It was exhausting work for both of them but

eventually they had Hal stretched out on his back with a hot brick wrapped up in flannel at his feet and

similar ones at each side of him.

When at last the doctor rose to his feet he asked, “Have you any spirits in the house?”

And for a

moment Mary Ellen thought it was for himself and she answered, “A wee drop of brandy.

It was a

present to Kate at Christmas.”

“Fetch it, and a spoon.”

A moment later she watched him pouring the brandy drop by drop into Hal’s open mouth.

And it was

when the second spoonful had gone down his throat that there came a twitching of his

face muscles. And

Mary Ellen, who was again kneeling by his side, put her hand over her lips and looked up at the doctor,

and he gave a small smile and a quick nod of his head before he poured out another

spoonful, saying as

he did so now, “That’s it. Come along, come along.” And as if answering a call, Hal’s

jawbones moved

in an effort to close his mouth. And the men round about, as if suddenly becoming alive themselves,

began to talk to each other.

“Eeh, my God! Did you see that?”

“Never thought it possible.”

“Talk about comin’ back from the dead.”

“I’ll believe anything now.”

“Eeh! by doctor, you’ve done a job there. An’ you an’ all, lass. By!

my, you have. Well, if any of us owes anybody else their lives, he does. Another day and he would have

been a gonner sure. What d’you say, doctor? “

“Indeed, indeed, yes.”

“Twas his dog.” Mary Ellen pointed to where the dog was lying by the baby’s basket, and they looked

at it and then at her, and no one spoke for a moment until the doctor said, “His dog found him?”

“Yes.” She nodded at him.

“I kept him tied up but he got out. And then he came back and ... well’she moved her

head in

wonderment ‘he practically spoke to me. Then I met Mr. Boston and Mr. York, and they

came along of

me.”

The doctor now rolled down his sleeves, saying, “Miracles do happen, not very often, but they do.

Now’—he looked down on Mary Ellen’ it may be some time before he comes round.

Have some hot

broth ready.

Don’t let him talk. Keep him quiet. I’ve got to go now but I’ll be back later in the

evening. I don’t

know at what time, but I’ll be back. “

When he went to pick his coat from the chair, the men made way for him. But he did not go

immediately towards the door; instead he went up to the bed in the far corner of the room and stood

looking down on Kate for a moment.

She was lying with her eyes open. She made no attempt to speak, nor did he, but he put his hand gently

on her brow for a moment before turning away.

Mary Ellen went with him to the door and outside he stood looking up into the sky taking in deep

breaths of air;

and she stood for a moment, too, looking upwards. The stars were coming out, the sky

was high.

When he brought his gaze down to her he said quietly, “You’re forming a knack of

saving men’s lives,

Mary Ellen.”

“Twas the dog,” she said again.

“Well, we’ll give credit to the dog, but you certainly have a hand in these things. Now the next move is

to find out who attempted this act of slow murder.”

“You won’t have to look far, doctor. It was one of the Bannamans.”

“That’ll have to be proved.”

“The scarf round his mouth has two initials on it: there’s B.B. woven in with silk thread, and they call the

son Benjamin.”

“Well, it’s in the hands of the authorities now. Whoever did it, it was an act of evil revenge.” He smiled

wanly at her now, saying, “I used to think nothing ever happened in the country, it was a dead place.

Sometimes I think I’d like to go back into the town for a rest.”

She answered his smile, saying quietly, “You’d be sorely missed if you did, doctor,

indeed you would.”

“Bye-bye, Mary Ellen, for the present.”

“Goodbye, doctor.” She stood for another moment watching him going down to the gate

where his

horse was tethered and where lanterns were swinging showing up the outlines of people

still waiting for

news.

As she went back into the room one of the constables said, “Two of us’ll be away, lass.

The

others’—he jerked his head backwards ‘they are stayin’, they want to hear what he says when he comes

round.”

* * *

It was ten o’clock the following morning before Hal returned to full consciousness. At two o’clock in

the morning he had opened his eyes and looked to where Mary Ellen was sitting by the

fire, her head

drooped on her chest in weariness. It was one of the constables who spoke to him, saying,

“How you

feelin’, lad?” But he had made no answer, just closed his eyes and gone to sleep again.

But at the

moment he became fully conscious, Mary Ellen was kneeling by his side, and he blinked

his eyes a

number of times before endeavouring to speak. His voice a croak, he said, “I’m ... I’m alive.”

She had the desire to gather him up in her arms and press his head tightly to her and say,

“Yes, my love,

you’re alive.” But what she did was to take one of his hands between her own and hold it to her, saying