Humphrey Bold | Page 5

could scarce have been overtaken by the wearer of
the seven league boots. But as we turned into the straight again, just by
Andrew Cruddle, the saddler's, we again espied the terrible barrel,
rolling with many bumps towards the head of the bridge.
And then I verily believe that my heart for some seconds ceased to beat,
and I am sure that Joe shared my dismay, for he tightened the grip of
his great strong hand upon my puny one until I could have sworn it was
crushed to a pulp. At the bridge head were two gentlemen, who had to
all appearance been engaged in chatting, for one still sat on the parapet,
while the other stood within a foot or two of him. They were not
talking now, but gazing at the barrel rolling down towards them, and
the one who was seated wore the trace of a smile upon his face.
But the other--Heaven knows what terror seized me when my eyes
lighted upon him: it was none other than Joshua Vetch, the father of the
boy who, as I feared, was being churned to a jelly; and he stood full in
the path of the barrel.
Mr. Vetch, as I have said, was a small but corpulent man, and stood
very upright, with a slight backward inclination, to balance, I suppose,
the exceeding greatness of his rotundity. His countenance habitually
expressed disapproval, and his shaggy brows were drawn down now in
an angry frown. I perceived that he said something to his companion,
and then I saw no more for a while, a mist seeming to gather before my

eyes.
When I regained possession of my faculties, dreading what might have
happened, I found myself on the skirts of a group of five or six, and
heard the loud voice of Mr. Vetch bellowing forth words which, for
modesty's sake, I forbid my pen to write. He was not dead, then, I
thought, nor even hurt, or assuredly he would not have had the strength
to curse with such vigor. But what of Cyrus?
"I'll have the law on the villain! Run for a potticary! D'you hear, you
gaping jackass? Run for Mr. Pinhorn and bid him come here!"
And then followed a string of oaths like to those I had heard before.
The group parted hastily, and out came Dick Cludde, with a face as
white as milk, and sped up the town as fast as his long legs would carry
him. No doubt he was the "gaping jackass" whom Mr. Vetch had so
addressed in his fury.
Pushing my way through the townsmen who had gathered, and whose
numbers were swelled every moment by the afflux of aproned grocers,
and potboys, and 'prentices, and others from the streets, I saw Cyrus
laid on his back by the parapet, white and still, his father pacing heavily
up and down, and his friend Captain Galsworthy fending off the prying
onlookers with his cane.
"I'll thrash the villain to a pulp! I'll send him to the plantations, I will!
I'll break every bone in his body!"
So Mr. Vetch roared and, much as I disliked him, I could not but feel a
certain compassion, too, for all the world knew how he doted on his
son. I looked around for Joe Punchard, to see whether he was in hearing
of these threats, but he was not among the crowd.
By and by came Mr. Pinhorn, the surgeon, and some while after him
four lads bearing a stretcher, upon which the unconscious form of my
enemy was conveyed slowly up the town to Mr. Vetch's house on Pride
Hill. I followed on the edge of the crowd until I saw the doors close
upon the bearers, and then I betook myself home, in sore distress at the

fate in store for my friend Joe Punchard, and in some terror lest I
should share it, the mad freak of which he was guilty having been
performed on my behalf.
Chapter 2
: Joe Breaks His Indentures.
It was so much later than my usual hour for returning from school that I
was not surprised to see Mistress Pennyquick at the gate of our farm,
shading her eyes against the westering sun as she looked for me up the
road. I endeavored to compose my countenance so as to betray no sign
of the excitement through which I had passed; but the attempt failed
lamentably, and when the good creature began to question me, I burst
into tears. This was so rare an occurrence with me that she was
mightily concerned and adjured me to tell all, promising that if I had
done wrong she would shield me from my father's anger. And when in
answer to this I told her what