Chapter 149
What are we to expect?
What danger is at hand?
Let us understand What danger is at hand!
[LIEUTENANT enters, also POINT and WILFRED
LIEUT. Who fired that shot? At once the truth declare?
WILFRED My lord, 'twas I-- to rashly judge forebear!
POINT My lord, 'twas he-- to rashly judge forebear!
WILFRED Like a ghost his vigil keeping--
POINT Or a spectre all-appalling--
WILFRED I beheld a figure creeping--
POINT I should rather call it crawling--
WILFRED He was creeping--
POINT He was crawling--
WILFRED He was creeping, creeping--
POINT Crawling!
WILFRED He was creeping--
POINT He was crawling--
WILFRED He was creeping, creeping--
POINT Crawling!
WILFRED Not a moment's hesitation-- I myself upon him flung, With a hurried exclamation To his draperies I hung; Then we closed with one another In a rough-and-tumble smother; Col'nel Fairfax and no other Was the man to whom I clung!
ALL Col'nel Fairfax and no other, Was the man to whom he clung!
WILFRED After mighty tug and tussle--
POINT It resembled more a struggle--
WILFRED He, by dint of stronger muscle--
POINT Or by some infernal juggle--
WILFRED From my clutches quickly sliding--
POINT I should rather call it slipping--
WILFRED With a view, no doubt, of hiding--
POINT Or escaping to the s.h.i.+pping--
WILFRED With a gasp, and with a
POINT I'd describe it as a s.h.i.+ver--
WILFRED Down he dived into the river, And, alas, I cannot swim.
ALL It's enough to make one s.h.i.+ver, With a gasp, and with a quiver, Down he dived into the river; It was very brave of him!
WILFRED Ingenuity is catching; With the view my King of pleasing, Arquebus from sentry s.n.a.t.c.hing--
POINT I should rather call it seizing--
WILFRED With an ounce or two of lead I dispatched him through the head!
ALL With an ounce or two of lead He dispatched him through the head!
WILFRED I discharged it without winking, Little time I lost in thinking, Like a stone I saw him sinking--
POINT I should say a lump of lead.
ALL He discharged it without winking, Little time he lost in thinking.
WILFRED Like a stone I saw him sinking--
POINT I should say a lump of lead.
WILFRED Like a stone, my boy, I said--
POINT Like a heavy lump of lead.
WILFRED Like a stone, my boy, I said--
POINT Like a heavy lump of lead.
WILFRED Anyhow, the man is dead, Whether stone or lump of lead!
ALL Anyhow, the man is dead, Whether stone or lump of lead!
Arquebus from sentry seizing, With the view his King of pleasing, Arquebus from sentry seizing, With the view his King of pleasing, Wilfred shot him through the head, And he's very, very dead!
And it matters very little Whether stone or lump of lead, It is very, very certain that he's very, very dead!
LIEUT. The river must be dragged-- no time be lost; The body must be found, at any cost.
To this attend without undue delay; So set to work with what dispatch ye may!