vert chanced to fall in with more of his acquaintance by the way. The last of them had given a slight shock to Stephen's nerves; for there were at least equal parts of joke and earnest in his reply, (" not that I know of,") when Kilvert embarrassed his veracity at that critical moment, by asking him if he had ever seen a highwayman?" But the rough humour with which he afterwards carried it off, and the sort of angry surprise he expressed at the derogatory treatment he had received, when, according to his own account, his intentions were so kind and amiable, completely lulled all his kindling suspicions. CHAPTER X. Never did horrid shapes Compell❜d by some magician's mighty charm, MARLOWE'S "Lust's Dominion." On the seventh night of their journey, they were pursuing their road along a narrow descent, which wound between overhanging cliffs or rocks, while their horses' feet sunk at every step into a deep loose sand, when, emerging from one extremity, where the path had become so straight that they could not ride abreast, Stephen suddenly found himself on the sea-shore. The sight was to him a novel one: but there was nothing in his character to make him sus-ceptible of those loftier emotions which the view of the ocean, dark, vast, and restless, lashing the beach with hoarse murmurs, or swelling into undulating sweeps crested with silvery foam, is calculated to awaken. It was new, it was stupendous, it was unexpected: and just so much vacant astonishment as those circumstances would rouse in the most unreflecting mind, Stephen felt. "Where are we?" said he. "At home,” replied Kilvert. Stephen looked round. He saw no habitation. On his left lay the sea; and on his right, a ledge of beetling rocks reared themselves, like the frowning battlements of some baronial castle of the feudal age. "At home!" he repeated. "Ay," said Kilvert; "we shall soon be housed now, Squire, with a good fire to warm us, a glass royal to cheer us, and right merry hearts to greet us, perhaps. Do you see yon black craggy rock, that juts out beyond the rest, and looks like a ship's keel turned upside down ?" Stephen directed his eyes to where Kilvert pointed, and saw the rock plainly enough; but saw no house. "When we double that point," continued we shall not have more than a Kilvert, 66 cable's length, before we cast anchor." "How much is a cable's length? A mile?" "No!" replied Kilvert laughing; "we call it a hundred and twenty, or, at most, only a hundred and thirty fathoms." Stephen's proficiency in mensuration did not qualify him to estimate distance by fathoms better than by cable-lengths; but he was ashamed to confess as much; so he contented himself with observing that he supposed "his mare knew they were going to cast anchor,' for she had already cast two of her shoes.” "The jade!" exclaimed Kilvert; "she is getting ready for bed, the same way as one of those poor fellows, yonder, got ready for the gallows." "What poor fellows?" said Stephen, looking fearfully about him in every direction; when he saw, upon the edge of the cliff they were approaching, three men in chains, sus pended from a gibbet at least thirty feet high. At that moment a gust of wind swinging them all forward, they looked as if they were going to make a leap upon the beach; while the heavy creaking of their irons, and their blackened garments fluttering in the air, completed the horror of the scene. "Lord God!" exclaimed Stephen, suddenly drawing up his horse," what a sight!" "What the devil ails you?" cried Kilvert, himself a little frightened by the abrupt exclamation of his companion. "See how they are swinging backwards and forwards!" continued Stephen in a voice of horror. "Ay," replied Kilvert, recovering from his momentary trepidation, "this is their second Christmas up there. I warrant if it were daylight, we should see that the crows have picked their bones as clean as a hungry man would pick the bone of a leg of mutton. Why, Spanish Jack," he added, stopping his horse, "seems to have lost one of his legs already. That's Spanish Jack, Squire, in the middle |