The Hour and the Man, An Historical Romance Read online

  CHAPTER SEVEN.

  THE ACT.

  Papalier was probably the only person in the valley who did not attendmass on this saint's-day morning. The Spanish general was early seen,surrounded by his staff, moving towards the rising ground, outside thecamp, on which stood the church, erected for the use of the troops whenthe encampment was formed. The soldiers, both Spanish and negro, hadsome time before filed out of their tents, and been formed for theirshort march; and they now came up in order, the whites approaching onthe right, and the blacks on the left, till their forces joined beforethe church. The sun had not yet shone down into the valley, and the dewlay on the grass, and dropped like rain from the broad eaves of thechurch-roof--from the points of the palm-leaves with which it wasthatched.

  This church was little more than a covered enclosure. It was wellshaded from the heat of the sun by its broad and low roof; but, betweenthe corner posts, the sides could hardly be said to be filled in by thebamboos which stood like slender columns at intervals of several inches,so that all that passed within could be seen from without, except thatthe vestry and the part behind the altar had their walls interwoven withwithes, so as to be impervious to the eye. The ground was strewn thickwith moss,--cushioned throughout for the knees of the worshippers. Theseats were rude wooden benches, except the chair, covered with damask,which was reserved for the Marquis d'Hermona.

  Here the General took his place, his staff ranging themselves on thebenches behind. Jean Francais entered after him, and seated himself onthe opposite range of benches. Next followed Toussaint Breda, alone,having left his sons outside with the soldiers. Some few more advancedtowards the altar; it being understood that those who did so wished tocommunicate. An interval of a few empty benches was then left, and thelower end of the church was thronged by such of the soldiery as couldfind room; the rest closing in round the building, so as to hear thevoice of the priest, and join in the service.

  There was a gay air about the assemblage, scarcely subdued by the place,and the occasion which brought them to it. Almost every man carried astem of the white amaryllis, plucked from among the high grass, withwhich it grew thickly intermixed all over the valley; and beautiful tothe eye were the snowy, drooping blossoms, contrasted with the rich darkgreen of their leaves. Some few brought twigs of the orange and thelime; and the sweet odour of the blossoms pervaded the place like a holyincense, as the first stirring airs of morning breathed around andthrough the building. There were smiles on almost every face; and a humof low but joyous greetings was heard without, till the loud voice ofthe priest, reciting the Creed, hushed every other. The onlycountenance of great seriousness present was that of Toussaint, and hisbore an expression of solemnity, if not of melancholy, which struckevery one who looked upon him--and he always was looked upon by everyone. His personal qualities had strongly attracted the attention of theSpanish general. Jean Francais watched his every movement with themingled triumph and jealousy of a superior in rank, but a rival in fame;and by the negro troops he was so beloved, that nothing but the strictdiscipline which he enforced could have prevented their following him incrowds wherever he went. Whenever he smiled, as he passed along, inconversation, they laughed without inquiring why; and now, this morning,on observing the gravity of his countenance, they glanced from one toanother, as if to inquire the cause.

  The priest, having communicated, at length descended from before thealtar, to administer the water to such as desired to receive it. Amongthese, Toussaint bent his head lowest--so low, that the first slantingsunbeam that entered beneath the thatch seemed to rest upon his head,while every other head remained in the shadow of the roof. In afterdays, the negroes then present recalled this appearance. Jean Francais,observing that General Hermona was making some remark about Toussaint tothe officers about him, endeavoured to assume an expression of deepdevotion also; but in vain. No one thought of saying of him what theGeneral was at that moment saying of his brother in arms--"God could notvisit a soul more pure."

  When the blessing had been given, and the few concluding verses ofScripture read, the General was the first to leave his place. It seemedas if he and Toussaint moved towards one another by the same impulse,for they met in the aisle between the benches.

  "I have a few words of business to speak with you, General--a work ofjustice to ask you to perform without delay," said Toussaint.

  "Good!" said the General. "In justice there should be no delay. I willtherefore breakfast with you in your tent. Shall we proceed?"

  He put his arm within that of Toussaint, who, however, gently withdrewhis, and stepped back with a profound bow of respect. General Hermonalooked as if he scarcely knew whether to take this as an act ofhumility, or to be offended; but he smiled on Toussaint's saying--

  "It is not without reasons that I decline honour in this place thismorning--reasons which I will explain. Shall I conduct you to my tent?And these gentlemen of your staff?"

  "As we have business, my friend, I will come alone. I shall be sorry ifthere is any quarrel between us, Toussaint. If you have to ask justiceof me, I declare to you I know not the cause."

  "It is not for myself, General, that I ask justice. I have everreceived from you more than justice."

  "You have attached your men to yourself with singular skill," said theGeneral, on their way down the slope from the church, as he closelyobserved the countenances of the black soldiers, which brightened, as iftouched by the sunlight, on the approach of their commander. "Theirattachment to you is singular. I no longer wonder at your achievementsin the field."

  "It is by no skill of mine," replied Toussaint; "it is by the power ofpast tyranny. The hearts of negroes are made to love. Hitherto, alllove in which the mind could share has been bestowed upon those whodegraded and despised them. In me they see one whom, while obeying,they may love as a brother."

  "The same might be said of Jean Francais, as far as your reasons go; butJean Francais is not beloved like you. He looks gayer than you, myfriend, notwithstanding. He is happy in his new rank, probably. Youhave heard that he is ennobled by the court of Spain?"

  "I had not heard it. It will please him."

  "It evidently does. He is made a noble; and his military rank is nowthat of lieutenant-General. Your turn will come next, my friend; and ifpromotion went strictly according to personal merit, no one would havebeen advanced sooner than you."

  "I do not desire promotion, and--"

  "Ah! there your stoical philosophy comes in. But I will show youanother way of applying it. Rank brings cares; so that one who is not astoic may have an excuse for shrinking from it; but a stoic despisescares. Ha! we have some young soldiers here," he said, as Moyse and hiscousins stood beside the way, to make their obeisance; "and very perfectsoldiers they look, young as they are. They seem born for militaryservice."

  "They were born slaves, my lord; but they have now the loyal hearts offreemen within them, amidst the ignorance and follies of their youth."

  "They are--"

  "My nephew and my two sons, my lord."

  "And why mounted at this hour?"

  "They are going to their homes, by my direction."

  "If it were not that you have business with me, which I suppose youdesire them not to overhear--"

  "It is as you say, General."

  "If it had not been so, I would have requested that they might be at ourtable this morning. As it is, I will not delay their journey."

  And the General touched his hat to the lads, with a graciousness whichmade them bend low their uncovered heads, and report marvels at home ofthe deportment of the Marquis d'Hermona. Seeing how their father wasoccupied, they were satisfied with a grasp of his hand as he passed,received from him a letter for their mother, and waited only till he andhis guest had disappeared within the tent, to gallop off. They wonderedat being made the bearers of a letter, as they knew that his horse wasordered to be ready beside his tent immediately after breakfast, and hadnot a doubt of his arriving a
t the shore almost as soon as themselves.

  Papalier was lounging on the couch beside the table where breakfast wasspread, when General Hermona and his host offered. He started up,casting a look of doubt upon Toussaint.

  "Fear nothing, Monsieur Papalier," said Toussaint; "General Hermona hasengaged to listen to my plea for justice. My lord, Monsieur Papalierwas amicably received by your lordship on crossing the frontier, and, onthe strength of your welcome, has remained on the island till too lateto escape, without your especial protection, a fate he dreads."

  "You mean being delivered up as a republican?"

  "Into the hands of my own negroes, my lord," said Papalier, bitterly."That is the fate secretly designed for any unfortunate planter who mayyet have survived the recent troubles over the frontier."

  "But how can I protect you? The arrangement is none of mine: I cannotinterfere with it."

  "Only by forgetting in this single instance the point of time at whichwe have arrived, and furnishing me with a pass which shall enable me tosail for Europe, as I acknowledge I ought to have done long ago."

  "So this is the act of justice you asked from me, Toussaint. Why didyou not say favour? I shall do it with much more pleasure as a slightfavour to one whom I strongly regard. You shall have your safe-conduct,Monsieur Papalier. In the meantime--"

  And he looked towards the steaming chocolate and the piles of fruit onthe table, as if his appetite were growing urgent.

  "One word more, my lord, before offering you my welcome to my table,"said Toussaint. "I beseech you to consider the granting this pass as anact of justice, or of anything rather than favour to me. Yesterday, Iwould have accepted a hundred favours from you: to-day, with equalrespect, I must refuse even one. I pledge myself to tell you why beforeyou rise from table, to which I now invite you."

  "I do not understand all this, Toussaint."

  "I have pledged myself to explain."

  "And you say there is no personal feeling--no offence between us?"

  "If any, my lord, I alone am the offender. Will you be pleased to--"

  "Oh, yes, I will breakfast; and was never more ready. MonsieurPapalier, our morning mass has kept you waiting, I fear."

  Papalier seated himself, but was near starting up again when he saw hisnegro host preparing to take his place between his two quests, Papalierhad never yet sat at table with a negro, and his impulse was to resentthe necessity; but a stern look from the General warned him to submitquietly to the usages of the new state of society which he had remainedto witness; and he sat through the meal, joining occasionally in theconversation, which, for his sake, was kept clear of subjects whichmight annoy him.

  As soon as the servants, after producing pen, ink, and paper, hadwithdrawn, the General wrote a safe-conduct, and delivered it toMonsieur Papalier, with an intimation that an attendant should be readyto guide him to the nearest port, at his earliest convenience. Papalierunderstood this as it was meant--as a hint that there must be no delay.He declared, therefore, his wish to depart, as soon as the heat of theday should decline.

  "And now, my lord--," said Toussaint, "Yes, now for the explanation ofthis fancy of not receiving kindness from your best friends. Let ushear."

  "I have this morning, my lord, despatched letters to Don Joachim Garcia,at Saint Domingo--"

  "You are in communication with the Colonial Government; and not throughme! What can this mean?"

  "And here, my lord, are exact copies of my letters, which I request thefavour of you to read, and, if I may be permitted to say so, withouthaste or prejudice--though, in this case, it is much to ask."

  Toussaint disappeared in the inner apartment; but not before he saw asmile on Papalier's face--a smile which told of amusement at the idea ofa negro sending dispatches of any importance to the head of thegovernment of the Spanish colony.

  The General did not seem to feel any of the same amusement. Hiscountenance was perplexed and anxious. He certainly obeyed Toussaint'swishes as to not being in haste: for he read the papers (which were fewand short) again and again. He had not laid them down when Toussaintre-appeared from within--no longer glittering in his uniform andpolished arms, but dressed in his old plantation clothes, and with hiswoollen cap in his hand. Both his guests first gazed at him, and thenstarted from their seats.

  Toussaint merely passed through the tent, bowing low to the General, andbidding him farewell. A confused noise outside, followed by a shout,roused Hermona from his astonishment.

  "He is addressing the troops!" he cried, drawing his sword, and rushingforth.

  Toussaint was not addressing the troops. He was merely informingJacques, whom he had requested to lie in waiting there, beside hishorse, that he was no longer a commander--no longer in the forces; andthat the recent proclamation, by showing him that the cause of negrofreedom was now one with that of the present government of France, wasthe reason of his retirement from the Spanish territory. He explainedhimself thus far, in order that he might not be considered a traitor tothe lost cause of royalty in France; but, rather, loyal to that of hiscolour, from the first day of its becoming a cause.

  Numbers became aware that something unusual was going forward, and werethronging to the spot, when the General rushed forth, sword in hand,shouting aloud--

  "The traitor! Seize the traitor! Soldiers! seize the traitor!"

  Toussaint turned in an instant, and sprang upon his horse. Not a negrowould lay hands on him; but they cast upon him, in token of honour, theblossoms of the amaryllis and the orange that they carried. The Spanishsoldiers, however, endeavoured to close round him and hem him in, as theGeneral's voice was still heard--

  "Seize him! Bring him in, dead or alive!"

  Toussaint, however, was a perfect horseman; and his favourite horseserved him well in this crisis. It burst through, or bounded over, allopposition, and, amidst a shower of white blossoms which strewed theway, instantly carried him beyond the camp. Well-mounted soldiers, andmany of them, were behind, however; and it was a hard race between thefugitive and his pursuers, as it was witnessed from the camp. Along theriver bank, and over the bridge, the danger of Toussaint appearedextreme; and the negroes, watching the countenance of Jacques, preserveda dead silence when all the horsemen had disappeared in the woods whichclothed the steep. Then all eyes were turned towards the summit of thatridge, where the road crossed a space clear of trees; and there, in anincredibly short time, appeared the solitary horseman, who, unencumberedwith heavy arms, and lightly clothed, had greatly the advantage of thesoldiers in mounting the ascent. He was still followed; but he was justdisappearing over the ridge, when the foremost soldier issued from thewood behind him.

  "He is safe! he is safe!" was murmured through the throng; and the wordsreached the ears of the General in a tone which convinced him that theattachment of the black troops to Toussaint Breda was as strong as hehimself had that morning declared it to be.

  "Now you see, General," said Papalier, turning into the tent, from whichhe too had come forth in the excitement of the scene--"you see what youhave to expect from these negroes."

  "I see what I have to expect from you," replied the General, withseverity. "It is enough to witness how you speak of a man to whom youowe your life this very day--and not for the first time."

  "Nay, General, I have called him no names--not even `traitor.'"

  "I have not owed him my life, Monsieur Papalier; and you are not thecommander of these forces. It is my duty to prevent the defection ofthe negro troops; and I therefore used the language of the government Iserve in proclaiming him a traitor. Had it been in mere speculationbetween him and myself that those papers had come in question, God knowsI should have called him something very different."

  "There is something in the man that infatuates--that blinds one'sjudgment, certainly," said Papalier. "His master, Bayou, spoiled himwith letting him educate himself to an absurd extent. I always toldBayou so; and there is no saying now what the consequences may be. Itis my opinio
n that we have not heard the last of him yet."

  "Probably," said the General, gathering up his papers as his aideentered, and leaving the tent in conversation with him, almost without afarewell notice of Papalier.

  The negro troops were busy to a man, in learning from Jacques, andrepeating to one another, the particulars of what was in theproclamation, and the reasons of Toussaint's departure. General Hermonafound that the two remaining black leaders, Jean Francais and Biasson,were not infected by Toussaint's convictions; that, on the contrary,they were far from sorry that he was thus gone, leaving them to the fullenjoyment of Spanish grace. They addressed their soldiers in favour ofloyalty, and in denunciation of treason, and treated the proclamation asslightly as Don Joachim Garcia could possibly have wished. They metwith little response, however; and every one felt, amidst the show andparade and festivity of the day, a restlessness and uncertainty which heperceived existed no less in his neighbour than in himself. No one'smind was in the business or enjoyment of the festival; and no one couldbe greatly surprised at anything that might take place, though the menwere sufficiently orderly in the discharge of their duty to render anyinterference with them unwarrantable, and any precautions against theirdefection impossible. The great hope lay in the influence of the twoleaders who remained, as the great fear was of that of the one who wasgone.

  The Spanish force was small, constituting only about one-fourth of thewhole; and of these, the best mounted had not returned from the pursuitof Toussaint;--not because they could follow him far in the enemy'scountry, but because it required some skill and caution to get back inbroad day, after having roused expectation all along the road.

  While the leaders were anxiously calculating probabilities, andreckoning forces, Jacques was satisfying himself that the preponderanceof numbers was greatly on the side of his absent friend. His hatred ofthe whites, which had never intermitted, was wrought up to strongpassion this day by the treatment the proclamation and his friend hadreceived. He exulted in the thought of being able to humble theSpaniards by withdrawing the force which enabled them to hold theirposts, and by making him whom they called a traitor more powerful in thecause of the blacks than they could henceforth be in that of royalistFrance. Fired with these thoughts, he was hastily passing the tent ofToussaint, which he had supposed deserted, when he heard from within,speaking in anger and fear, a voice which he well knew, and which hadpower over him. He had strong reasons for remembering the first time hehad seen Therese--on the night of the escape across the frontier. Shewas strongly associated with his feelings towards the class to which herowner belonged; and he knew that she, beautiful, lonely, and wretched,shared those feelings. If he had not known this from words dropped byher during the events of this morning, he would have learned it now; forshe was declaring her thoughts to her master, loudly enough for any onewho passed by to overhear.

  Jacques entered the tent, and there stood Therese, declaring that shewould leave her master, and never see him more, but prevented fromescaping by Papalier having intercepted her passage to the entrance.Her eyes glowed with delight on the appearance of Jacques, to whom sheimmediately addressed herself.

  "I will not go with him--I will not go with him to Paris, to see hisyoung ladies. He shall not take care of me. I will take care ofmyself. I will drown myself sooner than go with him. I do not carewhat becomes of me, but I will not go."

  "Yes, you will care what becomes of you, Therese, because your ownpeople care," said Jacques. "I will protect you. If you will be mywife, no white shall molest you again."

  "Be your wife!"

  "Yes. I love the blacks; and none so much as those whom the whites haveoppressed--no one so much as you. If you will be my wife, we will--"

  Here, remembering the presence of a white, Jacques explained to Theresein the negro language (which she understood, though she always spokeFrench), the new hopes which had arisen for the blacks, and his ownintention of following Toussaint, to make him a chief. He concluded ingood French, smiling maliciously at Papalier as he spoke--

  "You will come with me now to the priest, and be my wife."

  "I will," replied Therese, calmly.

  "Go," said Papalier. "You have my leave. I am thus honourably releasedfrom the care of you till times shall change. I am glad that you willnot remain unprotected, at least."

  "Unprotected!" exclaimed Therese, as she threw on the Spanish mantlewhich she was now accustomed to wear abroad. "Unprotected! And whathas your protection been?"

  "Very kind, my dear, I am sure. I have spent on your education moneywhich I should be very glad of now. When people flatter you, Therese(as they will do; for there is not a negress in all the island tocompare with you),--remember who made you a lady. You will promise methat much, Therese, at parting?"

  "Remember who made me a lady!--I have forgotten too long who made me awoman," said Therese, devoutly upraising her eyes. "In serving Him andloving my husband, I will strive to forget you."

  "All alike!" muttered Papalier, as the pair went out. "This is what onemay expect from negroes, as the General will leant when he has hadenough to do with them. They are all alike."

  This great event in the life of Jacques Dessalines did not delay hisproceedings for more than half-an-hour. Noon was but just past, when heled forth his wife from the presence of the priest, mounted her on hisown horse before his tent, and sent her forward under the escort of hispersonal servant, promising to overtake her almost as soon as she shouldhave crossed the river. When she was gone, he sent the word through thenegro soldiery, who gathered round him almost to a man, and with thequietness which became their superior force. Jean Francais and Biassonwere left with scarcely twenty followers each; and those few would donothing. The whites felt themselves powerless amidst the noonday heats,and opposed to threefold numbers: and their officers found that nothingwas to be done but to allow them to look on quietly, while Jacques ledaway his little army, with loud music and a streaming white flag. A fewhorsemen led the van, and closed in the rear. The rest marched, as ifon a holiday trip, now singing to the music of the band, and now makingthe hills ring again with the name of Toussaint Breda.

  As General Hermona, entirely indisposed for his siesta, watched themarch through his glass from the entrance of his tent, while the notesof the wind-instruments swelled and died away in the still air, one ofhis aides was overheard by him to say to another--

  "The General has probably changed his opinion since he said to you thismorning, of Toussaint Breda, that God could not visit a soul more pure.We have all had to change our minds rather more rapidly than suits sucha warm climate."

  "You may have changed your opinions since the sun rose, gentlemen," saidHermona; "but I am not sure that I have."

  "How! Is it possible? We do not understand you, my lord."

  "Do you suppose that you understand him? Have we been of a degradedrace, slaves, and suddenly offered restoration to full manhood andcitizenship? How otherwise can we understand this man? I do notprofess to do so."

  "You think well of him, my lord?"

  "I am so disposed. Time, however, will show. He has gone awaymagnanimously enough, alone, and believing, I am confident, from whatFather Laxabon tells me, that his career is closed; but I rather thinkwe shall hear more of him."

  "How these people revel in music!" observed one of the staff. "How theyare pouring it forth now!"

  "And not without reason, surely," said Hermona. "It is their exodusthat we are watching."