Captain Ringbolt sent up his usual notices, which were posted in the streets, with an additional clause, stating that on account of the great event, which he trusted all godly persons would wish to behold on the morrow, he should not expose his goods for sale, till the day after, when, at the usual time and place, a most valuable assortment of articles, selected with great care, would be offered for sale. He returned thanks for the patronage he had received in past times, and assured the good people of Salem that no efforts would be wanting to merit their confidence, and meet the wishes of the public.
Somers walked away in sad contemplation on that state of things which seemed to make one delusion necessary to counteract and dispel another, which was far worse and more dangerous. But he was not quite satisfied with himself, especially with the kind of deception he had practiced on Bolton. The die, however, was cast. He implored pardon for the part he now felt compelled to act, and while he believed the extremity of the case, in the main, justified his course, yet it was so uncongenial to his feelings, and so opposite to the whole tenor of his life, that he was not a little disquieted by the scruples that oppressed him. He had a wife and one child. They were his earthly solace and hope, and his precautions, and those of Strale, had provided for their safety. For himself, the result was uncertain, but every possible contingency was guarded against, so far as human sagacity could foresee, or human skill provide.
The twilight had now fallen on the village and its surrounding scenes. The shadows deepened into uncommon gloom, as if Nature were spreading a funeral pall for the dead, and mourning over her deluded children and her own disregarded voice. Well might she sympathize in the sad desolation around her! Her own mighty impulses of gratitude and affection were silenced and suppressed by the mighty fabric of fanaticism and delusion, which occupied the throne of the intellect and the heart. Who shall assure us, that such scenes will never recur? Where, in the weak and erring temper of man, do we find a guarantee that bloodshed and crime, the fruit of other delusions, shall not again desolate the land? Let us not boast of the dignity of Reason, the victories of Science, and the golden age of taste and refinement. These are often the soil in which the worst delusions spring up and cover the land with a foliage so rank and poisonous, that the moral atmosphere is filled with pestilence and death.
As the evening advanced, the different agents in the events about to take place, were all at their posts. Strale occupied the cottage of Somers. Lyford was at Mr. Ellerson's, Somers was in attendance upon Strale, and the Water Witch, with furled sails, was resting quietly on the bosom of the river, while her vigilant crew, with a double watch, waited the orders of their master.
It was late, the same night, when Trellison left Salem for Boston. His subsequent reflections had determined him to see Governor Phipps, make his confessions, and procure, if possible, a reprieve or pardon. In case of failure in his application, he could return in season to make his last effort at the scaffold. But new difficulties awaited him. Sir William was absent from town, and would not return for several days. There was no delegated authority to which application could be made, and his lady, who at the hazard of her life once saved a condemned individual, dared not and indeed could not interpose. The night was spent in anxious consultations, and ended with the conviction that his only chance of success was a public confession, and an appeal to the multitude.
CHAPTER SIXTEENTH.
Harris, the jailer of Miss Lyford, we have before remarked, was extremely superstitious. The other persons on guard were nearly as much so as their superior. The characters of these men had been thoroughly studied by Strale and his friends, and they were satisfied an experiment might be made on their credulity and superstition, with reasonable hope of success. The idea very generally prevailed, that all who were active in the witch prosecutions were exposed to fiery assaults from Satan. On this account, it was deemed a religious duty to guard the prisoners with the greatest possible care, and the most resolute men were selected for this purpose.
The jailer was often apprehensive that Satan might appear in defence of his prisoners. He thought it very possible that a part of the compact might be that they should be delivered in the moment of their greatest peril. He often spoke of some probable encounter with the devil, for it was hardly possible that so faithful a servant of God should remain unmolested, while subverting the kingdom of Satan on earth. In conversation with Bolton and his associates, he often warned them to prepare for such an encounter, and told them of the best methods to beat off the Serpent, should he be so bold as to attack them. Harris thought his spiritual armor was impregnable, and his prowess irresistible, and though as yet he had no opportunity of signalizing his courage by a pitched battle with any of the demons around him, yet he boasted of one or two skirmishes in which the Adversary, though he shook his dragon head and gnashed his teeth, was finally glad to make his retreat. The courageous jailer did not use his worldly weapons, but he always confronted his enemy with passages of scripture, and, in the last resort, employed the most powerful spiritual weapon which he said never failed, and that was prayer. Harris was not much given to this exercise, for its potency, he insisted, was weakened by too frequent repetition; consequently, he kept this weapon for the last extremity, and never employed it, when other expedients would answer.