A Study in Scarlet - Part 2, Chapter 4: A Flight for Life

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Part two, Chapter four of A Study in Scarlet. This
is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
LibriVox dot org. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur
Cunnan Doyle, Part two, Chapter four, A Flight for Life.
On the morning which followed his interview with the Mormon prophet,

(00:23):
John Ferrier went in to Salt Lake City, and, having
found his acquaintance, who was bound for the Nevada Mountains,
he entrusted him with his message to Jefferson Hope. In it,
he told the young man of the imminent danger which
threatened them, and how necessary it was that he should return.
Having done thus, he felt easier in his mind, and
returned home with a lighter heart. As he approached his farm,

(00:47):
he was surprised to see a horse hitched to each
of the posts of the gate. Still more surprised WASII
on the entering to find two young men in possession
of his sitting room. One with a long, pale face,
was leaning back in the rocking chair with his feet
cocked up upon the stove. The other, a bull necked
youth with coarse bloated features, was standing in front of

(01:08):
the window with his hands in his pockets, whistling a
popular hymn. Both of them nodded to Ferrier as he entered,
and the one in the rocking chair commenced the conversation.
Maybe you don't know us, he said this here is
the son of Elder Drebber, and I'm Joseph Stangerson, who
traveled with you in the desert when the Lord stretched
out his hand and gathered you into the true fold,

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as he will all the nations in his own good time,
said the other, in a nasal voice. He grindeth slowly,
but exceeding small John Ferrier bowed coldly. He had guessed
who his visitors were. We have come, continued Stangerson, at
the advice of our fathers, to solicit the hand of

(01:52):
your daughter, for whichever of us may seem good to
you and to her. As I have but four wives,
and brother Drebber here has seven, it appears to me
that my claim is the stronger one. Nay, nay, brother Stangerson,
cried the other. The question is not how many wives
we have, but how many we can keep. My father
has now given over his mills to me, and I

(02:14):
am the richer man. But my prospects are better, said
the other warmly. When the Lord removes my father, I
shall have his tanning yard and his leather factory. Then
I am your elder and am higher in the church.
It will be for the maiden to decide, rejoined young Drebber,
smirking at his own reflection in the glass. We will

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leave it all to her decision. During this dialog, John
Ferrier had stood fuming in the doorway, hardly able to
keep his riding whip from the backs of his two visitors.
Look here, he said, at last, striding up to them.
When my daughter summons you, you can come. But until
then I don't want to see your faces again. The

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two young Mormons stared at him in amazement, and their eyes.
This competition between them for the maiden's hand was the
highest of honors, both to her and her father. There
are two ways out of the room, cried Ferrier. There
is the door and there is the window. Which do
you care to use. His brown face looked so savage,

(03:16):
and his gaunt hands so threatening that his visitors sprang
to their feet and beat a hurried retreat. The old
farmer followed them to the door. Let me know when
you have settled which it is to be, he said, sardonically.
You shall smart for this, Stangerson cried white with rage.
You have defied the prophet and the Council of four.

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You shall rue it to the end of your days.
The hand of the Lord shall be heavy upon you,
cried young Drebber. He will arise and smite you. Then
I'll start the smiting, exclaimed Ferrier furiously, and would have
rushed upstairs for his gun, had not Lucy seized him
by the arm and restrained him before he could escape
from her. The clatter of horses hoofs told him that

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they were beyond his reach, the young canting rascals, he exclaimed,
wiping the perspiration from his forehead. I would sooner see
you in your grave, my girl, than the wife of
either of them, and so should I. Father, she answered
with spirit. But Jefferson will soon be here. Yes, it

(04:20):
will not be long before he comes. The sooner the better,
for we do not know what their next move may be.
It was indeed high time that some one capable of
giving advice and help should come to the aid of
the sturdy old farmer. And his adopted daughter. In the
whole history of the settlement, there had never been such
a case of rank disobedience to the authority of the elders.

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If minor errors were punished so sternly, what would be
the fate of this arch rebel. Ferrier knew that his
wealth and position would be of no avail to him.
Others as well known and as rich as himself had
been spirited away before now, and their goods given over
to the church. He was a brave man, but he
trembled at the vague, shadowy terrors which hung over him.

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Any known danger he could face with a firm lip,
but this suspense was unnerving. He concealed his fears from
his daughter, however, and affected to make light of the
whole matter, though she, with the keen eye of love,
saw plainly that he was ill at ease. He expected
that he would receive some message or remonstrance from young
as to his conduct, and he was not mistaken, though

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it came in an unlooked for manner. Upon rising next morning,
he found, to his surprise a small square of paper
pinned on to the coverlet of his bed, just over
his chest. On it was printed in bold, straggling letters,
twenty nine days are given you for amendment, and then dash.
The dash was more fear inspiring than any threat could

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have been. How this warning came into his room puzzled
John Ferrier sorely, for his servants slept in an outhouse,
and the doors and windows had all been secured. Rumpled
the paper up and said nothing to his daughter. But
the incident struck a chill into his heart. The twenty
nine days were evidently the balance of the month which
young had promised. What strength or courage could avail against

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an enemy armed with such mysterious powers. The hand which
fastened that pen might have struck him to the heart,
and he could never have known who had slain him.
Still more shaken wisee next morning they had sat down
to their breakfast when Lucy, with a cry of surprise,
pointed upwards. In the center of the ceiling was scrawled

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with a burned stick, apparently the number twenty eight. To
his daughter, it was unintelligible, and he did not enlighten her.
That night he sat up with his gun and kept watch,
and ward he saw and he heard nothing. And yet
in the morning a great twenty seven had been painted
upon the outside of his door. Thus day followed day,

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and as sure as morning came he found that his
unseen enemies had kept their register and had marked up
in some conspicuous position. How many days were still left
to him out of the month of grace. Sometimes the
fatal numbers appeared upon the walls, sometimes upon the floors.
Occasionally they were on small placards stuck upon the garden
gate or the railings. With all his vigilance, John Ferrier

(07:17):
could not discover whence these daily warnings proceeded. A horror,
which was almost superstitious, came upon him. At the sight
of them. He became haggard and restless, and his eyes
had the troubled look of some hunted creature. He had
but one hope in life now, and that was for
the arrival of the young hunter from Nevada. Twenty had

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changed to fifteen, and fifteen to ten, but there was
no news of the absentee. One by one the numbers
dwindled down, and still there came no sign of him.
Whenever a horseman clattered down the road or a driver
shouted at his team, the old farmer hurried to the gate,
thinking that help had arrived at last. At last, when

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he saw five give way to four, and that again
to three, he lost heart and abandoned all hope of escape.
Single handed, and with his limited knowledge of the mountains
which surrounded the settlement, he knew that he was powerless.
The more frequented roads were strictly watched and guarded, and
none could pass along them without an order from the council.

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Turned which way he would, there appeared to be no
avoiding the blow which hung over him. Yet the old
man never wavered in his resolution to part with life itself.
Before he consented to what he regarded as his daughter's dishonor,
he was sitting alone one evening, pondering deeply over his
troubles and searching vainly for some way out of them.

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That morning had shown the figure two upon the wall
of his house, and the next day would be the
last of the allotted time. What was to happen then,
All manner of vague and terrible fancies filled his imagination,
And his daughter what was to become of her after
he was gone? Was there no escape from the invisible
nets work which was drawn all round them. He sank

(09:02):
his head upon the table and sobbed at the thought
of his own impotence. What was that in the silence?
He heard a gentle scratching sound, low but very distinct,
in the quiet of the night. It came from the
door of the house. Ferrier crept into the hall and
listened intently. There was a pause for a few moments,

(09:23):
and then the low, insidious sound was repeated. Some one
was evidently tapping very gently upon one of the panels
of the door. Was it some midnight assassin who had
come to carry out the murderous orders of the secret tribunal?
Or was it some agent who was marking up that
the last day of grace had arrived? John Ferrier felt

(09:43):
that instant death would be better than the suspense which
shook his nerves and chilled his heart. Springing forward, he
drew the bolt and threw the door open. Outside, all
was calm and quiet, The night was fine, and the
stars were twinkling brightly. Overhead. The little front garden lay
before the farmer's eyes, bounded by the fence and gate.

(10:04):
But neither there, nor on the road was any human
being to be seen. With a sigh of relief, Ferrier
looked to right and to left, until happening to glance
straight down at his own feet, he saw, to his
astonishment a man lying flat upon his face upon the ground,
with arms and legs all a sprawl. So unnerved was

(10:25):
he at the sight that he leaned up against the
wall with his hand to his throat to stifle his
inclination to call out. His first thought was that the
prostrate figure was that of some wounded or dying man.
But as he watched it, he saw it writhe along
the ground and into the hall with the rapidity and
noiselessness of a serpent. Once within the house, the man

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sprang to his feet, closed the door, and revealed to
the astonished farmer the fierce face and resolute expression of
Jefferson Hope, Good God, gasped John Ferrier. How you scared me?
Whatever made you come in like that? Give me food,
the other said, hoarsely, I have had no time for

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a bite or sup for eight and forty hours. He
flung himself upon the cold meat and bread which were
still lying upon the table from his host's supper, and
devoured it voraciously. Does Lucy bear up well, he asked,
when he has satisfied his hunger, Yes, she does, not
know the danger. Her father answered, that is well. The

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house is washed on every side. That is why I
crawled my way up to it. They may be darned sharp,
but they're not quite sharp enough to catch a washo. Hunter.
John Ferrier felt a different man now that he realized
that he had a devoted ally. He seized the young
man's leathery hand and wrung it cordially. You're a man

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to be proud of, he said. There are not many
who would come to share our danger and our troubles.
You've hit it there, pard, The young hunter answered. I
have a respect for you, but if you are alone
in this business, I'd think twice before I put my
head into such a hornet's nest. It's Lucy that brings
me here, and before harm comes on her, I guess

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there will be one less of the Hope family in Utah.
What are we to do? Tomorrow is your last day,
and unless you act to night, you are lost. I
have a mule and two horses waiting in the eagle ravine.
How much money have you? Two thousand dollars in gold
and five in notes. That will do? I have as

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much more to add to it. We must push for
Carson City through the mountains. You had best wake Lucy.
It is as well that the servants do not sleep
in the house. While Ferrier was absent preparing his daughter
for the approaching journey, Jefferson Hope packed all the eatables
that he could find into a small parcel and filled
a stoneware jar with water, for he knew by experience

(12:53):
that the mountain wells were few and far between. He
had hardly completed his arrangements before the farmer returned with
his daughter, all dressed and ready for a start. The
greeting between the lovers was warm but brief, for minutes
were precious and there was much to be done. We
must make our start at once, said Jefferson Hope, speaking
in a low but resolute voice, like one who realizes

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the greatness of the peril, but has steeled his heart
to meet it. The front and back entrances are watched,
but with caution, we may get away through the side
window and across the fields. Once on the road, we
are only two miles from the ravine where the horses
are waiting. By daybreak we should be half way through
the mountains. What if we are stopped, asked Ferrier, Hope

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slapped the revolver butt which protruded from the front of
his tunic. If they are too many for us, we
shall take two or three of them with us, he said,
with a sinister smile. The lights inside the house had
all been extinguished, and from the darkened window, Ferrier peered
over the fields which had been his own, and which
he was now about to abandon forever. He had long

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nerved himself to the sacrifice, however, and the thought of
the honor and happiness of his daughter outweighed any regret
at his ruined fortunes. All looked so peaceful and happy,
the rustling trees and the broad, silent stretch of grain land,
that it was difficult to realize that the spirit of
murder lurked through it all. Yet the white face and

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set expression of the young hunter showed that in his
approach to the house he had seen enough to satisfy him.
Upon that head, Ferrier carried the bag of golden notes.
Jefferson Hope had the scanty provisions and water, while Lucy
had a small bundle containing a few of her more
valued possessions. Opening the window very slowly and carefully, they

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waited until a dark cloud had somewhat obscured the night,
and then one by one passed through into the little
garden with bated breath and crouching figures. They stumbled across
it and gained the shelter of the hedge, which they
skirted until they came to the gap which opened into
the corn field. They had just reached this point when
the young man seized his two companions and dragged them

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down into the shadow, where they lay silent and trembling.
It was as well that his prairie training had given
Jefferson hope the ears of a lynx. He and his
friends had hardly crouched down before the melancholy hooting of
a mountain owl was heard within a few yards of them,
which was immediately answered by another hoot at a small distance.

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At the same moment, a vague, shadowy figure emerged from
the gap for which they had been making and uttered
the plaintive signal cry again, on which a second man
appeared out of the obscurity. Tomorrow at midnight, said the first,
who appeared to be in authority. When the whipperwill calls
three times, it is well returned the other. Shall I

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tell brother drebber pass it on to him, and from
him to the others. Nine to seven, seven to five,
repeated the other, and the two figures flittered away in
different directions. Their concluding words had evidently been some form
of sign and counter sign, the instant that their footsteps
had died away in the distance. Jefferson Hope sprang to

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his feet, and, helping his companions through the gap, led
the way across the fields at the top of his speed,
supporting and half carrying the girl when her strength appeared
to fail her. Hurry on, hurry on, he gasped. From
time to time. We are through the line of sentinels.
Everything depends on speed. Hurry on. Once on the high road,

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they made rapid progress. Only once did they meet any one,
and then they managed to slip into a field and
so avoid recognition. Before reaching the town, the hunter branched
away into a rugged and narrow footpath which led to
the mountains. Two dark, jagged peaks loomed above them through
the darkness, and a defile which led between them was
the Eagle Canyon, in which the horses were awaiting them.

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With unerring instinct, Jefferson Hope picked his way among the
great boulders and along the bed of a dried up watercourse,
till he came to their retired corner, screened with rocks
where the faithful animals had been picketed. The girl was
placed upon the mule, and old Ferrier upon one of
the horses with his money bag, while Jefferson Hope led
the other along the precipitous and dangerous path. It was

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a bewildering route for any one who was not accustomed
to face nature in her wildest moods. On the one side,
a great crag towered up a thousand feet or more,
black stern and menacing with long basaltic columns upon its
rugged surface, like the ribs of some petrified monster. On
the other hand, a wild chaos of bowlders and debris

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made all advance impossible. Between the two ran the irregular tracks,
so narrow in places that they had to travel in
Indian file, and so rough that only practiced riders could
have traversed it at all. Yet in spite of all
dangers and difficulties, the hearts of the fugitives were light
within them, For every step increased the distance between them

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and the terrible despotism from which they were flying. They
soon had a proof, however, that they were still within
the jurisdiction of the Saints. They had reached the very
wildest and most desolate portion of the pass when the
girl gave a startled cry and pointed upwards on a
rock which overlooked the track, Showing out, dark and plain

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against the sky, there stood a solitary sentinel. He saw
them as soon as they perceived him, and his military
challenge of who goes there? Rang through the silent Ravine
travelers for Nevada, said Jefferson Hope, with his hand upon
the rifle which hung by his saddle. They could see
the lonely watcher fingering his gun and peering down at them,

(18:40):
as if dissatisfied at their reply. By whose permission he asked,
the Holy four, answered Ferrier. His Mormon experiences had taught
him that that was the highest authority to which he
could refer. Nine to seven cried the sentinel. Seven to
five returned Jefferson Hope, promptly, remembering the countersign which he

(19:03):
had heard in the garden pass. And the Lord go
with you, said the voice from above. Beyond his post.
The path broadened out, and the horses were able to
break into a trot. Looking back, they could see the
Solitary Watcher leaning upon his gun, and knew that they
had passed the outlying post of the Chosen People, and
that freedom lay before them. End of Part two, Chapter four,