The Woodwose of Cannock Chase — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

re re a ee one 8 THE WOODWOSE OF CANNOCK CHASE shotgun. Lord Hugh looked with horror from the still form of the stable boy and then back to the pale face of his friend Bellamy who was breathing his last, the cold air making short sprites of steam above his mouth. Dalton inspected the small wound Dick had inflicted and saw it was of no consequence. “Well, Sir? said Dalton levelly at Lord Hugh, “what is it to be. You and I both know our culpability on this tragedy — will you own it Sir, that we may yet walk free? Or thinks you that you could concoct a credible tale to tell a gullible Magistrate?” Lord Hugh gently laid the head of his dead friend on the frozen ground and stood up. The two men now faced each other, corpses and blood scattered around them. “You have a method for evading the hangman’s noose, Sir?” said Lord Hugh. “Then let me hear it.” Dalton looked over at the dead stable boy. “You shall hear it while we work, for time is against us and Lord Hunstone and his friend Westonby will be joining this macabre party at any moment, said Dalton. CHAPTER 6. A CONCOCTION OF LIES Lord Hunstone and Westonby were over the threshold of the cave now, and both were peering into the darkness trying to make out what might be in there with them. The clammy dankness smelt of mildew and the waste of animals. “Oh, but for a lamp that we might see more clearly? sighed Lord Hunstone. Westonby stumbled on something at his feet and reached down with his gloved hand. He pulled at something that gave but a little, weighted by a connexion he could not fathom. “Something here? said Westonby, “but I know not what.” Westonby pulled hard on the object and heard the sound of material being rent. Still the object would not free itself. “Here, Hunstone, Westonby. Lord Hunstone could see the grey silhouette of his friend and stepped toward him. As he did so, he too stumbled over a form on the ground and fell heavily onto the floor of the cave. The overpowering stench of raw meat struck Lord Hunstone’s nostrils and he pulled himself up at once, snorting with disgust. “What haunts this dismal place?” asked Lord Hunstone. give me a hand!” gaid At once the object in Westonby’s grasp gave way and he staggered back still holding it. Lifting it to his face and turning back to the cave entrance to allow the grey daylight to fall on the object, he almost laughed with relief. “Why, ’tis but an old boot!” said Westonby. Lord Hunstone stepped carefully Westonby and took the boot from him. “Aye - but a lady’s boot at that!” said Lord Hunstone, and he then felt further down and touched stocking, cold flesh and finally splintered bone. With a cry that reverberated around the rock over to Se — =e —- —<———__— ~ See walls, Lord Hunstone dropped the human leg and staggered out of the cave entrance into the freezing cold air. “Tt cannot be!” shouted Lord Hunstone holding his arms out beseeching the snow-covered trees. “Why, O Lord? Why?” Lord Hunstone fell to his knees at the cave entrance and his staring eyes began to pick out the tracks in the snow, as well as portions of dress material he knew so well and other, indescribable morsels of meat and bone. Westonby stepped out of the cave and helped his friend to his feet. “Hunstone, we must away to Bellamy and Hugh - for now there is only vengeance to wrought. Vengeance on the foul beast that produced this carnage.” So saying, the two men looked back up the slope and began to hurry up it, their shotguns ready in their arms, murder in their minds. In the centre of the large field, Dalton and Lord Hugh stood back and studied their handiwork. On the frozen snow, the corpses and blood were all still present, but the bodies had been shifted and weapons repositioned. Lord Hugh kept glancing around to see if they were observed, while Dalton was deep in thought as he considered carefully the explanation they would shortly be obliged to give to a grief-stricken father. “Hugh? said Dalton, “listen closely. We discovered them just like this: We will tell that Bellamy had earlier given the boy his shotgun and then mistakenly the boy had shot Lady Hannah, believing her to be the Woodwose. Bellamy, you and I arrived on horseback at the sound of the shot and the boy was caught red-handed! The boy then shot Bellamy. Having spent his cartridge, the boy came at me with his penny knife and I was forced to shoot him dead. We were too late to save Bellamy or the Lady Hannah. Do you have it fixed in your mind?” “T do” said Lord Hugh slowly, “but methinks there may be awkward questions. There are two shots in the woman — ” “Hasily explained by the boy discovering his mistake and dispatching her with the intention of hiding the body afore he was discovered? said Dalton. “And what if Hunstone and Westonby heard the other gun shots? There are only three accounted for here?’ said Lord Hugh. “We do not know about the other shots? said Dalton, “we are as blind as anyone concerning the events that took place afore we arrived on the scene. We do not have to offer explanation for things we can easily claim we did not see nor hear.” “Well” said Lord Hugh, “we will shortly have a chance to see if our story holds water, for here come Hunstone and Westonby at the gallop!” Across the field Lord Hunstone and Westonby were indeed approaching at speed. They slowed as they approached the tableau before them. Lord Hunstone was incredulous as he looked from corpse to corpse. His voice quaked as he spoke: “What in God’s name has happened on this ghastly field?” Dalton let a moment pass and waited for Lord Hunstone to look at him with questioning eyes before — AMICLO@C) SoCOM