In The Road From Hence To
The Boat, We Met With An Ill-Looking Fellow, Who Offered His
Service To
Conduct us into the city, and such was our situation,
that I was fain to accept his proposal, especially as
We had two
small boxes in the chaise by accident, containing some caps and
laces belonging to my wife, I still hoped the postilion had
exaggerated in the distance between the boat and the city gate,
and was confirmed in this opinion by the ferryman, who said we
had not above half a league to walk. Behold us then in this
expedition; myself wrapped up in a very heavy greatcoat, and my
cane in my hand. I did not imagine I could have walked a couple
of miles in this equipage, had my life been depending; my wife a
delicate creature, who had scarce ever walked a mile in her life;
and the ragamuffin before us with our boxes under his arm. The
night was dark and wet; the road slippery and dirty; not a soul
was seen, nor a sound was heard: all was silent, dreary, and
horrible. I laid my account with a violent fit of illness from
the cold I should infallibly catch, if I escaped assassination,
the fears of which were the more troublesome as I had no weapon
to defend our lives. While I laboured under the weight of my
greatcoat which made the streams of sweat flow down my face and
shoulders, I was plunging in the mud, up to the mid-leg at every
step; and at the same time obliged to support my wife, who wept
in silence, half dead with terror and fatigue. To crown our
vexation, our conductor walked so fast, that he was often out of
sight, and I imagined he had run away with the boxes. All I could
do on these occasions, was to hollow as loud as I could, and
swear horribly that I would blow his brains out. I did not know
but these oaths and menaces might keep other rogues in awe. In
this manner did we travel three long miles, making almost an
intire circuit of the city-wall, without seeing the face of a
human creature, and at length reached the gate, where we were
examined by the guard, and allowed to pass, after they had told
us it was a long mile from thence to the house of Vanini, where
we proposed to lodge. No matter, being now fairly within the
city, I plucked up my spirits, and performed the rest of the
journey with such ease, that I am persuaded, I could have walked
at the same pace all night long, without being very much
fatigued. It was near ten at night, when we entered the auberge
in such a draggled and miserable condition, that Mrs. Vanini
almost fainted at sight of us, on the supposition that we had met
with some terrible disaster, and that the rest of the company
were killed.
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