Caltraps of Time (6 page)

Every thing in this House was smooth, and for the most part very clean, and almost all the Doors and Walls were painted over. There was a savour of Soap and Spice about. He set me down in a great Chair, and star’d on me, then he moves his Hand to a little Button on the Wall, and of a sudden a Light shone out of a Bowl, that hung from the Ceiling. There was no Flame to it, and it was perfectly steady, but I cou’d perceive no cause, why it shou’d begin to shine. I can see (he seem’d to say) that ye’re not from this Time. I suppose (but he said Tauim and suppowze) you come from the Seventeenth or Eighteenth Century? I told him, it was even now the Year 1683. He ask’d me a deal of questions, but some I cou’d not understand, and others I made not to understand, for I had no mind to give him too much instruction. But I told him, I wish’d to lie here for a time, for I fear’d a Reckoning with the Sorcerer that had brought the Machine to my Village, and knew, that if I left it there for long, he shou’d find it again anon, and I shou’d have lost all chance, of further enterprize. Then says he, You must meet my Wife (in his odd Speech), and he goes out to call her in, from her Garden. While he was gone, I looks out at my Machine, which was safe by the Wall, and observ’d what I cou’d about the Chamber. He brings in his Wife (a mighty pretty Woman, as I saw when I had got accustom’d to her sawcy fashion of Cloathing) and presently we three set to’t to find, how I was to live there. I found, they had no Children. Says she, Of course you must stay with us, and, looking on her Countenance, I found it easie to agree. But how am I to repay you, and how am I to go unnotic’d in these Cloathes, that are so unlike your’s? Says I. Have you nothing of Value with you, says he, then we can buy you some Cloathes and so on? I have nought, that shou’d get me a Suit of Cloathes, says I. Have you any Books, or Clocks, or Silver at home? for they wou’d fetch high enough Prices today, says he (but he says howm, hauy, prowesses); you see, a thing like that, two or three hundred years old, will be quite costly today. And, as it happens, I know how to place this kind of Antique. ‘Tis agreed, said I, I’ll go back and bring some Fine Things. But let me wait, ‘till tomorrow, for by then it may be, that my Sorcerer will have given over searching for my Machine, or that he will have journey’d far off. To this he agrees, and his Wife said, she wou’d bring in some Tea. While she was gone, he said, he wou’d shew me round the House, but all he did, was to bring me up the Stairs to a Closet or Privy, which he told me, was wash’d by Water, that I shou’d pour on, by pressing on a kind of Handle. Next by it was a Chamber for Washing your Person, that had a Bason, with two Taps, from which Water came. One brought forth Water very hot, that I was like to have Scalded my self, if I had not seen the Steam rising from it. By this Bason was a great Trough with two other Taps, and a Dish full of Holes in the Ceiling above it.

Besides a Dish of Tea, they had some Bread and some Jellie and a deal of little Cakes. After this the Husband goes to a Box, that stood on a Table at the side, and of a sudden a lowd Noise comes from the Box, and it was some kind of wild Musick. Thinks I, this is a new sort of Toy, but presently the Musick ceas’d, and the Voice of a Man came forth, that I quak’d for sudden fear. Then another Voice discours’d for some time, and presently ceas’d again, and the wild Musick began once more. They gave me an explanation, it was Musick from many Miles away, but how it came into their Box, they cou’d not make clear. This Box they call, a Raydeow. After that the Man remember’d his Chariot, which he call’d, his Car, and went out to conclude with his cleaning it. He shew’d it to me, and said, that it went by Burning within. When he had done with the cleaning it, he lit the Furnace in it’s Bowels, by no more then the turn of a little Key, and, seating him self in it, conducted it into it’s Stable, which he call’d, a Garraudge. He said, my Machine shou’d be more safe, within the House, and after we had measur’d it with a Measure he had of Steel, that bent round, and had measur’d the distance too, I mov’d it once again, within a commodious Porch he had.

Over a good Supper of cold Mutton, wash’d down with some bitter Ale from a glass Bottie, he assures me again, I shou’d be able to get a good Price, for a Book or a Peice of Silver. Several Pounds, says he, enough to buy you a Shirt or two. My Spirits shot up to the Heavens with the First part of his Sentence, and were blown half way back, with the Second. That a Book, purchas’d for a Shilling, cou’d be so priz’d, as to command several Pounds; and that such a vast Sum, cou’d buy no more, then a Shirt, I cou’d scarce credit. But he made me know, that a Pound was nothing today. I saw, I shou’d have to furnish my self well, upon my Excursion to my own Time. But in the mean while we fell to talking of the state of England. They took me for an Irish Man, it seems, which put me out of countenance, ‘till I saw they meant no harm by it, but were puzzled by my Speech, which indeed they found near as hard, as I theirs. So I told them, I came from a Village, where now stood his Town. And I found, the name of my Village, was now the name of a Sobbub of his Town (which is their name, for a part of a Town) and that was the part all around us. I thought his Town must be a very great City, but he says, ‘twas of but a middle size, with only fifty thousand Souls in’t. You may suppose, I open’d my Eyes at that. But it seems, they do not reckon a City is great, unless it reach above two hundred thousand; and of that reckoning they have a good number, while a few of the greatest have above a Million. How the Land cou’d support so many, I cannot tell, but where we have one Body, they have ten or twelve. Whilst we were speaking, the Lanthorns in the Road all came alight in one instant, and no Body lit ‘em. He said, ‘twas by Electricity, which they make in great Buildings from turning Wheels by Steam, or (in other places) from an Esoterick sort of Chymistry, and send many miles along Wires.

I was drowzy long before my Hosts, and they had me a Bed made in a spare Chamber above Stairs. But before I went to Rest, my Host perswaded me, to wash my self over in that Trough they had. The Dish with Holes, that hung from the Ceiling, was for Water to Rain down upon you, but I lik’d it not. They wash them selves in these Baths nigh every day, for that the Water is kept so hot with this same Electricity (by which they can accomplish well nigh every thing they wou’d), that they may keep them selves sweet-smelling (for they set great store by that), and in order to the cleansing off a kind of Soot or Dirt, that fly’s every where in the Air, and from whence comes this odour of Burning, that was about.

I had an uneasie Rest at first by reason of the many lowd Sounds without, but never-the-less I woke at the usual hour with me. My Host and his Wife made no sound, and neither within the House nor without was any Body stirring, which appear’d mighty strange to me. I thought, now ‘twill be safe, may hap, to return impuned to my House and Time, to gather what I will and bring all back here. I stole down, and after a while found how to open the Fastnings of the Door out to their Porch. There stood my Machine. I unlock’d it’s Rod, and remember’d, that I shou’d return to April, and so mov’d the Months Dial, besides the Years Dials, which I set back to my own Year. Then I saw the Green Spark rise in the Tube, that shew’d the Height, some three Metres on it’s Scale, and leave below it a Blew one. So I knew, I shou’d come out from here under the high Meadow at home, or there abouts. I study’d the Plats for moving your place narrowly, and mov’d their Buttons, untill I brought the Lines on ‘em back, to whence I begun, and the Green Spark sank down to swallow up the Blew. Now I try’d the Red Knob, letting alone the Green, and all was well, for I found my self in the Machine in the Lane at home near to the Barn, whence I had come. But I felt as if I had been in this Moment before, and a great Dizzyness and Glowdy-ness in my Head. Then I saw, that it was no dim Morning that I beheld, but a bright After-noon; and a Bird, that I had left perch’d upon a Bough close by, sate there exactly as’t had been. At length I knew, that I was back at the very Instant, when I had first mov’d the Machine, and that my Sorcerer shou’d be but now gone down the Alley, and might at once return. I had forgot my Hours and Days Dials. I mov’d ‘em straightway back eleven hours, to that day’s Sun-rise, before he had come. All my tarrying the night before was to no end, for I cou’d chuse any Time.

When I press’d upon the Red Knob there was I in a grey half-light. No Body was yet about, and step by step I mov’d my Machine down the Street, ‘till I came before my House, which (of course) was bolted and barr’d. Then I mov’d it inside in the great Chamber, and in the Gloom search’d about for my Hanger, a tall Jugg of Silver, a Snuff-box, a fine Time-peice that I had, a glass Bowl, two Books of Sermons and three Broad-sheets of Satyricall Verses, and the Volume of Mr Sympkins his Travells of a dozen years heretofore. Then I thought, I will need to Shave my self, so I found my best Razour. And I now knew, who ‘twas had these Things from my House, that Night, and not the Sorcerer. I took up an old Sack, in which to carry my Goods, but the Bowl and the Snuff-Box I wrapp’d in soft Cloth, and plac’d in a little Coffer I had. I plac’d all with some labour within the Machine, and was about to take my leave, when I bethought me of the time, and how at that hour I had been in Bed asleep. Am I then there in my Bed, or am I here? thinks I, and I stole into my Bed-Chamber to see. The Day-Light was coming in now, and there in the Bed was my Body asleep, my Face being turn’d half to the Wall. But there was a kind of Shimmering Motion in it. The Hair lifted on my Head and I turn’d Cold as Ice, my Mouth parch’d and my Heart knocking fit to burst it’s House. And I felt my Body (my own that I was in, so to speak) pull’d as it were a Grain of Iron by a Loadstone, towards the Body that lay on the Bed. That Body stirr’d and turn’d, and cry’s out, Ish (or some thing such). I flung out of the Chamber, and it was like straining against Ropes, and I crept Quaking into my Machine, mov’d it beyond the House, and in the Light manag’d it to the morning of the next day in August of the Year 1964, and before the House of my Hosts. Then I brought it within their Porch, and knock’d a Box over there, but woke no Body by good chance. And I fell on my Knees in my Machine (bruising my Shins and scraping my Elbow in the doing it) and humbly sought Pardon of ALMIGHTY GOD, if I had offended against His Laws in the making such an Unnatural Journey, and besought Him to keep me, from the Snares of the Devil.

It was the hour, when I had gone from the Porch; but I had no Stomach to remain alone ‘till these Late-risers shou’d awaken, so I mov’d the Hours Dial forward two hours. And what shou’d I find, but that they were up, and had miss’d me, and were running hither and thither in Gowns, which they wore at Night, thinking that I had gone for ever. And so, methinks, was I nearly so gone. But No, says I, I have been back to my own Time, to bring back where-withall to trade, but do not ask me to do’t again. I wou’d not, for all the Gold in the Indies, untill I depart for good. Says the Wife, You look as if you had seen a Ghost. And I, Why so I have: I have seen my Self. I wou’d say no more, but I thought, If I had been Drawn into my other Body then, who knows the End oft?

After a time I shav’d my self with my Razour, and the Husband lent me some Cloathes of his, that I might escape Notice, which I got into, and laid aside my own. He wou’d not look into my Sack or my Coffer at the present, for said he, he must to work, where he cou’d tell me more, what might be got for my Merchandize. We three took a great Breakfast. There was some golden Biscuits, but very fine and small and broken, we ate with Milk, which they call’d, Sere-ills; there was a great Potfull of Coffee, but made too thick, and mix’d with warm Milk from a Flask; there was Bacon fry’d and Eggs fry’d, and slic’d pieces of Bread lightly brown’d, with Butter, and a Marmalade made from Oranges to spread on ‘em.

Then the Husband bade me climb into his Chariot beside him, and fastned me in with a Harness, that I might not be tost about, and him self in too, with my Sack and Coffer in the back part, and he rode this Chariot with me, to the middle part of the Town. I had new terrors, with the Noise, and all the other Chariots (which were scores, nay hundreds) and a Throng of Folk, and all rushing hither and thither like a People possess’d of Devils. I shou’d have been more frightned, if I had not been full of strange Feelings in my Body, that put me in mind of a Sea-voyage, for I seem’d to be push’d to one side and then to another, and anon back into my Seat; which made my Stomach very uneasie, the more because of several thick Odours in the Chariot. We were going the slowest of almost all the Chariots, or Cars, that I saw, for all hurtled past us. There were great Wagons, like Hulks full of Slaves, two Tiers of them, all painted Red. My Host said (as well as I cou’d hear him, for the Noise), they were publick Coaches, which he call’d, Busses (as tho’ they were Boats), and that you pay’d to be carry’d so far. From the Cars issu’d flashing Lights, to shew, said he, what they meant to do. I saw great Pictures (when we were brought to a stop for several minutes together) as high as a House, in many Colours, by the Road side, but got no chance, to ask him what they meant. He leaves his Car in a great Place full of others, and taking me by the Arm, marches me a fair way round past tall Windows where were all manner of Wares shewn for Sale, and at length into his Shop, where he and others sold, for the one part House-Furniture, for the rest Books (but bound in Leather, not like those I had seen in the Colledge) and a great many sorts of Baubles and Silver Ware. He left me for a time, and spoke with another, then brings me into an inner Chamber, and bids me open my Sack and Coffer. First he looks in my Books. The first he took was that Volume of Travells, and his Eye lit up, and he reads it’s Title Page, and looks quickly thro’ it, and goes to some cloth-bound Volumes he has in a Corner, and reads in various of ‘em, and comes back, muttering to himself, Not in Wing either (what ever he meant by that). Then he looks at me, and says, I’l give you fifty Pound for that. I was ready to swallow his Offer, but I saw his Tongue licking his Lips, and his Hand shook a little, so I took counsel with my self, and I says, It grieves me, but I cou’d never part from my old Companion in many Lands, unless for three hundred Pound (for I knew now, these Pounds here wou’d not go far). He laugh’d at that, scornfully, but we fell to chaffering, and in the end, we agreed upon one hundred and seventy five Pound, against a Bottle of good Wine, which I forgot to tell you, I had snatch’d up and put in the Sack. And, says he, I cou’d yet have the Words of Sympkins, for he had in his Shop at the back a wonderful Engine, that wou’d take Pictures of what ever was put before it, that were perfect Likenesses, and that in the twinckling of an Eye each. He calls this Engine, a Zerrocks. But, said he, with so many Pages, ‘twill take time. Then I cou’d bring these Likenesses, but on loose Sheets, back with me to my own Time.