The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 328: what you’re looking at

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

| 322 THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI'S YOUNG CAPTAIN. give you a bad half-crown?” he said, and afore you _ could think of it he let the poor yokel have it be- tween the eyes, and knocked him down as flat as a herring. | “Bravo for Stingo,” said Hautwig; ah! he’s a ' rare good customer he is.” ‘“‘ Did you see many ‘slops’ about ?”” asked Bob. “No,” said Alf ; ‘‘ I never see the fair with so few on ’em,” ‘‘None in private clothes?” asked Hautwig. “ No, or I should have known ’em, I dan’t be- lieve I see one plain clothes man in the whole fair.”’ ‘Well, let’s go inside,” said Bob; “it’s no man- ner o’ good staying outside here in the wet.” *T wants them wild Indians 6’ mine out on it first,” said Hautwig. “I must pack ’em off to their lodgings.” ot i; o a “Oh, let ’em alone for a time,” said Alf Green ; “you can’t expect the lads to go out in such a shower as this.” Yaa an “But how can we talk o’ business afore such as them ?” Shad “ Put it off till the rain is dyer, and they have gone. Come,’ said Bob, “I shall make a move inside.” | . ‘And so shall I.” : “I hope you’ve got summat nice an’ hot, old un,” said Bob ; ‘‘I’m almost famished.” Without more words the trio left their place of shelter, and went into the caravan. “This is lucky,” said Gale, when they had gone. “T have found out more than expected. So, young Stingo, the fighting man,is one of the gang, eh? Ah, well, I always thought he couldn’t fldsh and spree about as he did upon hotest money, I will have all or none. There is no need of ‘any very great hurry, though.” rn ihe Fa aS: _ Gale crept out of his place of concéalment, and went out into the rain. ? ES? flinch SES He still kept his eye on old Hautwig’s caravan, and, ere long, he met a policeman, “Where are our men staying ?”” asked Gale, “Some of ’em are in yonder public-house, sir,’ _ said the officer, when he had fully satisfied himself _ who and what Gale really was. “Then you stand here until my return. Keep your eye on that carayan yonder ; if any one comes out. or goes in, tell me when I return. JI shall not be gone more than ten minutes. Stand beside this booth ; don’t let any one see you watching.” Gale made his way through the mud and rain, and soon reached the public-house. He called for sixpenny-worth of brandy and hot water, and began to talk about the weather as if he did not know a single soul then present, In a few minutes he went away, and the men in the parlour left the place one by one. Gale waited for them outside, and then directed each what to do, “Where does young Stingo live?” he asked, “In the public-house we have just left.” “All right,” said Gale; ‘‘you goon and do as I tell you; 1 will follow quickly.” Gale then went to the public-house, and left word with the landlord that young Stingo was wanted by Alf Green, at old Hautwig’s caravan, and must come directly. Stingo was very angry at being disturbed out of his drunken slumber, but as he thought that the message concerned a further and cheap supply of base coin, he shuflled along through the wet, and soon reached Hautwig's caravan, He knocked and entered, In the: meantime, however, Gale had made every disposition for the capture of the whole party. Several detectives were concealed beneath the caravan, and others were hiding behind a neigh- bouring booth. Don’t touch the wild men,”’ said Gale, “‘ for the poor devils have nothing to do withit ; but directly this young Stingo enters the caravan, do your duty, and be prepared for the very worst, for I fear there will be a desperate struggle, and some of.us may get hurt, seriously hurt.” In afew moments after this, young Stingo ap- proached, He was accompanied by Hairy Cap, who, as we have seen, was soundly thrashed by the detective, Bradshaw, in the morning, “How lucky,” said Bradshaw, ‘‘Hush !” said Gale. ‘‘They are now going up the steps of the caravan. They have entered.” CHAPTER CIX. DETECTIVE GALE AND THE COINERS. DIRECTLY Gale saw that the person he wished to capture had entered old Hautwig’s caravan, he gave fhe appointed signal, and all the constables gra- ae closed round the wagon, in such a manner that it was almost a matter of impossibility for any One of them to escape. Gale was now about to mount the steps and knock at the door, when one of the constables . hastily approached him, sayings— - * “Not yet, Mr. Gale, not yet.” “ Why not?” -“*T see two other parties approaching who are eres with old Hautwig.” “Do you know them ?” Ie Eg ES ‘“Who are they 2” ‘Old Smith, the dog man, and his brother.” “The dog man ! who.do you mean ?” ‘Why that old chap that goes about with per- forming dogs, and all that sort of thing, you know.” “ Are you certain he’s one of ’em?” §* Quite so.’ ‘‘ And what name does he go by 2?” ** Old Jemmy,”’ _ “All right,” said Gale; “we can afford to wait a little while; if we only succeed in securing all the lot, it will be a good night's work.” So speaking, Gale got off the steps, and hid him- self under the carayan again, : In a few moments old Jemmy approached, wet through to the skin, He walked up the steps like a man who was per- fectly at home, and he ushered himself in without ceremony. ‘“Hillo, Jemmy, that you ?” said all at once. “ Aye, lads, what’s left on me,” **You look down in the mouth, my lad,” “And well I may be, Hautwig,” ‘‘ Don’t the dogs ‘ take” now, as well as usual ?” ‘“Take !” said Jemmy,; in disgust, “take! the devil, no; things are al] changing now. You see, the tastes of the rising generation used to be for dogs and monkeys, and all that sort o’ thing ; but it's no go now; they wants something more sen- Sational now by half.” _And as he spoke, old Jemmy, the doe ma himself to the contents of a tart bot neat almost drained it to the dregs ere he let it go, Tt will be seen that before old Jemmy arrived, $e OE OG GEomicboo S com