The Skeleton Crew; Or, Wildfire Ned — page 153: what you’re looking at

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

“THE SKELETON CREW; OR, WILDFIRE NED. 147 attack the escort and secure her; in fact, I have receiyed orders from Lord Rochfort to do so.’ “¢ You ?’ I asked. “* Yes, me,’ she proudly answered; ‘I have a mumerous band at my command, and can do any- thing in that way.’ ”’ “* And why does Lord Rochfort wish to have her captured ?’ ““* Because her beauty fhas enslaved his elder brother, whom he does not desire to marry, for if his brother dies without issue Lord Rochfort succeeds to his vast estates.’ | “<But have you told him that 5 ou can or will do Lbis;?? by oq "wep | _, “SNo,’ she replied, ‘not positively ; she may be _ escorted by a powerful party of well-mounted, well- armed men.’ “¢No matter,’ said I, ‘if she is rich in jewels and diamonds, as you say, leave the matter in our hands, and I warrant we will not only secure the girl, but create no noise or bother about it.’ “* But how 2?” “< Leave that matter to me,’ I replied. “For-some time she would.not consent; but when I had pledged the honour of the crew that no harm, should, befall the wench she consented; and departed, after,telling me the exact time at which the intended brije was expected to pass by that particular part of the roa. * As soon as Hannah had departed I and my com- rades started out to have a look at the road. | “Now, not far from the forest wherein we were concealed; there were cross roads with finger posts. “T hit upon my plan immediately.” And what was it?” Death-wing asked. “Why,to change thefinger posts, and thus: send them in the wrong direction.” “A capital plan,” said Death-wing.” “ And did it succeed ?” asked several. Yes, as I will explain shortly.” “Barly in the morning we got spades and loosened the finger posts, eo as to be able to change them in a few moments. | x “ We waited for hours, but no carriages appeared. “At last, a long way off, we espied two vehicles approaching. “But one was about half a mile ahead of. the other, “The first one contained the intended bride, the farmer’s beautiful daughter, and a female attendant. “Tn the second rode Lord Rochfort’s brother, aud a few friends. Now, I had sent up the road for two of my men, whose business it was in some way to stop or retard the progress of the second coach. } ''®his they managed to do, and very cleverly indeed.” ve “How ?” asked many. “When the bride’s coach ‘approached the cross roads we changed the finger boards. “ The driver followed their painted directions, and instead of going by the main rcad turned short into the forest Carriage way. was . “Before the mistake could be rectified, I had the gates closed after them, and thus they could not re- turn. | ; “Meanwhile, however, those whom I had posted up the road had suddenly thrown a lasso round the horses’ legs, and down they tumbled carriages and all. “My comrades then, before the nobleman inside could get out of the half-smashed carriage, jumped into the middlé of the road, cut the traces, and vaulting on the backs of the horses galloped away, leaving the travellers in the mud, cursing and swear- ing most lustily. ‘They dashed down the road and soon joined me, for I was at that moment engaged with the hinder carriage, “When [ran up to the coachman and threatened to blow his brains out if he stirred, he began to tremble like an ass, much more so, indeed, than the fair one inside, who, all diamond decked, was fair and beautiful, ‘Her attendant fainted as I opéne.] the carriage door, but the other one quickly gave up to me all her trinkets and things of value. *‘ Having secured these, I directed the coachman to drive on along the forest carriage way, for I knew he could not go very far without falling in with Hannah’s tribe of gipsies,” “So you secured all her property ?” “We did; but did not offer any violence to the trembling one.” “What. became of her ?”’ ‘Her coachman slowly drove onwards as I had directed him, and shortly got right into the midst of Hannah’s camp.” ‘Strange to say, among the men there assembled at that moment was Lord Rochfort himself, disguised as a gipsy, and he it was who handed the. bridal beauty from the carriage, while old Hannah, with outstretched hands, pointed to the girl, saying, “Now bas my prophecy come true ?” (See cut in, No. 17). “But what prophecy was it ?’’ Death-wing asked. “Hannah told Rochfort that for a certain sum she could, by means of her magic art, cause the car- riages of the bride to lose its way, and come volun- tarily into her power. It was a trick on her part, but Rochfort believed it to be true, for he knew nothing of what we had done in the matter, and remains in ignorance of it up to the present mo- ment.” “So that is your adventure, eh ?” ‘Tt is, Captain Death-wiog ; we came back to the Rendezvous much ri¢her than we went forth, and without receiving a single scar.” “Very well done indeed,’’ caid Death-wing, quaff- ing off more wine, and becoming yery talkative. “Very well done indeed ; but the thieves or profes- sional gentlemen of the present day are not worth a pinch of snuff compared to what have been in my lifetime.” ‘You have been in France, then, I heard you say ?” observed Redgill. | “ France ! why of course I have ; where.is theresa place I haven’t been to, I should like to know ?, I belonged to a gang there when I was young, “Tt was made up of both English and French ; English I mean. who were obliged to leaye their country for their country’s good, men who proferred exile to death. ) ‘Well, when I was first introduced to the gang, it wasinits full glory.» | ; “We had a great many members; in different parts, but the most cruclamong them all-was one we called the ‘ Scorcher,’ and from him we were always afterwards called ‘ Scorchers.’”’ “This man, hardened as I am now, looked to me like a devil, and through all the years I have lived, I cannot forget the cold-blooded villany of the ‘Old Scorcher,’ who used to roast the feet of all those who would not confess where their money and valu- ables were. Now we are more merciful than that,” said Death-wing, laughing. “ We kill ’em outright, and don’t torture ; its much quicker and better, I think. But let me go on with my story. | CoOnmmiclboo -_