The Skeleton Crew; Or, Wildfire Ned — page 36: what you’re looking at

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

——— ee OF eee SR oe ee, ee 30 THE SKELETON CREW OR, WILDFIRE NED. river bank; or perhaps the babbling waters, Come, quickly, I say !” | “Qh, help! ‘murder !” sighed ‘a voice near by among the ozier bushes. “D=nation!’” growled Blood, half ‘to himself, “that lout is still alive! Would for’ a thousand crowns he were dead! -Come, lassie, think no more of it; it was your imagination only, nothing else, IT assure you.” “Oh; ‘help!”' sighéd the ‘voice again, faintly. “Ellen Harmer, I am dying! Beware of the courtly villain! Help!” 7 ‘Tis my name 'that he calls)’ said Hllen, turning red,‘ Unhand'me, sir; and if you are a man help ee discover who and what this poor ‘creature is ”? - > , “Help !” faintly sighed the voice from among the’ trees, i ‘Tis the voice of Andrew,” said Ellen. “‘ Some foul villany has been here at work ; this blood upon the planks is his !” 66 Help }? ? “Tis Andrew Gamble’s voice.” “D—nation !" growled Blood, and, then, in a persuasive voice, ‘Come, fair one, come ; ’tis all imagination, believe me! Hark! do you hear the loud shouts of the villagers? Come, let’s haste away ; the Skeleton Crew are butchering all they fall across. Come, haste !” Blood put his strong arm round Ellen’s waist, and halfby persuasion, half by force, bore her away, pale, trembling, and more dead than alive. ‘““Egad! ’twas well I used mild force with the pretty wench,” said he, “or she would have dis- covered all. I must return, if possible, and give that rustic a finishing touch ; it will never do to let him recover and go babbling over the village, or we may be traced to London, and then all fun would end. "Twas lucky she didn’t look in the fight direction’ as I did, or she would ‘have seen Master Andrew washed by the river among the bull-rushes on the bank. TI just caught sight of his face in the fitful moonlight ; how white and horri- ble it looked |”. ' ) 7 He was. 80 impatient to bear off Hllen Harmer to his carriage that he actually took her up in his arms, -°Dhis he’'explained ‘to ‘the ‘struggling maid by saying that they were pursued, ‘Faint,’ weak, pale, and unresisting as she was, Ellen Harmer was 80 terrified at all she had heard, that it took but little to convince her that what all Blood had said was true. With the soft tongue of a deceiver, then, he con- soled her ; while, with the strength of a young ox, he tore off his fair prize with the greatest ease. “This is a good night’s work,” thought he, as he hurried forward ; **his majesty will amply reward me for all this trouble, aid, who knows, may raise me to the peerage, for many a man has had that reward for doing less than I have.” Thus he mused as he went on his way. Ere long he approached the spot where Jonas had agreed'to place his carriage and horses, His own saddle horse was there, truly, but not the carriage. “How is this?” growled Blood, .‘ Surely. that fool, Jonas, could not have misunderstood me? I told him near this spot,” He was now approaching the church, and resolved to wait near an old archway close beside the village ‘green, with its May-pole, until such time as Jonas should appear with the carriage, He remained close under the shadow of the old archway, but all wag still, — aes I i a Sm er yee ee ee + ene - ee he The village green, with its May-pole, was deserted. . Not: a soul was visible, He threw his cloak around the miller’s daughter, and tried to comfort her. All at once, he was astonished at the sight he saw, His own carriage dashed up, and passed him at a furious rate. The driver was a skeleton ! Behind the carriage stood, in grim outlines, two skeleton footmen, cocked-hats and all. Inside, Colonel Blood could see four or five skeletons, who grinned and laughed hideously as they looked out of the window and shook their bony hands in triumph. In the midst of the inside passengers, Colonel Blood saw two prisoners. One was the Colonel’s coachman, the other was the fellow-footman of poor Jonas ! This unearthly and ghastly apparition was not seen by Ellen Harmer, for Blood’s cloak had been adroitly thrown over her head and face the moment the strange and horrible coachman appeared in sight, It must be confessed that this coach-load of grim skeletons filled the colonel with wonder, if not with fear, “T should never have believed it had I not seen it,’ mused the bold colonel. : At that moment his horror even increased ten- fold, as was that‘ of the fair Ellen. Loud laughter was heard proceeding from the village green, It sounded not like that of mortal, He hastily turned his head, as also did Ellen, They both looked through the old archway to- wards the May-pole, The sight they then beheld was appaling. Round the May-pole dancedia circle of skeletons ! On top of it there sat perched a grim-looking skeleton, playing ear-piercing, diabolical music from some sort of flute made out of human bones. One of the dancers had a tambarine, with jingling bells. As they danced and capered about in most fan- tastie styles, they shook their bony hands in a dismal manner, which made Colonel Blood’s flesh to creep again. Directly Ellen Harmer caught sight of this dreadful exhibition, she fell back into Blood’s arms. She now fully believed all that the colonel had told her, and relied upon his protection as a man of honour. She was too much frightened to speak, and trembled violently as the colonel supported her. But Blood seemed fastened to the spot. He looked, and looked again at the terrible dance of the skeletons, He had never dreamed of ever seeing anything so hideons or horrible, ‘Who and what are they?” said Blood, half aloud ; ‘are they men or devils? ” * Devils |”? said a chorus of unseen voices, “* Who stabbed Andrew Gamble? Ha, ha! Who wants to run away with the pretty daughter of Harmer the miller, eh? Go, tell your master what you have seen—go, tell him; he may one day expect us. Away, Colonel Blood, away |” These words were uttered in such fierce tones, and with such a hissing sound, that they grated on Blood’s ears. ‘T fear not man nor deyil,” he growled Savagely in return, Gomichboo S (E(0) =