Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 191: what you’re looking at

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

-_, e — BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE ee she little recess and heard a faint sound, he started and listened, fancying he was about to encounter an enemy. The place was profoundly dark. He hesitated to advance. “ Morgan!” he cried ; “‘ Morgan!” « Ay—ay! your honour. ” “ A light here! Quick! <A hght!” Morgan hastily detached one of the lamps from the wall, and ran towards him. = Captain Howlet took it from him with his left hand. In his right he held his drawn sword. Thus provided, he advanced. The lamp shed a clear light around him. He advanced cautiously. Ere, however, he had proceeded a dozen paces, he uttered a loud exclamation, and, dropping his sword, he rushed forward. A scream—loud —shrill—ear-pierciug—followed the act. The reader can guess from whose lips it had come. It was Edgworth Bess. When, with so much hazard, she had descended the rope and found her feet touch the earth, she paused, not knowing what to do. Darkness surrounded her. Not that darkness: which nay be seen abroad, or in a chamber, but such a darkness as 1s found only in the caverns of the earth, where no ray of light ever pene- trates. She knew not what danger might attempt a movement in any direction, and so, bewildered, alarmed, and ex- bausted, she clutched the rope tightly, determined not to quit her hold until she felt herself in safety. It was just at this moment that she heard a footstep and a voice. The latter was known to her. It was Colonel Thorne’s. She felt as though she was about to faint. But fortunately she was able to rally herself from it. made a faint rusthng sound. It was this which had reached the colonel’s ears as he was about to return. Edgworth Bess heard him pause. She heard him call to Morgan for a ight. But so intense was her terror that she found herself un- able to move in the least from where she stood, even | when she saw the pirate approaching with the light. With the strength of desperation, however, she held on to the rope. Then she uttered that awful scream which followed sv close upon the captain’s exclamation. As may be imagined, these eries rang with great shrill- ness through the vaulted chambers, reaching the ears of the pirates, and causing them to hasten to the spot. Captain Howlet, in a second, had darted forward and caught Bess tightly round the waist. : But still she kept her hold upon the rope, nor could he force her from it. But Morgan, although as full of surprise at seeing a pu there as any one well could be, yet retained some of is faculties, and so, drawing his sword, he with one blow severed the rope a few inches above the place where Edg- worth Bess had grasped it. Captain Howlet, of course, ceased to experieuce auy difficulty in dragging his captive with him. He carried her into the outer cavern. The poor girl’s mind and strength almost gave way before the continued attacks which had been made upon it, and she was now in a state ot semi-unconsciousuess. She still retained her hold upon the rope. Captaim Howlet placed her on the ground, and, betore his men had time to express their astonishment at the affair, so inexplicable as it was to them, he cried— Quick! all of you, quick! Morgan, get everything in readiness. We will go aboard at once! ” “Allis quite ready,” said Morgan in reply. ‘“ Follow me, lads, to the outlet! ”’ So saying, Lieutenant Morgan hastened forwazu, while the men, in a disorderly throng, followed him across the cave, and down a long tortuons pissage. The captain quickly raised Edyworth Bess from her recumbent posture, and followed in the rear. The passage was about five hundred paces in length. a oa Upon reaching its extremity, they paused. was in darkness. But the men were too much accustomed to what they were about to need a light, besides it would have been rather dangerous to have shown one. They were opening the secret door in the rocks. But ere they had quite finished their task, there was a strange, grating sound against the rocks, and 2 voice cried, in loud and startling tones— “Forward! forward! Fire upon them if they offer the least resistance! Take them, dead or alive! Forward! forward! The ladder is quite forward! Dowu with them, and then there will be an end to Captain Howlet and his pirate band! ”’ CHAPTER CXXXTI. JACK SHEPPARD REACHES GILBERT-PASSAGE IN SAFETY, BUT HEARS NO TIDINGS OF BLUESHIN. JACK SHEPPARD and the two men who had so strangely left Wild’s service and entered his, proceeded at a good pace towards Drury-lane. It was getting daylight, and, hke those predatory ammals of nocturnal habits, they hastened to find some place where they could conceal themselves during the day. Impulse, without reflection, caused Jack to take the route he did. A moment’s thought would have told him it was dangerous in the extreme, being the first place Wild would go to look for him. Strange to say, however, so engrossed was he with thinking of Blueskin and poor Edgworth Bess, he reached Wych-street before it occurred to him. Then happening to look up, he saw a little way betore him, on the opposite side of the way, the residence of his old master, John Roots, the carpenter. The shop-shutters were shut, and the blinds before all the windows drawn down. In the busy whirl of ideas and incidents to which he had been subject since that might when we first introduced More heavily, however, she leant upon the rope, which ; him to the reader, the original purpose of his revenge | | | — had almost been lost sight of; but now, when he unex- pectedly found himself before his dwelling, thoughts of the past surged up in his breast, and those angry passions which had been for so long dormant, broke forth afresh, with additional fury, from che long rest they had had. Blewitt and Flood looked astonished, and rather alarmed, too, when they saw the change in Jack’s de- meanour. They could not tell what to make of it. “Villain!’? said Jack, hoarsely, apostrophizing the senseless wood-work, “ this is all yonr work! but you | shall yet hve to repent your treatment of the poor appren- { tice, who you would not believe to be honest, because his father was hanged. Tremble, villain! tremble! I have sworn to be revenged; and if it is ten years to come, | shall remember my oath, and keep it!” ‘¢ What’s the row, Jack P” asked Matthew Flood. “ Nothing—nothing! No matter. <A little private affair. Come on.” “Allright. But, I say, Jack!” What P” “Ts it some one you don’t like P”’ * T hate him.” | That is enough. Tell me who he is, and [’ll hack his whistle for him.’ ‘“No—no! Leave him to my hands. be all the sweeter for being long kept.” ‘ But who is he, Jack ?’ “ My master.” “Your master ?” “Ves; I was bound ’prentice to John Roots, the car- enter.” ““That shop over the way ?”’ * Yes, that is it.”’ “Tt says over the door, ‘John Roots, Carpenter and Joimer.’ ”’ “Such is his trade, and such was to have been mine. I should then have been within the pale of society, but now I am for ever shut out. By ill-usage, threats, sneers, and false accusations he raised a demon within me, which Brew, a strong for him at last.” My revenge will _ My father was hanged,” continued Jack, who, when- eves he thought upon this theme, was almost trantic. “ But what had I to do with that. I was not guilty, cr SE re ee ae comicoookks (SO) 5}