Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 255: what you’re looking at

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

a Ce WEES BLUESKIN: 4 ROMANCE. before, and used to think they were dealing with some one who was not of this world. ““There wag something else about him, too, that was very strange. As you must all know, there is always a houso or two in London where a knight of the road is to be met with when he is off duty, but 16 was not so with Captain Blackford. At all the kens he was as great a mystery as anywhere, and they knew no more of his whereabouts than anybody else did. ‘As I told you, he used to ride a beautiful hurse— always the same one—and as for speed and strength, I should think her equal was not to be found. *“Of course, as the officers were sert out specially to capture him, they got upon his track more than once, and gave him chase, bnt they never could catch him. He would fly before them on the road, and they would think they were gaining on him, when all of a sudden he would disappear, as though he was a ghost, and no after searck- ing would find him. ‘ All this, you may he eure, made him more feared than ever, and increased his reputation not a little. ** At length, however, it was noticed that he always dis- appeared somewhere about the same spot, and that put the officers a little on the scent. “The elue was a faint one, and they resolved to follow it np, but they could find nothing whatever that looked suspicious. “There was only one residence near this place, and that was called Friendly Hall, and was occupied by a highly- respected quaker gentleman, by name Aminadab Gilchrist. ‘* He was very well known, and universally looked up to and admired, in spite of his peculiar ereed, and, indeed, he was considered one of the first gentlemen in the eounty. “This threw the offieers off the scent sgain. They would as aoon have thought of looking for the sun at mid- night as Captain Blackford, the notorious highwayman, at Friendly Hall. “They kept a sharp watch all round the place of disap- pearance, in the hope that they should see their prey make his appearance there again. But in this they were always disappointed. They would hear of him twenty or thirty miles off. “Well, all this looked very strange, and everyone's xcitement and curiosity got wound up to the highest itch. a Then the summer came, and during the warm light nights nothing at all was heard of him. “Tt is really astonishing how soon the world forgets anyone. This wasa notableexample. Before the winter came round again, he was no more thought of than if he had never existed. “They were soon reminded, though. The secretary of state wag coming up from Bristol! in his carriage—no, let me see, J. almost think it was Bath; however, that don’t matter a straw—he was coming up to London, anyhow, aftet a few month’s absence, when, having almost reached the end of his journey, he was stopped by Captain Black- ford, and robbed of everything valuable he had with him. ‘“This created a great fuss, and the secretary of state doubled the reward, and added a couple of hundred pounds out of his own pocket. “This started the officers again with fresh spirits, for altogether the sums now offered for his capture amounted to six hundred pounds. ‘¢ They set out, and for a long time were unsuccessful im meeting with him, but at length, on the Uxbridge- road, they heard a couple of screams, ao, riding forward, Shey same to a carriage, the occupants of which had been robbed by the very individual of whom they were in search. ‘From inquiry, they learned he had not left five minutes, and had taken the direction of the open country. ‘This was enough for the officers. Away thoy went, and soon heard the clatter of a horse’s hoofe upen the ground. But although they spurred their horses to the utmost, they were unable to come up with him, and they returned to Bow-street defeated and disappointed. ‘* But they were determined not to be conquered, aad kept up the chase. _ “The winter, I recollect, set in very early, and in Sep- tember we had several very heavy falls of snow, which succeeded each other with little intermission. ** After one of the snow-storms a sharp. hard frost had LS SO ge rng ney “Smee nyee ya epee aS CSET NORE fP FN AUP PCIE NOI TEES TO set in, and the enow, which lay upon the ground was covered with a strong, crust-like ico, and which crackled and gave way before everything that was put on it. “This was just the state of the road when the officers made another excursion after Captain Blackford. “ At Tyburn-gate they came up with him once more. “é i was standing there, waiting for the pike to be opened, “The officers were upon him almost before he was aware of it, but, turning round his head, Le saw their dark forms plainly revealed against the white ground. *““ At this moment they called to him to surrender, but he took aot the least notice of what they said. “* All he did was to back his horse a little, and as the pikeman would not open the gate, he leaped over it. ‘* As soon as the officers saw what he was about, they hastened forward and fired upon him, but whether any of their shots proved effective was more than they could tell; at all events no notice was taken of them. ‘The gate was opened, and they all dashed through. ** They had now, they considered, the finest possiblo chance of hunting him down if they kept close after him, for the track which his horse made in the snow was very distiuct, and consequently could he easily followed. ** Somehow or other it almost seemed as though tho highwayman had) overlooked the circumstance of leaving so plain an index as to the road he had taken as ha did, but what happened afterwards tended to some extent to explain this. ‘‘ Away they went, however, at full speed, until the same familiar ground was reached where be had so often disappeared. “Now, they thought, surely they would get at the heart of the mystery. “The place at which this disappearance had _ taken place was where the high-road tvok a sudden curve round to the n¢ht. “On one side of the road was a low hedge, with several Immense meadows beyond. **On the other side was a kind of park, or rather plan- tation, belonging to the gentleman quaker, Aminadab Gilchrist. “* But this was screened from the road by a high wooden paling, composed of upright pieces of wood, made so as to lap over one another, and the top of which was at least eight feet from the ground. “Behind this grew some trees, and the top of the woodwork was detende by sharp iron spikes. “Tt was clear no mortal horse cou!d ever have leaped such an obstacle as that. “This paling was of great length, extending toa dis- tance of at least a mile, perhaps more. “On reaching this place, then, for the highwayman still kept in advance, the officers found, as they had fully anticipated, that their prey had disappeared.” eee CHAPTER CLXXVI. THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT IS SPENT BY THE PRISONERS AND THEIR JANITORS IN A CONVIVIAL MANNER. Just ag the turnkey reached this point in his narration, and when, of course, the interest of his auditors was fully excited, a trampling of footsteps was heard outside, and the door of the cell was thrown open. It was the three men who had come to relieve their comrades, whose term of duty had expired. But, by the request of the prisoners, and the consent of the new comers, the three whose turn was off remained a little longer while the tale was finished, which, as ean be seen, is rapidly approaching its termination. An interruption of several minutes’ duration, of course, occurred, but in a little while silence was restored. “ Now then, Jim,” they cried, “ make a finieh cf it. “* Hear, hear.” “© Yon have done it well so far; keep it up.” The turnkey smiled and nodded his head at tnis com- pliment, then went on. , “T gaid when they got to the usual place the high- wayman had disappeared. “Being quite determined this time not to be haffled, they pulled up, and alighted from their steeds. The prinia of the horses’ hoofs could be plainly = ee COmiIcboooks (SO) 5}