Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 276: what you’re looking at

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

On al 56, Pere Oa OS BLUFSKIN; A ROMANCE. When Blueskin had qnite assured himseif of this, he | mostly carry some in my pocket. Blue, hold his head up cast down the firebrand, and said, serlously— “‘ Jaek, my friend, and you, Johnson. We have got curselves into a pretty fix. We havo run in here like rats into a trap, and I am afraid here we shall be comfortably canght.” ; ‘Not without giving them some troublo fii%t,’” said Jack. ‘Weare at bay, and now we will fight i¢ gut with them to the death. For one, I am determined not to sur- render with life.” * Bravo, Jack. Now for it.” A tremendous blow was at this moment given to the door; but though it had been so long end so continually assaulted, it gave no more signs of giving way than at first—namely, that it shook in its frame. One great cause of this, setting aside the streagth of the door, was, that the keepers had no proper instruments for knoeking it down. In fact, the only ones they had at all available were the butts of their guns, and these showed more symptoms of giving way than the door itself. They desisted, therefore, and one of them again erled— * Open the door, in the king’s name! Surrender! or we fire upon you.” Then finding all within the hut as silent as before, and that no notice was taken of this appeal, the speaker con- tinned,— ** Make ready—present ”—— He paused, in order to give these within time to sur- render, ere he pronounced the last word. All was still. Tire!” Nhe sharp report of three guns, almost at the same moment, arose with a startling distinetness upon the air. The three bullets with whieh the weapons were loaded went crashing through the woodwork. . The door was thiek, but the lead found a way through it, and was flattened against the opposite wall. It had been an casy enough matter for our three friends to get out of all possible range of the bullets, and neither of them had received the Icast injury. But they saw by this how energetic the men were. ** Shall we return the fire, Blue?” asked Jacek. ‘*Not yet. Weare not in a positiou to do them any harm. Let them go atit. If they fire at the door, we ean easily get out of the way of the bullets.” The men outside seemed rather annoyed to find that their fire was unheeded, for they re-leaded rapidly, and fired again. But this was folly, and they soon found that seme other means of dislodging those within the hut must be devised. ere they eould hope to meet with suceess. A eessation of hostilities now took place, during which they cousulted together as to what was to be dene. They were only three in number, and did not care te ecnd one away to procure additional assistanee. As for those within the hut, they searcely knew what te think of the protraeted stillness—whether it boded them danger or safety. It was Jack who hit upon the thought of questioning the man, through rendering assistance to whom, they had got into this great peril. ‘Whe knows?” he said. ‘ We may learn something important from him respeeting the charaeter of the men who are outside? We ean tell us not only who they are, but why they pursue him.” True! We ought to have thought of that before.” “There is plenty of time yet,” said Johnson. ‘ Let us see. Iam afraid he is past speech.” All three had made their way to the centre of the but, where the fire was burning on the hearth, and close to whieh the wounded man lay. He was quite still. Johnson knvueked the fire to ciler, and the light fell upon his face. One glance was sufiicient to suow that he was cither insensible or dead. The ghastly pallor of his face made all think the latter, and Johnson said— “Tam afraid he is a gone mutton. Hovwever, if there is any life in his body this will rouse it.” Ile took a flask from his pocket as he spoke. ‘There isa drop of pure unwatered brandy in that,” he said. ‘fT thought perhaps it would come in useful. I a little way.” Blueskin held the man in oa half-sitting posture, and Johnson poured a considerable quantity of brandy down his throat. ; That the spirit was strong, the convulsive gasps which the man gave testified. ; _ His face assumed quite a blue tinge, and he seemed in imminent danger of choking. Indeed, the brandy must either have had the effect of extinguisbing his life at once, or recovering him. The chances were about equal. Suddenly, however, Blueskin let go his hold, and the man’s head fell with a dab on to the hearthstone, while &i the same moment he uttered aun ejaculation of alarm. CHAPTER CXCI. WHICH THE ATTACK OF THE OFFICERS UFON THE HUT IS CONTINUED. THE alarm which Blueskin displayed was fully shared in by his two companions. Jobnson dropped the flask, and its precious contents were wasted on the floor. Jack Sheppard started to his feet. All three assumed listening attitudes. The sound which had so alarmed them was the tramp of many footsteps, and then a voice had called out, in true military fashion— ¢ alt 92 IN This was the cause of the effects we have described. Danger now was imminent in the extreme. “The police have found us,” said Blueskin, in ®& whisper. * ) am afraid so.” ** Tt is all over with us, then.” Blueskin was quite right. The party of officers, after going for some distance down the lane without finding any signs of these whom they were in search, came to the conclusion that somehow or other they had passed them. With this convietion they had turned back. Their horses were much fatigued, and so as there was no pressing need to make much speed, they went at a gentle trot, looking carefully around them in every direction as they did so, in the hope of finding some trace of the prisoucrs. It would have been their wisest policy to have done this at first. On their return, they came of course to the plantation, and the idea that this would form a capital plaee of con- cealment oeceurred to all of them. They were debating the matter when the report of the volley which the keepers fired at the door cf the kLut reached their ears. To be sure, this might have nothing te do with the business they were upon, but then again it might, so, by the orders of their chief, all alighted, and the horses having been left in charge of two of their number, the remainder plunged into the weed and made their way as nearly as they could in the direction from whieh the sound had eome. The second volley, following so close upon the other as it did, served materially to assist them, and they pushed onwards regardless of all obstaeies. A very little while brought them to the cleaning. As seon as their leacer saw they had reached their destination, he had cried out halt, and the whole troop, numbering bard upon twenty men, came to a standstill 1a front of the hut. His next step was to speak to the three keepers. ‘What is all this?” he asked. ‘“ Are there any per- sons concealed in that hut?” €6 Yes,”’ ‘Who are they?” ** We don’t know.” * We are in pursuit of the notorious Jack Sheppard, who has just managed to effect another escape from Newgate, and two persons by whom he was assisted. Are they in the hut ?”’ “That’s more than we can tell, sir. As you ean doubt- less tell by our dresses, we are keepers, aud have hunted a poacher through the wood.” EO DOO SS o(CO) >