Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 292: what you’re looking at

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

ES Oy aa a AA AS SOE OTS LSAT IST SD NSS CTS SAS A SL ET SI ESAT LE TROL IT SEO RC — OS we 4 ee al nO >) up, and 1 will not trouble the rest, but depart at once ana “eu BEUESKIN: A ROMANCE. ' es OP « The door was opened directly it was seon who sought with them. They are Jack Sheppard and Blueskin. | for admission. They have been watched here, and the place is surrounded, so that they cannot escape. Give them up, and the rest of you may go free.” A momentary silence followed this speech, and then a roice cried— *€ Down with Jouathan Wild! Down with him! Who ean trust Jonathan Wild? Down with him! You are here in strong force to-night, my lads. Down with him, I say! Down with him; and as for giving up Jack Sheppard, that would be a shame.” * Down with him!” repeated at least fifty voices. * Hurrah! Down with bim! Iurrah for Jack Sheppard, the prince of housebreakers! Hurrah!” * You heard that?” he said. ** Yes.” “Tt is all right. Jonathan wou’t take us ina burry. He wiil have to fight well.” ‘“* But cannot we leave this place? I am impatient to begone.”’ “Quietly. Follow me.” Still keeping his grasp upon Jack’s arm, Blueskin made his way across the underground apartment. From the other end, however, there came a bright flash of light. Jack turned back to look. Jonathan Wild, with a body of his men at his back, nearly every one of whom carried torches in their left hands, stood upon the threshold. Their appearance was greeted with a yell from the throats of the members of the “ family,” and, armed with such weapons as they could conveniently lay their hands upon, they rnshed forward and attacked Wild. Of all that large and disorderly assemblage, there probably was not one who had not a personal feeling against the thief-taker. He was their individual and collected enemy. With respect to Jack Sheppard, there was not one of the lawless orew who did not regard him with feelings of the utmost admiration. That he should triumph over Jonathan as he did, gave them unbounded pleasure. And, then, to think that he should have twice per- formed the unparalleled feat of breaking out of Newgate, made them look upon him as some one quite out of the common way. If he was there amongst them—and they had little doubt about the correctness of Wild’s information—they made np their minds he should not be taken prisoner without a desperate struggle upon their part to prevent it. In this place we may as well relate how it was that Wild came to know the precise whereabouts of our two friends. We left him last, after his bootless search in the planta- tion, on his way back to London, having come to the con- clusion that in the great city was the most likely place to find them. Jouathan Wild very well knew he had in his house a species of loadstone, which would prevent Jack from going very far away from it for any length of time. That loadstone was Edgworth Bess. And so, calculating upon the affection of his victim, he turned towards London. Patience, he thought, and then Jack would walk into his hands. Without the occurrence of any incident, he reached London. But when he drew un to the door of his own house in Newgate-street it was quite dark, being between nine and ten o'clock at nicht. Fie dismounted quickly, and left his steed for his men to take care of. Then, as if struck with a sudden thought, he did not est.< his own house, but turned round the corner into the Ols‘oatey. He paused before the lodge gate. As he went up the little stone steps which led to it, and as he knocked at the door, he could tell that something of ax 2ktreerdinary character was taking place within. He peered through the iron spikes above the door, and sore ct again—for his first summons wae taken no notice ot at all. “ What's the matter?’ growled the thicf-taker. “‘ What's the matter P” Mr. Noakes came forward. He held a letter in his hand. “Would you helieve it?” he said. ** Believe what 2” Mr. Noakes made no reply. He simply handed the letter to Wild, ae thicf-taker read it from beginning to end without a word. He could not believe that what he saw was real. He read a second time; and then, when he found there could be no sort of doubt about the reality of what he saw, he burst out into some most remarkable curses, which even had the effect of astonishing all the turnkeys. ‘Ten thonsand devils!” he cried. ‘‘ How long have you had this letter P”’ ** Not ten thousand seconds!” said the governor. “Curses upon my delay! I should have been here sooner. Do you thiuk this young devil’s imp really brought the letter, or 1s it a trick of his P ” ** Goggs here, who was upon the lock, is quite sure of it. He knew him in a moment, and sent Ned after him, but there was no signs of him to be seen.” *‘And yet he walked under your very noses. ‘Curse him! I can’t help admiring him for his courage, but he hasn’t got far off, ’N wager; and I will have him back in his cell before morning.”’ **T only hope you will,” said Mr. Noakes. Ge CHAPTER CCII. WILD REACHES THE LODGE OF NEWOATE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES TOO LATE. JONATHAN WILD ran down the steps into tlie Old Bailey. He swore awfully all the while, aud, had he worn his own hair instead of a wig, he would doubtless have torn it off by handfuls, and cast it down at his feet in the extremity of his rage. , So little time had been occupied in his visit to the prison, that the men he had left at bis door; though they had dismounted, had not dispersed, but were standing in the street in a body, with their bridles in their hands. ‘** Mount!” he cried, as soon as he saw them. ‘‘ Mount, curse yon! and follow me. Jack Sheppard is here under our noses!” Upon hearing this announcement, the men, who had been offered a good round sum each for securing Jack, scrambled iuto their saddles with great alacrity. JONATRAN Jonathan Wild did the same, and putting themse!ves at _ their head, he trotted down the Old Bailey. But though both he and his gang cast their eyes right and left as they passed down the thoroughfare, they could not see any signs of the person they so much wisbed for. In a few minutes they emerged on to Ludgate-hill, then a much more steep and dangerous descent than it is now. The fine rain which had been falling so steadily all the evening, had made the hill very slippery indeed, and such was the dangerous condition 1t was in, that Jonathan had to rein in his steed, and proceed down it at a walking ace. Just. before he reached what is now Farringdon-stree, hut whicli was then Fleet Market, his attention wag attracted by a man who was running on the pavement. This man, whoever he was, no sooner saw Wild than ta changed his course, and ran straight to him. Jonathan drew a pistol, for he did not know whe‘her this new comer was friend or foe, but he judged it was more likely to be the latter than the Sormer. “Mr. Wild, Mr. Wild! Is that you? Isthat you, Mi. Wild?” “ What if it is P”? growled Jonathan. “T know it is; I can tell your voice. How hlucty 2 have met with you.” What is it?” * Don’t you know me?” €¢ No.” “ Stevens, Stevens; I’m Stevens.” ** All right,” said Jonathan. He restored the pistol to his pocket. Stevens was one of the men in the regular police fess aid poared ont at the same time to the man on the iock. | who were friendly to Wild. 3 - ~© to, a aE Aa ae ~ ae Ei a tags COMmiICcooo C S > (SO)