Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 320: what you’re looking at

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

i ee ae SL 81 BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE (creer sige etnagt sem epic een ng en RR Sa a LD but Blueskin knew its exact situation, so he pulled it at | with the exception of a couple ef bolts which he easily once. He had to wait a little while, however, before there was 20 anewer. Then a little gate made in the larger one was thrown open, and a man in the garb of an ostler appeared. Blueskin epoke to him, and what he said appeared to be quite satisfactory, for this man withdrew, and in an incredibly short space of time had a horse and cart ready. Our two friends got in, and drove off at a steady pace. At length they came to the place of their destination. They drew up, however, at some little distance from the warehouse. Blueskin alighted, snd hoppled the horse with some links with which the ostler had provided him, so that the animal! could not etray away from where he was left. The reader will no doubt remember that in the thir- tieth chapter of this narrative we gave a very particular account of Wild’s warehouses in the Horseferry, West- minater. But there will be no harm in our repeating that the place where the booty wae stored was ina kind of vault beneath a shed in the yard belonging to a public-house. The sign of this public-house was the “ Ship and Rain- bow,’’ and the oetensible landlord of it a man named John Qaky, who, like most of those with whom the thief-taker had any dealings, was wholly in Wild’s power. He then kept the public-house in which business was earriedon in a legitimate fashion, but to only a slight extent, though Wild did not grumble about that. In fact, he did not care how few came to the house, for fear something should be discovered. Then Oaky did not care, because he only had trouble with his visitors, and he was not in any way dependent upon what he took for support. And so, at the “Ship and Rainbow,” there was very little done in the way of business. On reaching the front of this house, Blueskin looked up at it, and saw that there was not the least glimmer of a bght in any part. J think we shall find it all right,” be said. “ You see the chief security that Wild has for this place 18 its existence being a profouud secret, and known only to about three persons. “You mean besides himself.” * Just so.” “Then I trust we shall find something worth carrying off. Who is it keeps this public-house P ’ “One of Wild’s men, by name John Oaky, and whois entirely in his power. He esuld have him hanged just whenever he liked.” ** Does‘he keep a dog ?” ** T think not.” ** How shall we get through the gate?” It was the gate le joading into the yar d by the sida of the public-house of which Jack spoke.” * There is only one way, I think.” ** How is that?” “You must climb over, as you ere the hghtest, and then let me in.’ ‘* But how is the gate fastened P ” ** Only with a wooden bar, which goes straight across it.” ** All right, then, I think IT can manage that.”’ ** Up you go, then.” ‘You are sure he does not keep a dog?” **T don’t think he does, but you had better keep a good look-out. I should not like to say for certaiu.”’ ** Help me up, then.” Blueskin assisted Jack Sheppard to reach the top of the gate. Hore, nowever, Jack paused a moment, and locked down into the yard. But ali wes quiet, and he could see nothing indicative of danger. Accordingiy, he lowered himself silently ane carefully into the yard. With great suddenness, however, on reachizg i ae ground he turned his beck to the gate, and stood ia @: attitude of defence. This proved to be an unnecessary caution. Finding there was nothing to dread at present, he hastily toox down the wooden bar, and found, as Blueskin had eaid, that it wag the only fastening the gats had, nama, \ toe Dd BRR ee ee Oe Kee ee FO” withdrew. The gate then swung open, and Blueskin entered. nae led the way across the yard to the door of the she This he knew was locked, but from a pocket in the breast of his coat he produced a baneh of skeleton keys. He felt these with his fingers one by one, and from being familiar with the proper key, he was able to tell which would anewer his purpose. He thrust one which he selected into the lock, which, no less to his gratification than Jack’s, yielded. They passed through into the shed as qnickly as poa- sible, and then Blueskin, removing the key! from the outer eide of the door, locked them in. The darkness when he had done this was most intense. Jack did not move, but stood just where he was when the door was closed. Blueskin’s next act was to produce from his pocket a dark lantern and some thieves’ matches. Let him be where he would, he always had the mate- rial for procuring a light somewhere about his person. ven when he could have told for certain that he should have no occasion to make use of them, he always took them in his pocket. The interior of the shed was now ilumined by a faint blog light. Then the flame from the match, having been commu- nicated to the wick of the lantern, our friends were en- abled to see about them. As on the former occasion, the floor of the shed was littered with straw. Going to one particular spot, however, Blueskin re- moved this straw, and then some flagstones were revealed. His next act was to hand the lantern to Jack, while he felt in his pocket for some instrument that would serve to raise the stone which covered the top of the steps leading down into the warehouse. A simple-looking housebreaking implement, looking something like a hook, did the business. He fixed it into the crevice of the stone, and, exerting all his strength, pulled it up in the fashion of a trap- oor. Having done so much, both listened in order to ascer- tain whether any alarm had been given, and whether any sounds came from below. But they seemed to have the place entirely to tham- selves, both within and without, above and below. “Ts all right, Jack, Ido believe,’ said Blueskin, “and eae think we shall have half the trouble I thought we shou ‘** Let us make haste, Blue. There is nothing to pre- vent our descending the steps at once, is there. 7 No; but let mo go first, if you pleise.”’ . No, no. ** But I say yes.’ “Why Pe” a “ Because I know the way better than you do. descend after me carefully.” With this Blueskin went down the steps leading to the warehouse, with Jack close at his heels. On reaching the bottom of the flight of steps, which were very few in number, they paused and listened again, but as they heard nothing, they felt themselves endowed with greater confidence, and were almost certain there was no one in the subterranean passage. They now found themselves in asmall vaulted chamber. But its appearance was very different to what it was when Jack saw it before. Tnen it was piled up with a large number of packages, all tied up and labelled. There were several paparee of them at least there, but now there were scarcel They ascertained this ‘by Blueskin waving the hght up and down. “This is “What?” “ We have got into this nothing worth taking away. “The devil !’ “‘ Jonathan seems to have made a general movs. ** Did he always keep a large stock of things roan “‘ There used to be at times.” ** How did he dispose of them P”’ Jast just what I feared, Jack,” he said. place easily, but there will be Waite Saya: mee Seria PUG noe tera Aas - aware YAR es - & pct? SN nu EO DOO (C <S (SO) 5}