Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 336: what you’re looking at

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

“ T will,” said Jack. “ Very well; perhaps you will be the best, as you are such a light weight. Don’t make xny more noise than you can help. We will help to lower you through tho wiv- dow. ‘Thanks; I shall manago it.” Jack Sheppard got out of the window feet foremost, and the landlord and Blueskin held him by his bands, and so let him down. _ At the suggestion of Blueskin, Jack did not aluft lnis grasp to the window-sill, and drop after holding by that, but they fairly lowered him down, ho keeping hold of their hands until] they hung half-way out of window. Jack had then only a few inches to drop, which he did noiselessly, and without creating any alarm. Without pausing, the moment ho felt himself upon his fect he looked round for the ladder, as he had been di- rected, and espied it lying down at the foot of the wall. It was a short, light ladder, and yet quite suilicient to auswer the purpose required. With more strength than any ono would have thought he possessed, Jack raised the ladder, and placed it against the window-sill. Ile was not a moment too soon. From somewhere in the upper regions of the house there came a horrible ery, which was immediately responded to by another. : Then followed the rushing of many footsteps down tho stairs. “That's Wild, I would stake my life!” said Blueskin, the moment he heard the hideous cry. “ We are found t.’ ‘Then the best thing you can do is to make haste. Here’s the ladder. Down with you.” ‘¢T will go first,” said Blueskin, “Sand then you assist the lady to follow me.” “Very good; Tlisee to that. Make haste.” Blueskin got on the ladder and descended 1t a little way, then Bess was placed upon it, and he assisted her to the best of his ability. Jaek stood at the bottom of the ladder to steady it during their descent. But we must leave them for a moment, while we take just a passing glanee at Jonathan Wild, and expluin the cause of tho ery which Blueskin felt so certaiu was uttered by the thief-taker. It will be recollected that we left Wild in rather an awkward predicament. After his struggle with Jaek and Blueskin he had rolJed down the tiles, and gone with full force against a time- worn parapet, whieh gave way before the sudden shock with which his bulky body went against it. Then, amid a mass of masonry, he had fallen down, not on to the ground, which was some fifty or sixty teet beneath him, but into a large open cistern, which was nearly full of water. The blow upon the head which he had reeeived from the butt-end of Blueskin’s pistol, for a moment completely stunned him. But the thief-taker’s head was made of uncommonly hard materials, as the pumberless blows it had withstood would testify. So when he went with that awful crash against the parapet, it went a long way towards restoring him to eon- solousvess. The sudden immersion in the cold water conipleted the process. Had his insensibility eontinued, he would certainly have been drowned in that cistern. As it was, having partial poszession of his faculties, though his brain was somewhat confused, be plunged and tumbled about til] he got out of the water. This was accomplished by standing up on his feet, when the water in the tank reaebed up to his breast. Then he commeneed the most horrible ululatroy whieh could possibly he conceived. The roaring of the most ferocious wild beast would havo eunk into insignificance in comparison with it. He continued this little amusemout until Lis powers failed him. And not till then did he make the discovery cant the monstrous howling he had set up did not aid Lim in the east. ~~ oho BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE, re a at teas acacia aaaataad about doing something else that would aid him with all the speed ho eould. Jonathan Wild was a man gifted with uncommon energies, and it is much to be pitied that he did not direct them in somo useful pursuit. He was, indeed, indomitablo, never allowing himself to be daunted by the most adverse oecurrences. Accordingly, having ceased howling, he looked about him, and then perceived what he might have perceived long before, if he had only had the sense to look. This was, that thero was a window just on a level with the tank. The window opened into ono of the rooms in bis own house. So immediately was this over the tank, thal, had any one been within the room which it illuminated, they would have been able to dip water out of it with tho greatest ease. Jonathan’s gratifieation knew no bounds when bo saw that window, and he inwardly blessed the friendly architeet who had had the forethought to place it in so excellent and so useful a situation. Before he attempted to get through it, however, he swilled his head and face well with cold water. This done, he made a frantic dash at the latticed cases ment, and pulled it open. Another moment and he was standing within the room. Ue could not subdue the utterance of the burst of triumphant laughter which came to his lips as he did so. But he did not waste time. Hurrying to the door, he threw it open, and once more hastily ran across the landing to the foot of the attic stairs. But, in his haste, he forgot all about the body of Steggs which lad fallen downstairs, Tt lay upon the landing. We say it becauso it was searcely possible for any one to survive sneh a wound as Steggs had received, and cer- tainly impossible if skilful and surgical aid was not 1mme- diately administered. The body of Steggs, then, lay extended upon the landing not far from the foot of the attie stairs, without the least signs of motion. liurrying forward, Jonathan caught his foot against the prostrate form, and, unable to reeover his lost equilibrium, he fell heavily over it. ; The stairs were placed just so as to reeeive his unfortu- uate head, which came down upon them with such a eraek that it made the whole house echo and tremble again. It was responded to by a deep groan whieh eanio from the lips of Steggs, who was suffering great anguish. Jonathan Wild lay for a moment qnite as still as the body over which he had fallen. ‘hen he sprang to his feet. Ilis first impulse was to salute the body over whieh he had fallen with half-a-dozen heavy kicks, each one of whieh was followed with a groan trom the lips of the wounded man. But so far from having any humanising effect upon Wild, he drank them in like music. Then, blinded with rage and pain—his body achiug In every joint—his head seeming as though it would spht— he rushed up tho attie stairs. With desperate fury, and guided by that instinct by which madmen and dronkards are governed, he reached the foot of the ladder leading to the trap-door. Up thiz he went without making one false step—over the parapet, passing by unmoved the seene of his late aceident, and all the while heaping the most horrible curses upon the heads of Blueskiu and Jack Sheppard. Still under the guidance of the instinet to which we have adverted, he reached the window opening into the attic of the lodging-house. No sooner, however, had ho crawled in and given a glanee round the empty chamber, than Quilt Arnold, followed by several of Lis men, rushed in. Then Jonathan had uttered that ery which kad s0 startled the fugitives upon the first-floor, and which made Blueskin quite certain that their arch enemy was once more upon their track. : A few words passed between Quilt Armold and his But, when he acquired this piece of Enowledge, he set | ferocious master. a wal ea ae — eager Se — ne TE er enti i - Oe I ae te a Pat OR! Rin SATO Ange ee DERE Cg GT En nell comicooolkks > (SO)