Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 36: what you’re looking at

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

pe Poon. - i Be Re Re I Ee ro = ap SRE eal, 3 34 ste 3 SS wher smo eee sat &@ CaS Vee init were n : necessary. Fearing. xen, that Blake should think be wa. boldin back from fear, Jack let go of the ladder, and ihgeped the remainder of the distance. He alighted on the soft mould with but little injury save | the shake. The dog, upou secing approach another of his enemies, made a furious efiort to get free from Blueskin’s grasp. But in vain. Quick, Jacl, quick!” the latter exclaimed, in o. hoarse whisper. ‘‘ Quick, help me, or we are lost! Knife the brute—knife him, I’ll hold him tight the while.” Acting upon this hint, Jack elasp knife from his pocket, and crept forward tc stab the dog. But despite Blake’s assurance that he would hold the dog tightly, he found it beyond his strength to do so, and | they rolled over and over, and round about so fast, that it | waa hard to distinguish one from the other, and, certainly, to have made a stab with the knife wonld have been hazardous in the extreme. But at last Jaci himself grasped the brute with his left hand, and then with great suddenness plunged the knife just under his shoulder into his heart. A torrent of blood gushed forth as he withdrew the knite, and the dog, in a moment ceasing his struggles, fell back quite dead. The wound was instantaneously fatal. Jack wiped his knife, and dragged the dog off the body of his friend. It was a large and, doubtless, valuable specimen of his species, and it required all the strength of which Jack was possessed to move him when he was dead. Breathless and exhausted, Blueskiu rose to his ‘eet. Fortunately he had received no hurt from the dog, with the exception of such as had been inflicted by his claws, and these, painful as they were, Blueskin cared not for. “That was a very narrow escape, Jack. Why didn’t you come to my assistance earlier? You would have saved me a good deal of strength and one or two seratches,” ‘'T came as soon as I could. The ladder swung about so that I could not get down. Look here, how it bas served niy hands, the skin is all off the back of them. I het £0 when I was half-way down, but as I lighted on a carden-bed it didn’t much matter.”’ “We have both been in the wars. Confound the dog. However, let us he thankful it is no worse. Pick up the bag of tools again, it is just at the bottom of the wall, and come on as quickly as you can.” Jack oheyed ; and in a minute or two after stood with te at the door which opened from the kitchen into the yard. This the spy, who under the garb of a beggar, had a day ov two before visited the place, was fastened merely by two bolts, one near the top aud the other near the battom of the door. There was no lock, but a drop latch only. Acting then upon this informatiou, Blake cut two cir- eular holes in the door, through which he could intr22uce lis hand, and then noiselessly drew back the bolts. Jack’s excitement was intense when Blueskin lifted the Jatch and opened the door. 48 soon as they were inside, Blake lighted a dark lantern and cautiously looked about bin. All was well! Beckoning Jack to come in silently, he closed the door ; and again having recourse to the bag ot tools, he took therefrom a couple of pairs of slippers. ‘These were of wadding, covered with silk, and made large enough to fit over the ordinary boots. _ OF course, when they were on, their footsteps would be inaudible. Blueskia handed a pair to Jack, and motioned to him to pnt them on. Titis done, the next things he produced were two masks of black crape, which were sewn up into folds. en the one which was given to him was on, Jack found that he could see through it with considerable dis- tinctness, but Blueskin’s face was perfectly invisible. + his, then, was an effectual precaution against their fuces pelng recspaized, if they should happen to be discovered. ou BLUESKIN : ER A A SSS a PP 7 SS Sp Ineskin was so expert that this scarcely ever hap- | A ROMANCE. | OR eee ee ae ee i ee Re come to his issistance, which he was sure he would not do pened to him, yet, for all that, he never failed to provide against contingencies. Ilaving now effected aa entrance, and made all their | preparations, it remained, of course, for thein to secure their booty as speedily as possible, and decamp. Accordingly Blueskin unfastened the door leading from this kitchen into the interior of the dwelling, and passed through it. They then found themselves on a square landing, from which ascended two steps leading to the principal or entrance hall of the mansion. The silence of the grave prevailed, which even the pre- sence of the two burglars did uot break, for owing to the rew a very formidable | thick wadding slippers they had on tkeir steps were per- tectly noiseless. Jack Sheppard followed his accomplice up the broad staircase in the hall conducting to the rooms above, With the greatest certainty as to his course Blueskin ascended the second flight, and paused before a door at the extremity of a narrow passage. Using the greatest caution he took hold of the handle and turned it gently round. The door yielded. But as it turned upon its hinges it made an ominous creaking sound. Still it was not sufficient to awaken a sleeper. The pair glided into the room. The deep breathing of some person in a sound sleep reached his ears. Blueskin carefully withdrew about an inch the dark slide which covered the Jens of the lantern. By the beam of light thus sent forth the whole of the apartment was bit by bit revealed. On every side were tokens that no cost had been spared in the furnishing of it. Heavy draperies, thick carpets, massive and gorgeously- carved and gilt articles—all combined to produce an air of perfect luxuriousness. Blueskin placed the lamp on the floor, and sinking down crawled on all fours towards the bed. Upon reaching it he hfted up the valance and peeped underneath. What he sought was there. It was a strong box. Increasing, if possible, the caution which had charac- terized all his previous movements, Blueskin grasped with his right hand the iron handle in the end of it, and began with an exertion of strength of which few men would have beeu capable to drag it towards him. As it slipped slowly and steadily, without a jerk, over the thick carpet, it scarcely made a sound. To Jack, who stood watching his proceedings, it seemed to take an age to get the chest fairly out from underneath the bed. But at last, and without the least noise being made, it was accomplished. Blueskin paused a moment for breath. He listened at the same time. But as all in and about the place seemed to be ina state of utter repose, he proceeded to continue his operations. His next act was to take a bunch of small-sized skeleton keys from his pocket. He looked closely at the keyhole of the box, and then selecteda key which he thought would answer his purpose. Jack watched him with the greatest anxiety. Iaving chosen a key, Blueskin placed it in the loek. It turned slightly. Imagining, then, that it was only necessary for him to exert a little force to make the key turn in the wards, Le pressed upon the bowl. Instead, however, of producing the expected effect, to his utter confusion and dismay a bright flash of hght shot forth, which was immediately followed by a lond and stunning report, which would more than suffice not only to alarm oné nousehold, but a whole neighbourhood. CHAPTER AXIII. THE MYSTERIOUS STRONG BOX 13 THE MEANS OF BRINGING DANGER ABOUT THE EARS OF THE TWO HOVEE- BREAKERS. BLUESKEN, with a ery of pain and rage, sprang to his feet. Jack snatched up the lantern. But the strong bor.as u deeming the explosion not RR EEE ae INP dB aggre A PRP lh rag Ar CD, TNS C—O RE A es ELI PAN UT noni SN aere OE RAOUR UIP Os STUN EF “2 ~~ o—- MICLOOOKS.CO >