Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 367: what you’re looking at

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

. eg ge. eS — Eee BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE. 365 futurely sustain. Meet me two days hence in West- niinster Abbey, and you shall receive uw reward for what you have done.” ‘Many thanks. IT aim a struggling mau, and do not feel ashamed to confess that just now money is of especial value to me, and that I should be very thankful for your bounty.” “ Do not call it bounty, because itis not. It ts rather the repayment of a service you have done us, of the warth of which we could make no estimate.” “ What time shall I meet you?” ‘At the hour of midnight two days hence I wilt bo in the recess known as Poet’s-corner. When you cone, whistle chirpingly, and you will speedily perceive me make my appearance. “JT will do so, and once again I offer you my thanks.” **Nay—nay. The thanks are due, not from you to us, but from us to you; tor had it not been for your exertions in our favour we should by this time have been wholly in the power of the villain Wild.” While this little conversation went forward, the land- lord and our three friends made their way out of the kitchen, in which the thief-taker and his band lay in sucha state of helplessness, and emerged into the yard at the back of the inn. By this time all traces of the storm had gone. The rain had ceased to fall, and the clouds had vanished, leaving the sky a pure bright blue, studded with brilliant stars, and the moon shining resplendently. Crossing the yard, the landlord led them to the stables in which Wild’s horses had been placed. Their trappings had not been removed. Three of the best were selected, and let out with all convenient speed. Then a fresh difticulty presented itself,and one that had been entirely overlooked. It was this. Edgworth Bess could not ride without a side-saddle. Now, as the reader must be aware, none of Wild’s horses were hkely to he thus provided. But Ross relieved them from this difficulty by finding a saddle which belonged to him, and which he substituted with all speed for the one the horse had previously worn. This done, the three friends mounted, and set off at full speed along the high-road. Ross watched them for some little distance, until at length their forms became nndistinguishable in the gloom, and then turned his attention to a consideration of his own safety. He knew well enough that he should have smal! mercy to expect from the thief-taker when he recovered from his stupor, because he would know, of course, just how he had been treated. **T must fly,” said the landlord, at length ; ‘* it won’t do to stayhere. I must fly, but first I must make known my intention to those within.” Accordingly, after having come to this determination, he re-entered the inn, and, calling his two daughters aside, made them acquainted with bis intentions to abscond for a little while, and gave them express injunctions not to let Wild know anything, but to leave him to take his own course when he awoke. This done, Ross made free with one of the thief-taker’s horses himself, and rode off to stay with a friend of his who lived at a distant quarter of the town, and where he knew he conld remain for a time in perfect security. Leaving him to carry ont his intention, and leaving the three fugitives to make the best use they could of the time before them, we will return to the inn, and relato what took place upon the awakenment of Jonathan Wild. The drug was a powerful one, besides whith a large quantity of ale had been drank, and, as a hberaj quantity had been placed in each tankard, the men were very far wune in Insensibility. J+.49 strange that Wild should have allowed himself to be muue the victim of such a trick. Ove would have thought the great thief-taker would not have been so easily over-reached. But the fact was, he was so elated with the thought that he had at length succeeded in taking all three of our ; Not for one moment did be allow it to be secu that he wished Jonathan to stay. If he tad, and if he had been clumsy in the least, then Wild’s suspicions would have been fully aroused. But as it was, he lad spoken and acted so naturally that Wild was completely deceived by it, and never dreamt that all that was done was the result of preconcer- tion. And so he fell blindly enough into the snare which had been laid for him. He drank the drugged ale himself, without being aware of any peculiarity in the taste of it So did his men. It was just about dawn when one of the janizaries opened his eyes, and began to show other symptoms of returning consciousness. And as they one by one dropped off into their lethargic slumber, so did they awake from it. There were some who felt its effects lingering about their brains rather longer than the rest, but then they had perhaps partaken of more than their proper share. At length Jonathan Wild himself awoke. He glared at first in a confused fashion round Lim. Then he struggled to his feet. The fire had quite burned out, and so had the candles in the sconces along the walls. A dim misty light alone found its way in. But when Jonathan found what had taken place, he gave utterance to one of his most ferocious howls. Whatever members of his band had not recovered themselves were thoroughly aroused by that sound. They all started to their feet. “The prisoners!” yelled Wild, “the prisoners! Where are they ?”’ The janizaries glared round them with the utmost dismay. The prisoners were not to be seen. “We have been drugged,’ said the thief-taker. “ Drugged by the landlord of this infernal public-house, and the prisoners cajoled away. Quick! up, every one of As he spoke, Jonathan Wild made a rush into the bar, which he tound vacant. He could not very well blame any of Lis men for what had happened, for he was as bad himself as they were. But that little circumstance only served to increase his il-humour. He was resolved, however, to lose no more time than he could help, but to at once set forward on the trail. Those he sought, and who he had allowed to slip through his fingers when he thought he had them so tight in his grasp, were doubtless a long way off by now. But he by no means despaired of finding them. First, however, he felt he had a score to settle with the landlord. But he was nowhere to be found. Jonathan, however, was not to be thus balked of his revenge. Another circumstance occurred, too, which: still further served to exasperate him. One of the men who had been sent to the stables, cameo back with the disagreeable intelligence that four of tlie horses were niissing. Jonathan was now utterly furious. He set the example of smashing everything brittle he could lay his hands upon, and lis men assisted him until the havoc made was really dreadful to witness. Then, mounting one of the steeds, the others did like- wise —the horses having to take 1t m turns to carrv double. In this way he renewed the chase. CHAPTER CCLVII. THE FUGITIVES MAKE A STAY AT THE ** COACH AND HORSES,” ISLEWORTH. THE three fugitives were not long in finding, after they left the inn, that the three horses they had taken, belong- ing to Jonathan Wild, were really of first-rate quality. They got over the ground rapidly, in spite of its dis- friends into custody that he, to a very great extent forgot { agreeable character, and Bess preserved lier seat much bos usual caution. And then the hehaviour of Ross, the landlord, was a piece of finished acting. better than her two preservers could have hoped. There was no apparent need for them to make the haste they did, but they knew the character of their dreadful GOMlGaoOokSreo 5}