Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 387: what you’re looking at

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

- ~ ~ & ve es oe, Z fA IS y d . (A Vv, SS S : S S beS » RS My Uy = Qr KZ OL 2 SE A Via LG249 ioe, SLES Me SH, . 7 Wy Sta oY Le "0 LA Fo LAD AFIS DI CHE IE: * “ize Lap tie ZILES Gi Ey, ey Lipp Yf/4 <LZ Yj A Ye. — Pe _ - sie ” /~ ‘ [BLUESKIN STOP3 THE CUsT-CHAISE, | Speaking these words, Blueskin paused in his descent, @od produced from his coat-pocket the requisites for obtaining a light. The lucifer-match, so handy then in existence—it had never The materials which Blueskin produced consisted of a bottle of phosphorous and some thin picces of wood. With these a silent and tolerab] y brilliant light could be obtained. The little match which Blueskin lighted sputtered a moment, and then burnt brightly. While the flame lasted, he took a good look around m. He found himself on a circular staircase, neither the top nor the bottom of which was visible. 6 stairs were of stone and well worn, There was scarcely any dust upon them, and from this ae Blueskin argued that they wore frequently made use The match quickly burned out. No 49.—Buurskuy. ee eee No. 49. and convenient, was not been dreamt of. Then he was left in a darkness that seemed ten times greater than it really was. ‘‘ Whereabouts am I, I wonder ?” asked Blueskin, as, stretching out his arms so that with one hand he could touch the wall and with the other the newel of the stair- case, he continued to descend, ‘I can see no windows and no apertures through which I can penetrate, By going in the dark [ may fall into some hideous danger which a light would enable me toavoid. It will bea risk, but I will light one of the wax tapers which I carry in my pocket. The flame will be a tiny one, but it will serve my purpose.” Bloeskin stopped again, and though he ran a very great risk by so doing, lighted one o1 the pieces of wax taper of which he had spoken. It was about four inches in length, and about the thick- ness of his little finger. He was quite right when he said the light would be g tiny one, for such in trnth it was, Btill it was quite enough to auswer his purpose, RE A RE RE RN teal DOO AUUC (SO)