Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

a a oy BLUESKIN : eE, a A ROMANCE. CHAPTER L. JONATHAN WILD HAS A NARROW ESCAPE FROM THE PISTOLS OF THE THAMES POLICE. 6 Ay—ay! sir, that’s your sort!’ responded the watei- men. “ Pull away, Bill; we shall make a good night’s work of this.” © Yon will,” said Wild, “if you will only take care what you are doing. Don’t allow yourself to be overhauled by them.” “Qh! trust to us, your honour.” Wild shook his head. ‘‘You said that when you were in chase of the other boat, and now where is it?” The men were silent. But they pulled all the harder at the oars. ‘Stop your boat,” said the voice again; “stop your | boat, in the king’s name! The Thames police want to_ come alongside of you!” | “On! on!” said Wild. “On! on!” “Once more, like some huge cloud of vapour, old London Bridge came in sight. The tide was now just at the turn, which made the passage of the arches a matter of no small difficulty, unless they went slowly and carefully through. ay Jonathan would not suffer the men to relax their speed. Pit was runuing a risk, but he felt that doing so was giving him a chance of escape from his pursuers. The boat shot uuder the areh with great velocity. But just as it reached the piers a cross eddy eaught It, and before the watermerigvere aware even of the eireum- stance, dashed the boat against the stonework. A curse came from the lips of all three at this aeeident. The pursuing boat gained on them, for it was full two minutes after they fouled before they eould get elear. Then one of the watermen standing up in the boat pushed them off. At this moment those in the boat behind cried to them to surrender, and the one who stood in the prow fired a istol. P In the darkness, however, it was without effect. Jonathan crouehed himself into the stern of the boat, which now being disengaged was propelled with great rapidity over the smooth water above bridge. But the Thames police, for such they were, found the conduct of those on board of the boat full of suspicion. They had scen them leave in a hurried manner one of the moored vessels. At that time robberies from boats at anchor in the river were of constant oecurrenee. Indeed, to such an extent were the depredations carried, that a special body of police was organized, whose duty it was to serutinize all craft upon the river that presented a suspicious appear- ance. They had challenged Wild’s boat, and the cireumstance of no notice whatever being taken, seemed to show that this time their suspicions were well grounded. Having been recently set about the work, they were auxious to show, if they had an opportunity, their efficiency, and this was an excellent chance. Of course, if Wild had chosen to avow who he was, that would have been sufficient, but he was espeeially desirous | to keep seeret, if possible, his presence on the river on that particular mght. | In the contingency of suspicion being iu any way di- rected against him, it would be well to make out that he had received sueh injuries as to make it a matter of im- | possibility for him to go abroad. A keen wind swept over the surface of the river, bul Jonathan felt grateful for it; it cooled the feverish excite- ment of his brain. The distanee between the boats was now about the game as it was in the outset, though the probabilities were | all against Jonathan maintaining it much longer. “ (et closer to the shore,” he said, “so as to run 10) suddenly, and land me. I will make off, and you ean tell | them that you rowed in by my orders; say I said they | were pirates in pursuit. Pirates was the term applied to those who plundered the eraft upon the river. “Ay, ay, sir. We'll c nage that. A) Jean ¢ 7” “ Anywhere. ee pe es a gaa Where would you | you hung at Tyburn before you are many weeks older. “mht, you will have to answer for it. It does not matter in the least, so that I ! oC Rene Cele ani SN em get ey few minutes’ start of the rascals in that other oat. “ It’s like their infernal impudence to ery out that they are the Thames police.” “That is the device they use, and a good one it is to get vessels to allow them to come alongside, and then they oard them without difficulty.”’ The police-galley kept very pertinaciousiy in their rear. ‘Have you a spare oar?” asked Wild, as he glanced behind him, and saw how close his pursuers were upon him. “If you have, give it to me, and J will help.” “We haven’t one, sir. You get ready to spring ashore. We shall land you direetly.” During the last few moments, the watermen had been’ directing the course of the boat obliquely towards the bank. At last, with a sudden rush they reached the spot whence they had set out, namely, St. Paul’s-steps.”’ You will find ample payment for your night’s work on the seat of the boat,” said Wild, as he sprang on to the slippery stairs, and in 4 moment disappeared in the dark- ness of the night. “Tim,” said one of the watermen. “Yes, mate.” “This is a precious rum start, isn’t it ?”’ ** Tt is.” ““T ean’t make it out at all. seat 2?” ** Yes, here it is. A good heavy purse, too.” “So much the better. Now, mate, here comes the police-galley, for police-galley it is, in spite of all Mr. Wild's monsense about their being pirates. What shall we say! “1 dowt know, I leaves it to you.” “Very well. Then I say don’t make an enemy of Jonathan Wild, because if you do he is pretty sure to get ** Oh, lor!” ‘“Now we have been well paid, and we had better be eontent and keep his secret. He did not want them to know he was on the water to-night, and we won't say nothing about it.” ‘Boat there!’’ cried a loud voice. é¢ Ay; ay.’ There was a grating noise as the police-galley came Is the money on the _ alongside. A bull’s-eye lantern was unmasked, and its beams di- rected upon the wherry. “Who are your” “* Watermen, your honour.” *“'Where’s your badge ?” “* Here.” “Oh! that’s all right. Now, why didn’t you heave-to when we called to you ?”’ in Because our fare told us you were river pirates, after 1M. ‘“‘Pshaw ! and you believed him ?” “Of course we believed the gemman; didn’t we Tim?” * In course.” “Well, harkye, my fine fellows; P’m superintendent of the Thames police, and I have got your badge. Now, if anything turns out to have taken place on the river to- Push off.” The police-galley shot out again into the river. “I’m blest,’ said Tim, ‘‘if you ain’t put us in fora good thing.” “What do you mean?” “We shall be transported, that’s certain.” Not a bit of it.” “Well, you see.” ‘No we are in no danger, let what will happen, for, don’t you see, Jonathan Wild will be sure to get us off to | prevent our saying anything about his being on the river to-night.”’ “Oh! ah! I see.” “We're quite safe, and now let us go baek te the ‘Commodore’s Head,’ and have a drop o’ summit hot and strong.” Jonathan, when he sprang upon the steps, made his way as qniekly as he could through the mass o! strects between the river and Ludgate-hill. But ip a very few moments, on finding himself unpur- cs Beare re se Com (SO) SS DOO ieee ees CE: SRD nate > cin ante, . emi aE PO ee Se