Mezzoni the Brigand — page 180: what you’re looking at

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

172 MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. — The man who had been on guard at the entrance of the cave struggled hard at first, but when he got his eyes fairly opened, and saw the number of the attacking party, he gave up quietly, for he knew that resistance was useless, and would only cost him his ife. The men being now all prepared, and the light sufficient, concealment was no longer of any consequence, and a dozen men with ropes, handcuffs, and dark lanterns, rushed suddenly into the cave, the whole party led by the detective. He had se- cured a plan of the interior, carefully drawn by Walter Hammond, so that he knew just where to turn in his first dash to secure the body of the rob- bers. A few shots were necessarily exchanged, but to no avail, or with no very serious result. The blaze of the dark lanterns thrown into the very eyes of the half-awakened banditti only served to dazzle and confuse them, and as their assailants had been in- structed just what to do, and how to do it, there was little confusion. There was hardly one of the band, after ten minutes had transpired, who was not se- curely ironed, and when one proved at all trouble- some. his legs were also tied tightly together until resistance entirely ceased. So complete a surprise and capture could hardly be realized even by the captors themselves. In the meantime the detective had entered. the officers’ quarters, where the lieutenant was seized: and ironed after a little resistance, which cost him a bayonet wound in the side, and his second officer was treated in the same manner, except that, prov- ing still more troublesome, he was knocked sense- less with the butt of a musket. Here also was found lying upon a bed of better construction than the ‘comicbooks.com |