The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

86 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. stride or two, and suddenly stopped as his eye lighted on the sleeping officer. Lashing a coil of cord which he had around him, be made a running noose which he carefully slipped over the officer's head, and then going to a distance, and drawing the cord over the chink of a stone so as to serve as a pulley, he gave it a sudden jerk to awaken the officer. ‘* Hilloa! hilloa!” said the officer: ‘1’ll take (a jerk)—you into (a jerk)—custody (jerk) I’m (jerk}-a—(jerk)—officer (jerk)! I’m choking (jerk)!—Mer—{jerk) cy?’ ‘* Be still, and He quiet,” said a voice. _ “You rascal, [ll take you into (jerk)——” The officer flourished his staff of office, but found himself unable to speak, and was choking in earnest; he accordingly gave in. The mendicant came up and secured him, saying, that if he moved or stirred, he was a dead man, «nd then he began to strip, and dress himself in the officer’s clothes. ‘When they send you from London again,” said the mendi- cant. when he had put on every article of dress the officer had, save his breeches, stockings, and shirt, ‘‘ they should send an easy-chair and a nurse.” The officer boiled with anger, but he couldn’t help himself. There was he, who had heen sent from London as a specimen of superior intelligence and vigilance, at the mercy of the man he was inteut upon taking. He was to be an example to them, and a pretty example he was, too. When the mendicant had finished his toilet, he took the staff, and, flourishing it, he said: ‘* Now I'll take you into custody.” At the same time he turned the officer over, and seized his hands, and then dragged him to the tombstone beneath the window of the church, where Jem, the hostler, had suddenly missed him. Here he thrust some loose rubbish on one side, and put him in head first. | ‘*For the love of Heaven, don’t put me here, I shall starve to death among dead men’s bones.” The mendicant made no reply, but, dealing him a blow on the only part within reach, he covered the poate over again, and left the officer to his fate, and immediately quitted the church- yard. Suddenly there came the cry of ‘“‘Stop him! stop him!” and, on looking, he saw several men who were pursuing another, more out of wantonness than aught else. He drew his staff, and ran toward the man, but when they met, the recognition was mutual. ‘¢ What, is it you?” was the cry of both. ‘¢ For God’s sake, save me!” ‘‘ This way,” said the mendicant, Jumping a ditch that was out of the sight of the people behind, and in another moment they were safe in the wildness of a wood. ‘* Have you turned Bow street ?”’ ‘‘Ha, ha! have you a mind to help me? I was going to Lon, don for a pal,” an comicbooks. com