Penny Blood Serial Cover — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

| 118 ALFRED DE ROSANN. That was the signal to his companions for a recom- mencement of their brutalities, and in a moment Edouard was again hurled from one to the other. It was then that his piercing screams thrilled so fright- fully in the ears of the soldiers, and echoed around the gloomy prison. His limbs were dislocated in the demoniac sport —his yells were disregarded — his eyes almost started from his head—his teeth were knocked out—his mouth was dripping with gore. A convict, perhaps from merciful motives of putting a speedy end to his miseries, or else with savage thirst for blood and cruelty, raised his chains, and struck the unfortunate boy a severe blow on the head. ‘Then the screams suddenly ceased ; and a shapeless, filthy, disgusting mass of flesh, without the slightest sign of life, fell at the feet of De Rosann and Belle-Rose, who exchanged looks of unutterable horror. But before the sanguinary deed was accomplished, and while the screams of f.douard yet thrilled in every ear, the soldiers, awaking to energy from a pause which was only of sufficient duration to allow them to inquire and discover the cause of those heart-rend- ing yells, proceeded, by the command of their officers, to force a passage to the centre of the throng, with the intention of rescuing the victim from the clutches of his murderers. They, however, experienced a fierce and powerful opposition. Many of the convicts had disencumbered themselves of their iron fetters; and converted them into weapons of defence. ‘The strife was therefore savage—much blood was shed—and the contention had assumed.a most serious aspect, when the sad cause of it, deprived of life, was thrown at De Rosann’s feet. The combat still raged: the soldiers endeavoured to secure those convicts who had succeeded in extri- cating themselves from their manacles, and to compel the others to return to a state of tranquillity and order; while the galley-slaves fought to resist the military. In the midst of the confusion—when the turmoil was at its greatest height—when cries and shouts made a COMMICLOOOKS.€O iets at tag) ee