Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 150: what you’re looking at

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

146 IVAN THE youtks rode to the front, and discovered tha Ivan and his followers had surmounted the prison. ‘> Quick as it might seem to be, Bob the Bully had been tried and convicted that very morning. But this is explained in the fact that when Harl Percy had discovered that it was he, among others of the Forgers, who had attacked his mansion, he summoned all his servants -and friends around him, who proved the bully’s guilt before Judge Harly, and the testimony was so blasting, and the Bully’s prewious character_so very. black, that he pleaded guilty, and was condemned to be beheaded. = ; This severe sentence would not have been passed tipon him but for the startling fact made known upon the trial, and sworn to by severak prominent gentlemen and men of the night-watch, that the same “ Bully” had pee ee several pretty girls, and forcibly taken them to the Forge, where they were quickly violated and ruined, but that also there were fio less than three warrants out against him for wilful murder ! : ZX, To such a villain no mercy could possibly be shown. | For months and years he had lived openly at the Fouge among his cut-throat companions, and defied all the attempts of justice to secure him. . ie eek As, therefore, there were several other great malefactors to be executed on the following day, Judge Harly deemed it prudent that the awful ceremony should take place 48'soon as possible. ate This startling intelligence had been conveyed to Ivan at the earliest possible moment by one of his many spies: Ivan swore with many strange barbarous oaths that Bob the Bully should not suffer. ye ex 3 There was a particular réason why Ivan desired the Bully’s release, | oe Bob knew much of Ivah’s doings that he feared the Bully might make known in his last hours; and thus criminate him- self and his band. , When, therefore, Will Witter and his Apprentices came in sight of the gaol, Ivan, with a numerous gang of desperate ruffians, who were also there, rent the air with their shouts, and prepared for the contest, which they knew was in- evitable, |. Ivar aa Big band had beaten back various parties of the watch who had Ween sent to protect the outside of the gates. PWimboldened by this success, he and his followers tried to break into tlie prison itself, and would, perhaps, have been succcssful, but for the timely arrival of Will Winter and his me cna i. Vith loud shouts and deafening yells Ivan and his desperate men set upon the Apprentices, £or they perceived that their nnlooked-for arrival had thwarted all his hopes and plans.* . Boiling over with desires of revenge Will Winter, H arry, Darby, with Ned Adams, and other prominent apprentices, among whom was Briny Bob, raised a deafening cheer, and dashed forward to encounter the conscienceless villains who opposed them. * For the first few moments Ivan and his men seemed to carry all before them, The Apprentices had not expested such fierce and deteér- mined foes, They gave way to the right and left. Ivan, perceiving the Grand Master and his friends on horseback, rushed towards them with friehtful oaths. but so blinded by fury was he that he did not recognize who they were. When he perceived Will Winter, and recollécted also the features of Harry, Darby, Ned Adams and Briny, he foamed at the mouth with rage, _He stared at them as if they had been creatures but just risen from the grave and had been called up to life simply to unnerve him, and brand him before the whole world as the blackest of scoundrels, With the yell of a madman he plunged forward, intending to cleave Will Winter to the ground. | Will was too weak, indeed, to encounter sich a powerful rascal hand to hand; TERRIBLE. ATT He desired to do so, however, but his friends would not pemmit it. Harry Percy assailed him single-handed. Harry missed his first blow, and Ivan, also, through acci- dent, stabbed Darby’s horse, which fell bleeding to the ground, hurling its rider head over heels among the excited throng. . Darby was not hurt, but his own sword had dropped from his hand, nor had he a moment to spare to find it, fearing that young Harry might be overpowered. — j Jumping to his feet again with the nimbleness of a harle- quin, he rushed at Ivan, and, with his brawny fist, struck that villain a terrifle hit between the cye and nose, He felled him like an ox! ; CHAPTER LXXIII. DESPERATE FIGHT BETWEEN IVAN’S BAND AND THE LON- DON APPRENTICES—THE EXECUTION OF BOB THE BULLY. In an instant, however, Ivan was surrounded by his men, conspicuous sino e all being Andy. ; The fight for his body was exciting and desperate in the extreme. . < For one moment it was in the possession of the Appren- tices, and in another he was safe among his friends. The fight in Bartholomew Fields was now general, and changing each moment in its fortunes. But although Harry, Darby, Ned Adams, Briny Bob, and other prominent leaders of the bold Apprentices were heated and angry, and cheering on their followers, there was one among them all who was as cool as ice amid all that con- fusion, noise, uproar and bloodshed. That one was pale, handsome and delicate Will Winter. The Apprentices, it is true, had given ground before Iyan and his men. But this was exactly what Will Winter had desired. He wished to draw Ivan and his gang away some distance from the gaol. _ \ This he managed to do. “<< As soon as he perceived that they had left distance, he sent round 4 | eegneh a, bye street. Sess SAS They did so after some hard fighting, Sabsias not only sectited the gaol, but hemmed in Ivan and iis men, AA As soon as this was accomplished Darby, who headed. the gaol some rong party of the Apprentices _party, conferred with the governor of the gaol, and advised him to remove his prisoners as quickly a8 possible But this was more easily said than done, ~~ ‘The prisoners, headéd by the Bully, and several ofliers Ivan’s gatig who were therein confined, had managed break loose from their cells, and were then fighting de- - sperately within the walls to overpower the guards and escape, ; The arrival of Darby, then, and his party, was just in time to save the guard from being overpowered. Perceiving that the assembled Apprentices were all taking sides against the great villains who were then and there con- fined, he looked upon them as friends. yey of After afew words, then, through the iron wicket with Darby and his young men, the governor threw open the prison gates, and the Apprentices rushed in, Sword ip hand, the bold Darby hit and slashed bothiright: and left. i Yo . | The fight was short but desperate. “Get a cart, and carried away at once,” said Darby, | The governor did so, and while the hubbub was at its height the Bully and several others were securely bound, and driven away from the gaol as hard as the horses could gallop. Ivan had not the slightest notion that in a fight of this kind any such trick would be played, i. But he had greatly mistaken the character of the Appren- tices and their cool-headed leader, Will Winter, For it should be known that fie those days of which we: write, although the youth of England delighted in all oe ECOMIEVOOKS EO have the Bully and. his companions :