Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 178: what you’re looking at

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

IVAN THE Averting the light of his lantern from the aperture he listened with some anxiety to learn whether the noise had attracted notice; but as all remained still, he concluded that it had not been heard, and putting his arm through remoyed the bolts, though with difficulty, being scarcely able to reach them. ; Pushing the door back he passed out into the corridor, having first hastily gathered all his tools together, and placed his pistols in such a position that he could grasp them at the slightest alarm. Pr He felt certain that the passage in which his cell was situated communicated with the paved yard in which pri- soners were permitted to take exercise. At that moment the church clock struck one ! At the same time the footsteps of the watchmen were once more heard |! ‘‘ Tm in for a row now, I suppose ?”? muttered Ivan. He took two steps forward, but quickly retraced them as he reflected that the watchmen came from opposite direc- tions, ‘ Time was precious, and a thought struck Ivan by which he might possibly save himself. Without another moment’s hesitation he opened the door of his cell, and placed himself between it and the stone pas- sage. He waited with feverish impatience, hoping, above all things, that the two men would meet before his cell at the same moment ; but such was not fated to be the case, for one arrived before the other. The surprise and alarm of the man so overcame him, how- ever, that he was unable to speak or shout for aid till he heard his companion baw] out, ‘* All’s well !” “ All’s ill !” replied the man, who had just discovered the outbreak of the prisoner. “That notorious Ivan is off, and we are 1n a pretty pickle.” ‘You don’t say so?” * It’s true as I’m standing here.” Then both, as if actuated by a common impulse, rushed into the cell. | That was just what Ivan had calculated they would do, No sooner were they fairly inside than he banged the door together, and shot back the bolts. “Help! help! help !” shouted the men, perceiving at once the trap in which they were caught. — Ivan immediately appeared at the hole in the wall, holding a pistol in each hand. “Be silent, as you value your lives,” he said, in a stern, de- termined whisper. “ Another such a sound as that and T’'ll blow your brains out as surely as my name is Ivan !” The rays from the officer’s lanterns fell upon the barrels of Ivan’s pistols, and the watchmen held their peace, being half petrified with fear at the sudden conversion of their helpless prisoner into an armed and desperate burglar. ‘Stir, or speak, if you dare, and you shall have a bullet through each of your heads in the twinkling of an eye!” growled Ivan, savagely, ; : Then, with the same key with which he had unlocked the door, he securely fastened up the cell, and hastened away, ‘‘Oh, for ten minutes clear time,” he muttered, “ for as soon as those fellows wake up from their fright, they’ll make row enough to alarm the whole town.” _At the extreme end of the passage in which his cell was situated, he found a short flight of stone steps, down which he hastily ran, and found himself before a large door, in the lock ee a key ae been suffered to remain. _ + a moment Ivan turned it, and the chill nicht air rushin in, told him that he had guessed right, and that” he was in the prison court-yard. . The only barrier that now intervened between him and liberty was the high wall that surrounded the building, He walked rapidly across the court-yard, knowing well that his trusty friend, Mr. Councillor N ash, was in all likelihood waiting for him at a particular angle of the high wall, On reaching this point he inserted his fingers in his mouth and gave a shrill sharp whistle, so quick and sudden in its accents, that, had any of the officials heard it, they would 174 TERRIBLE. scarcely have knowii whether it was in reality a whistle, or merely an imaginary sound. ; teal He then kept his eyes fixed on the top of the wall, and in a few seconds had the satisfaction of seeing adark objectslowly ~ descend on the inner side. It was a rope witha weighi attached to it, which “ Nobby” ~ had thrown over to assist his friend in escaping. : As soon as he had hold of the end of it, Ivan gave three dis- tinct jerks, and then remained still for a few moments. As soon as it was drawn up tight, he began to clamber up with all the activity of a sailor or a monkey. Ere he reached the summit, a circumstance occurred which © nearly brought him to the bottom, CHAPTER LXXXY. IVAN’S ESCAPE FROM PRISON DISCOVERED—THE ALARM— THE PURSUIT—IVAN IS SERIOUSLY WOUNDED, A LOUD report sounded, and Ivan felt that he was wounded in the shoulder. Though almost maddened with the pain, he clungtothe | rope with as much energy as a drowning man is said to clutch at a straw, feeling convinced that his only chance was to gain the outside of the prison. ; The alarm bell now began to peal forth its clamorons warning, lights flashed to and fro, while voices and footsteps were plainly heard. ; ‘‘ Are you there ?” cried Ivan, looking down from the top of the wall. ‘All right,” replied the Councillor. 3 The escaping prisoner immediately lowered himself to the ground with a speed that almost alarmed his confederate, * Ts it all right ?” asked Nobby. * No ; I am wounded,” ‘‘ Never mind ; come along if you can, or we shall be taken,” ‘ A groan escaped from Ivan, as summoning up all his ‘strength and resolution to the task, he hurried along after his friend, ‘Tie your handkerchief round.my shoulder, or I shall bleed to death,” saidIvan,_ . “No, you. musn’t think of doing that, recollect you have some friends who can’t afford to lose you.” “TI can't help feeling that perhaps I shall never get over this,” replied Ivan, | ‘Oh, bother! I’ve got a carriage waiting down in the lane near by ; you'll do nicely when you are in that.” Ivan shook his head faintly as he replied, ‘‘ Take me to some safe place where I shan’t be disturbed by my pursuers.” ‘ Well, then, here’s the ‘Cock Inn’ under the archway. I’m blest if all the traps in London would find you there, and I'll — get a doctor to come and do up your arm nicely.” Nobby was so convinced of the cleverness of Ivan that when the latter spoke of his wound being perhaps mortal, he refused to believe him, ‘‘I feel as if my life was coming to a close,” said Ivan; “but I don’t much care,” “ Now, that’s all nonsense,” said Nobby, cheerfully. “Keep your heart up, Ivan, my boy, and you’ll live to haye many a lark yet,”’ The wounded man made no reply, but staggered along some distance in silence, : _“‘ Are we near the inn yet?” he said, at length, when a con- siderable distance had been traversed, It’s close by here ; only a few steps more, and then you'll be all right,” On they went again, the wounded man leaving drops of blood behind him on the flag-stones that must infallibly lead to his detettion. _ Hach moment he grew weaker and weaker, so that by the time they reached the old-fashioned archway beneath which the ‘‘ Cock” inn was situated, he was totally unable to stand and would have fallen to the ground but for Nobby’s sup- porting arm, a Ecomichooks.com o ‘