Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

IVAN, THE TERRIBLE. helped ‘him to rise; but he flatly refused to go forward another step, and turned to re-enter the coach with a view to returning homewards. It so happened, as he was in the act of entering one door, it seemed tohim’that the devil was forcing his way in at the other ; at all events, he saw a big black object, and a shaggy head came with a terrific bump full against his chest, driving him back into the mud once more. Judge Jefferies had never felt so much terror in his life, not even during his principal interview with the highwayman, for after all what was a robber compared with “auld clootie,” as the Scotch term the prince of darkness? If the terrified judge had taken a good look at the enemy he would have seen that it was a big black dog. Being too much alarmed to think of using his eyes, he could only lie on his back, exclaiming, “ The devil !—the devil himself !” “ Where ?” asked the villagers. _ “In'the c—car—riage,” moaned the unhappy judge, while at the same time the dog, having satisfied his curiosity, came eee round, sniffing against the legs of the judge and his escort. . ““Why, it’s a Newfoundland dog !”? exclaimed one of them, “and as fine a creature as I’ve seen for many a long day.” ‘The judge cast a look of the most furious anger on the splendid animal, which was thoroughly soaked by the rain, aud then he exclaimed, : “You ugly brute, I should like to wring your neck for you, I should.” : ote “ T should advise you not to try it, sir,” said a voice, and, to his intense astonishment, Judge Jefferies saw before him the eldest son of Sir Charles Cavendish, the magistrate, one of the very men to see whom he had braved the terrors of the dark night and lonely road. 4 “Oh! dear me! Ha! ha! A good joke. I assure you Ihadn’t the least intention of injuring him, I—I—like dogs too much,” ; meu you said semething about wringing his neck, my ord. “T meant wring the water out, for fear he should catch a sore throat, you know, my young friend ; but now I’ve met you, perhaps you will be good enough to give your worthy father a message from me, as this horse of mine won’t move,”’ J will,” replied the youth, ‘‘ What is it?” _ “Simply this—that the young woman I spoke to your father of we ence caught in the palace, has escaped from prison, and he must use his utmost endeavours to re-capture her, and afterwards prosecute her with the utmost rigour of the law.” “What young girl is that, my lord ?’’ “She who robbed jewels and valuables from the palace in conjunction with Blue-Jacket and his gang—Leonora Tempest by name.” ~~ “T know who you mean,” replied young Cavendish, “ and I should advise you, my lord, not to interfere in the matter. As I have promised to take your message to my father, I will do so; but beware, I say.” So saying, he strode away, leaving Judge Jefferies in no comfortable state of mind, CHAPTER- LXXXVII. DREADNOUGHT CALLS UP SPIRITS OF THE DEEP—STRANGE é, : MIDNIGHT REVELATIONS, THE great anxiety manifested by old Dreadnought the Sorcerer in an earlier part of this story to safely guard the person of Leonora Tempest until such times as all his own wicked schemes should be fulfilled, was also participated in by Judge Jefferies, the “bloody butcher,” so called for very particular anc mighty reasons, - Leonora Tempest had been abducted when young from her father’s house by Dreadnought, for he knew that Judge Jefferies had designs upon her father’s property ; and, as she was an only child, the wily judge considered that it would not take much cunning to “put the father out of the way,” 179 as he politely termed it; and “ his daughter also,” he might have added. Now,.as Ivan had often done “odd jobs,” as he called it, for the judge on many occasions—jobs, indeed, that had often required bloodshed—he had hinted very broadly to Ivan how much pleased he would be “if Leonora might suddenly dis- appear some day.” Ivan fully understood the wishes of the judge, and did not dare to disobey, for he full well knew that at a word from Jefferies a regiment of soldiers would quickly be dispatched to the “ Forge,” and massacre all his followers there. When, therefore, the judge had smiled on Ivan, and placed a heavy bag of gold in his hand, he knew that he was then and there commissioned to “dispose” of Leonora as soon as possible. , This subject he spoke of to his second master, old Dread- nought the Sorcerer, who grimly smiled, and advised Ivan to use all his power to steal the girl, but not to kill her. “For,” said the old sorcerer, “she is beautiful; the king himself, so rumour says, has cast fond eyes upon her, and as she knows all the ins and outs of the palace we must use her . to decoy the king, and afterwards rob the palace ; it matters very little what becomes of her afterwards,” That she did decoy the king unknowingly we have already seen.; but while she had watched nightly in the park she had become accidently acquainted with some of Blue-Jacket’s men, as we have already seen. When, therefore, the governor of the gaol discovered that Leonora had escaped from custody he made every exertion in his power to find and recapture her, for, said Jefferies in a note to him, “if you do not it is more than’ your place is worth, for her father is one of -the deadliest enemies to the king.” | A reward was offered for her, and to a large amount, and there were not a few of the Forgers who were hired and sent abroad in quest of her by old Dreadnought the Sorcerer. He even wrote to Judge Jefferies, and told him that he, Dreadnought, had not the slightest doubt of recapturing her if he, the judge, would only send up to,town a large sum of money with which to hire and pay spies. Judge Jefferies, directly he received old Dreadnought’s note, still smarting under the severe treatment he had received from two of the Fly-by-Nights on the king’s highway, judged it prudent to make friends with the Sorcerer, who, he had learned, possessed almost unlimited power over Ivan and his band, He, therefore, wrote back to Dreadnought, and sent a ser- vant with the note and a large parcel of money also. The old sorcerer smiled when he recefyed the gold, and chuckled, as he said, “ T little thought when Ivan first told me of Leonora, that she was of so much importance to Jefferies and the ‘state generally.. I shall soon discover her hiding-place by my magic arts, and once she is in my clutches she shall never leave me. I will drain gold from Judge Jefferies—aye, squeeze it as I would squeeze water from a sponge.” He dismissed Jefferies’ servant, and as soon as he was gone, he retired to his own dismal room—a perfect chamber of mys- teries it was, with every kind of devilish, necromantic appliance, and such an abode as one would imagine devils would delight to dwell in. With strange forms and ceremonies at the dead of night he called upon the hidden powers and spirits of the depths to help him. With magic staff in hand, and with many strange oaths, he called on the imps of darkness to come forth ; and, obe- dient ‘to his dreaded power, strange forms and creatures appeared before his view. «‘ What does Dreadnought desire ?” said a strange, sepul- chral voice that resounded awfully through the mysterious chamber. , “What does Dreadnought desire ?” said the voice of some- thing unseen. “ Let him speak, and his slaves obey.” “The vision of Leonora Tempest,’ Dreadnought hoarsely replied, “‘ and her place of concealment.” “Tis done,” said the voice of the one unseen, Quicker than can be described, the whole chamber seemcd CoORMicooolkxs.conm