Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 207: what you’re looking at

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

IVAN THE * Villains |” he cried, panting with excitément and surprise. Murderers, would ye have slain me in cold blood ?” _ His attitude was so threatening, that the innkeeper and his accomplices stepped from his immediate presence like guilty craven things. rs Blue-Jacket, hold thy hand,” said the stranger, advancin g with a firm proud step. _ “ Who art thou that thus commands me?” replied Blue- Jacket. ‘* Thy friend.” « Friend ?” “ Aye, thy true friend, and will prove myself such.” “Methinks thou art a villain, whoever ye be,” Blue-Jacket aid, distrustful of the stranger’s words. os I had been thou hadst not now been alive,’ was the reply. ti Then who art thou ?” “For the present thou must not know my name; but let my acts provemy words. I have saved thee.” » “Thou hast.” . * And but for me thou hadst surely died.” Well.” “Then follow me.” “Nay; I follow no man, I ama leader myself of bold brave men, and never will I leave this den of thieves until I have had my revenge.” Thou shalt have it.” _ Turning to the innkeeper, and his vile and trembling asso- - ciates, the Unknown said, in a hissing tone, ; hehe know me ?” “ We do,” was the faint response of the villains. “And you have broken your solemn promise made to me but a month ago not to slay or to rob any unfortunate way- farer on the peril of your lives ?” _ “We have.” * “Did I not tell you also, and solemnly command you, to aid and protect all or any of the Fly-by-Nights ?” * You did,” “Then know, ye villains, that the man you would have so cowardly killed is Blue-Jacket, the chief of all the Fly-by- Nights.” “The chief ?” said the craven rascals, in a breath, and filled with surprise. “Yea; he it is you found in need of shelter and aid, my best friend,” _ “Thy friend?” said Blue-Jacket, in surprise. ‘ Who art thou, then, that I may know thee?”’ ‘‘They call me the ‘ Terror of the Moor. ‘“‘T have heard of thee before,’’ said Blue-Jacket.” “Yes ; but never seen me.” “No, Thy face is masked.” “Nor has any man seen my features. Never, until the evil day arrives ; never, until the last enemy of the Terror of the Moor has been slain, will mortal man gaze upon my face, Come with me, Blue-Jacket, I have important news for thee.” - a ~ “But these miscreants.” -“T.eave them to me. Do you ascend by the spiral stair- ‘case, and ere many minutes you will find yourself in the parlour before a snug fire, and beside a bountiful smoking meal which w4s intended for these three villains. Ascend, I will soon rejoin you.”’ Blue-Jacket, full of wonder at all he heard and saw, as- ~ cended the spiral staircase, leaving the Terror of the Moor below with the three miscreants, who, like half-drowned rats, stood shivering and trembling before the grim, tall man in a mask, - When Blue-Jacket reached the cosy parlour spoken of, -he found a cheerful fire, and a table well supplied with _ steaming food. - The old virago of a dame had gone to bed, leaving her husband and his two cut-throat assistants perfectly to them- selves in the execution of their dark deeds below stairs, and thinking that the prize they would secure might be a considerable one, she had been unusually liberal in provid- ing refreshment for the assassins by the time they had ac- complished their bloody work, ’ > 3) — TERRIBLE. 203 ~~. _Her bed-room adjoined the parlor, and the door was slightly ajar. She heard Blue-Jacket’s steps upon the spiral staircase, ; He had heard her coughing, and made up his mind how oO act. He found weapons ina cupboard, and immediately secured them so as to be provided against any new danger. ae sat down and poured out a tumbler of wine for him- self. “Don’t drink all that wine, husband,” said the cross- grained, cracked-voiced woman, in an angry tone. ‘“ You haven’t been long about that job below stairs,” ‘“No,” answered Blue-Jacket, imitating her husband’s voice ; “ but it’s awful thirsty work.” “Ah! you always have that tale to tell; but you ought to be used to such kind of work by this time ; besides, that wine is precious.” “Yes, that’s what you always say,” Blue-Jacket replied. “ How much had he ?”’ “Oh ! not much.” “ But how much?” *‘ What’s that to do with you?” ‘A good deal to do with me. I’d have you know the last job you did you only told me half, and then went down the coast, and spent the rest with Ivan’s gang of wreckers,” the wife answered. ‘© Well, so much the better.” “Tsit? Idon’t think so. Did he trouble you much ?” ** Oh, awful !”’ e% “Hurt any of you ?” “Yes; wounded the other two slightly, but I finished him !” ‘Ah ! you always finishes ’em, to believe your tale ; but I'll be bound yout didn’t touch him at all.” “ Didn’t [though ; Iruna sword right through and through him.” “ Well, if you did you have more courage than I ever gave you credit for.” * Thank you for nothing.” ““ How your voice is changed.” “ Has it?” “Yes,” * Ah! it makes a fellow very hoarse and'thirsty after he has been swearing and fighting a good deal.” “Well, get something to eat; but mind, don’t take it all, for the others must have a bit.” _ . “ Just so.” . “What are they doing, I wonder?” * Burying him,” “You don’t mean that ?” —> “ But I do though.” ‘s What is that for ?” “ Well, we have discovered. that he’s one of the king’s mes- “sengers ; they may come looking after him one of these days so the lads are burning his clothes, digging a graye, and . going to throw them over him.” ‘‘He ought to have carried some!thing good about him for so much trouble and expense.” . “So he had.” “ How much 2?” “ Several hundreds in gold and notes, besides any quantity of diamonds and jewellery concealed about him.” ‘‘ Lor’ bless me#how fortunate we nabbed him.” “Yes ; wasn’t it?” * « Where was he going to?” “To Percy Castle, in Cornwall,” “The place Ivan’s men have laid plans to break into ?” ‘SX ,e53,; ‘Well, Ifeel very drowsy, so I’ll not get out of bed and look at his jewellery to-night ; but, mind you put it in a safe place.” “Trust me for that.” “Well, Lcan’t help thinking it would be a very nice job if we could gather a hardy band of fellows and rob the castle ourselves.”’ “ Capital idea.” “So itis; but I have a bet p2 ‘What is it?” LGOmIGDoo SoCONN