Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

‘IVAN CHAPTER XXXVIUI. DEEDS OF THE LONDON APPRENTICES—THEIR POWER AND FAME—THE STRATAGEM—THE ‘ECHOING HORN ’’—AN ALARM SOUNDED—IT IS ANSWERED FROM EAST, WEST, NORTH, AND SOUTH—THE ’PRENTICES’ SECRET AGENTS— THE RELEASE—THE FLIGHT, WHEN the gaolers had rudely thrust Will Winter into his lonely cell they unbound and ungagged him. The relief to him was unspeakable, and he felt overjoyed once again to have the free and unrestrained use of his limbs, He smiled at the cold and dreary place in which he found himself, and the thought of the perilous position in which enemies had so cruelly placed him caused him to sigh. “You may well sigh, young man,” said one of the gaolers, in a haughty tone ; “I wouldn’t be in your place not for any money.” “But I am innocent of the charge,” Will retorted, with proud disdain. ‘‘I know nothing of it, if it is true. Iam as much astonished at what has happened as any one in the land.” ““ Oh, of course,”’ the other gaoler replied, “ we knowed as how you were perfectly innocent before we put thee in this cell. Oh, innocent, of course, eh, comrade? Ha, ha! They are all innocent chaps as comes here, ha, ha! I never knew one a8 wasn’t, particularly ’Prentices, the rascals! I wish they were all in the River Thames, that I do, for I’ve got more een one nasty knock from their cudgels afore this, eh, mate?” “ Aye, true,” was his companion’s reply, “ aye, true; there’s very few of the night patrol, or day patrol either, but has to bless them United ’Prentices for more nor one knock on the head. I’d as soon meet the very devil as any o’ them in a street row.” “ Particularly the blacksmiths’ ’prentices with their hammers; aye, and the butchers’ with their long knives and cleavers,” ““Oh, they are wretches! TZhey don’t think anything o’ cutting a man’s throat.” ‘J wish we could only catch their ‘Grand Master,’ as they calls him, we'd take care he didn’t see daylight again in a hurry.” ‘Right, comrade; but I fear it’ll be many a good day ere we catch Aim in gaol, I warrant ye. Hv’s the most cunning of the whole lot of ’em, so I’ve hearn.”’ THE Master Winter sat down on the low prison stool, and leaning | his head 6n the stone table, sighed again, “‘ Aye, thee may well sigh, young man ; just to think o’ thee robbing and murdering your good old master.” “But I can assure you I did mot do it |!” Will persisted. ‘I did not even dream of such a thing, upon my word and honour.” “Thy word and honour? Ha,ha! Well, who ever hearn o’ such impudence? Justas if any rascally, head-breaking "Prentice knew what honour was! Well, well, lack-a-day! this all comes of staying out late o’ nights, and rollicking and attending night meetings, and guilds, and clubs, and such like riotous places,” ‘““Come, young man, we must search thee afore we goes,” said the other gaoler, ‘so just whip off your doublet and let’s see what murdering weapons thou hast about thee.” ‘“That you can do, and welcome,’’ Master Winter replied, carelessly ; “‘you will not find anything about me that can fasten this foul crime on me, I warrant ye.” The two gaolers now began their search, and, as Master Will had said, they found nothing upon him save a small, clean, bright dirk, on which was engraved the City arms and the letters ‘‘G. M.” Besides this weapon, which was allowable by law for certain grades of apprentices to carry, they found nought save a small silver hunting horn, of exquisite workmanship and finish. This also had engraved upon it the City arms and the letters oe,” “ BFt what dost thee want wi’ asilver hunting horn?” asked one of the gaolers, with a comical expression of curiosity upon his red and bilberry-coloured countenance. “ What dost thee want wi’ a silver hunting horn? Surely, varlet, hair-brained *Prentices don’t go out hunting? That’s the pastime of TERRIBLE. 69 gentlefolks, not such as thee, if thou art asuperior sort of ’*Prentice, and hast paid two or three hundred pounds to learn thy trade of old Michael the cloth-worker, whom ye robbed and murdered.” “The pastime of a gentleman, eh?” retorted Will Winter, with a sudden glow of passion upon his handsome face. “Andam Jnota gentleman? What mean ye? Am I not as well-born as any in the land?” “Tut, tut, young man, thee mustna fly into such a passion before ws. Don’t you know who we are, eh, varlet? We are two trusty gaolers of the king !” “Two ragamuffins!’” Master Will replied, between his teeth. But in order to wheedle these two very self-important and inflated functionaries, he said, ‘“ Well, my friend, if you must know, that silver hor is a present that I set much store by. Itis called the ‘echo horn,’ ” “The ‘echo horn!’ What’s that ?” asked the two gaolers, in a breath, “Why, a horn that echoes its own note,” answered Will, smiling at the astonished appearance of the two worthies, “Tf you do not believe it, hand itto me. Ican sound it so gently out of my prison window that I warrant no one in the guard-house can hear it.”’ ‘And will it echo of itself?” asked both in a breath, “ Aye, will it, and as often as I wish.” To regain possession of the horn was all that Master Winter wished, Therefore, before either of the gaolers could say nay, he stepped to the iron-barred window of his cell, and blew a long, soft note upon it, and then listened attentively for the promised echo, It was done so suddenly that the two gaolers had no notion of him attempting sucha thing ; but, to their surprise, a minute had scarcely passed when the gaolers heard the echo of the horn softly and faintly far away. They looked at each other in surprise, and then said, “The devil must be in that silver hunting-horn ! did the echo come from ?” “The north,” Master Winter replied, with a smile of triumph. “Itold you it would echo as often as I wished. Hark ! there is now an echo heard in the west,” “So there is. What means it?” ‘* Hark | there is another in the south,” “‘The devil !” “No, not the devil, my friends. echo in the east ?” “Yes, that we do. What means it, you conjuring, devil- possessed varlet ?” ‘‘What means it? Why this—if you listen now, you will hear three distinct and rapid blasts from the east.” “So there are! Well, there’s some magic in that horn !” said the gaolers together. ‘‘Z never heard the ‘echo horn’ before.” “Nor any one else since the Great Fire of London,” Master Winter replied ; “and then it was heard by many.” “e wt mean ye, you varlet? Are you up to some deyiltry wi’ ws f” “No, fe is not,” said the voice of a young man in acloak and mask, who thrust open the cell door, and admitted two companions with him ; * but we are |” ““Who and what are ye, in mercy’s name?” gasped the two affrighted gaolers, dropping their lantern, and thereby ex- tinguishing it. ‘‘How came ye hither? Are ye men, or ghosts, or devils—what ?” “‘ Silence, fools !” hoarsely whispered the speaker. ‘“‘ Silence, trembling knaves, or die upon the spot! You do not know us; we are ’Prentices! Tell us, on your peril, where is he that sounded the echoing horn ?” “Here,” answered Will Winter, in a firm tone, its echo would bring speedy relief.” “Oh, thunders and lightning !” gasped one of the gaolers, writhing under the tight grasp of one of the masked ap- prentices. ‘Oh, in mercy spare me !’’ groaned the other. Without another word on the part ef Master Winter or hia fellow-apprentices, they took theroya ee Choo: ve G@oim Where But listen! hear ye the “T knew