Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

4 IVAN THE In a few moments he came downstairs again in his stock- inged feet, looking the very picture of fear and alarm. His eyes were staring out of their sockets, His hair stood on end, and he trembled in every limb. He rushed into the parlour, and tymbled head over heels ‘among the company, knocking over the card-table and all the © money, bottles and glasses thereon. He was well cuffed and kicked for his pains, and lay spraw- ling in the middle of the room, while all the company, indig- nant and noisy, stood around, His moans and groans were incessant, and to all questions he simply answered, ~— ; “Oh, lor! Oh, gents! Oh, it’s a ’orrible sight is that ’ere.” “What is horrible, you ragamuflin?” asked one, kicking poor Bob in the ribs. “Speak, I tell you, what has frightened ou?” ~ at Have you seen a ghost?” asked one, “Oh, more ’orrible than that.” ‘‘ What have you seen, then?” asked another, “ Speak out on the instant or we will half kill you.” “Murder, gents, murder !” blubbered Bob, “ Oh, let me get ' away out of this ere ’ouse; it'll turn us all grey. Oh, go up stairs ; that furrin-looking gent, as came to night, is in the ante-room, dead and cold as mutton !” ‘Murder ?” : “‘ Dead ?” asked several, in a breath, with looks of unfeigned horror and surprise. ‘‘Who could have done it?” asked several. “ Let’s go up and examine the room,” said one burly fellow, with the air of aman who had been accustomed to witness deeds of violence. ‘‘ Don’t make anoise; only one ortwo, mind, not all of ye ; cock your pistols and follow me.” The burly red-faced man, pistol in hand, led the way. He was followed by several gentlemen sword in hand. They crept up stairs carefully and quietly. He who led the way, to the astonishment of the others, pulled a small dark lantern from his capacious pocket. He put his finger to his lips in token of silence, His caution was heeded. The ante-room was reached. To the horror of all, they saw a murdered man lying in a pool of blood, stone dead, and cold. The neighbouring rogms were examined, They were tenantless. “Stay a moment,” said the barly gentleman, lantern in hand, ‘‘ we must examine further.” ~ Without speaking another word, he peeped into the key-hole of a room adjoining. The key. had been taken out, ‘‘We must go over the kitchen roof,” he whispered, “ and get in at the window |” No sooner said than done. With the quietness of a cat, the burly fellow, followed by three determined and resolute gentlemen, got upon the kitchen roof, The bed-room window was slowly, softly opened. The burly leader and his followers dexterously entered the apartment. ye A shot was fired by him that lay in bed! One of the gentlemen, just in the act of getting in at the window, uttered a cry of pain. He fell off the kitchen roof into the yard below. The sleeper, whoever he was, had taken accurate aim, but the moment he had fired the burly fellow fell flat upon the ground as if dead, All was darkness. The slumberer rushed towards the window with a loud laugh, and was about to jump out upon the roof, when the burly fellow and his followers seized him, and cast him to the floor with great violence. “ At last !” laughed the burly fellow, in triumph, as he and his companions pinioned the prostrate man, ‘‘ At last !” he repeated, turning on his dark lantern, and scanning the features of his captive. “I thought I couldn't be much mistaken.” “Ts that you?” gasped the captive, in surprise, as he criti- cally examined the one with the lamp, “ What! Bill Barry ?” TERRIBLE. “‘ Aye, my lad. Bill Barry, the thief-taker, at your service.” ‘ What, are you the noted Bill Barry, the Bow Street-run- ner ?”’ asked the gentlemen, in surprise. “Yes, gents ; no other, Ican assure ye. I have ‘ wanted’ this young gentleman for some time. I knowed as how he'd come this way this week to have a look at Lady Laura up at the Castle.” “Lady Laura?” they asked. “ Why, what can this scoundrel want with a lady of title and quality ?” they added, in indig- nant surprise. ‘You don’t mean to say that he’s impudence enough to address an earl’s danenter ($2 ‘‘Impudence enough, gents? Him? Lor’ bless yer inner- cence! Why, this youth here, as looks so good-looking and simple, is the greatest cracksman on the king’s highway, ain’t you, my hearty, eh? But yer little game’s over now, my lad.” ‘‘ What’s his name, then ?” “Blue Jacket—Captain Blue Jacket is the name he goes - by—the biggest and daringest young scamp in the three king- doms. He has a regular band under him, and they calls theirselves the ‘Fly-by-Nights.’ Ob, there’s many on ’em, 7can tell yer ; but I hopes to have ’em all in less than a week or two. There'll be a fine hanging match at Tyburn, and no mistake,” This announcement of Bill Barry, the noted thief-taker, filled all with surprise, and none more so than Bandy Bob, the pot- man, who, more dead than alive, stood at the door, candle in one hand and a poker in the other. At his heels was a nondescript crowd of servants, rustics and travellers, who had hurried to the scene, and stood looking on in bewilderment. 2 Blue Jacket spoke not a word, but frowned upon his”® captors. He did not attempt to stir, for it was impossible to escape, He was surrounded on all sides by angry men, who were narrating to each other all they had ever heard of the daring - doings of the famous Blue Jacket and his band. “ That him? That Captain Blue Jacket ?” asked Bob, shiver- ing with fear. ‘‘ Why he’s stopped and upset many a good Conc los of gentlefolk ’tween here and Lunnon, as I knows well.” * Ah, won’t he catch it now, eh?” grinned another. “They won’t string him up at Tyburn, oh, not in the least, I believe,” said a third, The pinioned robber was conveyed downstairs. A light cart with two swift horses was in readiness below. “We must take him to London. It won’t do to trust him in any of the prisons hereabouts. He’s broken gaol more than a dozen times, I can tell ye, young as he is; but he won't escape this time, or my name isn’t Bill Barry. Besides,” he added, with a wink, ‘“‘there’s a large reward offered for him, d’ye see?” Without further preparations or delay Blue Jacket was placed in the cart, and Bob undertook to drive it, provided a sufficient guard of gentlemen would volunteer to accompany and escort the noted roadsman to the nearest gaol. «Bill Barry went to the stable to look for Blue Jacket’s horse. It had disappeared, but none knew how or whither. The rain poured in torrents, but wrapped up in their over coats and cloaks, the cavalcade journeyed through the storm highly delighted with their important capture, and firmly re- solved that, come what might, they would not rest until they had seen the noted horseman heayily ironed and safely secured in the nearest county prison. What happened there another chapter will quickly show us. CHAPTER IV, HARRY PERCY RESCUES A YOUNG LADY FROM DROWNING—- GALLANT CONDUCT OF HANDSOME NED AND THE “ FLY-py.- NIGHTS” —THE WATCHER—CAPTAIN BLUE JACKET—7THR BOW STREET “FERRET,” THE night was dark and one could scarcely sce the features of any one that might pass. A very handsome aud nob/ersfiiti‘el ctoftoy CoOreOLanl