Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 200: what you’re looking at

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

220 ee ROVING JACK; THE PIRATE HUNTER. a EEE ee “Now, or never. “ Voices assail my ears, but it is not too late. “They are upon me, “JT will not sleep.’ I will act, and force my muscles to their task.” ; By a superhuman effort, the speaker sprang to his feet, and was about to vault into the saddle, when his associate, Dick Turpin, flung him again to the ground, His eyes glistened like a meteor, and glared blood-red. His aspect was that of savage ferocity, and sudden resolution. “Treacherous: coward,” exclaimed the prostrate man, ‘this is your work. To fall by a foe is man’s common lot, to fall by a friend his direst fate. ““T gee it all now,” he continued, ‘the brandy you gave me was drugged, that I might the more easily be vanquished. But I shall defy you yet; and, mark my words, Dick Turpin will live to rue the day he betrayed Jack Sheppard.” With these words, the speaker fell backwards, and, for a few moments, remained motionless, as if deprived of sense. A hand was discovered stirring close about him, and forcing a passage to his bosom, where the coveted papers were concealed. Presently, through the medium of his senses, Jack Sheppard could see the robber in front of him carefully gelect and put aside certain of the docu- ments he had'so foully possessed himself: of. | Then he heard the sound of footsteps and the trampling of horses. Jack Sheppard once more endeavoured to cast aside the langour which spread over’ him, and finally struggled into a sitting posture. ~ Here he recognised a man who had joined his late nefarious companion. That’ man was the renowned and noted thief- taker, Jonathan Wild! “The papers)are ours!” exclaimed Turpin. “I have kept my word, Jonathan Wild. Now where is Roving Jack and the right'to the estate?” CHAPTER XCYVIII. THE CELEBRATED ESCAPE OF JACK . SHEPPARD FROM THE OLD PRISON, MOORFIELDS. AFTER his capture, Jack Sheppard was conducted to a dungeon inthe old prison in Moorfields, at that time deemed the strongest place of ‘‘ duresse”’ in the kingdom. His daring deeds, on the highway and as a house- breaker, had rendered his name such a terror to the community, that the authorities had considered, on confining him in the strong keep, they could most effectually secure his person, and at the same time prevent any attempt at those escapes which he had effected with apparent ease from other gaodls. His cell was in a casement, The fore part of the same was six feet wide and ten feet long, divided by a party wall. In the inner wall were two doors, and the third at the entrance to the casement itself. The window in the thick brickwork was so situated that though he had light, he could see neither sky nor living object. : Within and without this window were gratings of iron. Chains were fixed’ to his ancles on the one end, and at the other to a ring, which was incorporated into the wall. Another ring encompassed his body; from this hung a chain fixed into a bar, at the end of which was a handcuff. 3 } It is here necessary to state that the old prison of Moorfields had originally been erected by the kings of former days for the purpose of incarcerating state offenders, hence its formidable’ character and aspect. As a state prison it resembled very much in appearance some gigantic stronghold of a fortified garrison. ‘It bristled with cannon, and was guarded night and day. Ever having a detachment of the Royal Gre- nadiers stationed at the tower within its precincts, it was approached only by a drawbridge over a broad moat, . This drawbridge, again, was lowered only at certain periods of the day. ; The moat surrounded the massive and gloomy pile, which was octagonal in shape, and composed of solid masonry. The gates and doors within the building were ponderous, secured with iron, and apparently im- pregnable ; the narrow windows were all covered with double bars ; whilst every point and opening were strongly protected by spikes, sharpened rods, and chevaux-de-frise. A wooden gallery, reached by two flights of steps, extended along the summit of the exterior wall, which bordered on the ditch forty feet above the bottom. This terrace was constantly filled by sentinels, whom the officers visited every half-hour, To any one who had the least notion of this fortress—its discipline, and the means taken to retain its inmates when once confined—the mere idea of escaping from it would appear the effect of insanity, and would inspire nothing but pity for the man so devoid of sense as dare to conceive it. But the courage and boldness of the intrepid Jack Sheppard were raised by these obstacles, and he resolved to overthrow them or perish in the attempt. ‘Left to himself, the highwayman considered his situation in the worst point of view, and determined either on flight or death. His detention became insupportable to his im- patient temper. Nothing seemed to him that might not be under- taken ; and he began to deliberate how he must accomplish his purpose, His first endeavour was to free himself of his chains, In this he succeeded by forcing his right hand through the handcuffs, though the blood trickled from his nails in the effort. His attempts on the left were long ineffectual. Obtaining a brick from the grate, he went to work on the rivet. It was negligently closed, and itat length yielded to his labour, The chain was fastened to the rim round his body by a hook, one end of which was not inserted in the rim, Thus, by setting his foot against the wall, he had strength so far to bend the hook back and open it as to force out the link of the chain. The remaining difficulty was the chain that attached his feet to the wall. ; The links of this chain he took, doubled, twisted and wrenched. At length, by a desperate effort, springing forcibly up, Jack Sheppard succeeded in snapping off two links, and once more stood an erect, free, and almost unfettered man, Gomichooksscont: