Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 209: what you’re looking at

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

ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. 229 EE EE ee Edgeworth Bess, watching her opportunity, glided out, and followed on the footsteps of the men who had quitted the apartment in which she had been concealed. Silently descending the stairs, she saw them _ enter the place to which Jonathan Wild had directed them, They were no sooner in the cellar than she secured the door upon them, and hastened to achieve her grand point. “TI must, if possible, prevent the use of fire- arms,’ she said, creeping stealthily back to her original hiding-place ; “for the alarm will give a warning to the men I have so easily entrapped ; but, should it be necessary, we must take our chance.”’ Jonathan Wild, in the mean time, had menaced his prisoner; failing to extort a confession from him by conciliatory means, he was determined to try the effect of coercive measures. “Red Ishmael,” he exclaimed, “the time was when you had no roof for your head to rest under o’ nights ; your curtains were the wild hawthorn hedge, your candle the pale glow-worm, and your pillow the moss-covered stone. Since you have thrived, and, by roguery, scraped together a few golden pieces—wrung from the idiots who have consulted your infamous conjurations and astrolo- gical cheats—you suppose that you can impose upon me, Mark me,’’ continued the thief-taker, “I give you five minutes to consider whether you will obey me or not; refuse, and a terrible doom awaits you,” Jonathan Wild paced the room for a few mo- ments. There was malice in his eye—revenge on his lip, Suddenly he discovered, in the further part of the room, a heap of loose straw. : Drawing it aside, he came upon a barrel, on which was inscribed the word, “ powder.” “Sure, hell itself has sent this cask and its con- tents to anticipate my purpose; nothing could be better,” With the passive demeanour of an anchorite the thief-taker took out a quantity of the powder, and coolly continued to lay a train across the room leading to the passage outside. It was at this juncture that Jael, the gipsy girl, rushed to his side, and perceived his dreadful - Intention. “Oh, heavens!” she exclaimed, ‘what would you do? Oh, let me warn you from perdition’s brink.” “What would I do?” laughed Jonathan Wild, hoarsely ; “can’t you guess, girl, by this powder in my hand? blow this house and its contumacious tenant into atoms.” “You will not be so cruel,” shrieked the terrified maiden, ‘Cruel? pshaw ! you are young; you have never felt the pleasurable pang of revenge.” ‘You will sacrifice us all.” “No; the innocent will not suffer for the guilty, You, myself, and companions will leave the house ; he alone will remain.” Jonathan Wild with his last words indicated Red Ishmael, who bearded his adversary with a look as bold and defiant as hisown. He had, how- ever, made up his mind without calculating chances. Suddenly the torch which lighted the apart- ment was covered by a woman’s cloak, The fire in the grate being extinguished, all was in total darkness, Stamping with rage, Jonathan Wild exclaimed— ‘(A spy—a traitor ; whoever he may be, he shall dearly rue his temerity,” Rushing from the room he encountered, at the door, Edgeworth Bess. In her hand she held a pistol at the staggered thief-taker. ‘“‘ Monster |” she cried, while passion almost sub- dued her strength; ‘‘one step further at your peril,” Jonathan Wild started beneath the fierce woman’s gaze, to which the moon through a window gavea pale blue light, “Witch! how gained you entrance here, stand- ing there like an accusing spirit in the beams of night?” Overcoming his momentary superstition, the thief. taker continued— ‘Who are you?” “One you should know ere this, worth Bess,” ‘Ah! what is your purpose here?” ‘To avert a deed of cruelty.” “ Foiled |” “No; you are the first to perish.” : Anticipating an attack,,Edgeworth Bess levelled her weapon. It hung fire, and she was foiled. “Thank you, Bess; I hold a charmed life,” ex- claimed the thief-taker, ‘‘Let me’ give you a caution ; before you use your snappers, just look to see if the flints are all safe.” He was preparing to cut the woman down with fis hanger when his arms were clasped from be- ind, Jack Sheppard had issued from the cedar chest in which he had hidden, and come to the rescue just as she had fallen senseless at the feet of her mer- ciless enemy. At this moment was heard an outcry from below. It was the voices of those imprisoned in the cellar, and who had discovered the trick practised on them. Wild’s shouts, mingled with those of his enraged attendants, arose loud and stunning. The region resounded with imprecations loud and deep. There was no time for deliberation, for the officers were breaking through the impediment that encum- bered their path, Jack Sheppard dragged his struggling antagonist to the edge of the deep staircase, and precipitated him over the bannisters to the floor beneath. His great» weight accelerated his fall, and he descended head foremost. Taking advantage of the senseless state in which the ruffian had alighted, Jack Sheppard’s next object was to circumvent those who were now coming to his aid. Bearing the fainting form of Edgeworth Bess into the chamber in which the late scenes had been enacted, he, with the assistance of Jael and the now liberated Ishmael, proceeded to barricade its door, the heavy cedar chest and cumbrous furniture forming a most efficient obstruction fiom within. The fugitives had completed this task, descended by the window into the garden, and entered the wizard’s shaft—of which we shall give a description in the next: chapter—before their enemies were able to make the slightest progress with the difficulties that beset them. I am Edge- CHAPTER CII. JACK SHEPPARD'S PERILOUS PASSAGE OF THE FROZEN THAMES, WHEN Jack Sheppard and the companions of his flight arrived in the garden of the Ferry House, his