Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 211: what you’re looking at

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

—~ ao ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. 231 claimed Ishmael; “they have diverged from the beaten road, and will perish to a man,”’ When Jack Sheppard and his companions had passed the river in safety, he stood in silence upon the bank, As he listened to the advance of his pursuers, the prophecy of the gipsy was terribly verified. The hapless party, fearful of the escape of the fugitives, had taken, as they supposed, a nedrer eut to the shore. | The course they had taken was madly venture- some, and they were totally unacquainted with the dangers that beset the frozen river at almost every oint, | : As they were passing over if, suddenly, and with- out warning, the sides of a snow-bank became loosened, and were drawn from their edge. The next instant, the whole sheet of ice broke with a wild roar into myriads of pieces. The whole of the advancing party, in consterna- tion and alarm, descended at once into the vast crevice, Some made an effort to reach the brink of the cleft, but the weight of their bodies only further shattered it. . Some threw themselves upon a flat surface,- but the screams and strugeling of those in the waters destroyed the frail support ; while others, benumbed and exhausted with fatigue, were sucked beneath the ice never to rise again. | As one by one became engulphed they implored assistance in most piteous terms. — Their agony was mocked and prayers wholly un- heeded by the fierce Ishmael, and fiercer still, Jack Sheppard, | In a few appalling moments not one of «he numerous victims flitted before their eyes, while the moon, throwing an earthly glitter over this part of broken river-ice, fully revealed their rigid figures, stretched in a ghastly shroud of water, and in death. ; “We ate triumphant,” exclaimed Jack Sheppard. “Not one of our pursuers lives to tell ‘this night’s tale of horror.” 1510 ‘‘ Heaven have mercy on them,’’.said Jael. ‘‘ May our souls be spared this terrible crime.’’ Averting her head from the dreadful. scene, the gipsy girl uttered a prayer. She was joined in the supplication earnestly by Edgeworth Bess. All is over, and our danger is passed,’ 6 With the words, the highwayman turned to lead onwards, and commenced the ascent of the bank: “No, there is yet a miserable wretch left,” re- joined Ishmael, looking behind him; ‘he is still battling with the stream, and likely to extricate himself.” Fhe “Tsee him. He is within pistol-shot.’’ Jack Sheppard raised his arm to fire. Jacl arrested it. “Oh, no, spare him whom heaven appears to spare,” she cried ; “‘ too many guilty and unhappy beings have been sacrificed already.’ “Ag you will, Jael,’ answered Jack Sheppard, unwillingly replacing his weapon in his belt. “1 trust no mischief will come of this clemency ;, and that the man snatched from death may not betray you in return for the obligation.” Little did Jack Sheppard know ’ that the man saved was Jonathan Wild, the thief-taker, Little did Jael know that the life she had pleaded * : for, wasthatof * ™* CHAPTER CIII. THE THIEVES’ CAVE IN THE OLD MINT, SOUTH- WARK, THE Old Mint was situated in'an obscure quarter of the Borough of Southwark. | It was skirted by a deep and broad kennel, called The Moat, which fell into the Thames mear old London Bridge; and bordered by neglected gardéis, running in the direction of St. George’s Fields. It was inhabited only by thieves, mendiéants, gipsies, and the most nefarious characters. These fled hither either for security or to’ éscape the punishment due to their different crimes or offences. Like the Alsatia of old, it gave refuge to the destitute and depraved, and offered sanctuary to the robber, pirate, or even murderer. Its numerous ramifications, secret haunts, and mysterious outlets defied pursuit of the fugitive from justice, whose officers shrunk ‘from entering the terrible precincts with the same sort of aversion as the traveller avoids the coiled embrace of the hideous serpent. If one, with more temerity than his brotherhood, chanced to enter the ‘purlieus, he must have been a sly fox indeed ever to come out of them’agarn. A mock monarch, called the “ Master of the Mint,” governed the disreputable locality. This post, at the period of our story, was filled by one Baptist Kettleby. He was supported in his authority by two other functionaries, bearing the titles of Lord High Chan- cellor of the Cadgers, and Privy Purse of theCanting Crew, Joe Blueskin had accepted the latter office, with all its emoluments and perquisites, showing a balance fof nothing on the debtor sile .of the account, To the sanctum sanctorum we have described, Simon Smut had come as fast as his legs would carry him, Plunging into many a puddle, dashing into, many a,blind alley, and meandering ‘over, broken pave- ments, he was forced to pause in hesitation, -The entangled intricacies of the narrow lanes and courts had so perplexed the murky,individual, that the maze at Hampton oz, Rosamond's Bower, must have at once occurred to his, oblivious mind, “ Devil take these ere cussed: winding streets!” exclaimed Simon, panting for breath, ‘since the devil must’ have been the architecf; and planued them ‘arter the fork “with which he picks wp us blessed sinners. I-don’t see my way into. or ont..of ’em clear any way. It seems to me,” he continned to himself, clapping his forefinger to the side of ‘his nose, “that ‘I’ve undertaken a wild goose chase, and that the only goose in the affair ismy precious self.” i1 Suddenly, the speaker espied a long, narrow street, that had hitherto escaped his notice. He at once darted down it. It was sloping and unpaved, and became more and more soiled with mud the farther he proceeded down it. Going towards a light, seemingly at the bottom of the thoroughfare, he encountered three in- dividuals, the first being the Whip-Jack, He was habitedin his sailor’s gear, consisting of a guernsey shirb and very dirty canvas trousers. He appeared to be a cripple, and to have ‘suffered mutilation, if the observer would take trouble to notice his lower limbs, which presented a com- plicated system of the wooden-leg institution,