Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 228: what you’re looking at

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

248 “Tt lacks not quite a quarter to the appointed time of starting,’ the highwayman continued ; “I am told we shall meet the greatest rascal unhung in England as our first obstacle, So much the better. One reason more why we should take our sister, the charming Jael, out of his clutches.” ‘We shall get on swimmingly,” said Blueskin, “ for our surprise is unexpected.” ‘‘ Jonathan and his men are mere hares, we are strong.” : “The officers of the parliament will be finely taken in to morrow.” “They will go to the cage; but find the bird flown.” At that moment a distant bell struck. Blueskin, as some enraged lion springing from his den, leapt on a rostrum, He uttered one word. It was shouted in a voice of thunder— “ Midnight !” At the given signal the horde sprung in a torrent from their cave. It had the effect of the sound “to horse !” upon a regiment in halt. The rabble, armed with muskets, pikes, bludgeons, sledge hammers, and every conceivable description of offensive weapon stole stealthily to the appointed rendezvous. There was no noise, no clanking of iron imple- ments, no confusion ; but all was order, discipline, and regular manceuvring. The principals seemed to arrange and marshal their followers with a true spirit and perfect military precision. The moon was obscured and the sky overcast as they commenced their march, The Mint and its purlieus were quite dark, not a light was to be seen. It was nevertheless filled with a multitude of both sexes, who talked in low tones together. A vast buzz was to be heard, and the weapons glistening in the gloom, = Blueskin, at the‘entrance of theunknown quarter, mounted on a huge stone, He cried aloud, - “Keep in ranks, ye men of cant.™ Remember, silence in passing through the streets, No torch is to be lit till we are in sight of Newgate. Onward !” The immense multitude again divided into columns, taking different routes, and lessening in the distance. In a few minutes the night watch fled panic- stricken before a long black procession crossing in silence old London Bridge, from which they de- gcended, and passed through the winding and mas- sive streets of the time-honoured city, CHAPTER CXI. WHAT WIRTH WOLFGANG ESPIED FROM THE LOFTY HEIGHT—THE BEACONS LIGHTED—AN UNEXPECTED INCIDENT — THE BEAM [FALLS WITH A FEARFUL CRASH—SIMON SMUT AGAIN DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF—NEWGATE IN FLAMES, ON the night of the late adventure, \Wirth Wolf- gang was struck with a singular restlessness, and could not sleep, Being at the top of the Newgate Tower, his “eye naturally passed over the city at his feet, and, in a fit of abstraction took a dreamy survey of the same. The night, as we have already mentioned, was very dark, Ft at this period, was scarcely lighted at all, 2 Se) 2 | ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. Consequently, at a gloomy period, it presented to — the eye, regarding it from an eminence, a confused aggregate of black masses, intersected here and there by the whitish curve of the Thames. While Wirth’s eye wandered over the haze, an ~ unaccountable fear gained upon him. During the day he had been upon his guard. He , had observed'several suspicious men furtively glance at Jael’s asylum. And he began to imagine whether her refuge had been discovered. All at once, as he was scrutinising the city on | the eastward side, he observed that it had an un- usual appearance. There was a motion at this point which undu- — lated to the vision, not unlike the waves of a river. The movement appeared advancing in the direc- | tion in which he was standing. At last, notwithstanding the intense darkness, . he could distinguish 2 column of heads and a crowd © spreading itself in the valley below him. He had a confused foreboding of mischief, and | began to consider what course he had best pursue, Ought he to awake Jael, who, at this critical _ moment, was sleeping, to assist her to escape from her concealment ? No ; that would be to deliver her into a worse fate than death ! The streets were invested by an apparently excited mob, who would regard neither law, honour, nor social duty. This assemblage seemed moment, The noise they made was so slight, that all the windows and houses in the neighbourhood, not- withstanding their presence, remained shut up and closed, | Suddenly a light appeared, It was the signal. A torch had been kindled. A second blazed on the right, A third on the left. “To your work, boys,” shouted the stentorian voice of Blueskin, amidst the stillness of the night. His words seemed to have a magical effect. to increase every In an instant a myriad flaming brands shot up ~ above the heads of the multitude, shaking their blaze in the dark region. So suddenly and strange did these fires spring © forth, that one might have imagined a scene of en- chantment was taking place, A long luridstreak fell upon the ghastly sea of faces, and revealed to Wirth Wolfgang a spectacle that made him lean against a post like a drunken man, He distinctly saw a frightful rabble of men and women, They were armed with scythes, pick-axes, pikes and brown-bills, who raised their glittering heads apparently in thousands. y Wirth Wolfgang, who had no idea till now of the presence of this human mass, erroneously conceived — their object to be the destruction of the gaol by fire. 4 In that case Jael must of a necessity perish in the ames, The door of the tower had been securely fastened by Turpin, who, the reader has been acquainted, had visited the spot clandestinely. Wirth now possessed no means of communicating with this strange army. : It was now making evolutions. Certain divisions were taking their stations abou the vast building. And the Dutchman roused himself to arrange his means of defence,