Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 66: what you’re looking at

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18 ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. ig hp al te ee eg ee a bounded to the gate which was partly open and sped out into the street. “ Let’s arter him, Master Walter,” said the hostler, quickly. ‘Depend on’t he’ll follow up the trail till it brings him to the willain’s heels. Arter him, sir !”? “ Yes, I will follow,’ Walter retumed ; “ but you must stay here and call up the people in the house.” “No, sir, let me go wi’ ye?” “T will go alone,” rejoined Walter; “remain where you are, you will be wanted to explain what has happened.” With this he rushed off, and running as hard as he could, overtook the dog, which was nearing the end of the next street. Here he stopped. He began sniffing about, and seemed for a mo- ment to have lost the scent. He soon recovered it, however, and uttering a slight growl of satisfaction, resumed his rapid trot. Walter kept close in his wake. With the wondrous accuracy of unerring instinct the creature traced the path that Wild had taken, through all its deviations, and closely followed by the excited student, reached the dark entry in Seven Dials down which the miscreant had carried his hapless victim, and stopped before the low- browed door in the wall. It must be remembered that it was still early morning. On their way Walter had not encountered a single passenger. The dog scratched at the door, and Walter’s cheek went pale, and his blood ran chill, at the faithful creature’s heart-rending howls and cries. Silencing the dog as well as he could, he tried to burst open the door. It resisted his most strenuous efforts. He looked about for a window. None appeared. The door was deep-set in the brickwork of the massive archway, but there was no sign of its com- municating with any of the neighbouring houses. Walter peered through the key-hole, but it was covered on the inner side by an iron guard. ~ He listened. All was silent. Still the dog kept up his piteous, ominous howl. . ings, and would not be restrained. Maddened to desperation, Walter threw a rapid * glance around him. A pitch-fork lay beside a dung-heap a few paces down the squalid alley. He ran and snatched it up. Returning to the door, he thrust the fork between the frame-work and the door-posts, and using it as a lever tried to prize open the door, At last ‘it yielded to his efforts, and the wood split, and the iron bolts were torn from their sockets. . The lock still held fast. Walter, however, stepped backwards, and then springing at the door with a bold, strong bound, burst it open, The dog immediately sprang in, Walter drew his sword and entered. A sharp and narrow passage led to a flight of | steps descending into a chamber, which was quite dark, except for the faint rays which poured in from the door. Scarcely had Walter groped his way for three paces when his foot slipped. A mortal shudder thrilled through his veins, ee His becoming accustomed to the gloom he could distinguish bright crimson clots on the floor. He uttered a cry of agony. He looked before him. A dark mass lay heaped upon what he supposed to be—for it was only just visible—a low truckle bed. Above it, with cold gray morning beams dimly illuming it, stood the awful sentence—‘* Murdered by Wild!” Throwing himself beside the bed his eyes rested upon a dead face glaring ghastly white through the darkness. It was the face of his own beloved Bertha, and her hands were wet with the blood! The hound had placed his heavy paws upon her breast, and was licking her cold, clammy brow, and moaning piteously. Walter stared wildly down upon the wreck of all his love and hopes, and, crushed by the anguish of that awful moment, he uttered a piercing cry, and dropped senseless. The trap door in the wall was cautiously raised. A villanous face appeared. Jonathan Wild crept into the room. In an instant he was attacked by the mastiff. He had scarcely time to draw his whinger and throw his back against the wall when the brute flew at his throat, He slashed at the animal, and inflicted some fearful wounds. But the brute seemed quite insensible to pain, and springing upon the murderer knocked him down, and fixed his fangs in his arm, Jonathan Wild was loath to fire a pistol lest the report should cause an alarm. Yet reflecting that the yelping and baying of the hound was quite as likely tg do so, he drew a long petronal, or horse pistol], from his belt, and dis- charged its contents into the broad breast of the noble hound, killing him instantly. Then he leaped to his feet, and uttering a savage oath of chagrin and dismay flew to the door. The dirty court, which was situated at the back of four streets, inhabited by criminals of the lowest and vilest class, seemed as yet undisturbed, except by the barking of numerous dogs pent in the narrow stone yards, and the crowing of cocks, He’ breathed more freely. Re-entering the gloomy chamber, the villain ap- proached the body of his victim. He started aghast at beholding the bloody in- inscription upon the walls. Then his glance rested upon Walter Revel. ‘‘Humph ! this is fortunate,” he thought; “the poor fool has swooned with horror. Well, it will be an act of mercy to put him out of misery ; he must die, there’s no alternative.” ~ He leaned over the prostrate body of the student, and drew back his head. Walter seemed to recoil with a shudder from the polluting hands of the murderer, and quivered as if the foul fiend had touched him. Then his eyes opened. _ They fixed with an intense glare upon the assas- sin’s face, ae uttered a yell of desperate fury, and sprang > He hurled Wild backwards. e He then managed to snatch up his sword. He tried to speak, but, choked with utter- ance, failed, and he attacked the villain with the utmost desperation, Both the men were skillful swordsmen, but Wild had this advantage, that he knew the ground, while oO Titi COMGbooks.c