The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 156: what you’re looking at

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

ST Ta 150 THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI'S YOUNG CAPTAIN. Ne oe iota am nn goa ae a “Yes, you. I watched him like acat would a mouse.” “Oh, Heaven? I cannot believe it.” + But J can. Come; come this way ; pull off your boots and follow me.” **T will not.” “But you must ; we are linked in life or death, Flint.” As he said this'there was aterrible meaning in his words, and a fierce fire in’ his eye, which the old lawyer knew meant mischief. With their shoes off, Jonathan and Flint left the parlour, first having blown out the light. Jonathan next bolted the street-door, and double locked it. All this was done noiselessly and quietly, so much so that no one in the house could possibly hear him. “Follow me,” said he to the old lawyer. Quickly he mounted the silent staircase, followed by the panting lawyer. Flight after flight was ascended. They had now arrived at the fourth floor, when a sudden noise startled Jonathan. He paused, breathed hard, and listened. Some one knocked loudly at the street- door, ‘What can that mean ?” Flint sighed. ‘‘ The officers have discovered their mistake, and are just returned.’ ‘‘ Tmpossible.” “ Hold your prate, old fool as you are,” said Jo- nethan, grasping Flint firmly by the coat collar. “ Mount that ladder.” “What for ?”’ “Why, we must escape over the roofs of the houses.” ‘‘T cannot; I shall surely fall into the street, and dash my brains out.’’ ““T wish he would,” Jonathan thought. “If I only knew. where the old villain secreted his money,”’ Bang! bang! bang! went the door knocker. “ Quick,” said Jonathan; “‘up the ladder you 0:23 Flint was half-way up the ladder when the door of a chamber on the same floor opened. ‘Who is there?” inquired a voice. There was no response, Jonathan and Flint dared not move. They held their breath in the darkness. They knew not whence the voice proceeded. ‘Who’s there?” was the repeated question. “Speak, or I will raise the alarm of thieves, robbers |” ‘Tis a female voice,” thought Jonathan. Ile approacbed the door. Biddy, the cook and housemaid, stood shivering and alarmed at her chamber door, half-dressed, and trembling with agitation. Jonathan seized her by the tkroat. Before she could struggle or articulate a sound, he said, ‘Breathe another word, and you die,” “Oh, spare me! Oh, mercy | thieyes——’ “ Hu-s-s-sh !”’ said Jonathan. His grip upon her throat was more persuasiye than his words. 4 The poor servant-maid trembled, and fell to the oor, ‘Speak again, and I will kill you! Do not stir out of your room. on any account.” Bang}! bang! bang! again went the street-door knocker, Jonathan closed and locked the servant’s door, and mounted the ladder on to, the roof with the agility of a lamp-lighter. “Keep out of sight,’ he whispered to Flint, ‘“‘or they will perceive us from below.” i So cautioned, Flint. crept along the roof near to the gutters, behind the heavy stacks of chimney- pots and had crossed the roof of a house or two, when he stopped from sheer exhaustion, ‘Go on, go on,” growled Jonathan. But Flint refused. Jonathan, however, with his dirk-knife, pricked the old lawyer several times in the leg. This made Flint wince with pain, and hecrawled on faster and farther than ever. The noise below now convinced the two fugitives that the officers had burst into the house. © “ Quick, quick! for your life,”’ said Jonathan. By this time they had crossed over more than a dozen houses, unperceived by any one below, and had reached the corner of the street. They were new on the roof of a large ware- house. Jonathan and Flint were completely concealed by an immense stack of chimney-pots. Yet in the distance they could perceive the bull’s- eyes of the officers’ lanterns. They were now on the roof also, but far away. The little gleam of light caught old Flint’s eyes, and his heart sank within him. “This way,” said Jonathan, who had discovered a trap-door. ‘‘ This way.” He opened it hastily, and in a great hurry old Flint descended the ladder, ; ‘“‘ Are you down ?” asked Jonathan. A deep groan of agony was the only answer. Flint’s leg had been caught by a watch-dog. In a moment Jonathan descended. ‘‘Help! help!” groaned Flint, ‘‘or I shall be worried to death.” Jonathan, however, thought it of more conse- quence to secure the trap-door than look after Flint, and, therefore, barred it from the inside so that the officers could not follow, and should be thrown off the scent. When this was done, during which time the watch-dog had been gnawing at old Flint’s leg, Jonathan descended to the staircase, and, with one thrust, stabbed the watch-dog to the heart. With a terrible growl in ils death-agony, anda final bite at the unfortunate lawyer's legs, the animal died, Jonathan seized it, and in the dark was about to throw it downstairs, when he violently struck some unknown person to the floor. A curse and a groan was the only reply. It was the watchman of the warehouse, who had noiselessly approached. THe was alone. Flint, in his hurry and flight, stumbled over the prostrate watchman, and tumbled head oyer heels downstairs, and with a loud smash fell through a sky-light allof a heap into a room on the ground: floor, Jonathan was more lucky. He delivered a series of such violent kicks and cuffs to the unlucky watchman, as left that unfortu- nate man more dead than alive, and afraid to raise any alarm, With much difficulty, he found out Flint, and released him from his place of confinement. Flint wished to be left behind. - But this Jonathan would not think of, ‘The old villain wishes to get rid of me,” he thought; “but that must not be, If I lose sight of him this time, I shall never set eyes on him Gomicbook