The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 325: what you’re looking at

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

2 a eee THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG OAPTAIN. a I oe Alf understood the sign, and hurried away. In a short time he returned, and, without being perceived, handed a very buiky purse to Bandy, This was perceived by Gale. ‘Now come the dummies,” thought the detective. “‘T- wonder where they get it from? TI must find out,” ‘Well, old man,’ said, he, ‘are you going to play, any more?” ‘‘ Leok here, my friend,” said Alf Green, nudging Gale. “I want to speak to you.” 7 zi left the crowd and» went some. distance “Was that little game of: yours in fun or in earnest?” “ What little game?” ““Why, placing a second pea under the thimble,” ‘Tn earnest ?” “Ah! I see ; you are too clever by half,” “Am I?” “Yes, Why do you come around robbing us of our money in that way for?” “ Robbing you ?”’ “Yes, me.” * You are in partnership, then ?” _ “Tt doesn’t matter whether I amor not,” said Alf Green, surlily. ‘ Why do you and your friend come robbing poor, hard-working . people, for, then ?” “Tt ain’t robbing.”’ “Yes it is ; and for two pins, I'd call the attention of the police to you.” “You had better not,” “Why, not.” ; ‘There are too many of us, and besides, we have ‘spotted ’ for the last half-hour.” “You might ‘spot,’ as you call it, for a whole week for all I care,” said Gale. “ Are you going to play again ?”’ “T don’t know ; why ?” . “How much will you take to square it, and not play any more ?” ae “Oh, about a pound or two.” _ “Well, then, here it is,” said Alf, giving him two Bpurious coins, which looked very much like sovereigns, “‘Can’t you give me some silver for one of’ em ?” said Gale. “ “Yes, I don’t mind,” said Alf, And he took the counterfeit sovereign, and gave r Gale several pieces in pewter metal instead. After a few moments of further conversation they separated. { e “Very good,” thought Gale, “ I have won some good monéy, and I have also got a good many counterfeits, both from Bandy and Alf.”’ He walked away chuckling to himself as he said, | , “ Now, if I could only find out old Hautwig, and pounce upon his base metal, I should do very WET a>. At that moment, and while standing in the shadow of a booth, Gale perceived Alf Green con- versing with a long-faced, cunning-looking old man. ' ©That must be Hautwig,” he thought. When the two friends had separated, he followed the old man, and found out that he occupied a travelling van, around which a vast crowd of persons were gathered, admiring some flaring can- vas pictures, whereon was painted a group of barbarous North American Indians, who were fighting over some handsome girl, At the door stood a loud-mouthed fellow who was 319 See the great attractions of the show in- side, “ Real wild Indians, gentlemen, every one, the greatest novelty of the age; can never be tamed, and have to be fed twice a day on raw beef, like animals in the Zoological Gardens, Walk up, walk up—be in time,’ Hear them rattling their chains, ladies and gentlemen ; hear «them rattling: their chains ? No humbug about this; they have to be stirred up with a red hot poker before they’ll obey. Walk up, be in time, be in time! and for the small sum of one penny,” When he had done old Hautwig took up the strain, and described the immense cage and stout iron bars which had been made expressly for these North American Indians. At the same time, to excite the curiosity of those outside still more and more, one of Hautwig’s gang came out upon the steps of the waggon, and flourished a red hot poker, which he said would be swallowed by one of the Indians. A thriil ran through the crowd, and the red hot poker argument was so very powerful that crowds rushed up the steps. “Be in time ! be in time, ladies and gentlemen, be in time! the last time to-night, positively the last time, and the only occasion for the next forty- eight hours in which the Indian chief will swallow the poker. Hear the chains rattling, gentlemen | hear the chains! real chains, gentlemen !- real poker! real Indians! Walk up! be in time! at the low charge of one penny !” Gale mixed among those who were going up the steps to see the show. Many of them gave old Hautwig half crowns, florins, shillings, and sixpences to change, and so much hurry were they in to secure good seats in order to see the “red hot poker trick” that they took little notice of what sort of money the old showman returned to his customers. Gale pretended to be reeling drunk, and when he clambered up the steps he presented’a good sove- reign to old Hautwig, who gave him 19s. 6d, in bad money, and fivepence in copper. “Very neatly done,’ thought Gale, as he stag- gered into the show. “Old Hautwig little knows who I am, or he would swallow the red hot poker himself.” But, as he expected, the real, live, barbarous North American Indians in their iron cage was all an imposition. The “Indians” were real live specimens of humanity from the Seven Dials. But they were painted and’trimmed up in a very extraordinary manner, and, in all truth, looked very hideous indeed. | They were chained up in their iron cage, and pitched the chains about very noisily in order to get up a good effect. When touched by sticks or ‘canes, they screamed and howled: most awfully, and jumped at the iron bars (left loose on purpose), and shook them with such energy that many of the simple spectators thotight it was all real. } After going through some performance, not worth mentioning, and after listening to five minutes’ des- cription of the “wild men,” and the enormous price Hautwig had “paid for’ their capture, their ferocious habits, and such like, the curtam was let down upon the “ savages,” who returned immediately to their pipes and beer. i The door was thrown open, amid loud cries of— “They are now coming out ! they are now coming out! Ask them if they-are not satisfied! Ifany one is not so, he shall have his money back! Bein QO CoOMmicboooks.c©