The Skeleton Crew; Or, Wildfire Ned — page 143: what you’re looking at

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

gy A STORMY INTERVIEW.—See Number 20. They both whistled softly, and the signal wa quickly answered. “All right ; the lads are up to their time.” In a moment, where a second before no one had been seen, eight or nine men appeared crouching under the garden wall. “ All right,” said one, whispering to Bates. “Have you taken a good squint all round the house ?” ! “Yes; all are abed.” “Sure of that ?” 3 “Positive.” “ But the dogs ?” “We have poisoned them an hour ago; they are all stiff and cold by this.” “Then let us commence. ladder ?’’ “Here it is,” said one, unwinding a rope-ladder from around his body, and which had been concealed by a short cloak. ‘Let a man watch each side of the house,” said Jack. ‘Bates and I will enter, and pass all the valuables out to you ; put them into the boat as fast as possible, and if there should be any alarm, run ‘No. 18. Where is the rope- dis towards the river. The boat is large enough to take us all.” “Tf we only had skeleton keys now,” said Bates. “ Hang your skeleton keys,” said Jack, in disgust, “Don’t I know all about the house ? I ought to do, for I’ve been init often enough ; no skeleton keys in the world would open those doors, they are doubly bolted inside, and cased with iron. Give me the rope-ladder.”’ With great dexterity, Captain Jack threw one end of the rope-ladder up into the air, and the hooks at the end caught in the iron railings of the balcony. «Silence !” said Captain Jack, and after trying its strength, he began to ascend. s Z * * But for a moment let us see what was going on inside the house. Ellen Harmer was confined therein, and was sup- posed to be strictly watched both night and day by the deaf and dumb eunuch—the Nubian slave. The fame of her great beauty had reached the ears of the king ; but instead of presenting her to ia majesty, Colonel Blood had made up his niind to Sh 6 PHC MUICOOOKSHEO