The Skeleton Crew; Or, Wildfire Ned — page 157: what you’re looking at

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

rn nn a an aE EE EEE —E—E EEE EEE Ee EEE EE—————E—EeEeEEE THE SKELETON CREW; OR, WILDEIRE NED. his white fangs glistening in the light through his gory jaws, as with fiery eyes he kept watch before. the Closet. a ldabai : » In less:than-balfan hour!every bell in the house began ‘to: ring violently. | a er | - The servants began to,run:to and fro in search of _ their mistress. — <= “At last they all rushed into the, chamber, lights in hand, : ) ‘CAs they,saw the recoiled in horror. ; ‘ _“* Where is the murderer ?’ they shouted, |», “The hound gave a fierce grow], and sniffed at ghastly sight: before them; they the door, SS crvy te “«Ffe is here! he is here !’ “¢Th the closet he ts hiding.’ «Hold the hound while we see,’ said many. “Two powerful men seized the dog, and held him by the throat. a; “A third and fourth footman, sword in ‘hand, opened the door. MEQD h-? 8 2 “JT was discovered, “With a fearful grow], the hound tried to burst away from those who held-him, but could not. “In a second I was seized by several retainers, who with swords pointed at my breast, led me away to prison. “T was cast into a loathsome dungeon that same night on the charge of murder, | *‘ Heavy irons and manacles weighed me dowo.. ; “But I could not sleep. ‘The gory ghost of Baptiste was ever crossing before my excited imagination, and a cold sweat oozed out all over me. “T thought that my last hour. was come -and that on the morrow { should be hung. “Judge of my. joy, however, whien in the middle of the night the governor of the prison entered my cell, and ordered my release. “We had received a letter from Donna Eyelina, who had that same night entered a convent for life, stating the whole truth about what the hound had done, ~ “T'was accordingly released. “This was a narrow escape I got clear of the prison walls, I hired a horse, and left the town. for me, and as soon as- “TJ did not have much money to spare,so as I was” riding along, I met a merchant. “ | robbed ‘him in a very cool and clever manner,” and beside his money, took a pair of pistols and a passport from him. > | “I tied’ hie to a tree, and left! him alone in his glory.: | “My mind was made up to leave France, and’ ae- cordingly directed my way towards a small town on the sea coast. | “T had not gone far when I was overtaken by two mounted officers, who said it had been discovered that the person just liberated from the castle had turned of to be one of the ‘Scorchers,’ and they were in search of him. “I muffled myself up) so, well, and assumed a strange voice so, cleverly,, that I threw the officers: off the scent. “T told them, however, that the very man they were looking for had attempted to rob gme, but that I had proved more than a match for him, and in punishment had tied- him to a tree, by the roadside. “They, believed my, story, and hastily galloped, back in the direction I had indicated. “Of course I need not say that I rode off rapidly © in the other direction. | 35: anh «“ JT came to the small town I intended, but 1t was walled in and had gates. 151 ‘““T knocked at the gates for a long time, and.at last they were opened by a stout sturdy porter, “ He demanded my passporf, “J gave him the one I had stolen from the mer- chant. “ He eyed me very closely, and said that the pags- port did, not agree with my description, and he should detain me as a rough, dangerous-looking cha- racter. : - *Tjont be quite-so clever,’ I said, half annoyed, “ He tried to get hold of my bridle-rein, but I knocked the gate-keeper down with one blow, and started off at.a hard gallop. et «Stop thief! murder ! robbers ! thieves,’ shouted the prostrate official, in stentorian lungs, “The cry was quickly taken up by the rabble of the town, and I thought it best to gallop .right off and gain the open country again. «Stop thieves ! robbers ! murderers ! shouted the excited mob, in full cry. ‘ “ Onward L galloped through the dirty, narrow streets of the straggling town as hard as possible, “Once or twice my horse slipped, and fell under me. “T raised him again, ‘‘But from every hand came stones and dirt and rubbish, which was hurled at me on all sides, © “©T did not know the right direction of the oppo- site gate, and so had to guess at it as best I could. ‘Tar behind me were my pursuers, panting and yelling like so many half-bred hounds, when sud- denly my flight was stopped by a high dead wall. “ Escape seemed impossible. “My pursuers gave a loud shout of triumph as they perceived my progress was arrested, and I had almost given up every hope of esca;ing; when a sudden thought strucx me that the wall might be nothing less than the city wall. +] could regain my liberty through a window of one of the houses dswn the street; and against the city wall,’ I thought. ‘“T saw one with the door open. “JT jumped off my horse, and entered the house with a pistol inv eaeh hand ‘My pursuers, however, had seen it; and as I entered one of the rooms 1 heard them thundering at the street door. « There wasinoone save an old woman‘in the room T entered. Seeingia fierce-looking man suddenly enter with a-brace of pistols cocked she fainted, and fell on the floor. “T rushed to the window and looked:out. “ Judge of my joy, the fields were beyond. “JT threw out some pillows and the bed into: the fields below. , “Next [locked and barred the door. “ After this I stroigly barricaded it withthe stop him!’ table, chairs, and whatever else I could. “My next performance was to gct-up,the spacious old. chimney, and there I hid myself, waiting im- patiently until night shou! come. “ As [ imagined, all my plans proved,successful. « After banging at the door fora long, time they broke it opep, and rushed in headlong over each other. “They were staggered when they found Iwas not there. “He has escaped from the window,’ said one. «éYes, sure; see the bed and pillows lying on the grass yonder.’ ‘¢Oh, the cunning knave,’ said a third; ‘he threw those things out to soften his fall.’ “They searched the room, and, in fxet, all the house’; but I was so well concealed up the winding DOO