The Skeleton Crew; Or, Wildfire Ned — page 191: what you’re looking at

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

THE SKELETON CREW; OR, WILDFIRE NED. —— << _ “ Perhaps itis. We have had a long and success- ful run of it; but if we had lived ‘a little longer, I have no doubt we should have made ourselves more famous than we are.”’ “ Infamous, you should have said,” remarked Ned. “Well, just as you please to word it ; it is of little consequence to us now, eh, Bates ?” =‘ Not a particle,as I can see. So they lets us spend all our money in drink and. grub, I don’t care what they do with us afterwards.” “ And cannot this Blood be brought to justice ?” asked Ned, in a whisper. “T think not, Ned Warbeck,” said Captain Jack ; “he’s a bigger villain than any of the ‘ Dozen’ ever were ; but, you see, his case is different ; he’s a great rogue, and tried to steal the crown jewels out of the Tower, and everybody thought he would have suf- fered on tlie block ; but, instead of that, the king not only pardons him, but gives jhim a handsome pension into the bargain.” “ He is a desperate scoundrel,” growled Ned. * Yes ; and for that very reason I'd advise you to have as little to do with him as possible, for when one is a king’s favourite every one must smile upon him if they wish to live in peace and quietness.’ “Good advice,” said Bates, “very, and if. the young gentleman follows it, he will do well, and enjoy the title and riches, which, as the descendant of the once famous Ejward Lawrence, he will be sure to receive from his natural guardian—old Sir Richard Warbeck.” “ What mean you?” sail Ned, in surprise, “T mean what I say’ “ Tow know you this ?” ~ “ Phillip Redgill once asked us to go down to Dar- lington Hall to rob it.” “ No.” “Tis true every word, my brave lad.” “You surprise me,” “ Well, while we were there, I and Jack pullel about the old knight’s papers and parchments, while the Skeleton Crew were fighting and hanging the servants, and so drank good wise in the library, and read the family papers.” “And was it Phillip Redgill who planned that attack?” “ Yes, and no other,” 7 “No wonder, then, that I always instinctively hated him,” said Ned. “You two were as different as fire and water. Phillip Redgill planned your murder once or twice.” “T know he did,” “ But you had a charmed life, Ned,” said Jack, “and no one can harm you; all the gipsies and weird women on the Cornish coast have said so.’’ “ Oh, yes, no doubt about that,” said old Bates. ‘‘ Ned Warbeck must have as many lives as a cat, or he would have been killed long and long enough a o,”’ ni Can you account for the fact that.my father was found with his legs cut off,” said Bob Bertram. “Yes, When Phillip,Redgill murdered him, he ‘limbed’ the poor old man to get the bank notes which he heard your father had sewn up in his leather leggings.”’ ‘The infamous scoundrel! the barbarian !” swore Bob, in a great rage. “ But he’s paid out for that bit of butchery, long ago,” said Jack, “for he has confessed it.” «How? In what way ?” No, 24. eT <8 IUS% A “The phantom legs of old Farmer Bertram follows him both night and day.’’ “ Follows him 2?” said Ned, aghast with horror, “ Yes, follows him; atcertain times and on particu- lar occasions they are visible to him, and to others also. J saw them once.” 2 ‘Yes; but I never want to look at them any more,” said Captain Jack, shrugging up his shoul- ders, “for it is a most awful sight.” “ When did this happen ?” “The very night he, and I, and oli Bates were secre'ed in the library at Darlington Hall.” “Aye, true,” said old Bates, with chattering teeth, “and when they walked on to the table right afore us, with their gory tops and stumps, an awful voice was heard; but F was too horror-struck to remember what was said.” “ But I did though,” said Jack. “ And what were the words,” sail Ned ani Bob Bertram, both at once. “Why, the legs'walked across the table, and stood right before Phil Redgilly and’ some awful voice said, “¢ Phillip Redgill, I will follow you for ever !’ “ Awful!” said Ned. “It was,.a-judgwent of heaven !’ “ Whether it was or not, we didn’t stop to sce any more, but made our exit as quickly as possible.” “ And that was the only.thing that prevented us destroying all the old gentleman's family papers,” said Bates. “If it hadn’t been for that, we had all things ready to set fire to the library and the whole mansion.” Much more was revealed to Ned Warbeck and Bob Bertram by Jack and Bates than we have room for in this concluding number ofthe Skeleton Crew ; but what else ‘happened after the gibbeting of the Baker’s Dozen, and their two. notorious leaders, will appear in the next chapter. CHAPTER LIV.. THE RED MAN OF THE GIBBET GIVES WARNING TO THE SKELETON CREW-——DEATH-WING LEADS ON THE LAST ATTACK OF HIS CREW—NED WARBECK, BOB BERTRAM, LIEUTENANT GARNET, AND TIM HAVE AMPLE REVENGE—STIRRING SCENES. Bur although the “Dozen,” with Captain J ack, and old Bates, were disposed of by the grim hands of the law, there were other enemies who roamed still at large. Phillip Redgill lay dying upon his bei in a lunatic asylum, and made night hideous with his awful shouts and oaths. It almost seemed as if he were haunted by a thou- sand demons, for both night and day he screeched and yelled in the most frightful manner, ‘so that his dismal cries could be heard afar off.) “ Take them away ! take them away !’" he would scream aloud with a foaming mouth, wild, ‘widely distended eyes, his hair standing on end, and gnash- ing his teeth. «Take them away, take them away ! the legs are bleeding—they are walking—they are following me, wherever I°go. Away with them—destroy them ! Take them away!” he would shout, both day and -Onnicloooks. conn