Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 120: what you’re looking at

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

1493 There was danger, to be sure, in venturing along such a well-frequented high-road; but then, on the ether hand, the hour was one when few people ware likely to be travelling, and he a Se by making an effort, to get so far by daybreak ag to able to make the rest of 7 way through the narrow, winding lanes. This, then, was the course he adopted, and, as he had correctly anticipated, he journeyed on and on for miles without so much as catching a glimpsé of ~ Nauman being. When the Oxford Road was fairly reached, his raw uf progress became much accelerated, for the groard was firm and smooth beneath the horse’s feet. {n this manner he continued without meeting with the slightest interruption until day began to dawn. Huge masses of white mist hung over all the meadows, and so obstructed the view that it was not possible to see for any great distance. By degrees the morning broke clearer and brighter. Dick plied the sig Ce renewed energy, for he had not got so far upon his journey by this time as he hoped. The sun rose, aud found him descending into a hollow, very disagreeable piece of roadway, and one that was de- tested by every traveller. The road was formed down the declivious sides of two long, high hills, which formed indeed a most delightful valley. Toe to the deep shadows cast by the trees that grew luxuriantly near the foot of these hills, the bottom or lowest part of the road was almost plunged in gloom, and it was here that many an ambush had been laid for pass- ing travellers. ow the valley was almost filled with the white, fleecy mist of which we have spoken. But the sun, rising higher and higher, gradually dis- pelled it. It rolled away in huge, undulating masses, until at length the sun, appearing above the summit of the hill, poured down a full flood of golden light. The scene then was one of real beauty, and there were few indeed who could look upon it without sensations of admiration. Dick was not one of them, and as, after reaching she bottom of the descent he commenced to urge his horse up the precipitous hill before him, he looked arouad him with feelings of real delight. By chance, when about three-parts up this hill, he glanced upwards, and then beheld a sight which filled him with the greatest astonishment—so much so that he unconsciously pulled the rein, and the horse, feeling the check, stopped at once. Of this circumstance he algo remained in ignorance, for all his faculties were bound upin watching what he saw on the brow of the hill above. First he saw, with extraordinary distinctness, the figure of a man on horseback. It needed not a second glance to enable Dick to recog- nise this horseman; it was his old comrade, Sixteen- String Jack. Suddenly another horseman appeared in sight, and a reeting of the warmest description then took place tween them. This other horseman was Olaude Duval; Dick recog- nised him perfectly. He sat where he was like a mau in a dream. Dick saw Claude raise his riding-whip and pointin a certain direction. Sixteen-String Jack turned his head to look, and some laughing remark appeared to be exchanged. But what filled Dick with the greatest surprise was toat there seemed a kind of mistiness and unreality about the figures which he thus beheld. He thought it strange that, being om the brow of the hill as they were then, and with their horses’ heads turned towards him, that they did not observe his presence. Dick resolved to make himself known, and shouted. His voice, clear and loud, rang out with great distinct- ness in the valley, and most certainly the sound must have reached the ears of any persons above. To Dick’s amazement, howerer, not the slightest notice waa taken by Claude and Jack. He shouted again and again, but with no better effect then before. a—_— "3B... ae ooo LLL LL CC CC: CII cs SLACK BESS; Of, Wondering atso strange a circamstanea, and feeling & kind of awe in his breast, he gased again in silence, im order to make sure that his senses were not deceiving him. No, there coukl be 0% mistake—Ulanude and Jack were surely there. Having come to this conclusion, he once more rawed his whip and started his horse. At a clumsy half-canter, halt-gallop, the tired beast struggled up the remainder of the bi, When within about a hundred vsrda or more of tthe top, Dick shouted again, and at the preclee moment when the gound escaped his lips the two fiyures instantly vanished, so suddenly thut it was impossible to say {n what direction they had gone. They ssemed to be annihilated in the twinkling of an eye. More puzzled still, Dick continued his sourse up- ward. “They have gone down the hill on the othg side,” he said —‘“ yes, that must be it. But how suddenly they went—they seemed to dissolve into the air; and their horses’ heads were turned in this direction. It’s very strange !” The more Dick thought about # the more uncomfort- able he felt. A kind of nameless fear came ereeping slowly over him, until it obtained entire possession of his faculties. It was then that he reached the summit of the hill. A glorious sight indeed lay before him, For miles and miles a most beautiful landscape could be beheld—a landscape only dotted here and there with trees, and for the most part composed of meadows, which displayed every shade of green. But this prospect, although so magnificent was un- heeded by the highwayman, upon whose countenance an expression of amazement—not to say horror—gradually settled. And no wonder, for neither down the broad high-road which he could see extending far below the bottom of the hill, nor in the meadows on either side of it, could he perceive the least trace of his comrades. He rubbed his eyes, and began to wonder whether he was really in his right senses. But, so far as he could judge, everything around bore an accustomed and natural aspect. Where, then, had his comrades gone? Most certainly not down the high-road. Upon that , point there could not possibly be two opinions, for such was its length that they had not had sufficient time tc reach the bottom even if they had urged their horses to the utmost gallop, which was an unlikely thing for them to do, in consequence of the precipitous character of the descent. Neither had they leaped over any of the hedges, for the smooth meadows offered no concealment whatever, and had they done so Dick must infallibly have perceived them. | The longer he stood on the brow of the hill, and the more hecomprehended all these circumstances, the more did his wonder increase. He was not more certain of his own existence than he was that he had seen Claude Duval and Sixteen-String Jack only a few ficeting moments ago occupying the very space of ground on which he now stood. Now the keenest and most piercing eye would altogether have failed in descrying them anywhere, There were no hiding-places anywhere near. The smooth, velvet-like pasture-land was not broken anywhere by so much as a furrow. They were not concealed behind any hedgerow, for these were all unusually low and bare of leaves, so thas it was easy to see completely through them. As the mystery of his friends’ disappearance increased, a cold, uncomfortable feeling epread itself all over Dick’s frame, and he felt as though some icy object hac been placed in contact with his heart. There was only one conclusion that be could adopt that offered anything approaching to a solution of this mystcrious affair, and that conelusion Dick was most re- luctant to adopt, though, in a manner of speaking, he was driven to it. The beings he had seen upon the summit of the Bil were not of this carth, they were not living creatures (e(o) JOOKS (E(0)