Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 153: what you’re looking at

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

, a : af ae * . < ent $+ cs t vs: 7 y = = - es, yes, landlord,” said tho officer who had before — «46h Y spoken—" but come here; I want to speak tw you quictiy sbout something.” With wonder in his looks, the landlord oumplied. “ Your daugliter tells me,” said the officer, with great emphasis, and bringing the forefinger of his right hand into the palm of his left hand at every word he gpo’re, “that eariy this morning a traveller arrived here and took a private room.” “Yes, that’s quite true, but he has gone by this time, surely ?” “ ‘‘ No, he has not —at least, your daughter says so. Well, row, stop—don’t run away; just listen to me {” ‘“‘T am listening.” “Well, then, in as few words as you can, and as quietly as you can, give me a descripticn of that gentle- man’s appearance.” The landlord endeavoured to comply. But he made a sad bungle of it. ‘“‘Hush!” said the officer, sinking his voice to a still lower tone. “Keep quiet—I don’t want to raise an alarm. Just say whether he agrecs or not with this de- scription.” The officer pulled a bill out of his pocket, aud folding it in the middle, began to read. Scarcely had the first words passed his lips, however, than he was interrupted by a prodigious clatter—a noise that drowned every other sound. ““Goodness gracious alive!” ejaculated the landlord, stageering back—“ what on earth is that ?” The cfficers, all startled by the noise, looked around, for it seemed to them it had actually been made in the Very room in which they sat. ‘“‘What’s on the other side of that partition?” roared the officer, thrusting the bill back into his pocket. ‘“ Why, the best parlour.” “The best parlour?” he yelled. “Ten thousand devils! That’s where the gentleman was, I suppose? Of course it is, and now he is escaping. But quietly, my lads—let us take it quietly! We have him—there’s no occasion totrouble! Briggson is outside, and he will be after him, depend upon it!” Just as he uttered these words, the loud report of a pistol made itself distinctly heard. CHAPTER CMXXXTYV. IN WHICH TOM KING FINDS HE IS UNABLE TW? SUAKE OFF HIS PURSUERS. Ir was indeed from the best parlour in the inn that the tremendous clattering noise had come, and the cause of it was this. When our old friend saw the police officer produce the bill and unfold it, he judged it was high time to be off ; in fact, he believed that the very best thing for him to do under the circumstances was to beat as hasty a retreat as possible. But there is such a thing as making too much haste, as ‘Tom found to his cost, for in stepping from the chair on to the table he placed his foot much too near the edge of the latter, the consequence of which was that before he knew what was the matter the whole affair had over- _ balanced, and he was lying on the ground with the furni- jure upon hin. A cry of vexation escaped his lips at this untoward accident. It would at once let the police officers know that he was on his guard and preparing to escape. $ Scrambling to his feet, he scarcely knew how, ke mado @ rush to the window. From mere habit more than anything else, he kad pre- viously made himself acquainted with the nature of its Zastenings, so that now he was able to fling it open quickly and easily. To spring into the roadway was but the wora of a second; and then, knowing perfectly well where his horse had been posted, he ran off in that direction. Before he had gone many steps, however, he was chs!- -lenged, and a voice commanded him to stop. It was not likely that he would pay any attention to any such command as this, ard so continued his course, if anything, with slightly-increased speed. . ee a), Past FE Op © ha ae P St ds a a pire um oe ye 4h AP aed | 4 DS | ’ o, THE ENIGHT OF THE ROAD. }- : L525 other than Briggson, the officer, who Lad been put there en the look-out—deemed himself justified in producing his pistol and discharging it at the flying figure. © T'om felt the bullet whistle past him, or fancied he did ; but he heard the report of the firearm, and so he knew he was safo At that very moment he gained the stable dvor. Never, probably, had a horse been got ready and— mounted in so short a space of time as Tom’s was now. But the fact was, however, in the morning, when at- tending his steed, he had requested that the saddle might be a upon his back, doing no more than loosening the girths, The bridle had been hung upon a hook close by. Tom seized this bridle, and, without waiting to put it on, and without pausing either to tighten the saddle- girths, he vaulted into the saddle, providing himself with no other means of guiding his horse tnan the halter by whick he nad been secured to the manger. Owing to these rapid and energetic proceedings, Tom was enabled to get outside the stable almost before Brigg- son had made up his mind whether he had hit the fugis tive or not. Still, the police officers had poured out from the inn, and were hastening as fast as their legs could carry them to another large shed, lying more at the rear of the inn, which had been rapidly turned into a stable on their arri- val, for, as may be supposed, in a place of so little trade there was not accommodation for so many horses. They saw him take his departure, and gave vent to a loud cry, as though to express their determination to give him full chase. Tom, however, paid no attention to them, but hurried off. : Hie quickly found, thou gh, that, practised as he was in the art of riding, it was by no means easy to keep the saddle in its proper place. Having, then, gained a trifling start, he thought he might venture to pause while he made himself and his stefd more comfortable. Accordingly, he alighted, tightened the girths, pulled off the halter, and substituted the bridle. These operations occupied only a few fleeting moments, yet the police officers were enabled in the meanwhile to mount and to commence the chase in good earnest. Tom, however, now felt but little apprehension. He was convinced that his new horse was a good ons, and now that he had had so long arest and been well provided with food, he would be in excellent condition for the road, and capable of making any amount of exer- tion that might be required of him. In accordance with his usual habit, Tom King took to the fields. He had found by experience that riding across the country afforded him a much better chance of shaking off his pursuers than confining himself to the high-roads and lanes. But from time to time he turned in the saddle and looked behind him, and each time that he did so he saw that the officers were unpleasantly close behind him. He put his horse to increased speed, and coming to a very high hedge, made him leap over it. The animal seemed nervous, for it shied and swerved, but ‘l'om was resolute, and forced him to rise. {t was unfortunate, however, for the animal L-arely cleared the obstruction, and coming down awkwardly, slipped and fell upon its side, carrying ‘Lom with it. But the highwayman, though he rcleased his feet from the stirrups, kept firm hold of the bridle, and was on his feet as soon as the horse was. ‘he noble creature trembled and shook all over. Whether it was injured or not by the fall Tom could not tell, nor dare he pause to ascertain. Once more springing into the saddle, he plunged the spurs deeply into his flanks. The horse staggered at first, and then broke out into tufl gallop, showing pretty clearly that whatever injury he might have rece‘ved was not of a very serious charac- ter. : “J rather think,” said Tom, as he noted the length and uniform height of the hedge, “that that will be a slight obstruction in the way of my friends behind. But for my fal), I should have got clear of them easily.” As may be imagined, however, the delay this sudies Then the man who had challenged him—being ne | fall oocasioned enabled the officers to get much nearer. (E(@) ECORI C3 JOOKS