Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

a t., ore - "2 ~ le __ &nd all this time Tom had been looking for a hiding- place. | a | | _. . Dimmer and diramer became the moon as ebe sasi still _ Jower in the western sky, and every moment he e2 pected to see her light succeeded by the grey {awn of early morning. If during the darkness he was unab'e to snake off his __ foes and to conceal himself, how could he hope to do so _ when morning was pouring its full rays upon him? - As he asked himself this question an anxious, distressed ~ look came over his countenance. | He wiped away the perspiration that gathered fx args ag drops upon his forehead, and again tooked ack. - The officers were in sight, though he fancied the dis- tance between himself and them had slightly increased. He tried to improve this advantage by accelerating his horse’s speed. But in this attempt he failed most*signally, as@ pegan _ to grow apprehensive that ere long the horse would founder altogether : | Struggling on, he again reached the hich-road. __- With a last, despairing, convulsive effort of strength, the horse leaped over the low hedge which divided the meadows from it. It came down heavily and almost fell, but Tom, by a sudden jerk upon the reins, saved it. Then he felt that whatever his horse migné be able to accomplish now, certainly it would never be able to take such another leap. Under these circumstances, then, he had no resource sive that of continuing his way along the high-road, and _ this, as will be remembered, was a thing Tom always shrank from doing even under the best of circum- _ Btances. ae _ A disagreeable conviction that ere long he would be _ overtaken began to creep over him. __ He tried to shake it off, yet vainly. Soon afterwards the police officers reached the high- _ foad as well—in time, indeed, to perceive Tom King _ making his way at some distance. They noticed with exultation the exhausted condition _ pf his horse, though: the animals they bestrode were _ Bearcely in better condition. _ Yetthey shouted and waved their arms, and encouraged _ each other te keep up the chase with unabated speed. Tom King at length coming toa narrow lane which branched off from the high-road he was pursuing, pulled - up abruptly and turned down it. It was dark, and so thickly overshadowed with the _ branches of huge trees planted on each side of it that it - seemed almost like riding into a tunnel. Again a disagreeable feeling came over him like a ‘shudder, and after he had turned down this lane he re- _ gretted having taken the step, though without knowing _ wherefore. Once more making the effort to shake off this nervous- - mess, as he termed it, he bent all his energies towards __arging bis horse onward. : ____ It was just possible that the officers might not notice _ he had taken this narrow turning. _ The lane was very serpentine in character, and under- neath the horse’s feet was nothing but soft, springy turf, _ showing how very rarely travellers passed that way. _ It was fortunate for Tom, for his horse’s hoofs mad _gearcely any sound. __ Suddenly, however, the aspect of this lane changed. _ The trees were succeeded by high stone wai'sin no place less than ten feet in height. __ Tom glanced from side to side of him with appre. hension. __ But there was no such thing as turning back, even had ke wished it, for already he could tell by the faint sounds t that floated to his ears that the officers were making their way along the lonely lane. __ A few yards further on was another abrupt bend. _ Turning round it, Tom King uttered an ejaculatiou of “Vexation and despair, _ tie end of tie lane was before him. . 5 _ it was composed like the sides of a high stone wall, “nich in the ceutre was pierced by a massive iron door large enough to allow ary vehicle passing down the iane weoroughit, Bot this door was cosed, ahd, by the manner in which a Sage ) ’ ines oe er ‘7 - é& - _ « * J Poe = THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD. eee NESS ——- oo er os it Was overgrown with ross and ivy, had got been opened for very many years. “Trapped,” said ‘Tom, as he wipea the perspiration from his face once more—“ trapped at last: there’s no escape ; here they come!” { He had paused, and having looked at the nigh stone walls and massive gates, feeling sure that it was impos- sible to proceed further in that direction, he had turned his horse’s head round, so that now he faced nis pure suers. He could hear them coming on at great speed, and from the cries and shouts to which they gave utterance, he fancied they were wel! acquainted with the nature of the piace in which he had taken reiuge, and that they were full of joy at having trapped him so securely. A dark, angry look, expressive in the utmost degree of determination, settled upon Tom King’s countenance. He allowed the reins to fall on to the neck of his pant- ing, exhausted steed, then deliberately produced his pis- tois. and having examined their primings, waited, with one in each hand, for the officers to approach. In another moment at the most they would turn the last bend in the lane and be upon him. CHAPTER CMXLVILi, A BRIEF SPACE THE SINGULAR FORTUNES OF SIXTEEN-STRING JACK. Tue pale, grey morning light that, creeping over the whole face of the earth, making all things more distinctly Vssible than they had been before, and which found Tom King in a position of so much perl, was the same that reached Dick Turspim and Maud in the recesses of the old Stone quarry. Gladly would we return to them, or relate what further happened to 'Tom King, but having brought the narrative up to this point, it is necessary to go back and relate the adventures that befel Claude Duval and Six- teen-String Jack during the three days and nights when their comrades underwent so many strange vicissitudes. This done, all will ence more flow on smoothly. It will be remembered, then, that when the highway- men parted in the weod at the rear of the Turee Spiders Inn, they each chose different directions, and in doing so it happened that Tom King and Dick Turpin emerged from the western side, so that the open country lay imme- diately before them. Sixteen-String Jack, with whom we will deal first in clovsing an opposite course, of necessity emerged on the eastera side, or that which was nearest to London, and though be made use of all the circumspection in his power he was not able to leave the shelter of the trees unseen. A loud voive, coming from he knew not where, it reached his ears 30 suddenly, cried: “Surrender!” and scarcely had the word been nounced thar a pistol was discharged. The bullet was a harmless, useless one, for Jack, by FOLLOWS FOR | pro- a rapid movement, had altered his position—this rapid —— movement being consequent upon the start of surprise he gave when he heard some one call out sonear to him. Yet that movement most unquestionably saved his life. Knowing his danger, he at once set spurs to his horse’s flanks, and the next moment was flying off at full gallop. So rapidly did all this take place that Jack had no time to consider which direction he should take; all hia thoughts, indeed, were centred upon getting away from his pursuers as soon as possible. It was not until he had gone for some considerable dis- tauee that he turned his thoughts in this direction, and having done so, he loo)ed around to ascertain where he was. ; He found himself upon the Oxiord Road, with his horse’s head ir the direction of London, to which place te was galloping at full speed. “Tt won’t do to keep this course,” thought Jack; but although he was fully aware of it, he did not just then see any chance of making a change. He paused soon afterwards and listened, and, though faiaitly, yet he could hear distinctly in the distance the claiter of horses’ hoofs—a greater clatter than couid be produced by a sivgle pursuer, and therefore he imagined that the officer who had made eo treacherous an a:tack 0)(0\0) AAG CS Co (E(@) (E(@)