Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 211: what you’re looking at

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

» : ‘Pua tf Moran. ‘7 « . » oe , : whe _ resembled a cry of distress, - Then, turning round, she led the way across tye Narry. Dick followed her with a foreboding boart. He feared some evil had befallen Maud Reaching, at length, the spot where ha had Isft her, nis presentiments were verified, fur he found she wrs lying upon the ground ir a state of total insensibility— so total that if scemed lke death itsvif. With much cificulty, Dick restored her. ‘Her joy was great at finding he had returned in efi zty —so great that another relapse seemed imminent. Dick, knowing full well what had prodaced ber swoon, persuaded her to eat, and in a short time he soon per- ceived that she was better. The remainder of the night passed away devoid of a’spther incident. - nt when the morning came, both Dick and Maud xooked arcund them with more contcnicd eyes than they 7jad done kitherto. The supply of provisions Dick had brought was not laze, yet they fancied by care they would be able to make it last during their stay in this place. That day, too, and the night which followed it, passed away without any kind of interruption whatever. On the next morning, soon after daylight, Maud uttered a faint cry of alarm. Dick turned in the direction she pointed out, and Baw, near the top of the zigzag path, the form cf a youth, who carried something carefully in his kand, but what it was they could not from that distance make - out. “ Another visitor,” said Dick, who little guessed who it was or what was his errand. “‘ Well, no matter, Meud, if he brings no one with him all will bo wali.» “Tie seems alone.” “ He does; and what can be hi here passes my comprehension.” As the reader will guess, thi: was no other than tio farmer’s son, Jack, who had passed the time which had elapsed since we saw him last in searching carefully all around. The country for miles about was well known to him, end there were many places that he knew of well calcu- lated to serve as hiding-places. These he had visited first, for, oddly enough, the quarry never once occurred to him. When, however, he recollected the existenve of this place, he felt a conviction that he was st last on the right track, and still carrying the huge holster pisiel, he made his way towards it. He had almost shrank from making a descent into the gioomy recesses of this place, and even now, when he had so strong a motive to urge him on, he hesitated. This was not surprising, for it required no ordinary ainount of nerve and coolness to attempt to walk down so narrow and slippery a path. ~ Growing stronger in resolution, however, he at length egan to descend. Dick watched him as he came lower and Jower, still looking more like a tiny puppet thao a human being. All at once, a shriek escaped Maud’s lip, drowned by tho loud, hoarse shrick that Dick gs) utterance From some causes or othér—who could tell what ?— the boy Jack in his descent had lost his fr oting. Whether it was that he was seized by sudden veriigo, or whether his foot slipped upon the treacherous moss which overgrew the rockwork, they could not tell. Certain it is that, after a frantic but vain attempt to retain his balance, he plunged headlong into the depths of the quarry. In his fall, he struck from time to time againat the many rough projections, and each time wiih a dul} sickenirg sound, perfectly audible to Maud and Dick. en . Finally, he dropped into a stunted tree, where he > an ee for « second or two, then fell heavily to the <4 eerih. are > r + 7 ’ -) fv “ue ~ > 3 motive for coming ee Ee + ae eae ee eC ee a cee aes eee ae “a - - 4 ve t~. +) , Dick at once rushed forward to his assistaace, ___ tuvugh he feared no human aid could avail hin, | ected, indeed, to find nothing but © mangled, He ex eS - : THE ENIGHi OS THE ROAD. She uttered again a neighing sound, which almost | . o _ = . Ge Hee 1% em, What was his -surprise, thea, to hear a faint, ceep ing groan ? wae This caused him to increase “is pace; but when he saw the fearful object lying among the rocks he felt ag that it would indeed have been a ‘eazcy bod death fe come upon him earlier. sh Consciousness had not left the unhappy retch, AS Although he had struck so many fimes upon the rocks, yet the only effect of this was to teviso and lacerate his flesh, and the continual boundizg frem - point to point broke the full force of the fall, ay liad he remained among the branches of the tree it ae is possible that he might have recovered from his Ne ad hurts. That last fair on to the mass of broken stones, whereon he lay, had wrought fearful injury. “My poor lad,” said Dick, compassionately, “ what can I do to aid you?” With a painful movement, the boy’s face was turned towards him. No sooner did he catch sight of Dick’s countenance than he uttered a cry of despair. ret ‘Curses on my luck!” he said. “I have found yor at last; but the discovery is no good—it comes too . — ‘Found me?” repeated Dick, recoiling in astonish- _ a ment. ene: “Yes!” said the boy, suddenly and painfully raising — me himself. ‘And take that—it will at least be a satisfac- tion to me!” ee While speaking, he suddenly raised a pistol, to which, gh during his fall, he had clung with a grasp like that of ae death. igo With the speevd of thought, he placed it on full cock ad pulled the trigger. ; No explosion followed, however, for the powder had _ been shaken out of the pan. He dropped the weapon with a curse. Then, with an awful shriek that seemed to pierce through and through Dick Turpin’s brain, the wretched lad threw up his arms and fell backwards on the stones quite dead. CHAPTER CMLXI. DICE fURPIN FINDS HIMSELF TIIREATENED WITH A FR«<SH DANGER. “ AxnoTy?R tragedy!” Dick murmured, as soon as he had satisfiea himself that life’ was really extinct. “How ~ strange too!” he added. ‘He was evidently in pursuit of me, yet surely never so mad as to dream of effecting my capture single-handed ?” a ; A fragment of paper was protruding from one of the pockets of the dead youth, and Dick, impelled by a curiosity which he did not attempt to resist, stooped down and possessed himself of it. Spreading it open, he then found that it was one of the bills offering a reward for himself and his comrades, accompanied by a full description of the appearance of each. “ He was dazzled by the hope of obtaining so large a sum,” Dick muttered. ‘* Well, all is over with him now, and Limagine I have little to fear from anyone else. If he had confided his secret to anyone he would not have visited this place alone. Why he skould seek for me here baffles me completely.” This might well seem mysterious to Dick, who did — not notice Jack while in the farm-house, yet when he came to ponder upon the circumstance, he came with- out much difliculty to the conclusion that he must be some member of the farmer's family. — Long and anxious was the consultation that tock ace between Maud and himself upon the subject. _ Maud was for quitting the quarry at once, but Dick lingered. He fett somehow that while there he was safe, and that if he attempted te find any other place of shelter he would only rum into greater danger. The event proved that he was right, . Time passed on very slowly and very wearily for them, but it did pass, and at length tus morning of the last day dawned. ahs “ Ouly a few hours more, Maud,” said Dick, “and we {sia quit this place, where es Peyronie meine p! . “a & a 7 ™. <4