Penny Dreadfuls, 1866 · page 277 of 400
Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 277: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis: "The Knight of the Road" This is a page of running prose text from a Victorian penny dreadful serial, accompanied by an engraved illustration above. The caption beneath the illustration reads "Sixteen-String Jack and Claude Duval Follow the Mysterious Light." The visible text concerns a gentleman at an inn who, despite warnings from an ostler about the notorious highwayman Dick Turpin, confidently declares his intention to capture him. The gentleman mounts an excellent horse and rides away at remarkable speed. The passage notes that while he expects to quickly overtake Dick Turpin, the outcome will occur in a manner he does not anticipate. The page is numbered 207 and labeled "Black Bess," apparently referencing Turpin's famous mare.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
\< _—— a. Ae eh ee ek et uae =, es Ae) >. 4 "> Tr ae ~ tte Be 4, - Yt I y =—i3* Sts, Bye whe afore : : Pot as la ~4' ” i = Ss " ~ THE KNIGHT CF THE ROAD. 1640" IW t/, if) eo | k/ f, it igi A HX y, iY ee 4 ‘ UIT \N XY } AA —<~j_ a NHR IRIGY)» //, y kc = JR 2 ) ANH) // Lif 3 oy : wa ‘ 1777) 4. — ake, eo syte ) ” if} i / , ; j ( i | fy} AL \ . ‘ Is f } ‘ } } ‘ } " Wii y } ist ‘ a f { 4 a — (, AVS 1 f > , a By , } e Pre Y JE 1 ry e, a 4 di Li) } as i e ( rf ; = / 4, UN yy iy, yf Jz ¢Y MG \ ~ Uy, Y; Ay yy SSS \ Pe PAN RS ~ “4 APs ys) ~ Tea me \ \ LZ ' yf / Y A . \\ oS he x " Wa eS ‘ A. ; a i | a, 2S ~ we\\ A A WES Nay ! eine (Y Ah AN WN — a _— ——s 4 | SIXTEEN-STRING JACK AND CLAUDE DUVAL FOLLOW THE MYsTERIOUS LIGHT. | ‘Bah! I have no patience with you at all! You seem to be frightened to death at the fellow’s name! He is but a man, I tell you, and as such I will bea match for him, as my nag here will be for his mare !”’ “ Dick Turpin’s match has not been found yet,’’ mut- tered the ostler, “‘and that is why he remains at liberty. Plenty have pitted themselves against him, but they have always failed.”’ ‘“ No matter !”’ said the stranger, as he sprang into the saddle. ‘I knowit would be worse than useless to ask any of you toaccompany me, sol shallstartalone. But don’t be surprised to see me come back with my prisoner all safe!” “I shall !’’ the ostler was heard to mutter, under his voice, as he turned aside ; and he was further heard to say, more indistinctly, something about a wilful man having his own way. The gentleman took not the slightest notice of him, Ne. 207.—Brack Bzss, however, but, giving a patronising nod by way of fare- well to those who stood at the inn door, he rode away at a pace that was indeed wonderful. The horse he bestrode was in good truth a wonderful creature, and justified him to a very great extent in boasting about it as he did. ‘Tf he goes on long at that rate,’ said the iandlord, ‘he will not belong in overtaking Dick ‘Turpin, I’m thinking,” «That depends whether he lets Black Bess have_her head or not,”’ replied the ostler. f The gentleman evidently thought he should quickly overtake Dick, and therefore pushed his horse to the utmost of his capacity. He was quite right in this, but the event was brought about in a manner he had not for a moment expected, and which, consequently, took him greatly by surprise. Hearing some one coming along the road at such a ’ — —_= ee eee eee -— ase a Sa | =e Set Oo ee ECORNICLOOO (E SS (E(0)