Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 290: what you’re looking at

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

s amall of) lamp that was flickering as though at the point | ago what you should do in such a case as this. Wh of extinction at the upper end of the waggon. BLAOK BESS; Ub, ~-—-- -_- -—~——s ——— don’t you blow the robber’s brains out at once? I woul At the first glance Claude Duval saw that the vahiole | pretty quick, if I only happened to be a man!” contained several persons of both sexes. But it would appear that he was even more distinctly beheld by the occupants of the waggon, for immediately upon his appearance there arose a general cry of dismay, while one fearfully stout old lady went right off into a faint at once, falling sather heavily upon the person who sat next to her. ; As sow as ever he had a charce o? making hiniself heard, Ciaude Duval spoke. Taking off his hat and making a very deep and r+ spectful bow, he said: ‘“‘Ladies and gentlemen, I beg you will not be under the least alarm: there is not the slightest occasion for it —that 1s, unless you wilfully bring danger upon your- selves, and I hope you have all too mach senge to think of doing that.” “Since you are so d—nably polite,” said a voice at the farther end of the waggon, “perhaps you will be kind enough to inform us why we are thus stopped and hin- dered in our journey ?” ‘“‘T have no objection whatever,” replied Clande. ~ In fact, that was just what I was about to inform you when you spoke.” “What is it, then ?” “To levy a contribution upon you—not for any charitable purpose, mind—so please be generous. You will comprehend the facts of the case immediately when I inform you that this is a portion of my dominions, and it is always a custom for persons passing to pay tribute. That is my business on the present occasion, ladies and gentlemen, and [ hope you will not delay me any longer than you can help.” Claude said all this in such a calm, matter-of-fact man- ner, that the people in the waggon looked at each other in perfect bewilderment. “Ti’s a d—d odd thing,” said the voice which had pre- viously spoken, “but I have travelled this way for many a year and never before heard of anything of the sort!” “That may be,” said Claude. “But as you are doubt- less anxious to resume your journey, and asI am not desirous of losing any more time, I should be glad if you would at once begin to make a display of your liberality. Here, take my hat and pass it round—it will serve ad- mirably well to receive donations.” Bu the person to whom he offered the hat refased to take it. “Confound it, ma’am !” cried the individual upon whom a fainting female had chanced to fall, and who had been making frantic but unavailing efforts to restore her © consciousness. ‘Confound it, ma’am, wake up! You ie on a fellow just like a ton weight!” There was a general laugh at this. Claude Duval even joined in the merriment. The incident was a most ludicrous one; the female was truly of Herculean dimensions, while the unhappy wight upon whom she had fallen was one of those little men who cannot be better or more forcibly described than by the word insignificant. , But his words were paid no attention to by his bur- en. He strove at urst to lift her up, but he might just as well have tried to lift up a house. Then he endeavored to wriggle himse'f from under- neath her, but in this second attempt he succeeded no better than in the first, so, with a sigh of despair, he was obliged to resign himself to his situation, being about as helpless as a worm under a stone. r “ It seems to me,” said another person who hed not as yet spoken—“it seems to me that all this foolery means neither more nor less than highway robbery.” Claude assented by a bow and a smile “Highway robbery!” cried a shrill semale voice. “Highway robbery! Do you hear that, Captain Septi- mus Smith, or have you turned deaf all of a sudder?’ “1 hear it plain enough, ma’ain—a d—d deal too plain !” said the first speaker, who, as it would appear, rejoiced in the name and title of Captain Septimus Smith. “Then in that case. sir,” said the lad y. addressing biva with ‘still greater asperity of tone—“in that case, why don’t you give us the opportunity of witnessing a little ei your prowess?) You were telling us alla little while — eS oe ee eee ee ee - --- OOaw Orne ee eo “| wish you were, with all my heart!” “Do you, you abominable wretch? But I'll be even with you, you contemptible, not-worth-looking-at scum of the earth! I'll be even with you, depend upon it! The idea of sach a creature as you being a Captain! Faugh! it’s enough to make anyone sick !” Really, ladies and gentlemen,” cried Claude Dnval, ~ a deprecating tone of voice, “I am extremely sorry to inserrupt your agreeable conversation, but the facts of the case are just as I have laid them before you. Once more I present my hat. Make it heavy enough to satisfy me, and you can depart in safety ; until then you will re- mair where you are. I don't wish to threaten, but still if you persist in giving me trouble, I shall take the wheels off the waggon and leave you to perform the rest of your journey on foot. You won't like that, for per- haps I need not tell you this is a very lonely part of the country, and you will have to go a great distance before you either meet with a human habitation or any other means of conveyance.” “*Come—come, all of you,” said the little man with the fainting lady, and speaking with difficulty in consequence of the great weight upon his internal combinations, ‘‘ why don’t you contribute a little each, and let the gentleman ride away ?” “That is a very sensible speech indeed'” said Claude Duval, approvingly. ‘* Perhaps, my little Jacky,” said the person who sat opposite to him, “ you will be kind enough to set us the example.” This undignified epithet threw the little fellow into an ungovernable fury, but he managed to reply: , “How the devil do you think Iam going to get to my pockets with this great porpus atop of me? I'll be d—d if she doesn’t grow heavier every minute!” Upon this the huge female uttered a scream. “Oh, you have woke up at last, have you, ma’am? J’u. zlad to hear it! Just put out your strength a little, and then, perhaps, you will be able to raise yourself up, with my assiatance.” ; “Your assistance, you miserable little dandiprat—your assistance? I wonder what good that would be? ‘Talk of strength—why, you could not crack a flea, you con- temptible, under-sized mortal !” This scene in the waggon amused Claude mightily, and there is no knowing how long he =zght have felt disposed to remain a8 a witness of it had he not been aroused by the sound of Sixteen-String Jack’s voice calling out to him in very impatient tones. ‘“ Hark—hark!” exclaimed Claude. ‘Do you hear, ladies and gentlemen, my honorable companion is grow- ing tired of being kept waiting so long. Be good enough to comply with my demands!” j “T’ll be hanged,” said a respectable-looking man, who sat at the tail-end of the waggon—‘ I'll be hanged if you are not about the coolest customer I ever met with or even heard of !” ‘“ Yes, very likely—I always was. But excuse me—we must make a beginning, so, as you hapyven to sit nearest, be good enough to let me have your donation.” Although Claude Duval spoke in such a tone of banter, yet the person he addressed could tell that he was tho- roughly in earnest, and he felt it would be unwise to tempt the highwayman too far. Notwithstanding this conviction, he produced a purse, and flung it into Olaude’s hat with a very bad grace in- deed. : “That is a capital commencement!” ejaculated the highwayman. ‘ Pray hand it round to the next!” This was done, and very slowly the hat made a com- vlets circuit of the different people occupying the wageen. At last 1t reached Claude. ite took hold of it with a very dissatistied air, for, looking in, he saw that it contained very little ‘ndeed be- yond the purse which had been first of all piaced intp t. ‘Upon my word,” he said, “this is what I call too bad—by far tuo bad! As there are so many young and charming ladies present ”—here Claude made a bow and gave a glance which comprehended all of them —‘‘T cap (ECO AMIUCE