Penny Dreadfuls, 1866 · page 341 of 400
Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 341: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains an illustration and running prose from a Victorian penny dreadful serial. The image shows Dick Turpin on horseback questioning Black Bess, with several other men gathered around. The text describes Turpin and his associates navigating through a dungeon and vault, forcing open doors, and discovering an iron grating that has corroded over time. They manage to dislodge the grating, which falls into water below with a loud splash. The passage ends with Turpin contemplating a perilous escape through a loophole high above a body of water of unknown depth. This is installment No. 215, with No. 216 promised for the following Thursday, priced at one halfpenny.
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~' Zu $y . AO WH Zz Af, Vfl é . Wy, [DICK TURPIN ASKS BLACK 5225 A QUESTION. | tie other passage, set the example of hastening along it as soon as the conference between Bishop and Dick Turpin was brought to a conclusion. The others followed quickly in his footsteps. Upon reaching the dungeon doors we have already mentioned, the highwaymen were in doubt whether it would be policy to open any of them or to rush on. The latter was the cOurse agreed upon by the gexeral voice. On arriving at the vault at the extremity, a littie delay took place in consequence of the difficulty which they experienced of opening the door. The rusty old fastening had to be removed by force, and consequently they had no means of securing the door, and so use that.asa protection between themselves and their foes. € The aperture quickly attracted their attentiom Dick mounted first, and crawling along, encountered a large iron grating. But time and the weather had had such a destructive effect upon it, that afew hearty shakes enabled him to dislodge it altogether from its setting. He released it from his grasp, and it fell with a terrific splash into the water below. The sound caused Dick great apprehension, for he made sure that it would be heard all over the ruins. Looking forward, he found that the iron grating had covered a kind of loophole in the outer wall of the castle that was at a considerable altitude from a large sheet of water. Escape lay in this direction, yet it was by no means pleasant to think of taking a head-foremost plunge from such a height, and without any knowledge as to the doptk of the water. No. 215.—Buack Buss. h No. 216. - - Dain ee No. 216 will be Published next Thursday. Prick ONE HALFPENNY: Gomilchboo “S (@)