Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 390: what you’re looking at

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

\ itt err - ee rhc it TO PLE OE RS ; will promisa you to take into full consideration all you arge, aad the next time we all meet together the snbjoct shall be ‘ally discussed. If it is practicable tt can be done.” Maud was quil contented with this promise. She knew full well that it was not lightly made. She wept plentifully. ‘Dry your tears,” said Dick, “or fshall chango my mind. I want to see smiles, not tears.” “They are tears of joy, Dick,” she sobbed. ‘2 shall be calm soon.” | At length Maud looked up, and said, quietiy . ‘‘ Where was it that you appointed to meet the rest ?” ‘‘ Not far from here ; and assoonas you have recovered yourself we will set out, for the time now is overpast.” *‘T am ready.” “ And what will be your next step ?” “That I scarcely know. For one thing, however, 1 shall propose that for the present we once more take up our quarters in the ruins.” “In the ruins ?” asked Maud, scarcely able to believe that she had heard aright. “Yes.” “ But you forget the police officers.” © Indeed I do not, nor those who have been set here to guard the place; but I have certain knowledge that the guard willbe no longer kept. The officers will never sus- pect we have had the audacity to come back, and in all probability the old castle will be more left to itself than it has ever been.” The moment Dick made this remark, Maud was much struck by the force of it. What more unlikely place could there now be than this for them to be concealed in? She would never have guessed, and she felt certain the officers would not be cunning enough to do so. “You are right,” she said. the proposal staggered me—— “ That is just what I rely upon for success,”’ answered Turpin; ‘the bold course is always the best.” “ And then what will be your next step ?” We will reserve the consideration of tha* until we all meet again; we shall then have many imp? tar’ things to arrange and settle.” It was at this moment that Tom Davis ame running towards them with the utmost consternation in his looks. ‘ Captain—captain |!” he gasped. “Well, what now 2?” “s Up—up! Be quick, or you will be too late! Follow “ At first, the audacity of ? “Wheat is the matter ?” “We must have been watched to this place.” “ Watchea ?” “Yes, or else Maud, for a large troop of officers have crept cautiously up to the castle walls. I did not dis- cover their presence until almost upon them. Quick— quick, or we shall be too late to escape, for they intend to surround the castle, and in such a manner as to prevent all possibility of exit from its walls, and we must be off before the circle is completed.” This was startling intelligence indeed, and it came upon both Maud and Dick with more than usual force, for they had only just reasoned themselves into the cozm:fort- able belief that they were perfectly safe in their present quarters. Indeed, for at least a second Dick was quite incredu- lous. *“ You nw2edn’t stare like that, captain,” cried Davis— ‘it’s true. Come, come, we must be into the saddle at cnce !” Recovering himself from his shock of surnrise, Dick hastened after his faithful ally. Maud was greatly alarmed as this intelligenc what was more, she was much angered with herself. She believed that the police officers must have tracked her to the ruins, and she much blamed herself for having epproached with so little caution. She well remembered that from the moment she com- menced the descent of the hill, from the summit of which she had caught the first glimpse of the castle, she had ever once turned her head to look behind her. The fact was, the state of excitement under which she laboured was by far too great for her to think of any of these thingy BLACK BESE; OB, aide. eke ne: CCN, TC, TIEN ee Now she blamed herself for her remissness. When the ficst ghock of surprise was ows with her she hastened to follow Dick, for she seemed ta a mornent to realise the importanc® Of immediate figbs, The distance to the place where the horses had been left was not great, and the roader may ress assuced that m0 time was lost in mounting. Tom Davis had been so fortunate as'.. provide himself with a horse, and Turpin wished that enother could have been found for Maud, as in that cxse ali their future operations would have been rendered much easier and agreeable. It was a deficiency which Dick, at the moment when he swung Maud on to the front of the saddle before him, determined should be supplied at cle earliest moment. There could now no longer bo any doubt as to the cor- rectness of the information which Tom Davis had given; and had there been any lingering spark of incredulity in Turpin’s mind it must have been quenched by what he next beheld. A number of well-armed police officers came into sight No sooner did they catch sight of the little party of our friends than they gave utterance to a loud shout, which certainly seemed more like one of intense surprise thay aught else. But this surprise they rapidly recovered themselves from, and rushed forward intent upon an attack. Dick, however, was in no humour for an encounter. But he was in readiness to start. He merely called out to Tom. “ Forward,” he cried—“ forward at your best speed !” Tle set Black Bess in motion as he thus spoke. The gallant animal then, as on many a previous ovca- sion, made no account whatever of her double burden. Tom Davis was well mounted, so he kept behind Dick without much trouble, for of course in that confined area Black Bess could not put out any extraordinary speed. ‘he officers immediately commencea a pursuit; but w iat troubled Dick more than this was the fact that one @ them placed a small whistle to his lips, which he sounded sv shrilly that all the ruins echoed and re-echced, and - s6 certainly no one but a boatswain could have piped ever. This was a sigaal which doubtless would be well us- derstood by the other police officers at hand. “Forward!” said Dick again. ‘The sharper we are in our movements the better it will be for us.” ‘Goon, captain,” said Tom. “I will keepclose enough behind you, never fear.” At this moment Dick turned the angle of a bastion, and the very instant that he did so he became conscious that he had just committed a very unfortunate action. He had run full tilt upon another party of officers. They joined at once in full cry. But Dick dashed on. In spite of being thus taken at unawares, he knew as if by intuition that the only chance he had lay in keeping on. pale in his psth, however, was an old stone wall. The height was enough to mako every prudent horse- man pause and consider well before he made the attempt to put his horse to overleap it. The officers uttered shouts of triumph, and began to close round in a kind of circle, thinking, no doubt that this wall would prove a barrier to the highwayman’ further progress, especially as his steed carried a dour burden. But Diek held on steadily ‘Over, Bess, old lass!” he cried, in an inspiriting voice, when within a short distance of the truly formidabls obstaele. 3 That was the only incitement she required. But it was observable that the noble creature gathered herself together, so to speak, and prepared to make a more than ordinary effort. Up she rose in the air, almost as though without any muscular exertion on her part, or as though she had been suddenly raised by some supernatural ed invisible power. For a fleeting portion of time she was seen clearly above the obstacle, and then, in the twinkling of an eye afterwards, she alighted safely aud gently on the othe comileboo i 5 aie hee -