Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 190: what you’re looking at

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

qe tener A ON 163 muffled tones, from behind his singular mask. ‘‘ What kind of treachery is it ?”’ “You ghall hear, captain; but shall I tell you, the men forward, and question them before your face ?”’ ‘Question them,’’ said the captain. ‘‘ There can then be no mistake.” “ Certainly not. Batson!” ** Yes, your honour.” The man who had before spoken again stood forward, and, folding his arms, awaited his interrogations. “Ts that man on the barrel the one you suspect of treason P”’ “‘ He is, your honour.” _ -_ “ His name ig Will Ogden, is 1t not ?’ “T don’t know for that. Sometimes he calls himeelf Will Ogden, and sometimes Tom Drotchel, and it appears his name is neither the one nor the other.” “ Well, let that pass for the present. We will call him Will Ogden.” ‘Yes, your honour.” . . ‘What was the first suspicious thing ycu noticed ?”’ _ will remain for me to decide afterwards whether your life BLUEFSKIN: A KOMANCE. “eh rhe mri thy At i i SEL LA IA I _ He drew the long, heavy sword which he carried by his side, and, rushing forward, held it threateningly before * Confess !”’ or call | the traitor’s face. ‘Speak !” he cried, hoarsely. “IT do—I do!” ** What P” ‘“* T am innocent.” “ Bah!” “Tam innocent! Jam innocent, captain! The letter did not fail out of my pocket, or, if it did, it was placed there by some one.” ** Beware!” said the Howlet; “I have long had m suspicions of you. You are no sailor, I am certain, thoug such, when you ertered the band, you represented vour- sel{ to be. Unless you would quit life by the most linger- ing torments, confess all !”’ ** Spare my life, then, captain. ‘* | shall make no promise.” * | will tell all—I will tell all! ” “You have acknowledged your guilt. Spare my life! ” Now speak. It « As he walked across the cave, we saw a paper drop to | is to be spared.” the ground.” “From his person ?”’ “ T am quite sure of that, your honour.” “What next ?” ‘As I said before, we thought it was a love-letter, or | 28, uietly after him, and | send it. something of that sort, so I crept picked it up withont his knowing, for we meant to tease him a bit over it.” t¢ Well ? 33 © T couldn’t read the letter, so I gave it to Joe Dudley.” * Now, Dudley, stand forward.” In obedience to this command, the man stood forward who had read the letter, which he did again, but as it has already been placed before the reader, it 1s scarcely worth while to repeat it. At last the epistle was finished. | | By the manner alone in which be received this com- | munication, it was apparent how much the pirate captain | was surprised at it. The secret there mentioned he fancied was unknown to any of his lawless band. He was furious. But the desire to know more enabled him to control , himself. The traitor he could deprive of life at any moment | he thought proper. * To whom is the letter addressed ?”’ he asked. Joe Dudley turned it over in his hand. The thought of looking on the back for the name of the person for whom the letter was intended, had not occurred to him. It was there, however, and, to the surprise of all pre- sent, he read— “ Mr. Jonathan Wild, Newgate-street.” CHAPTER CXXX. COLONEL THOKNE DISCOVERS EDGWORTH BESS, MEETS WITH AN INTERRUPTION TO HIS CAVERN. PROBABLY there was no one present in the cave upon whom this announcement took so great an effect as Captain Howlet. The fame of the great thicf-taker, unusual as it was, had failed to penetrate the intricacies of those old Kentish caverns, and to the pirate crew his name was almost, if not quite, unknown. But it was not so with their captain. In his character of Colonel Thorne, and during his resi- | dence in London, he hud both seen and heard of this extraordinary man. He well knew how much his interference was to be dreaded—he had seen it exemplitied in others. And there was pretty positive evidence before him that | he was acquainted with all his secrets. Tearing off the strange head-dress which he wore, and casting it upon the ground, he cried— ‘** Give me the letter—I must see it! Give it tome!” | With a trembling hand, Joe Dudley presented the scrap | of paper to him. | There could be no doubt whatever about the matter, As his eyes rested upon it, his face assumed an aspect ' more terrible than any of his crew had ever beheld upon | 1t. I { agen BUT LEAVING THE | eee Gp * T will, captain.” ** Go on, then.” ** [—I wrote that letter !’’ ** You did?” ** Yes, captain; but I didn’t send it—I didn’t mean to ** Ha! would you trifle with your life P Up with him!” The men needed no second bidding. The spy was off his feet in a moment. He kicked and plunged convulsively, but his struggles were 1n vain. He grew black in the face. In a few moments all was over. He was a corpse. A marling-spike was stuck into the ground, and the extremity of the rope tied tightly round it. Then the dead body was allowed to swing to and fro, as a warning to those who might have contemplated a similar act. Captain Howlet was satisfied. ‘“My mates,” he said, for, with that policy for which he was so remarkable, he endeavoured to conciliate and be on ood terms with his crew, “it 18 a good thing chance avoured us so far as to let us know that villain’s designs. Who knows but that another hour or two might have seen that letter on its way to the person to whom it was addressed, and then, if he had received it, there would have been no quarter for any of us.” A fierce murmur followed his words. ** However, that danger’s over now. It will never be sent now. Look.” As he spoke, Captain Howlet held the paper in the flame of one of the many oil-lamps that were placed around the cavern, and in a moment it was consumed. ‘‘ Keep yourselves ready,” he said, “for I intend to cruize off again directly. This will hardly be a safe place for us just at present, and it is best to avoid danger of dis- covery. Cut the traitor down, and bury him somewhere out of sight. I will begone, but only above. Morgan, if anything occurs, signa! me directly.” * Ay—ay! captain.” ** Keep a sharp look out, and be prepared. Not that I am much afraid, because I think we have been lucky enough to nip the evil in the bud.” Having thus spoken, Captain Howlet crossed the cavern Here 18 the letter. ‘in the direction of the low dark archway through which he had entered it. As he neared it, however, he fancied he heard a slight sound. At any other time than the present, he would probably have allowed it to go nnheeded. But the scene we have described had disturbed lim greatly. In the first place, Jonathan Wild had a suspicion at | least, if not more, of who and what he was. The fact that he was known on shore as Colonel Tnorne had been published to his men. Discovery was what he had to dread. Fora long time past he had eluded it, and flattered himself that for a lony time he should still be successful in doing so. Every little thing would now be noticed. He would be in a state of perpetual suspense; and so, when he entered GOnnlGoaoo CG SS} o(CO) >