Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 224: what you’re looking at

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222 To see it, and make nse of it, were simultaneous events. Shortening his arm, he lunged forward with his sword. The point entered the pirate’s chest. Such, too, was the vigour of the thrust, that the point came out of the back, and the hilt, with a dull, sickening sound, struck against his breast. A yel of mortal agony came from the colonel’s lips, but, badly hurt though he was, he did not give up the contest. But his strength lasted only a moment. Jonathan withdrew his sword. A gush of blood followed it. That gush of blood seemed to be the strength of Colonel Thorne, for when it had flowed away, ho staggered, and tho light hold which he had kept of Edgworth Bess re- laxed Tho poor girl had never ceased to straggle, and now, by o stronger effort, she succeeded in freeing herself alto- ether. 8 Jonatl:an saw this, and darting forward, caught her in his arms. But he had like to have paid for this action with his life, for the captain, with what little remaining strength he had, raised his ponderous sword with the intention of briuging it down upon his head. By a chance, though, Jonathan saw him, and stepped aside just as the weapon was descending. liaising his own sword, he struck it from the pirate’s os grasp, and the next moment sheathed it in his reast. The colonel staggerod, reeled, then fell heavily upon the floor. At the same instant a shrick of still greater anguish burst from the lips of Edgworth Bess. TIer apparel was in flames. Tt is a wonder almost that this did not occur before. With great presence of mind, Jonathan, seeing that he had nothing more to fear from Colonel Thorne, pulled off his huge coat, and wrapped it closely about her persou. This, if it did not actually extinguish tho flames, in a great measure subdued them. His next proceeding was to turn his attention to leaving the burning chamber. If we wero to say that five minutes had clapsed from the time he dashed into it up to now, we should be exceeding the length of the period. But those who have witnessed a conflagration on a large scale can tell what progress can be made during that pa interval, especially when the flames have got a fair old. At the time he entered, 23 we have seen, not one of his janizaries would obey his orders and follow him. And now, as Wild looked round him, he was not able to sec any means of exit. Ife was encompassed by a huge wall of flame. He shouted aloud to his men, in order to tell by their reply which way ho ought to take, but the roaring sound which the flames produced was so tremendous, that he feared he should not be heard. Suddenly, however, ho heard a faint cry, or what to him sounded like a faint cry, though, by its intimation, he could tell that it was a loud and lusty one, but subdued by distance, or passing through some medium which only partially transmitted sound. Ho turned instantly in the direction from which the sound seemed to come, hut ere le could advanee a pace, thore was a horrible crashing noise as though the roof was falling in. Jonathan gave himself up for lost. But it waa not the roof which fell. < It was the wall, he thoucht. But it was neither the one nor the other. He could see a large gap, tolerably free from flame, and beyond it the open sky. ho window had fallen in. Yes, that was it. Jonathan dashed, forward. In its fall it had smothered tlie flames to some deyrsa, and thouch in a minute or two he knew they would \ arst forth with redoubled fury, yet, if he was quick, he should be able to pass through before this occurred. Darting forward, then, and shrieking out in a half- maddened manner to his men, Jonathan reached the window, es a — = 2 ees ee mater SE PSPS EO EO em ee See ee SS ee SE Qa cen, CRE BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE. His men had heard the shouts, and approached. They expected he was burned to a einder. In a moment Jonathan handed out Edgworth Bess, and ordered them to place her i safety on the lawn. Then he began to scramble out himself. Already had he got his one knee upon the window-sill, which was rather high from the ground, wheu some one or something clatched him by the ankle. ile tried to shake off the grasp. He tried to continue climbing through the window. Both im vain. A vigorous tug was given to his leg, and, althongh he clutched desperately at the window-sill, he was dragged hackwards with tremendous violence into the burning room. CHAPTER CLIV. COLONEL THORNE PERISHES AMID THE RUINS OF THE HOUSE, AND JONATHAN WILD REACHES NEWGATE- STREET IN SAFETY WITH HIS PRISONER. No sooner did Jonathan reach the ground, than he felt the grasp shifted from his Jeg to his neck. Exasperated beyond all measure, and endowed by pas- sion with more than twice his usual strength, Wild, in his turn, rrappled with his opponent. It was Colonel Thorne. Tho wounds which he had received from Wild’s sword had not slain him, though it was impossible for him ever to recover. But when he fell backwards, the fire had brought him to himself, and he crawled along the floor, and with great pain and difficulty, in tho direction whieh Wild took. He reached the window just as his enemy was passing ont of it. Maddened with pain and rage, he determined that his foc should not escape, but perish with him, and so, sum- moning what little strength he possessed, he grasped him with both hands by the ankle, and dragged him down. Then he seized him by the throat, with the tenacity oi a death grasp. But Jonathan, although he had gone through so much fatigue, was the stronger man of the two. Yet it was questionable whether he should be able to shake off his foo in time to save himself from heing burned to death. “ Jonathan Wild!” gasped the colonel, in a hissing whisper, ‘you havo conquered me, and I. know it; but you shall not live to exult over your victory. You shall perish with me.” “Never!” replied his antagonist, and at the same time feeling in his pocket for his clasp knife. ‘‘ Never!” The colonel tightened his grip. But Jonathan had got his formidable knife. Ife opened the blade with his teeth. It fixed itself with a snap, for it was furnished with a spring to prevent it closing. Then he stabbed madly at his foe. At first the blows made no differenee, but at length Jonathan freed himself. Then, with the utmost haste, he rose to his feet. To his horror, however, he found the window nearly one sheet of fiame. But to hesitate or stay longer where he was would have been fatal. Making a desperate spring, he alighted on the mill, and thence rolled down on to the lawn a mass of burns and bruises. Here ho was picked up by lis men, who, after his fall back, had been unable to assist him, and carried to a dis- tance from the burning mansion. He swore most horribly the while. And no wonder. The pain he was suffering was almost more than he could endure. ‘Water! water!” ho shricked; ‘‘curseyouall! Bring me water! water!” It so happened, wheu he made this frantic appeal, that they reuched one of those artificial httle ponds frequently seen in gardens, in which gold and silver fish are kept. This he caught sight of, and rather than wait for any one to fetch what hoe wanted, he commanded them to put him down. MIClOO S A © =