Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 265: what you’re looking at

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

BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE. . _ But now they heard loud cries and shouts in their rear, showing that something fresh had taken place. Then followed the clattering of horses’ hoofs. Clearer—clearer, louder more distinct, became tha sound. They looked back. The crowd of people parted right and left._ Then through the channel which was thus made, came a troop of horsemen. It was fancy at first which made them think the fore- most rider was Jonathan Wild, but they soon found that it was really him. They heard the loud tones of his disagreeable voice, now hoarse with continued shonting. They saw him wave his arms in an excited manner to his men. That they were gaining on them was quite evident. Blueskin cocked the pistols, and quietly told Jack to do the same. Johnson gave all his attention to the horse. But in spite of all his efforts he could not make it go at the same rate as those which had to carry men upon their backs, instead of having to draw a cart containing three people after it. Still the rate it went, at was really astonishing. Neither Johnson nor Blueskin had anticipated so sudden and energetic a pursuit. They were in hopes of getting to a distance before the escape was discovered. However, there was nothing left to do now but to fight for their lives and liberties. ** Halt !”’ cried Wild, as soon as he found himself near enough to be heard. “Surrender, I say! It is in vain to fly. Surrender, or I fire!” Of course no notiee was taken of this speech, except that Johnson gave the horse a few more cuts with the whip to make him go faster. But Jonathan was as good as his word. They saw him raise his arm. . Then there was a bright flash and a report. He fired. But the shot was aimless, and the bullet flew high above their heads. ‘* Shot for shot!” exclaimed Blueskin. He levelled one of his pistols as he spoke, and fired. Being in a cart, he had a much better chance of taking a correct aim at anything than Wild had on horseback. But still the shot did not seem effective. Jonathan did not slacken his speed in the least. He was now most alarmingly close behind them. His troop of men, too, were closing up. Blueskin had not noticed Jack. He had crouched down in the back of the cart. He held in his hand one of the pistols he had received. He was resting the barrel of it on the backboard of the cart, and endeavouring to cover his old foe. When he had a good aim, he determined to fire, and so rid himself for ever of bis implacable and barbarous enemy. For a long time, owing to the jolting of the cart, he found his attempt an unsuccessful one. But he got accustomed to the motion, and besides, they were in a smoother bit of road than any they had yet had. Feeling certain that the pistol covered the whole body of his enemy, he fired. At the same moment he pulled the trigger, or so it seemed to him, Wild swerved slightly in the saddle, and he fancied he heard him utter a ery of pain. But about this last he was not quite sure. Suddenly Jonathan raised his arm and fired again. But his shot went wide of the mark, for at that momeat he threw up hisarms with a yell of pain, and after swaying fora moment from side to side upon his horge, he fell headlong to the ground. Whether by accident, or whether by design, at any rate Lis feet were disengaged from the stirrups, for as he fell with a crash into the roadway, his horse galloped on without him. This put a moment's sivop to the pursuit, a very great thing for our friends, since it enabled them to increase the distance between them and their pursuers. The country had now been reached, and on both sides of them were meadows and hedgerows, which make an English landscape so enchanting. CHAPTER CLXXXIII. FLOOD AND BLEWITT RECEIVE THEIR JU8T DUE, AND ARE EXECUTED AT TYBURN. JONATHAN WILD’S men, when they perceived their leader fall headlong into the roadway, pulled up at once. That was their first impulse, though they did not know whether they should be acting rightly by so doing. They raised him up. He groaned slightly, and then fell into a state of insen- sibility or death. ch it was his men could not tell. There was not one, perhaps, who did not wish it was the latter, but they all doubted, because they had a deep-settled conviction that Jonathan would die at Tyburn. What to do was @ question they asked each other, with- out being able to elicit a reply. While they were deliberating and undecided, the fugi- tives had got out of sight and hearing. At length they resolved to construct a kind of litter or bier, using whatever came readiest to the hand for that purpose. On this they placed their helpless leader, and four car- ried it along. Blood flowed in great quantities from two wounds. One was in the breast. The other in the head. Without the least signs of life, he lay, an inert mass, just where his men placed him. It was not long before they met those who were fol- lowing on foot. It was deemed desirous to avoid these if possible, so the penzanes and their burden took an abrupt turn to the eft. They had not gone far in this direction before they saw shining in the distance one of those red lamps which were then imvariably hung before the doors of surgeons. Seeing this, a couple ran on first to call the man up, in order that Jonathan’s wounds might be attended to at once. By the time they had explained the nature of their errand, those who carried the body of the thief-taker arrived. Here his wounds were dressed, during which operation Jonathan recovered from his ewoon. But it was only a partial regainment of his senses, for his memory did not come back to him. The surgeon, fearing some violence which might make the wound even more dangerous than it was already, ad- ministered a powerful opiate, which had the effect of sending him to sleep at once. Then, by the direction of the surgeon, he was taken to his own house in Newgate-street, and placed in bed. Here he remained during the rest of the night, and the whole of the next day and night succeeding. It was not until Monday morning that he awoke. In the meantime the utmost consternation took place in Newgate. The governor was like a madman. The various officials by whose negligence Jack’s escape was greatly assisted shook in their shoes. All London rang with the fame of the youth who had twice, and with so short an interval between, broken out of the strongest prison in the kingdom. It would not be going too far to say that in every house in the metropolis it furnished the subject for conversation. No time had elapsed for any notice to be taken of it by the government, though all knew a rigid investigation would be the result. Jonathan’s mishap, too, was much spoken of. ‘I'he prisoner and his accomplice had not been secured. But while the officials in the prison were so fearful of the consequences of what had taken place, they had be- come, extra vigilant. Blewitt and Flood were most closely watched. They heard of the escape of their companion with mor- tification and regret. They had become almost reconciled to their fate so long as they thought Jack was going to share it with them, but now he had escaped they were discontented. They were violent, too, and they had the greatest trouble to keep them in order. So Sanday passed. Monday came. 3 eee - es i a ee een) COMICLM@aO® S (SO) >