Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

——EeeEe _SPRING-HEEL'D JACK: The man saw our hero, for the moon's rays THE TERROR OF LONDON, 71 ‘“ Where—where am [?” she cried, at length, now bursting through the clouds, lit up the | struggling to raise her head from the pillow. precincts of ihe prison with a soft, mellow light. | - *€ Here heis—here heis!” shouted the warder, hurrying towards Jack. ' Then, as our hero turned to meet him, the fellow uttered a loud cry, and reeled backwards, startled by Jack’s mask. } Jack knew his danger was imminent, and that there was not a moment to lose. As the man fell back, Jack rushed forward, and striking out with all the force of his powerful arm, struck the warder a biow which sent him stunned and bleeding to the earth. | At that moment the rope came over the wall, and, with a cry of joy, Jack clutched it eagerly, and drew himself up to the top of the wall. Lhen, with a bound, Fs sprang far out into the street beyond. . CHAPTER XXVII. ON BOARD THE COLLIER—THE SEAMSTRESS RE- aVyi - COVERS—A SHOCK. “Houp on, Jerry—hold on, messmate. That arn’t the way to bring the gal round, drinking all the grog yourself! You'd make a pretty nurse for a workhouse, you would !” These words were uttered by Peter, the sea- man in the cabin of the little collier, to his mess- mate Jerry, who, finding that he could not force about half-a-pint of rum down the throat of the insensible Hilen Folder, was holding the vessel to his own mouth and taking deep gulps of the hery liquid. “ Must n't waste it, Peter—must n’t waste it,” sald Jerry, as his messmate pulled the vessel from his hold. ‘* No fear of that. it.” , And so saying, Peter finished the remains of the liquor, and flung the tin can down upon a sea-chest beside the couch on which Ellen lay so pale and saturated. ~~ “T tell you what it is, Jerry,” said Peter. “This is what I calls a very delicate subject to handle. That ere gal oughtn’t to lay in her wet togs, and it wouldn’t be right for you or I to take ‘em off her, and there’s no feminine female aboard. Here ! run upon deck and call the chap down as brought her here.” Jerry gave his trowsers a hitch, squirted out a mouthful of tobacco juice, and left the little cabin. K€ “Shelp me never! she is a beauty,” said Peter, looking admiringly upon the poor girl whom he had lain, with the assistance of his shipmate, tenderly-as a child upon his cot. ‘1t’s a very delicate position for a chap like me to be laced in, and the sooner that fellow as hauled ler out of the water shows his figure-head here, the better. What a fool I am not to have left a drop of brandy ; she'd take that, I wager, though she won't touch rum.” | ar The rough fellow took Ellen’s hands between his own hard palms aud ¢hafed them, in the hope of circulating the blood, and he had the satisfac- tion of seeing her open her eyes, avd glare wildly 7 77 around her. & Btr a: [ll take care not to waste ee ae — ee ew we ee @eN--lUC Sow Coan ° “ Along of those who won’t harm you, my lass ; so don’t be frightened—there, don’t be frightened. You fell in the river, and somebody brought you aboard. Now, don’t look so scared —you won't meet any harm here. There! take a pull at this. Oh! oh! I forgot ; it’s empty. Never nind. I'll soon put a drop of first-rate grog in it, and a swig will put you all to mghts in a minute.” ‘‘ What strange place is this?” asked Ellen, still glaring about her, and evidently unable to realize her position. | “This is the cabin of the Saucy Jane, as tight a little collier as ever traded between London and Newcastle, and I’m Peter Wickham, captain and part owner.” | “ Yes, yes. I see it all now—the dark water and-—oh, heaven! why am I made thus to suffer?” sobbed Ellen, scalding tears coming to her relief, and chasing each other quickly down her pale cheeks. “There, there! you'll be better soon,” said Peter, pouring out some rum into the tin cup. ‘* Just take a good long pull at that. It’s over- proof, and fine stuff, I can tell you.” He held the cup to the girl’s lips, but she thrust it away with her hand. “Oh! no, no!” she cried ; ready on fire.” ‘Then, blowed if you ain’t had enough water to put it out,” said Peter, as he laid the cup on the chest. ‘‘ Maybe, ma’am, you'd like to take off your wet togs, so I’ll just take a turn on deck, for decency’s sake, you know.” “ You are evidently a good, feeling man, al- though your manners are rough; but, if you would indeed render me a kindness, let me go into that stream from which I have been taken.” ‘¢ Tf Ido, ’m damned!” cried Peter. “There, I beg your pardon for swearing, but I’d rather leap in a dozen times to drag you out, I can tell you.” ~ “ And thus enhance my misery. Oh! sir, you know pot how hateful is life to me now ; you know not what, it is to tuil day and night for the paltry pittance of a seamstress—to feel the cruelty of men whose hearts are steeled by drink and crime—to feel yourself alone in the wide, wide world!” Peter took her hand, and his rough face glowed with pity. ‘¢ Have you?” he asked, in a tone that proved, spite his rough exterior, he had a feeling heart. ‘ Alas ! but too well.” B “ T don’t know you, of course, nor what drove you to try and drown yourself—which 1 suppose you did from what you say—but I guess you *“my brain is al- | was driven to it. Now, tell—did that chap who brought you here cause you to do it? Ishea confounded rascal who has no more pity for u woman than i have for a water rat? Because if he is, say so, and I'll chuck him overboard.” “Who brought me here ?”’ “ A swellish-looking chap.” * { do not know him.” “Well, you’li see him directly; my mate, Jerry, has just gone upon deck to fetch him down,” said Peter. ee —~—-. - ——_———_— __ ECON MLC | O)ONO) ss nowy eS ern a ae ee ene ee oe ee -~ —— ee rr ee ee 8 er rrr ee ee ee “ =