The Woodwose of Cannock Chase — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

4 THE WOODWOSE OF CANNOCK CHASE ens “TI believe I do) said Lady Martha, “but our dear Mr Deane would not be out on such a bleak day as this without his horse?” she enquired. Lady Hannah shot a glance at Lady Martha. She too had been planning to engage her sister in a discussion designed to remove her from the romantic equation they were all figures in. “No, it is not John. But it is a man all the same, and not one of our local rustics methinks? said Lady Hannah. “You see how he moves slowly along the hedgerow, as if hiding from some quarry?” she continued. “I do indeed, Sister? said Lady Martha, “and what action would you have us take, for we should surely avoid such a strange figure on a day such as this?” “Are you not curious, Martha?” persisted Lady Hannah. “I want to ride closer and see what this Gentleman is about.” So saying, she commanded her horse to move forward, but was surprised that it did not respond. “Ride on, Lavender? she told the horse, “allez!” But the horse stood its ground, Seu Tp at the same dark figure by the hedgerow. “J think we should return homeward Hannah, the horses are spooked by something and I too am beginning to feel a little uneasy? said Lady Martha. Lady Hannah gave one more kick to her horse to try to persuade the beast to move. As she did so, her horse reared up a little and this motion made Lady Martha’s horse start. Before the sisters knew what had happened, Martha was on the ground and her horse was galloping away toward the meadow, in the opposite direction to the dark figure in the hedgerow. “Martha!” exclaimed Lady Hannah, and she immediately unmounted and slipped down to her sister’s side to aid recovery. At once, Lady Hannah/’s horse bolted off after its stablemate and the women were now alone in the world, watched by the dark figure who had been aroused by the action of the animals. As in a dream, Lady Hannah saw with horror that the black figure had emerged from the hedgerow and now gambolled and cavorted across the field toward the women. Lady Martha was blissfully fainted, and could not be roused by her sister. With a courage that surprised even her, Lady Hannah rose and stood in front of her sister’s prone form. She closed her eyes and called out as loud as she could. “Away with you, Monster!” she cried, and she heard the creature halt in front of her, a powerful odour and snorting grunts told her as much as she could bear without opening her eyes. She sensed the thing moving closer to her, a low growl rising in pitch and the beastly, animal stench becoming overpowering. “Away... with... you...” Lady Hannah tried again, but with a voice as weak as a kitten’s meow. She then made a valiant attempt to open her eyes, but the sight before her, along with the smell and the sound put her into a faint and she collapsed next to her sister onto the frozen soil. CHAPTER 3. THE CAVE A clammy darkness was wrapped about Lady Hannah and a feeling of being outside of the world. She began to feel the pain of bruises and wondered what had happened to cause them. At once she remembered it all — her sister’s fall, the beast upon her and the visage that had met her gaze when she had opened her eyes. Now, she opened her eyes again and immediately wished that she had not. She lay inside a dark cave. The mouth of the cave was bright and she could she snow on the trees and ground, while inside was a black mystery. “Martha!” whispered Lady Hannah, “Martha, are you there dear Sister?” A low grunting sound emerged from the darkness, and for a moment, Lady Hannah thought it to be Lady Martha. A wave of relief swept over her and her natural energy flowed back into her young body. But then a large hairy shadow rose out of the darkness, silhouetted against the brightness of the cave mouth, and she realised that her horror had only just begun! Lady Hannah pushed herself back on the floor of the cave, her dresses caught on stone and flint but yielded to her force with a sound of rending. The creature still moved slowly toward her, an amused look on its face as it watched the young woman squirm on the ground. Lady Hannah’s spine — tingling with fear — now came into contact with the moist wall of the cave and she knew then that there would be no escape. She looked frantically around her for a weapon of some kind but the light was too dim. Her hands scratched in the dirt for a stone, a rock, something she could hurl at the abomination... And then her groping fingers touched something hard, and cold and yielding. She gripped the object — perhaps a short branch stripped of its bark — and held it out in front of her, ready to strike the thing when it was near enough. The Woodwose seemed to understand the notion of a weapon. Dalton had seen it holding something of a cudgel when it approached him, but Lady Hannah was not privy to this intelligence; she only knew that holding the stick-like thing out had given the creature pause. For a few terrifying moments, all there was in the world was the Woodwose and the young woman, her tattered clothes offering little protection against the cold air blowing in through the mouth of the cave. And then, the Woodwose struck —! GIVEN AW aw!! SCENES, SHEETS OF CHARACTERS, AND A LARGE STAGE FRONT FOR A NEW PLAY, CALLED “ALONE IN THE PIRATES’ LAIR.” READ THE “BOYS OF ENGLAND,” AND SECURE THE ABOVE MAGNIFICENT GIFTS. ONE PENNY WEEKLY. ° comicboolk