Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 118 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 118: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose from a Victorian penny dreadful serial titled "Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil" (page 102). The text depicts Tom, bound and exhausted, negotiating with Hornbuckle, his captor. Tom awakens and attempts to convince Hornbuckle to loosen his restraints by promising not to escape and arguing that Hornbuckle will suffer when another man named Egger discovers him gone. The dialogue is written in heavy dialect, with Hornbuckle expressing greedy speculation about Tom's suffering and Tom making calculated appeals to self-interest. The passage emphasizes Tom's physical deterioration and the tense psychological struggle between captor and captive.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
102 Tom ANDERSON, DarRE-DEVIL When Hornbuckle came back, Tom still knelt on the ground, his face to the crack in the logs. He was fast asleep. The sun was shining now. His features were acutely dis- tinct in that golden ray; it kindled his long lashes, hol- lowed eyes, beautiful brow, and pinched cheek. Aye, and it showed up the blistered flesh of his pinioned arms and hobbled feet. With what curious, greedy, speculative ru- minations Hornbuckle gazed! “Wunner whut he-un would er done, ef so be I’d er let him up at Egger las’ night? Effen he-un do look peaked en’ puny, he’d ’a’ kyvered Egger! Bodaciously. Lord! Wisht I mout er seed hit!” with a groan over forgone opportu- nity. His sustained gaze took effect. The sleeper waked with a start. It was an unguarded minute. “Do you know who lam?” A nod. “Then you know I don’t come of liars.”’ ; “Got reason ter know hit,” his face settled into savage ines. “Tf you’ll untie my hands and feet and allow me even limited liberty, I’ll swear that I won’t try to escape.” ‘“Whut’d I do thur likes er that fer?”’ ‘““When Egger comes back, finds you gone, and me tied up, he’ll make me suffer for it. He won’t jump on me if I’m foot-loose.”’ } ‘““Hyurd me tell him-un ter keep his han’s offen ye, I 3 OETA ‘Tell a spreadin’ adder not to bite!” ‘Don’t ye know he-un’s afeard ter fool wid Buck Horn- buckle?” ‘I believe it. But he means to harm me ‘“Effen ye wuz ter git erway, you-un er me is p’intedly gwine ter git his chunk putt out. Er feller mout holp some- body ter find him?”’ ‘That would be trying to escape.” There was a piercing silence. ‘Will ye swear not ter let on ye air alive? — ter them- uns knows ye?” Bd ECONMICLOOOKSn(e©) m