Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 167 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 167: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose from a Victorian penny dreadful titled "How Tom Came Away" (page 151). The text describes a violent confrontation in a treetop between the character Egger (who appears to be a murderer) and two other men—Tom and someone called Unaka, who is apparently Native American. After a brutal struggle in mid-air, Tom forces Egger away, sparing his life despite having the opportunity to kill him. Tom and Unaka then depart to pursue horses, which Tom declares more urgent than dealing with their antagonist.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
How Tom Came Away ISI as Haman! I butchers fer Tom Jefferson — used ter butcher for ole Peter — en’ I oughter know them Jeffer- sons! Tell yer, [om Jefferson’ll string up them bloody Tories! String “em up!”’ Cold comfort for the man on the mouse-colored mule. He was not far behind Unaka on that mountain-path. But neither knew of the proximity of the other. And now! Egger’s rage was aroused by the sight of Tom Anderson — whom he had believed dead and gone! Clumsily he got upon his feet. “Cain’t resk him. Ef anybody finds him, they’ll all b’lieve he’s killed in this-here cyclone.” He lifted the half-conscious boy in his single powerful arm. The other arm, thanks to the knife of the Indian, was quite useless. The breezes swayed the old oak, gently rocking Murder’s cradle. Unaka, watching Egger through half-closed lids, gathered himself up, smoothly. He was at Egger’s back. His hands met on Egger’s windpipe. For the second time wildcat sinews and snaky pliancy were pitted against bulk and a hogsheadful of blood. It was a frightful struggle. The mid-air arena shook and careened, as the two men trampled this way and that. To ram the murderer overboard without being dragged to earth along with him!— for this Unaka strove, with Indian cunning, with catamount muscles. “Get out of my house!’ Long afterward, when Tom described the fight in mid-air, he said, “It was my house, you know; such as it was, and what there was of it!”’ He pushed his pistol in Egger’s face. No answer. he savage was choking the white man to death. Tom had trouble in stopping him. To the gasping Egger, he said: “T’ve no mind for murder. Told you that once before. Now get out of my sight. Keep out of it! Forever!” They left him where he lay, in the treetop, and went trudging through the moonlit woods, on their way to the mountain. “Tail him, soon as we have time,” said Tom. “It’s the horses now! They are much more important than that ruffian back yonder! We’ve no time to lose, Redskin.” CORNICLMOO cS (CO) mn