Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 203 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 203: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Description This is a page of running prose from *Old Rory* (page 185), a Victorian penny dreadful. The text depicts a dialogue between characters—including Sir Æneas, a baronet, and McIntosh, a Highlander—discussing plans to capture someone called "the Swamp Fox" in Charleston during what appears to be the American Revolutionary period. The conversation reveals that rebels are hiding in the city, and references are made to a character named Marion. The dialogue is written in heavy Scottish and dialect English, with characters employing period slang and colloquialisms typical of the genre's sensational style.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Oxtp Rory 185 die, ye swim like ony muskrat. But I’m domned if ye did na screech like a droonin’ mon!”’ “IT saw a shark.” ‘““Domned if ye did na hae reason to spraich!”’ “And the bagpipes were screaming so I thought you’d never hear me. ‘Roy’s Wife of Aldavaloch’ was awful music — with a shark behind me.”’ ‘Hout, tout! Here’s a ship’s-boy wi’ at half-breed’s hide, a gentleman’s tongue, a nose for French brandy, and twa ears for Scotch sangs. Hear til him, Sir Atneas.” But Sir A‘neas was saying, “What ’th he like, my Lord?” “Little runt of a man, ugly as sin, with the pluck of the Devil!”’ | “And as rank a Rebel!’’ The response was in such sup- pressed tones that “twa ears” caught only a few words — “at the house in Tradd Street’’ — “notorious Rebels” — “next to Roupel’s” — At the quay half a dozen blacks with lanterns awaited the galley. As the party stepped from the boat, Sir A‘neas said something in French about “the Swamp Fox.” My conscience! How Tom strained his ears to follow the baro- net’s elisions, the other fellow’s preciser French. “T’d like to be in at the death, you know,” said Sir AEneas. “We'll run the Fox to earth this time: surround the house. He’ll be in the trap before he knows it. The daring of the fellow!” “Oh, Marion’ll dare anything!”’ “And Charleston is rotten to the core with rebellion!” The baronet damned the Rebels, and looked back at the big Highlander. | ‘Have you a thervant here, McIntosh?” “My niggers are a’ in Florida, Sir A‘neas. | wad na tak Jim wr me to Chairleston, because he aye gets ower drunk to please me.” “My boy will light you home. Go ahead, there, with that lantern! And my piper will conduct you, Major. CORNICMOOO® SS (EO) m