Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 364 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 364: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose from the Victorian penny dreadful *Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil*. The text depicts a dramatic rescue scene: a young woman (the Governor of Barbados's daughter) on horseback intervenes to prevent the execution of a Cherokee prisoner by positioning herself before armed soldiers. As a Bishop begins prayers for the condemned man's death, a tropical hurricane suddenly strikes the scene, causing chaos. The passage ends with urgent calls to save the woman as a mass of people panic in the storm.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
344 Tom ANDERSON, DaRE-DEVIL They overlooked that grassy slope, whose guilty secret was out now! [wo heaps of sticky clay, white as putty, on either side of an excavation! It was at this instant that the big hunter cleared the wall — and came lunging down on that line of bayonets. And now she was in the midst of them, a ghost-white girl in a black velvet habit. The Bishop caught her rein. “My dear child!’’ What heartbroken appeal in his voice! Her lips parted, but no sound came. Captain Tulloch hurried to her side. The grizzled war- rior saluted in stern distress. “For God’s sake, Your Ladyship!”’ ; ‘For God's sake, Captain Tulloch!” — her blue eyes frantic with horror. “Go! Go!” “T will xot go, sir!” “You must. Look!” He pointed to the sun, now no more than the Devil’s big, bloody thumb-nail against the horizon. For answer, she reined her horse squarely in front of the prisoner. ‘The daughter of the Governor of Barbados is here to demand a reprieve for this man. Your men will have to shoot down Lord Mulgrave’s daughter if they execute the Cherokee!”’ Tulloch turned to Bishop Coleridge, desperately. S Csem the prayer over. I will take her away.” Unaka’s eyes were on that curdled, ghastly sky. The Bishop began the prayer. It was the last act of his life. The gate at the other end of the field swung wide to the bearer of a written permit, a giant Ebo. Mazouk and Bambouk stalked into sight, carrying the sedan chair. And lo! with the roar of a cataract the hurricane of the tropics was upon them! Shrieks! Yells! A lurching mass of human beings! “Down there, Eugéne! Save her, Unaka!”’ ECOMMICLMOOOKS,(e© m