Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 371 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 371: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Bull Before the Gun" — Page 351 This is a page of running prose from what appears to be a Victorian penny dreadful. The text describes a chaotic military or hunting scene involving soldiers charging, a large animal (a bull), and artillery fire. Characters shout military commands ("Charge—Bayonets!", "Forward!") and rally around someone named Peake Dangeridge while a cannon is fired from a creek, causing tremendous noise and commotion. The dialogue is rendered in heavy dialect, capturing soldiers' exclamations and a character identifying an animal by distinctive physical markings. The scene emphasizes violent action and military fervor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE BULL BEFORE THE GUN 351 ““Ch-a-rge — Bayonets!”’ “F-o-rw-a-rd! Company Ball! Forwarp!”’ It was Miltonic. The beast’s immense flanks bulked above the water. He rose from his knees. [Then came a lunge that made twenty other cloven feet find themselves. Another lunge! — ‘ He-un kin make hell lose all holts!”’ screamed the gunner — and Company Ball “charged!”’ Out of the creek came the big gun! A roar went up from three hundred throats. The spring woods shook. And then came [roupe’s voice, clear as a bugle — ‘“* Hurrah for Peake Dangeridge!”’ “Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah, for Peake Dangeridge!”’ It was the noise of a bursting milldam. The two wounded fellows dropped down again. “How did you know him, Peake?” “Crap-’n’-swallow-fork in the right — underbit in the left! Uster plough his tail off !— God bless ole Ball! — Oh, say! D-a-a-amn a broken leg in a retreat!”’ GOMIGoOO SS (C(O)