The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 304: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

WOODBRIDGE 273 by his desperate circumstances, was fleeing more quickly than he was enabled to follow, he discharged one of the bullets of the double-barrelled pistol, with the aim and intent of wounding the ruffian in the leg. The ball missed, and on sped Barney. The second bullet was sent flying after him; this likewise failed. But all of a sudden the river revealed itself in its quicksilver brightness to Mr. Redcliffe’s view. He heard footsteps behind him; a glance thrown over his shoulder showed him that the landlord was following, and he exclaimed, ‘‘ Quick, quick! he is in our power! ”’ But the next moment the Burker plunged into the river. ~ His dark form was seen for a moment struggling amidst the eddies which his leap had thus created, and then it dis- appeared from the view. A very little lower down, a row of trees skirted each bank, overhanging the river so far as to shut out the clear starlight, and thus throw all that portion of the stream for a couple of hundred yards into the deepest, blackest gloom. Redcliffe and the landlord hurried along the bank, straining their eyes to peep through the dense foliage and catch a glimpse if possible of the waters beneath, but allin vain. Neither heard they any sound like that of a struggling or battling form in those waters, and amidst that depth of gloom they ran to and fro along the bank within and beyond the range of the trees, Redcliffe being ready at the first appearance of the Burker to spring in and grapple with him. But no further trace was discovered of the mur- derer. COMMICLOO© <S (CO)