The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 213: what you’re looking at

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

@ EN 194 But all was as silent as the grave. Ta the windows of the houses around there was not a single light to be seen. Londen was in its first sleep, and all its angry long and tumultuous emotions were atilled in the breaking of the dawn. Presently Simon Lawless tarned sharply round the corner, and plunged into a street, whose darkness was almost impenetrable. The cowardly assassin crept still more gently after him. Captain Lackland, as we have seen, was a man entirely averse from all kinds of fighting, and he sought, therefore, a quiet corner where he could do the deed of blood unseen, and watching his opportunity, therefore, he sprang upon his unsuspecting foe at a point where the shadows of the houses met across the street, and dag the cries of the murdered were unheard y any. CHAPTER II. THE PROCLAMATION OF OUTLAWRY — THE FLIGHT OF LORD BAYMOND—THE MEETING WITH LEICESTER—THE CAVERN—THE HIGH- WAY ROBBERY—THE MURDER—AN UNEX- PEOTED FOE, " This is to certify, that Henry Raymond, commonly called Lord Raymond, is a traitor and an assasain : and whoever will bring him alive to any one of the below-named places, will received a handsome ; viz :— St. James’ Palace; Whitehall; The Tower of London; or Newgate. And if any 0 will bring his dead body, he will be rewarded as well, (Signed) “* OLIVER CROMWELL.” Sach was the proclamation which started some of the worthy citizens of London one morning, Printed as it was in large black charscters, such as would have astonished any printer of the present day, it was clearly discernible by any one as he passed on the other side of the street ; and a goodly crowd of idlers stood before it for some time during the first day. Among this crowd, Lord Raymond himself was one of the first to stand; and in less than three hours he had left London, and was on hig way to the coast of Hesex, nce before, when he had had to fly from the displeasure of the king, he had banded himself with a gang of smugglers, apd knew well, there- fore, their haunts, They had been dispersed long since, but the cavern in which: they had concealed themselves was well known to him, and ‘in this he had re- solved, for the time, to hide until the hue and cry after him had somewhat subsided, He little knew how determined and desperate, and full of virulence, would be the pursuit after him; and how terrible would be the means which would preserve him from recognition. On his way towards the shores of the German Ocean he met Leicester, the ex-apprentice, He looked ghastly pale and agitated. “Well met, my Lord Raymond,” he cried, “Well met. I am nearly starvivg, and Rel desperate enough to turn out upon the high- “Faith, then, we are better met than you fancy, my friend,” cried Raymond ; “ for I, too, am without money. I have been proclaimed an outlaw, and I am going now down to my old THE YOUNG APPRENTICE; OR, haunt on the coast. There we shall meet plenty of travellers, and can live for awhile like kings, until suspicion has left our names,” “ Have you no money ?” “ A little.” “Then, in Heaven’s name, let us enter some place where we can have some refreshment, I am pursued like one who has been accused and tried for murder ; Iam hounded down like an outlaw, if Iam not one, and I believe that one (who I believed loves me) is the one who is doing all the mischief. By Heavens!”’ he cried, with a hoarse, hollow laugh, ,“ you can't think how desperate hunger makes you, and how it gilds the worst crimes! I begin positively to look upon life on the highway as quite romantic.” - Yonder is an inn,” said Lord Raymond; ‘‘we will enter there,” and drink some ale, for I am, like you, faint and weary. Had I no money, and were J as famished and desperate as you, I would not hesitate long about attacking the first traveller I met,” On entering the inn, they found it crowded with Parliamen soldiers, who eyed them as they entered with no favourable glances. Their dress, however, though of fine materials and gay colours, was not exactly such as would stamp them as adherents of the king, and they entered boldly, therefore, into the midst of them, After indulging themselves plentifully in ale and cold beef, our two hunted outlaws set out once more at full speed towards the coast, Of courage in those ancient days news travelled but slowly, yet they took a sigzag direction across country, until they left the inn far behind them, fearing lest they might be pursued, or at any rate that their course might be pointed out to others. - , At length, in the early dawn, they reached the place where Lord Raymond imagined that he might remain in safety. n to the roar of the t was a huge cave, o great ocean on one side, below it boiling the éver-rolling waves, and above it towering the white cliffs, It led a long wey back beneath the earth, and it was on this side that Raymond entered— pushing his way through a mass of tangled rushwood, and discovering to his wondering companion a passage cut out of the solid rock, or rather the chalky stone. It wonld be tedious to describe the life they led for some days in the dreary cavern. First one and then another went out in search of provisions ; but for some time neither of them cared about risking an open attack on the high- road, although many passed near them. At length, however, their money began to fail, then failed altogether, while no tidings whatever were heard of those whom Lord Raymond had told to join him in the sea cavern. It was then that he said one evening, leaping up from the fire by which they had been sit- ting— “ Leicester, I shall leave you for two days, I have one more chance of obtaining money or assistance, and if that faile, we muat turn out on the high road, and work boldly for our g. “Tt will be a pleasant time for me while you ate away, said CK i . SO) kK ai —~ &. mw ' «4 ~ i ? Lt je)