The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

“ ; 2A O)an@ > me ‘ THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. His horse, however, as Athersby, the trooper, had said, was a splendid one, and it was not long before there was a visible increase in the dis- tance which separated him from his enemies, The ruined mil], towards which he was making hia way, becume now more distinct in the in- creasing light, and he saw that in order to reach it he had to cross a broad sheet of water, whose stagnant bosom was green with weeds. This, however, was nothing for him. His own boots were the repositories of Crom- well’s dispatches, and he was used from baby- hood to swimming in the broad, and heavily- rolling Thames ; therefore, if he had to abandon his horse in eatremis, he could still make sure of his life, On reaching the edge of the water, therefore, he plunged in, and swam his horse across. The troopers who were in pursuit of him raised a shout as he did so, and, with the hideous dwarf in their front, rushed onwards with re doubled speed. , They imagined they had trapped him. But it was not so. | As if understanding how much depended on his exertions, the horse swam onwards, bravely breasting tke slimy circles that impeded his pro- gress, and scrambling eagerly up the opposite ank, - His horse, which, as we bave seen, had been subjected to almost incessant fatigue, was inning to show decided signs of distress, and to stumble as it passed over the stone- strewn expanse. . The Royalists now crossed the mere. | Seeing the slackening speed of the fugitive, they redoubled their exertions, On—on, they came. . The horse which Harold bestrode began to sweat furiously, and breathe with difficulty. They were already close behind him, when & new and unexp obstacle presented itself. Close to the mill—whose dreary and deserted form loured now plainly over the landscape, waving its ragged arms, like some strange phantom—there was a broad and deep ravine, The Young Apprentice saw in this firat danger a new chance of escape, He knew well there was no use in hesitation. So, with a loud shout, which rang merrily through the morning air, Harold urged his steed to its last effort for freedom, and, perhaps, life. The animal responded. With a bound it sprang across the ravine, staggered as it landed safely on the other side, and then fell fainting to the earth, and rolled over his rider. His strength was spent. Almost simultaneously with Harold's leap, Quelf and four of his companions leaped also, the remainder, whose horses were unfit for such work, drawing rein on the other side, Two of the horses fell short, and, with their riders, fell crashing into the ravine below. The other two were flung over their horses’ heads, and landed safely with Quelf the Dwarf, while the animals themselves were hurled back by the concussion into the stony hollow. pgat was now out of the question. _ Although opposed single-handed to two men, and his treacherous and revengeful antagonist, the dwarf, Harold drew his heavy pistols, and presented them at his enemies, “Stand back !” he cried ; “stand back, I say ! Death is in both of these barrela. I have that with me, which I shall defend with life.” The two troopers laughed, and, taking their short carbines from behind their backs, presented them at Harold’s head. It was a critical moment. Quick as thought he fired at one of the men, who dropped dead just as the second discharged his carbine, the ball of which whistled most unpleasantly close to Harold's head. The trooper then rushed forward, and, with his heavy sword, commenced a fierce attack upon the Young Apprentice. It would not, perbaps, have been very difficult forthe Young Apprentice to have parried and avoided the somewhat clumsy and ill-directed thrusts which the soldier of the king directed at him, but he soon found that this was not destined to be his only adversary. Queif, the Dwarf, who, at the commencement of the combat, had crept away to the edge of the ravine, returred in the middle of the atrife, and began a treacherous attack upon Harold in the rear. : Finding himself thus beset by two enemies, the Young Apprentice resolved to beat, if possible, an honourable retreat, more especially as he saw that the other troopers were leaving their horses and scrambling down the sides of the ravine preparatory to crossing over by climbing up... Turning round, therefore, he dealt Quelf a blow on the shoulder with his sword which made him halt suddenly with a yell, and, having both of his enemies thus in front of him, he went slowly backwards towards the mill, Little by little he neared the object of his anxious hopes, and he, was juet about to turn round and run into the building through ‘its crasy door, when a stern voice spoke beside im, ‘ “ Halt, ruffians?” it cried. this? Two upon one—shame !” " Harold started at the voice, but he started still more when he saw the person from whom it proceeded. ' It was Simon Lanoless, the man whom he had seen poisoned by the Royalist Tribunal at Saville House on the night when Quelf had attempted his life on the river. For an instant the sudden apparition of one whom Harold had numbered with the dead be- numbed his faculties, and he gazed at him in wonder, But Simon Lawless soon roused him to a sense of his position. ‘‘ Back |" he cried, to the trooper and the Dwarf, waving his arms aloft, and assuming a voice of solemnity well fitted to the superstitious age; “back! Isay; no human arm can injare what J protect. I, Simon Lawless, whom the cruelty of the king condemned to a hideous death, and who have risen from the dead to destroy him, protect every one whom you perse- cute. Back! I say, then, back! before I call down the vengeance of an outraged Heaven upon you |” Then, as the puzzled and fear-striken trooper hesitated, Simon w d to Harold— “Quick! through that door, while yet that fellow’s superstitious folly enchains him. I will follow you.” ; ‘* What means GOVE OO ©