A Book of Dartmoor: Second EditionBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
A Book of Dartmoor: Second Edition
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Dartmoor (England)
"Look here," said the burglar, "I won't be took at no price," and
flourished the knife defiantly. Noticing that the fellow's pockets
bulged greatly, Mr. Rickards said, "You're not going out with my
property," and closed with him, and endeavoured to put his hand into
one of the pockets. The burglar resisted, and made for the door. Mr.
Rickards now got near where his gun hung on the wall; he took it down,
and clicked the hammer. The gun was not loaded. The burglar then blew
out the candle he carried, and ran from the room. Mr. Rickards at
once loaded his gun with cartridges, and followed the fellow into the
passage. He still had his own candle alight. The man then bolted into
the drawing-room, and endeavoured to open the window. The chaplain
entered, and said, "Now bail up; up with your arms, or I shall fire."
Thereupon the burglar made a dash at him, head down, and the chaplain
retreated, the man rushing after him. Mr. Rickards had no desire to
fire, and as the fellow plunged past him, he struck at him with the
gun, but missed him. The fellow then dashed through the doorway, and
ran again into the study. The chaplain pursued him, and, standing in
the doorway, said, "Now I have you. The gun is loaded, and I shall
certainly fire if you come towards me."
The burglar stood for a moment eyeing him, and then made a leap at him
with the uplifted knife; and Mr. Rickards fired at his legs. The man
was hit, and staggered back against the mantel-board. The chaplain
said, "Have you had enough?"
Again the fellow gathered himself up with raised knife to fall on him,
when Mr. Rickards said coolly, "The other barrel is loaded, and I
shall fire if you advance." The man, however, again came on, when the
chaplain fired again, and hit the man in his right arm, and the knife
fell. Mr. Rickards stooped, picked up the knife, closed it, and put it
into his pocket. Then, thinking that there might be more than this one
man engaged in the burglary, he reloaded his gun. The burglar now went
down in a lump on the hearthrug, bleeding badly.
By this time the house was roused; the servants had taken alarm, and
had sent for the warders, who arrived, and a doctor was summoned.
The fellow had been engaged in a good many robberies prior to this.
One night a couple of young convicts escaped, and obtained entrance
into the doctor's house, where evidently a large supper party had been
held, as the tables had not been cleared after the departure of the
guests. Afterwards, when retaken, one of the men said:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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