The Adventures of Dick Trevanion: A Story of Eighteen Hundred and FourStrang, Herbert
History
The Adventures of Dick Trevanion: A Story of Eighteen Hundred and Four
Strang, Herbert
Boys -- Juvenile fiction; Great Britain -- History -- 19th century -- Juvenile fiction; Smugglers -- Juvenile fiction
Dick saw that the second figure was steadily gaining on the first.
Leaving the zigzag course that had been traced by the smugglers, and was
now followed by the fugitive, the pursuer ran in a more direct line for
the well. The former, perceiving with the instinct of a hunted animal
that he was being headed off, and could not reach the haven of the
ruined chapel, towards which he was hurrying, without encountering the
other, suddenly swerved to the left in the direction of the cliff. He
was followed instantly by the second man, who now seemed to leap after
him like a wild animal after its prey. In a few moments, just as they
came to the brink of the cliff, the two men closed. Running towards
them at headlong speed, Dick heard a furious cry, a scream of terror,
and saw one of the men lifted from his feet above the head of the other.
But before the captor could summon his strength for the effort of
hurling the captive over the edge of the cliff, Dick flung himself
forward, caught the victim’s feet, and tugged him violently back. A
savage oath broke from the other man’s lips. He staggered backward, and
attempting to recover his footing, let his burden drop with a dull thud
and a jingling crash to the ground.
"Tonkin!" cried Dick, "what are you doing?"
"Out of my way!" shouted the man, throwing himself upon the prostrate
figure, from which there came a piteous squeal for mercy.
Dick tried to drag the smuggler from his victim, but he might as readily
have moved an oak.
"Tonkin, I say!" he cried in agitation, "for God’s sake get up. Would
you commit murder, like the murderer at the well? Think! Calm
yourself! ’Tis Christmas Eve."
A terrible scream rent the air. Dick caught Tonkin by the collar and
exerted all his strength to pull him from the fallen body. Finding this
useless, he flung himself on the ground beside him, and tried to loosen
his grip on the man’s throat. He was in despair, when he heard a shout
near at hand, and the next moment Penwarden rushed to the spot, carrying
a lantern.
"’Tis you, Zacky Tonkin!" he cried. "Get on your feet, or I don’t care
who the man is, I’ll arrest ’ee in the King’s name."
The light of the lantern fell on the distorted face beneath him, and for
the first time Dick saw that the victim was Doubledick.
"Think of yer wife and boy," said Penwarden. "Shall they lose ’ee for
such as he?"
Tonkin’s first frenzy of rage had spent itself. He slowly rose to his
feet, leaving the innkeeper gasping, half-throttled.
There was silence for a space. Dick and Penwarden were held spellbound
by the expression upon Tonkin’s strong, rugged face. He stood like a
statue, gazing down upon the huddled figure of Doubledick. Then he
turned.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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