The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel Jack — John Shaqi
The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel JackDefoe, Daniel
General
The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel Jack
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories, English; England -- Social life and customs -- 18th century -- Fiction; Picaresque fiction
I did what I could to comfort the poor captain when I got leave to come
to him. But the worst was not over with him, for he was to have two
more such whippings before they had done with him; and indeed they
scourged him so severely that they made him sick of the kidnapping
trade for a great while; but he fell in among them again, and kept
among them as long as that trade lasted, for it ceased in a few years
afterwards.
The major and I, though very young, had sensible impressions made upon
us for some time by the severe usage of the captain, and it might be
very well said we were corrected as well as he, though not concerned in
the crime; but it was within the year that the major, a
good-conditioned, easy boy, was wheedled away by a couple of young
rogues that frequented the glass-house apartments, to take a walk with
them, as they were pleased to call it. The gentlemen were very well
matched; the major was about twelve years old, and the oldest of the
two that led him out was not above fourteen. The business was to go to
Bartholomew Fair, and the end of going to Bartholomew Fair was, in
short, to pick pockets.
The major knew nothing of the trade, and therefore was to do nothing;
but they promised him a share with them for all that, as if he had been
as expert as themselves. So away they went. The two dexterous young
rogues managed it so well that by eight o’clock at night they came back
to our dusty quarters at the glass-house, and, sitting them down in a
corner, they began to share their spoil, by the light of the
glass-house fire. The major lugged out the goods, for as fast as they
made any purchase they unloaded themselves, and gave all to him, that,
if they had been taken, nothing might be found about them.
It was a devilish lucky day to them, the devil certainly assisting them
to find their prey, that he might draw in a young gamester, and
encourage him to the undertaking, who had been made backward before by
the misfortune of the captain. The list of their purchase the first
night was as follows:—
1. A white handkerchief from a country wench, as she was staring up at
a jack-pudding; there was 3s. 6d. and a row of pins tied up in one end
of it.
2. A coloured handkerchief, out of a young country fellow’s pocket as
he was buying a china orange.
3. A riband purse with 11s. 3d. and a silver thimble in it, out of a
young woman’s pocket, just as a fellow offered to pick her up.
_N.B_.—She missed her purse presently, but, not seeing the thief,
charged the man with it that would have picked her up, and cried out,
“A pickpocket!” and he fell into the hands of the mob, but, being known
in the street, he got off with great difficulty.
4. A knife and fork, that a couple of boys had just bought and were
going home with; the young rogue that took it got it within the minute
after the boy had put it in his pocket.
5. A little silver box with 7s. in it, all in small silver, 1d., 2d.,
3d., 4d. pieces.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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