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
What I saw was a couple of poor women, one a kind of a nurse, and the
other a maid-servant, going for Kentish Town. As Will knew that I was
but young at the work, he came flying to me, and seeing how easy a
bargain it was, he said, “Go, colonel, fall to work.” I went up to
them, and speaking to the elderly woman, “Nurse,” said I, “don’t be in
such haste. I want to speak with you;” at which they both stopped, and
looked a little frighted. “Don’t be frighted, sweetheart,” said I to
the maid; “a little of that money in the bottom of your pocket will
make all easy, and I will do you no harm.” By this time Will came up to
us, for they did not see him before; then they began to scream out.
“Hold!” says I; “make no noise, unless you have a mind to force us to
murder you whether we will or no. Give me your money presently, and
make no words, and we shan’t hurt you.” Upon this the poor maid pulled
out 5s. 6d., and the old woman a guinea and a shilling, crying heartily
for her money, and said it was all she had left in the world. Well, we
took it for all that, though it made my very heart bleed to see what
agony the poor woman was in at parting with it, and I asked her where
she lived. She said her name was Smith, and she lived at Kentish Town.
I said nothing to her, but bid them go on about their business, and I
gave Will the money. So in a few minutes we were all together again.
Says one of the other rogues, “Come, this is well enough for one road;
it’s time to be gone.” So we jogged away, crossing the fields, out of
the path towards Tottenham Court. “But hold!” says Will; “I must go and
untie the man.” “D—n him,” says one of them, “let him lie.” “No,” says
Will, “I won’t be worse than my word; I will untie him.” So he went to
the place, but the man was gone. Either he had untied himself, or
somebody had passed by, and he had called for help, and so was untied;
for he could not find him, nor make him hear, though he ventured to
call twice for him aloud.
This made us hasten away the faster, and getting into Tottenham Court
Road, they thought it was a little too near, so they made into the town
at St. Giles’s, and crossing to Piccadilly, went to Hyde Park gate.
Here they ventured to rob another coach; that is to say, one of the two
other rogues and Will did it, between the Park gate and Knightsbridge.
There was in it only a gentleman and a whore that he had picked up, it
seems, at the Spring Garden, a little farther. They took the
gentleman’s money, his watch, and his silver-hilted sword; but when
they come to the slut, she damned and cursed them for robbing the
gentleman of his money and leaving him none for her. As for herself,
she had not one sixpenny piece about her, though she was indeed well
enough dressed too.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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