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 care not what becomes of it, not I,” says Will. “I’ll be gone. Do
you take it, if you will, and do what you will with it. I must fly, and
I cannot take it with me.” “I won’t have it, not I,” says I to him.
“I’ll go and fetch it to you if you will take it,” says I; “but I won’t
meddle with it. Besides, there is plate. What shall I do with plate?”
said I. “If I should offer to sell it anywhere,” said I, “they will
stop me.”
“As for that,” says Will, “I could sell it well enough, if I had it;
but I must not be seen anywhere among my old acquaintance; for I am
blown, and they will all betray me. But I will tell you where you shall
go and sell it, if you will, and they will ask you no questions, if you
give them the word that I will give you.” So he gave me the word, and
directions to a pawnbroker near Cloth Fair. The word was _Good tower
standard_. Having these instructions, he said to me, “Colonel Jacque, I
am sure you won’t betray me; and I promise you, if I am taken, and
should be hanged, I won’t name you. I will go to such a house” (naming
a house at Bromley, by Bow, where he and I had often been), “and
there,” says he, “I’ll stay till it is dark. At night I will come near
the streets, and I will lay under such a haystack all night” (a place
we both knew also very well); “and if you cannot finish to come to me
there, I will go back to Bow.”
I went back and took the cargo, went to the place by Cloth Fair, and
gave the word _Good tower standard_; and without any words, they took
the plate, weighed it, and paid me after the rate of 2s. per ounce for
it. So I came away and went to meet him, but it was too late to meet
him at the first place; but I went to the haystack, and there I found
him fast asleep.
I delivered him his cargo. What it really amounted to I knew not, for I
never told it; but I went home to my quarters very late and tired. I
went to sleep at first, but, notwithstanding I was so weary, I slept
little or none for several hours. At last, being overcome with sleep, I
dropped, but was immediately roused with noise of people knocking at
the door, as if they would beat it down, and crying and calling out to
the people of the house, “Rise, and let in the constable here. We come
for your lodger in the garret.”
I was frighted to the last degree, and started up in my bed; but when I
was awaked I heard no noise at all, but of two watchmen thumping at the
doors with their staves, and giving the hour, “Past three o’clock, and
a rainy, wet morning”—for such it was. I was very glad when I found it
was but a dream, and went to bed again, but was soon roused a second
time with the same, very same noise and words. Then, being sooner
awaked than I was before, I jumped out of bed and ran to the window,
and found it was just an hour more, and the watchmen were come about:
“Past four o’clock,” and they went away again very quietly; so I lay me
down again, and slept the rest of the night quietly enough.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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