About an hour after this, Jack ventured to emerge from his place
of concealment. It was still raining heavily, and profoundly dark.
Drenched to the skin,--in fact, he had been lying in a bed of muddy
water,--and chilled to the very bone, he felt so stiff, that he could
scarcely move.
Listening attentively, he fancied he heard the breathing of some one
near him, and moved cautiously in the opposite direction. In spite of
his care, he came in contact with a man, who, endeavouring to grasp
him, cried, in the voice of Mendez, “Who goes dere? Shpeak! or I
fire!”
No answer being returned, the Jew instantly discharged his pistol,
and though the shot did no damage, the flash discovered Sheppard. But
as the next moment all was profound darkness, Jack easily managed to
break away from them.
Without an idea where he was going, Jack pursued his way through
the fields; and, as he proceeded, the numbness of his limbs in some
degree wore off, and his confidence returned. He had need of all
the inexhaustible energy of his character to support him through
his toilsome walk over the wet grass, or along the slippery ploughed
land. At last, he got into a lane, but had not proceeded far when he
was again alarmed by the sound of a horse's tread.
Once more breaking through the hedge he took to the fields. He was
now almost driven to despair. Wet as he was, he felt if he lay down
in the grass, he should perish with cold; while, if he sought a
night's lodging in any asylum, his dress, stained with blood and
covered with dirt, would infallibly cause him to be secured and
delivered into the hands of justice. And then the fetters, which were
still upon his legs:--how was he to get rid of them?
Tired and dispirited, he still wandered on. Again returning to the
main road, he passed through Clapton; and turning off on the left,
arrived at the foot of Stamford Hill. He walked on for an hour
longer, till he could scarcely drag one leg after another. At length,
he fell down on the road, fully expecting each moment would prove his
last.
How long he continued thus he scarcely knew; but just before dawn, he
managed to regain his legs, and, crawling up a bank, perceived he
was within a quarter of a mile of Tottenham. A short way off in
the fields he descried a sort of shed or cow-house, and thither he
contrived to drag his weary limbs. Opening the door, he found it
littered with straw, on which he threw himself, and instantly fell
asleep.
When he awoke it was late in the day, and raining heavily. For some
time he could not stir, but felt sick and exhausted. His legs were
dreadfully swelled; his hands bruised; and his fetters occasioned him
intolerable pain. His bodily suffering, however, was nothing compared
with his mental anguish. All the events of the previous day rushed to
his recollection; and though he had been unintentionally the cause
of his mother's death, he reproached himself as severely as if he had
been her actual murderer.
“Had I not been the guilty wretch I am,” he cried, bursting into an
agony of tears, “she would never have died thus.”
This strong feeling of remorse having found a natural vent, in some
degree subsided, and he addressed himself to his present situation.
Rousing himself, he went to the door. It had ceased raining, but the
atmosphere was moist and chill, and the ground deluged by the recent
showers. Taking up a couple of large stones which lay near, Jack
tried to beat the round basils of the fetters into an oval form, so
as to enable him to slip his heels through them.
While he was thus employed a farming man came into the barn.
Jack instantly started to his feet, and the man, alarmed at his
appearance, ran off to a neighbouring house. Before he could return,
Jack had made good his retreat; and, wandering about the lanes and
hedges, kept out of sight as much as possible.
On examining his pockets, he found about twenty guineas in gold, and
some silver. But how to avail himself of it was the question, for in
his present garb he was sure to be recognised. When night fell,
he crept into the town of Tottenham. As he passed along the main
thoroughfare, he heard his own name pronounced, and found that it
was a hawker, crying a penny history of his escapes. A crowd was
collected round the fellow, who was rapidly disposing of his stock.
“Here's the full, true, and particular account of Jack Sheppard's
last astonishing and never-to-be-forgotten escape from the Castle
of Newgate,” bawled the hawker, “with a print of him taken from the
life, showing the manner, how he was shackled and handcuffed. Only
one penny--two copies--two pence--thank you, Sir. Here's the----”
“Let me have one,” cried a servant maid, running across the street,
and in her haste forgetting to shut the door,--“here's the money.
Master and missis have been talking all day long about Jack Sheppard,
and I'm dying to read his life.”
“Here you have it, my dear,” returned the hawker. “Sold again!”
“If you don't get back quickly, Lucy,” observed a bystander, “Jack
Sheppard will be in the house before you.”
This sally occasioned a general laugh.
“If Jack would come to my house, I'd contrive to hide him,” remarked
a buxom dame. “Poor fellow! I'm glad he has escaped.”
“Jack seems to be a great favourite with the fair sex,” observed a
smirking grocer's apprentice.
“Of course,” rejoined the bystander, who had just spoken, and who
was of a cynical turn,--“the greater the rascal, the better they like
him.”
“Here's a particular account of Jack's many robberies and escapes,”
roared the hawker,--“how he broke into the house of his master, Mr.
Wood, at Dollis Hill--”
“Let me have one,” said a carpenter, who was passing by at the
moment,--“Mr. Wood was an old friend of mine--and I recollect seeing
Jack when he was bound 'prentice to him.”
“A penny, if you please, Sir,” said the hawker.--“Sold again! Here
you have the full, true, and particular account of the barbarous
murder committed by Jack Sheppard and his associate, Joseph Blake,
_alias_ Blueskin, upon the body of Mrs. Wood--”
“That's false!” cried a voice behind him.
The man turned at the exclamation, and so did several of the
bystanders; but they could not make out who had uttered it.
Jack, who had been lingering near the group, now walked on.
In the middle of the little town stood the shop of a Jew dealer in
old clothes. The owner was at the door unhooking a few articles of
wearing apparel which he had exposed outside for sale. Amongst other
things, he had just brought down an old laced bavaroy, a species of
surtout much worn at the period.
“What do you want for that coat, friend?” asked Jack, as he came up.
“More than you'll pay for it, friend,” snuffled the Jew.
“How do you know that?” rejoined Jack. “Will you take a guinea for
it?”
“Double that sum might tempt me,” replied the Jew; “it's a nobleman's
coat, upon my shoul!”
“Here's the money,” replied Jack, taking the coat.
“Shall I help you on with it, Sir?” replied the Jew, becoming
suddenly respectful.
“No,” replied Jack.
“I half suspect this is a highwayman,” thought the Jew; “he's so
ready with his cash. I've some other things inside, Sir, which you
might wish to buy,--some pistols.”
Jack was about to comply; but not liking the man's manner, he walked
on.
Further on, there was a small chandler's shop, where Jack observed
an old woman seated at the counter, attended by a little girl. Seeing
provisions in the window, Jack ventured in and bought a loaf. Having
secured this,--for he was almost famished,--he said that he had lost
a hammer and wished to purchase one. The old woman told him she had
no such article to dispose of, but recommended him to a neighbouring
blacksmith.
Guided by the glare of the forge, which threw a stream of ruddy light
across the road, Jack soon found the place of which he was in search.
Entering the workshop, he found the blacksmith occupied in heating
the tire of a cart wheel. Suspending his labour on Jack's appearance,
the man demanded his business. Making up a similar story to that
which he had told the old woman, he said he wanted to purchase a
hammer and a file.
The man looked hard at him.
“Answer me one question first?” he said; “I half suspect you're Jack
Sheppard.”
“I am,” replied Jack, without hesitation; for he felt assured from
the man's manner that he might confide in him.
“You're a bold fellow, Jack,” rejoined the blacksmith. “But you've
done well to trust me. I'll take off your irons--for I guess that's
the reason why you want the hammer and file--on one condition.”
“What is it?”
“That you give 'em to me.”
“Readily.”
Taking Jack into a shed behind the workshop the smith in a short time
freed him from his fetters. He not only did this, but supplied him
with an ointment which allayed the swelling of his limbs, and crowned
all by furnishing him with a jug of excellent ale.
“I'm afraid, Jack, you'll come to the gallows,” observed the smith;
“buth if you do, I'll go to Tyburn to see you. But I'll never part
with your irons.”
Noticing the draggled condition Jack was in, he then fetched him
a bucket of water, with which Jack cleansed himself as well as he
could, and thanking the honest smith, who would take nothing for his
trouble, left the shop.
Having made a tolerably good meal upon the loaf, overcome by fatigue,
Jack turned into a barn in Stoke Newington, and slept till late in
the day, when he awakened much refreshed. The swelling in his limbs
had also subsided. It rained heavily all day, so he did not stir
forth.
Towards night, however, he ventured out, and walked on towards
London. When he arrived at Hoxton, he found the walls covered with
placards offering a reward for his apprehension, and he everywhere
appeared to be the general subject of conversation. Prom a knot
of idlers at a public-house, he learnt that Jonathan Wild had just
ridden past, and that his setters were scouring the country in every
direction.
Entering London, he bent his way towards the west-end; and having
some knowledge of a secondhand tailor's shop in Rupert Street,
proceeded thither, and looked out a handsome suit of mourning, with
a sword, cloak, and hat, and demanded the price. The man asked twelve
guineas, but after a little bargaining, he came down to ten.
Taking his new purchase under his arm, Jack proceeded to a small
tavern in the same street, where, having ordered dinner, he went to
a bed-room to attire himself. He had scarcely completed his toilet,
when he was startled by a noise at the door, and heard his own name
pronounced in no friendly accents. Fortunately, the window was
not far from the ground; so opening it gently, he dropped into a
backyard, and from thence got into the street.
Hurrying down the Haymarket, he was arrested by a crowd who were
collected round a street-singer. Jack paused for a moment, and found
that his own adventures formed the subject of the ballad. Not daring,
however, to listen to it, he ran on.