The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-02-28
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the Street, two shadowy forms
| doomed abruptly before him to bar
his way, a lantern was suddenly I'M
covered, and thrust into his face.
stand, sir, in the Kings nalne!'
gruf voice commanded him.
! He could not see whether they had
weapons in their hands or not, nor
did he wait to ascertain. At a blow
he sent the lantern flying. at another
| he felled the man who had advanced
! it. The arms of the second mes
senger wound themselves about his
body, and the fellow steadied him
self to throw him. But before that
could happen HOLES had knocked the
breath out Of the mans body by
| jolt of his elbow, and. as the catch
polls arms slackened in their grip,
he was flung off and VIOLENTLY hurled
against the wall. The pursuit was
not long maintained, and presently
| the Colonel was able with safety to
resume more leisurely and digni-
! fed progress. Before dawn he had
reached the conclusion that there was
but one thing for a sane man in his
position to do, and that was to quit
this England, where he found nothing
but bitterness and disappointment.
Now that the Dutch were back in the
Texel and the seas open once more,
| there need be no difficulty; not even
his lack of funds should prove an OBJ
stacle. He would ship as one Of the
hands aboard some vessel bound for
France. With this intention he made
his way to Mapping betimes next
morning.
Vessels there were, and hands were
needed, but no master would ship him
until he had procured himself a GER
tif1cate of health.
So the Colonel trudged YEARLY to
the Guildhall, going by sparsely ten
anted, darksome city stress, where
he saw more than -one door marked
with a cross and guarded by a watch
man who warned all wayfares to
keep their distance.
The extent of the panic he realized
when ne came at last to the Guild
hall, and found it besieged by
coaches, sedan-chairs. and a vast mob
on foot. All here were come upon
the same errand as himself; to pro
cure the Lord Mayors certificate of
health that should enable them to es-
cape from this stricken city.
| Most of the day he waited in that
throng. enduring the sitting hsat and
/ the pangs of hunger and thirst For
| the only hawkers moving in the
crowd were vendors of preventive
medicines and amulets against the
| plague. Instead of the cry Of Sweet
oranges" which in normal times
would have been heard in such
gathering. and which he. would now
have welcomed, here the only cries
were: "Infallible Preservative Against
Infection" THE Royal Antidote,
Sovereign Cordial Against the Cor.
ruption of the Air" and the like.
He could Ill afford to purchase the
favor of the ushers and bride them
into according him some precedence.
/ He must wait and take his turn with
/ the humbIest there. and, as he had
arrived late, his turn did not seem
/ likely to come that day at all.
| Toward evening he departed empty
handed and disgruntled. Yet within
/ the hour he was to realize that per
/ haps he had been better served by
/ Fate than he suspected.
In a sparsely tenanted eating house
in Cheapside, where he sought to
stay the pangs of thirst and hunger
! for he had neither eaten nor drunk
/ since early mOrning-he overheard
some scraps of conversation between
/ two citizens at a neighboring table.
/ They were discussing an arrest that
/ had been made that daN and in the
/ course of this they let fall the words
which gave pause to Colonel HOLES.
/ But how was he taken? How dis
] covered?" one of them asked.
why. at the Guildhall, when he
I sought certificate OF health that
/ should enable him to leav town.
! tell you it's none so easy to ieave
London nowadays. as evildoers are
/ finding when they attempt it. Sooner
or later they'll get Danvers for this
| way. They're on the watch for him,
aye, and for others, too
! Clonel Holes pushed away his plat
/ ter, his appetite suddenly dead. He
was in a trap. it seemed, and it had
needed those words overheard by
| chance to make him realize it. To
attempt flight WAS but to court dis
covery. True, it might be possible
to obtain a certificate of health in a
false name. But, 'on the other hand
it might not. There must be inquisi-
ton into q persons immediate ante
cedents if only to verify that he was
clean of infection, and this inquisition
must speedily bring to light any pre-
carication or assumption of false
identity.
And so he was on the horns of a
dilemma. If he remained in London,
sooner or later he would be run to
earth by those who sought him, who
would be seeking him more relent-
Iessly than ever now, after his man
handling of those messengers of the
/ law last night. If he attempted to
go, he delivered himself up to justice
by the very act.
He determined, after much gloomy
cogitation, to seek the protection of
AIbemarle in this desperate pass, and
with that intent went forth. He per
sisted in it until he reached Charing
| Cross, when a doubt assailed him.
What if Albemarle should refuse TO
take the risk of believing his in
nocence, considering the nature of the
alleged offense? He finally determined
that first he would make one last at
tempt to make the Duke of Bucking-
ham.
CHAPTER XIV