Scarcely had he been turned off a moment, when a man with swarthy
features leapt into the cart with an open clasp-knife in his hand, and,
before he could be prevented, severed the rope, and cut down the body.
It was Blueskin. His assistance came too late. A ball from Wild's pistol
passed through his heart, and a volley of musketry poured from the
guards lodged several balls in the yet breathing body of his leader.

Blueskin, however, was not unattended. A thousand eager assistants
pressed behind him. Jack's body was caught, and passed from hand to hand
over a thousand heads, till it was far from the fatal tree.

The shouts of indignation--the frightful yells now raised baffle
description. A furious attack was made on Jonathan, who, though he
defended himself like a lion, was desperately wounded, and would
inevitably have perished if he had not been protected by the guards,
who were obliged to use both swords and fire-arms upon the mob in his
defence. He was at length rescued from his assailants,--rescued to
perish, seven months afterwards, with every ignominy, at the very gibbet
to which he had brought his victim.

The body of Jack Sheppard, meanwhile, was borne along by that tremendous
host, which rose and fell like the waves of the ocean, until it
approached the termination of the Edgeware Road.

At this point a carriage with servants in sumptuous liveries was
stationed. At the open door stood a young man in a rich garb with a mask
on his face, who was encouraging the mob by words and gestures. At
length, the body was brought towards him. Instantly seizing it, the
young man placed it in the carriage, shut the door, and commanded his
servants to drive off. The order was promptly obeyed, and the horses
proceeded at a furious pace along the Edgeware Road.

Half an hour afterwards the body of Jack was carefully examined. It had
been cut down before life was extinct, but a ball from one of the
soldiers had pierced his heart.

Thus died Jack Sheppard.

That night a grave was dug in Willesden churchyard, next to that in
which Mrs. Sheppard had been interred. Two persons, besides the
clergyman and sexton, alone attended the ceremony. They were a young man
and an old one, and both appeared deeply affected. The coffin was
lowered into the grave, and the mourners departed. A simple wooden
monument was placed over the grave, but without any name or date. In
after years, some pitying hand supplied the inscription, which ran