Spring Heeled Jack | Page 4

present time large
landed proprietors in South of England, and although had it not been
for our hero's exploits they would not at the present time be occupying
that position, still one can hardly wonder at their not wishing the real
name of Spring-Heeled Jack to become known.
As it will, however, be necessary for the proper unravelling of our story
that some name should be used we will bestow upon our hero the name
of Dacre.
Jack Dacre was the son of a baronet whose creation went back as far
back as 1619.
Jack's father had been a younger son, and, as was frequently the case in

those days, he had been sent out to India to see what he could do for
himself.
This was rendered necessary by the fact that I although the Dacres
possessed a considerable amount of land the whole of it was strictly
entailed.
This fact was added to the perhaps more important one that each
individual Dacre in possession of the title and estates seemed to
consider that it was his duty to live close up to his income, and to give
his younger sons nothing to start in life with, save a good education.
That is to say, the younger sons had the run of the house.
They were taught to shoot by the keepers; to ride by the grooms; to
throw a fly, perhaps, by the gardener; and to pick up what little
"book-learning" they could.
Not altogether a bad education, perhaps, in those days when fortunes
could be made in India by any who had fair connections, plenty of
pluck, and plenty of industry.
Jack's father was early told that he could expect no money out of the
estate, and he was also informed that he could choose his own path in
life.
This did not take him long.
Sidney Dacre was a plucky young fellow, and thought that India would
afford the widest scope for his talents, which were not of the most
brilliant order, as may be expected from his early training.
To India he therefore went, and managed to shake the "pagoda tree" to
a pretty fair extent.
In 1837 he thought he was justified in taking to himself a wife, and of
this union Jack, who was born in the year of Waterloo, was the only
result.

Fifteen years later Sidney Dacre received the intelligence that his father
and his two brothers had perished in a storm near Bantry Bay, where
they had gone to assist as volunteers in repelling a supposed French
invading party which it was anticipated would attempt to effect a
landing there.
This untimely death of his three relatives left Sidney Dacre the heir to
the baronetcy and estates; and although he had plantation after
plantation in the Presidencies, he made up his mind that he would at
once return to the old country.
He therefore placed his Indian plantations in the hands of one Alfred
Morgan, a clerk, in whom he had always placed implicit confidence.
This man, by the way, had been the sole witness to his marriage with
Jack's mother.
A month later, and Sir Sidney and Lady Dacre, with their son, set sail
in the good ship Hydaspes on their way to England.
Nothing of any importance occurred on the voyage, and the Hydaspes
was within sight of the white cliffs of old Albion when a storm came on,
and almost within gunshot of home the brave old ship which had
weathered many a storm went to pieces.
All that were saved out of passengers and crew were two souls.
One, our hero Jack Dacre, afterwards to become the notorious Spring-
Heeled Jack; the other, a common sailor, Ned Chump, a man who is
destined to play a not unimportant part in this history, even if the part
he had already played did not entitle him to mention in our columns.
And when we tell our readers that had it not been for the friendly office
of Ned Chump our hero must inevitably have perished with the rest, we
think they will agree that they owe the jolly sailor a certain amount of
gratitude.
Ned Chump had taken very great interest in our hero on the voyage

home.
Jack was such a handsome, bright-looking lad, that everyone seemed to
take to him at first sight.
Ned's devotion to him more resembled that of a faithful mastiff to his
master than any other simile that we can call to mind.
When Ned saw that the fate of the Hydaspes was inevitable he made up
his mind that Master Jack and he should be saved if there was any
possibility of such a thing.
The jolly tar bound Jack Dacre fast to a hen coop, and then attached his
belt to it with