FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174  
175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   >>   >|  
course." "And we have found too this poor old fellow in his sort of cell." "Exactly," said Sir James. "Well, we know that, however old, no man could exist without nutriment. Consequently we have just had proof that a tribe of the natives must have regular communication with this place." "Yes, I suppose that must be the explanation," said Sir James. "And I am disappointed," said the doctor, "because I was in hopes that we had the place all to ourselves so that we could go on with our interesting researches." "Well, it would have been better," said Sir James. "But so long as they don't interfere with us it will not matter." "And very likely," put in Mark, "if they come and find us here they will keep away." "That's what I hope," said the doctor. "And you think," said Dean, "that some of these people have been and carried that old fellow away?" "Yes, my boy; that's exactly what I do think." "Well," said Mark musing, "I suppose we shall soon know. But we certainly don't want them here." CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT. A DISCUSSION. "A mussy me, Mr Mark, sir, as my old mother used to say. Ah, and she would say it again, poor old soul, if she were alive--bless her--and could see her pretty little curly-headed darling out here in savage Africa. Nice little curly-headed darling, arn't I, Mr Mark, sir? `My beauty,' she used to call me, when she had made me cry by jigging the comb through my hair, as would always tie itself up into knots like a nigger's." "Why, it isn't curly now, Buck." "Not a bit, sir; been cut too many times to keep it short, and all the curl got cut off, ha, ha, ha!" And the big, burly fellow burst into a boisterous laugh. "Bless her old heart! She never could have thought that I should grow into a six-footer weighing seventeen stun. Little woman she was--a pretty little woman too," said Buck proudly. "Fancy her seeing me seventeen stun, and not a bit of fat about me! Ah, it's ram, sir--rum. Rum as the name of our old village where we used to live down in Essex. Chignal Smealey. Well, sir," continued the big driver, wiping his beaded forehead, "we have had a pretty good time of it, haven't we? And I mean to say that we are regular ship-shape. What do you think of it, sir?" "Oh, never mind what I think, Buck. I'll tell you what father said to the doctor." "Ah, do, sir." "He said all you men had worked splendidly." "Oh, come, that's nice, sir," said Bu
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174  
175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

fellow

 

doctor

 

pretty

 

headed

 

darling

 

seventeen

 

regular

 
suppose
 

father


splendidly

 

nigger

 

boisterous

 

worked

 

continued

 

Smealey

 

Chignal

 
driver
 

beaded


wiping

 

village

 

forehead

 

thought

 

footer

 

proudly

 

Little

 

weighing

 
interesting

researches

 

disappointed

 

interfere

 

matter

 

explanation

 

Exactly

 

natives

 

communication

 

nutriment


Consequently

 

Africa

 
savage
 

beauty

 
jigging
 
musing
 

people

 
carried
 

mother


DISCUSSION
 

CHAPTER

 

TWENTY