FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   >>  
n invitation to His Majesty of Borsagrass to enter at their open gates, destroy their king, and annex their country to his own. The straits of isolation were soon found in the palace: its invalids were requiring stronger food, and what was to be done? For if the butchers sent meat to the palace, was it not likely enough to be poisoned? Curdie said to Derba he would think of some plan before morning. But that same night, as soon as it was dark, Lina came to her master, and let him understand she wanted to go out. He unlocked a little private postern for her, left it so that she could push it open when she returned, and told the crocodile to stretch himself across it inside. Before midnight she came back with a young deer. Early the next morning the legserpent crept out of the wine cellar, through the broken door behind, shot into the river, and soon appeared in the kitchen with a splendid sturgeon. Every night Lina went out hunting, and every morning Legserpent went out fishing, and both invalids and household had plenty to eat. As to news, the page, in plain clothes, would now and then venture out into the market place, and gather some. One night he came back with the report that the army of the king of Borsagrass had crossed the border. Two days after, he brought the news that the enemy was now but twenty miles from Gwyntystorm. The colonel of the guard rose, and began furbishing his armour--but gave it over to the page, and staggered across to the barracks, which were in the next street. The sentry took him for a ghost or worse, ran into the guardroom, bolted the door, and stopped his ears. The poor colonel, who was yet hardly able to stand, crawled back despairing. For Curdie, he had already, as soon as the first rumour reached him, resolved, if no other instructions came, and the king continued unable to give orders, to call Lina and the creatures, and march to meet the enemy. If he died, he died for the right, and there was a right end of it. He had no preparations to make, except a good sleep. He asked the king to let the housemaid take his place by His Majesty that night, and went and lay down on the floor of the corridor, no farther off than a whisper would reach from the door of the chamber. There, with an old mantle of the king's thrown over him, he was soon fast asleep. Somewhere about the middle of the night, he woke suddenly, started to his feet, and rubbed his eyes. He could no
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   >>  



Top keywords:
morning
 

Curdie

 

Borsagrass

 

invalids

 

palace

 
Majesty
 
colonel
 

reached

 
rumour
 

resolved


crawled

 

despairing

 
armour
 

furbishing

 
staggered
 

barracks

 
twenty
 
Gwyntystorm
 

street

 

bolted


stopped

 

guardroom

 

sentry

 

mantle

 

chamber

 

farther

 

whisper

 

thrown

 

started

 

rubbed


suddenly

 
asleep
 

Somewhere

 

middle

 

corridor

 
creatures
 

orders

 
instructions
 

continued

 
unable

preparations
 

housemaid

 
master
 
poisoned
 

understand

 

wanted

 
returned
 

postern

 
unlocked
 

private