FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  
of agility that could hardly have been excelled by a monkey. "Why, what are you all afraid of?" asked the captain of the ship, who had come on board with a number of passengers just before the occurrence of this incident. "Come down here, sir, and you'll see," replied the mate, who was in the main-chains. The captain declined with a smile, and advised the use of a lasso. Immediately every man of the ship's crew became for the nonce a Mexican wild-horse tamer! Running nooses were made, and Jack, albeit unused to taking wild cattle on the prairies of America, was, nevertheless, such an adept at casting a coil of rope that he succeeded beyond the most sanguine expectation. The bo's'n was the first to throw a loop over the creature's front horn--cast a hitch over its foremast as he styled it-- amid a deafening cheer. He was immediately pulled out of the rigging, and a second time lay wallowing in the port scuppers; but he cared nothing for that, being upheld by the glory of having succeeded in fixing the first noose. Soon after that Stanley Hall threw a noose over the creature's head, and Jim Welton fixed one on its second horn--or, as the bo's'n said, round his mizzen. In the course of half-an-hour the rhinoceros was so completely entangled in the twisted ropes that he seemed as though he were involved in a net. He was finally captured, and led to a ponderous stall that had been prepared for him between the fore and main masts. Soon afterwards the last of the human passengers came on board. There were many of them. Officers and their wives and children--some in health, some in sickness. Old warriors returning home to repose on their laurels. Young warriors returning home to recruit their health, or to die. Women who went out as wives returning as widows, and women who went out as widows returning as wives. Some returning with fortunes made, a few returning with fortunes broken; but all, old and young, healthy and sick, rich and poor, hopeful and hopeless, glad at the prospect of leaving the burning skies of India behind, and getting out among the fresh breezes of the open sea. Then the sails were set, and with a light evening breeze the Wellington began her voyage--homeward bound... Once again the scene changes. Blue skies are gone. Grey clouds preponderate. In the Atlantic, tossed by the angry billows, a large ship scuds before the wind as though she were fleeing from the pursuit of a relentl
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
returning
 

health

 

fortunes

 

widows

 

succeeded

 
creature
 
warriors
 

captain

 
passengers
 

entangled


twisted

 

captured

 
laurels
 

involved

 
finally
 

recruit

 
children
 
Officers
 

ponderous

 

prepared


sickness

 

repose

 

Wellington

 

voyage

 

homeward

 

clouds

 

preponderate

 

fleeing

 

pursuit

 

relentl


tossed

 
Atlantic
 

billows

 

breeze

 

evening

 
hopeful
 

hopeless

 
completely
 

prospect

 
broken

healthy
 

leaving

 
burning
 
breezes
 

upheld

 

Mexican

 
Immediately
 

advised

 
prairies
 

cattle