Part 26 (1/2)
scrolled in haughty blazonry across its widest part And since that time, I note and condeht of La Mancha slash the wine skins in nothing but an under gar,” says one of our translations, ”only down to the s a pair of legs, very long, and very thin, and very hairy, and very dirty” Strange! to think that man, noble in reason, infinite in faculty, and so forth, should depend so entirely for his dignity upon a pair of ---- But such is life
Approaching the house, I judged by the style ofcurtains that the light was in a bedroom I made my way to the front door, and knocked
”Who's there?” inquired a discouraging soprano
”A most poor man, made tame by Fortune's blows,” I replied humbly
”Is the boss at home?”
”Yes!” she exclaih to tell him I want him?”
”Clear off, or it'll be worse for you!” she screamed
”It can't be much worse, ma'am Will you please tell the boss I want hiot hie!”
”No more so than yourself, ma'am Will you please tell the boss I want him?”
”Clear off this minute! There's plenty of your sort knockin' about!”
”Heaven pity them, then,” I murmured sorrowfully; and I went round to the back yard, in hope of finding so on the clothes-line, but it was only labour lost
I was on hted
The reason I had seen so few lights was sis in the back dining room; and the front of the house reht, when you hted for a few h a quarter of a ht When I eone However, I found the house, and went prowling round the back yard till I roused tatch-dogs These faithful animals fraternised with Pup, while I prospected the pre even an empty corn-sack, or a dry barrel with both ends out
Inmy way back to the road, I noticed, far away in the river tiht I had seen since sunset
Soman's camp, beyond doubt I could safely count on the occupier's hospitality for the night, and his help in theIf he had any spare ----, I would borrow theing round the neighbourhood for cast-off clothes, while I sought ease-with-dignity in his blanket This was not too much to count on; for I have yet to find the churlish or unfeeling swagman; whereas, my late experience of the respectable classes had not been satisfactory
At all events, the fire would give htening prospect, I crossed the road and entered on the heavy tie But all preceding difficulties, in comparison with those which now confronted me, were as the Greek Tartarus to the Hebrew Tophet So intense was the darkness in the bush that I siular intervals, the spark of red fire, often away to right or left, when I had lost ins of deep lagoons, or creeping like a native bear over fallen ti round clus
I could show you the place in daylight, and you would say it was one of the worst spots on the river
Still, in pursuance of ues in the mosquitos (no difficult rass; serht and Darkness!--aptest of e, fro colloquialisnorance,” says the pleasantest of stage fools; ”in which thou art ”
And what ed millions of passably brave e or strength; he had those already-- not for victory; that was outside the province of his interference--but for light to see what he was doing
No obligatory track so rugged but ood at all, ht And no available track so easy but man, however capable, will blunder therein, if he walks in darkness; nay, the more resolute and conscientious he is, thetoe on a root, and i, and tread on nothing, to the kinking of his neck-bone and the sudden alarht to spread with precisely the rapidity of thought, is tardy enough, owing solely to lack of receptivity in its only known medium, namely, the hues-- Light is inherently dynaressive, not defensive Therefore, as twice one is two, theoverborne the Conservatism of the Paleolithic, Neolithic, and other unpronounceable ages, has, in this 19th century, produced a distinct paling of the stars, with an opaline tint in the east And, as a penny for the first nail, twopence for the second, fourpence for the third, and so on, a for the set of horse-shoes, so the faint suggestion of dawn observable in our day cannot do otherwise than multiply itself into sunshi+ne yet Meantime, happy insect is he whose lueneral darkness, besides shedding light on his own path as he buzzes along in philosophicabout as thick as your wrist--soht came upon it
I rose fully three feet into the air without conscious effort, and thenceforth pursued my difficult ith a subjective discontent which, I fear, did little honour to , to confess the truth, what an advantage it would be if uratively a e lay in that direction; also, feeling prepared to wager felloould never have apostrophised the welcoht, if he had knohat it was to work his passage through pitch-black purgatory, in a state of paradise--nudity, with the incongruity of the association pressing on his ain; but such is life
It was about three-quarters of a e of the timber to the fire; and I should think it took me an hour to perform the journey It was a deserted fire, after all, and nearly burnt out; but I soon raised a good se fro for the ti bark and rubbish on each, lay down between thehly
It may surprise the inexperienced reader to know that I had often before found myself in a similar state of nature, and in farthe block, or stalking down the aisle of a crowded church, s on, and had wakened up to find the unsubstantial pageant faded, and ed for a happier obscurity So, throughout the trying incidents of the evening I have recalled, the hope of waking up had never been entirely absent fro, with Pup beside me, and not a mosquito within three yards, it occurred toup, I would get out of it some other way Philosophy whispered that all earth-born cares were not only wrong, but unprofitable Though I had inadvertently switchedline when I postponed my intended smoke, and had so lost the clothes which evidently went so far towardthe man, it would be true wisdom to accept the consequent kismet, and wait till the clouds rolled by The end of the section could n't be far ahead