Volume I Part 36 (2/2)
CHAPTER XCIV Of That Jolly Old Lord, Borabolla; And That Jolly Island Of His, Mondoldo; And Of The Fish-Ponds, And The Hereafters Of Fish
Drawing near Mondoldo, our next place of destination, ere greeted by six fine canoes, gayly tricked out with strea Borabolla and court were hastening to welco notified his, of our intention to visit his dominions
Soon, side by side, these canoes floated with ours; each barge of Odo courteously flanked by those of Mondoldo
Not long e in identifying Borabolla: the portly, pleasant oldover the bow of the largest canoe of the six, close-grappling to the side of the Sea Elephant
Was he not a goodly round sight to behold? Round all over; round of eye and of head; and like the jolly round Earth, roundest and biggest about the Equator A girdle of red was his Equinoctial Line, giving a compactness to his pluht to coray hairs Bald as a gourd, right down on his brazen skull, the rays of the lued
He was all hilarity; full of allusions to the feast at Willamilla, where he had done royal execution Rare old Borabolla! thou wert ood cheer, and a sally-port for good huave orders for the occupants of our canoes to be su, that in that uests to touch the beach of Mondoldo
So, with no little trouble--for the waves were grown so ourselves all the while, how annoying is sometimes an over-strained act of hospitality
We were now but little less than a mile from the shore But what of that? There was plenty of ti of a subsequent appetite ere we effected a landing
So viands were produced; to which the guests were invited to pay heedful attention; or take the consequences, and fae in prospect was ended
Soon the water shoaled (approaching land is like nearing truth in metaphysics), and ere we yet touched the beach, Borabolla declared, that ere already landed Which paradoxical assertion implied, that the hospitality of Mondoldo was such, that in all directions it radiated far out upon the lagoon, ereat circle; so that no canoe could sail by the island, without its occupants being so long its guests
In e structure, inclosed by a stockade; both rather dilapidated; as if the cost of entertaining its guests, prevented outlays for repairing the place
But it was one of Borabolla's enerally your tumble-down old homesteads yield thetheir having seen good service in hospitality; whereas, spruce-looking, finical portals, have a phiz full of ards are oftentimes neat
Now, after what has been said, who so silly as to fancy, that because Borabolla's mansion was inclosed by a stockade, that the sauests? By no hty breach, not an entrance-ide enough to admit six Daniel La we stepped toward the place
”Look Media! look all These gates, you here see, lashed back with osiers, have been so lashed during my life-time; and just where they stand, shall they rot; ay, they shall perish wide open”
”But why have them at all?” inquired Media
”Ah! there you have old Borabolla,” cried the other
”No,” said Babbalanja, ”a fence whose gate is ever kept open, seeives a notable hint, otherwise not so aptly conveyed; for is not the open gate the sign of the open heart?”
”Right, right,” cried Borabolla; ”so enter both, cousin Media;” and with one hand s his chest, with the other he waved us on
But if the stockade seeate, the structure within see but a slender pillar here and there, supported it
”This is ,” said Borabolla; ”I will have no outside to uest, the entering a narrow doorway is like passing under a yoke; every ti entertained at the cost of another So storm in all round”