Guy in the Jungle; Or, A Boy's Adventure in the Wilds of AfricaGraydon, William Murray
General
Guy in the Jungle; Or, A Boy's Adventure in the Wilds of Africa
Graydon, William Murray
Adventure stories; Africa -- Juvenile fiction; Jungles -- Juvenile fiction
"Bless me; you'd think the Greek was talking in his own tongue,"
remarked Sir Arthur. "Reminds me of our old Greek professor at Balliol
College, Oxford. He loved the language of the Athenians so much that he
hated to use the English tongue at all. Worst of it was he expected all
of us to be as fluent as himself. Made us all talk Greek in the
class-room. I'll never forget how we got even with him. Lord Somebody or
other--I can't recall the name now, but it was some celebrated
man--visited the college. I don't suppose he knew Greek from Hottentot,
but we made the professor believe it was a famous Greek scholar who was
coming, one who had been making excavations on the site of old Troy
during the past four years, and who, strangely enough, was then in
England and expected on a visit to Oxford. The professor prepared an
elaborate address in pure Greek, and when the visitor entered the
class-room he delivered it in the most eloquent manner.
"'What's that fool talking about?' asked the visitor.
"'Oh,' says young Ormsby, who was sitting near me, 'he's lecturing the
class on 'Political Economy in Ancient Athens.' He'll be through in a
moment and able to receive you.'
"The visitor left the room highly insulted, and the professor, when he
discovered the truth a day or two later, nearly took apoplexy."
As the laughter that greeted this little reminiscence of Sir Arthur's
ceased, Canaris finished his conversation with Bildad.
"It is difficult to converse with him," he reported, "but from what I
can learn he dived from the very embrace of the serpent, and succeeded
in swimming to the other canoe, which he had turned adrift only a
moment or two before. Without paddles or food he floated behind us into
the lake."
"It's a miracle that he escaped the serpents," said the colonel,
"floating about on the lake all the time."
"But how did he know anything about the entrance to the river?"
exclaimed Guy. "Did you ask him that, Canaris?"
"Yes," said the Greek. "He says he discovered it himself a year or two
ago just as the old Englishman must have done."
"Well, it's a lucky thing for Bildad that he ran across us," was Guy's
comment; and Bildad, to judge from his contented expression, seemed
thoroughly to appreciate this fact.
As the river continued swift and smooth, with no signs of danger ahead,
all went to sleep except Canaris and the colonel, who were intrusted
with the care of the raft. Several hours later they were relieved by
Chutney and Forbes, and thus all secured a fair night's rest.
A scanty share of food was doled out for breakfast, as the supply was
getting very low. Some time afterward a faint roar was heard in the
distance, and almost before they could prepare for danger a violent
cross current struck the raft, tossing it about most perilously, and
they caught a glimpse of a furious body of water issuing from a narrow
passageway.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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