Hans Brinker; Or, The Silver SkatesDodge, Mary Mapes
History
Hans Brinker; Or, The Silver Skates
Dodge, Mary Mapes
Netherlands -- History -- 19th century -- Juvenile fiction; Siblings -- Juvenile fiction; Skating -- Juvenile fiction
It was a grand sail, or ride, I scarcely know which to call it; perhaps
FLY would be the best word, for the boys felt very much as Sinbad
did when, tied to the roc’s leg, he darted through the clouds; or as
Bellerophon felt when he shot through the air on the back of his winged
horse Pegasus.
Sailing, riding, or flying, whichever it was, everything was rushing
past, backward, and before they had time to draw a deep breath, Leyden
itself, with its high, peaked roofs, flew halfway to meet them.
When the city came in sight, it was high time to waken the sleeper. That
feat accomplished, Peter’s prophecy came to pass. Master Jacob was quite
restored and in excellent spirits.
The schipper made a feeble remonstrance when Peter, with hearty thanks,
endeavored to slip some silver pieces into his tough brown palm.
“Ye see, young master,” said he, drawing away his hand, “the regular
line o’ trade’s ONE thing, and a favor’s another.”
“I know it,” said Peter, “but those boys and girls of yours will want
sweets when you get home. Buy them some in the name of Saint Nicholas.”
The man grinned. “Aye, true enough, I’ve young ‘uns in plenty, a clean
boatload of them. You are a sharp young master at guessing.”
This time the knotty hand hitched forward again, quite carelessly, it
seemed, but its palm was upward. Peter hastily dropped in the money and
moved away.
The sail came tumbling down. Scrape, scrape went the brake, scattering
an ice shower round the boat.
“Good-bye, schipper!” shouted the boys, seizing their skates and leaping
from the deck one by one. “Many thanks to you!”
“Good-bye! good-b--Hold! Here! Stop! I want my coat.”
Ben was carefully assisting his cousin over the side of the boat.
“What is the man shouting about? Oh, I know, you have his wrapper round
your shoulders.”
“Dat ish true,” answered Jacob, half jumping, half tumbling down upon
the framework, “dat ish vot make him sho heavy.”
“Made YOU so heavy, you mean, Poot?”
“Ya, made you sho heavy--dat ish true,” said Jacob innocently as he
worked himself free of the big wrapper. “Dere, now you hands it mit him,
straits way, and tells him I vos much tanks for dat.”
“Ho! for an inn!” cried Peter as they stepped into the city. “Be brisk,
my fine fellows!”
Mynheer Kleef and His Bill of Fare
The boys soon found an unpretending establishment near the Breedstraat
(Broad Street) with a funnily painted lion over the door. This was the
Rood Leeuw or Red Lion, kept by one Huygens Kleef, a stout Dutchman with
short legs and a very long pipe.
By this time they were in a ravenous condition. The tiffin, taken at
Haarlem, had served only to give them an appetite, and this had been
heightened by their exercise and swift sail upon the canal.
“Come, mine host! Give us what you can!” cried Peter rather pompously.
“I can give you anything--everything,” answered Mynheer Kleef,
performing a difficult bow.
“Well, give us sausage and pudding.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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