Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 5Sylvester, Charles Herbert
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Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 5
Sylvester, Charles Herbert
Children's literature; Literature -- Collections
hailstones, yet I could not perceive it had received any injury. It
instantly reascended and flew over the sea towards Calais, but so very
high that the Channel seemed to be no broader than the Thames at London
Bridge. In a quarter of an hour I found myself over a thick wood in
France, when the eagle descended very rapidly, which caused me to slip
down to the back part of its head; but as it alighted on a large tree,
and raised its head, I recovered my seat as before, but saw no
possibility of disengaging myself without the danger of being killed by
the fall; so I determined to sit fast, thinking it would carry me to the
Alps, or some other high mountain, where I could dismount without any
danger. After resting a few minutes it took wing, flew several times
round the wood, and screamed loud enough to be heard across the English
Channel. In a few minutes one of the same species arose out of the wood,
and flew directly towards us; it surveyed me with evident marks of
displeasure, and came very near me. After flying several times round,
they both directed their course to the southwest. I soon observed that
the one I rode upon could not keep pace with the other, but inclined
towards the earth, on account of my weight; its companion perceiving
this, turned round and placed itself in such a position that the other
could rest its head on its rump; in this manner they proceeded till
noon, when I saw the rock of Gibraltar very distinctly. The day being
clear, the earth's surface appeared just like a map, where land, sea,
lakes, rivers, mountains, and the like were perfectly distinguishable;
and having some knowledge of geography, I was at no loss to determine
what part of the globe I was in.
While I was contemplating this wonderful prospect a dreadful howling
suddenly began all around me, and in a moment I was invested by
thousands of small black, deformed, frightful-looking creatures, who
pressed me on all sides in such a manner that I could neither move hand
nor foot; but I had not been in their possession more than ten minutes
when I heard the most delightful music that can possibly be imagined,
which was suddenly changed into a noise the most awful and tremendous,
to which the report of a cannon, or the loudest claps of thunder could
bear no more proportion than the gentle zephyrs of the evening to the
most dreadful hurricane; but the shortness of its duration prevented all
those fatal effects which a prolongation of it would certainly have been
attended with.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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