Noble Deeds of the World's HeroinesMoore, Henry Charles
History
Noble Deeds of the World's Heroines
Moore, Henry Charles
Women heroes -- Biography
Immediately there was a stampede. The pupils and the pupil teachers
rushed terror-stricken into the wind-swept playground, every one
anxious for her own safety. But Hannah Rosbotham did not fly from the
danger; she thought only of the little children in the gallery. The
air was filled with dust, but she groped her way to the gallery
staircase, which was littered with stone, wood and slates. Hurrying up
she found, to her great joy, that many of the little ones had escaped
injury. Some were crying, but others sat silent and terror-stricken,
gazing at the spot where several of their little friends lay buried in
the ruins.
Having hurried out the children who had so wonderfully escaped injury,
she set to work to rescue those who lay injured. And the magnitude of
the task which lay before her may be realised from the fact that
sixteen-hundredweight of belfry-ruins had fallen through into the
gallery. Quickly and unaided Hannah Rosbotham tore away the timber,
stone and slate that were crushing the little sufferers, whose pale
faces and pleading voices filled her heart with anguish, but gave
strength to her arms. As she knelt tearing away with her bare hands
the mass of ruins, fragments of stone and slate fell continuously
around her, and she knew that at any moment she might be struck dead.
The gale was still raging, and as she glanced up through the hole in
the roof she saw the part of the belfry which had not yet given way. A
continuous shower of fragments fell from it, but if the remaining
portion were blown down simultaneously, she and her infant pupils would
be crushed to death.
Working with tremendous energy she set free one by one the terrified
young prisoners. Some were very little hurt, and were able to hurry
away into the playground, but there were others who had been severely
injured, and these she had to carry away.
At last her task was done, and happily without any serious results to
herself. Although she had been throughout her brave work surrounded by
danger she escaped with nothing more serious than a few scratches.
When she came into the playground with the last of the children she had
rescued, she found that the villagers had arrived on the scene. They
had heard of the accident, and had come to seek their children, and
having found them alive they joined in showering praise and blessings
upon Hannah Rosbotham. Now that all danger was over the brave young
schoolmistress--she was only twenty years of age--broke down and cried
hysterically, but before long she was calm again, and started out to
visit at their homes the little ones whom she had saved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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