The Battle of the Strong: A Romance of Two Kingdoms — Volume 1Parker, Gilbert
General
The Battle of the Strong: A Romance of Two Kingdoms — Volume 1
Parker, Gilbert
Anglo-French War, 1793-1802 -- Fiction; Channel Islands -- Fiction
"Away dey go. You see dat spot where we coum to land, Ma'm'selle
Landresse--where de shingle look white, de leetle green grass above? Dat
is where mon onc' 'Lias he bring in de King's ship and de privator.
Gatd'en'ale--it is a journee awful! He twist to de right, he shape to de
left trough de teeth of de rocks--all safe--vera happee--to dis nice
leetle bay of de Maitre Ile dey coum. De Frenchies dey grind dere teeth
and spit de fire. But de Henglish laugh at demdey are safe. 'Frien' of
my heart,' say de hofficier to mon onc' 'Lias, 'pilot of pilots,' he say,
'in de name of our greshus King I t'ank you--A bi'tot, good-bye!' he say.
'Tres-ba,' mon onc' 'Lias he say den, 'I will go to my privator.' 'You
will go to de shore,' say de hofficier. 'You will wait on de shore till
de captain and his men of de privator coum to you. When dey coum, de
ship is yours--de privator is for you.' Mon onc' 'Lias he is like a
child--he believe. He 'bout ship and go shore. Misery me, he sit on dat
rocking-stone you see tipping on de wind. But if he wait until de men of
de privator coum to him, he will wait till we see him sitting there now.
Gache-a-penn, you say patriote? Mon onc' 'Lias he has de patreeteesm,
and what happen? He save de ship of de greshus King God save--and dey
eat up his hoysters! He get nosing. Gad'rabotin--respe d'la compagnie--
if dere is a ship of de King coum to de Ecrehoses, and de hofficier say
to me"--he tapped his breast--"'Jean Touzel, tak de ships of de King
trough de rocks,'--ah bah, I would rememb' mon onc' 'Lias. I would say,
'A bi'tot-good-bye.' . . . Slowlee--slowlee! We are at de place.
Bear wif de land, ma'm'selle! Steadee! As you go! V'la! hitch now,
Maitre Ranulph."
The keel of the boat grated on the shingle.
The air of the morning, the sport of using the elements for one's
pleasure, had given Guida an elfish sprightliness of spirits. Twenty
times during Jean's recital she had laughed gaily, and never sat a laugh
better on any one's countenance than on hers. Her teeth were strong,
white, and regular; in themselves they gave off a sort of shining mirth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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