The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
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The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
Children's literature
When the three persons came to the creek, I found that two of them
could swim, but the third could not, and that, standing on the
other side, he looked at the others, but went no farther, and
soon after went softly back again; which, as it happened, was very
well for him in the end. I observed that the two who swam were yet
more than twice as long swimming over the creek as the fellow was
that fled from them. It came very warmly upon my thoughts, and
indeed irresistibly, that now was the time to get me a servant,
and, perhaps, a companion or assistant; and that I was plainly
called by Providence to save this poor creature's life. I
immediately ran down the ladders with all possible expedition,
fetched my two guns, for they were both at the foot of the
ladders, as I observed before, and getting up again with the same
haste to the top of the hill, I crossed towards the sea; and
having a very short cut, and all down hill, placed myself in the
way between the pursuers and the pursued, hallooing aloud to him
that fled, who, looking back, was at first perhaps as much
frightened at me as at them; but I beckoned with my hand to him to
come back and, in the meantime, I slowly advanced towards the two
that followed; then rushing at once upon the foremost, I knocked
him down with the stock of my piece. I was loath to fire, because
I would not have the rest hear; though, at that distance, it would
not have been easily heard, and being out of sight of the smoke,
too, they would not have known what to make of it. Having knocked
this fellow down, the other who pursued him stopped, as if he had
been frightened, and I advanced towards him; but as I came nearer,
I perceived presently he had a bow and arrow, and was fitting it
to shoot at me: so I was then obliged to shoot at him first,
which I did, and killed him at the first shot.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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