Great Britain -- History, Naval -- 18th century -- Fiction; Nore Mutiny, 1797 -- Fiction
We must return to the servant, who, with no other injury than a severe
contusion of the Os coccygis, from the frontal bone of the bull,
recovered his senses and his legs at the same moment, and never ceased
exerting the latter until he arrived at --- Hall, where he stated, what
indeed he really believed to be the case, that Miss Emily had been gored
to death by the bull; asserting, at the same time, what was equally
incorrect, that he had nearly been killed himself in attempting her
rescue. The tidings were communicated to Mrs Rainscourt, who, frantic
at the intelligence, without bonnet or shawl, flew down the park towards
the fields, followed by all the servants of the establishment, armed
with guns, pitchforks, and any other weapons that they could obtain, at
the moment of hurry and trepidation. They arrived at the field--the
bull was there, waiting for them at the stile, for he had observed them
at a distance, and as he was now opposed to half a dozen pair of
inexpressibles, instead of one, his wrath was proportionally increased.
He pawed the ground, bellowed, and made divers attempts to leap the
stile, which, had he effected, it is probable that more serious mischief
would have occurred. The whole party stood aghast, while Mrs
Rainscourt screamed, and called for her child--her child; and attempted
to recover her liberty, from the arms of those who held her, and rush
into the field to her own destruction.
The farmer to whom the animal belonged had heard his bellowing on the
first assault, and had come out to ascertain the cause. He was just in
time to behold the footman pushed through the hedge, and to witness the
escape of Emily into the house of McElvina. Intending to remove the
animal, he returned to his dinner, when his resumed bellowing summoned
him again, and perceiving the cause, he joined the party, and,
addressing Mrs Rainscourt, "The young lady is all safe, ma'am, in the
gentleman's house yonder. The brute's quiet enough it's all along of
them red breeches that angers him. A bull can't abide 'em, ma'am."
"Safe, do you say? Thank God. Oh! take me to her."
"This way, ma'am, then," said the farmer, leading her round the hedge to
the cottage of McElvina, by a more circuitous way.
Susan had just called up McElvina, and Seymour was again left to himself
in the parlour, when Mrs Rainscourt, bursting from those who conducted
her, tottered in, and sank exhausted on the sofa. Seymour, to whom the
whole affair was a mystery, and who had been ruminating upon it, and
upon the sweet lips which he had pressed, in utter astonishment, cried
out, "What! another?" Not choosing, in this instance, to trust to his
own resources, he contented himself with again shoving the parrot's tail
between the bars, and as he held it to his patient's nose, loudly called
out for McElvina, who, summoned by his appeals, with many others entered
the room, and relieved him of his charge, who soon recovered, and joined
her daughter in the room upstairs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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