When the World Shook: Being an Account of the Great Adventure of Bastin, Bickley and ArbuthnotHaggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
Science
When the World Shook: Being an Account of the Great Adventure of Bastin, Bickley and Arbuthnot
Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
Adventure stories; Science fiction
Bastin swallowed it every drop, murmuring something about taking a
little wine for his stomach’s sake, “one of the Pauline injunctions,
you know,” after which he was much more cheerful. Then we hunted about
and found some more of the biscuits and other food with which we filled
ourselves after a fashion.
“I wonder what has happened,” said Bastin. “I suppose that, thanks to
the skill of the captain, we have after all reached the haven where we
would be.”
Here he stopped, rubbed his eyes and looked towards the saloon door
which, as I have said, had been wrenched off its hinges, but appeared
to have opened wider than when I observed it last. Also Tommy, who was
recovering his spirits, uttered a series of low growls.
“It is a most curious thing,” he went on, “and I suppose I must be
suffering from hallucinations, but I could swear that just now I saw
looking through that door the same improper young woman clothed in a
few flowers and nothing else, whose photograph in that abominable and
libellous book was indirectly the cause of our tempestuous voyage.”
“Indeed!” replied Bickley. “Well, so long as she has not got on the
broken-down stays and the Salvation Army bonnet without a crown, which
you may remember she wore after she had fallen into the hands of your
fraternity, I am sure _I_ do not mind. In fact I should be delighted to
see anything so pleasant.”
At this moment a distinct sound of female tittering arose from beyond
the door. Tommy barked and Bickley stepped towards it, but I called to
him.
“Look out! Where there are women there are sure to be men. Let us be
ready against accidents.”
So we armed ourselves with pistols, that is Bickley and I did, Bastin
being fortified solely with a Bible.
Then we advanced, a remarkable and dilapidated trio, and dragged the
door wide. Instantly there was a scurry and we caught sight of women’s
forms wearing only flowers, and but few of these, running over white
sand towards groups of men armed with odd-looking clubs, some of which
were fashioned to the shapes of swords and spears. To make an
impression I fired two shots with my revolver into the air, whereupon
both men and women fled into groves of trees and vanished.
“They don’t seem to be accustomed to white people,” said Bickley. “Is
it possible that we have found a shore upon which no missionary has set
a foot?”
“I hope so,” said Bastin, “seeing that unworthy as I am, then the
opportunities for me would be very great.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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