FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146  
147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   >>   >|  
e have their boundaries marked by wire fences, and it is supposed to be a deadly sin to cut these. Well, the lodge-keeper's son dashed off in search of help. A chap called Chester, an Old Wykehamist, and I were dipping sheep close by, so he came to us and told us what had happened. We nipped on to a couple of horses, pulled out our revolvers, and tooled after him. After a bit we overtook him, and that's when the trouble began. The johnny had dismounted when we arrived. I thought he was simply tightening his horse's girths. What he was really doing was getting a steady aim at us with his revolver. He fired as we came up, and dropped poor old Chester. I thought he was killed at first, but it turned out it was only his leg. I got going then. I emptied all the six chambers of my revolver, and missed him clean every time. In the meantime he got me in the right shoulder. Hurt like sin afterwards, though it was only a sort of dull shock at the moment. The next item of the programme was a forward move in force on the part of the enemy. The man had got his knife out now--why he didn't shoot again I don't know--and toddled over in our direction to finish us off. Chester was unconscious, and it was any money on the Gaucho, when I happened to catch sight of Chester's pistol, which had fallen just by where I came down. I picked it up, and loosed off. Missed the first shot, but got him with the second in the ankle at about two yards; and his day's work was done. That's the painful story. Danvers says he's getting writer's cramp, so I shall have to stop....'" "By Jove!" said Mike. "What a dreadful thing!" said Mrs. Jackson. "Anyhow, it was practically a bushranger," said Phyllis. "I told you it was a duel, and so it was," said Marjory. "What a terrible experience for the poor boy!" said Mrs. Jackson. "Much better than being in a beastly bank," said Mike, summing up. "I'm glad he's having such a ripping time. It must be almost as decent as Wrykyn out there.... I say, what's under that dish?" CHAPTER XXX MR. JACKSON MAKES UP HIS MIND Two years have elapsed and Mike is home again for the Easter holidays. If Mike had been in time for breakfast that morning he might have gathered from the expression on his father's face, as Mr. Jackson opened the envelope containing his school report and read the contents, that the document in question was not exactly a paean of praise from beginning to end. But he was late, a
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146  
147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Chester
 

Jackson

 

thought

 

happened

 

revolver

 
Marjory
 
Missed
 

beastly

 
experience
 

fallen


terrible

 

Danvers

 
writer
 

loosed

 
painful
 

picked

 
Anyhow
 
practically
 

bushranger

 

dreadful


summing

 

Phyllis

 

opened

 

envelope

 

father

 

expression

 

breakfast

 

morning

 

gathered

 

school


report

 
beginning
 

praise

 

contents

 

document

 
question
 

holidays

 
Wrykyn
 

decent

 
ripping

CHAPTER
 

elapsed

 
Easter
 
JACKSON
 

programme

 

overtook

 
trouble
 

tooled

 
revolvers
 

nipped