FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   118   119   120   121   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   >>   >|  
We won't chronicle the roars of laughter, the yells of delight that followed,--the immense amount of chaffing, the innumerable witticisms and criticisms that ensued--no, no! regard for the gallant seaman constrains us to draw a veil over the scene and leave it, as we have left many things before, and shall leave many things yet to come, to the reader's vivid imagination. Fortunately for Disco, the superior attractions of the dead elephant soon drew off attention from this exploit. The natives proceeded to cut up the huge mass of meat, and this was indeed an amazing spectacle. At first the men stood round the carcase in dead silence, while Kambira delivered a species of oration, in which he pointed out minutely the particular parts of the animal which were to be apportioned to the head-men of the different fires of which the camp was composed,--the left hind-leg and the parts around the eyes being allotted to his English visitors. These points settled, the order was given to "cut up," and immediately the excitement which had been restrained burst forth again with tenfold violence. The natives seemed to be quite unable to restrain their feelings of delight, as they cut away at the carcase with spears and knives. They screamed as well as danced with glee. Some attacked the head, others the flanks, jumping over the animal or standing on it the better to expedite their operations; some ever and anon ran off screaming with masses of bloody meat, threw it on the grass and went back for more, while others, after cutting the carcase open, jumped inside and wallowed about in their eagerness to reach and cut out the precious fat--all talking and shouting at the utmost pitch of their voices. "Well, now," said Disco to Harold, with a grin of amusement, "the likes o' that I never did see nowheres. Cuttin' up a Greenland whale is nothin' to it." "Come, come," said Harold, checking his laughter and seizing an excited negro by the shoulder, "no fighting allowed." This had reference to two who chanced to have taken a fancy for the same mass of meat, and were quarrelling so violently over it that blows seemed on the point of following, but having let off part of their superabundant energy in words, they rushed back to expend the remainder on their dead friend. Suddenly a sharp agonised yell was heard inside the carcase. Next moment Zombo jumped out all bloody and furious, holding up his right hand. While groping abo
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   118   119   120   121   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
carcase
 

animal

 

jumped

 

Harold

 

natives

 
inside
 
delight
 

laughter

 
bloody
 

things


masses

 

amusement

 
screaming
 

operations

 
expedite
 

precious

 
talking
 
eagerness
 

wallowed

 

cutting


shouting

 

voices

 

utmost

 

shoulder

 

rushed

 

expend

 

remainder

 

Suddenly

 

friend

 

energy


superabundant

 
agonised
 

groping

 

holding

 

furious

 
moment
 

seizing

 
checking
 

excited

 
nothin

Cuttin
 

nowheres

 
Greenland
 
standing
 

fighting

 

quarrelling

 
violently
 

chanced

 
allowed
 

reference