His lordship charged a stiff flight
of rails in the brick-fields; while Jack, thinking to save his, rode at a
weak place in the fence, a little higher up, and in an instant was soused
overhead in a clay-hole.
'Duck under, Jack! duck under!' screamed his lordship, as Jack's head rose
to the surface. 'Duck under! you'll have it full directly!' added he,
eyeing Sponge and the rest coming up.
Sponge, however, saw the splash, and turning a little lower down, landed
safe on sound ground; while poor Blossomnose, who was next, went
floundering overhead also. But the pace was too good to stop to fish them
out.
'Dash it,' said Sponge, looking at them splashing about, 'but that was a
near go for me!'
Jack being thus disposed of, Sponge, with increased confidence, rose in his
stirrups, easing the redoubtable Hercules; and patting him on the shoulder,
at the same time that he gave him the gentlest possible touch of the spur,
exclaimed, 'By the powers, we'll show these old Flat Hats the trick!' He
then commenced humming:
Mister Sponge, the raspers taking,
Sets the junkers' nerves a shaking;
and riding cheerfully on, he at length found himself on the confines of a
wild rough-looking moor, with an undulating range of hills in the distance.
Pages:
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306