Search -
The Girl From Hong Kong; A Story of Adventure Under Five Suns
The Girl From Hong Kong A Story of Adventure Under Five Suns Author:St. George Rathborne General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1898 Original Publisher: Hobart Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select f... more »rom more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER V. PEKOE TAY ON GUARD. After having made this interesting discovery, Terry has little difficulty in understanding why the other driver threw up his job -- he evidently lacked the nerve to carry out the commission intrusted to him. In his indignation Terry is tempted to tear the whole diabolical mechanism from under the seat and thus destroy its usefulness; but there appears to be some danger, lest in doing so an incautious move might set free the deadly blades that lurk in the padded sides of the trap. The very fact of being surrounded by such an array of weapons is enough to give one a shudder, and Terry has lost all, pleasure in the journey. "For one I prefer to walk the balance of the way," he says, and Pekoe Tay echoes the refrain, for even a stoical heathen Chinee experiences a repugnance against quitting this sphere by violence. To accomplish this little act without the knowledge orconsent of the attendant is not a very serious undertaking. The driver, knowing that the time is almost at hand for the clockwork machinery under the seat to do its awful work, has pushed forward until close to the head of his horse. Perhaps he does not wish to hear the death-cries of those whom he expects to be spitted like fowls, or it may be discretion that prompts him to be a little further away at the critical moment. Terry awaits his opportunity, and as the beast drops into a walk in ascending a slight rise he makes the plunge without accident. It is a mere bagatelle for Pekoe Tay to copy his action, for the Mongolian is as light upon his feet as a cat. The palkee gha...« less