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Article THE OLD BOATMAN. ← Page 2 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Old Boatman.
he laid his'hand upon his bag of gold . And as the boat glided silently along , bright visions gladdened the eyes of Pedro . He saw a palace thronged with menials in his many-coloured livery—gardens , radiant as paradise—lakes of rippling silver . Entrancing music stole into his ears , and his heart rose , beating to the sound . Pedro smiled , and again he pressed his hand upon his gold . " This glory—this greatness—will be mine—long as I live , mine—and when I die , —ha ! ha ! again
deathtut ! death is many a hundred miles away . " For the first time , Pedro surveyed the craft in which he was embarked . " So : a crazy shell this ! In the name of St . Nicholas , how many thousand years hath it swam the sea ?" " Many thousand . " " Thousand ! " echoed Pedro , darting a fierce look at the unmoved boatman " thousand !"
; The boatman paused a minute on his oars ; then , leaning his long back towards Pedro , his breath chilling the flushed face of the prosperous man-seller , said " When the wood whereof was built the ark was yet green and hudding , the boat you sit in was upon the wave . " " Ha ! am I stowed with a madman ? Pull , slave—pull to your ship , or "—and Pedro clutched his pistol in his belt .
The sun sank , and all was dark . " Pull , dog ! " . shouted Pedro— " pull !" But the oars were still—the boat , as upon a rock , without motion . Pedro leapt forward to smite the boatman , and to seize the oars . He
struck , and groped in the darkness , and found himself alone ! Pedro staggered back , and fell upon the seat ; and , immediately , he heard the boatman at his task , the oars dipped in the wave—and the boat went on . The heart of Pedro beat at every stroke—and his face grew cold and wet as reeking marble . His hand fell dead upon his bag of goldhe plucked it thence , as though a snake had stung it . Like an arrow from a bow , the boat shot through the stream . All
night , the sound of the oars , true as the half minutes , rang upon the brain of Pedro , and his bones became as ice . And when the morning dawned , Pedro saw the blue eyes—cold and bright as stars—of the old boatman , gleaming upon him . He turned to seek his ship , and he saw nothing on the waste of waters round about him . Pedro gasped , and tried to speak , but his tongue was dead flesh in his mouth . And the sinewy arms of the boatman still swept the bending oars .
And there were nought but signs of sadness—terrible manifestations . The very sea , parted by the keel , touched by the oars , became stagnant and jellied . A flying-fish rose from the wave , and fell dead upon the oar ; and the little nautilus closed its sail , and sank like a flint . A shoal of dolphins gamboled to the surface , and as the oars dipped near them , the morning light brig htened their mortal hues . id The
The shark darted at his prey , but sank with rigjaws . huge leviathan bellowed as the boat drew nigh—bellowed , and disappeared . The strong-winged swallow , follower of the sun , fell upon the boatman ' s knees ! And still the old boatman bent at his oars . There was no sea , bay , river , lake , creek , or dyke , whereon the boatman had not , in some way , plied . Trusted with revelling youth and beauty , he had wrecked a gondola ; and now , as pilot , sunk whole crews on rocks and sands . In
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Old Boatman.
he laid his'hand upon his bag of gold . And as the boat glided silently along , bright visions gladdened the eyes of Pedro . He saw a palace thronged with menials in his many-coloured livery—gardens , radiant as paradise—lakes of rippling silver . Entrancing music stole into his ears , and his heart rose , beating to the sound . Pedro smiled , and again he pressed his hand upon his gold . " This glory—this greatness—will be mine—long as I live , mine—and when I die , —ha ! ha ! again
deathtut ! death is many a hundred miles away . " For the first time , Pedro surveyed the craft in which he was embarked . " So : a crazy shell this ! In the name of St . Nicholas , how many thousand years hath it swam the sea ?" " Many thousand . " " Thousand ! " echoed Pedro , darting a fierce look at the unmoved boatman " thousand !"
; The boatman paused a minute on his oars ; then , leaning his long back towards Pedro , his breath chilling the flushed face of the prosperous man-seller , said " When the wood whereof was built the ark was yet green and hudding , the boat you sit in was upon the wave . " " Ha ! am I stowed with a madman ? Pull , slave—pull to your ship , or "—and Pedro clutched his pistol in his belt .
The sun sank , and all was dark . " Pull , dog ! " . shouted Pedro— " pull !" But the oars were still—the boat , as upon a rock , without motion . Pedro leapt forward to smite the boatman , and to seize the oars . He
struck , and groped in the darkness , and found himself alone ! Pedro staggered back , and fell upon the seat ; and , immediately , he heard the boatman at his task , the oars dipped in the wave—and the boat went on . The heart of Pedro beat at every stroke—and his face grew cold and wet as reeking marble . His hand fell dead upon his bag of goldhe plucked it thence , as though a snake had stung it . Like an arrow from a bow , the boat shot through the stream . All
night , the sound of the oars , true as the half minutes , rang upon the brain of Pedro , and his bones became as ice . And when the morning dawned , Pedro saw the blue eyes—cold and bright as stars—of the old boatman , gleaming upon him . He turned to seek his ship , and he saw nothing on the waste of waters round about him . Pedro gasped , and tried to speak , but his tongue was dead flesh in his mouth . And the sinewy arms of the boatman still swept the bending oars .
And there were nought but signs of sadness—terrible manifestations . The very sea , parted by the keel , touched by the oars , became stagnant and jellied . A flying-fish rose from the wave , and fell dead upon the oar ; and the little nautilus closed its sail , and sank like a flint . A shoal of dolphins gamboled to the surface , and as the oars dipped near them , the morning light brig htened their mortal hues . id The
The shark darted at his prey , but sank with rigjaws . huge leviathan bellowed as the boat drew nigh—bellowed , and disappeared . The strong-winged swallow , follower of the sun , fell upon the boatman ' s knees ! And still the old boatman bent at his oars . There was no sea , bay , river , lake , creek , or dyke , whereon the boatman had not , in some way , plied . Trusted with revelling youth and beauty , he had wrecked a gondola ; and now , as pilot , sunk whole crews on rocks and sands . In