Quick Excerpts, from a Library of 492 Titles

Generated 2022-07-28 13:26:25

Excerpt #1, from Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson

…of the day, chilled me through my jacket. The HISPANIOLA still lay where she had anchored; but, sure enough, there was the Jolly Roger–the black flag of piracy–flying from her peak. Even as I looked, there came another red flash and another report that sent the echoes clattering, and one more round-shot whistled through the air. It was the last of the cannonade. I lay for some time watching the bustle which succeeded the attack. Men were demolishing something with axes on the beach near the stockade–the poor jolly-boat, I afterwards discovered. Away, near the mouth of the river, a great fire was glowing among the trees, and between that point and the ship one of the gigs kept coming and going, the men, whom I had seen so gloomy, shouting at the oars like children. But there was a sound in their voices which suggested rum. At length I thought I might return towards the stockade. I was pretty far down on the low, sandy spit that encloses the anchorage to the east, and is joined at half-water to Skeleton Island; and now, as I rose to my feet, I saw, some distance further down the spit and rising from among low bushes, an isolated rock, pretty high, and peculiarly white in colour. It occurred to me that this might be the white rock of which Ben Gunn had spoken and that some day or other a boat might be wanted and I should know where to look for one….

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Excerpt #2, from Adventures of Bindle, by Herbert George Jenkins

…it ’alf a dollar," he remarked. “Wot about me?” enquired Tippitt. “Wot about you, Tippy?” repeated Bindle. “Well, least said soonest mended. You can’t ’elp it.” “But I asked ’er,” persisted Tippitt. “Ah! Tippy,” remarked Bindle, “it ain’t ‘im wot asks; but ’im wot gets. ’Owever, you shall ’ave a stone-ginger at the next stoppin’ place. Your ole pal ain’t goin’ back on you, Tippy.” Without a word, Tippitt climbed up into the driver’s seat, whilst Bindle clambered on to the tail-board, where he proceeded to fill his pipe with the air of a man for whom time has no meaning. “Good job they ain’t all like me,” he muttered. “I likes a day in the country, now and then; but always! Not me.” He struck a match, lighted his pipe and, with a sigh of contentment, composed himself to bucolic meditation. One of the advantages of the moving-profession in Bindle’s eyes was that it gave him hours of leisured ease, whilst the goods were in transit. “You can slack it like a Cuthbert,” he would say. “All you ‘as to do is to sit on the tail of a van an’ watch the world go by–some life that.” Bindle was awakened from his contemplation of the hedges and the white…

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Excerpt #3, from Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

…prevent Mr. Bingley’s being there; and as to the loss of their society, she was persuaded that Jane must cease to regard it, in the enjoyment of his. “It is unlucky,” said she, after a short pause, “that you should not be able to see your friends before they leave the country. But may we not hope that the period of future happiness to which Miss Bingley looks forward may arrive earlier than she is aware, and that the delightful intercourse you have known as friends will be renewed with yet greater satisfaction as sisters? Mr. Bingley will not be detained in London by them.” “Caroline decidedly says that none of the party will return into Hertfordshire this winter. I will read it to you:” “When my brother left us yesterday, he imagined that the business which took him to London might be concluded in three or four days; but as we are certain it cannot be so, and at the same time convinced that when Charles gets to town he will be in no hurry to leave it again, we have determined on following him thither, that he may not be obliged to spend his vacant hours in a comfortless hotel. Many of my acquaintances are already there for the winter; I wish that I could hear that you, my dearest friend, had any intention of making one of the crowd—but of that I…

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Excerpt #4, from The Story of Sir Francis Drake, by Letitia MacColl Elton

…they returned without that golden treasure they hoped for, did show her print and footsteps in their faces.” But Drake was determined to repeat the attempt. CHAPTER VI HOME AGAIN Drake well knew that delay and idleness would soon spoil the spirits of his men, so he at once divided them into two companies, under himself and John Oxenham, to go roving in the two pinnaces in different directions and seek for food and plunder. Some of the Maroons were dismissed with gifts, and the rest remained with a few men on board ship. The Governor of Panama had warned the towns so well that it was useless to attempt them at present. Drake, in the Minion, took a frigate of gold and dismissed it, somewhat lighter, to go on its way. John Oxenham, in the Bear, took a frigate well laden with food of all kinds. Drake was so pleased with this ship, which was strong and new and shapely, that he kept her as a man-of-war in place of the sunken ship. And the company were heartened with a feast and much good cheer that Easter Day. Next day the pinnaces met with a French captain out of Newhaven, whose ship was greatly distressed for want of food and water. Drake relieved him, and the captains exchanged gifts and compliments. The French…

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Excerpt #5, from The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses, by Robert Louis Stevenson

…the immediate future. The seamen, in view of the cold and the wind, had for the most part slunk ashore, and were now roaring and singing in the shoreside taverns. Many of the ships already rode unguarded at their anchors; and as the day wore on, and the weather offered no appearance of improvement, the number was continually being augmented. It was to these deserted ships, and, above all, to those of them that lay far out, that Lawless directed his attention; while Dick, seated upon an anchor that was half embedded in the sand, and giving ear, now to the rude, potent, and boding voices of the gale, and now to the hoarse singing of the shipmen in a neighbouring tavern, soon forgot his immediate surroundings and concerns in the agreeable recollection of Lord Foxham’s promise. He was disturbed by a touch upon his shoulder. It was Lawless, pointing to a small ship that lay somewhat by itself, and within but a little of the harbour mouth, where it heaved regularly and smoothly on the entering swell. A pale gleam of winter sunshine fell, at that moment, on the vessel’s deck, relieving her against a bank of scowling cloud; and in this momentary glitter Dick could see a couple of men hauling the skiff alongside. “There, sir,” said Lawless, “mark ye it well! There is the ship for to-night.”…

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Excerpt #6, from Everybody’s Book of Luck, by Anonymous

…the Head line. In cases where the Fate line continues up one of the fingers, the owner must take care that success does not turn his head and ruin the future. A Fate line that wriggles its way across the palm indicates a life of ups and downs, and, should the line be broken in places, it is a sign that happiness will vary from time to time. Generally speaking, if small lines run upwards out of the Fate line, the signs are good, but the reverse is the case if they run downwards. THE LINE OF MARRIAGE This line is a short, comparatively inconspicuous one, found at the edge of the palm, below the little finger. It runs inwards but not very far towards the center of the palm. How to recognize its significance is explained under the heading, “An ABC of Hands.” Now let us put our house in order, refresh our minds, and summarize the broad principles upon which any study of Palmistry must rest. First we have the mounts. It is in the varying relation of the lines to these mounts and to their adjacent fingers that our deductions are founded. One mount lies at the base of each finger, Jupiter, Saturn, Apollo and Mercury respectively. Secondly, we have the four fingers with their astrological names, each finger bearing the name of the mount at its base. Table showing the general qualities of the mounts.…

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Excerpt #7, from The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe

…this, I must leave it just there where I found it, and not be able to launch it into the water? One would have thought I could not have had the least reflection upon my mind of my circumstances while I was making this boat, but I should have immediately thought how I should get it into the sea; but my thoughts were so intent upon my voyage over the sea in it, that I never once considered how I should get it off the land: and it was really, in its own nature, more easy for me to guide it over forty-five miles of sea than about forty-five fathoms of land, where it lay, to set it afloat in the water. I went to work upon this boat the most like a fool that ever man did who had any of his senses awake. I pleased myself with the design, without determining whether I was ever able to undertake it; not but that the difficulty of launching my boat came often into my head; but I put a stop to my inquiries into it by this foolish answer which I gave myself—“Let me first make it; I warrant I will find some way or other to get it along when it is done.” This was a most preposterous method; but the eagerness of my fancy prevailed, and to work I went. I felled a cedar-tree, and I question much whether Solomon ever had such a one for the building of the Temple of Jerusalem; it was five feet ten inches diameter at the lower part…

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Excerpt #8, from In the Sargasso Sea, by Thomas A. Janvier

…jug on the floor at my side. For a while I was almost comfortable. Then the fever came back, and the visions with it–but no longer so painful as those which had been begotten of my thirst. I seemed to be in a region dreamy and unreal. Sometimes I would see far stretches of mountain peaks, and sometimes the crowded streets of cities; but for the most part my visions were of the sea–tall ships sailing, and little boats drifting over calm water in moonlight, and black steamers gliding quickly past me; and still more frequently, but always in a calm sea, the broken hulks of wrecked ships with shattered masts and tangled rigging and with dead men lying about their decks, and sometimes with a dead man hanging across the wheel and moving a little with the hulk’s motion so that in a horrible sort of way he seemed to be half alive. Night came again, bringing me more pain and the burning of a stronger fever; and then another day, in which the fever rose still higher and the visions became almost intolerable–because of their intense reality, and of my conviction all the while that they were unreal and that I must be well on the way toward a raving madness in which I would die. It was at the end of this day–or it may have been at the end of still another day, for I have no clear reckoning of how the time…

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Excerpt #9, from The Voyage of the “Deutschland”, by Paul König

…cat: ‘/home/marc/Dropbox/Marc/books/Unsorted/pgbooks-for-excerpts/The Voyage of the Deutschland by Paul König-pg45922.txt’: No such file or directory

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Excerpt #10, from Legends of the Gods, by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge

…there is no evidence that he had the slightest knowledge of the details of the original African Legend of these gods as it was known to the Egyptians, say, under the VIth Dynasty. Moreover, he never realized that the characteristics and attributes of both Isis and Osiris changed several times during the long history of Egypt, and that a thousand years before he lived the Egyptians themselves had forgotten what the original form of the legend was. They preserved a number of ceremonies, and performed very carefully all the details of an ancient ritual at the annual commemoration festival of Osiris which was held in November and December, but the evidence of the texts makes it quite clear that the meaning and symbolism of nearly all the details were unknown alike to priests and people. An important modification of the cult of Isis and Osiris took place in the third century before Christ, when the Ptolemies began to consolidate their rule in Egypt. A form of religion which would be acceptable both to Egyptians and Greeks had to be provided, and this was produced by modifying the characteristics of Osiris and calling him Sarapis, and identifying him with the Greek Pluto. To Isis were added many of the attributes of the great Greek goddesses, and into her worship were introduced “mysteries” derived from non-Egyptian cults, which made it acceptable to the people everywhere. Had a high priest…

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Excerpt #11, from French Idioms and Proverbs, by de V. Payen

…difficulty. Si vous n’y prenez (pas) garde, il prendra un mauvais pli = If you are not careful he will get into bad habits. Pluie Après la pluie le beau temps = Every cloud has a silver lining. Nous parlions de la pluie et du beau temps = We were talking of indifferent matters. Il fait la pluie et le beau temps dans cette maison = His will is law in that house; He is the boss of that show (fam.). Plus _Plus on a, plus on veut avoir_ = Much would have more. Poche Il connaît Paris comme sa poche = He knows Paris perfectly; He knows all the ins and outs of Paris; His knowledge of Paris is extensive and peculiar. Poil Un brave à trois poils = The bravest of the brave; A hero of the first water. [This expression is derived from three-piled velvet. See MOLIÈRE, Les Précieuses Ridicules, 12.] Monter à poil = To ride barebacked….

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Excerpt #12, from Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling

…‘It’s very like the carp-fish-mouth noise. Let’s draw another bit of the carp-fish and join ‘em,’ said her Daddy. He was quite incited too. ‘No. If they’re joined, I’ll forget. Draw it separate. Draw his tail. If he’s standing on his head the tail will come first. ‘Sides, I think I can draw tails easiest,’ said Taffy. ‘A good notion,’ said Tegumai. ‘Here’s a carp-fish tail for the yer-noise.’ And he drew this. (4.) ‘I’ll try now,’ said Taffy. ‘’Member I can’t draw like you, Daddy. Will it do if I just draw the split part of the tail, and the sticky-down line for where it joins?’ And she drew this. (5.) Her Daddy nodded, and his eyes were shiny bright with ‘citement. ‘That’s beautiful,’ she said. ‘Now make another noise, Daddy.’ ‘Oh!’ said her Daddy, very loud. ‘That’s quite easy,’ said Taffy. ‘You make your mouth all around like an egg or a stone. So an egg or a stone will do for that.’ ‘You can’t always find eggs or stones. We’ll have to scratch a round something like one.’ And he drew this. (6.) ‘My gracious!’ said Taffy, ‘what a lot of noise-pictures we’ve made,–carp-mouth, carp-tail, and egg! Now, make another noise, Daddy.’ ‘Ssh!’ said her Daddy, and frowned to himself, but Taffy was too incited to notice….

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