Here are the quotations for next week (Feb 23rd to March 1st):
1. Then came the cholera from all four quarters of the compass. It struck a
pilgrim-gathering of half a million at a sacred shrine. Many died at the
feet of their god; the others broke and ran over the face of the land
carrying the pestilence with them.
2. 'That summer the Ould Rig'ment did not use their own Clink, bekase the
cholera was hangin' about there like Mildew on wet boots, an' 'twas murdher
to confine in ut. We borrowed the Clink that belonged to the Holy Christians
(the rig'ment that has never seen service yet) and that lay a matther av a
mile away, acrost two p'rade-grounds an' the main road...'
3. At last the Major dried his eyes openly, and said, "Nice sort of thing to
spring on an English family! What shall we do?"
I said, knowing what the Major had brought me out for, - "The Boy died of
cholera. We were with him at the time. We can't commit ourselves to
half-measures. Come along."
The sources of this week's extracts (Feb 16th to 22nd), as several people
have pointed out, are as follows:
1. (...They clawed, they slapped, they fled, leaving behind them a trophy of
banners and brasses crudely arranged round the big drum...) This is from
'The Vortex' in 'A Diversity of Creatures'.
2. (...he heard a sound as though all the earth were humming. Then he ran as
he had never run in his life before, spurned aside one - two - three of the
piles of stones into the dark sweet-smelling gullies...) This is from 'Red
Dog' in the 'Second Jungle Book'.
3. (...the old Queen cried the swarming cry, which to a bee of good blood
should be what the trumpet was to Job's war-horse...) This is from 'The
Mother Hive' in 'Actions and Reactions'.
Good wishes to all, John R
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