Hair-Breadth Escapes: The Adventures of Three Boys in South Africa

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Adams Henry Cadwallader. Hair-Breadth Escapes: The Adventures of Three Boys in South Africa

Chapter One. The Hooghly – Old Jennings – Short-handed – The Three Boys – Frank – Nick – Ernest – Dr Lavie – Teneriffe

Chapter Two. The Cape Verdes – Dionysius’s Ear – Unwelcome News – French Leave – The Skipper’s Wrath – A Scrape

Chapter Three. Strange Tidings – Pirates on Board – A Revel – A Narrow Escape – Death of Jennings

Chapter Four. A Fog – Wrecked – A Consultation – Survey of the Shore – A Strange Spectacle – The First Night on Shore

Chapter Five. Plans – The Boys set out – A Disappointment – The First Bok – Water! Water! – A Midnight Visitor

Chapter Six. A Second Visitor – Nick’s Club – A Halt – A Mysterious Cry – A New Mode of Imprisonment

Chapter Seven. A Good Action Rewarded – A Raid on the Parrots – Omatoko’s Story – Proposed Change of Route – Bivouac for the Night

Chapter Eight. Dangerous Neighbours – Free and Easy Visitors – Proposed Departure – Journey Resumed – An African Storm – A Neck and Neck Struggle

Chapter Nine. Measuring the Enemy – Poisoned Arrows – Substitutes for Water – Ostriches – A Sad Casualty – A New Mode of Deerstalking – Omatoko Triumphant

Chapter Ten. A Hottentot Kraal – The Hottentot Chief – Umboo’s Message – News from Cape Town – The Hottentot Programme – Learned Speculations

Chapter Eleven. A Challenge – A Stratagem Detected – Assegai versus Rifle – The Feast – The Dance – A Foray – The Boys Escape

Chapter Twelve. The Flight – The Boys recaptured – A Council – The Shadow of Death – A Strange Deliverance

Chapter Thirteen. Frank, Lord-Paramount – An Ant Village – Amiable Bees – A Hasty Draught – Search for Water – A Stranger

Chapter Fourteen. The Stranger’s Story – George Schmidt – Important News – The Commando System – The Root of the Matter – A Band of Marauders

Chapter Fifteen. Kaffir Incredulity – The Great Kalahari – A Prize – An Exciting Chase – The Kaffir Game-Trap – A Natural Bridge – An African Flood

Chapter Sixteen. Strange Company – Captured again – The Kaffir Village – Chuma Obdurate – Lavie’s Mission – The Wizard – A Bond of Fellowship

Chapter Seventeen. Mission Talk – Impending Dangers – An Unexpected Friend – Kobo’s Story – Maomo’s Designs – De Walden’s Resolve – A Night Expedition

Chapter Eighteen. Bavian’s Pool – Place aux Roi – Giant Bathers – An Elephant Hunt – The “Nick” of Time – Nick’s Ovation – De Walden arrested

Chapter Nineteen. De Walden brought to Trial – His Defence – Imminent Danger – De Walden’s Doom – The Escape – A Rapid Journey – Koodoo’s Kloof

Chapter Twenty. A Raft – Fate of Maomo – The Island – A Strange Apparition – A Hippopotamus Hunt – The Beautiful Stranger – Nick again – The Hippopotamus Trap

Chapter Twenty One. The Basuto Kraal – Queen Laura – The Queen’s Narrative – The Wreck of the Grosvenor – Sufferings of the Survivors – The Basuto Chief – De Walden’s Joy

Chapter Twenty Two. Life in the Basuto Kraal – A Giraffe Hunt – An Unexpected Interference – Ernest and Ella – Ernest’s Embarrassment

Chapter Twenty Three. Frank and Nick Rebel – A Hazardous Determination – A Sudden Departure – A Wounded Buffalo – Ominous Sounds – Rescue at the Last Moment

Chapter Twenty Four. The Long-Expected Arrival – Captain Wilmore’s Narrative – The Tutelary Spirit – Lion to the Rescue – Plans for the Future – The Future Church

Appendix

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It was the afternoon of a day late in the November of the year 1805. His Majesty’s ship Hooghly, carrying Government despatches and stores, as well as a few civil and military officers of the East India Company’s service, was running easily before the trade wind, which it had caught within two days’ sail of Madeira – and was nearing the region of the tropics. The weather, which had been cold and stormy, when the passengers left England some weeks before, had been gradually growing bright and genial; until for the last three or four days all recollections of fog and chill had vanished from their minds. The sky was one vast dome of the richest blue, unbroken by a single cloud, only growing somewhat paler of hue as it approached the horizon line. The sea stretched out into the distance – to the east, an endless succession of purple wavelets, tipped here and there with white; to the west, where the sun was slowly sinking in all its tropical glory, one seething mass of molten silver.

It was indeed a glorious sight, and most of our readers will be of opinion that those who had the opportunity of beholding it, would – for the time at least – have bestowed little attention on anything else. But if they had been at sea as long as Captain Wilmore, they might perhaps have thought differently. Captain Wilmore had been forty years a sailor; and whether given, or not given, to admire brilliant skies and golden sunsets in his early youth, he had at all events long ceased to trouble himself about them. He was at the outset of this story sitting in his cabin – having just parted from his first lieutenant, Mr Grey – and was receiving with a very dubious face the report of an old quartermaster. A fine mastiff was seated by the captain’s chair, apparently listening with much gravity to what passed.

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“Very good, sir. Then go on to the Cape Verdes. If this wind holds, we shall soon be there, and the Cape Verdes don’t belong to the Dons.”

“No; to the Portuguese. Well, I believe that will be best. I have received information that the French and Spanish fleets are off Cape Trafalgar; and our fellows are likely to have a brush with them soon, if they haven’t had it already.”

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