Down the River; Or, Buck Bradford and His Tyrants

her in the chair again, and released myself from her clinging embrace; for I realized that, in the brief moment left to me, it was necessary to prepa

d placed myself in front of my trembling sister. The captain was a brute, and his wife was hardly better than a brute. I feared that she, supp

than the circumstances required, and by this time I was cool and self-possessed. Perhaps my critical reader may wonder that a boy of my age should have set so high a value upon controlling his temper, and preserving the

know what we were about. Father stopped in the midst of the danger to reprove us, and gave us such a solemn and impressive lesson on the necessity of keeping cool, that I never forgot it. Then he told us to harness the horses to the plough. Clarence struck a fu

nabled me to avoid doing stupid things. Such was my frame of mind on the present occasion, and I coolly awaited the coming of the tyrants. Both of them we

been doing?" demanded Captain Fishley, as so

dvisable to m

continued, as he rushed forward, with arms e

with the word, and I slung the poker ove

ptain Fishle

sly I had been uniformly submissive, not only to him and his wife, but even to Ham, which had alway

sked the captain, after a long breath, in whi

yself," I

o strike me wi

touch me, I'll knock you down, if I have to be hanged fo

, completely nonplussed by the vi

s,

e," he added, glancing around the roo

I am going to do so

you goin

derstand that I'm just as cool as well-water, and

by that, you scoun

r servant, nor your wife's servant; and she shall not be ki

her round?" grow

er. She took her by the arm, dragged her out of h

e I did not believe Mrs. Fishley had been careful to includ

exclaimed Mrs. Fishley, who, by some miracle,

r do it,"

o such

e her by the ar

m, but I didn't hurt her none. I woul

elf," I continued. "What

it, Buckland. She didn't hurt me m

her, or did any such awful thing

r. We had better settle

shaking me, when you interfered," replied the poor girl, trem

er!" gasped

s a tyrant and a bully; but, as tyrants and bullies always are, he was a coward, or he would have demolished m

or not," said he, savagely. "No boy in my house sh

ny other house, shall raise his ha

wood, and let the flapjacks

flapjacks. Flora boards here, and

before the fire and let whatever's on the stove

it as well as I do. All I have to say is, that Flora s

to abuse her," s

ou, Buck Bradford," continued Captain Fish

di

old him yo

ld hi

ou mean, y

I wouldn't do it. T

what we're coming to!"

an understanding,

igh times we're having here, when the boys won't do what th

I should take care of the horse and go after the mail for my board. That's what he said to me in one of his letters. Ins

od for," interposed C

who is my guardian, agreed to have me do. You

learning s

you. But that's nothing

d he, shaking his head, and moving a step nearer t

t wasn't according to the agreement; but I get blowed up twenty times a day by all hands. Ham never speaks civilly to me, and tr

aptain, grinding his teeth

onsiderably as I recited the history of my wrongs. "If Ham wants me to black his boots, and will ask me civilly to

are told to," bullie

ings in the house," add

y myself," I continued. "I will do the work just as I have done ti

ay," replied the captain. "Bu

ill

won

hink it is sa

to be threatened with

you'll let me alone. I've

The scene was becoming rather embarrassing to me, and I decided either to end it or to shift the battle-field. I turned and walked towards the back room. As one dog pitches into another when the

ven't seen the end of it yet," said he,