[Brownsmith’s Boy by George Manville Fenn]@TWC D-Link book
Brownsmith’s Boy

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
14/18

There's something wrong about this here." He turned the other way, and holding tightly by the ladder looked out behind, leaning a good way from the side of the cart.
"I can't see nothinct," he grumbled, as he drew back and bent forward to pat the horse.

"Seems rum." "I've been to Paris and I've been to Dover." There was the song or rather howl again, sounding curiously distant, and yet, odd as it may seem, curiously near, and Ike leant towards me.
"I say," he whispered, "did you ever hear of anything being harnted ?" "Yes," I said, "I've heard of haunted houses." "But you never heerd of a harnted market cart, did yer ?" "No," I said laughing; "never." "That's right," he whispered.
"I've been to Paris and I've been to Dover." I burst out laughing, though the next moment I felt a little queer, for Ike laid his hand on my shoulder.
"Don't laugh, my lad," he whispered; "there's some'at queer 'bout this here." "Why, nonsense, Ike!" I said.
"Ah! you may say it's nonsense; but I don't like it." "I've been to Paris and I've been to Dover." This came very softly now, and it had such an effect on Ike that he jumped down from the shaft into the road, and taking his whip from the staple in which it was stuck, he let the cart pass him, and came round the back to my side.
"Well ?" I said; "is there a cart behind ?" "I can't hear one, and I can't see one," he whispered; "and I says it's very queer.

I don't like it, my lad, so there." He let the cart pass him, went back behind it again, reached his own seat, and climbed in under the ladder.
Bump, jolt, creak, on we went, and all at once Basket kicked a flint stone, and there was a tiny flash of fire.
"I've been to Paris and I've been to Dover." There it was again, so loud that Ike seized the reins, and by main force tried to stop the horse, which resisted with all its might, and then stopped short with the baskets giving a jerk that threatened to send them over the front ladder, on to the horse's back.
Ike jumped down on one side and I jumped down on the other.

I was not afraid, but the big fellow's uneasiness had its effect upon me, and I certainly felt uncomfortable.

There was something strange about riding along that dark road in the middle of the night, and this being my first experience of sitting up till morning the slightest thing was enough to put me off my balance.
The horse went on, and Ike and I met at the back, looked about us, and then silently returned to our seats, climbing up without stopping the horse; but we had not been there a minute before Ike bounded off again, for there once more, buzzing curiously in the air, came that curious howling song: "I've been to Paris and I've been to Dover." I slipped off too, and Ike ran round, whip in hand, and gripped my arm.
"It was your larks," he growled savagely, as I burst into a fit of laughing.
"It wasn't," I cried, as soon as I could speak.


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