Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty Two

They took to the high street and swarmed towards the Sherborne house, shouting and cursing as much as the Indians did.No matter what it is, you have to get out of the way, or you will be knocked to the ground and trampled to pieces, which is scary to watch.The children ran as fast as they could in front of the mob, screaming and trying to get away from them.Every window along the way was packed with women's heads, and there were several black children squatting on every tree, and many boys and girls looked out from the top of the fence, and when the mob was about to rush in, they hurried away. Go, back away, far away.There were so many wives and little girls who couldn't help crying, they were almost scared to death.

All at once they crowded in front of the Sherborne fence, three tiers inside and three tiers outside, so crowded that no one could hear anything.It was a small yard twenty feet in circumference.Some people were shouting: "Tear down the fence! Take down the fence!" Then there was a commotion of smashing and smashing, and the fence also fell down; The wall-like crowd in front rushed in like a huge wave. At that moment Sherborne emerged, with a double-barreled gun in his hand, and went up to the roof of the little front porch, and stood there quite self-possessed, without saying a word.The commotion stopped immediately, and those people who were like a tide also retreated.

Sherborne said nothing at all--just stood and looked down.That kind of solemn atmosphere made people get goosebumps all over their bodies, which was weird.Sherborne scanned the crowd slowly; and those whom he glanced at tried to stare back at him, but they could do nothing for him; .After a while, Sherborne seemed to be smiling a little, and of course, his smile was not pleasant, but it was like chewing a mouthful of bread mixed with sand. Then he said slowly and contemptuously: "You even want to lynch to punish people! Isn't that a joke?! You dare to lynch on the head of an imposing man! Come on, your courage is only enough to make fun of those poor people living here The abandoned wives, for example, are tarred and feathered all over their bodies; based on this, do you think you can dare to commit murder against a dignified man if you just show your strength? Forget it, a dignified man will be a loser. In the hands of ten thousand people like you, you'll be all right—as long as it's in broad daylight and you're not hiding behind him."

"Don't you mean I don't know you? I have seen you through. I grew up in the south, and then I have been living in the north. I have traveled all over the world. I know what ordinary people are like. The ordinary people are all He is greedy for life and afraid of death. In the north, an ordinary man let someone step over his head casually, so he had to go home to pray and ask God to give him a pair of cheap bones so that he could endure it. In the south, there was a man In broad daylight, a full stagecoach was stopped with bare hands and robbed. Your papers try to praise you for your daring, and you think you are the most daring of all—in fact, You're no more daring than the others, that's all. Why don't your juries hang all your murderers? It's because they're afraid that the murderers' friends and relatives will shoot them in the dark— Those guys would do the same."

"So they always let the murderer go. Then, in the middle of the night, a majestic man led a hundred masked cowards to lynch the villain. Your fault is: you You didn't bring a man here at all, that's your first mistake. Your second mistake is that you didn't come here in the dark, and you didn't even wear a mask. Brought half a man--that's Buck Harkness over there--and if he hadn't brought you along, you'd all be scattered." "To be honest, you don't want to come at all. Ordinary people absolutely don't want to cause trouble and take risks. You don't want to cause trouble and take risks. But as long as there are half a man—like over there Buck Harkness--crying out: 'Lynnch him, lynch him!' None of you dare draw back-- lest you reveal yourself--What a bunch of cowards-- —So you yelled and yelled, grabbed the hem of the coat of the half-drawn man, and rushed here in a rage, swearing that you must show your hand and make a big deal. The world There is nothing more pitiful than a mob; and so are armies, after all--a mob; and they fight not by their natural courage, but by numbers, There are quite a few commanders. But if a mob doesn't have a good man to lead it, it's not even a pity. In my opinion, now you have to go home with your tails between your legs and go back to your old den. If If you really plan to use lynching to punish people, then follow the pattern of the southerners and do it in the dark night; when you come, don't forget to wear a mask, and that man has to be brought along with you .Now, y’all get the hell out of me—and your half-mans!”—as he spoke, lifting the gun up on his left arm, where the bullets were already loaded. chamber.

This large group of people suddenly receded like a tide, and rushed in all directions in disorder.That Buck Harkness ran after him, looking like a stray dog.I could have stayed there if I wanted to, but I just don't want to stay any longer. Afterwards, I ran to the circus arena and wandered around the back of the arena for a while. The guards walked away and slipped in from under the tent.I had my twenty-dollar piece of gold with me, and some other money, but I thought it best to save it up, as it was so far from home and so strange that it might never be needed.It is better to be cautious.I have no objection to spending money on the circus when there is nothing else to do, but it is unnecessary to waste the money on it.

It was a first-rate circus, and it was the best I've ever seen: they rode in in pairs, a man and a woman, side by side.The man was only wearing underwear and white clothes, with neither shoes nor stirrups on his feet, with his hands on his thighs, how chic and relaxed—there must be twenty of them——the women’s faces were very handsome, and they looked very handsome. They were pretty, too—like a bunch of real, dependable queens, all dressed in diamond-studded outfits worth millions.That kind of scene is amazing, I have never seen such a beautiful circus.Then, one by one, they stood on horseback and circled the amphitheatre, their postures were so light, soft, and elegant, and the male actors looked tall and straight, as if they were walking against the wind. Nodding, like swallows flitting softly under the canopy.The rose petal-like dresses worn by the actresses wrapped around their fat buttocks and floated lightly and shimmering with silk. At a glance, they looked like cute little parasols.

Lo and behold, they ran faster and faster, and then they all danced, first with one foot in the air, then with the other; Turning round and round the pillars in the middle of the arena, cracking his whip in his hand, and yelling, "Ha-ha!--ha-ha!" .After a while, all the riders put down the reins, the women clenched their fists to support their waists, and the men folded their arms in front of their chests. Those horses leaned sideways, how fast they galloped!At last, one by one, they jumped from their horses and landed in the inner circle of the arena. I have never seen them bow in such a unique way, and then hopped out.All the audience immediately applauded, almost ecstatically happy.

Throughout the circus, they displayed many amazing feats; and the clown kept making jokes that made everyone die of laughter.The circus ringleader hadn't finished a word to him when, in the blink of an eye, he slapped him back with the most ludicrous one-liner.As for how he came up with so many wisecracks and answered them so unexpectedly and justly, that's something I can't understand.Come on, I can't think of those words anyway, even if I think about them for a whole year.Not long after, there was a drunk who wanted to break into the circus arena - said he wanted to ride a horse himself, and said that his riding skills would definitely not be inferior to so-and-so.They quarreled with him and tried to throw him out, but this man was disobedient, and as a result, the whole drama had to be suspended.Later, someone called him loudly and teased him for no reason, and this annoyed him;Therefore, his fuss made everyone annoyed. Many people immediately left their seats and flocked to the inner circle of the arena, shouting loudly, "Down with him! Throw him out!" One or two girls started screaming.So, the circus ringleader made a brief speech to everyone, meaning that he hoped there would be no more disturbances, and if the man promised to stop causing disturbances, then he would rather let him ride. As long as the person feels they can sit still on horseback, that's fine.Little did they know that as soon as the drunk got up, the horse ran wild first, and then jumped around in circles. The two circus performers grabbed the bridle vigorously, trying to restrain it, but the drunk held tight. He hugged the horse's neck tightly, and as the horse jumped, his two feet were flying in the air. The audience couldn't help standing up, shouting, laughing, and almost shed tears.At last, despite the exhaustion of the two circus-hands, the horse broke free from its shackles, and darted out, round and round the ring, when , but the drunk man lay on the horse's back, hugging the horse's neck with all his strength, let one leg hang down from the left side, almost touching the ground, and then the other leg hung down from the right side, making everyone go crazy .But I didn't think it was funny; seeing him so precarious, I was already trembling with fright.Fortunately, after a while, with a strong effort, he climbed into the saddle and grabbed the reins, but he kept swaying from side to side.Immediately afterwards, he jumped again, let go of the rein, and finally stood on the horse's back!The horse galloped vigorously, as if the house was on fire.He stood high on the horse's back, he was so light and free, he was floating like a celestial being, as if he had never been drunk in his life. ——Afterwards, he began to take off his clothes and throw them up.He threw one piece after another quickly, and the sky was almost covered with his clothes.In all, he threw seventeen outfits.Then, you see, he was standing there, tall and handsome, all dressed up and beautiful, and you've never seen him before anyway.At this time, he raised his whip and lashed the horse so hard that it grunted and barked. ——In the end, he jumped off the horse, bowed, and went straight to the dressing room with dancing and dancing. After seeing it, everyone was very surprised and shouted desperately.

Only then did the ringleader realize that he had been duped.I thought he was a really frustrated head waiter.That guy just now turned out to be his subordinate!This person thought out this set of tricks, which has always been kept secret.Well, it's embarrassing that even I'd fall for his old trick; but then again, if I was in that foreman's position, I wouldn't do it if I was offered a thousand dollars.I don't know of a better circus, but I haven't seen one.In any case, it is good enough, in my opinion; and wherever I come across it again, I shall patronize it. That same night, our play also started.But there were only eleven or twelve people present—the income was just enough to cover expenses.They were always giggling, which annoyed the duke; and, except for a sleeping child, they all slipped away before the show was over.No wonder the Duke said these fools in Arkansas couldn't read Shakespeare at all; what he reckoned they wanted was low-brow burlesque--maybe worse than burlesque.He said that he has figured out their tastes.So the next morning, he got out a couple of sheets of wrapping paper and a little black paint, drew up a bunch of posters, and went around town and put them up.The poster reads:

aka "Look," he said, "if that line doesn't charm them all, I don't understand Arkansas."