登陆注册
5383800000184

第184章

As it was quite evident that the crowd meant mischief - many of them had their pockets filled with stones and were armed with sticks -several of the Socialists were in favour of going to meet the van to endeavour to persuade those in charge from coming, and with that object they withdrew from the crowd, which was already regarding them with menacing looks, and went down the road in the direction from which the van was expected to come.They had not gone very far, however, before the people, divining what they were going to do, began to follow them and while they were hesitating what course to pursue, the Socialist van, escorted by five or six men on bicycles, appeared round the corner at the bottom of the hill.

As soon as the crowd saw it, they gave an exultant cheer, or, rather, yell, and began running down the hilt to meet it, and in a few minutes it was surrounded by a howling mob.The van was drawn by two horses;there was a door and a small platform at the back and over this was a sign with white letters on a red ground: `Socialism, the only hope of the Workers.'

The driver pulled up, and another man on the platform at the rear attempted to address the crowd, but his voice was inaudible in the din of howls, catcalls, hooting and obscene curses.After about an hour of this, as the crowd began pushing against the van and trying to overturn it, the terrified horses commenced to get restive and uncontrollable, and the man on the box attempted to drive up the hill.

This seemed to still further infuriate the horde of savages who surrounded the van.Numbers of them clutched the wheels and turned them the reverse way, screaming that it must go back to where it came from; several of them accordingly seized the horses' heads and, amid cheers, turned them round.

The man on the platform was still trying to make himself heard, but without success.The strangers who had come with the van and the little group of local Socialists, who had forced their way through the crowd and gathered together close to the platform in front of the would-be speaker, only increased the din by their shouts of appeal to the crowd to `give the man a fair chance'.This little bodyguard closed round the van as it began to move slowly downhill, but they were not sufficiently numerous to protect it from the crowd, which, not being satisfied with the rate at which the van was proceeding, began to shout to each other to `Run it away!' `Take the brake off!'

and several savage rushes were made with the intention of putting these suggestions into execution.

Some of the defenders were hampered with their bicycles, but they resisted as well as they were able, and succeeded in keeping the crowd off until the foot of the hill was reached, and then someone threw the first stone, which by a strange chance happened to strike one of the cyclists whose head was already bandaged - it was the same man who had been hit on the Sunday.This stone was soon followed by others, and the man on the platform was the next to be struck.He got it right on the mouth, and as he put up his handkerchief to staunch the blood another struck him on the forehead just above the temple, and he dropped forward on his face on to the platform as if he had been shot.

As the speed of the vehicle increased, a regular hail of stones fell upon the roof and against the sides of the van and whizzed past the retreating cyclists, while the crowd followed close behind, cheering, shrieking out volleys of obscene curses, and howling like wolves.

`We'll give the b--rs Socialism!' shouted Crass, who was literally foaming at the mouth.

`We'll teach 'em to come 'ere trying to undermined our bloody morality,' howled Dick Wantley as he hurled a lump of granite that he had torn up from the macadamized road at one of the cyclists.

They ran on after the van until it was out of range, and then they bethought themselves of the local Socialists; but they were nowhere to be seen; they had prudently withdrawn as soon as the van had got fairly under way, and the victory being complete, the upholders of the present system returned to the piece of waste ground on the top of the hill, where a gentleman in a silk hat and frockcoat stood up on a little hillock and made a speech.He said nothing about the Distress Committee or the Soup Kitchen or the children who went to school without proper clothes or food, and made no reference to what was to be done next winter, when nearly everybody would be out of work.

These were matters he and they were evidently not at all interested in.But he said a good deal about the Glorious Empire! and the Flag!

同类推荐
  • 骖鸾录

    骖鸾录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大庄严法门经

    大庄严法门经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说长阿含经

    佛说长阿含经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 台湾地舆全图

    台湾地舆全图

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Cap'n Eri

    Cap'n Eri

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 重生嫡女另聘

    重生嫡女另聘

    “二爷,到底要保孩子还是大人啊?”连温玉眼内的最后一些光亮给了齐君然。齐君然的浓眉一直都是紧拧着,然后他转过身,吐出来的还是那几个字,“保孩子,快些。”前世,她错认良人,被相公和妹妹联手害死。谁料,死后重生,这一世,她护母学医,另遇良缘,终于是扬眉吐气!--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 虎尾汤

    虎尾汤

    本书入选2014年度美国国家独立卓越奖(2014 National Indie Excellence Award)。主人公安丽柔弱的外表下隐藏着一颗坚强的心。1938年春,上海和南京已相继沦陷,丈夫在战场奋勇杀敌,安丽却被迫留在鼓浪屿的家中。在等待丈夫回家的日子里,她必须想尽一切办法照顾和保护母亲、婆婆、女儿和即将出生的儿子。鼓浪屿渐渐变成一座孤岛,人们纷纷逃离,连安丽的老师也不例外,但安丽选择留了下来。她藏好家里的金子,储存好足够的食物,等待鼓浪屿落入日寇魔爪的那一天。
  • 父子合集经

    父子合集经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 韵府词库

    韵府词库

    《韵府词库》是作者花费近十年心血,在有关资料及工具书上选取六千余个韵单字,搜集古今汉语词典、词组约二十六万个汇编而成,为广大爱好作诗填词的读者及苦于汉语词组搭配检索的读者提供了方便。
  • 爱如利刃,恨如烟

    爱如利刃,恨如烟

    这一刻,火车在缓缓开动,车厢里的人全都看着他们,脸上带着祝福和感动的笑容。这一刻,时间仿佛成为了永恒,被定格在了这美好的一刻。以后我们一家三口要永远在一起,要永远幸福。
  • 敝帚集:郁达夫作品精选

    敝帚集:郁达夫作品精选

    内容主要概况:春风沉醉的晚上、采石矶、血泪、逃走、烟影、西溪的晴雨、海上、远一程, 再远一程、沧州日记、杭州的八月、北平的四季。
  • 半朵青莲

    半朵青莲

    沈青婵,人称“半朵莲”,不过是稍微不同,年纪轻轻就掌管着醉欢枝里的各色美人。醉欢枝也不过就是个烟花之地,为何惹得几位皇子天骄频频光顾?美人三千,如花美眷,缘何心思各异,自怀鬼胎?到底谁是谁的棋中棋?谁又是谁的谍中谍?一曲青莲舞,婀娜尽姿色。且看性格独具的烟花主事如何翻转半璧江山。《半璧青婵》现更名为《半朵青莲》,每天晚上8:30分左右更新,请大家继续支持关注,谢谢。
  • 鏖战女神

    鏖战女神

    一个深陷网吧的少女,在一次机缘巧合,穿越到了魔法大陆。一身靓丽的魔法服装,变得更加白皙的肌肤,让她大为吃惊。她本以为在魔法学院会是一件很惬意的事情,可她不知道,身为冰之部落的继承人,肩负着重大的使命……冷酷无情的冰魔法导师、善良的女仆、只对他温柔的王子、族人的遇害,毁灭世界的阴谋,是人类的贪婪,还是魔族的冷血。随着魔法的成长,她渐渐的察觉到自己体内的魔族能量,她该如何应对突如其来的变化,这一切,仅仅只是开始……--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 正易心法

    正易心法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 悬案九阙2之涅槃

    悬案九阙2之涅槃

    继第一部《悬案九阕》结局多年后,萧珏和霍汐大隐于市,继续为破解天下悬案而云游各地,并且生下了他们的儿子萧景毓。转眼多年过去,萧景毓早已长成仪表堂堂的英俊少年,并且因为他母亲霍汐的不死之身受到影响,十八九岁的外表,却早已活了近百岁之久。因为萧景毓得到陈国国君的赏识,萧珏和霍汐在途径陈国的时候听闻国君夫人抱恙,故而探望,却刚好遇见陈国国君养女陈姬被杀,死状凄惨,凶手对于现场的布置如同献祭,夷部的死亡符号更加吸引了霍汐的注意。霍汐萧珏再入乱世,春秋之始,破解悬案,揭开层层谜团,将恶鬼的阴谋暴露在光天白日之下,履行最初的承诺,“还天下以公道”。