Off To See The Wild West Show Part 1, Chapter 13 (5/6) By Frank Beill 1886: Hull, Yorkshire

(1/6), (2/6), (3/6), (4/6), (5/6), (6/6). Part 1 Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Part 2 Prologue, Chapter 1, 2, 3.

When we emerged into the yellow light of deck lanterns Laughing Waters became serious. 'Keep the blanket over your head! They will not see your short hair.' The ribbon band around my head wouldn't stand up to close scrutiny. I did as I was told and followed her into the midst of the Native Americans on the deck. All were wrapped in grey woollen blankets like myself. She was right. It was cold. The wind whistled off the river and into the Alexandra Dock. It was supposed to be spring but such niceties never bothered the Humber Estuary.

On the quayside I could see groups of local people wanting to get a last look at their exotic visitors. Some onlookers yelled imitation war whoops when they saw us congregating on deck. A crewman was carrying a dog down the gangplank. Once he reached the quayside he threw the stowaway to the ground and gave its behind a kick. Some of the onlookers laughed. One or two tried to give the stray an extra kick and it ran away yelping. Would this fate befall me if I were discovered?

At the end of the deck John Nelson was standing beside another member of the show's company who was holding a ledger and a pencil. Alongside them keeping an eye on the proceedings was one of the ship's officers dressed in a navy blue uniform and peaked cap. 'Are they all on deck?' the scribe asked Nelson who in turn barked out some words in Lakota. Red Shirt replied from the front of the assembled mass. I guessed he must have said that everyone was present. The bookkeeper waved his pencil in the air and I could see him silently mouthing numbers and counting heads to double check the chief's assertion.

'We're four missing!' The count was over. 'Better count again, sir.' The heavily bearded ship's officer spoke for the first time. The count was repeated but the result was the same. John Nelson spoke to Red Shirt again before coming back to the bookkeeper.

'The chief says Black Elk and three other braves have got lost but maybe they'll turn up before we sets sail,' said Nelson. 'They'd better be quick then!' The ship's officer spoke again. 'We sail when the tide's right and we'll not be waiting for any savages!' He turned and marched down the deck towards the ship's bridge. John Nelson shouted out some words in Lakota and the assembly turned to return to the warmth below deck.

'I said do not worry.' She was smiling again.

Continued... Next Page (6/6)

Articles - Pain is a Simple Word By Mr Pain in the Butt
	Like many words Pain has just four letters. It is short and easily just rolls off of the lips. Pain; Used to describe things ranging from a stubbed toe to a woman giving birth to her first born child - Pain! What a simple everyday word! To me Pain is all Read more...

Articles - Norman At Ninety By DJ Chris Plant
	As Sir Norman Wisdom approaches 90 years old. I pay tribute to the fine actor as I watch his films. My favourite Norman Wisdom film has to be On the Beat (1962). In On The Beat, Norman wants to be a policeman like his father was, Read more...

Articles - Endless Guitar Solos and the Real Reasons for Opposing Fox Hunting. By Mark Pollard

	I love progressive rock. Always have done. There; I've said it. You can stick your three-and-a-half minute blasts of pop music where the sun don't shine. If it sounds great, let it drag on for half an hour is what I say. Why play one note when Read more...

Articles - The Night Time Visitor By Graham Lee

	During the first few weeks of my professional work in mediumship I was not one hundred percent convinced that I was actually contacting spirit. I had come to mediumship with a large dose of scepticism which often meant I would be the first to offer Read more...

Articles - Haunted Hull? By Ellen

	My name is Ellen. I was born and raised in Hull. I was just reading the article about haunted hotels and I thought I'd write about some of my husband's and my experiences. My husband, Graham Lee is a psychic medium working in Hull and Yorkshire Read more...

Articles - ADWARE: A Malicious and Highly Invasive Plague By Blair Ashworth

	There is a disturbing rise in the appearance of virus-like programs that hijack your web browser - changing your default start page and forcing you to visit certain web sites, thus inflating a site's traffic count in an attempt to increase advertising revenues. Read more...

Articles - Words to Uncle Sam By Patrick Henry

	An Englishman in America can meet very mixed kinds of reception. Cultural differences he presents might arouse fascination or reverence from the natives, but acceptance that he holds superiority in Anglo-Saxon language and civilised values can be Read more...

Articles - I Would Have Hated London By Anna Zenonos

	I have something to share about Hull or Ull! My experience was generally good although a bit sad. I come from Greece and in 2001 I arrived in Hull to start studies at Lincoln University which at the time was called The University of Lincolnshire and Humberside. Read more...

Articles - Out an About in Hull By Aaron

	When you are out and about in the centre of Hull, take time out to look up at the buildings. There is some lovely architecture about, not to mention the numerous statues for example above and behind all those modern shop fronts there are some very Read more...

Articles - Some Call it Godcore (Keeping God on Message) By Jim Higo

	Breakfast with Frost is compulsive viewing in our house on a Sunday morning, although for all the wrong reasons. It started a couple of years ago when Frosty began to look decidedly frail and weak and was absent from his sofa Read more...

Articles - The Golden Age of Education By Mark Pollard

	Anyone who regularly reads the letters pages of The Hull Daily Mail is probably aware of a serial contributor by the name of Lionel F. Cerny. I think he's probably a retired teacher, because one of his major, recurring letter-writing themes is Read more...

Articles - An Obituary to Edwin (Ted) Tarling By Christopher Ketchell (Local History Unit, Hull College)

	Ted Tarling, musician, artist and publisher, formerly of Hull, has died in Cambridge after a prolonged period of illness. Ted was born and brought up in Stoneferry in East Hull. He attended Hull Grammar School and later Hull Art College. Read more...

Articles - Winter in Canada

	Let me tell you something about Montreal in the winter: It's cold, it is very, very cold indeed. Cold and I do not get along, I have tried to see things his way but it's just not happening. I have to laugh when I call my family and hear of the Read more...

Articles - Stop Me and Buy One By Joe Hakim

	So I'm heading home after a night out. It's cold and raining, but I decide to walk anyway. I need the time alone. I'm walking past Yello and I notice a fight happening on the opposite corner of the street outside what used to be Buzz Bar. Two young lads, completely pissed out of their Read more...

Articles - A Wandering Minstrel...Aye! By Trevor Edge

	'Ull. The place I was born. The place I have lived 90% of my life. The place I had my first kiss, my first drunken fumblings, my first...well that's another article. I love 'Ull. I love the way it has been portrayed as: a dead end, the a**e of England, the worst city in the UK, the most Read more...

Articles - Unfinished Theories Part 2 By Andrea Longstaff

	Hasn't anyone noticed how the beautiful word banana has been hijacked? Not only has it been hijacked but it has also been cleverly changed by the little known boffins at the surreptitiously titled banana brigade. Was no one looking as this other word was cunningly planted into our lovely language? Read more...

Articles - Writing Life By Darren Sant

	It's strange and sometimes lonely being a writer. Friends look at you with bewilderment. Your partner smiles at you encouragingly but doesn't quite understand how the one she loves can at times appear to be a complete lunatic. This is how it is when you are a writer. Inspiration is like an exotic disease it can strike you down without warning Read more...

Articles - Post-Organic Thrill: Cotton On, and Preserve the World By Steve Rudd

	A great many people profess to preferring the idea of buying organic, but - I wonder - how many of those people actually do go out of their way to ensure that they do buy organic in order to make that difference to both the physical world's wealth and the people who live in the world's health. The main organic Read more...