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Around the World in 88 Years -E Book - Arthur Burt

Around the World in 88 Years -E Book - Arthur Burt

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“Go away! Go away!” Pam demanded, scared <strong>the</strong> matron wouldf<strong>in</strong>d out.“No I won’t go away, until you promise to come out with me.”So Dave, more or less, blackmailed her <strong>in</strong>to go<strong>in</strong>g out with himat <strong>the</strong> beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong>ir courtship. Afterward, he got saved <strong>in</strong> aBilly Graham crusade. They are now happily married and areyoung people’s leaders.While <strong>the</strong>y were still court<strong>in</strong>g, David came to visit Pam one day.Afterwards, he left on his motorbike to go home when his motorbikebroke down. He made his way back to our house late atnight. I directed him to <strong>the</strong> improvised ladder and he climbed to<strong>the</strong> loft where I rigged him a bed. There was no bathroom up<strong>the</strong>re; anyone us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> loft had to come downstairs.In <strong>the</strong> middle of <strong>the</strong> night, David tried to come down from <strong>the</strong>loft, but <strong>the</strong> ladder was gone. Joe Kolowola had moved it away,not know<strong>in</strong>g someone was up <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> loft. Poor David was trappedup <strong>the</strong>re until morn<strong>in</strong>g. When Joe arose, he passed by <strong>the</strong> loft’strap-door open<strong>in</strong>g and discovered David’s legs dangl<strong>in</strong>g down!After <strong>the</strong>y recovered from <strong>the</strong>ir mutual shock — David, see<strong>in</strong>g abig black face peer<strong>in</strong>g up at him, and Joe, see<strong>in</strong>g legs protrud<strong>in</strong>gfrom <strong>the</strong> ceil<strong>in</strong>g — Joe rescued David from his accidental imprisonment.Greater than <strong>the</strong> power of <strong>the</strong> downward pullIn my boyhood days, I had some conflicts with <strong>the</strong> law of gravitation.Once, I took an old umbrella, and stand<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> backyardwall, decided to parachute down. The umbrella turned <strong>in</strong>sideout, and I had a very, very sore sit-me-down for severaldays, hav<strong>in</strong>g come up second best with an unseen law.My second conflict with <strong>the</strong> law of gravitation came when I wasa bit older. In those days, lorries (trucks) had written on <strong>the</strong> backof <strong>the</strong>m a circle with <strong>the</strong> number “20” <strong>in</strong> it, <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> lawpermitted <strong>the</strong>m to travel up to 20 miles per hour, although <strong>the</strong>big lorries were capable of go<strong>in</strong>g faster and often did. When weboys rode our bikes up beh<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong>se slow mov<strong>in</strong>g vehicles, wecould, by pedal<strong>in</strong>g furiously, get <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>ir draft and keep up to<strong>the</strong>ir speed of 20 miles per hour. We enjoyed cycl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> flow195

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