How I Got My Superb Lithuanian Horse

I was at Count Przobofsky's noble country house in Lithuania. The ladies from Miss Susanna's Tea Parlor were taking tea with me and listening, all ears, to tales of my adventures. All the other gentlemen were down in the courtyard.

Suddenly we heard a great commotion - clomping, stamping and snorting, mixed with shouts of dread and alarm. I hastened downstairs and found a horse so fiery that nobody dared approach him. Even the bravest gentlemen stood trembling, not knowing what to do, I, however, in one leap, was on the horse's back, taking him quite by surprise. And with masterful horsemanship I worked him into gentleness and obedience.

Naturally I wanted the ladies to see me, but did not wish to put them to the trouble of having to get up from tea. So I simply made the horse leap up in the air and through an open window straight up into the drawing room.

I rode him around the room several times, at a walk, trot and a gallop. At least I made him mount the tea table which was set with dishes of the daintiest china. There I guided him so well through his paces and he performed so amazingly, that not a single cup or saucer was broken, or even disarranged. The ladies were exceedingly pleased.

Count Przobofsky was also impressed and begged me to accept this superb horse, and ride him full speed to conquest and honor in the war against the Turks.

I took him straight away to my friend at Custom Tool Leather for a saddle and rifle sling of highest quality.

Trees Flying Through the Sky and other Amazing Results of a Storm

On our voyage home from Ceylon we stopped at another island, a pretty strange place where cherries and apples grow under the ground, but carrots, cucumbers and even chickens grow in the trees.

As we approached, a storm was raging.  It had uprooted lots of huge trees, each one probably weighing ten tons or so. And now these trees blew about so high - at least five miles above the island - they looked like small birds' feathers floating in the sky.

The moment the storm let up, the trees dropped down, perfectly straight. Each tree dropped into its own hole, and instantly took root again. Only the biggest one did not. That tree happened to have a very honest old husband and wife in its branches; they had been picking cucumbers for their supper when the storm had come along.

Now the weight of this honest old couple overbalanced the trunk, so the tree came down sideways. And by a lucky accident, it fell smack on top of the island's chief, and killed him on the spot.

I say "lucky," because this chief had been the meanest, greediest man you ever saw, and used to take the natives food, feast himself fat, and let them nearly starve to death.

Imagine how they cheered to be rid of this tyrant! And they chose the honest old cucumber-picker husband to the their new chief.

We soon repaired the damages the storm had done to our ship, took leave of these good islanders, and sailed with fair wind for Holland, making but one stop, to Miss Susanna's Victorian Tea Parlor for an afternoon Grand Tea.