Man-hunt

Suddenly he heard the sound of hoofbeats. It came from the upper pe of the town, a wild clatter of approaching horses that wounded w though it must split the cobbles; but no sound of any voice could scarcely have had time to open their doors to see who v people in their houses, where the candles were beginning in do paming. And what could they have seen in any case? It was quite dark.

The moon, who shows herself always on the water before she over the earth, touched the surface of the inner harbour with s yellow trace. The riders were drawing near. They seemed to come at a hand-gallop down the whole length of the Rue Ha They had to check their horses at Kochbue's tavern to avoid breaking their necks, and then they came on again, plunging down the alleyw that led to the harbour. They were very close now. They a here!

Before he could see anything Shrimp had made out the separate hoofbeats of a horse that was in advance of the others. It shot out of the darkness on to the quayside within a short distance of where he stood, heading straight for the stone parapet. Its rider, lying along his horse's neck, saw the harbour just in time and reined with all the strength of his arm.

The rest happened with lightning speed. A troop of armed men burst out on to the quayside in a compact, charging mass, so that it was scarcely possible to distinguish the shapes of the horses. Not a cry was raised, but Shrimp realized that he was witnessing the end of a man-hunt.

The pursuers- they were men of the King's dragoons - were plainly confident that they had run their man to earth. But suddenly Shrimp gave a gasp, clapping his hand to his mouth. Just as they were upon him the hunted rider drove his spurs into the horse's flanks, setting it at the parapet. The beast neighed in terror and reared high in the air, coming down on stiff forelegs. But the daredevil who rode it was undismayed. He used the spurs again, and this time the horse sprang forward and in three strides had cleared the parapet and plunged into the waters of the harbour.

Some of the pursuers had jumped to the ground. A volley of musket fire was directed at the foaming commotion in the water, where a shape struggled desperately, scarcely discernible in the darkness.

Questions:

1 When did this chase take place: morning, afternoon, evening, night?

2 Complete this: Shrimp was the boy's.... name.

3 (a) Where did the riders have to slow down? (b) Explain why.

4 (a) What is an alleyway? (b) Where did it lead?

5 What tells us that the King's dragoons were silent?

6 (a) What is a parapet? (b) Where was it?

7 Why do you think the rider nearly galloped into the stone wall?

8 Why did Shrimp clap his hand to his mouth?

9 Why was the horse suddenly terrified?

Answers

1. The chase took place at night.

2. Complete this: Shrimp was the boy's first name.

3. (a) The riders had to slow down at Kochbue's tavern. (b) They had to slow down to avoid the risk of injuring themselves by colliding with the stone wall or parapet.

4. (a) An alleyway is a narrow passage or path between buildings. (b) The alleyway led to the harbor.

5. The text mentions that "Not a cry was raised," indicating that the King's dragoons were silent.

6. (a) A parapet is a low protective wall or barrier along the edge of a structure, such as a bridge or rooftop. (b) The parapet was located near the quayside of the harbor.

7. The rider nearly galloped into the stone wall because he was trying to escape the pursuing armed men and saw the harbor as his way to escape. He took a risky maneuver to jump over the parapet and into the water.

8. Shrimp clapped his hand to his mouth because he was shocked or surprised by what he witnessed, possibly due to the daring and dangerous actions of the rider.

9. The horse was suddenly terrified because it approached the stone parapet at high speed, and the rider had to forcefully rein it in to prevent a collision. The sudden change in direction and the heightened tension in the situation may have frightened the horse.