The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Persecution of Bob Pretty, by W.W. Jacobs
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: The Persecution of Bob Pretty
Odd Craft, Part 9.
Author: W.W. Jacobs
Release Date: April 30, 2004 [EBook #12209]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PERSECUTION OF BOB PRETTY ***
Produced by David Widger
ODD CRAFT
By W.W. Jacobs
THE PERSECUTION OF BOB PRETTY
The old man sat on his accustomed bench outside the Cauliflower. A
generous measure of beer stood in a blue and white jug by his elbow, and
little wisps of smoke curled slowly upward from the bowl of his
churchwarden pipe. The knapsacks of two young men lay where they were
flung on the table, and the owners, taking a noon-tide rest, turned a
polite, if bored, ear to the reminiscences of grateful old age.
Poaching, said the old man, who had tried topics ranging from early
turnips to horseshoeing--poaching ain't wot it used to be in these 'ere
parts. Nothing is like it used to be, poaching nor anything else; but
that there man you might ha' noticed as went out about ten minutes ago
and called me "Old Truthfulness" as 'e passed is the worst one I know.
Bob Pretty 'is name is, and of all the sly, artful, deceiving men that
ever lived in Claybury 'e is the worst--never did a honest day's work in
'is life and never wanted the price of a glass of ale.
[Illustration: "Poaching," said the old man, "ain't wot it used to be in
these 'ere parts."]
Bob Pretty's worst time was just after old Squire Brown died. The old
squire couldn't afford to preserve much, but by-and-by a gentleman with
plenty o' money, from London, named Rockett, took 'is place and things
began to look up. Pheasants was 'is favourites, and 'e spent no end o'
money rearing of 'em, but anything that could be shot at suited 'im, too.
He started by sneering at the little game that Squire Brown 'ad left, but
all 'e could do didn't seem to make much difference; things disappeared
in a most eggstrordinary way, and the keepers went pretty near crazy,
while the things the squire said about Claybury and Claybury men was
disgraceful.
Everybody knew as it was Bob Pretty and one or two of 'is mates from
other places, but they couldn't prove it. They couldn't catch 'im nohow,
and at last the squire 'ad two keepers set off to watch 'im by night and
by day.
Bob Pretty wouldn't believe it; he said 'e couldn't. And even when it
was pointed out to 'im that Keeper Lewis was follering of 'im he said
that it just 'appened he was going the same way, that was all. And
sometimes 'e'd get up in the middle of the night and go for a fifteen-
mile walk 'cos 'e'd got the toothache, and Mr. Lewis, who 'adn't got it,
had to tag along arter 'im till he was fit to drop. O' course, it was
one keeper the less to look arter the game, and by-and-by the squire see
that and took 'im off.
All the same they kept a pretty close watch on Bob, and at last one
arternoon they sprang out on 'im as he was walking past Gray's farm, and
asked him wot it was he 'ad in his pockets.
"That's my bisness, Mr. Lewis," ses Bob Pretty.
Mr. Smith, the other keeper, passed 'is hands over Bob's coat and felt
something soft and bulgy.
"You take your 'ands off of me," ses Bob; "you don't know 'ow partikler I
am."
He jerked 'imself away, but they caught 'old of 'im agin, and Mr. Lewis
put 'is hand in his inside pocket and pulled out two brace o' partridges.
"You'll come along of us," he ses, catching 'im by the arm.
"We've been looking for you a long time," ses Keeper Smith, "and it's a
pleasure for us to 'ave your company."
Bob Pretty said 'e wouldn't go, but they forced 'im along and took 'im
all the way to Cudford, four miles off, so that Policeman White could
lock 'im up for the night. Mr. White was a'most as pleased as the
keepers, and 'e warned Bob solemn not to speak becos all 'e said would be
used agin 'im.
"Never mind about that," ses Bob Pretty. "I've got a clear conscience,
and talking can't 'urt me. I'm very glad to see you, Mr. White; if these
two clever, experienced keepers hadn't brought me I should 'ave looked
you up myself. They've been and stole my partridges."
Them as was standing round laughed, and even Policeman White couldn't
'elp giving a little smile.
"There's nothing to laugh at," ses Bob, 'olding his 'ead up. "It's a
fine thing when a working man--a 'ardworking man--can't take home a
little game for 'is family without being stopped and robbed."
"I s'pose they flew into your pocket?" ses Police-man White.
"No, they didn't," ses Bob. "I'm not going to tell any lies about it;
I put 'em there. The partridges in my inside coat-pocket and the bill in
my waistcoat-pocket."
"The bill?" ses Keeper Lewis, staring at 'im.
"Yes, the bill," ses Bob Pretty, staring back at 'im; "the bill from Mr.
Keen, the poulterer, at Wick-ham."
He fetched it out of 'is pocket and showed it to Mr. White, and the
keepers was like madmen a'most 'cos it was plain to see that Bob Pretty
'ad been and bought them partridges just for to play a game on 'em.
"I was curious to know wot they tasted like," he ses to the policeman.
"Worst of it is, I don't s'pose my pore wife'll know 'ow to cook 'em."
"You get off 'ome," ses Policeman White, staring at 'im.
"But ain't I goin' to be locked up?" ses Bob. "'Ave I been brought all
this way just to 'ave a little chat with a policeman I don't like."
"You go 'ome," ses Policeman White, handing the partridges back to 'im.
"All right," ses Bob, "and I may 'ave to call you to witness that these
'ere two men laid hold o' me and tried to steal my partridges. I shall
go up and see my loryer about it."
He walked off 'ome with his 'ead up as high as 'e could hold it, and the
airs 'e used to give 'imself arter this was terrible for to behold. He
got 'is eldest boy to write a long letter to the squire about it, saying
that 'e'd overlook it this time, but 'e couldn't promise for the future.
Wot with Bob Pretty on one side and Squire Rockett on the other, them two
keepers' lives was 'ardly worth living.
Then the squire got a head-keeper named Cutts, a man as was said to know
more about the ways of poachers than they did themselves. He was said to
'ave cleared out all the poachers for miles round the place 'e came from,
and pheasants could walk into people's cottages and not be touched.
He was a sharp-looking man, tall and thin, with screwed-up eyes and a
little red beard. The second day 'e came 'e was up here at this 'ere
Cauliflower, having a pint o' beer and looking round at the chaps as he
talked to the landlord. The odd thing was that men who'd never taken a
hare or a pheasant in their lives could 'ardly meet 'is eye, while Bob
Pretty stared at 'im as if 'e was a wax-works.
"I 'ear you 'ad a little poaching in these parts afore I came," ses Mr.
Cutts to the landlord.
"I think I 'ave 'eard something o' the kind," ses the landlord, staring
over his 'ead with a far-away look in 'is eyes.
"You won't hear of much more," ses the keeper. "I've invented a new way
of catching the dirty rascals; afore I came 'ere I caught all the
poachers on three estates. I clear 'em out just like a ferret clears
out rats."
"Sort o' man-trap?" ses the landlord.
"Ah, that's tellings," ses Mr. Cutts.
"Well, I 'ope you'll catch 'em here," ses Bob Pretty; "there's far too
many of 'em about for my liking. Far too many."
"I shall 'ave 'em afore long," ses Mr. Cutts, nodding his 'ead.
[Illustration: "I shall 'ave 'em afore long,' ses Mr. Cutts."]
"Your good 'ealth," ses Bob Pretty, holding up 'is mug. "We've been
wanting a man like you for a long time."
"I don't want any of your impidence, my man," ses the keeper. "I've
'eard about you, and nothing good either. You be careful."
"I am careful," ses Bob, winking at the others. "I 'ope you'll catch all
them low poaching chaps; they give the place a bad name, and I'm a'most
afraid to go out arter dark for fear of meeting 'em."
Peter Gubbins and Sam Jones began to laugh, but Bob Pretty got angry with
'em and said he didn't see there was anything to laugh at. He said that
poaching was a disgrace to their native place, and instead o' laughing
they ought to be thankful to Mr. Cutts for coming to do away with it all.
"Any help I can give you shall be given cheerful," he ses to the keeper.
"When I want your help I'll ask you for it," ses Mr. Cutts.
"Thankee," ses Bob Pretty. "I on'y 'ope I sha'n't get my face knocked
about like yours 'as been, that's all; 'cos my wife's so partikler."
"Wot d'ye mean?" ses Mr. Cutts, turning on him. "My face ain't been
knocked about."
"Oh, I beg your pardin," ses Bob; "I didn't know it was natural."
Mr. Cutts went black in the face a'most and stared at Bob Pretty as if 'e
was going to eat 'im, and Bob stared back, looking fust at the keeper's
nose and then at 'is eyes and mouth, and then at 'is nose agin.
"You'll know me agin, I s'pose?" ses Mr. Cutts, at last.
"Yes," ses Bob, smiling; "I should know you a mile off--on the darkest
night."
"We shall see," ses Mr. Cutts, taking up 'is beer and turning 'is back on
him. "Those of us as live the longest'll see the most."
"I'm glad I've lived long enough to see 'im," ses Bob to Bill Chambers.
"I feel more satisfied with myself now."
Bill Chambers coughed, and Mr. Cutts, arter finishing 'is beer, took
another look at Bob Pretty, and went off boiling a'most.
The trouble he took to catch Bob Pretty arter that you wouldn't believe,
and all the time the game seemed to be simply melting away, and Squire
Rockett was finding fault with 'im all day long. He was worn to a
shadder a'most with watching, and Bob Pretty seemed to be more prosperous
than ever.
Sometimes Mr. Cutts watched in the plantations, and sometimes 'e hid
'imself near Bob's house, and at last one night, when 'e was crouching
behind the fence of Frederick Scott's front garden, 'e saw Bob Pretty
come out of 'is house and, arter a careful look round, walk up the road.
He held 'is breath as Bob passed 'im, and was just getting up to foller
'im when Bob stopped and walked slowly back agin, sniffing.
"Wot a delicious smell o' roses!" he ses, out loud.
He stood in the middle o' the road nearly opposite where the keeper was
hiding, and sniffed so that you could ha' 'eard him the other end o' the
village.
"It can't be roses," he ses, in a puzzled voice, "be-cos there ain't no
roses hereabouts, and, besides, it's late for 'em. It must be Mr. Cutts,
the clever new keeper."
He put his 'ead over the fence and bid 'im good evening, and said wot a
fine night for a stroll it was, and asked 'im whether 'e was waiting for
Frederick Scott's aunt. Mr. Cutts didn't answer 'im a word; 'e was
pretty near bursting with passion. He got up and shook 'is fist in Bob
Pretty's face, and then 'e went off stamping down the road as if 'e was
going mad.
And for a time Bob Pretty seemed to 'ave all the luck on 'is side.
Keeper Lewis got rheumatic fever, which 'e put down to sitting about
night arter night in damp places watching for Bob, and, while 'e was in
the thick of it, with the doctor going every day, Mr. Cutts fell in
getting over a fence and broke 'is leg. Then all the work fell on Keeper
Smith, and to 'ear 'im talk you'd think that rheumatic fever and broken
legs was better than anything else in the world. He asked the squire for
'elp, but the squire wouldn't give it to 'im, and he kept telling 'im wot
a feather in 'is cap it would be if 'e did wot the other two couldn't do,
and caught Bob Pretty. It was all very well, but, as Smith said, wot 'e
wanted was feathers in 'is piller, instead of 'aving to snatch a bit o'
sleep in 'is chair or sitting down with his 'ead agin a tree. When I
tell you that 'e fell asleep in this public-'ouse one night while the
landlord was drawing a pint o' beer he 'ad ordered, you'll know wot 'e
suffered.
O' course, all this suited Bob Pretty as well as could be, and 'e was
that good-tempered 'e'd got a nice word for everybody, and when Bill
Chambers told 'im 'e was foolhardy 'e only laughed and said 'e knew wot
'e was about.
But the very next night 'e had reason to remember Bill Chambers's words.
He was walking along Farmer Hall's field--the one next to the squire's
plantation--and, so far from being nervous, 'e was actually a-whistling.
He'd got a sack over 'is shoulder, loaded as full as it could be, and 'e
'ad just stopped to light 'is pipe when three men burst out o' the
plantation and ran toward 'im as 'ard as they could run.
[Illustration: "Three men burst out o' the plantation."]
Bob Pretty just gave one look and then 'e dropped 'is pipe and set off
like a hare. It was no good dropping the sack, because Smith, the
keeper, 'ad recognised 'im and called 'im by name, so 'e just put 'is
teeth together and did the best he could, and there's no doubt that if it
'adn't ha' been for the sack 'e could 'ave got clear away.
As it was, 'e ran for pretty near a mile, and they could 'ear 'im
breathing like a pair o' bellows; but at last 'e saw that the game was
up. He just man-aged to struggle as far as Farmer Pinnock's pond, and
then, waving the sack round his 'ead, 'e flung it into the middle of it,
and fell down gasping for breath.
"Got--you--this time--Bob Pretty," ses one o' the men, as they came up.
"Wot--Mr. Cutts?" ses Bob, with a start. "That's me, my man," ses the
keeper.
"Why--I thought--you was. Is that Mr. Lewis? It can't be."
"That's me," ses Keeper Lewis. "We both got well sudden-like, Bob
Pretty, when we 'eard you was out. You ain't so sharp as you thought you
was."
Bob Pretty sat still, getting 'is breath back and doing a bit o' thinking
at the same time.
"You give me a start," he ses, at last. "I thought you was both in bed,
and, knowing 'ow hard worked Mr. Smith 'as been, I just came round to
'elp 'im keep watch like. I promised to 'elp you, Mr. Cutts, if you
remember."
"Wot was that you threw in the pond just now?" ses Mr. Cutts.
"A sack," ses Bob Pretty; "a sack I found in Farmer Hall's field. It
felt to me as though it might 'ave birds in it, so I picked it up, and I
was just on my way to your 'ouse with it, Mr. Cutts, when you started
arter me."
"Ah!" ses the keeper, "and wot did you run for?"
Bob Pretty tried to laugh. "Becos I thought it was the poachers arter
me," he ses. "It seems ridikilous, don't it?"
"Yes, it does," ses Lewis.
"I thought you'd know me a mile off," ses Mr. Cutts. "I should ha'
thought the smell o' roses would ha' told you I was near."
Bob Pretty scratched 'is 'ead and looked at 'im out of the corner of 'is
eye, but he 'adn't got any answer. Then 'e sat biting his finger-nails
and thinking while the keepers stood argyfying as to who should take 'is
clothes off and go into the pond arter the pheasants. It was a very cold
night and the pond was pretty deep in places, and none of 'em seemed
anxious.
"Make 'im go in for it," ses Lewis, looking at Bob; "'e chucked it in."
"On'y Becos I thought you was poachers," ses Bob. "I'm sorry to 'ave
caused so much trouble."
"Well, you go in and get it out," ses Lewis, who pretty well guessed
who'd 'ave to do it if Bob didn't. "It'll look better for you, too."
"I've got my defence all right," ses Bob Pretty. "I ain't set a foot on
the squire's preserves, and I found this sack a 'undred yards away from
it."
"Don't waste more time," ses Mr. Cutts to Lewis.
"Off with your clothes and in with you. Anybody'd think you was afraid
of a little cold water."
"Whereabouts did 'e pitch it in?" ses Lewis.
Bob Pretty pointed with 'is finger exactly where 'e thought it was, but
they wouldn't listen to 'im, and then Lewis, arter twice saying wot a bad
cold he'd got, took 'is coat off very slow and careful.
[Illustration: "Bob Pretty pointed with 'is finger exactly where 'e
thought it was."]
"I wouldn't mind going in to oblige you," ses Bob Pretty, "but the pond
is so full o' them cold, slimy efts; I don't fancy them crawling up agin
me, and, besides that, there's such a lot o' deep holes in it. And
wotever you do don't put your 'ead under; you know 'ow foul that water
is."
Keeper Lewis pretended not to listen to 'im. He took off 'is clothes
very slowly and then 'e put one foot in and stood shivering, although
Smith, who felt the water with his 'and, said it was quite warm. Then
Lewis put the other foot in and began to walk about careful, 'arf-way up
to 'is knees.
"I can't find it," he ses, with 'is teeth chattering.
"You 'aven't looked," ses Mr. Cutts; "walk about more; you can't expect
to find it all at once. Try the middle."
Lewis tried the middle, and 'e stood there up to 'is neck, feeling about
with his foot and saying things out loud about Bob Pretty, and other
things under 'is breath about Mr. Cutts.
"Well, I'm going off 'ome," ses Bob Pretty, getting up. "I'm too
tender-'arted to stop and see a man drownded."
"You stay 'ere," ses Mr. Cutts, catching 'old of him.
"Wot for?" ses Bob; "you've got no right to keep me 'ere."
"Catch 'old of 'im, Joe," ses Mr. Cutts, quick-like.
Smith caught 'old of his other arm, and Lewis left off trying to find the
sack to watch the struggle. Bob Pretty fought 'ard, and once or twice 'e
nearly tumbled Mr. Cutts into the pond, but at last 'e gave in and lay
down panting and talking about 'is loryer. Smith 'eld him down on the
ground while Mr. Cutts kept pointing out places with 'is finger for Lewis
to walk to. The last place 'e pointed to wanted a much taller man, but
it wasn't found out till too late, and the fuss Keeper Lewis made when 'e
could speak agin was terrible.
"You'd better come out," ses Mr. Cutts; "you ain't doing no good. We
know where they are and we'll watch the pond till daylight--that is,
unless Smith 'ud like to 'ave a try."
"It's pretty near daylight now, I think," ses Smith.
Lewis came out and ran up and down to dry 'imself, and finished off on
'is pocket-'andkerchief, and then with 'is teeth chattering 'e began to
dress 'imself. He got 'is shirt on, and then 'e stood turning over 'is
clothes as if 'e was looking for something.
"Never mind about your stud now," ses Mr. Cutts; "hurry up and dress."
"Stud?" ses Lewis, very snappish. "I'm looking for my trowsis."
"Your trowsis?" ses Smith, 'elping 'im look.
"I put all my clothes together," ses Lewis, a'most shouting. "Where are
they? I'm 'arf perished with cold. Where are they?"
"He 'ad 'em on this evening," ses Bob Pretty, "'cos I remember noticing
'em."
"They must be somewhere about," ses Mr. Cutts; "why don't you use your
eyes?"
He walked up and down, peering about, and as for Lewis he was 'opping
round 'arf crazy.
"I wonder," ses Bob Pretty, in a thoughtful voice, to Smith--"I wonder
whether you or Mr. Cutts kicked 'em in the pond while you was struggling
with me. Come to think of it, I seem to remember 'earing a splash."
"He's done it, Mr. Cutts," ses Smith; "never mind, it'll go all the
'arder with 'im."
"But I do mind," ses Lewis, shouting. "I'll be even with you for this,
Bob Pretty. I'll make you feel it. You wait till I've done with you.
You'll get a month extra for this, you see if you don't."
"Don't you mind about me," ses Bob; "you run off 'ome and cover up them
legs of yours. I found that sack, so my conscience is clear."
Lewis put on 'is coat and waistcoat and set off, and Mr. Cutts and Smith,
arter feeling about for a dry place, set theirselves down and began to
smoke.
"Look 'ere," ses Bob Pretty, "I'm not going to sit 'ere all night to
please you; I'm going off 'ome. If you want me you'll know where to find
me."
"You stay where you are," ses Mr. Cutts. "We ain't going to let you out
of our sight."
"Very well, then, you take me 'ome," ses Bob. "I'm not going to catch my
death o' cold sitting 'ere. I'm not used to being out of a night like
you are. I was brought up respectable."
"I dare say," ses Mr. Cutts. "Take you 'ome, and then 'ave one o' your
mates come and get the sack while we're away."
Then Bob Pretty lost 'is temper, and the things 'e said about Mr. Cutts
wasn't fit for Smith to 'ear. He threw 'imself down at last full length
on the ground and sulked till the day broke.
Keeper Lewis was there a'most as soon as it was light, with some long
hay-rakes he'd borrowed, and I should think that pretty near 'arf the
folks in Clay-bury 'ad turned up to see the fun. Mrs. Pretty was crying
and wringing 'er 'ands; but most folks seemed to be rather pleased that
Bob 'ad been caught at last.
In next to no time 'arf-a-dozen rakes was at work, and the things they
brought out o' that pond you wouldn't believe. The edge of it was all
littered with rusty tin pails and saucepans and such-like, and by-and-by
Lewis found the things he'd 'ad to go 'ome without a few hours afore, but
they didn't seem to find that sack, and Bob Pretty, wot was talking to
'is wife, began to look 'opeful.
But just then the squire came riding up with two friends as was staying
with 'im, and he offered a reward of five shillings to the man wot found
it. Three or four of 'em waded in up to their middle then and raked
their 'ardest, and at last Henery Walker give a cheer and brought it to
the side, all heavy with water.
"That's the sack I found, sir," ses Bob, starting up. "It wasn't on your
land at all, but on the field next to it. I'm an honest, 'ardworking
man, and I've never been in trouble afore. Ask anybody 'ere and they'll
tell you the same."
Squire Rockett took no notice of 'im. "Is that the sack?" he asks,
turning to Mr. Cutts.
"That's the one, sir," ses Mr. Cutts. "I'd swear to it anywhere."
"You'd swear a man's life away," ses Bob. "'Ow can you swear to it when
it was dark?"
Mr. Cutts didn't answer 'im. He went down on 'is knees and cut the
string that tied up the mouth o' the sack, and then 'e started back as if
'e'd been shot, and 'is eyes a'most started out of 'is 'ead.
"Wot's the matter?" ses the squire.
Mr. Cutts couldn't speak; he could only stutter and point at the sack
with 'is finger, and Henery Walker, as was getting curious, lifted up the
other end of it and out rolled a score of as fine cabbages as you could
wish to see.
I never see people so astonished afore in all my born days, and as for
Bob Pretty, 'e stood staring at them cabbages as if 'e couldn't believe
'is eyesight.
"And that's wot I've been kept 'ere all night for," he ses, at last,
shaking his 'ead. "That's wot comes o' trying to do a kindness to
keepers, and 'elping of 'em in their difficult work. P'r'aps that ain't
the sack arter all, Mr. Cutts. I could ha' sworn they was pheasants in
the one I found, but I may be mistook, never 'aving 'ad one in my 'ands
afore. Or p'r'aps somebody was trying to 'ave a game with you, Mr.
Cutts, and deceived me instead."
The keepers on'y stared at 'im.
"You ought to be more careful," ses Bob. "Very likely while you was
taking all that trouble over me, and Keeper Lewis was catching 'is death
o' cold, the poachers was up at the plantation taking all they wanted.
And, besides, it ain't right for Squire Rockett to 'ave to pay Henery
Walker five shillings for finding a lot of old cabbages. I shouldn't
like it myself."
[Illustration: "You ought to be more careful," ses Bob.]
He looked out of the corner of 'is eye at the squire, as was pretending
not to notice Henery Walker touching 'is cap to him, and then 'e turns to
'is wife and he ses:
"Come along, old gal," 'e ses. "I want my breakfast bad, and arter that
I shall 'ave to lose a honest day's work in bed."
End of Project Gutenberg's The Persecution of Bob Pretty, by W.W. Jacobs
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PERSECUTION OF BOB PRETTY ***
***** This file should be named 12209.txt or 12209.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
https://www.gutenberg.org/1/2/2/0/12209/
Produced by David Widger
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.
Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
redistribution.
*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
https://gutenberg.org/license).
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
that
- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License. You must require such a user to return or
destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
Project Gutenberg-tm works.
- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
of receipt of the work.
- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
[email protected]. Email contact links and up to date contact
information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
page at https://pglaf.org
For additional contact information:
Dr. Gregory B. Newby
Chief Executive and Director
[email protected]
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
particular state visit https://pglaf.org
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works.
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's
eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII,
compressed (zipped), HTML and others.
Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks replace the old file and take over
the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is renamed.
VERSIONS based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving
new filenames and etext numbers.
Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
https://www.gutenberg.org
This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
EBooks posted prior to November 2003, with eBook numbers BELOW #10000,
are filed in directories based on their release date. If you want to
download any of these eBooks directly, rather than using the regular
search system you may utilize the following addresses and just
download by the etext year.
https://www.gutenberg.org/etext06
(Or /etext 05, 04, 03, 02, 01, 00, 99,
98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90)
EBooks posted since November 2003, with etext numbers OVER #10000, are
filed in a different way. The year of a release date is no longer part
of the directory path. The path is based on the etext number (which is
identical to the filename). The path to the file is made up of single
digits corresponding to all but the last digit in the filename. For
example an eBook of filename 10234 would be found at:
https://www.gutenberg.org/1/0/2/3/10234
or filename 24689 would be found at:
https://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/6/8/24689
An alternative method of locating eBooks:
https://www.gutenberg.org/GUTINDEX.ALL
