“—al.”
Tra ta t’t’t’a, t’t’a—tra ta ta ti ta ti tati ta tum ta tum ta, ta, ta.
[Sidenote: TRUMPET STOPS.]
[Sidenote: A BLOWING UP.]
When this had happened over and over again, the tra-ta-ta-ing getting
louder and longer each time, the herald calmly sat down on the ground,
laid aside his proclamation, produced from his pocket a gilt bladder,
which he quietly proceeded to blow up till it was full of air, and
fastened to the end of his baton by a string about a foot long. Having
carefully tested its strength by giving it a few thumps on the ground,
he rose, and recommenced reading his proclamation. Instantly behind him
began once more the braying of trumpets; but before one tra-ta could
escape, bang, b’ng, b’ng, b’ng, bang, bang came the bladder down upon the
heads of the six trumpeters. This stopped five of the too-toos[8] coming
from them, the whole six trumpeters being knocked out of time. But as
there was nobody to take the blow for No. 6 trumpet, it was brazen enough
to go on all by itself, as if it would be blowed if it would stop. The
herald, however, evidently knew what he was about, for he ran to No. 6
trumpet and gave it such a blowing up, up its mouth, that nothing could
get out for ever so long; indeed the air was too much for it, and it
could not give it off even in parts; as for the bass, it could not get so
low; treble X ecution was quite as impossible; the third part was ten or
more notes beyond it; and the only remaining one was altogether so.
Having thus succeeded in obtaining silence, the herald proceeded to
read his proclamation, and got through some lines before the trumpeters
recovered sufficiently to commence their noise once more; when seeing
them about to begin, he repeated the bang bang bang, bang bang, process
with most excellent effect—and making about fifteen pauses to perform
this operation, he managed to read the whole. In order not to try
the reader’s patience, it is thought better to give it without the
interrupting bangs—in fact, bang off.
[Sidenote: WHEREAS, ETC.]