How to use "and" in a sentence

Its words are calm and sensible and nearly always help me

There is only silence, darkness and cold.

It says the same thing over and over again

I'm biking and hiking in Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah, USA

Right now, with the sun on my back and the wind in my hair, I agree.

It started on Thursday when I went climbing and skiing on Mount Soplis with my friend, Brad

Today, my plan is to hike through Blue John and Horseshoe Canyons after biking to the trail

I'll leave my bike at the end of the trail and hike back to the carpark

I'll drive over in the truck and collect the bike later.

It's not difficult and I should be able to finish in about eighteen hours

Aspen is famous for its mountains and the countryside around it

I live there and I work for Ute Mountaineer, a sports equipment shop

Leona, one of the people I live and work with, is having a goodbye party on Monday night

8.45 am I arrive at the Horseshoe Canyon carpark early in the morning, pull my bike from the truck and lock the door

I lock my bike to a tree and start walking.

He and his men stole horses and hid from the law during the last years of the nineteenth century.

The walls there are very narrow and the trail goes up and down, sharply

The Gallery is part of Horseshoe Canyon, and it's famous for the huge rock paintings which cover its walls

But this time, I just called a quick goodbye to my housemates - Brian, Joe, and Leona

I told her I was going to Utah and promised to be back for her party

Then I got in my truck and drove away.

I smile and hold out my hand, 'My name's Aron.'

'I'm Megan,' says the darker girl, 'and this is Kristi.'

We shake hands and continue along the trail

We all love hiking, biking and adventures

Both Aspen and Moab are important tourist centres for hikers.

We will say goodbye there and I'll continue on alone to the Big Drop Rappel.

In the hour and a half we've been together, we've already become friends.

'We can finish the west canyon trail, go back to our truck and have a few beers.'

We agree on a plan to meet and go to the party together.

Then I turn and wave goodbye

It seems strangely quiet without Kristi and Megan

I turn on my CD player and listen to a soft, slow song by Phish, one of my favourite bands.

The music is perfect for the way I feel: lucky, free and happy

It's warm and sunny with just a few white clouds in the sky.

Suddenly, my feet hit a pile of loose stones and I nearly fall to the ground.

I listen to the voice in my head and look up the canyon

The trail rises and falls and is full of sharp rocks

I look up and see part of a tree stuck between the canyon walls

In seconds, the water can throw you against the canyon walls and kill you

There are plenty of holes in the rock for my hands and feet so I climb down easily

A metre from the bottom I let go and land on the ground

I stop and take a few pictures with my camera.

I also have a full water bottle and an extra two litres in a CamelBak.

The boulders are both good and bad news

This will be quicker than dropping on to the trail and climbing back up again

I manage the first few boulders without any problems and reach another drop

I lie down, put my hands in two holes on the far edge of the boulder and push my legs over the opposite side to jump down.

I let go of the boulder and drop towards the ground

As I fall, I look up and see the boulder crashing towards my head

The boulder then hits my right arm and traps my hand against the right side of the canyon.

That was a clear message to stay away! But you were in such a hurry to finish the hike you didn't stop and check.

I scream and pull hard to try and free myself

I am stuck and there's no way out.

Without stopping to think, I take the water bottle from my bag and drink a third of it in five seconds.

I suddenly realise what I'm doing and pull the bottle out of my mouth

I said I would meet Kristi and Megan after the hike

But will they realise that something is wrong and go for help?

Kristi and Megan don't know me very well

He will probably call my family and they will tell the police that I am missing

The second plan is to try and lift the boulder using some of my equipment

To free my hand, I must remove a piece of rock over fifteen centimetres wide and seven centimetres deep

7.0 pm I've been chipping at the rock for almost three and a half hours

I lay the multi-tool on the boulder and reach for the water bottle

This time I am more careful and take only a sip

Night and day

After Kristi and Megan left Aron, they got lost in the west canyon and arrived late at the meeting place

Let's drive around and see if we can find him.'

By the time they reached Goblin Valley, the car park was full and there was nowhere to stay for the night.

The girls now felt very tired and decided not to go to the party

Kristi agreed and they parked by the side of the road for the night.

All they found was a truck from Colorado with a bike inside and skis on the roof.

She wrote their email addresses on a piece of paper and left it on the truck window.

12.00 am My headlamp is on and I'm chipping at the boulder

I've managed to chip a space above and below an area of pink rock

I hit the boulder as hard as I can and the piece of rock falls onto my trapped arm

I chip at the rock for another hour and remove as much as the piece that came off before

More success, but my left arm hurts and I have to stop.

It's a clear night and it's very cold.

Every few minutes, it blows down the canyon and makes my body shake

I take my rope, form it into a circle, and lay it on a rock below me

I decide to try and build some kind of seat

I put on my harness and rope

Then I tie carabiners to one end of the rope and make a kind of ball

If I do it right, the ball will stick in the space between the boulder and the canyon wall.

I stand and chip for twenty minutes, then sit and rest for twenty minutes

The sun is shining into the canyon and a raven has just flown across the blue sky above my head

The sight and sound of the bird fills me with hope.

I will use my ropes, webbing and carabiners to try and lift the boulder and free my hand

I stop and listen

But then I hear a sound from above and realise my mistake

It made me feel lost and alone

That leaves only the third, and worst, plan: I will have to amputate my right arm

I take it off and use a carabiner to make it tight

It works well and I feel a bit better.

I drop the knife and lay my head on the boulder

I didn't tell anyone where I was going, I didn't go with Kristi and Megan to the west canyon, and I didn't get off the boulder when it moved.

I decide it's time to film a message for my family and friends

I place my camcorder on the boulder, turn it on and start speaking.

My parents are Donna and Larry Ralston of Eaglewood, Colorado

I know this could be a final goodbye to my parents and sister, Sonja.

Escape has been impossible and I will die before anyone finds me

Then I missed the next drink and decided to save it for later

I'll drink at nine, midnight, three and six in the morning, but I'll take even smaller sips.

There are several at my feet and some drinking the blood on the canyon wall

Then I tie webbing around my right arm and put rope around each of my legs

It looks funny and I can't help smiling.

I begin my routine of standing and sitting

Most of my body feels warmer, but I'm still shaking because my head and neck are cold

As always, the light and warm air make me want to do something

I try and lift the boulder again by pushing down on the rope with my feet.

This doesn't work either and I feel suddenly hopeless

All I see in my mind are pictures of the food and drink left on the floor of my truck.

I need to be brave and try again.

I put on the tourniquet and make it tight

I take off the tourniquet and go back to waiting.

I open my shorts and watch the yellow urine disappear into the sand.

I spend most of the day chipping, resting, and counting the minutes before my next drink of water.

2.45 pm It's the middle of the afternoon and time to film again

That's two whole days with no sleep and very little water

I tell her how proud I am of her and send her my love and best wishes.

I hope they will stay and keep the heat in the canyon

Early Tuesday morning, he called the house and spoke to Leona.

'No, he's not here, and Aron's never late

Only that he was going climbing and biking

The officer on the desk asked for Aron's information: full name, age, height and weight

He also wanted to know the model of his truck and the license-plate number

But there was something the officer didn't tell them: a person has to be missing for at least forty-eight hours before the police will start a search and rescue operation

12.00 am It's my third night here and I've decided to take my first sip of urine

That's sixty hours of pain, no sleep, and very little water.

I put the bottle between my legs and turn the top

When it's open, I try and lift it towards my mouth

But it hits my harness and falls back onto my legs

He might call the police and report me missing

I push, jump and shout as I put all my weight onto the rope

I step down and lay my head on the boulder

Quickly, I put the tourniquet around my arm and tighten it

Then I pick up the multi-tool, open the shorter knife and push it hard into my arm

I pull out the knife and look at the deep hole I've made in my right arm

It didn't even hurt and there's very little blood

I pick up the bottle and feel the last of the water disappear down my throat

It's exactly 8.00 am and all I have to drink now is urine.

I feel happy and start thinking of all the wonderful times I've spent with friends and family

with my sister, and another to Gettysburg with my dad

I have found the best way to sit and feel calmer in the warm air

All I can do is stay strong for another night and hope for rescue.

I called him last week and left a message, but he didn't call back

In the end, she guessed the correct answer and sent the information to Brion.

Aron had given it to her in a hurry and made a mistake.

Officer Crider called back and told Mrs Ralston there was no record of that license plate

He called Aron's housemate Elliot and asked him to manage the store and rescue operation until he returned

I'll call Officer Crider and give him the correct number.'

Steve called the Utah police for the area and spoke to one the main officers, Kyle Ekker

Steve gave him the latest license-plate number for Aron's truck and Officer Ekker sent his men out to look for it.

She called and an officer searched the records and found Aron's name

In fact, I don't know what is real and what isn't anymore

Friends suddenly appear in the canyon like silent ghosts and wave me towards them

I follow and find myself in some place I know from the past

It is only when they disappear and the cold and pain return that I know they are not

After that, I sit again and it's not long before the visions return

I'm always thinking of the things I want to achieve and not noticing other people

Now I realise that my love for friends and family is the main reason I want to escape

It is usually something cold and sweet like apple juice or ice tea

Just as I am about to drink, the vision disappears and I wake up

Then I feel the cold and the pain of the rope against my legs

I stand up and begin my routine all over again.

The sound of its wings and the light in the canyon are beautiful

I take out my camera and film as it disappears from view.

Why not find a hard rock and use it to break the boulder? There's one in a hole in the canyon wall above me

It is round and black

I reach up and pull it out

It's perfect - just the right size and weight.

But what if I tie a sock around my hand to protect it? I do this and it works

I am so certain of this that I take the knife and write the dates of my life on the canyon wall

I step inside and look around

He is my future son and the room is in my future home

Then I put him onto my shoulder and he laughs even more

He holds my arms in his little hands and together we dance around the room

The sun is shining and I feel free, happy, and alive.

Now, even with the cold, pain, tiredness and thirst, I am sure I will survive.

Already that morning, his men had searched the top and centre of the area and found nothing.

What about the Robbers Roost canyons in the south? The only roads down there were made of rocks and sand

'I'll radio one of my men and ask them to check.'

Kyle thanked him and put down the phone.

By 10.00 am, the good news had reached Elliot, Steve, and Mrs Ralston

Steve immediately arranged for a rescue team to join the police and help in the search

I try and forget about the bird and pick up the camcorder

I pick up the black rock and hit it as hard as I can against the boulder

Slowly, my fingers loosen and the stone falls out of my hand

As I'm removing these with the knife I push too hard and the blade goes through the skin near my wrist

The arm is poisoned and the poison will kill me

I tie the tourniquet, take the knife and begin cutting.

For almost one hour the pain, screams, and cutting continue.

Blood is coming out of the end of my arm and it's a long walk back to my truck.

I tighten it around my neck and put my things inside

I stand at the edge and look down

I tie my rope to them and rappel down

I reach the bottom and turn

I fill my bottle and drink one litre in a few seconds

I drink another and don't want to move

Then I fill my bottle and the CamelBak and begin walking

I get lost up a side canyon and have to turn round

This has to last all the way back to the truck and the temperature is rising

I am so weak and tired I can't imagine surviving that long

I take a sip and keep the water in my mouth as I walk

I can't walk straight, I can't think for more than a few seconds, and I'm losing blood, fast.

It has taken me two and a half hours to travel six kilometres

Blood is now coming from my arm really fast and I'm in terrible pain from the amputation

I want to stop and rest, but I can't

About seventy metres ahead of me are a family of three people - a man, a woman and a young boy

They turn and come running towards me.

His wife is Monique and his son is called Andy

Eric gives me more water while Monique and Andy run back to get the police

After about ten minutes, Eric helps me up and we continue walking slowly.

I sit down and wait as a man jumps to the ground and walks towards me.

A second man gets out of the helicopter and they help me inside

I sit behind the pilot and watch blood pour slowly down my arm.

He asks me what happened in the canyon and I begin telling my story

I look down and see an area of green grass below.

The helicopter lands and the nurses carry me into the building.

The man walks in and introduces himself

I'm Steve, and I'm a Park Ranger.'

As the nurses take off my shoes, I ask Steve to let my mother know that I'm OK and to arrange for someone to collect all the things I left at Horseshoe Canyon.

He pulls at the things over my right arm and asks Steve what they are.

Most were for the pain and to fight the poison in my blood

I couldn't sleep and my thoughts were unclear

A week later, I was back in hospital in Denver for my fifth and most difficult operation

I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep and I was still in pain

I was soon eating normal food and by the end of the summer, I was the same weight as before the accident.

I would still say goodbye to Megan and Kristi and continue alone

Sometimes, that means cutting out something and leaving it in the past

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I see beautiful and ugly things down there

Some ships tried to find it and kill it, but they never returned.

The largest whale was only 180 feet long and if these men were right, this was even larger

When the captain of the American ship the Abraham Lincoln decided to leave and look for the monster, he asked me to go with them as an expert.

I invited my faithful assistant and good friend Conseil to go with me

He always helps me to organise the names and places of the wonderful strange sea creatures that we find in the oceans of the world

He accepted the invitation and we got ready to go.

Farragut, the captain of the ship, was a strong and brave man

When we first met, he shook my hand and smiled at me.

"Don't worry! The ocean isn't big enough for both the sea monster and me

We sailed for three months and we never saw the creature once.

The men wanted to find and kill the sea monster, but after all this time everyone on the ship started to believe that there was no monster

It was night-time and we were 200 miles on the coast of Japan when suddenly Ned Land, the harpooner, cried out.

The men on the ship began to run and shout.

I saw the harpoon leave his hand and hit the giant creature right in its back

It was very cold and I tried hard to get to the top and breathe

It was dark and we knew that we had to stay in the water for the night

The moon came out from behind the clouds and we saw that Abraham Lincoln was too far away

Conseil and I held onto it

"I sure did and it was a good thing I landed on this

We knocked on the ship's sides, but they were too thick and no one heard us.

Two minutes later, six large men with black masks came out, took us by the arms and took us down inside the ship.

It only had a table and five chairs in the middle

As usual, you speak with your mind and not your heart."

The two men wore black hats and shoes made from seal skin

Their clothes looked thin and comfortable.

I spoke to them in French, German and English

The tall man was calm and he spoke perfect English

He surprised all of us, and we didn't say a word.

I am its captain, and my name is Captain Nemo

This ship, and my own life, is a secret to the outside world

We have wonderful food, and your rooms are very comfortable."

The Captain showed Ned and Conseil to their rooms, but he stopped me for a moment.

It had pictures by famous painters on the walls and glass cases with beautiful shells from the sea.

The Captain pressed a button and two of the walls opened up

I stood in front of the window like a small boy at the zoo, and, believe me, I didn't feel at all like Captain Nemo's prisoner.

The Captain and his crew were excellent hosts

They gave us wonderful sea food and we were free to visit any place we liked on the ship.

We travelled near the coasts of Australia and Papua New Guinea

He was a whale hunter and his life was above the water, hunting whales.

One morning, he asked Conseil and me to go to his room to talk.

There was a loud crash, and we all fell to the floor

The lights went on and off, and the engine stopped.

Ned Land asked the Captain if we could go on land and hunt some animals because he didn't want to eat fish

Captain Nemo gave us gnus, and we were all excited to return to land and feel free again.

It had soft white sand and 200-foot-tall palm trees

We found bananas and coconuts, and we made a small camping area for the day

Some wild animals came out of the forest and ran away

We all laughed, then continued looking for fruit and vegetables

They carried spears and shouted in a strange language

We jumped into the boat, leaving all our food and guns behind

We jumped back on the Nautilus and went below.

"The sea, Professor, and music make me feel very peaceful."

"I did, and there is no reason to worry

The Captain left the piano and went out of the room

He and some of his men went up and opened the outside door of the Nautilus

Another tried the same thing, and he also screamed

The Captain had everything he needed lo protect himself and his men

We now travelled east, past Australia and into the Indian Ocean

We sometimes stopped on the ocean floor and walked outside the ship

Ned Land still wanted to escape, and he thought about it every day

He said something to one of his men, and the man went downstairs quickly

You, Mr Land, and Mr Conseil will stay in your rooms until I say you can leave."

Captain Nemo was upset about something, and he had the power to tell us what to do

There was blood on the bandages, and the man looked very sick

He was cold and white

He looked very sad and there were tears in his eyes.

At times he could be cold and serious

He said yes, so we put our suits on and off we went.

The Indian Ocean had the most beautiful rocks, plants and fish in the world

I saw that his men carried something long and flat in a bag

They put the bag down and began digging

The Giant Pearl and the Shark

One day Conseil, Ned Land, and I were in the museum room

He's not famous and he's angry about that."

"I think he's crazy and we will die here unless we escape."

Maybe he blames someone for that, and I think he wants to hurt that person."

As I said this, the walls closed over the side windows and Captain Nemo walked in.

We all looked at each other and agreed

There are many sharks in these waters, and it's very dangerous to go looking for pearls there.

Captain Nemo swam away from the rocks, with his knife in his hand, and began fighting with the animal

Captain Nemo fought with the shark, and there was blood in the water

Immediately, Ned Land attacked and killed the shark with his harpoon

The Captain was safe and I was so surprised that I couldn't move.

I kill sharks and whales because it's my job

Then, water surrounded the ship and there was no more land.

When Conseil and Ned woke up, I told them that we were in the Mediterranean Sea.

We're close to Europe, and we can take the small boat to get to land

We sailed through the Mediterranean Sea and entered the deep mysterious Atlantic Ocean

The ocean became dark, and we continued to go further and further down

We came closer to the light, and I could see trees on the ocean floor.

The Nautilus moved up over the mountain, and I saw that the light came from an old underwater volcano

There were stone houses and ancient temples on it

We went under the ice and came out on the other side

Imagine what we saw - penguins, whales, polar bears, dolphins, icebergs! It was like a dream and we saw it from the inside of the Nautilus.

Conseil, Ned and I were in the museum, looking out at old stone walls, 5,000 feet under the sea.

"And did it have a mouth and nose like a bird's?"

I looked out of the window, and there was a 25-foot giant squid! It moved close to the Nautilus and it hit the window with its long tentacles

As he opened it, a long thick tentacle of the giant squid came inside like a snake and pulled the man outside

Outside, six or seven small squid moved along the top of the Nautilus, throwing all their tentacles at the ship and its men

One of the smaller squid knocked the harpoon out of his hand and threw Ned down

Captain Nemo saw this, cut off the squid's tentacle and saved Ned Land.

The giant squid shot black ink out of its body, and none of us could see anything

When we cleaned our faces and our eyes, the squid was gone, taking the man with it.

Maybe Captain Nemo thought that soon all his men would die, and the Nautilus and his secret would be lost.

Ned Land lost his temper, and I thought Captain Nemo might listen to me and let us go.

He stood and looked at a picture of a young woman with two small children

Who was this woman? Was it his wife? My leg hit a table and Captain Nemo turned around.

The men and I need to know what you plan to do with us."

There I found Ned and Conseil

They killed my friends and family

There was a loud explosion and then, silence.

Ned and Conseil stayed in their rooms

It was ugly and deadly

Ned Land came into my room one night and woke me up

If anyone stops you, kill them." Ned Land put a fishing knife in my hand and left the room, I looked around one more time

I listened to him playing the piano, and I thought I heard him say.

I found Ned Land and Conseil in the small boat on the platform

Something hit me on the head and that's the last thing I remember.

Some fishermen found us and took us to the shore.

I do not know what happened to Captain Nemo and the Nautilus

All I know is that we travelled 20,000 leagues under the sea, from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, through the Reel Sea and the Mediterranean, across the Atlantic and to the North and South Poles

It was a strange and wonderful adventure; one I will never forget.

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Alice and her big sister sat under a tree one sunny day

I know! I'll look for some Bowers.' Then she thought, 'No, it's too hot for that and I feel sleepy.'

It took a watch from its jacket and looked at it

She jumped up and ran after the animal

She didn't stop and ask, 'How am I going to get out again?'

Alice fell down and down

But she fell very slowly and didn't feel afraid

Some of the cupboards were open, and there were books in them

'What's Dinah doing? Will they remember her milk tonight? Oh, Dinah! Why aren't you here with me? Perhaps there's a mouse here and you can eat it!'

'That didn't hurt,' she said and sat up quickly

She could see the White Rabbit and she ran after him again

'Oh, my ears and nose!' the White Rabbit cried

He ran faster and vanished through another hole

She took the key and tried to open each door with it

She put her head down and looked through the door into a beautiful garden

Sadly, she shut the door again and put the key back on the table.

She had some and it was very nice

'I'm getting smaller and smaller!' After a short time, she was only 25 centimetres high.

But Alice was too short and she couldn't get the key

The little girl sat down and cried.

'Perhaps I'll get bigger and then I can get the key

'I'm getting taller and taller!' She looked down

Then she went to the door and opened it

But she was too big and couldn't go through it.

She sat down and began to cry again

But she couldn't stop the big tears and after a time there was water everywhere.

She looked down and there was the White Rabbit again

He had his best clothes on, and in one hand he had a white hat.

He ran out of the room and his hat fell from his hands

What's four and four? Eight

Eight and eight is sixteen

Sixteen and sixteen is..

She went to the table and stood next to it

'Now I can go into the garden!' thought Alice, and she started to run to the little door

Perhaps it can speak and understand me.'

She's very quiet and good

The Mouse looked angrily at her and swam quickly away.

'Come back again and we won't talk about cats or dogs.'

They climbed out and Alice looked round

There were a lot of animals and birds in the water

Alice and the birds and animals felt cold and wet

He put the animals and birds in different places in the room

Everybody started to run at different times and stopped at different times too

After half an hour, the Dodo cried, 'Everybody stop! All the birds and animals stopped

Then they all came to the Dodo and stood round it.' Who was first? Who was first?' they shouted.

'She will,' the Dodo said and looked at Alice

The birds and animals came and stood round Alice.

'Here we are,' she said, and opened the box

There was one chocolate for each bird and animal.

'Give it to me,' said the Dodo and Alice gave it to him.

They all stood round Alice again, and the Dodo gave her the box.

'This is very stupid,' thought Alice and she wanted to laugh

She took the box and smiled politely.

The animals and birds ate their chocolates noisily

The big animals and birds wanted more

But the chocolates were too big for the small birds, and they had to eat them very slowly

When they finished their chocolates, they sat and looked at Alice.

And very clever and fast

She can catch a mouse in the morning for her breakfast and a little bird in the evening for her dinner - Oh! I'm sorry!'

The birds and animals started leaving.

They all spoke politely to Alice and left the room.

She sat down and started to cry again

After a time, she heard the sound of small feet and looked up.

'Oh, my ears and nose!' he said quietly

She wasn't in the long room anymore, and there was no table or water

'Run home this minute and bring me a hat

She ran fast and after a short time, she came to a pretty little house

She went in and ran up the stairs.

There, on a table, was a hat and a little bottle

Alice took the hat and looked at the bottle

'Oh!' Her head hit the top of the house and she put the bottle down quickly.

She had to put one arm out of the window and one foot in the fireplace.

But then she tried to move and couldn't

She didn't feel well and she was very unhappy.

Perhaps somebody will write a book about this place - and about me! Perhaps I will, when I'm bigger.' Then she remembered

He came inside and ran up the stairs to the room

She waited and listened

When she could hear the Rabbit outside the window, she moved her arm up and down

Something came through the window and fell on the floor

Then she thought, 'I'll eat it and perhaps I'll get smaller again

I can't get bigger!' So she ate the cake and two or three minutes later she was small again

Some were white and some were brown.

'I'll eat some mushrooms and perhaps I'll get bigger again.'

She stood up tall and looked over the top

But then I changed - and then I changed again - and again.'

'I'll try and tell you,' said Alice

'For you? Who are you?' said the Caterpillar and laughed

She stood very tall and said, 'I will tell you, but first, you tell me

This was another difficult question and Alice could not answer it.

'I want to tell you something important.' Alice turned and came back again.

'I can't remember things, and my size changes all the time

Sometimes I get bigger and then I get smaller again.'

Alice put her hands behind her back and repeated:

'You are old and really quite fat;

But you jump up and down and turn round and round,

'Eat from my mushroom and you'll get bigger

Eat from that brown mushroom there and you'll get smaller,' it said

It started to move away a minute later, it vanished behind a flower and Alice never saw it again.

Alice looked at the two mushrooms and thought for a minute

Then she went to the Caterpillars mushroom and broke off some of it with her right hand

She went to the brown mushroom and did the same with her left hand.

She ate some more, and got very tall

Then she ate some from one hand and some from the other

She opened the door and went in.

The Duchess and the Cheshire Cat

There was a cook by the fire and there was food on the table

Some of them hit the Duchess and the baby

The Duchess started to throw the baby up and down

It was a strange little thing and not very pretty

The baby made a strange little sound and she looked at it again.

Alice put the little animal down and it ran happily away into the wood.

She looked round her and jumped

Then it said, 'Walk that way and you'll come to a house

He makes hats and he's very strange

It said, 'Walk this way and you'll find the March Hare

I laugh when I'm sad, and I cry when I'm happy

'You'll see me in the Queen's garden?' said the Cheshire Cat, and vanished.

She waited for two minutes, and the Cat came back again.

'I knew it!' said the Cat and vanished again.

'I think I'll go and visit the March Hare?' said Alice

She looked up, and there was the Cheshire Cat in a tree - a different tree.

Then she said, 'Cheshire Cat, one minute you vanish and the next minute you're there again

Then all of it vanished, and there was only its smile.

Slowly, the Cheshire Cat's smile vanished too, and Alice began to walk again

But there were only three at the table: the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and a large brown mouse

The Mouse sat between the Mad Hatter and the March Hare

Then he took out his watch and looked at it

The March Hare took the watch from the Mad Hatter and looked at it sadly

He took it out and looked at it again.' It was the best butter, you know,' he repeated.

But he and I aren't friends now

'I see,' said Alice and smiled politely

He took his teacup and put a little hot tea on the Mouse's nose

It woke up and started to sing.

'Be quiet!' the Mad Hatter said very loudly, and the Mouse stopped singing.

Alice got up angrily and walked away from the table into the woods.

'And then they'll be nice to me and give me some tea and bread-and-butter.'

She looked round and saw a door in one of the trees

And she opened the door and went inside.

She took it and opened the little door

She'll be very angry and cut off our heads

Alice heard the sound of many feet and turned round.

There were ten of them, and they had red diamonds on their clothes

The children of the King and Queen came next, all with red hearts

Most of them were Kings and Queens

Last of all were the King and Queen of Hearts.

So he smiled and said nothing.

She turned to Alice and said, 'What's your name, child?'

They were on the ground and she couldn't see their faces

The Queen's face got redder and redder

She looked at Alice and shouted, 'Cut off her head! Cut-'

The Queen turned to the little tree and looked at it carefully

'They were white, and - and-'

Everybody started walking again and Alice walked with them.

Alice turned round and there was the White Rabbit next to her.

'Quiet!' said the Rabbit and looked all round him

In another minute, she could see its ears and eyes.

The Queen smiled and moved away

But the King saw the Cat's head and came to Alice.

'That's not polite,' said the King and got behind Alice.

There was the King and Queen, and a man with a very long knife in his hand.

'I can't do it and I'm not going to.'

She put her arm through Alice's and they walked through the garden.

The Duchess didn't answer and started to run

Alice and the Duchess followed everybody into a house with one very large room

The King and Queen were there

They sat on big chairs above all the animals and birds

He had a paper in his hand and looked very important

The Knave of Hearts stood in front of the King and Queen

He stood between two men and his head was down

Alice found a place and sat down

'I know a lot of the animals and birds here,' she thought

The White Rabbit stood up and read from a very long paper:

'We have to call people into the room, and ask them questions.'

He had a teacup in one hand, and some bread-and-butter in the other hand.

The March Hare and the Mouse were quite near him and he looked at them for ideas

'Well, the Mouse said...' The Mad Hatter stopped and looked at the Mouse

'After that,' said the Mad Hatter, 'I cut some more bread-and-butter.'

But the Mad Hatter ran very fast and they could not catch him.

She was between the Duchess and the Mouse

He got up and sat in a different place.

The White Rabbit looked at his paper and read the next name: 'Alice!'

'Here!' cried Alice and stood up quickly

But she was tall now, and chairs, tables and people fell here, there and everywhere.

'Put everything and everybody back!' said the King loudly

He took a book and read from it

She was very large now and she wasn't afraid of anybody.

She felt afraid and angry and started to fight them

'Oh!' said Alice, and then she understood

She sat up and told her sister about the White Rabbit and the rabbit-hole

And she got up and ran home.

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School and Football

One day a big box of bananas fell down on my daddy and killed him.

But then some boys hit me, and my Mom didn't want me to play with them again

Then the children started laughing and running away from me

But one girl, Jenny Curran, didn't run away, and sometimes she walked home with me

Then they put me into another kind of school, and there were some strange boys there

But when I was thirteen, I grew six inches in six months! And by the time I was sixteen, I was bigger and heavier than all the other boys in the school.

One day I was walking home, and a car stopped next to me

The driver asked me my name, and I told him

'I see other people playing, but I don't play and they never ask me to play with them.'

Three days later, the man in the car came and got me out of school

Mom was there, and they got all the things out of my desk and put them in a brown paper bag

The man in the car took me and Mom to the new high school

Coach Fellers asked me to put on a football suit, then asked me to undress and dress again, twenty times, until I could do it easily.

I began to play football with the high school team, and Coach Fellers helped me

And who do you think I saw in the school cafe? Jenny Curran! She was all grown-up now, with pretty black hair, long legs, and a beautiful face

I went and sat with her, and she remembered me!

But there was a boy in the cafe who started calling me names, and saying things like, 'How's Stupid?'

Then he threw some milk at me, and I jumped out of my chair and ran away

A day or two later, after school in the afternoon, he and his friends came up to me and started pushing and hitting me

He had a strange look on his face, and he came and told me to put on my football suit

The others started running after me, and I ran as fast as I could

When they caught me, it needed eight of them to pull me down! Coach Fellers was really happy! He started jumping up and down and laughing

We had our first game, and I was frightened

But they gave me the ball, and I ran over the goal line two or three times

So she phoned Jenny's Mom and explained

Next evening, Jenny arrived at our house, wearing a white dress, and with a pink flower in her hair

Jenny got the tickets, and we went inside

The film was about a man and a woman, Bonnie and Clyde, and there was a lot of shooting and killing

But when I did this, people looked at me, and Jenny got down lower and lower in her place

Once I thought she was on the floor, and I put my hand on her shoulder to pull her up

But I pulled her dress, and it came open, and she screamed.

Then two men came and took me to an office

A few minutes later, four policemen arrived, and took me to the police station!

She was crying, and I knew that I was in trouble again

So the next morning, Mom put some things into a suitcase for me, and put me on a bus

But they started the bus, and away I went.

Most of the doors and windows were broken, and the floor was dirty

I got the ball, but I ran the wrong way with it, and everybody got angry and started shouting at me.

'Just get in the line and start catching the ball,' he told me.

I wanted my Mom, and I wanted to go home

And Curtis was always angry, and I couldn't understand him

He had a car, and sometimes he gave me a ride to the practice field

Then Curtis ran after me, and called me all kinds of terrible names.

I ran well, and we won 35 to 3

He broke his foot in football practice and couldn't play in the game

I sat and listened to him

We didn't talk, but after about an hour, I asked, 'Can I try it?' and he said 'OK', and gave me the harmonica

After several minutes, Bubba was getting really excited and saying, 'Good, good, good!' Then he asked, 'Where did you learn to play like that?'

When it got late, he told me to take the harmonica with me, and I played it for a long time in my room.

I was really happy, and I went and sat under a tree and played all day.

Suddenly, I heard a voice shout, 'Forrest!' I turned round - and saw Jenny!

She had a big smile on her face, and she held my hand.

She wasn't angry about the cinema, and she asked me to have a drink with her!

'I'm taking lessons in music, and I want to be a singer,' she told me

Why don't you come and listen?'

There were a lot of people there, and Jenny was wearing a long dress and singing

Three or four other people were in the group with her, and they made a good sound

Jenny saw me and smiled, and I sat on the floor and listened

They played for about an hour, and I was lying back with my eyes closed, listening happily

Jenny stopped singing for a second or two, and the others in the group stopped playing

Then Jenny laughed and began to sing with my harmonica, and then everybody was saying 'Wonderful!' to me.

Well, after that, Jenny asked me to play with their group every Friday, and paid me $25 every time!

The game started, and the ball came to me

I took it - and ran straight into a group of big men on the other team! Crash! It was like that all afternoon.

'Forrest,' he said, 'all year we have secretly taught you to catch the ball and run with it

But that meant Gwinn was free to catch the ball, and he put us on the 15-yard line

Then Weasel, the kicker, got a field goal, and it was 28 to 24!

Weasel made a bad mistake - and then the game finished, and we were the losers.

I wasn't clever enough at the lessons, and there was nothing that anybody could do about it

"Just give me that boy in my team for a year!", and they did

But it wasn't Friday night, and Jenny's band wasn't playing

After I left the idiot school, people were always shouting at me - Coach Fellers, Coach Bryant, and then the people in the army

But I have to say this: the people in the army shouted louder and longer than anybody!

After about a hundred hours on a bus, me and a lot of other new young soldiers arrived there

Then, and in the months to come, I just had to do the things that I was told to do

They taught me how to shoot guns, throw hand grenades, and move along the ground on my stomach.

One day, the cook was ill, and somebody said, 'Gump, you're going to be the cook today.'

'Just put everything that you see in the food cupboard into a big pot and cook it.'

Well, I got tins of tomatoes, some rice, apples, potatoes, and everything that I could find

There was a big metal thing about six feet tall and five feet round, sitting in the corner.

I put everything in it, and after about an hour you could smell the cooking

Then the men came back and everybody was waiting for their dinner.

Suddenly, the boiler began to shake and make noises - and then it blew up!

It blew the food all over us - me, and all the men who were sitting at the tables.

We threw ourselves on to the floor of the shower hole, and somebody started screaming

It was some of our men on the far side of the hole, and there was blood all over them

Then everything went quiet again, and after a minute or two the rest of us climbed up out of the hole.

We went in helicopters, and there was smoke coming up out of the jungle when we got there

The enemy started shooting at us before we got on the ground, and they blew up one of our helicopters

It was terrible! People on fire, and nothing that we could do

His foot got too bad to play football, and he had to leave the university

But his foot wasn't too bad for the army to get him - and here he was.

'She left school and went off with a group of people who were against the war,' he said.

We were on one hill and the enemy was on the other

Then we got orders to move the machine gun about fifty metres to the left of the big tree that was in the middle of the valley, and to find a safe place to put it before the enemy blew us all up.

We found a place to put the gun and stayed there all night

When it was day again, our planes came, and they blew up the enemy soldiers

Then we watched while our men moved off the hill and came down into the valley.

The shooting was in front of us, which meant that the enemy soldiers were in between us and our men

And this meant that the enemy was able to come back and find us, so we had to get out fast.

Doyle and I and the other two men threw grenades, but then an enemy soldier shot Bones in the head

I pulled the machine gun from his hands, and shouted to Doyle.

Two of them were dead, and Doyle was only just alive.

I picked up Doyle and put him across my shoulders, then I ran towards the hill

There were bullets flying all round me from behind - and then I saw more enemy soldiers in the low grass in front of me! They were shooting at our men on the hill.

I ran fast, shouting and screaming as loudly as I could

And suddenly I was in the middle of our soldiers, and everybody was pleased and hitting me on the back! My shouting and screaming frightened the enemy soldiers away

I got a letter from my Mom, and I wrote back to her that everything was OK

I also wrote a letter to Jenny Curran and asked Mom to ask her parents to send it on to her

Bubba and I decided that we would get a shrimp boat when we got home again, and catch shrimps, and make a lot of money

It started to rain one day, and it didn't stop for two months! But we still had to look for enemy soldiers - and one day we found them

Somebody shouted, 'Back!' I picked up my machine gun and ran towards some trees.

Then I heard that he was out in the rice field, and he was hurt, so I left my gun by the trees and ran back into the field

He was holding a hand up to me - so I picked him up and ran back to the trees with him

Then I ran out again and found Bubba

There was blood all over him and he had two bullets in his stomach.

He looked up at me, and said, 'Forrest, why did this happen?' What could I say? Then he said, 'Play me a song on the harmonica, will you?'

Then all the colour went out of Bubba's face and he said something very softly: 'Home.'

Nobody could get any help to us, and the enemy soldiers were so near that we could hear them talking

Then, when it got light, an American plane came and used fire-throwers on the enemy - and almost on us! Suddenly the trees were on fire, and men were running out of the jungle with burned skin and clothes.

Then our helicopters came, and the enemy soldiers who were left ran away.

An hour later, I was out of there and on my way to the hospital in Danang.

After the first few weeks my leg was getting better, and one day I went down into the little town, to the fish market

I bought some shrimps, and one of the cooks at the hospital cooked them for me

Two days later, I went back to the fish market and talked to a man who was selling shrimps.

He immediately started talking fast in a language that I couldn't understand, but he took me somewhere - past all the boats and the beach

There he took a net and put it in the water

Every day for the next few weeks, I went with Mr Chi (that was his name) and watched him while he worked

He showed me how to catch shrimps with the net, and it was so easy that an idiot was able to do it!

Then one day I got back to the hospital and a Colonel Gooch said, 'Gump, we're going back to America together! You're going to see the President of the United States, and he's going to give you a medal because you were very brave.'

There were about two thousand people waiting for us at San Francisco airport when we got off the plane! What a surprise! A lot of them had beards and long hair

They were shouting unpleasant things, and then somebody threw a tomato at Colonel Gooch and it hit him in the face

He tried to clean it off and not look angry, but I didn't want to wait for them to start throwing things at me! No sir! I started running.

I ran all round the airport, and then I ran into a toilet and locked the door

I went to look for Colonel Gooch, and I found him in the middle of a group of policemen

The army sent a car to meet us at Washington airport, and we drove to a really nice hotel

When we got there, he bought me a beer, and he was telling me about the President and my medal when something happened

A pretty girl came up to our table, and the Colonel thought she was a waitress.

She looked at him and said, 'I won't get you anything - not as much as a glass of warm river-water, you pig!' Then she looked at me and said, 'And how many babies have you killed today, you big ape?'

Next morning we got up early and went to the White House, where the President lives

A lot of army people were there, and they immediately started shaking my hand and telling me that I was a brave man and that they were pleased to meet me.

The President was a great big old man who talked like somebody from Texas, and there were a lot of people standing round him in the flower garden.

Then an army man started to read something, and everybody listened

Everybody but me, because I was hungry and wanted some breakfast

At last the army man finished reading, and then the President came up and gave me the medal

I was just thinking of getting out of there and having some breakfast when the President said, 'Boy, is that your stomach making that noise?' So I said, 'Yes,' and the President said, 'Well, come on, boy, let's go and get something to eat!' And I followed him into the house, and a waiter got us some breakfast.

The President asked me a lot of questions about Vietnam and the army, but I just said, 'Yes, it's OK' or shook my head to say no, and after several minutes of this we were both silent.

So me and the President of America watched TV while I ate my breakfast!

Later, when we were back in the garden, the President said, 'You were hurt, weren't you, boy? Well, look at this...' And he pulled up his shirt and showed me the place on his stomach where he was hurt once

So I pulled down my trousers, turned round and showed him.

Well, lots of newspaper men started taking photographs before Colonel Gooch could run across and pull me away!

That afternoon, back at the hotel, he came to my room shouting and throwing newspapers on to the bed

Soon after that, I heard that I was leaving the army early, and they gave me some money for a train ticket to go home.

She was now playing in a group called The Broken Eggs, and they played two nights each week at a place called the Hodaddy Club near Harvard University

Now that I was free from the army, I just wanted to go and see her

It was in the afternoon, and the man behind the bar said, Jenny'll be here about nine o'clock.'

So I sat down and waited for five or six hours.

The men had beards, and the women had long, untidy hair

Then they began to play - and they were loud

Her hair was all the way down her back, and she was wearing sun-glasses - at night! She was wearing blue jeans and a shirt with lots of colours on it

The group started playing again and Jenny began to sing.

Later, I went outside and walked round for about half an hour, then went back

There were a lot of people waiting to go in, so I went round to the back of the place and sat on the ground

I had my harmonica in my pocket, so I took it out and started to play.

I could hear the music that was playing inside and, after a minute or two, I began playing with it

Suddenly, a door behind me opened - and there was Jenny!

'Forrest Gump!' And she ran out of the door and threw her arms round me.

I went to California and stayed there for some time.' She laughed

'I wore flowers in my hair, and talked about love

Then I met a man, and we came to Boston

He was against the war, like me, but he blew up buildings and things

You can come back and stay with us tonight.'

He was a little man, and he was sitting on the floor with his eyes shut when we got to Jenny's flat.

'He's a friend of mine from home, and he's going to stay with us for a few days.'

Rudolph didn't speak or open his eyes, but he put up his hand and smiled.

That afternoon, Jenny took me to meet the other people in the group, and that night I began playing my harmonica with them at the Hodaddy Club

It went well, and I played with them every night after that.

Then one day I came back to the flat and Jenny was sitting on the floor.

But the next minute we were kissing and making love! And when we finished, Jenny said, 'Forrest, where have you been all this time?'

Spring and summer went by, and I continued to play my harmonica with the group

But one night I was sitting outside the Hodaddy Club, smoking a cigarette, when a girl smiled and came up to me

She sat down across my legs and put her arms round me

She was laughing and kissing me, and I didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, the door opened behind me, and there was Jenny.

I jumped up and pushed the girl away

I went to live with Moses, one of the other men in the group, and soon after that Jenny went to Washington to talk and work against the war

Police were everywhere, and people were shouting and throwing things.

Then, at about nine o'clock, a car stopped near the house and some people got out

I started to walk towards her, but she turned and walked away

The other people - two men and a girl - didn't know what to say.

Jenny was in the back of the car now, so I went over and talked to her through the window

I told her how I felt - I was sorry about the girl, and I didn't want to play in the group without her

She listened quietly, then opened the car door for me to get in, and we sat and talked.

Some American soldiers planned to take off their Vietnam medals and throw them away in front of the crowds of people.

The others went quiet and looked at me, then looked at Jenny.

I want you to come with us today, and I want you to wear your army clothes.'

But because my medal was a more famous medal than theirs, it was more important to Jenny and her friends.

As it happened, I didn't stay in prison long, because they soon realized that I was an idiot, and they put me in a special hospital for idiots

I soon understood why! NASA sent me on a journey into space with a woman and an ape! Me, a spaceman! It was very strange.

Instead of coming down in the sea when we returned, the space ship came down in the jungle somewhere, and it was four years before the NASA people found us! But the ape and I were soon good friends

His name was Sue (yes, I know it's a girl's name, but they sent a male ape up by mistake, and NASA didn't like to tell the newspapers that)

I phoned the number, and she wasn't.

I asked about Jenny at the office, and the woman said, 'Yes, she works in here

Why don't you wait at the side of the factory? It's almost lunch-time, and she'll probably come out.' So I did.

She went and sat under a tree on the grass, and began eating an apple

I went up behind her and said, 'That looks like a nice apple.' She didn't look up

A minute later, I had my arms round her and we were both crying

Jenny and me were together again.

It started when I arm-wrestled a man in the bar, and won some money on a bet

She came across to the bar after work, and we had a drink and talked.

And I told her all about that, and about Sue, the ape.

Later, we went back to Jenny's flat, and she said, 'You can stay here.'

Several people wanted to try arm-wrestling with me again, and I said OK

I bet all my money on myself to win - and then I lost the fight.

When I got back to the flat, Jenny was gone, and there was a letter waiting for me

It isn't honest, and I cannot go on with you like this

I think about having a house and a family and things like that now

I watched you grow up big and strong and good

And then, in Boston, I realized that I loved you, and I was the happiest girl in the world

Then you went up into space and I lost you for four years, and I think you changed

So, I must go and find it.

I decided to go home to Mobile, but the bus stopped at Nashville on the way and I went into town for a drink and something to eat

I was going past a hotel when I looked in the window and saw some people who were playing chess

Well, I went into the hotel to watch them, but it was a special chess tournament and it cost five dollars to watch, so I didn't go into the chess room.

I had another hour before I had to catch the bus again, so I went across and watched him

It was time for me to get back to the bus station, but when I started to leave, the old man said, 'Why don't you sit down and finish this game with me?'

So he waved at me with his hand, and I went back to the bus station.

But I missed the bus that evening, and there wasn't another one until the next day

So I walked back to the hotel, and there was the little old man, still playing against himself

He looked up and saw me, and told me to sit down.

'I'm going home, and I'm going to start a shrimp business.'

We were a day or two early for the tournament, and Mr Tribble took me to see some people who were making a film

So we went with Mr Felder, and I found myself acting in a film about the jungle - with Raquel Welch, the famous film star! 'Is that really Raquel Welch?' I asked Mr Felder

Somehow, when I was helping Miss Welch to escape from the jungle, her dress came off and I had to run into the trees to hide her

The three of us ran out of there fast, and Miss Welch shouted and screamed.

Back at our hotel, the three of us sat in our room and tried to decide what to do.

Mr Tribble and I got there early, and I had to play chess all day.

It took me about seven minutes to win the first game, and half an hour to win the next

I played all that day, and the next

He was a big man, with long black hair, and he didn't want to lose!

But just when Honest Ivan seemed to be winning, Sue ran across the room and jumped onto the chess table!

Honest Ivan fell off his chair, and everybody started screaming and running everywhere

We got back to the hotel and hurried up to our room.

Take Sue back to Alabama with you, and start your shrimp business.' He shook my hand and gave me his address

The train got into Mobile station about three o'clock in the morning, and Sue and I got off

We walked into the town and finally found a place to sleep in an empty building.

The next morning I bought some breakfast and got Sue some bananas to eat

Two days later, Sue and I got the bus to Bayou La Batre, where Bubba's parents lived, and I explained to Bubba's daddy about the shrimp business that Bubba and I planned to start after we came out of the army

He listened, and he was very interested

And the next day he took Sue and me out in his little boat, to look for a good place to start the shrimp business.

It took almost a month to start things up - to get nets, and a boat, and everything

Finally the day came when Sue and I were ready to go shrimping

And by that night we had hundreds and hundreds of shrimps in our nets!

We worked hard, all that summer, and that autumn and winter and the next spring

And after a year, Mom was working for me, and Mr Tribble, and Curtis (my old football friend), and Bubba's daddy.

And one day I dressed in my best clothes and got the bus to Mobile, and I went to Jenny's Mom's house.

Well, we talked about Mom and the shrimp business and everything

I looked in the mirror and saw lines on my face and grey in my hair

Sue came with me, and we went to the bus station.

Sue and I got off the bus at Savannah, then I went and got a cup of coffee and sat outside the bus station

So after I finished my cup of coffee, I took out my harmonica and began to play

I played two songs - and a man walked past and threw some money into my empty coffee cup! I played two more songs, and soon the cup was half full of money!

Then I looked up and saw a woman who was standing near him.

Her hair was different, and she looked a bit older, and a bit tired, but it was her all right

And when I finished playing, she held the little boy's hand and came across.

'Mom wrote and told me about your shrimp business, and how rich you were.'

'Of course,' said Jenny, and she called to him

The boy came and sat down

'How long have we been friends, Forrest? Thirty years? Sometimes it doesn't seem true.' She moved nearer, and gave me a kiss

Then she got up and held little Forrest's hand, and they walked away.

First I phoned Mr Tribble and told him to give some of my money from the shrimp business to my Mom, and some to Bubba's daddy.

'Then send the rest to Jenny and little Forrest,' I said.

'Perhaps I can put things right with Jenny,' I thought, 'now that I've found her again.' But the more I thought about it, the more I finally understood that it was better for the boy to be with Jenny and her husband, and not to have an idiot for a father.

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One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination

One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land

When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir

This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "Unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned

And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice

This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality

And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual

Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline

Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities

We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote

No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations

And some of you have come from areas where your quest - quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of ''interposition" and "nullification" - one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Fellow citizens of the United States: in compliance with a custom as old as the government itself, I appear before you to address you briefly and to take, in your presence, the oath prescribed by the Constitution of the United States, to be taken by the President "before he enters on the execution of his office."

Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the Southern States that by the accession of a Republican administration, their property and their peace and personal security are to be endangered

Indeed, the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed and been open to their inspection

I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."

Those who nominated and elected me did so with full knowledge that I had made this and many similar declarations, and had never recanted them

And, more than this, they placed in the platform for my acceptance, and as a law to themselves and to me, the clear and emphatic resolution which I now read:

"Resolved: that the maintenance inviolate of the rights of the States, and especially the right of each State to order and control its own domestic institutions according to its own judgment exclusively, is essential to that balance of power on which the perfection and endurance of our political fabric depend, and we denounce the lawless invasion by armed force of the soil of any State or Territory, no matter under what pretext, as among the gravest of crimes."

I now reiterate these sentiments; and, in doing so, I only press upon the public attention the most conclusive evidence of which the case is susceptible that the property, peace, and security of no section are to be in any wise endangered by the now incoming administration

I add, too, that all the protection which, consistently with the Constitution and the laws, can be given, will be cheerfully given to all the States when lawfully demanded, for whatever cause - as cheerfully to one section as to another.

It is scarcely questioned that this provision was intended by those who made it for the reclaiming of what we call fugitive slaves; and the intention of the lawgiver is the law

Now, if they would make the effort in good temper, could they not with nearly equal unanimity frame and pass a law by means of which to keep good that unanimous oath?

Again, in any law upon this subject, ought not all the safeguards of liberty known in civilized and humane jurisprudence to be introduced, so that a free man be not, in any case, surrendered as a slave? And might it not be well at the same time to provide by law for the enforcement of that clause in the Constitution which guarantees that "the citizen of each State shall be entitled to all privileged and immunities of citizens in the several States?"

I take the official oath today with no mental reservations, and with no purpose to construe the Constitution or laws by any hypercritical rules

And while I do not choose now to specify particular acts of Congress as proper to be enforced, I do suggest that it will be much safer for all, both in official and private stations, to conform to and abide by all those acts which stand un repealed, than to violate any of them, trusting to find impunity in having them held to be unconstitutional.

During that period fifteen different and greatly distinguished citizens have, in succession, administered the executive branch of the government

They have conducted it through many perils, and generally with great success

Yet, with all this scope of precedent, I now enter upon the same task for the brief Constitutional term of four years under great and peculiar difficulty

I hold that, in contemplation of universal law and of the Constitution, the Union of these States is perpetual

Continue to execute all the express provisions of our National Constitution, and the Union will endure forever - it being impossible to destroy it except by some action not provided for in the instrument itself.

It was matured and continued by the Declaration of Independence in 1776

It was further matured, and the faith of all the then thirteen States expressly plighted and engaged that it should be perpetual, by the Articles of Confederation in 1778

And, finally, in 1787 one of the declared objects for ordaining and establishing the Constitution was "TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION."

It follows from these views that no State upon its own mere motion can lawfully get out of the Union; that Resolves and Ordinances to that effect are legally void; and that acts of violence, within any State or States, against the authority of the United States, are insurrectionary or revolutionary, according to circumstances.

I therefore consider that, in view of the Constitution and the laws, the Union is unbroken; and to the extent of my ability I shall take care, as the Constitution itself expressly enjoins upon me, that the laws of the Union be faithfully executed in all the States

Doing this I deem to be only a simple duty on my part; and I shall perform it so far as practicable, unless my rightful masters, the American people, shall withhold the requisite means, or in some authoritative manner direct the contrary

I trust this will not be regarded as a menace, but only as the declared purpose of the Union that it WILL Constitutionally defend and maintain itself.

In doing this, there needs to be no bloodshed or violence; and there shall be none, unless it be forced upon the national authority

The power confided to me will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the government, and to collect the duties and imposts; but beyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be no invasion, no using of force against or among the people anywhere

Where hostility to the United States, in any interior locality, shall be so great and universal as to prevent competent resident citizens from holding the Federal offices, there will be no attempt to force obnoxious strangers among the people for that object.

While the strict legal right may exist in the government to enforce the exercise of these offices, the attempt to do so would be so irritating, and so nearly impracticable withal, that I deem it better to forego for the time the uses of such offices.

So far as possible, the people everywhere shall have that sense of perfect security which is most favorable to calm thought and reflection

The course here indicated will be followed unless current events and experience shall show a modification or change to be proper, and in every case and exigency my best discretion will be exercised according to circumstances actually existing, and with a view and a hope of a peaceful solution of the national troubles and the restoration of fraternal sympathies and affections.

That there are persons in one section or another who seek to destroy the Union at all events, and are glad of any pretext to do it, I will neither affirm nor deny; but if there be such, I need address no word to them

Before entering upon so grave a matter as the destruction of our national fabric, with all its benefits, its memories, and its hopes, would it not be wise to ascertain precisely why we do it? Will you hazard so desperate a step while there is any possibility that any portion of the ills you fly from have no real existence? Will you, while the certain ills you fly to are greater than all the real ones you fly from - will you risk the commission of so fearful a mistake?

All the vital rights of minorities and of individuals are so plainly assured to them by affirmations and negations, guaranties and prohibitions, in the Constitution, that controversies never arise concerning them

From questions of this class spring all our constitutional controversies, and we divide upon them into majorities and minorities

If a minority in such case will secede rather than acquiesce, they make a precedent which in turn will divide and ruin them; for a minority of their own will secede from them whenever a majority refuses to be controlled by such minority

Is there such perfect identity of interests among the States to compose a new Union, as to produce harmony only, and prevent renewed secession?

A majority held in restraint by constitutional checks and limitations, and always changing easily with deliberate changes of popular opinions and sentiments, is the only true sovereign of a free people

I do not forget the position, assumed by some, that Constitutional questions are to be decided by the Supreme Court; nor do I deny that such decisions must be binding, in any case, upon the parties to a suit, as to the object of that suit, while they are also entitled to very high respect and consideration in all parallel cases by all other departments of the government

And while it is obviously possible that such decision may be erroneous in any given case, still the evil effect following it, being limited to that particular case, with the chance that it may be overruled and never become a precedent for other cases, can better be borne than could the evils of a different practice.

It is a duty from which they may not shrink to decide cases properly brought before them, and it is no fault of theirs if others seek to turn their decisions to political purposes.

One section of our country believes slavery is RIGHT, and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is WRONG, and ought not to be extended.

The fugitive-slave clause of the Constitution, and the law for the suppression of the foreign slave trade, are each as well enforced, perhaps, as any law can ever be in a community where the moral sense of the people imperfectly supports the law itself

The great body of the people abide by the dry legal obligation in both cases, and a few break over in each

This, I think, cannot be perfectly cured; and it would be worse in both cases AFTER the separation of the sections than BEFORE.

A husband and wife may be divorced, and go out of the presence and beyond the reach of each other; but the different parts of our country cannot do this.

They cannot but remain face to face, and intercourse, either amicable or hostile, must continue between them

Is it possible, then, to make that intercourse more advantageous or more satisfactory after separation than before? Can aliens make treaties easier than friends can make laws? Can treaties be more faithfully enforced between aliens than laws can among friends? Suppose you go to war, you cannot fight always; and when, after much loss on both sides, and no gain on either, you cease fighting, the identical old questions as to terms of intercourse are again upon you.

I cannot be ignorant of the fact that many worthy and patriotic citizens are desirous of having the national Constitution amended

While I make no recommendation of amendments, I fully recognize the rightful authority of the people over the whole subject, to be exercised in either of the modes prescribed in the instrument itself; and I should, under existing circumstances, favor rather than oppose a fair opportunity being afforded the people to act upon it

I will venture to add that to me the convention mode seems preferable, in that it allows amendments to originate with the people themselves, instead of only permitting them to take or reject propositions originated by others not especially chosen for the purpose, and which might not be precisely such as they would wish to either accept or refuse

To avoid misconstruction of what I have said, I depart from my purpose not to speak of particular amendments so far as to say that, holding such a provision to now be implied Constitutional law, I have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable.

The chief magistrate derives all his authority from the people, and they have conferred none upon him to fix terms for the separation of the states

His duty is to administer the present government, as it came to his hands, and to transmit it, unimpaired by him, to his successor.

Why should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world? In our present differences is either party without faith of being in the right? If the Almighty Ruler of Nations, with his eternal truth and justice, be on your side of the North, or on yours of the South, that truth and that justice will surely prevail, by the judgment of this great tribunal, the American people.

By the frame of the government under which we live, this same people have wisely given their public servants but little power for mischief; and have, with equal wisdom, provided for the return of that little to their own hands at very short intervals

While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in the short space of four years.

My countrymen, one and all, think calmly and WELL upon this whole subject

Such of you as are now dissatisfied, still have the old Constitution unimpaired, and, on the sensitive point, the laws of your own framing under it; while the new administration will have no immediate power, if it would, to change either

Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him who has never yet forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust in the best way all our present difficulty.

In YOUR hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in MINE, is the momentous issue of civil war

YOU have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to "preserve, protect, and defend it."

The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

Then a statement, somewhat in detail, of a course to be pursued, seemed fitting and proper

Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention, and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented

The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself; and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all

insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war - seeking to dissolve the Union, and divide effects, by negotiation.

Both parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish

These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest

To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union, even by war; while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it

Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding

Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes

He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a Living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope - fervently do we pray - that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away

Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bondman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether."

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.

What is this non-cooperation, about which you have heard much, and why do we want to offer this non-cooperation?

On the contrary, I hold that non-cooperation is a just and religious doctrine; it is the inherent right of every human being and it is perfectly constitutional

A great lover of the British Empire has said that under the British constitution even a successful rebellion is perfectly constitutional, and he quotes historical instances, which I cannot deny, in support of his claim

I tell you that while my friend believes also in the doctrine of violence and has adopted the doctrine of non-violence as a weapon of the weak, I believe in the doctrine of non-violence as a weapon of the strongest

I ask, is it unconstitutional for a policeman or for a soldier to tender his resignation when he knows that he is called to serve a Government which traduces his own countrymen? Is it unconstitutional for me to go to the agriculturist and say to him "it's not wise for you to pay any taxes, if these taxes are used by the Government not to raise you but to weaken you?" I hold and I venture to submit, that there is nothing unconstitutional in it

What is more, I have done every one of these things in my life, and nobody has questioned the constitutional character of it.

But I do venture to suggest that it will be highly unconstitutional in the midst of this unconstitutional Government, - in the midst of a nation which has built up its magnificent constitution, - for the people of India to become weak and to crawl on their belly - it will be highly unconstitutional for the people of India to pocket every insult that is offered to them; it is highly unconstitutional for the 70 millions of Mohammedans of India to submit to a violent wrong done to their religion; it is highly unconstitutional for the whole of India to sit still and cooperate with an unjust Government which has trodden under its feet the honour of the Punjab.

I say to my countrymen so long as you have a sense of honour and so long as you wish to remain the descendants and defenders of the noble traditions that have been handed to you for generations after generations; it is unconstitutional for you not to non-cooperate and unconstitutional for you to cooperate with a Government which has become so unjust as our Government has become.

I'm not anti-English; I'm not anti-British; I'm not anti any Government; but I am anti-untruth, anti-humbug and anti-un justice

Until we have wrung justice, and until we have wrung our self-respect from unwilling hands and from unwilling pens, there can be no cooperation

Our Shastras say and I say so with the greatest deference to all the greatest religious preceptors of India but without fear of contradiction, that our Shastras teach us that there shall be no cooperation between injustice and justice, between an unjust man and a justice- loving man, between truth and untruth

Cooperation is a duty only so long as Government protects your honour, and non-cooperation is an equal duty when the Government, instead of protecting, robs you of your honour

And I am certain that on this day my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency, I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impels.

This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly

This great Nation will endure, as it has endured, will revive and will prosper.

In every dark hour of our national life, a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory

In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties

Values have shrunk to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; and the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone

More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return

Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered, because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for

Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it

Primarily, this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind's goods have failed, through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure, and have abdicated

Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.

They have no vision, and when there is no vision the people perish.

Recognition of that falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the false belief that public office and high political position are to be valued only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit; and there must be an end to a conduct in banking and in business which too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous and selfish wrongdoing

Small wonder that confidence languishes, for it thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection, and on unselfish performance; without them it cannot live.

This Nation is asking for action, and action now.

This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously

It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing great - greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our great natural resources.

Hand in hand with that we must frankly recognize the overbalance of population in our industrial centers and by engaging on a national scale in a redistribution, endeavor to provide a better use of the land for those best fitted for the land.

Yes, the task can be helped by definite efforts to raise the values of agricultural products, and with this the power to purchase the output of our cities

It can be helped by preventing realistically the tragedy of the growing loss through foreclosure of our small homes and our farms

It can be helped by insistence that the Federal, the State, and the local governments act forthwith on the demand that their cost be drastically reduced

It can be helped by national planning for and supervision of all forms of transportation and of communications and other utilities that have a definitely public character

There must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments

I shall presently urge upon a new Congress in special session detailed measures for their fulfillment, and I shall seek the immediate assistance of the 48 States.

Through this program of action we address ourselves to putting our own national house in order and making income balance outgo

Our international trade relations, though vastly important, are in point of time and necessity, secondary to the establishment of a sound national economy

It is the insistence, as a first consideration, upon the interdependence of the various elements in and parts of the United States of America - a recognition of the old and permanently important manifestation of the American spirit of the pioneer

In the field of world policy, I would dedicate this Nation to the policy of the good neighbor: the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and, because he does so, respects the rights of others; the neighbor who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements in and with a world of neighbors.

If I read the temper of our people correctly, we now realize, as we have never realized before, our interdependence on each other; that we cannot merely take, but we must give as well; that if we are to go forward, we must move as a trained and loyal army willing to sacrifice for the good of a common discipline, because without such discipline no progress can be made, no leadership becomes effective.

We are, I know, ready and willing to submit our lives and our property to such discipline, because it makes possible a leadership which aims at the larger good

Our Constitution is so simple, so practical that it is possible always to meet extraordinary needs by changes in emphasis and arrangement without loss of essential form

And it is to be hoped that the normal balance of executive and legislative authority may be wholly equal, wholly adequate to meet the unprecedented task before us

But it may be that an unprecedented demand and need for un delayed action may call for temporary departure from that normal balance of public procedure.

These measures, or such other measures as the Congress may build out of its experience and wisdom, I shall seek, within my constitutional authority, to bring to speedy adoption.

For the trust reposed in me, I will return the courage and the devotion that befit the time

We face the arduous days that lie before us in the warm courage of national unity; with the clear consciousness of seeking old and precious moral values; with the clean satisfaction that comes from the stern performance of duty by old and young alike

They have asked for discipline and direction under leadership

May He protect each and every one of us.

For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.

For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life

Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans - born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage - and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

This much we pledge - and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyally of faithful friends

Divided, there is little we can do - for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.

But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom - and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside

To those people in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them, help themselves, for whatever period is required - not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right.

To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge - to convert our good words into good deeds - in a new alliance for progress - to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty

To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support - to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective - to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak - and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.

But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course - both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.

So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof

Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms - and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.

Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.

(and) let the oppressed go free."

And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.

Now the trumpet summons us again - not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need - not as a call to battle, though embattled we are - but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation" - a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it - and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you

With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

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He seemed about forty years old and he was very well dressed

He seemed very polite and he appeared to be quite a gentleman

Then he took some papers from the clerk and left.

He noticed me and he asked our host to introduce him to me

'What a sad story it is! A young man like that suddenly gives up his business and retires from the world.'

I watched him for the rest of the evening and he seemed to be a good man

He talked politely to everybody and everybody seemed to like him

Mr Slinkton waved cheerfully at me and came into my office.

The clerk searched through his files for a moment and then he brought me some papers.

He wants a policy for two thousand pounds and he has asked Mr Slinkton to write a reference for him.

Mr Slinkton sat down in my office and wrote the reference for Mr Beckwith

He left the forms in my office, said goodbye politely and then left.

I went to Scarborough in September and I saw Mr Slinkton walking on the beach there

It was early evening and he greeted me warmly.

I was away from Mr Slinkton and Miss Niner for about five minutes.

You are in great danger! You must come with me and talk to that man in the hand-carriage

I went back to the rock and sat down

He told me that Miss Niner was very ill and he looked sad while he told me

I arrived at the Temple and went up some stairs

The room was dirty and there were empty bottles everywhere

He walked very unsteadily and he seemed drunk.

He went into the corridor and began to shout loudly.

'Hey! Julius! Come in here and have a drink!' he called.

'Give me what you always give me for breakfast, lunch and dinner

He thought for a moment and then he spoke to me.

'You will try to argue that I was responsible for Beckwith's condition - and for his eventual death

Beckwith suddenly picked up his brandy-glass and threw it at Mr Slinkton

The glass cut his forehead and blood began to flow down his face

Mr Slinkton took out his handkerchief and dried his face

'You're a rogue, Slinkton, and I've caught you! I took these rooms on purpose, just to catch you

I pretended to be a drunkard in order to catch you and I've done it

Suddenly Slinkton lost his calm and his courage

I went to Mr Sampson and told him everything

And I hope you see me in your imagination - when they put the rope around your neck and the crowd cries out for your death!'

Slinkton turned quickly away from us for a second and put his hand to his mouth

Slinkton gasped, ran a few steps and fell to the floor

Meltham and I made sure that Slinkton was dead

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On August 30th the weather was cool, the sky was black with smoke from domestic fires, and rain fell; rain and more rain

The late summer and autumn had the heaviest rain of the year.

From the dirty streets, dark passages and slum houses of Whitechapel hundreds of people went to watch the fire

Many of them were poor and homeless

They lived and slept in squalid lodging houses

The poorest lived in the streets and slept in doorways.

As always, the pubs were crowded and noisy

Alcohol was cheap and it helped people to feel better

She needed the money to pay for a bed in the 'White House', her lodging house in Flower and Dean Street

But Mary Ann needed alcohol too, and she was drinking too much

The streets were dark, gloomy and dangerous.

But Polly went away along Whitechapel Road to try and get some money

Buck's Row was a quiet, narrow road with warehouses on one side and some small houses or cottages on the other

At the end of the cottages was the entrance to Brown's stableyard, and then the long wall of a school

A few moments later he noticed something on the pavement in front of Brown's stableyard, and crossed the road

Cross asked him to come and look

They decided to continue on their way to work and tell the first policeman they met.

They saw a policeman, Constable Jonas Mizen, not far away in Baker's Row, told him about the woman, and then walked on to work

He had a lantern, and he showed Constable Mizen a deep cut in the woman's neck.

The manager, Walter Purkiss, and his wife were in their bedroom on the second floor

Mrs Purkiss was awake most of the night, and Mr Purkiss slept badly and was awake between one and two o'clock, but they heard nothing

Polly Nichols's killer worked quickly and silently, and disappeared like a ghost

She was about 1.58m tall, and had dark brown hair

She was wearing a blue dress, black woolen stockings, men's boots, and a black straw bonnet

She had a comb, a white handkerchief, and a broken piece of looking-glass

She lived in workhouses and, when she had the money to pay, in lodging houses

The man probably strangled Polly first, put her on the ground, and cut her throat

This was Inspector Abbeline, a fine detective who knew the East End and its people very well

But he did not know that this killer was different - clever, efficient, and savage

On the first floor Mrs Richardson and her grandson lived in three rooms, and she let out the other rooms

A carman, John Davis, occupied the attic at the front with his wife and three sons

Sometime before thieves broke the lock and stole things

John walked through the passage and opened the door to the yard

Then he sat on some stone steps and took off one of his boots, which was hurting his toe

It was getting light and he could see that the lock on the cellar door was secure

John left the house and went to the market.

and in a few minutes he went out to the backyard

Three or four minutes later Albert came into the yard again and heard a sound like a bump against the wooden fence that separated the yards of numbers 27 and 29

Then he left for work and passed Spitalfields Church at about 5.32 a.m.

By six o'clock he was ready for work and went downstairs to the backyard

On his left between the steps and the wooden fence lay the mutilated body of a woman

Davis ran out into Hanbury Street, where he saw some workmen and shouted, 'Men, come here!' They followed him, looked at the body from the steps, then ran to find a policeman.

when some workmen rushed towards him and told him about the dead woman

Chandler arrived at number 29 and noted down that the woman was lying on her back, with a deep cut from left to right across her throat and mutilations to her stomach

The inspector saw a piece of muslin and two small combs that the murderer had put near her feet

She had dark brown hair and blue eyes

Her clothes were all old and dirty: a long black jacket down to her knees, petticoats, stockings, a black skirt, and boots

Once she had children, but one died and another was disabled

Annie drank a lot and her marriage broke down

But her taste for alcohol dominated her life, and eventually she had to walk the streets as a prostitute.

She lived in a lodging house and paid eight pennies a night

She had a fight with a woman about a piece of soap and got a black eye

When she met her friend Amelia Palmer on September 2nd and 3rd she showed her the black eye and a bruise on her face

on September 8th Annie was in the kitchen of her lodging house, eating potatoes and talking with the other lodgers

One, Albert Cadosch, heard a voice in the yard and a sound like that of somebody falling against the fence between 5.20 to 5.30 a.m

on her way to Spitalfields market, she noticed a man and a woman talking outside number 29

Mrs Darrell heard the man say, 'Will you?' and the woman reply, 'Yes'

He had a dark complexion and was only a little taller than Annie

He wore a brown deerstalker hat and a dark coat

She had, the impression he was over forty and perhaps foreign.

We know that witnesses often make small errors in time, so the man Mrs Darrell saw was very probably the murderer, and he attacked Annie at approximately 5.30 a.m

It was a busy morning, with a lot of people already in the streets or getting up, and heavy traffic for the market

Although the weather was wet and breezy, it was a mild night.

In Berner Street, almost opposite a school, were two big wooden gates which opened into Dutfield's Yard, a dark, narrow court between numbers 42 and 40

Just over half an hour before, Russian and Polish Jews were having a discussion in the club

Some of them began singing Russian songs and dancing.

There was a front door to the club in Berner Street, and a side door in Dutfield's Yard that opened into the club kitchen

The passage into the yard was about five metres long and extremely dark

But inside the yard light came from the club windows, the club office, and from some cottages on the other side of the yard.

he noticed a man and a woman by the school wall opposite Dutfield's Yard

He was 1.70m tall, about 28 years old, and wore a deerstalker hat and dark clothes.

At 12.45 Israel Schwartz was walking towards Dutfield's Yard when he saw a man stop and speak to a woman in the entrance

He was wearing a dark jacket and trousers, and a black cap with a peak

Suddenly the man pulled the woman into the street and threw her down on to the pavement

He knew that Lipski was the name of a Jewish murderer, and in 1888 it was an insulting word used against Jews

Louis Diemschutz was coming along Berner Street with his pony and cart

When he drove his cart into the entrance to Dutfield's Yard, the pony turned to the left and refused to go on

Mr Diemschutz looked down to his right and in the pitch darkness he could just see a shape on the ground

He got off his cart and struck a match

He found her safe with some club members and told them about the woman

Then he returned to the yard with a candle and a friend

He examined the dead woman and saw that she had a deep cut in her throat

It was tied on the left side and was pulled very tight

Had the killer seized the scarf from behind and pulled her to the ground, where he cut her throat?

He noted the dead woman's height - 1.57m - and guessed her age, about 42

She had curly dark-brown hair, a pale complexion, and light grey eyes

She wore a long black jacket, and an old black skirt

Her stockings were white, her bonnet black, and she was wearing boots

He said she lived with him and her name was Elizabeth Stride

Elizabeth sometimes stayed at a lodging house in Flower and Dean Street, where people called her Long Liz

Her husband died in 1884, when Long Liz was lodging in Flower and Dean Street.

Then he hid in the darkness of Dutfield's Yard, and when Mr Diemschutz ran into the club, he quickly escaped

Jack the Ripper wanted more blood, and he went to look for another victim.

Although we do not know what time the killer arrived there, we know what his victim did and can follow her movements on the night of September 29-30th.

Then she started singing quietly, and at 12.30 she asked the policeman on duty when she could go

She asked him the time and he said nearly one o'clock, which was about the time of Elizabeth Stride's murder.

He went with her to the street door and asked her to shut it when she left.

We can imagine her singing to herself as she walked along, a small woman, about 1.52m, and thin

She looked about forty, and had dark brown hair under her black bonnet

Her clothes were old and dirty

She was wearing a red handkerchief around her neck, a black jacket, men's boots, and an old white apron

They passed a man and a woman at the corner of Church Passage that led into Mitre Square

The couple were talking quietly, and the woman had her hand on the man's chest

He said the woman was short, and wore a black jacket and bonnet

The man was aged 30, 1.70m tall, medium build, with a fair complexion and moustache

He wore a grey cap with a peak, a red handkerchief around his neck, and had the appearance of a sailor

He ran to a warehouse nearby and called out for the night watchman, a man named Morris