The Great Farini

Shane Peacock
Biographer, Novelist, Playwright, Journalist, Screenwriter
Author of The Great Farini - The High-Wire Life of William Hunt

The Lives of Farini Hunt - Sky Walking (Part One)

The high-wire was up and set. There was almost no wind. The sky was clear and the sun was shinning. It was a great day for a duel! The duel, of course, was between Farini and Blondin and the weapons were high in the sky with death waiting below! Peacock describes Farini the morning of the event … “He (Farini) always claimed to have nerves of steel and actually characterized himself as nonchalant and almost cavalier as his hour approached. A number of eyewitnesses agreed. One man who saw him that day recalled that he appeared “quite cool and smiled complacently” as he ascended the wooden platform next to his cable, and a reporter from the Daily Globe said that even at the last moment he still looked “like a person who possess a very determined spirit.” But as he rose that morning, his well-rehearsed bravado was undoubtedly fading. Someone else who saw him that day said that when he looked into Signor Farini’s eyes, “it was very evident that he was …nervous.” It must have been a nerve racking day, both for Farini and those who were waiting to watch him walk. Many thought they were going to watch him fall to his death!

NOTE: Mr. Peacock has written several books. His latest series is about "The Boy Sherlock Holmes" This is a wonderful look at the legendary Sherlock Holmes, in the beginning! To learn more about Shane and all of his works, please visit his website at www.shanepeacock.ca.

(To Be Continued)