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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bcdcab9 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62970 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62970) diff --git a/old/62970-0.txt b/old/62970-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 121dc9a..0000000 --- a/old/62970-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2275 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, No. 744, March 30, 1878, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 744, March 30, 1878 - -Author: Various - -Editor: William Chambers - Robert Chambers - -Release Date: August 18, 2020 [EBook #62970] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, MARCH 30, 1878 *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL - -OF - -POPULAR - -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. - -Fourth Series - -CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS. - -NO. 744. SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1878. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -ASHORE IN THE STRAITS OF MALACCA. - - -The corvette _Lyre_, one of Her Majesty’s vessels, is to be imagined -as lying at anchor off the mouth of the river Langhat, in the Straits -of Malacca, a long heavy ground-swell rolling her lazily from side to -side, as though even the sea found the climate too trying for much -exertion. It is a glorious scene which lies before us: a white beech -curtained with brilliant foliage, above which rises Parcelar Hill, a -cone-shaped mountain, with its steep sides covered with dense jungle; -but on board, the pitiless sun is pouring down his cloudless rays, -making the pitch bubble out of the seams of the deck even through -the double awning which is spread overhead. It is one o’clock in the -afternoon, the dinner hour, and the officers, clad in white tunics and -helmets, are listlessly lounging in long chairs abaft the mizzen-mast; -while on the forecastle, blue-jackets and marines are in little groups -smoking, and some who find even that amusement too hot, are stretched -about the deck sleeping or reading. Suddenly there is a slight stir -among them, and the shrill whistle of a boatswain’s mate is heard, -followed by a hoarse bellow at the hatchway: ‘D’ye hear there? A -seining-party will leave the ship at four bells [two o’clock]. All you -as wish to go give your names to the master-at-arms. Away there, first -cutters and dingey boys! Lower your boats!’ - -While the crews thus named are preparing their boats for the -expedition, volunteers in plenty are sending in their names; for a -seining, or in other words a fishing-party, which involves a run on -shore and a sort of picnic on the beach, is always popular on board a -man-of-war. At this time too, we had been nearly a month at sea, and -our store of fresh meat in the wardroom having soon been exhausted, -we had been living on the ship’s provisions for a fortnight past; -and H.M.’s salt beef (generally though disrespectfully known as -‘salt horse’), never very popular at any time, had become extremely -distasteful to our palates, though our Chinese cooks had exhausted -their science and our patience in inventing new methods of cooking -the obnoxious article. I may mention here that the _Lyre_ formed part -of a squadron which had assembled in the Straits for the suppression -of piracy, for the inhabitants of the Malay states have an interesting -custom, handed down from remote ages, of making indiscriminate war on -each other. The British government, not taking the view that this was -a wise dispensation of Providence for getting rid of a useless race by -mutual extermination, instead of leaving them to settle their disputes -like the famous Kilkenny cats, resolved to put down this lawless state -of affairs with a strong hand; so some of the powers that be, arranged -a scheme for sweeping the rivers of the piratical craft which infested -them. - -The plan was beautifully simple and efficacious in theory: part of the -squadron was to ascend a branch of the Salangore River, and drive all -the boats they should find there round to the Langhat River, where -the remainder, of which the captain of the _Lyre_ had command, was to -catch them. It ought to have been a success; but somehow or other the -ungrateful pirates declined to come out of their hiding-places and be -captured; and after spending a fortnight at anchor without making a -single haul, our only duty being to send a detachment occasionally to -relieve the guard at a stockade we had taken, we began to get tired of -the cruise and the invariable ‘salt horse,’ boiled, fried, or devilled, -that formed the ‘standing part’ of every meal; so that any proposal -to break the monotony of our daily grind, such as this seining-party -promised, was eagerly welcomed both by officers and men. - -At two o’clock a heavily laden cutter left the ship, towing the dingey, -with the large seine-net which is supplied to every man of war, coiled -up in it. Some of the older hands have taken a spare shift of clothes, -for a great deal of rough dirty work may be expected, and a wise man -likes to be prepared for emergencies; but the majority have been -content with putting on the oldest suits they can find. As we have no -chart in the boat, we find some difficulty in approaching the shore, -as a long reef runs off it, on which the heavy cutter strikes again and -again as we pull up and down looking for a passage. ‘Jump out there, -half-a-dozen hands, and look for deep water,’ sings out the lieutenant -in command of the party; and directly a number of men are overboard, -glad to cool themselves from the blazing heat; and they wade and -splash about in all directions, till the sudden disappearance of one -man, amidst the laughter of the rest, announces that he has found the -channel rather suddenly; and pulling in his direction, the boat reaches -the shore without difficulty. - -Not a promising place for a cast where we are landing—the mouth of a -deep rapid river, with steep banks of mud, behind which is a narrow -belt of sand and bushes and then a dense jungle; but the dingey—a -handy little boat—which has been sent to reconnoitre, returns with -a report of a shelving sandy beach a few hundred yards away, which -will just suit our purpose. So, telling off a few hands with axes -to cut down wood and light a fire—a very necessary precaution when -men are wet through—the remainder, after anchoring the cutter in the -river, march off to the spot where the dingey is paying out the seine -so as to inclose a large space of water. Long ropes are fastened to -each end of the net, one of which is already held on shore, and the -dingey soon brings in the other. Now comes the real hard work, as -the heavy net is slowly and laboriously hauled to land, the two ends -being gradually brought together by the direction of the experienced -fishermen in charge. As the centre part of the net approaches, the -excitement becomes great; and some of the men, regardless of sharks and -alligators, swim behind, splashing water to frighten back the fish who -are endeavouring to leap over the barrier which separates them from -freedom. Then, amidst the cheery notes of a fishing chorus, most of us -wading up to our waists in water, the purse or bulge of the net is run -high and dry on the sand, and we eagerly examine our spoil. A curious -collection they are, and many of them no use for cooking or any other -purpose that we can tell. There are crabs of all sizes and brilliant -colours, with claws out of all proportion to the size of their bodies, -which immediately make their presence felt by severely nipping the -bare legs and feet of the men nearest to them, of course much to the -amusement of the rest of the party. - -Another peril to the unwary are the catfish, unpleasant creatures, that -have a playful knack of darting their poisonous spines into the flesh -of any one incautiously touching them, thereby causing excruciating -agony for some little time. Then come some little round fish, that have -a very peculiar habit of swelling themselves out when touched, until -they actually burst as it were with their own importance. I am not -naturalist enough to tell the name of this peculiar fish, but the men -used to call them ‘beadles.’ These and many others are thrown back into -the sea as unfit for food; but even after this wholesale rejection, we -have several buckets of good eatable fish, which are sent off to the -fire, which is now blazing brightly on the strip of sand at the mouth -of the river. A question now arises as to who shall be cook, and one of -the men is promptly chosen by the others, and placed in charge of the -fish. There is a joke about selecting this particular individual. Some -months previously, in the course of a chaffing-match with the wardroom -cook’s mate, he had made a retort so peculiarly cutting that the -enraged knight of the gridiron applied an _argumentum ad hominem_ in -the shape of a saucepan, which laid him on the deck with a broken head; -so whenever there was a question of cooking to be done after this, he -was invariably selected for the office, as the others said he must have -gone deeply into the subject. - -We make cast after cast now, and fill all our spare buckets with fish, -getting rather tired ourselves with the exertion of hauling a heavy -net, up to our necks in water, till the night comes on apace, and we -edge off towards the fire, making a final cast in front of it, as the -glare attracts the fish in great numbers. We have become satiated with -sport by this time; so the net is coiled up in the dingey, and all -hands draw round the blazing fire; those that have taken the precaution -to bring dry clothes now donning them; and the others, who have been -less prudent, drying themselves in the grateful heat. - -It is a strangely picturesque scene; the flickering blaze of the -fire lighting up the groups of men stretched on the sand in various -attitudes of negligent ease, their bare muscular limbs contrasting -in almost startling whiteness with their bearded faces, bronzed -almost black with exposure to the tropical sun. Some are drinking the -scalding hot tea, which is now passed round in pannikins; while others -are toasting fish, spitted on a stick for want of a more elaborate -apparatus, and served up on a biscuit; a few grains of powder from the -cartridges—which had been brought in case of an attack, supplying the -place of salt, which had of course been forgotten. Our hunger is too -great after our arduous exertions to notice any little defects in the -cooking, and a hearty meal is enjoyed by all. Soon a pleasant odour -of tobacco arises, as a circle is formed round a glorious fire, and a -measure of grog is handed round by a corporal to each man. This latter -luxury is supplied by the officers, who have in turn been indebted to -the men for the tea which they had hospitably pressed on them. - -‘Now, my lads, for a song,’ says the officer in command; and after some -little demur as to who shall commence, a man strikes up an old sea-song -describing the wreck of the _Ramilies_, near Plymouth, a number of -verses with a chorus to each: - - With close-reefed tops’ls neatly spread, - She sought for to weather the old Rame Head. - -A fine effect is produced as the chorus is taken up by thirty deep -voices, many of the men, with a sailor’s natural aptitude for music, -singing the second and bass; and the unusual volume of sound drowns -for a moment the deafening noises of the beasts and insects that are -holding their usual nocturnal concert in the neighbouring jungle. - -‘Well done the starboard watch!’ says a man when the song is concluded. -‘Now the port.’ And soon another song begins: - - ’Twas in Cawsand Bay lying, - With the Blue-Peter flying, - And all hands aboard for the anchor to weigh, - There came a young lady, - As fair as a May-day, - And modestly hailing, this damsel did say— - -I forget the exact words that the lady made use of, though the quaint -phraseology much amused me at the time, but I remember that she wanted -her true love, a seaman on board; but the captain declined her request, -although - - He said with emotion, - ‘What son of the ocean - But would his assistance to Ellen afford.’ - -In the climax, however, the lady unexpectedly turned the tables in her -favour, for - - Out of her pocket she hauls his discharge! - -Chorus— - - For out of her pocket she hauls his discharge! - -Song followed song after this, the crackling of the roaring fire and -the ceaseless din of the jungle forming an obligato accompaniment, -which somehow seemed appropriate to the occasion, till a gun from the -distant ship warned us that our time was up. Hereupon the officer in -charge sent a couple of hands to haul in the cutter, which had been -left at anchor in the river. Easier said than done, however, seeing -that after a prolonged absence they returned, looking somewhat alarmed, -and reported that they could not find the boat anywhere. This caused -rather a commotion among the party, which a whisper of ‘Pirates’ did -not diminish; so a rush was made for the rifles; and thus armed we -marched to the beach; but not a sign of the boat could be found. There -was just a chance that she had broken adrift; so the dingey was quickly -manned and shoved off in search; but almost directly a loud shout -announced that the cutter had been found full of water and apparently -sinking. A number of men swam off to her at once; but the steep banks -prevented our hauling her up; and we had just time, by dint of hard -work, to remove her sails, oars, &c., when she sank, leaving us to our -resources on the sand. - -Our position looked unpleasant enough now, thus cast away in a -piratical district; and besides, the gathering clouds to windward, -of inky blackness, foretold to our experienced eyes that one of the -violent squalls of wind and rain called Sumatras, which are of daily -occurrence at this season, would soon be upon us. Seamen, however, are -the handiest of mortals; and in a surprisingly short space of time a -tent was rigged from the boats’ sails and spars, under which we all -huddled from the storm, which was now in full strength. How the rain -did come down! As if the very flood-gates of heaven were open! And how -the furious wind shook our frail tent till we expected every moment to -have it down about our ears. The situation was becoming every moment -the more trying, as with sails soaked through, we were subjected to -the full brunt of the awful drench. In spite of the trenches that we -had dug in the sand with our oars to serve as water-ways, we were soon -lying in a pool of water. - -Strange to say, however, this was found rather a relief from the cold -breeze, and many men proceeded to deepen their beds so as to immerse -the whole body in water. Of the two elements the water was found to be -the warmer! All the mosquitoes within hail had of course made their -rendezvous in our tent; and even worse than they, the abominable -sand-flies commenced their assaults with such zeal that nothing was to -be heard but slaps and anathemas, bestowed with great impartiality. -Strange to say, many men actually slept calmly through all the din; but -most of us kept awake, singing and smoking; and so the wretched night -passed away till the last touch was given to our misery by seeing the -fire put out by an unusually heavy squall and rain. To supplement even -the last touch, a cruel stop was put to our smoking, as our matches had -become soaked and useless. Our pipe was literally put out; and as the -last drop of grog had been served out, we had to content ourselves with -singing and yarning till the first faint streaks of dawn appeared and -the rain ceased. - -What miserable, bedraggled creatures we were when the morning sun -broke bright and cloudless on the beach, our dripping clothes stained -with mud and sand, and our faces so swollen with bites that it was -with difficulty we could recognise each other! However it did not do -to stand and shiver—that is an absurdity which Jack has never been -guilty of—so one party set to work trying to light a fire with the -help of a cartridge (a futile endeavour, everything being so soaked); -while others endeavoured to launch the cutter, which was lying high -and dry on the mud, a large hole in her bottom explaining the hitherto -unaccountable mystery of her sinking. Our ingenuity was fully taxed in -our attempts to again wed the somewhat unwieldy craft to the water; -but Jack’s resources seem never to fail him, as with many an ingenious -artifice we at length succeed in patching the leak and floating the -cutter. - -We were hungry enough by this time to eat anything; but it was no use -piping to breakfast, for we had no food; and even had we caught some -more fish, they were no use without a fire, and all attempts to create -even a spark had been in vain. So we sauntered about the beach or tried -to penetrate the jungle; in the latter case getting well bitten for our -pains by the red ants, till our eyes were gladdened by the sight of two -boats pulling in our direction from the ship. This was lucky, for we -had just decided on risking the passage in the cutter. It was a long -time before the boats could reach us, for they too had a difficulty -in finding the channel; but at last they pulled into the river and -landed with some provisions. Oh, how enjoyable was that glass of rum! -How precious the matches wherewith to rekindle the beloved baccy! Even -the raw pork was pleasant enough to our hungry stomachs. But after -we had lit our pipes, we forgot all our troubles, and expressed our -willingness to remain another night and have some more fun. It was -not to be, however. Our relief brought us orders to return aboard -immediately; and in another hour we found ourselves alongside the ship, -receiving the congratulations and chaff of our shipmates, and after all -none the worse for our seining-party. - - - - -HELENA, LADY HARROGATE. - - -CHAPTER XVII.—AT OLD PLUGGER’S. - -London boarding-houses being regulated by no statute law, and as little -liable to the supervision of the police and the interference of the -Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Home Department as are -other free commercial concerns, are very much harder to classify than -are London hotels, inns, and public-houses. Their very exterior, which -is decorated by no gaudy signs or gold-lettered inscriptions relative -to viands, neat wines or cordials, might cause them to be mistaken for -schools, workshops, or private dwellings. Even when a brass plate on -the door bears the name of Bloss or Grewer or Pawkins—people who keep -boarding-houses do appear, for some inscrutable reason, to parade the -oddest patronymics—nobody not enlightened enough to know who Pawkins, -Bloss, or Grewer may be, would gather much information from the laconic -announcement. In all London there was not, taking one place with -another, a much queerer boarding-house than one which stood on the -Southwark or Surrey side of the Thames, and so nearly opposite to the -Tower that the gaunt turrets of the grim old fortress were always (save -in a fog of peculiar density) visible from its upper windows. This -boarding-house, at the corner of what was called Dampier’s Row, was -very solidly built, chiefly as it would seem, of the massive timbers -of ships dissected in the breakers’ yards close by; and with its -bow-windows and bulging outline, seemed to stand hard by the water’s -edge, like some sturdy collier craft that had accidentally got stranded -and was trying to accustom itself to life ashore. This particular -boarding-house, the green door of which bore no distinguishing mark, -was known in the neighbourhood and far along the river below bridge, as -‘Old Plugger’s.’ - -Whether there was a Plugger still in existence or not, it may be -surmised that the original and veteran possessor of that name had -enjoyed a widespread connection among mariners, for most of the present -inmates of the house were seafaring persons. Most, but not all. And of -the nautical boarders at Plugger’s none were common seamen. The title -of ‘Captain’ was in as constant requisition within its weather-bleached -porch, overgrown with scarlet-runners, as it could possibly be at a -military club farther west. Two-thirds of the swarthy, restless-eyed -customers claimed to have a right to that honorary prefix, or at -the least to have been ‘officers’ of one branch or another of the -mercantile marine. The remainder, apparently attracted to the spot by -the smell of the tar and paint from the neighbouring wharfs, or by -the sight of the forest of masts that rose up between them and the -Middlesex shore, or by congenial company, had much to say as to gulches -and placers and auriferous river-bars, and gold-dust which, after -months of toil and hunger, had been fooled away in a week’s mad revel; -and colossal fortunes that could infallibly be realised by any one who -had a pitiful thousand pounds at command, and would be guided by sound -advice as to its investment. - -It was not a cheap boarding-house, according to the tariff of such -establishments, this one of Old Plugger’s. Rivals and humbler imitators -held it in respect, for it was a thriving concern. Its rooms seldom -stood empty for long, and its frequenters somehow found the wherewithal -to pay their score. It was not a noisy place; by no means comparable -to the riotous dens about Tiger Bay and elsewhere, or to the sailors’ -publics at Wapping or Rotherhithe; but now and then there was a din -from within it, a shouting of hoarse voices, a trampling of heavy feet, -a crashing of woodwork or of glass, and then silence. And if just then -a patrol of the police happened to be passing down the main street, and -some one said that the disturbance was at Old Plugger’s, the sergeant -would shake his head as meaningly as Lord Burleigh in the _Critic_. But -nobody seemed to care to inquire too curiously into the nature of the -altercation in what was euphemistically known, among the trades-folk of -the vicinity, as the captains’ boarding-house. - -It was, as has been said with reference to contemporary events at -Carbery, sultry August weather, and if it was hot even on the spurs -of breezy Dartmoor, assuredly it was hotter in the east of London. -The strong sun brought out with great effect the combined perfumes of -pitch and paint, of gas refuse and train-oil, of tide-mud and fried -flat-fish, of old tarpaulins, rotten timber, and animal and vegetable -refuse, never so pungent as beside the Thames. Society, gasping for -air of purer quality than that town-made article which during the -season and the parliamentary session it had respired perforce, had left -London. But the captains who patronised Plugger’s bore the loss of -Society with philosophical equanimity, and were content to incur, by -stopping where they were, a reputation for being wholly unfashionable. - -A controversy might have been waged with reference to Old Plugger’s as -to which was the back and which the front of that hospitable mansion. -The main-door certainly opened on the street, or rather row, named -in honour of Dampier, and by the position of a main-door that of a -house-front is commonly to be determined. But then Plugger’s turned -all its smiles, all its attractions towards the river. The best rooms -were on that side, with their bow-windows and lumbering balconies; and -there was even a narrow strip of garden, where snails ran riot among -the neglected cabbages and tall sunflowers, and where the half of an -old boat, set on end and festooned with sweet-pea and the inevitable -scarlet-runner, did duty for an arbour, perilously near to the wash and -ripple of the flood-tide. - -In the broad wooden balcony that projected from the low first-floor -of Plugger’s and in part overhung this delectable garden, were some -six or seven men in their shirt sleeves mostly, for coolness’ sake, -but otherwise not ill clad. Through the open bow-windows of the -long room of which the balcony was an appendage, glimpses might be -caught of some ten or twelve other customers, very similar in garb -and bearing to those outside. It was early as yet, and breakfast—as -betokened by the empty cups, empty bottles, and confusion of knives -and forks and dirty plates—was already over. Some of the company -were smoking a solemn morning pipe of the yard-long ‘churchwarden’ -variety, affected by sea-going persons when on shore; two seated at a -round-table were engaged in a game at cards; and one copper-visaged -and gray-haired captain, with a glass of steaming rum-and-water at -his elbow, sat on the flat top of the wooden balustrade itself, and -alternately swept the waters with the aid of a gleaming brass-bound -telescope, or glanced critically at the cards and the players. In all -this there was nothing to distinguish Plugger’s from many another -long-shore boarding-house, wherein mates and skippers take their -spell of rest, as it were, between the hardships of the last voyage -and those of the next; and those who have seen much of men of this -class are aware how much of sterling worth is apt to underlie the -harmless peculiarities traditional to the calling. But a physiognomist -who should have, himself unseen, accompanied some Asmodeus bent on -taking a bird’s-eye view of the company, could scarcely have failed -to draw his own deductions from the countenances thus beheld. There -were faces there in plenty which would have seemed in keeping with -their surroundings had they been seen above the bulwarks of a long, -black-hulled schooner, rakish as to her masts, and clean and sharp as -to her run and cut-water, beating to windward off the Isle of Pines, -or within sight of the mountain mass of Cuba. There were others, -newly shaven, that would have harmonised well with a shaggy beard and -tattered cabbage-palm hat, surmounting the red shirt and pistol-studded -belt of the Australian bushranger. And again, others which might be -conceived to have been tanned to their mahogany hue by the reflection -of the sun from the tawny surface of some African river, where, -behind the mangrove swamp, might be seen the cane-thatched top of -the barracoon, where the cargo of ‘live ebony’ lay shackled. A very -dangerous set of scamps, unless their looks belied them, were the bulk -of Plugger’s patrons, and the more dangerous perhaps because they were -not reckless—because they knew how to abstain from the overdose of -liquor that sets the brain afloat and loosens the tongue. - -‘Let me tell yew, mister, yew’d be riddled, yew would, like any -catamount treed, ef yew played thet sorter game in Georgia, whar I war -raised, yew would,’ suddenly exclaimed one of the card-players, whose -nasal drawl would of itself have revealed his nationality. ‘Thet’s -three times I’ve seen yew try to pass the king.’ - -‘Don’t cry afore you ’re hurt,’ retorted his adversary, whose air and -tone were those of a sailor, and whose muscular wrists, emerging from -shirt-cuffs linked by heavy sleeve-buttons of silver, were ornamented -by mermaids and anchors and true-lovers’ knots in blue tattooing -of the true salt-water pattern. ‘Guess this child wasn’t born last -week, shipmate! Haven’t I sported the pasteboard at New York with -Dead Rabbits; at New Orleans with Plug-uglies; and in California with -fellows that stuck the points of their bowies in the table afore they -set to a hand at poker! You’re a nice hand to tax a man with cheating, -you, with two court cards up your sleeve now!’ - -The American, who was spare and lightly built, compared with the -opposite player, scowled as he thrust his bony right hand into an -inner pocket of the loose coat which he alone of all the occupants of -the balcony wore. It may have been for the concealment of the cards -alluded to; it may have been to get a grasp of some hidden weapon. The -latter was the supposition that the most commended itself to the other -gamester. - -‘Shew your hand, Sam Barks!’ he said roughly, grasping a Dutch bottle, -probably containing Schiedam, which stood in company with two glasses -on the table, ‘or I’—— - -‘Belay there, you brace of babies!’ interrupted the copper-visaged -captain, thrusting his flashing telescope and his metallic face betwixt -the disputants. ‘Dog don’t eat dog, my mates! I always was agin play -between friends.—Sam, my lad, you won’t make much out of Captain -Hold.—Dick, my Trojan, you’ll not find the American quite as green as -spinach. Draw your stakes, my heroes, and let’s shake hands and have -a drink all round, for the renewal of friendship!’ And this singular -specimen of a peacemaker flourished his glass, swallowed its contents, -and rattled the teaspoon against its sides until this substitute for a -bell attracted the notice of a watchful attendant, wearing a striped -cotton jacket, such as cabin-boys in hot latitudes affect. - -‘Three grogs, steward, and a goodish squeeze of lemon in mine, d’ye -hear?’ called out he of the copper countenance; and the dark-skinned -mulatto lad who was called ‘steward,’ as factotums in _The Traveller’s -Rest_ were called Deputy, nodded his woolly head, and was not long in -bringing the desired refreshment. The kettle must have been kept always -boiling, even on hot August mornings, at Plugger’s, so ready was the -supply of steaming spirits and water. - -‘Ah! my boys,’ said the venerable founder of the feast, as he took a -second sip at the potent liquor, ‘here’s a blue blazing day for ye—puts -me in mind, and you too mayhap, of a morning in the doldrums, where -sun is sun, and the very sea seems to simmer like a can of hot broth. -I’d like to smell blue water again, I would. I’d an offer, Monday, -to command a decentish brig, West Ingies and Demerary way; regular -molasses wagon; but old as I am, I’d rather have another bout in the -South Seas. Black-birding for the Fiji and Queensland labour market is -about the best sport a man can have, since they spoiled the fun we used -to have off the West Coast.’ - -‘Ay, but that game’s pretty near played out too,’ answered Hold -meditatively. ‘Why, you yourself, Captain Grincher, lost your schooner -that the man-o’-war captured off the Solomons, and were tried at Sydney -for what the government fellows called kidnapping. No; give me Chinese -waters, and a handy crew aboard a bit of a fast-sailing lorcha to’—— - -‘Gentlemen, gentlemen!’ broke in the American, now in a good temper; -‘allow me to say it air a pity to see men of your talents a-huddling of -’em into corners wheer they’ll fail of their just reward. Now, listen, -ef I could but get together a few spirited citizens and, mind ye, the -handful of coin necessary for preliminary expenses, this child could -point the place where lies, in fourteen fathom water, the treasure-ship -_Happy Land_ that left San Francisco, bound for New York, in the fall -of ’49, and never was heard of more. She had the value, in dust and -bars, of’—— - -But the precise amount of the golden freight which, on board the _Happy -Land_, awaited the bold explorers who should reach that sunken vessel, -is not destined to be set down in these pages, for the coloured steward -at this juncture appeared holding a letter between his dusky finger and -thumb. ‘For Cap’en Hold,’ said the mulatto; and Hold, recognising the -handwriting, jumped to his feet in a trice, and snatched rather than -received the envelope which the dark Ganymede of Plugger’s held out to -him; and tearing it open, read as follows: ‘Come, and come at once. -There is no time to lose. Something has occurred—something which makes -your presence necessary. Come by noonday train. I will be at the park -gate to the north soon after ten o’clock. Meet me there.’ The letter -was signed ‘Ruth Willis.’ - -Hold’s mind was instantly made up. ‘I must heave anchor in a hurry,’ -he said, as he thrust back the letter into his pocket. ‘So good-bye, -Grincher; and good-bye, Barks!’ and without further delay, he withdrew -to prepare for the journey to Carbery. To pay his reckoning, to push -some needful articles into a bag, and to consign his sea-chest to the -custody of the authorities of Plugger’s, well used to similar trusts, -took but half an hour; and when the mid-day train started for the west -of England it carried with it a second-class passenger, whose only -luggage was a black bag, and who could easily have been mistaken for -a man-o’-war’s man bound for Plymouth, there to rejoin one of those -_Hornets_ or _Monkeys_ which have superseded the _Arethusas_ and -_Hermiones_ of the past. - -Arrived at the station most convenient for his purpose, Hold trudged -sturdily on until he reached his old quarters at _The Traveller’s -Rest_, where he installed his bag in one of those single-bedded rooms -which were always at the service of so solvent a customer as Mr Hold, -who, while inland and among shore-going folks, dropped his titular -distinction of captain. After supper, the fresh arrival at _The Rest_ -sallied forth, and making his way to Carbery, waited, pacing softly to -and fro, under the shelter of the park wall. - - -CHAPTER XVIII.—UNDER THE PARK WALL. - -All through that August day which witnessed the hurried journey of Mr -Richard Hold, master mariner, from the river-side bowers of Plugger’s -to the silvan shades of _The Traveller’s Rest_, Sir Sykes Denzil’s ward -was in a state of feverish agitation, which it was hard for even her -to conceal from those about her. We may fairly own that women surpass -us in the social diplomacy which they study from the cradle almost, -and that their powers of suppressing what they feel—not seldom from a -noble motive—are greater than ours. All of us must have wondered, as we -read the marvellous narratives of such prisoners as Trenck and Latude, -at the patient ingenuity that could contrive rope-ladders out of the -flax thread of shirts, files out of scraps of rusty iron, tools from -any fragment of metal that came to hand. None the less should we be -astonished at the power of dissembling evinced by the captives on the -watch for the propitious moment to break prison. - -What Ruth dreaded above all other things was what a woman always does -dread, the scrutiny of her own sex. That men are credulous, careless, -prone to give credit to the shallowest excuse, readily hoodwinked, and -easy to pacify, has been an article of faith with Eve’s daughters -since prehistoric times. The real spy to be feared, the real censor -before whom to tremble, is decidedly feminine, in the estimation of -women who have anything to hide. Ruth therefore devoted her whole -attention to keeping up a brave outside before the eyes of her -guardian’s daughters, Blanche and Lucy, two as honestly unsuspicious -girls as could be met with in all Devonshire. - -But as all _a priori_ reasoning is tainted with the fatal flaw of -bad logic, Ruth forgot Jasper Denzil, still shut up in the house on -account of his recent accident, and whose crooked mind had not much to -do save to employ itself in fathoming the crooked ways of others. Now -a man, if circumstances coerce him to limit his powers of observation -to the narrow sphere of domesticity, is capable of becoming a spy more -formidable than women would readily admit. If he sees less, he reasons -more cogently as to what he does see, and he has the further advantage -of being an unsuspected scout from whom no danger is anticipated. - -Jasper Denzil had excellent reasons for the profound mistrust with -which he regarded the Indian orphan. The very presence beneath his -father’s roof of such a one as Ruth was in itself a standing puzzle and -challenge to his curiosity. That she was Hold’s sister, the sister of a -coarse-mannered adventurer of humble birth, was what the captain could -not bring himself to believe. For Ruth seemed innately a lady. Either -she must have had the advantages of gentle nurture and education, or as -an actress in the never-ending social drama she displayed consummate -skill. But whatever might have been her birth (and there were times -when he was tempted to fancy that in her he saw that young sister of -his own, long dead, the date of whose decease was supposed to coincide -with that of the sad mood which had become habitual to Sir Sykes), -Jasper with just cause regarded her as a most artful person. - -The ex-cavalry officer remembered well enough that interview between -Sir Sykes and Hold, at which he had played the part of an unsuspected -audience. The demand to which his father had acceded was that Sir -Sykes should receive in a false character Hold’s sister as an inmate -of Carbery. True the seafaring fellow—smuggler, pirate, or whatever he -might be—had laughed mockingly, and had spoken in strangely ironical -accents when dictating to the baronet on this subject. But be she who -she might, Ruth must be either an accomplished schemer or the willing -instrument of others, or she would not have been where she was. - -It may have been a petty malice, suited to his feline nature, that -caused Jasper on that particular night to remain down-stairs later than -usual, causing his sisters also to defer their retiring to rest for an -extra half-hour. They kept early hours at Carbery as a rule, as rich -people, in the profound dullness of the dignified ease which is not -enlivened by guests, are sometimes apt to do. Sir Sykes, who always -stayed long enough in the drawing-room to sip his coffee, was the first -to disappear; but no one save himself and his valet knew when he left -the library for his bedroom. When the captain was in health it was his -custom to spend an hour or two in trying rare combinations of skill -and luck among the ivory balls in the billiard-room; but since the -steeplechase he had been glad to retire unfashionably early. - -It was because he fancied that Miss Willis was impatiently awaiting the -moment for separating for the night, that Jasper chose to delay it; but -at length the time came when the good-nights had been exchanged, and -the drawing-room was abandoned. Captain Denzil’s room, which adjoined -the picture-gallery on the first-floor, was immediately beneath that -occupied by the Indian orphan. Repeatedly, after he reached it, did -Jasper fancy that he heard a light swift step overhead, as if Sir -Sykes’s ward were hurrying to and fro; and then his sharpened ear -caught the sound of a stealthy tread upon the oaken staircase. - -Extinguishing the lights for the time being, Captain Denzil threw open -his window, which overlooked the park; and by the time his eyes grew -somewhat accustomed to the darkness, he saw, or thought he saw, a -female form glide from under the black shadow of the giant sycamores -and flit bat-like away through the solitary gloom. - -‘If it were not for this provoking arm,’ said the captain, who was -still, despite the skilful care of worthy little Dr Aulfus from -Pebworth, suffering less from his hurts than from the Nemesis that dogs -the steps of the hard-liver, ‘I’d win the odd trick to-night. But if I -can’t follow to see who it is that she meets, at anyrate I shall get a -second peep at yonder ingenuous creature when she comes back. A rare -moonless night it is for such an errand!’ - -Jasper’s eyes had not deceived him. It was Ruth whose slight figure had -passed away into the deepening shadows of the night, crossing the park -towards its northern boundary, which abutted upon the broken country -leading to the royal forest, treeless, but none the less in sound law -the forest of Dartmoor. It was so dark that even one better accustomed -to the locality might have failed to keep to the right course among -narrow and grass-grown paths, many of them trodden by no human foot, -but by the cloven hoofs of the deer trooping down to pool or pasture. - -Yet Ruth threaded her devious way past holt and thicket, past pond -and hollow, almost as well as the oldest keeper on the estate would -have done, and presently gained the gate which, as has been already -remarked, stood always open on the northern side of the park, -corresponding to that on the southern or seaward side, for, as has -been said, the public had an ancient right or user to traverse Carbery -Chase. But as a right of ingress for men might imply a right of egress -for deer, some zigzag arrangement of iron bars had been set up, -screen-like, at either extremity of the footpath, and this effectually -restrained the roving propensities of the antlered herd within. - -‘So—you are late, Ruth! I have kicked about here, till I began to think -you’d thrown me over. No wonder, living among fine folks, that you’re -getting to care little how long a rough fellow like yours to command is -kept on the look-out.’ - -Such was the surly greeting of the stout sailor-like man whom Ruth -found irritably pacing to and fro under the lee of the wall. - -‘I could not come, brother, one moment earlier without arousing -suspicion that might be the ruin of us both,’ answered the girl -steadily, but in a conciliatory tone. ‘And what, after all, signify -a few minutes more or less of expectation, compared with a life of -constant effort, constant watchfulness, and the sense of depending on -one’s self alone in the midst of enemies who sleep beneath the same -roof and feed at the same table? I tell you that the tension on my -nerves is far greater than I ever dreamed that it could be, and that -there are times when I even fancy that I shall be driven mad by the -strain imposed upon me of playing a part, ever and always, without rest -or respite!’ - -Ruth’s voice as she proceeded had grown shrill and tremulous with the -effect of the emotions, long pent up, that found expression at last, -and she pressed her slender hand upon her heated brow with a gesture -which Hold was not slow to mark. - -‘Come, come, Missy,’ he said in accents far more gentle than those -which he had first employed; ‘you’ve taken this thing, whatever it is, -too much to heart. See, now; I’d never have suggested the plan if I -had not believed that in the house of Sir Sykes Denzil, Baronet, you’d -have been like a fish in water. Didn’t we always call you in joke “My -Lady,” and that because your ways weren’t as our plain ways? Haven’t -you got your head stuffed as full of book-learning as an egg is full of -meat? Aren’t you dainty and proud and what not? Till folks declared, to -be sister o’ mine, you must have been changed at nurse. And now do you -find it a hardship to have to consort with yon Denzil people?—not your -equals, I’ll be bound, if all had their due.’ - -‘You can’t understand me, Brother Dick,’ said the girl softly, and -turning away her face. ‘Give me, I say, a real stand-point; let not my -life be a lie, and I should fear no comparison with those who are daily -my dupes. But I hold my tenure of the bed I sleep on, the bread I eat, -by mere sufferance, and I see no way as yet to’—— - -‘That fop—the dandy Lancer fellow—Captain Jasper don’t seem to take -to you then?’ asked Hold; and Ruth winced perceptibly at the blunt -question. - -‘Captain Denzil will never, I imagine, care very much for any one but -his dear self,’ she answered gently. ‘Now that he is an invalid—though -he will soon be out and about again—he thinks that he pays me no small -compliment in preferring my conversation to the insipid society of his -excellent sisters. But I no more expect a proposal of marriage from -Jasper Denzil than I expect the sky to fall.’ - -‘That’s a pity,’ said Hold dryly; and then a pause ensued. ‘You didn’t -send for me, Missy, to tell me that?’ he added, after some moments -spent in thought. - -‘No!’ returned Ruth in her low clear voice. ‘I sent for you that you -might read a letter—how obtained I leave you to guess—which concerns us -both. Have you the means of doing so?’ - -‘Catch me without light, Missy!’ complacently replied the seaman, -drawing from one of his deep coat-pockets a small dark-lantern, which -he lighted. ‘Now for this letter,’ he said; and receiving it from -Ruth’s hand, read it attentively twice over. As he did so, some rays -from the shaded lantern that he held illumined his resolute face. - -‘Wilkins, eh? Enoch Wilkins. That’s the name the craft hails by; -and he’s a land-shark, it seems,’ muttered Hold, as he refolded the -document. - -‘He is a London lawyer, as you see,’ explained Ruth; ‘and all I know -of him, gleaned from various sources, is that he was the captain’s -creditor for a large sum, which Sir Sykes has very recently paid. He -is, I gather, a sort of turf solicitor of no very good repute, and has -somehow a grip on poor weak Sir Sykes. Now the baronet, I feel sure, -has but one secret’—— - -‘That, you may be certain of!’ interjected Hold. - -‘And this man knows it and trades on it,’ said the baronet’s ward -eagerly; ‘and in doing so his path crosses ours. See! The word -“others,” which is underlined, must surely have reference to you and -me. Rely on it, he has an inkling of our plans, and may counteract -them.’ - -‘Take the wind out of my sails, will he, eh?’ said Hold grimly, and -with a threatening gesture. - -‘Brother Dick, Brother Dick, when will you learn wisdom!’ said his -sister, smiling. ‘Your buccaneer tricks of clenched fist and angry -frown are as out of place in peaceable England as it would be to strut -about with pistols and cutlass. You are not on the West Coast now, or -off the Isle of Pines, or in the Straits of Malacca, to carry things -with a high hand. Our plain course is to make an ally, not an enemy of -this lawyer. He knows much, but perhaps not all, and may be induced to -accept as true the story that has been told to Sir Sykes. In any case, -he cannot be very scrupulous; and will not be desirous, by bringing -about a dispute and a scandal, to kill the goose that lays the golden -eggs. The baronet’s purse is deep enough for all of us.’ - -‘You’re right!’ rejoined the sailor, with a whistle that was meant -to express unbounded admiration for his sister’s shrewdness. ‘I’ll -make tracks to London, and see what terms can be made with Commodore -Wilkins, before he shews his face here.’ - -‘Tell him nothing that he does not know,’ said Ruth, as the pair -separated. - -‘Trust me for that!’ was Hold’s confident reply. - -Jasper, still at his window, caught but a glimpse of the girl’s slight -form as it glided by and re-entered the house. - -_To be continued._ - - - - -RECOLLECTIONS OF THE IRISH BAR. - - -If the walls of the Dublin ‘Four Courts’ could speak, how many a -pleasant story and witty repartee and sparkling bon-mot they could -tell! Let me recall and string together some of these pearls of -anecdote and wit, some of which, though perhaps not altogether new to -lovers of anecdote, may well bear repetition. - -The first Viscount Guillamore, when Chief Baron O’Grady, was remarkable -for his dry humour and biting wit. The latter was so fine that its -sarcasm was often unperceived by the object against whom the shaft was -directed. - -A legal friend, extremely studious, but in conversation notoriously -dull, was once shewing off to him his newly-built house. The bookworm -prided himself especially on a sanctum he had contrived for his own -use, so secluded from the rest of the building that he could pore over -his books in private quite secure from disturbance. - -‘Capital!’ exclaimed the Chief Baron. ‘You surely could, my dear -fellow, read and study here from morning till night, and no human -being be _one bit the wiser_.’ - -A young and somewhat dull tyro at the bar pleading before him -commenced: ‘My lord, my unfortunate client’—— then stopped, hemmed, -hawed, hesitated. Again he began: ‘My lord, my most unfortunate -client’—— Another stop, more hemming and confusion. - -‘Pray go on, sir,’ said the Chief Baron. ‘So far the court is with you.’ - - * * * * * - -In those days, before competitive examinations were known, men with -more interest than brains got good appointments, for the duties of -which they were wholly incompetent. Of such was the Honourable —— ——. -He was telling Lord Guillamore of the summary way in which he disposed -of matters in his court. - -‘I say to the fellows that are bothering with foolish arguments, that -there’s no use in wasting my time and their breath; for that all their -talk only just goes in at one ear and out at the other.’ - -‘No great wonder in that,’ said O’Grady, ‘seeing that there’s so little -between to stop it.’ - -It was this worthy, who being at a public dinner shortly after he got -his place, had his health proposed by a waggish guest. - -‘I will give you a toast,’ he said: ‘The Honourable —— ——, and long may -he continue indifferently to administer justice.’ The health was drunk -with much merriment, the object of it never perceiving what caused the -fun. - - * * * * * - -Lord Guillamore could tell a story with inimitable humour. He used -to vary his voice according to the speakers, and act as it were the -scene he was describing, in a way infinitely diverting. Very droll was -his mimicry of a dialogue between the guard of the mail and a mincing -old lady with whom he once travelled from Cork to Dublin, in the old -coaching days. - -The coach had stopped to change horses, and the guard, a big red-faced -jolly man, beaming with good-humour and civility, came bustling up to -the window to see if the ‘insides’ wanted anything. - -‘Guard!’ whispered the old lady. - -‘Well, ma’am, what can I do for you?’ - -‘Could you’—in a faint voice—‘could you get me a glass of water?’ - -‘To be sure, ma’am; with all the pleasure in life.’ - -‘And guard!’—still fainter—‘I’d—hem—I’d—a—like it hot.’ - -‘_Hot_ water! Oh, all right, ma’am! Why not, if it’s plazing to you?’ - -‘With a lump of sugar, guard, if you please.’ - -‘By all manner of means, ma’am.’ - -‘And—and—guard dear’—as the man was turning to go away—‘a small squeeze -of lemon, and a little—just a thimbleful—of spirits through it.’ - -‘Och, isn’t that _punch_!’ shouted the guard. ‘Where was the good of -beating about the bush? Couldn’t you have asked out for a tumbler of -punch at once, ma’am, like a man!’ - -Another favourite story was of a trial at quarter-sessions in Mayo, -which developed some of the ingenious resources of Paddy when he -chooses to exercise his talent in an endeavour not to pay. A doctor -had summoned a man for the sum of one guinea, due for attendance on -the man’s wife. The _medico_ proved his case, and was about to retire -triumphant, when the defendant humbly begged leave to ask him a few -questions. Permission was granted, and the following dialogue took -place. - -_Defendant._ ‘Docthor, you remember when I called on you?’ - -_Doctor._ ‘I do.’ - -_Defendant._ ‘What did I say?’ - -_Doctor._ ‘You said your wife was sick, and you wished me to go and see -her.’ - -_Defendant._ ‘What did you say?’ - -_Doctor._ ‘I said I would, if you’d pay me my fee.’ - -_Defendant._ ‘What did I say?’ - -_Doctor._ ‘You said you’d pay the fee, if so be you knew what it was.’ - -_Defendant._ ‘What did you say?’ - -_Doctor._ ‘I said I’d take the guinea at first, and maybe more at the -end, according to the sickness.’ - -_Defendant._ ‘Now, docthor, by vartue of your oath, didn’t I say: “Kill -or cure, docthor, I’ll give you a guinea?” And didn’t you say: “Kill or -cure, I’ll take it?”’ - -_Doctor._ ‘You did; and I agreed to the bargain. And I want the guinea -accordingly.’ - -_Defendant._ ‘Now, docthor, by vartue of your oath answer this: Did you -cure my wife?’ - -_Doctor._ ‘No; she’s dead. You know that.’ - -_Defendant._ ‘Then, docthor, by vartue of your oath answer this: Did -you kill my wife?’ - -_Doctor._ ‘No; she died of her illness.’ - -_Defendant_ (to the bench). ‘Your worship, see this. You heard him tell -our bargain. It was to kill or cure. By vartue of his oath, _he done -neither!_—and he axes the fee!’ - -The verdict, however, went against poor Pat, notwithstanding his -ingenuity. - - * * * * * - -Something like the following story has been told before in these pages. -It will, however, bear repetition. Mr F——, Clerk of the Crown for -Limerick, was over six feet high and stout in proportion. He was the -dread of the cabmen, and if their horses could have spoken, they would -not have blessed him. - -One day when driving in the outlets of Dublin, they came to a long -and steep hill. Cabby got down, and walking alongside the cab, looked -significantly in at the windows. ‘His honour’ knew very well what he -meant; but the day was hot, and he was lazy and fat, and had no notion -of taking the hint and getting out to ease the horse while ‘larding the -lean earth’ himself. At last Paddy changed his tactics. Making a rush -at the cab, he suddenly opened the door, and then slammed it to with a -tremendous bang. - -‘What’s that for?’ roared Mr F——, startled at the man’s violence and -the loud report. - -‘Whist, yer honour! Don’t say a word!’ whispered Paddy, putting his -finger on his lips. - -‘But what do you mean, sirrah?’ cried the fare. - -‘Arrah, can’t ye hush, sir? Spake low now—do. Sure, ’tis letting on I -am to the little mare that your honour’s got out to walk. Don’t let her -hear you, and the craythur ’ll have more heart to face the hill if she -thinks you’re not inside, and that ’tis only the cab that’s throubling -her.’ - - * * * * * - -Baron R——, one of the gravest and most decorous judges on the bench, -had a younger brother singularly unlike him, who was a perpetual thorn -in his side. A scapegrace at school, the youth would learn nothing, and -was the torment of his teachers. Having been set a sum by one of the -latter, he, after an undue delay, presented himself before the desk and -held up his slate, at one corner of which appeared a pile of coppers. - -‘What is the meaning of all this, sir?’ said the master. - -‘Oh!’ cried the youth, ‘I’m very sorry, sir, but I really can’t help -it. All the morning I’ve been working at that sum. Over and over again -I’ve tried, but in spite of all I can do, it will not come right. So -I’ve made up the difference in halfpence, and there it is on the slate.’ - -The originality of the device disarmed the wrath of the pedagogue, and -young R—— was dismissed with his coppers to his place. - -The youngster when grown up boasted an enormous pair of whiskers, of -which he was very proud. One day a friend met him walking up Dame -Street with one of these cherished bushy adornments shaved clean off, -giving a most comical lop-sided appearance to his physiognomy. - -‘Hollo, R——!’ he exclaimed, ‘what has become of your whisker?’ - -‘Lost it at play,’ he replied. ‘Regularly cleaned out last night at the -gaming-table of every mortal thing I had—nothing left to wager but my -whisker.’ - -‘And why, man, don’t you cut off the rest, and not have one side of -your face laughing at the other?’ - -‘I’m keeping that for to-night,’ said the scamp with a wink, as he -passed on. - - * * * * * - -The father of the Lord Chancellor—afterwards Lord Plunket—was a very -simple-minded man. Kindly and unsuspicious, he was often imposed upon, -and the Chancellor used to tell endless stories illustrative of his -parent’s guileless nature. - -One morning, Mr Plunket taking an early walk was overtaken by two -respectable-looking men, carpenters apparently by trade, each carrying -the implements of his work. - -‘Good-morning, my friends,’ said the old gentleman; ‘you are early -afoot. Going on a job, eh?’ - -‘Good-morrow kindly, sir; yes, we are; and a quare job too. The quarest -and the most out-of-the-way you ever heard of, I’ll be bound, though -you’ve lived long in the world, and heard and read of many a thing. -Oh, you’ll never guess it, your honour, so I may as well tell at once. -We’re going to cut the legs off a dead man.’ - -‘What!’ cried his hearer, aghast. ‘You don’t mean’—— - -‘Yes, indeed, ’tis true for me; and here’s how it come about. Poor -Mary Neil’s husband—a carpenter like ourselves, and an old comrade—has -been sick all the winter, and departed life last Tuesday. What with -the grief and the being left on the wide world with her five orphans, -and no one to earn bit or sup for them, the craythur is fairly out of -her mind—stupid from the crying and the fret; for what does she do, -poor woman, but send the wrong measure for the coffin; and when it come -home it was ever so much too short! Barney Neil was a tall man; nigh -six feet we reckoned him. He couldn’t be got into it, do what they -would; and the poor craythur hadn’t what would buy another. Where -would she get it, after the long sickness himself had, and with five -childher to feed and clothe? So, your honour, all that’s in it is to -cut the legs off him. Me and my comrade here is going to do it for the -desolate woman. We’ll just take ’em off at the knee-joints and lay them -alongside him in the coffin. I think, sir, now I’ve told you our job, -you’ll say ’tis the quarest ever you heard of.’ - -‘Oh!’ cried the old gentleman, ‘such a thing must not be done. It’s -impossible! How much will a new coffin cost?’ - -The carpenter named the sum, which was immediately produced, and -bestowed on him with injunctions to invest forthwith in the necessary -purchase. - -The business, however, took quite an unexpected turn. Mr Plunket on -his return home related his matutinal adventure to his family at -breakfast, the future Chancellor, then a young barrister, being at the -table. Before the meal was ended, the carpenters made their appearance, -and with many apologies tendered back the coin they had received. He -who had been spokesman in the morning explained that on seeing the -gentleman in advance of them on the road, he had for a lark made a bet -with his companion that he would obtain the money; which, having won -his wager, he now refunded. Genuine Irish this! - - - - -MONSIEUR HOULOT. - -IN THREE CHAPTERS. - - -CHAPTER III.—TO-MORROW—LIBERTY. - -There is no phrase of abuse so apparently innocent and yet so cutting -and disturbing as that, ‘I know all about you.’ It asserts nothing -of which one can take hold, and yet it implies a great deal that may -well be offensive. It is customary to say that the life of the best of -men, could it be subjected to the full glare of daylight in all its -bearings, would be found more or less spotty and blemished; and perhaps -it is this secret consciousness of hidden iniquities that gives such -force to the innuendo. - -But in the mouth of Houlot, who you will remember made use of the -expression, and thus caused his speedy expulsion from my premises, the -phrase was one that gave us all considerable uneasiness. Did he really -know anything about my connection with the firm of Collingwood Dawson? -It seemed hardly likely that he would have come to borrow money of me, -had such been the case. But this, after all, might have merely been a -device to throw dust in our eyes. His visit might have been a spying -one, for the purpose of seeing how the land lay. He might indeed have -seen his wife and recognised her. - -Mrs Collingwood was full of terror lest such should have been the case. -She dreaded that he was coming to claim her. Every passing footstep, -every ring at the bell of the outer gate caused her a vivid throb of -fear. For my own part I did not think the danger thus great in that -direction. It was hardly likely that a man who had taken such pains to -escape from a tie that must have been profoundly irksome to him, would -wish to renew it now. His habits were fixed and eccentric, and probably -he would be as much dismayed at the prospect of being claimed by his -wife, as she would at the idea of going back to him. These thoughts I -did not divulge to Mrs Collingwood. They suggested to me, however, a -plan of action. - -I determined to go and see M. Houlot, to beard the lion in his den. -Probably I should be ill-treated and abused for my pains; but it was -worth the trial. Houlot’s house was, as I have said, on the slope of -one of the hills overlooking the town, the top of which was fringed -with forest, whilst all down the sides were houses with terraced -gardens, full of greenery, and with dividing walls covered thick with -vines and pear-trees. It was a tall, timbered house, occupied by many -families; and a common staircase, rickety and creaky, but with fine old -carved oak balusters, led to the various floors. Houlot lived on the -fourth stage, I found; and I made my way up panting, and not without -fear lest the boards should give way beneath me. A sempstress who was -busily at work in one of the rooms with her door wide open and her -children scattered about the landing, indicated the door of Houlot’s -room, and told me that she had just seen him go in. - -I knocked several times without any one taking notice of me. Finally, -after I had made a considerable din, the door was suddenly opened and -Houlot stood before me. - -‘What do you want?’ he cried, after glaring at me a few moments from -under his pent-house brows. ‘Have you come to bring me the money?’ - -‘Let me come in and explain matters,’ I said. - -He looked doubtfully at me for a moment, and then sullenly drew on one -side and allowed me to pass in. His room was bare of furniture, except -for one square deal table and a chair without a back. In one corner of -the room a mattress and blanket were spread on the floor, in another a -lot of books and papers were heaped confusedly together, all covered -by a thick mantle of dust. A small cooking stove stood in the middle -of the room, the black iron pipe from which went through a hole into -the huge chimney; and a large open fireplace, which had once warmed -the room, was covered with a rough framework of planks and sacking. -The aspect of the place was squalid and comfortless, but it had one -redeeming feature—there was a splendid view from the open window. A -great fold of shining river, inclosing a stretch of marsh-land and wide -green prairie, dotted with feathery aspens and monumental poplars, -among which shewed here and there a cluster of farm buildings, and -an occasional church spire. A black morose-looking windmill, with -sails pugnaciously stretched out, as if daring an attack from some -nineteenth-century Don Quixote, stood solitary on its grass toft. Range -upon range of hills inclosed the landscape, dappled with the shadow of -the lazy clouds; with here a dark ravine, and there a white gleaming -chalk cliff. - -‘You are well placed here,’ I said, making for the window. There was an -overpowering smell of brandy in the room, that made one feel quite sick -this fine summer morning. ‘You have a splendid view.’ - -‘Well enough for that,’ growled Houlot. ‘But what is the good of a view -to a hungry man?’ - -I noticed now that he looked haggard and starved, and that there was an -unhealthy fiery flush upon his face and a wild look in his eyes, as if -he had been drinking without eating for a good while. - -‘You need not go hungry unless you like,’ I said. ‘I can’t lend you all -the money you ask for; but anything you want for daily needs I will let -you have till you get your remittances from England.’ - -‘I have no remittances coming from England,’ said Houlot. ‘I have given -up writing for the rascal who filched my work. But if you will only -let me have that five-pound note we will put matters on a different -footing. Let me shew up Collingwood Dawson!’ - -‘Yes, that’s all very well; but what will you gain by it?’ - -‘I shall vindicate my own name.’ - -‘What! the name of Houlot?’ - -He winced, but retorted angrily: ‘What business is it of yours what -name?’ - -‘If I lend you the money to carry out your plans, it seems that I am -entitled to ask what chance I have to be repaid. But apart from that, -having vindicated your name, how many five-pound notes will it be -worth?’ - -‘Why, look here,’ he said; ‘if that rascal can make a reputation and -money by his stuff, which is only mine diluted and spoilt, surely for -the genuine work of the real man’—— - -‘If you are trusting to that, I must decline to advance any money for -the speculation. Why on earth, man, when you had a sufficient income -paid you regularly, and lived as you liked, did you give it up and -embark on a sea of trouble?’ - -‘Because I have a mission in this world, which I dream sometimes I -shall accomplish.’ - -‘And the mission is?’ - -‘To open the eyes of fools.’ - -‘My dear fellow, they object to the operation, and have punished a good -many people for trying it.’ - -‘Then I will be punished,’ he said. ‘But anyhow, I’ll expose these -wretched smatterers, who serve up my things with all their wit and -wisdom taken out of them, who travesty my best thoughts. Why, they have -even made vulgar my very name!’ - -‘Houlot?’ I said, ‘Houlot? Is that the French for Dawson or -Collingwood?’ - -‘That is not my real name,’ he said. ‘I abandoned that years ago. Every -one turned his back upon the name. I did so myself at last.’ - -‘One of the results of the eye-opening process, I suppose?’ - -He nodded sullenly. ‘My name used to be Dawson,’ he said. - -‘You don’t mean to say,’ I cried, ‘that you are the Dawson who was -supposed to have been drowned years and years ago?’ - -‘I was that man—that unhappy man! But why,’ he cried, turning round -fiercely upon me, ‘why do you make me go back to all these hateful -things?’ - -‘Then is the memory of your former life hateful to you?’ - -‘I escaped from the most wretched condition that a man was ever in: -tied to a woman who made my life an intolerable burden. She was not a -bad woman, not an unworthy woman. She was—— Well, she had a mother who -was fat and well to do, and lived in St John’s Wood.’ - -Houlot laughed hoarsely, knocked out his pipe on the empty stove, -looked mechanically for some tobacco in a jar on the chimney-piece. -It was empty. I offered him my pouch, which he took with an indignant -scowl. - -‘Well, I was meant for great things,’ he went on between the whiffs -of his pipe—‘meant for great things; and here I am. Life fribbled and -frittered away, and that woman the main cause of it! There was no -escape from her any other way. I believe in my heart that the woman -loved me in her fashion; all the greater was my unutterable woe.’ - -‘And you ran away from her?’ - -‘I disappeared from existence. I would not harm the woman. I would not -spoil her life any longer. No; I adopted another plan. At the risk of -my own life, I contrived that my death should be apparent. The means -were simple enough, although they caused me some anxious thought and -preparation. I went down to a little visited part of the coast with -which I was well acquainted, and put up at an inn where I was known. -Taking my cue partly from the well-known farce of _Box and Cox_, I went -out one morning early and deposited a suit of clothes in a little niche -in the cliffs: a wild and solitary spot, rarely visited by any living -creature. Later in the day, I went out again, telling the people of the -inn that I was going to bathe. I left my clothes on the beach and took -to the water. I had chosen my time so that the set of the tide would -carry me to the place where I had deposited my clothes, and I drifted -along with little exertion. Arrived at the spot, I landed, found my -clothes all right, and put them on. Then I started on foot along the -coast till I reached a road-side station, made my way to London, and -then crossed the Channel, intending to go to Paris. I thought that I -should be able to get literary employment there; for French is as a -second native tongue to me. My mother was a Frenchwoman; her name was -Houlot; hence the name I adopted. But I took this place on my way; and -on the journey I fell from the roof of the diligence, and the wheel -went over my hand. Amputation was necessary; and by the time that I -was cured, I had spent all my little store of money and owed something -beside. But the people here were very humane and kind. I set to work -to write with my left hand, and earned a little money meanwhile by -teaching English; and by degrees I got into the knack of writing again, -and contributed some articles to the English press, by which I got a -little money. It was all a flash in the pan; my pupils fell away, my -articles were no longer acceptable. My friend here’—pointing to the -bottle—‘was always at my elbow. But I shall shake myself free one of -these days.’ - -‘And if it happened,’ I said, as he finished and was silent, sitting -puffing at the pipe that had long since gone out—‘if it happened that -the wife was still waiting for you—that she had heard a rumour of your -existence, and had come to seek you’—— - -‘No; don’t talk of that, for any sake!’ he cried, springing to his -feet. ‘Wretched and miserable as I have been, I have never wished -myself again tied in that hateful knot. There! you would never betray -me?’ - -‘But if she were rich, and able to give you a good home?’ - -‘Never, never!’ he said. ‘What degradation, what abasement!’ - -‘To take you out of this den of yours, to clothe you in well-made -garments, to bring you again into society?’ - -‘Never, never! I would hide myself in the remotest corner of the world. -Tell me, man, what do you mean? You know something; you are a spy, a -traitor!’ - -Houlot looked here and there as if for a weapon, and I thought it -prudent to make quickly for the door. - -I went home and told Mrs Collingwood all that had occurred, excepting -the horror that M. Houlot had shewn at the idea of returning to her. -That I thought it most prudent to suppress. She seemed a little -softened, I thought, when I told her his account of his disappearance -in the sea, and that his motive was a good one as far as she was -concerned. - -We sat till late that night talking in the little pavilion, the -light from the windows of which was reflected in the dark river. I -fancied every now and then I heard a footstep softly pacing up and -down the embankment between us and the water’s edge. I certainly -thought I had securely locked the garden gate, and never dreamt of -our being disturbed. Just as my guest had risen to take her leave, -the door suddenly opened, and M. Houlot stood upon the threshold. Mrs -Collingwood screamed, and ran to the furthest corner of the room, -crouching behind the window curtains. Houlot glared at her for a -moment, then slammed to the door and strode away. I ran after him. - -‘You have deceived me!’ he said savagely, as, breathless, I overtook -him upon the embankment; ‘and I, like a fool, believed you, and -pictured her to myself—still loving, still faithful to the memory of -a wretched being; and I came to seek you, to know more about this -wonderful phenomenon. And now I see it all; she dreads me as if I were -a leper! Well, it matters not now; I am away to-morrow. Some kind -friends have raised a little money for me; I don’t need your help now. -To-morrow before daylight I start on my way to make my claim for that -which is mine own. Tell her—tell her that she need not fear me, that I -shall never trouble her, nor she me! I have been a slave long enough; -but to-morrow, light; to-morrow, freedom!’ - -‘Take care what you do,’ I said, ‘for the person whom you seek to ruin, -whom you would expose and bring to confusion, is the woman whom you -abandoned and left to the mercy of a pitiless world! Every step you -take to that end is over her, poor creature! The harm you did before -came right, after much misery; the harm you will do now can never be -cured!’ - -He uttered an exclamation of rage and despair, and disappeared in the -darkness. - -‘Is he gone?’ cried Mrs Collingwood, as I returned once more to the -pavilion. - -‘Yes, he is gone; he is away to London to-morrow to claim his rights, -as he calls them—to ruin us if he can. We must go also, and fight him.’ - -‘Do you know,’ faltered Mrs Collingwood, ‘that there has come a great -change over me these last few minutes? The thought that he really loved -me and sacrificed himself for my sake; and then he living here so -lonely and wretched, and I luxuriating on the fruits of his genius! Oh, -my heart has smitten me sorely, and I think if he came again I should -not be frightened!’ - -‘In that case,’ I said bitterly, ‘your course is easy enough; you -have only to make him understand he is forgiven. I will go with you -to-night.’ - -‘O no, not to-night!’ she said. ‘No; it is too sudden. But don’t let -him go away; tell him to stay, and that perhaps things may yet be well.’ - -‘He can’t leave before the first diligence,’ I said, ‘and I will meet -him there and tell him to stop.’ - -‘Do, do!’ she cried. ‘Keep him here for to-morrow; then I may have made -up my mind what will be for the best.’ - -I went to see the diligence start next morning; but no M. Houlot was -there. He had overslept himself probably. Well, I would go and see him -at his apartment, and tell him how matters stood. I knocked at his -door; but could not make him hear. Then I scribbled some words upon a -visiting card I happened to have in my pocket, and thrust it under the -door. - -The next time I saw that card it was in the hands of the _commissaire_ -of police, who came, accompanied by the _juge d’instruction_, to make -some _perquisitions_ as to what I might know of the last hours of M. -Houlot; for he had been found that morning lying dead on his mattress. - -The sad end of Houlot—well, of Dawson, if you like, but I have grown -to think of him and talk of him as Houlot—quite unmanned me for a -while. I could not help blaming myself as being in some way the cause -of it. From the moment of its discovery, I took a violent antipathy -to the work I had in hand. Houlot seemed to be always standing at -my elbow, reproaching me with killing him over again. I don’t know -whether the widow—really now a widow—had any such visions; I fancy not. -After the first shock of the news, she found that Houlot’s death was -really a great relief to her. It put an end to her troubles once for -all. We found at his lodgings a great heap of manuscript, which she -purchased from the agent acting for the landlord of the premises—who -had taken possession of everything in satisfaction of rent—for a -few francs. Whether she found the material among it for a series of -novels, I don’t know, for as soon as I had finished the work in hand, -I gave up my connection with Collingwood Dawson. I have since taken -to writing improving books for the young, and find that it pays much -better. Still I hear of him occasionally, and find that he continues -to be a tolerably successful author; and the other day I met my late -employer, who told me that she was married for a third time, and to a -gentleman of great literary ability, who had undertaken the management -of Collingwood Dawson. For my own part, I advised her to form him into -a Limited company, with a preference in the allotment of shares for -gentlemen of the press. - - - - -MR FAIR, ‘THE SILVER KING.’ - - -The prodigious quantities of silver recently dug from the mines of -Nevada and California, have, as is generally known, had the effect -of lowering the commercial value of silver to the extent of several -pence per ounce, and thereby depreciated the American dollar from one -hundred to about ninety cents; that is to say, the dollar has sunk -nearly fivepence in value—a circumstance greedily seized hold of by -certain parties in the United States, who propose, with more ingenuity -than honesty, to pay the public creditors in silver money without -making any allowance for depreciation. On this extraordinary policy so -much has been said by the newspapers, that we do not need to go into -particulars, further than to hint that before all the play is played, -the supporters of this scheme may unpleasantly find that there is some -truth in the old proverb that ‘honesty is the best policy.’ - -Something like an idea of what enormous wealth is being realised by -means of the above-mentioned silver mines is given in an account of -Mr Fair, ‘The Silver King,’ in a late number of that smart London -newspaper, _The World_. The following is an abridgment of this amusing -paper. - -‘There is a man alive at this present moment who, if he were so minded, -could give his daughter a marriage-portion of thirty millions sterling. -He would then have about ten millions left for himself. He lives six -thousand miles west of London, half-way up a mountain-side in Nevada; -and his daughter lives with him. Seven years ago he was a poor man; -to-day he is the Silver King of America. He has dug forty million -pounds’ worth of silver out of the hill he is living on, and has about -forty millions more yet to dig. If he lives three years longer he will -be the richest man in the world. His name is James Fair, and he is the -manager, superintendent, chief partner, and principal shareholder in -the Consolidated Virginia and California Silver Mines, known to men as -the “Big Bonanzas.” He has an army of men toiling for him day and night -down in the very depths of the earth—digging, picking, blasting, and -crushing a thousand tons of rock every twenty-four hours. - -‘Seven years ago there were two little Irishmen in the city of San -Francisco keeping a drinking-bar of very modest pretensions, close to -one of the principal business thoroughfares. Their customers were of -all kinds, but chiefly commercial men and clerks. Among them was an -unusually large proportion of stock and share dealers, mining-brokers -and the like, who, in the intervals of speculation, rushed out of the -neighbouring Exchange five or six times a day for drinks. Whisky being -almost the religion of California, and the two little bar-keepers being -careful to sell nothing but the best article, their bar soon became a -place of popular resort. And as no true Californian could ever swallow -a drink of whisky under any circumstances without talking about silver -mines or gold mines or shares in mines, it soon fell out that, next -to the Stock Exchange itself, there was no place in San Francisco -where so much mining-talk went on as in the saloon of Messrs Flood -& O’Brien, which were the names of the two little Irishmen. Keeping -their ears wide open, and sifting the mass of gossip that they listened -to every day, these two gentlemen picked up a good many crumbs of -useful information, besides getting now and then a direct confidential -tip; and they turned some of them to such good account in a few quiet -little speculations, that they shortly had a comfortable sum of money -lying at their bankers’. Instead of throwing it away headlong in wild -extravagant ventures, which was the joyous custom of the average -Californian in those days, they let it lie where it was, waiting, with -commendable prudence, till they knew of something good to put it into. -They soon heard of something good enough. On Fair’s advice they bought -shares in a mine called the Hale and Norcross, and were speedily taking -out of it fifteen thousand pounds a month in dividends. This mine was -the property of a company, and though it had at one time paid large -and continuous dividends, it was now supposed to be worked out and -worthless. Mr Fair, however, held a different opinion; and when he came -to examine it carefully, he found just what he expected to find—a large -deposit of silver-ore. Thereupon he and Flood and O’Brien together -bought up all the shares they could lay their hands upon, and obtained -complete control of the mine.’ - -Besides being a clever and experienced miner, Mr Fair entertained the -belief that by patient examination into holes and corners of the mine -he would discover a gigantic vein of silver-bearing ore. He discovered -the vein, the estimated value of which was a hundred and twenty -millions sterling. - -‘In the excitement caused by this astounding discovery it is scarcely -more than the hard truth to say that San Francisco went raving mad. The -vein in which the Bonanza was found was known to run straight through -the Consolidated Virginia and California mines, dipping down as it -went, and could not be traced any farther. But that fact was nothing -to people who were bent on having mining stock; and vein or no vein, -the stock they would have. Consequently they bought into every mine in -the neighbourhood—good and bad alike—sending prices up to unheard-of -limits, and investing millions in worthless properties that have never -yielded a shilling in dividends, and never will. When Flood had bought -a large quantity of the Bonanza stock, and had assured to himself and -his partners the controlling interest in the mines, he recommended all -his friends to buy a little; and O’Brien did the same. Those who took -the advice are now drawing their proportionate shares of dividends, -amounting to about five hundred thousand pounds a month. The majority -of those who bought into other mines are, in Californian parlance -“busted.” What these three men and their latest partner Mackay are -going to do with their money is a curious problem, the solution of -which will be watched with great interest in a year or two to come. The -money they hold now is yielding them returns so enormous that their -maddest extravagances could make no impression on the amount. Every -year they are earning more, saving more, and investing more. They -have organised a bank with a capital of ten millions of dollars; they -control nearly all the mining interests of Nevada and California; -they have a strong grip of the commercial, financial, and farming -interests all along the Pacific slope; and by a single word they can at -any moment raise a disastrous panic, and plunge thousands of men into -hopeless ruin. It will be an interesting thing to wait and watch how -this terrible power for good or evil is to be wielded.’ - - - - -THE MONTH: - -SCIENCE AND ARTS. - - -Professor Osborne Reynolds, in his presidential address to the -Scientific and Mechanical Society of Manchester, discussed the -Smoke question; a very pressing question in a town with so grimy an -atmosphere as Manchester. He pointed out that great part of the smoke -is produced by the furnaces of small steam-engines carelessly managed, -which are numerous throughout the town and neighbourhood, and suggested -that it might be possible to do away with these by producing power at -some great central establishment, and supplying it by transmission to -all the little factories of a district. But how is the transmission -to be effected? That is a question which has often been considered by -engineers, ‘not so much as a means of preventing smoke, but because -there are in our towns numberless purposes for which power is, or at -all events might be, usefully employed, and for which it is almost -impossible or very inconvenient to provide on the spot. Very small -steam-engines are very extravagant in coal, besides requiring almost -as much attention as large ones; and they are dangerous.... If, -therefore,’ continues Professor Reynolds, ‘power in a convenient form -could be obtained whenever and wherever required, at a fixed and -reasonable charge, and with no other trouble than the throwing into -gear of a clutch or the turning of a tap,’ it would be largely made use -of, and would ‘supplant steam-engines, which are now kept working with -little or nothing to do for the greater part of their time;’ whereby an -important saving of coal would be effected. The suggestion of supplying -steam-power on a retail principle is not new, and nothing but some -practical difficulties stand in the way. All we want is a solution of -the question by some competent engineer. Let the genius but arise; he -will find fame as well as fortune waiting for him. - -The Council of the Statistical Society will give their Howard Medal for -the present year and twenty pounds to the author of the best essay on -‘The Effects of Health and Disease on Military and Naval Operations.’ - -The Council of the Royal Geographical Society have resolved to devote -five hundred pounds yearly—‘in grants to assist persons having proper -qualifications, in undertaking special geographical investigations -(as distinct from mere exploration) in any part of the world—To aid -in the compilation of useful geographical data and preparing them for -publication, and in making improvements in apparatus or appliances -useful for geographical instruction, or for scientific research by -travellers—In fees to persons of recognised high attainments for -delivering lectures on physical geography in all its branches, as well -as on other truly scientific aspects of geography, in relation to its -past history, or the influences of geographical conditions on the human -race.’ Adherence to this course for a few years will do more to advance -geography as a science than having recourse to sensational meetings. - -Mr Dumas, the distinguished chemist, in giving an account to a -scientific Society in Paris of the liquefaction and solidification of -gases, stated that the specimen of oxygen produced by Mr Pictet of -Geneva was the size of a hen’s egg, and resembled snow in the solid -form, and water in the liquid form. Theoretically he had concluded that -the density of liquid oxygen would be about the same as that of water; -and this has been confirmed by experiment. - -As regards hydrogen, Mr Dumas explained that it was liquefied under -a pressure of six hundred and fifty atmospheres with cold minus one -hundred and forty degrees; and by evaporating the liquid thus obtained, -the solid condition, shewing the colour of blue steel, was arrived at. -Many years ago this possibility was foreseen, and the most advanced -chemists admitted the existence of a theoretical metal—hydrogenium. -‘This confirmation of the real nature of hydrogen,’ continued Mr -Dumas, ‘is not to be regarded merely as a theoretical result useful to -pure science; it appears to be of great importance for the future of -industry. A certain knowledge of the metallic nature of hydrogen will -have a certain influence on metallurgy, of which manufacturing arts -will take advantage.’ - -The phonograph has been exhibited, and made the subject of lectures -and experiments in many places, and as we anticipated, has given ample -demonstration that the statements put forth concerning it are true. -Marvellous as the fact may appear, all the words spoken into the -instrument seem to be there stored up ready for repetition whenever -excited by the cylinder of tinfoil. They do not come out quite in -the same tone as that in which they go in; but they are perfectly -distinct, and retain the characteristics of the speaker or singer. -At a scientific meeting in London, one of the company sung _God Save -the Queen_ into the phonograph. On coming to the highest note, he had -to make three attempts before he could reach it; and these failures -excited much merriment when the stanza was (only too faithfully) -repeated by the instrument. The same air was sung and produced -without failures, and a comic ditty was sung and inscribed on the -same cylinder: and very curious it was afterwards to hear the stately -movement of the national hymn accompanied by the jingling notes of the -funny melody. An instrument so ingenious as this ought to be applicable -to many useful purposes. Already there are improvements on the original -invention, and we shall doubtless hear of others. - -The very best photographs of the sun ever yet seen have been taken -at the Observatory, Meudon, near Paris, by Mr Janssen; and copies on -glass, twelve inches diameter, are now placed in the hands of some -of our scientific societies. They well repay study, for they shew -distinctly the granular appearance of the sun’s surface: millions of -white specks imbedded, so to speak, in a dense dark cloud. This surface -is liable to violent commotions, or ‘vortex movements,’ as Mr Warren -De la Rue calls them, ‘of which we can form no conception whatever -in thinking of tornados on the earth’s surface. The photosphere,’ -he continues, ‘had been whirled up in cloud-like masses in various -parts of the sun; and he saw at once that that might be the origin of -the luminous prominences with which we are all now so familiar.’ A -conclusion drawn from these appearances is that sunspots are not the -most important of solar phenomena. ‘There are changes taking place -from day to day, from hour to hour, and in some cases from minute to -minute, which completely change the aspect of the various parts of the -sun, shewing an amount of activity which it is extremely necessary -to study.’ And it is suggested that this could best be done by -establishing a physical observatory devoted to ceaseless observation -of the sun accompanied by photography. Such an observatory has been -recently founded at Potsdam, near Berlin. - -Professor Wolf of Zurich has spent many years in collecting from -every possible source records of sun-spots from the beginning of the -seventeenth century, and the beginning of the telescope. And after -careful examination he arrives at the conclusion that they do not bear -out the theory of an eleven years’ period, for since 1610 there are -twenty or thirty different maxima and minima, extending to sixteen -years in some instances, and in others contracting to seven years. -This is a fresh proof that many more observations are required for a -settlement of the question. - -Put a lump of zinc into the boiler of a steam-engine, and it will -prevent the formation of ‘scale;’ that is, the stony crust which, as -all engineers know to their sorrow, is very injurious and involves -constant expenditure. The experiment having been successfully tried -during four years by certain manufacturers in France, the Minister of -Public Works appointed a Commission to inquire into and report upon it. -From their Report, which was published last year in the _Annales des -Mines_, we learn that the zinc is to be placed in the boiler as far -as possible from the furnace, the quantity being a quarter-pound for -every five square feet of boiler-surface if the water be soft, and a -half pound if the water be hard. The boiler is then worked in the usual -way; and when opened for the usual cleaning the appearances as the -Commission describe will be—‘If the water be but slightly calcareous, -the deposits, instead of forming solid and adherent scale, are found in -a state of fluid mud, which is easily removable by simple washing. The -iron being clean and free from rust, no picking or scraping is needed, -whereby an important saving of time and labour is effected.’ - -On the other hand, if the water be strongly calcareous or hard, ‘the -deposits are as coherent and strong as though the zinc had not been -employed; but this strong coat does not stick to the iron. It can be -pulled off by hand, or at the worst detached without much effort, -leaving the iron clean. A simple washing clears it from the boiler; -and in this case, as in the foregoing, picking and scraping are -avoided.’ - -Here the question arises—What has become of the zinc? The answer given -is, that it is not strictly correct to say it has disappeared, for it -has been transformed into oxide of zinc, a white and earthy substance, -which often preserves the lamellar texture of the metal, the central -part sometimes continuing metallic and unattacked. At the same time it -is worth remark that no trace of dissolved zinc is found in the water -taken from the boilers. - -A communication to the Royal Institute of British Architects by Mr -Penrose makes known certain important ‘improvements in paint materials -invented by Mr W. Noy Wilkins,’ which have been satisfactorily tested -in the decoration of St Paul’s Cathedral. In the words of Mr Penrose, -‘The results arrived at are of such extreme simplicity as to make -their general application extremely easy, and also to give a strong -_a priori_ conviction of their permanence. In the matter of pigments, -white-lead is entirely banished from the painter’s stock, and the -substitution of kaolin, mixed with a smaller proportion of zinc-white, -combined with the limitation of the palette to the mineral colours. -Mr Wilkins has practised for twenty-five years exclusively with -these materials.... His discovery is that the chemical driers, which -produce a very unfavourable effect upon painter’s work, whether of the -house-painter or the artist, causing it to darken and to crack, can be -entirely dispensed with, by simply boiling for a short time a small -quantity of Turkey umber in the oil to be used for painting—whether -linseed, poppy, or nut oil—producing as desired a drying painting oil -or a varnish, and the residuum forming a valuable oil cement.’ Mr -Wilkins permits cultivators of art, desirous of more particulars, to -address him at ‘The Cottage, Elm Grove, Peckham’ (London). - -In another communication, by Mr I’Anson, on the Architecture of Norway, -the wooden churches were of course mentioned, and something was said -about Norwegian timber which will bear repetition. ‘The Scotch fir -furnishes the red wood, and the spruce-fir the white. What strikes -one,’ said the speaker, ‘is, that the Scotch fir, which with us is -regarded as the least valuable kind of fir-wood, scarcely fit for -railway sleepers or fences, is the best fir in Norway. I account for -that superiority of the Norwegian over the English tree in some measure -by the greater length of time that Scotch fir takes to come to maturity -in Norway than in this country. Scotch fir grows at the rate of as much -as two feet a year in Britain, and takes about fifty years to become a -usable tree; whereas in Norway it would take probably a century to grow -to a tree of equal size.’ - -In the last annual Report of the Royal Asiatic Society it is stated as -a now nearly accepted fact, that the language of Madagascar is a Malay -language from Sumatra, and that its connection with the African Suahili -is only that of loan-words, just as Persian has borrowed largely from -Arabic. Philologists and others interested in Eastern Africa will -perhaps be glad to hear that a grammar of Malagasi has been recently -published. - -Plantations of the cinchona tree were first begun in Jamaica in 1860, -at the cost of the government. The experiment has proved so successful -that more than eighty thousand trees are now growing in different -parts of the island. Henceforth the West Indies will compete with India -in supplying the world with quinine. - -It is well known that in some churches and large halls a reverberation -prevails which annoys the persons assembled, and prevents their -hearing distinctly. A few years ago the discovery was made that the -reverberation could be deadened by stretching threads across the -building from wall to wall below the ceiling. This curious fact has -been further confirmed at the Palace of Industry, Amsterdam, and in the -church of Notre-Dame des Champs, Paris, in each of which, by the simple -means of threads, the reverberation is silenced. - -The importation of fresh meat from the United States of America -commenced in the autumn of 1875. Since then the quantity brought to -this country from New York, Philadelphia, and other ports, has reached -a total of more than sixty million pounds; and great as the trade -has become, it tends to increase. The graziers and agriculturists -of Europe will have to consider whether some means may not be found -for increasing and cheapening cattle-food, if they desire to compete -with the transatlantic graziers. Whether the way shall be by improved -irrigation, extended drainage, or creation of pastures, remains to be -discovered. On this subject much valuable information is contained in a -work entitled _Food from the Far West_, with special reference to the -Beef Production and importation of Dead Meat from America (W. P. Nimmo, -London and Edinburgh). - -‘On Some Means used for testing Lubricants’ is the title of a paper -by Mr W. H. Bailey, read before the same Society. There needs no -argument to prove that if it be possible to discover the oil or grease -which will best prevent friction, it ought to be discovered; and the -engravings in this paper shew the contrivances for effecting this -discovery. To Dr Joule, F.R.S. all who use machinery are indebted for -having, as Mr Bailey remarks, ‘enabled us to look upon the cost of -friction and the cash value of heat as mere questions of arithmetic. -The energy which passes away in wasted heat may be measured and valued -with nearly as much facility as any article of commerce. The science of -heat teaches us that the relations between heat and mechanical motion -are regulated by well-defined, accurate, and rigid principles. Those -who would command Nature’s forces must first learn her laws; the first -rudiments of which say, that when we produce frictional heat in our -machinery, we become law-breaking prodigals, who have incurred fines -and penalties, which are generally paid when a cheque is given to -settle the coal-bill.’ - -Perhaps not many people south of the Border are aware that there are -gold-fields in Scotland; but that gold can be found in Sutherlandshire -and in the south-west, has long been known to the dwellers in those -localities; and now in the _Scottish Naturalist_, Dr Lauder Lindsay -describes the gold-fields of Lanarkshire. In the Upper Ward of that -county he tells us that ‘of alluvial gold, from nuggets big enough to -make breast-pin heads down to granular dust, there is no scarcity. It -may be collected at any time by simple washing from the beds or banks -of any streams of the district. Whenever a supply of gold is wanted -for museum specimens or for presentation jewellery, a sufficiency is -forthcoming. A few hours’ work of a miner, and still more the conjoint -efforts of a band of miners extending over several days, produce the -number of grains or ounces required.’ The people of Scotland have -long known that gold can be found in various parts of the country. -The difficulty, however, is to find it in sufficient quantities to -pay the expense of working, or even in searching for it. Persons of -an eager turn do not sufficiently think of this, and hence endless -disappointments. - -Our notice (No. 726, p. 750, 1877) of Dr Sayre’s method of treating -curvature of the spine has led to inquiries for further particulars: -we have pleasure therefore in mentioning that Smith, Elder, & Co. have -published a book by Dr Sayre, entitled _Spinal Disease and Spinal -Curvature—their Treatment by Suspension, and the Use of the Plaster -of Paris Bandage_. Besides clear descriptions, the book contains -engravings which represent the method of treatment, and may be easily -understood. - - - - -BUTTERFLIES. - - - Once more I pass along the flowering meadow, - Hear cushats call, and mark the fairy rings; - Till where the lych-gate casts its cool dark shadow, - I pause awhile, musing on many things; - Then raise the latch, and passing through the gate, - Stand in the quiet, where men rest and wait. - - Bees in the lime-trees do not break their sleeping; - Swallows beneath church eaves disturb them not; - They heed not bitter sobs or silent weeping; - Cares, turmoil, griefs, regrets, they have forgot. - I murmur sadly: ‘Here, then, all life ends. - We lay you here to rest, and lose you, friends.’ - - By no rebuke is the sweet silence broken. - No voice reproves me; yet a sign is sent; - For from the grassy mounds there comes a token - Of Life immortal—and I am content. - See! the soul’s emblem meets my downcast eyes: - Over the graves are hovering butterflies! - - G. S. - - - - -WASTE SUBSTANCE. - - -A correspondent suggests that the refuse from broken slate which is -thrown aside at the quarries as useless, might be ground down into -powder and used as paint. The writer informs us that he has tried -powdered slate, and found that it not only made good paint but that the -paint lasted well for outdoor work. - - * * * * * - -The Conductors of CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL beg to direct the attention of -CONTRIBUTORS to the following notice: - -_1st._ All communications should be addressed to the ‘Editor, 339 - High Street, Edinburgh.’ - -_2d._ To insure the return of papers that may prove ineligible, - postage-stamps should in every case accompany them. - -_3d._ MANUSCRIPTS should bear the author’s full _Christian_ name, - surname, and address, legibly written. - -_4th._ MS. should be written on one side of the leaf only. - -_5th._ Poetical offerings should be accompanied by an envelope, - stamped and directed. - -_Unless Contributors comply with the above rules, the Editor cannot -undertake to return ineligible papers._ - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON, -and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH. - - * * * * * - -_All Rights Reserved._ - - * * * * * - -[Transcriber’s Note—the following changes have been made to this text. - -Page 193: beech to beach—“a white beach”.] - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular -Literature, Science, and Art,, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, MARCH 30, 1878 *** - -***** This file should be named 62970-0.txt or 62970-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/9/7/62970/ - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 744, March 30, 1878 - -Author: Various - -Editor: William Chambers - Robert Chambers - -Release Date: August 18, 2020 [EBook #62970] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, MARCH 30, 1878 *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193"></a>{193}</span></p> - -<h1>CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL<br /> -OF<br /> -POPULAR<br /> -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART.</h1> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" >CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<p class='center'> - -<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. --> - -<a href="#ASHORE_IN_THE_STRAITS_OF_MALACCA">ASHORE IN THE STRAITS OF MALACCA.</a><br /> -<a href="#HELENA_LADY_HARROGATE">HELENA, LADY HARROGATE.</a><br /> -<a href="#RECOLLECTIONS_OF_THE_IRISH_BAR">RECOLLECTIONS OF THE IRISH BAR.</a><br /> -<a href="#MONSIEUR_HOULOT">MONSIEUR HOULOT.</a><br /> -<a href="#MR_FAIR_THE_SILVER_KING">MR FAIR, ‘THE SILVER KING.’</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_MONTH">THE MONTH: SCIENCE AND ARTS.</a><br /> -<a href="#BUTTERFLIES">BUTTERFLIES.</a><br /> -<a href="#WASTE_SUBSTANCE">WASTE SUBSTANCE.</a><br /> - -<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. --> - -</p> - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="header" style="max-width: 37.5em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/header.png" alt="Chambers’s Journal of Popular Literature, Science, -and Art. Fourth Series. Conducted by William and Robert Chambers." /> -</div> - -<hr class="full" /> -<div class="center"> -<div class="header"> -<p class="floatl"><span class="smcap">No. 744.</span></p> -<p class="floatr"><span class="smcap">Price</span> 1½<em>d.</em></p> -<p class="floatc">SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1878.</p> -</div></div></div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ASHORE_IN_THE_STRAITS_OF_MALACCA">ASHORE IN THE STRAITS OF MALACCA.</h2> -</div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> corvette <i>Lyre</i>, one of Her Majesty’s vessels, is -to be imagined as lying at anchor off the mouth -of the river Langhat, in the Straits of Malacca, -a long heavy ground-swell rolling her lazily -from side to side, as though even the sea found -the climate too trying for much exertion. It is -a glorious scene which lies before us: a white -beach curtained with brilliant foliage, above which -rises Parcelar Hill, a cone-shaped mountain, with -its steep sides covered with dense jungle; but on -board, the pitiless sun is pouring down his cloudless -rays, making the pitch bubble out of the seams of -the deck even through the double awning which is -spread overhead. It is one o’clock in the afternoon, -the dinner hour, and the officers, clad in -white tunics and helmets, are listlessly lounging in -long chairs abaft the mizzen-mast; while on the forecastle, -blue-jackets and marines are in little groups -smoking, and some who find even that amusement -too hot, are stretched about the deck sleeping -or reading. Suddenly there is a slight stir among -them, and the shrill whistle of a boatswain’s mate -is heard, followed by a hoarse bellow at the hatchway: -‘D’ye hear there? A seining-party will -leave the ship at four bells [two o’clock]. All you -as wish to go give your names to the master-at-arms. -Away there, first cutters and dingey boys! -Lower your boats!’</p> - -<p>While the crews thus named are preparing their -boats for the expedition, volunteers in plenty are -sending in their names; for a seining, or in -other words a fishing-party, which involves a run -on shore and a sort of picnic on the beach, is -always popular on board a man-of-war. At -this time too, we had been nearly a month at -sea, and our store of fresh meat in the wardroom -having soon been exhausted, we had been living -on the ship’s provisions for a fortnight past; and -H.M.’s salt beef (generally though disrespectfully -known as ‘salt horse’), never very popular at any -time, had become extremely distasteful to our -palates, though our Chinese cooks had exhausted -their science and our patience in inventing new -methods of cooking the obnoxious article. I may -mention here that the <i>Lyre</i> formed part of a -squadron which had assembled in the Straits for -the suppression of piracy, for the inhabitants of -the Malay states have an interesting custom, -handed down from remote ages, of making indiscriminate -war on each other. The British government, -not taking the view that this was a wise -dispensation of Providence for getting rid of a -useless race by mutual extermination, instead of -leaving them to settle their disputes like the -famous Kilkenny cats, resolved to put down this -lawless state of affairs with a strong hand; so -some of the powers that be, arranged a scheme -for sweeping the rivers of the piratical craft which -infested them.</p> - -<p>The plan was beautifully simple and efficacious -in theory: part of the squadron was to ascend a -branch of the Salangore River, and drive all the -boats they should find there round to the Langhat -River, where the remainder, of which the captain -of the <i>Lyre</i> had command, was to catch them. It -ought to have been a success; but somehow or -other the ungrateful pirates declined to come out -of their hiding-places and be captured; and after -spending a fortnight at anchor without making a -single haul, our only duty being to send a detachment -occasionally to relieve the guard at a -stockade we had taken, we began to get tired of -the cruise and the invariable ‘salt horse,’ boiled, -fried, or devilled, that formed the ‘standing part’ -of every meal; so that any proposal to break the -monotony of our daily grind, such as this seining-party -promised, was eagerly welcomed both by -officers and men.</p> - -<p>At two o’clock a heavily laden cutter left the -ship, towing the dingey, with the large seine-net -which is supplied to every man of war, coiled up -in it. Some of the older hands have taken a -spare shift of clothes, for a great deal of rough -dirty work may be expected, and a wise man likes -to be prepared for emergencies; but the majority -have been content with putting on the oldest -suits they can find. As we have no chart in the -boat, we find some difficulty in approaching the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194"></a>{194}</span> -shore, as a long reef runs off it, on which the heavy -cutter strikes again and again as we pull up and -down looking for a passage. ‘Jump out there, -half-a-dozen hands, and look for deep water,’ sings -out the lieutenant in command of the party; and -directly a number of men are overboard, glad to -cool themselves from the blazing heat; and they -wade and splash about in all directions, till the -sudden disappearance of one man, amidst the -laughter of the rest, announces that he has found -the channel rather suddenly; and pulling in his -direction, the boat reaches the shore without -difficulty.</p> - -<p>Not a promising place for a cast where we are -landing—the mouth of a deep rapid river, with -steep banks of mud, behind which is a narrow -belt of sand and bushes and then a dense jungle; -but the dingey—a handy little boat—which has -been sent to reconnoitre, returns with a report -of a shelving sandy beach a few hundred yards -away, which will just suit our purpose. So, -telling off a few hands with axes to cut down -wood and light a fire—a very necessary precaution -when men are wet through—the remainder, -after anchoring the cutter in the river, -march off to the spot where the dingey is paying -out the seine so as to inclose a large space of water. -Long ropes are fastened to each end of the net, one -of which is already held on shore, and the dingey -soon brings in the other. Now comes the real -hard work, as the heavy net is slowly and laboriously -hauled to land, the two ends being gradually -brought together by the direction of the experienced -fishermen in charge. As the centre part -of the net approaches, the excitement becomes -great; and some of the men, regardless of sharks -and alligators, swim behind, splashing water to -frighten back the fish who are endeavouring to leap -over the barrier which separates them from freedom. -Then, amidst the cheery notes of a fishing -chorus, most of us wading up to our waists in -water, the purse or bulge of the net is run high -and dry on the sand, and we eagerly examine our -spoil. A curious collection they are, and many of -them no use for cooking or any other purpose that -we can tell. There are crabs of all sizes and brilliant -colours, with claws out of all proportion to -the size of their bodies, which immediately make -their presence felt by severely nipping the bare -legs and feet of the men nearest to them, of course -much to the amusement of the rest of the party.</p> - -<p>Another peril to the unwary are the catfish, -unpleasant creatures, that have a playful -knack of darting their poisonous spines into -the flesh of any one incautiously touching them, -thereby causing excruciating agony for some -little time. Then come some little round fish, -that have a very peculiar habit of swelling themselves -out when touched, until they actually burst -as it were with their own importance. I am not -naturalist enough to tell the name of this peculiar -fish, but the men used to call them ‘beadles.’ -These and many others are thrown back into the -sea as unfit for food; but even after this wholesale -rejection, we have several buckets of good eatable -fish, which are sent off to the fire, which is now -blazing brightly on the strip of sand at the mouth -of the river. A question now arises as to who -shall be cook, and one of the men is promptly -chosen by the others, and placed in charge of the -fish. There is a joke about selecting this particular -individual. Some months previously, in -the course of a chaffing-match with the wardroom -cook’s mate, he had made a retort so peculiarly -cutting that the enraged knight of the gridiron -applied an <i>argumentum ad hominem</i> in the shape -of a saucepan, which laid him on the deck with a -broken head; so whenever there was a question of -cooking to be done after this, he was invariably -selected for the office, as the others said he must -have gone deeply into the subject.</p> - -<p>We make cast after cast now, and fill all -our spare buckets with fish, getting rather tired -ourselves with the exertion of hauling a heavy -net, up to our necks in water, till the night comes -on apace, and we edge off towards the fire, -making a final cast in front of it, as the glare -attracts the fish in great numbers. We have -become satiated with sport by this time; so the -net is coiled up in the dingey, and all hands -draw round the blazing fire; those that have taken -the precaution to bring dry clothes now donning -them; and the others, who have been less prudent, -drying themselves in the grateful heat.</p> - -<p>It is a strangely picturesque scene; the flickering -blaze of the fire lighting up the groups of -men stretched on the sand in various attitudes -of negligent ease, their bare muscular limbs -contrasting in almost startling whiteness with -their bearded faces, bronzed almost black with -exposure to the tropical sun. Some are drinking -the scalding hot tea, which is now passed round -in pannikins; while others are toasting fish, spitted -on a stick for want of a more elaborate apparatus, -and served up on a biscuit; a few grains of -powder from the cartridges—which had been -brought in case of an attack, supplying the place -of salt, which had of course been forgotten. Our -hunger is too great after our arduous exertions -to notice any little defects in the cooking, and -a hearty meal is enjoyed by all. Soon a pleasant -odour of tobacco arises, as a circle is formed round -a glorious fire, and a measure of grog is handed -round by a corporal to each man. This latter -luxury is supplied by the officers, who have in -turn been indebted to the men for the tea which -they had hospitably pressed on them.</p> - -<p>‘Now, my lads, for a song,’ says the officer in -command; and after some little demur as to who -shall commence, a man strikes up an old sea-song -describing the wreck of the <i>Ramilies</i>, near -Plymouth, a number of verses with a chorus to -each:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">With close-reefed tops’ls neatly spread,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">She sought for to weather the old Rame Head.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>A fine effect is produced as the chorus is taken<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195"></a>{195}</span> -up by thirty deep voices, many of the men, with -a sailor’s natural aptitude for music, singing the -second and bass; and the unusual volume of -sound drowns for a moment the deafening noises -of the beasts and insects that are holding their -usual nocturnal concert in the neighbouring jungle.</p> - -<p>‘Well done the starboard watch!’ says a man -when the song is concluded. ‘Now the port.’ And -soon another song begins:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent4">’Twas in Cawsand Bay lying,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">With the Blue-Peter flying,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And all hands aboard for the anchor to weigh,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">There came a young lady,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">As fair as a May-day,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And modestly hailing, this damsel did say—</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>I forget the exact words that the lady made use -of, though the quaint phraseology much amused -me at the time, but I remember that she wanted -her true love, a seaman on board; but the captain -declined her request, although</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent4">He said with emotion,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">‘What son of the ocean</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But would his assistance to Ellen afford.’</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>In the climax, however, the lady unexpectedly -turned the tables in her favour, for</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Out of her pocket she hauls his discharge!</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Chorus—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">For out of her pocket she hauls his discharge!</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Song followed song after this, the crackling of -the roaring fire and the ceaseless din of the jungle -forming an obligato accompaniment, which somehow -seemed appropriate to the occasion, till a gun -from the distant ship warned us that our time was -up. Hereupon the officer in charge sent a couple -of hands to haul in the cutter, which had been left -at anchor in the river. Easier said than done, -however, seeing that after a prolonged absence -they returned, looking somewhat alarmed, and -reported that they could not find the boat anywhere. -This caused rather a commotion among -the party, which a whisper of ‘Pirates’ did not -diminish; so a rush was made for the rifles; and -thus armed we marched to the beach; but not a -sign of the boat could be found. There was just a -chance that she had broken adrift; so the dingey -was quickly manned and shoved off in search; but -almost directly a loud shout announced that the -cutter had been found full of water and apparently -sinking. A number of men swam off to her at -once; but the steep banks prevented our hauling -her up; and we had just time, by dint of hard -work, to remove her sails, oars, &c., when she sank, -leaving us to our resources on the sand.</p> - -<p>Our position looked unpleasant enough now, -thus cast away in a piratical district; and besides, -the gathering clouds to windward, of inky blackness, -foretold to our experienced eyes that one of -the violent squalls of wind and rain called Sumatras, -which are of daily occurrence at this season, -would soon be upon us. Seamen, however, are -the handiest of mortals; and in a surprisingly short -space of time a tent was rigged from the boats’ -sails and spars, under which we all huddled from -the storm, which was now in full strength. How -the rain did come down! As if the very flood-gates -of heaven were open! And how the furious -wind shook our frail tent till we expected every -moment to have it down about our ears. The -situation was becoming every moment the more -trying, as with sails soaked through, we were -subjected to the full brunt of the awful drench. -In spite of the trenches that we had dug in the -sand with our oars to serve as water-ways, we were -soon lying in a pool of water.</p> - -<p>Strange to say, however, this was found rather -a relief from the cold breeze, and many men proceeded -to deepen their beds so as to immerse the -whole body in water. Of the two elements the water -was found to be the warmer! All the mosquitoes -within hail had of course made their rendezvous -in our tent; and even worse than they, the abominable -sand-flies commenced their assaults with -such zeal that nothing was to be heard but slaps -and anathemas, bestowed with great impartiality. -Strange to say, many men actually slept calmly -through all the din; but most of us kept awake, -singing and smoking; and so the wretched night -passed away till the last touch was given to our -misery by seeing the fire put out by an unusually -heavy squall and rain. To supplement even the -last touch, a cruel stop was put to our smoking, as -our matches had become soaked and useless. Our -pipe was literally put out; and as the last drop of -grog had been served out, we had to content ourselves -with singing and yarning till the first faint -streaks of dawn appeared and the rain ceased.</p> - -<p>What miserable, bedraggled creatures we were -when the morning sun broke bright and cloudless -on the beach, our dripping clothes stained with -mud and sand, and our faces so swollen with bites -that it was with difficulty we could recognise each -other! However it did not do to stand and shiver—that -is an absurdity which Jack has never been -guilty of—so one party set to work trying to -light a fire with the help of a cartridge (a futile -endeavour, everything being so soaked); while -others endeavoured to launch the cutter, which was -lying high and dry on the mud, a large hole in -her bottom explaining the hitherto unaccountable -mystery of her sinking. Our ingenuity was fully -taxed in our attempts to again wed the somewhat -unwieldy craft to the water; but Jack’s resources -seem never to fail him, as with many an ingenious -artifice we at length succeed in patching the leak -and floating the cutter.</p> - -<p>We were hungry enough by this time to eat -anything; but it was no use piping to breakfast, -for we had no food; and even had we caught -some more fish, they were no use without a fire, -and all attempts to create even a spark had been -in vain. So we sauntered about the beach or tried -to penetrate the jungle; in the latter case getting -well bitten for our pains by the red ants, till our -eyes were gladdened by the sight of two boats -pulling in our direction from the ship. This was -lucky, for we had just decided on risking the -passage in the cutter. It was a long time before -the boats could reach us, for they too had a difficulty -in finding the channel; but at last they pulled -into the river and landed with some provisions. -Oh, how enjoyable was that glass of rum! How -precious the matches wherewith to rekindle the -beloved baccy! Even the raw pork was pleasant -enough to our hungry stomachs. But after we -had lit our pipes, we forgot all our troubles, -and expressed our willingness to remain another -night and have some more fun. It was not to be, -however. Our relief brought us orders to return<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196"></a>{196}</span> -aboard immediately; and in another hour we found -ourselves alongside the ship, receiving the congratulations -and chaff of our shipmates, and after -all none the worse for our seining-party.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="HELENA_LADY_HARROGATE">HELENA, LADY HARROGATE.</h2> -</div> - - -<h3>CHAPTER XVII.—AT OLD PLUGGER’S.</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">London</span> boarding-houses being regulated by no -statute law, and as little liable to the supervision -of the police and the interference of the Right -Honourable the Secretary of State for the Home -Department as are other free commercial concerns, -are very much harder to classify than are London -hotels, inns, and public-houses. Their very exterior, -which is decorated by no gaudy signs or -gold-lettered inscriptions relative to viands, neat -wines or cordials, might cause them to be mistaken -for schools, workshops, or private dwellings. Even -when a brass plate on the door bears the name -of Bloss or Grewer or Pawkins—people who keep -boarding-houses do appear, for some inscrutable -reason, to parade the oddest patronymics—nobody -not enlightened enough to know who Pawkins, -Bloss, or Grewer may be, would gather much -information from the laconic announcement. In -all London there was not, taking one place with -another, a much queerer boarding-house than one -which stood on the Southwark or Surrey side of -the Thames, and so nearly opposite to the Tower -that the gaunt turrets of the grim old fortress were -always (save in a fog of peculiar density) visible -from its upper windows. This boarding-house, -at the corner of what was called Dampier’s Row, -was very solidly built, chiefly as it would seem, -of the massive timbers of ships dissected in the -breakers’ yards close by; and with its bow-windows -and bulging outline, seemed to stand hard by -the water’s edge, like some sturdy collier craft -that had accidentally got stranded and was trying -to accustom itself to life ashore. This particular -boarding-house, the green door of which bore -no distinguishing mark, was known in the neighbourhood -and far along the river below bridge, as -‘Old Plugger’s.’</p> - -<p>Whether there was a Plugger still in existence -or not, it may be surmised that the original and -veteran possessor of that name had enjoyed a widespread -connection among mariners, for most of -the present inmates of the house were seafaring -persons. Most, but not all. And of the nautical -boarders at Plugger’s none were common seamen. -The title of ‘Captain’ was in as constant requisition -within its weather-bleached porch, overgrown -with scarlet-runners, as it could possibly be at a -military club farther west. Two-thirds of the -swarthy, restless-eyed customers claimed to have -a right to that honorary prefix, or at the least -to have been ‘officers’ of one branch or another -of the mercantile marine. The remainder, apparently -attracted to the spot by the smell of the -tar and paint from the neighbouring wharfs, or -by the sight of the forest of masts that rose up -between them and the Middlesex shore, or by -congenial company, had much to say as to gulches -and placers and auriferous river-bars, and gold-dust -which, after months of toil and hunger, had -been fooled away in a week’s mad revel; and -colossal fortunes that could infallibly be realised -by any one who had a pitiful thousand pounds at -command, and would be guided by sound advice -as to its investment.</p> - -<p>It was not a cheap boarding-house, according to -the tariff of such establishments, this one of Old -Plugger’s. Rivals and humbler imitators held it -in respect, for it was a thriving concern. Its -rooms seldom stood empty for long, and its frequenters -somehow found the wherewithal to pay -their score. It was not a noisy place; by no -means comparable to the riotous dens about Tiger -Bay and elsewhere, or to the sailors’ publics at -Wapping or Rotherhithe; but now and then there -was a din from within it, a shouting of hoarse -voices, a trampling of heavy feet, a crashing of -woodwork or of glass, and then silence. And if -just then a patrol of the police happened to be -passing down the main street, and some one said -that the disturbance was at Old Plugger’s, the -sergeant would shake his head as meaningly as -Lord Burleigh in the <i>Critic</i>. But nobody seemed -to care to inquire too curiously into the nature -of the altercation in what was euphemistically -known, among the trades-folk of the vicinity, as -the captains’ boarding-house.</p> - -<p>It was, as has been said with reference to -contemporary events at Carbery, sultry August -weather, and if it was hot even on the spurs of -breezy Dartmoor, assuredly it was hotter in the -east of London. The strong sun brought out with -great effect the combined perfumes of pitch and -paint, of gas refuse and train-oil, of tide-mud and -fried flat-fish, of old tarpaulins, rotten timber, and -animal and vegetable refuse, never so pungent as -beside the Thames. Society, gasping for air of -purer quality than that town-made article which -during the season and the parliamentary session -it had respired perforce, had left London. But -the captains who patronised Plugger’s bore the -loss of Society with philosophical equanimity, and -were content to incur, by stopping where they -were, a reputation for being wholly unfashionable.</p> - -<p>A controversy might have been waged with -reference to Old Plugger’s as to which was the -back and which the front of that hospitable mansion. -The main-door certainly opened on the -street, or rather row, named in honour of Dampier, -and by the position of a main-door that of a house-front -is commonly to be determined. But then -Plugger’s turned all its smiles, all its attractions -towards the river. The best rooms were on that -side, with their bow-windows and lumbering -balconies; and there was even a narrow strip of -garden, where snails ran riot among the neglected -cabbages and tall sunflowers, and where the half -of an old boat, set on end and festooned with -sweet-pea and the inevitable scarlet-runner, did -duty for an arbour, perilously near to the wash -and ripple of the flood-tide.</p> - -<p>In the broad wooden balcony that projected from -the low first-floor of Plugger’s and in part overhung -this delectable garden, were some six or seven men -in their shirt sleeves mostly, for coolness’ sake, -but otherwise not ill clad. Through the open bow-windows -of the long room of which the balcony was -an appendage, glimpses might be caught of some -ten or twelve other customers, very similar in garb -and bearing to those outside. It was early as yet, -and breakfast—as betokened by the empty cups, -empty bottles, and confusion of knives and forks -and dirty plates—was already over. Some of the -company were smoking a solemn morning pipe of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197"></a>{197}</span> -the yard-long ‘churchwarden’ variety, affected by -sea-going persons when on shore; two seated at a -round-table were engaged in a game at cards; and -one copper-visaged and gray-haired captain, with a -glass of steaming rum-and-water at his elbow, sat -on the flat top of the wooden balustrade itself, and -alternately swept the waters with the aid of a -gleaming brass-bound telescope, or glanced critically -at the cards and the players. In all this -there was nothing to distinguish Plugger’s from -many another long-shore boarding-house, wherein -mates and skippers take their spell of rest, as it -were, between the hardships of the last voyage and -those of the next; and those who have seen much -of men of this class are aware how much of sterling -worth is apt to underlie the harmless peculiarities -traditional to the calling. But a physiognomist -who should have, himself unseen, accompanied -some Asmodeus bent on taking a bird’s-eye view -of the company, could scarcely have failed to -draw his own deductions from the countenances -thus beheld. There were faces there in plenty -which would have seemed in keeping with their -surroundings had they been seen above the bulwarks -of a long, black-hulled schooner, rakish as to -her masts, and clean and sharp as to her run and -cut-water, beating to windward off the Isle of -Pines, or within sight of the mountain mass of -Cuba. There were others, newly shaven, that -would have harmonised well with a shaggy beard -and tattered cabbage-palm hat, surmounting the -red shirt and pistol-studded belt of the Australian -bushranger. And again, others which might be -conceived to have been tanned to their mahogany -hue by the reflection of the sun from the tawny -surface of some African river, where, behind the -mangrove swamp, might be seen the cane-thatched -top of the barracoon, where the cargo of ‘live -ebony’ lay shackled. A very dangerous set of -scamps, unless their looks belied them, were the -bulk of Plugger’s patrons, and the more dangerous -perhaps because they were not reckless—because -they knew how to abstain from the overdose of -liquor that sets the brain afloat and loosens the -tongue.</p> - -<p>‘Let me tell yew, mister, yew’d be riddled, yew -would, like any catamount treed, ef yew played -thet sorter game in Georgia, whar I war raised, -yew would,’ suddenly exclaimed one of the card-players, -whose nasal drawl would of itself have -revealed his nationality. ‘Thet’s three times -I’ve seen yew try to pass the king.’</p> - -<p>‘Don’t cry afore you ’re hurt,’ retorted his -adversary, whose air and tone were those of a -sailor, and whose muscular wrists, emerging from -shirt-cuffs linked by heavy sleeve-buttons of silver, -were ornamented by mermaids and anchors and -true-lovers’ knots in blue tattooing of the true -salt-water pattern. ‘Guess this child wasn’t born -last week, shipmate! Haven’t I sported the pasteboard -at New York with Dead Rabbits; at New -Orleans with Plug-uglies; and in California with -fellows that stuck the points of their bowies in -the table afore they set to a hand at poker! -You’re a nice hand to tax a man with cheating, -you, with two court cards up your sleeve -now!’</p> - -<p>The American, who was spare and lightly -built, compared with the opposite player, scowled -as he thrust his bony right hand into an inner -pocket of the loose coat which he alone of all the -occupants of the balcony wore. It may have been -for the concealment of the cards alluded to; it -may have been to get a grasp of some hidden -weapon. The latter was the supposition that the -most commended itself to the other gamester.</p> - -<p>‘Shew your hand, Sam Barks!’ he said roughly, -grasping a Dutch bottle, probably containing -Schiedam, which stood in company with two -glasses on the table, ‘or I’——</p> - -<p>‘Belay there, you brace of babies!’ interrupted -the copper-visaged captain, thrusting his flashing -telescope and his metallic face betwixt the disputants. -‘Dog don’t eat dog, my mates! I always -was agin play between friends.—Sam, my lad, -you won’t make much out of Captain Hold.—Dick, -my Trojan, you’ll not find the American quite as -green as spinach. Draw your stakes, my heroes, -and let’s shake hands and have a drink all round, -for the renewal of friendship!’ And this singular -specimen of a peacemaker flourished his glass, -swallowed its contents, and rattled the teaspoon -against its sides until this substitute for a bell -attracted the notice of a watchful attendant, -wearing a striped cotton jacket, such as cabin-boys -in hot latitudes affect.</p> - -<p>‘Three grogs, steward, and a goodish squeeze of -lemon in mine, d’ye hear?’ called out he of the -copper countenance; and the dark-skinned mulatto -lad who was called ‘steward,’ as factotums in <i>The -Traveller’s Rest</i> were called Deputy, nodded his -woolly head, and was not long in bringing the -desired refreshment. The kettle must have been -kept always boiling, even on hot August mornings, -at Plugger’s, so ready was the supply of -steaming spirits and water.</p> - -<p>‘Ah! my boys,’ said the venerable founder of -the feast, as he took a second sip at the potent -liquor, ‘here’s a blue blazing day for ye—puts -me in mind, and you too mayhap, of a morning -in the doldrums, where sun is sun, and the very -sea seems to simmer like a can of hot broth. I’d -like to smell blue water again, I would. I’d an -offer, Monday, to command a decentish brig, West -Ingies and Demerary way; regular molasses wagon; -but old as I am, I’d rather have another bout in -the South Seas. Black-birding for the Fiji and -Queensland labour market is about the best sport -a man can have, since they spoiled the fun we used -to have off the West Coast.’</p> - -<p>‘Ay, but that game’s pretty near played out -too,’ answered Hold meditatively. ‘Why, you -yourself, Captain Grincher, lost your schooner -that the man-o’-war captured off the Solomons, -and were tried at Sydney for what the government -fellows called kidnapping. No; give me -Chinese waters, and a handy crew aboard a bit -of a fast-sailing lorcha to’——</p> - -<p>‘Gentlemen, gentlemen!’ broke in the American, -now in a good temper; ‘allow me to say it air -a pity to see men of your talents a-huddling of -’em into corners wheer they’ll fail of their just -reward. Now, listen, ef I could but get together -a few spirited citizens and, mind ye, the handful -of coin necessary for preliminary expenses, this -child could point the place where lies, in fourteen -fathom water, the treasure-ship <i>Happy Land</i> that -left San Francisco, bound for New York, in the -fall of ’49, and never was heard of more. She -had the value, in dust and bars, of’——</p> - -<p>But the precise amount of the golden freight -which, on board the <i>Happy Land</i>, awaited the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198"></a>{198}</span> -bold explorers who should reach that sunken -vessel, is not destined to be set down in these -pages, for the coloured steward at this juncture -appeared holding a letter between his dusky finger -and thumb. ‘For Cap’en Hold,’ said the mulatto; -and Hold, recognising the handwriting, jumped to -his feet in a trice, and snatched rather than -received the envelope which the dark Ganymede -of Plugger’s held out to him; and tearing it open, -read as follows: ‘Come, and come at once. There -is no time to lose. Something has occurred—something -which makes your presence necessary. -Come by noonday train. I will be at the park -gate to the north soon after ten o’clock. Meet -me there.’ The letter was signed ‘Ruth Willis.’</p> - -<p>Hold’s mind was instantly made up. ‘I must -heave anchor in a hurry,’ he said, as he thrust -back the letter into his pocket. ‘So good-bye, -Grincher; and good-bye, Barks!’ and without -further delay, he withdrew to prepare for the -journey to Carbery. To pay his reckoning, to -push some needful articles into a bag, and to consign -his sea-chest to the custody of the authorities -of Plugger’s, well used to similar trusts, took but -half an hour; and when the mid-day train started -for the west of England it carried with it a second-class -passenger, whose only luggage was a black -bag, and who could easily have been mistaken for -a man-o’-war’s man bound for Plymouth, there to -rejoin one of those <i>Hornets</i> or <i>Monkeys</i> which have -superseded the <i>Arethusas</i> and <i>Hermiones</i> of the -past.</p> - -<p>Arrived at the station most convenient for his -purpose, Hold trudged sturdily on until he reached -his old quarters at <i>The Traveller’s Rest</i>, where he -installed his bag in one of those single-bedded -rooms which were always at the service of so -solvent a customer as Mr Hold, who, while inland -and among shore-going folks, dropped his titular -distinction of captain. After supper, the fresh -arrival at <i>The Rest</i> sallied forth, and making his -way to Carbery, waited, pacing softly to and fro, -under the shelter of the park wall.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER XVIII.—UNDER THE PARK WALL.</h3> - -<p>All through that August day which witnessed -the hurried journey of Mr Richard Hold, master -mariner, from the river-side bowers of Plugger’s -to the silvan shades of <i>The Traveller’s Rest</i>, Sir -Sykes Denzil’s ward was in a state of feverish -agitation, which it was hard for even her to conceal -from those about her. We may fairly own that -women surpass us in the social diplomacy which -they study from the cradle almost, and that their -powers of suppressing what they feel—not seldom -from a noble motive—are greater than ours. All -of us must have wondered, as we read the marvellous -narratives of such prisoners as Trenck and -Latude, at the patient ingenuity that could contrive -rope-ladders out of the flax thread of shirts, files -out of scraps of rusty iron, tools from any fragment -of metal that came to hand. None the less -should we be astonished at the power of dissembling -evinced by the captives on the watch for the -propitious moment to break prison.</p> - -<p>What Ruth dreaded above all other things was -what a woman always does dread, the scrutiny of -her own sex. That men are credulous, careless, -prone to give credit to the shallowest excuse, -readily hoodwinked, and easy to pacify, has been -an article of faith with Eve’s daughters since prehistoric -times. The real spy to be feared, the -real censor before whom to tremble, is decidedly -feminine, in the estimation of women who have -anything to hide. Ruth therefore devoted her -whole attention to keeping up a brave outside -before the eyes of her guardian’s daughters, -Blanche and Lucy, two as honestly unsuspicious -girls as could be met with in all Devonshire.</p> - -<p>But as all <i>a priori</i> reasoning is tainted with the -fatal flaw of bad logic, Ruth forgot Jasper Denzil, -still shut up in the house on account of his recent -accident, and whose crooked mind had not much -to do save to employ itself in fathoming the -crooked ways of others. Now a man, if circumstances -coerce him to limit his powers of observation -to the narrow sphere of domesticity, is capable -of becoming a spy more formidable than women -would readily admit. If he sees less, he reasons -more cogently as to what he does see, and he has -the further advantage of being an unsuspected -scout from whom no danger is anticipated.</p> - -<p>Jasper Denzil had excellent reasons for the -profound mistrust with which he regarded the -Indian orphan. The very presence beneath his -father’s roof of such a one as Ruth was in itself -a standing puzzle and challenge to his curiosity. -That she was Hold’s sister, the sister of a coarse-mannered -adventurer of humble birth, was what -the captain could not bring himself to believe. -For Ruth seemed innately a lady. Either she -must have had the advantages of gentle nurture -and education, or as an actress in the never-ending -social drama she displayed consummate -skill. But whatever might have been her birth -(and there were times when he was tempted to -fancy that in her he saw that young sister of his -own, long dead, the date of whose decease was -supposed to coincide with that of the sad mood -which had become habitual to Sir Sykes), Jasper -with just cause regarded her as a most artful -person.</p> - -<p>The ex-cavalry officer remembered well enough -that interview between Sir Sykes and Hold, at -which he had played the part of an unsuspected -audience. The demand to which his father had -acceded was that Sir Sykes should receive in a -false character Hold’s sister as an inmate of -Carbery. True the seafaring fellow—smuggler, -pirate, or whatever he might be—had laughed -mockingly, and had spoken in strangely ironical -accents when dictating to the baronet on this -subject. But be she who she might, Ruth must -be either an accomplished schemer or the willing -instrument of others, or she would not have been -where she was.</p> - -<p>It may have been a petty malice, suited to his -feline nature, that caused Jasper on that particular -night to remain down-stairs later than usual, -causing his sisters also to defer their retiring to -rest for an extra half-hour. They kept early -hours at Carbery as a rule, as rich people, in the -profound dullness of the dignified ease which is -not enlivened by guests, are sometimes apt to do. -Sir Sykes, who always stayed long enough in the -drawing-room to sip his coffee, was the first to -disappear; but no one save himself and his valet -knew when he left the library for his bedroom. -When the captain was in health it was his custom -to spend an hour or two in trying rare combinations -of skill and luck among the ivory balls in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199"></a>{199}</span> -the billiard-room; but since the steeplechase he -had been glad to retire unfashionably early.</p> - -<p>It was because he fancied that Miss Willis was -impatiently awaiting the moment for separating -for the night, that Jasper chose to delay it; but -at length the time came when the good-nights -had been exchanged, and the drawing-room was -abandoned. Captain Denzil’s room, which adjoined -the picture-gallery on the first-floor, was -immediately beneath that occupied by the Indian -orphan. Repeatedly, after he reached it, did -Jasper fancy that he heard a light swift step -overhead, as if Sir Sykes’s ward were hurrying -to and fro; and then his sharpened ear caught -the sound of a stealthy tread upon the oaken -staircase.</p> - -<p>Extinguishing the lights for the time being, -Captain Denzil threw open his window, which -overlooked the park; and by the time his eyes -grew somewhat accustomed to the darkness, he -saw, or thought he saw, a female form glide from -under the black shadow of the giant sycamores -and flit bat-like away through the solitary gloom.</p> - -<p>‘If it were not for this provoking arm,’ said the -captain, who was still, despite the skilful care of -worthy little Dr Aulfus from Pebworth, suffering -less from his hurts than from the Nemesis that -dogs the steps of the hard-liver, ‘I’d win the odd -trick to-night. But if I can’t follow to see who -it is that she meets, at anyrate I shall get a second -peep at yonder ingenuous creature when she comes -back. A rare moonless night it is for such an -errand!’</p> - -<p>Jasper’s eyes had not deceived him. It was -Ruth whose slight figure had passed away into -the deepening shadows of the night, crossing the -park towards its northern boundary, which abutted -upon the broken country leading to the royal -forest, treeless, but none the less in sound law -the forest of Dartmoor. It was so dark that even -one better accustomed to the locality might have -failed to keep to the right course among narrow -and grass-grown paths, many of them trodden by -no human foot, but by the cloven hoofs of the -deer trooping down to pool or pasture.</p> - -<p>Yet Ruth threaded her devious way past holt -and thicket, past pond and hollow, almost as well -as the oldest keeper on the estate would have -done, and presently gained the gate which, as -has been already remarked, stood always open on -the northern side of the park, corresponding to -that on the southern or seaward side, for, as has -been said, the public had an ancient right or user -to traverse Carbery Chase. But as a right of -ingress for men might imply a right of egress for -deer, some zigzag arrangement of iron bars had -been set up, screen-like, at either extremity of the -footpath, and this effectually restrained the roving -propensities of the antlered herd within.</p> - -<p>‘So—you are late, Ruth! I have kicked about -here, till I began to think you’d thrown me over. -No wonder, living among fine folks, that you’re -getting to care little how long a rough fellow like -yours to command is kept on the look-out.’</p> - -<p>Such was the surly greeting of the stout sailor-like -man whom Ruth found irritably pacing to -and fro under the lee of the wall.</p> - -<p>‘I could not come, brother, one moment earlier -without arousing suspicion that might be the -ruin of us both,’ answered the girl steadily, but -in a conciliatory tone. ‘And what, after all, -signify a few minutes more or less of expectation, -compared with a life of constant effort, constant -watchfulness, and the sense of depending on one’s -self alone in the midst of enemies who sleep -beneath the same roof and feed at the same table? -I tell you that the tension on my nerves is far -greater than I ever dreamed that it could be, and -that there are times when I even fancy that I shall -be driven mad by the strain imposed upon me of -playing a part, ever and always, without rest or -respite!’</p> - -<p>Ruth’s voice as she proceeded had grown shrill -and tremulous with the effect of the emotions, -long pent up, that found expression at last, and -she pressed her slender hand upon her heated -brow with a gesture which Hold was not slow -to mark.</p> - -<p>‘Come, come, Missy,’ he said in accents far more -gentle than those which he had first employed; -‘you’ve taken this thing, whatever it is, too much -to heart. See, now; I’d never have suggested the -plan if I had not believed that in the house of -Sir Sykes Denzil, Baronet, you’d have been like -a fish in water. Didn’t we always call you in -joke “My Lady,” and that because your ways -weren’t as our plain ways? Haven’t you got your -head stuffed as full of book-learning as an egg is -full of meat? Aren’t you dainty and proud and -what not? Till folks declared, to be sister o’ mine, -you must have been changed at nurse. And now -do you find it a hardship to have to consort with -yon Denzil people?—not your equals, I’ll be -bound, if all had their due.’</p> - -<p>‘You can’t understand me, Brother Dick,’ said -the girl softly, and turning away her face. ‘Give -me, I say, a real stand-point; let not my life be -a lie, and I should fear no comparison with those -who are daily my dupes. But I hold my tenure -of the bed I sleep on, the bread I eat, by mere -sufferance, and I see no way as yet to’——</p> - -<p>‘That fop—the dandy Lancer fellow—Captain -Jasper don’t seem to take to you then?’ asked -Hold; and Ruth winced perceptibly at the blunt -question.</p> - -<p>‘Captain Denzil will never, I imagine, care -very much for any one but his dear self,’ she -answered gently. ‘Now that he is an invalid—though -he will soon be out and about again—he -thinks that he pays me no small compliment -in preferring my conversation to the insipid -society of his excellent sisters. But I no more -expect a proposal of marriage from Jasper Denzil -than I expect the sky to fall.’</p> - -<p>‘That’s a pity,’ said Hold dryly; and then a -pause ensued. ‘You didn’t send for me, Missy, -to tell me that?’ he added, after some moments -spent in thought.</p> - -<p>‘No!’ returned Ruth in her low clear voice. -‘I sent for you that you might read a letter—how -obtained I leave you to guess—which concerns us -both. Have you the means of doing so?’</p> - -<p>‘Catch me without light, Missy!’ complacently -replied the seaman, drawing from one of his -deep coat-pockets a small dark-lantern, which he -lighted. ‘Now for this letter,’ he said; and receiving -it from Ruth’s hand, read it attentively twice -over. As he did so, some rays from the shaded -lantern that he held illumined his resolute face.</p> - -<p>‘Wilkins, eh? Enoch Wilkins. That’s the name -the craft hails by; and he’s a land-shark, it seems,’ -muttered Hold, as he refolded the document.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200"></a>{200}</span></p> - -<p>‘He is a London lawyer, as you see,’ explained -Ruth; ‘and all I know of him, gleaned from -various sources, is that he was the captain’s -creditor for a large sum, which Sir Sykes has -very recently paid. He is, I gather, a sort of turf -solicitor of no very good repute, and has somehow -a grip on poor weak Sir Sykes. Now the baronet, -I feel sure, has but one secret’——</p> - -<p>‘That, you may be certain of!’ interjected Hold.</p> - -<p>‘And this man knows it and trades on it,’ said -the baronet’s ward eagerly; ‘and in doing so his -path crosses ours. See! The word “others,” which -is underlined, must surely have reference to you -and me. Rely on it, he has an inkling of our -plans, and may counteract them.’</p> - -<p>‘Take the wind out of my sails, will he, eh?’ -said Hold grimly, and with a threatening gesture.</p> - -<p>‘Brother Dick, Brother Dick, when will you -learn wisdom!’ said his sister, smiling. ‘Your -buccaneer tricks of clenched fist and angry frown -are as out of place in peaceable England as it -would be to strut about with pistols and cutlass. -You are not on the West Coast now, or off the -Isle of Pines, or in the Straits of Malacca, to carry -things with a high hand. Our plain course is to -make an ally, not an enemy of this lawyer. He -knows much, but perhaps not all, and may be -induced to accept as true the story that has been -told to Sir Sykes. In any case, he cannot be very -scrupulous; and will not be desirous, by bringing -about a dispute and a scandal, to kill the goose -that lays the golden eggs. The baronet’s purse -is deep enough for all of us.’</p> - -<p>‘You’re right!’ rejoined the sailor, with a -whistle that was meant to express unbounded -admiration for his sister’s shrewdness. ‘I’ll make -tracks to London, and see what terms can be made -with Commodore Wilkins, before he shews his -face here.’</p> - -<p>‘Tell him nothing that he does not know,’ said -Ruth, as the pair separated.</p> - -<p>‘Trust me for that!’ was Hold’s confident -reply.</p> - -<p>Jasper, still at his window, caught but a glimpse -of the girl’s slight form as it glided by and re-entered -the house.</p> - -<p class="center"><i>To be continued.</i></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="RECOLLECTIONS_OF_THE_IRISH_BAR">RECOLLECTIONS OF THE IRISH BAR.</h2> -</div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">If</span> the walls of the Dublin ‘Four Courts’ could -speak, how many a pleasant story and witty repartee -and sparkling bon-mot they could tell! Let -me recall and string together some of these pearls -of anecdote and wit, some of which, though perhaps -not altogether new to lovers of anecdote, -may well bear repetition.</p> - -<p>The first Viscount Guillamore, when Chief Baron -O’Grady, was remarkable for his dry humour and -biting wit. The latter was so fine that its sarcasm -was often unperceived by the object against whom -the shaft was directed.</p> - -<p>A legal friend, extremely studious, but in conversation -notoriously dull, was once shewing off -to him his newly-built house. The bookworm -prided himself especially on a sanctum he had -contrived for his own use, so secluded from the -rest of the building that he could pore over his -books in private quite secure from disturbance.</p> - -<p>‘Capital!’ exclaimed the Chief Baron. ‘You -surely could, my dear fellow, read and study here -from morning till night, and no human being be -<i>one bit the wiser</i>.’</p> - -<p>A young and somewhat dull tyro at the bar -pleading before him commenced: ‘My lord, my -unfortunate client’—— then stopped, hemmed, -hawed, hesitated. Again he began: ‘My lord, my -most unfortunate client’—— Another stop, more -hemming and confusion.</p> - -<p>‘Pray go on, sir,’ said the Chief Baron. ‘So far -the court is with you.’</p> - - - -<p class="p2">In those days, before competitive examinations -were known, men with more interest than brains -got good appointments, for the duties of which -they were wholly incompetent. Of such was the -Honourable —— ——. He was telling Lord -Guillamore of the summary way in which he -disposed of matters in his court.</p> - -<p>‘I say to the fellows that are bothering with -foolish arguments, that there’s no use in wasting -my time and their breath; for that all their talk -only just goes in at one ear and out at the other.’</p> - -<p>‘No great wonder in that,’ said O’Grady, ‘seeing -that there’s so little between to stop it.’</p> - -<p>It was this worthy, who being at a public dinner -shortly after he got his place, had his health -proposed by a waggish guest.</p> - -<p>‘I will give you a toast,’ he said: ‘The Honourable -—— ——, and long may he continue indifferently -to administer justice.’ The health was drunk -with much merriment, the object of it never perceiving -what caused the fun.</p> - - - -<p class="p2">Lord Guillamore could tell a story with inimitable -humour. He used to vary his voice -according to the speakers, and act as it were the -scene he was describing, in a way infinitely diverting. -Very droll was his mimicry of a dialogue -between the guard of the mail and a mincing old -lady with whom he once travelled from Cork to -Dublin, in the old coaching days.</p> - -<p>The coach had stopped to change horses, and the -guard, a big red-faced jolly man, beaming with -good-humour and civility, came bustling up to the -window to see if the ‘insides’ wanted anything.</p> - -<p>‘Guard!’ whispered the old lady.</p> - -<p>‘Well, ma’am, what can I do for you?’</p> - -<p>‘Could you’—in a faint voice—‘could you get -me a glass of water?’</p> - -<p>‘To be sure, ma’am; with all the pleasure in -life.’</p> - -<p>‘And guard!’—still fainter—‘I’d—hem—I’d—a—like -it hot.’</p> - -<p>‘<i>Hot</i> water! Oh, all right, ma’am! Why not, -if it’s plazing to you?’</p> - -<p>‘With a lump of sugar, guard, if you please.’</p> - -<p>‘By all manner of means, ma’am.’</p> - -<p>‘And—and—guard dear’—as the man was turning -to go away—‘a small squeeze of lemon, and a -little—just a thimbleful—of spirits through it.’</p> - -<p>‘Och, isn’t that <i>punch</i>!’ shouted the guard. -‘Where was the good of beating about the bush? -Couldn’t you have asked out for a tumbler of -punch at once, ma’am, like a man!’</p> - -<p>Another favourite story was of a trial at quarter-sessions -in Mayo, which developed some of the ingenious -resources of Paddy when he chooses to -exercise his talent in an endeavour not to pay. A -doctor had summoned a man for the sum of one -guinea, due for attendance on the man’s wife. -The <i>medico</i> proved his case, and was about to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201"></a>{201}</span> -retire triumphant, when the defendant humbly -begged leave to ask him a few questions. Permission -was granted, and the following dialogue took -place.</p> - -<p><i>Defendant.</i> ‘Docthor, you remember when I -called on you?’</p> - -<p><i>Doctor.</i> ‘I do.’</p> - -<p><i>Defendant.</i> ‘What did I say?’</p> - -<p><i>Doctor.</i> ‘You said your wife was sick, and you -wished me to go and see her.’</p> - -<p><i>Defendant.</i> ‘What did you say?’</p> - -<p><i>Doctor.</i> ‘I said I would, if you’d pay me my -fee.’</p> - -<p><i>Defendant.</i> ‘What did I say?’</p> - -<p><i>Doctor.</i> ‘You said you’d pay the fee, if so be -you knew what it was.’</p> - -<p><i>Defendant.</i> ‘What did you say?’</p> - -<p><i>Doctor.</i> ‘I said I’d take the guinea at first, -and maybe more at the end, according to the -sickness.’</p> - -<p><i>Defendant.</i> ‘Now, docthor, by vartue of your -oath, didn’t I say: “Kill or cure, docthor, I’ll -give you a guinea?” And didn’t you say: “Kill -or cure, I’ll take it?”’</p> - -<p><i>Doctor.</i> ‘You did; and I agreed to the bargain. -And I want the guinea accordingly.’</p> - -<p><i>Defendant.</i> ‘Now, docthor, by vartue of your -oath answer this: Did you cure my wife?’</p> - -<p><i>Doctor.</i> ‘No; she’s dead. You know that.’</p> - -<p><i>Defendant.</i> ‘Then, docthor, by vartue of your -oath answer this: Did you kill my wife?’</p> - -<p><i>Doctor.</i> ‘No; she died of her illness.’</p> - -<p><i>Defendant</i> (to the bench). ‘Your worship, see -this. You heard him tell our bargain. It was to -kill or cure. By vartue of his oath, <i>he done -neither!</i>—and he axes the fee!’</p> - -<p>The verdict, however, went against poor Pat, -notwithstanding his ingenuity.</p> - - - -<p class="p2">Something like the following story has been told -before in these pages. It will, however, bear -repetition. Mr F——, Clerk of the Crown for -Limerick, was over six feet high and stout in proportion. -He was the dread of the cabmen, and if -their horses could have spoken, they would not -have blessed him.</p> - -<p>One day when driving in the outlets of Dublin, -they came to a long and steep hill. Cabby got -down, and walking alongside the cab, looked significantly -in at the windows. ‘His honour’ knew -very well what he meant; but the day was hot, -and he was lazy and fat, and had no notion of -taking the hint and getting out to ease the horse -while ‘larding the lean earth’ himself. At last -Paddy changed his tactics. Making a rush at the -cab, he suddenly opened the door, and then -slammed it to with a tremendous bang.</p> - -<p>‘What’s that for?’ roared Mr F——, startled -at the man’s violence and the loud report.</p> - -<p>‘Whist, yer honour! Don’t say a word!’ -whispered Paddy, putting his finger on his lips.</p> - -<p>‘But what do you mean, sirrah?’ cried the -fare.</p> - -<p>‘Arrah, can’t ye hush, sir? Spake low now—do. -Sure, ’tis letting on I am to the little mare -that your honour’s got out to walk. Don’t let -her hear you, and the craythur ’ll have more -heart to face the hill if she thinks you’re not -inside, and that ’tis only the cab that’s throubling -her.’</p> - - - -<p class="p2">Baron R——, one of the gravest and most -decorous judges on the bench, had a younger -brother singularly unlike him, who was a perpetual -thorn in his side. A scapegrace at school, the -youth would learn nothing, and was the torment -of his teachers. Having been set a sum by one -of the latter, he, after an undue delay, presented -himself before the desk and held up his slate, -at one corner of which appeared a pile of coppers.</p> - -<p>‘What is the meaning of all this, sir?’ said -the master.</p> - -<p>‘Oh!’ cried the youth, ‘I’m very sorry, sir, -but I really can’t help it. All the morning I’ve -been working at that sum. Over and over again -I’ve tried, but in spite of all I can do, it will -not come right. So I’ve made up the difference -in halfpence, and there it is on the slate.’</p> - -<p>The originality of the device disarmed the wrath -of the pedagogue, and young R—— was dismissed -with his coppers to his place.</p> - -<p>The youngster when grown up boasted an -enormous pair of whiskers, of which he was very -proud. One day a friend met him walking up -Dame Street with one of these cherished bushy -adornments shaved clean off, giving a most comical -lop-sided appearance to his physiognomy.</p> - -<p>‘Hollo, R——!’ he exclaimed, ‘what has become -of your whisker?’</p> - -<p>‘Lost it at play,’ he replied. ‘Regularly -cleaned out last night at the gaming-table of every -mortal thing I had—nothing left to wager but my -whisker.’</p> - -<p>‘And why, man, don’t you cut off the rest, and -not have one side of your face laughing at the -other?’</p> - -<p>‘I’m keeping that for to-night,’ said the scamp -with a wink, as he passed on.</p> - - - -<p class="p2">The father of the Lord Chancellor—afterwards -Lord Plunket—was a very simple-minded man. -Kindly and unsuspicious, he was often imposed -upon, and the Chancellor used to tell endless -stories illustrative of his parent’s guileless nature.</p> - -<p>One morning, Mr Plunket taking an early walk -was overtaken by two respectable-looking men, -carpenters apparently by trade, each carrying the -implements of his work.</p> - -<p>‘Good-morning, my friends,’ said the old gentleman; -‘you are early afoot. Going on a job, eh?’</p> - -<p>‘Good-morrow kindly, sir; yes, we are; and a -quare job too. The quarest and the most out-of-the-way -you ever heard of, I’ll be bound, though -you’ve lived long in the world, and heard and -read of many a thing. Oh, you’ll never guess it, -your honour, so I may as well tell at once. We’re -going to cut the legs off a dead man.’</p> - -<p>‘What!’ cried his hearer, aghast. ‘You don’t -mean’——</p> - -<p>‘Yes, indeed, ’tis true for me; and here’s how -it come about. Poor Mary Neil’s husband—a carpenter -like ourselves, and an old comrade—has -been sick all the winter, and departed life last -Tuesday. What with the grief and the being left -on the wide world with her five orphans, and no -one to earn bit or sup for them, the craythur is -fairly out of her mind—stupid from the crying -and the fret; for what does she do, poor woman, -but send the wrong measure for the coffin; and -when it come home it was ever so much too short! -Barney Neil was a tall man; nigh six feet we -reckoned him. He couldn’t be got into it, do -what they would; and the poor craythur hadn’t<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202"></a>{202}</span> -what would buy another. Where would she -get it, after the long sickness himself had, and -with five childher to feed and clothe? So, your -honour, all that’s in it is to cut the legs off him. -Me and my comrade here is going to do it for -the desolate woman. We’ll just take ’em off at -the knee-joints and lay them alongside him in -the coffin. I think, sir, now I’ve told you our -job, you’ll say ’tis the quarest ever you heard of.’</p> - -<p>‘Oh!’ cried the old gentleman, ‘such a thing -must not be done. It’s impossible! How much -will a new coffin cost?’</p> - -<p>The carpenter named the sum, which was -immediately produced, and bestowed on him with -injunctions to invest forthwith in the necessary -purchase.</p> - -<p>The business, however, took quite an unexpected -turn. Mr Plunket on his return home related his -matutinal adventure to his family at breakfast, -the future Chancellor, then a young barrister, -being at the table. Before the meal was ended, -the carpenters made their appearance, and with -many apologies tendered back the coin they had -received. He who had been spokesman in the -morning explained that on seeing the gentleman -in advance of them on the road, he had for a lark -made a bet with his companion that he would -obtain the money; which, having won his wager, -he now refunded. Genuine Irish this!</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="MONSIEUR_HOULOT">MONSIEUR HOULOT.</h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph3">IN THREE CHAPTERS.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER III.—TO-MORROW—LIBERTY.</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> is no phrase of abuse so apparently innocent -and yet so cutting and disturbing as that, -‘I know all about you.’ It asserts nothing of -which one can take hold, and yet it implies a great -deal that may well be offensive. It is customary -to say that the life of the best of men, could it -be subjected to the full glare of daylight in all its -bearings, would be found more or less spotty and -blemished; and perhaps it is this secret consciousness -of hidden iniquities that gives such force to -the innuendo.</p> - -<p>But in the mouth of Houlot, who you will -remember made use of the expression, and thus -caused his speedy expulsion from my premises, the -phrase was one that gave us all considerable uneasiness. -Did he really know anything about my -connection with the firm of Collingwood Dawson? -It seemed hardly likely that he would have come to -borrow money of me, had such been the case. But -this, after all, might have merely been a device to -throw dust in our eyes. His visit might have -been a spying one, for the purpose of seeing how -the land lay. He might indeed have seen his -wife and recognised her.</p> - -<p>Mrs Collingwood was full of terror lest such -should have been the case. She dreaded that he -was coming to claim her. Every passing footstep, -every ring at the bell of the outer gate caused her -a vivid throb of fear. For my own part I did not -think the danger thus great in that direction. It -was hardly likely that a man who had taken such -pains to escape from a tie that must have been -profoundly irksome to him, would wish to renew -it now. His habits were fixed and eccentric, and -probably he would be as much dismayed at the -prospect of being claimed by his wife, as she -would at the idea of going back to him. These -thoughts I did not divulge to Mrs Collingwood. -They suggested to me, however, a plan of action.</p> - -<p>I determined to go and see M. Houlot, to beard -the lion in his den. Probably I should be ill-treated -and abused for my pains; but it was -worth the trial. Houlot’s house was, as I have -said, on the slope of one of the hills overlooking -the town, the top of which was fringed with forest, -whilst all down the sides were houses with terraced -gardens, full of greenery, and with dividing walls -covered thick with vines and pear-trees. It was -a tall, timbered house, occupied by many families; -and a common staircase, rickety and creaky, but -with fine old carved oak balusters, led to the -various floors. Houlot lived on the fourth stage, -I found; and I made my way up panting, and not -without fear lest the boards should give way -beneath me. A sempstress who was busily at -work in one of the rooms with her door wide open -and her children scattered about the landing, -indicated the door of Houlot’s room, and told me -that she had just seen him go in.</p> - -<p>I knocked several times without any one taking -notice of me. Finally, after I had made a considerable -din, the door was suddenly opened and -Houlot stood before me.</p> - -<p>‘What do you want?’ he cried, after glaring at -me a few moments from under his pent-house -brows. ‘Have you come to bring me the money?’</p> - -<p>‘Let me come in and explain matters,’ I said.</p> - -<p>He looked doubtfully at me for a moment, and -then sullenly drew on one side and allowed me to -pass in. His room was bare of furniture, except -for one square deal table and a chair without a -back. In one corner of the room a mattress and -blanket were spread on the floor, in another a -lot of books and papers were heaped confusedly -together, all covered by a thick mantle of dust. -A small cooking stove stood in the middle of -the room, the black iron pipe from which went -through a hole into the huge chimney; and a large -open fireplace, which had once warmed the room, -was covered with a rough framework of planks -and sacking. The aspect of the place was -squalid and comfortless, but it had one redeeming -feature—there was a splendid view from the open -window. A great fold of shining river, inclosing -a stretch of marsh-land and wide green prairie, -dotted with feathery aspens and monumental -poplars, among which shewed here and there a -cluster of farm buildings, and an occasional church -spire. A black morose-looking windmill, with sails -pugnaciously stretched out, as if daring an attack -from some nineteenth-century Don Quixote, stood -solitary on its grass toft. Range upon range of -hills inclosed the landscape, dappled with the -shadow of the lazy clouds; with here a dark -ravine, and there a white gleaming chalk cliff.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203"></a>{203}</span></p> - -<p>‘You are well placed here,’ I said, making for -the window. There was an overpowering smell of -brandy in the room, that made one feel quite sick -this fine summer morning. ‘You have a splendid -view.’</p> - -<p>‘Well enough for that,’ growled Houlot. ‘But -what is the good of a view to a hungry man?’</p> - -<p>I noticed now that he looked haggard and -starved, and that there was an unhealthy fiery -flush upon his face and a wild look in his eyes, -as if he had been drinking without eating for a -good while.</p> - -<p>‘You need not go hungry unless you like,’ I -said. ‘I can’t lend you all the money you ask -for; but anything you want for daily needs I will -let you have till you get your remittances from -England.’</p> - -<p>‘I have no remittances coming from England,’ -said Houlot. ‘I have given up writing for the -rascal who filched my work. But if you will -only let me have that five-pound note we will put -matters on a different footing. Let me shew up -Collingwood Dawson!’</p> - -<p>‘Yes, that’s all very well; but what will you -gain by it?’</p> - -<p>‘I shall vindicate my own name.’</p> - -<p>‘What! the name of Houlot?’</p> - -<p>He winced, but retorted angrily: ‘What business -is it of yours what name?’</p> - -<p>‘If I lend you the money to carry out your -plans, it seems that I am entitled to ask what -chance I have to be repaid. But apart from that, -having vindicated your name, how many five-pound -notes will it be worth?’</p> - -<p>‘Why, look here,’ he said; ‘if that rascal can -make a reputation and money by his stuff, which -is only mine diluted and spoilt, surely for the -genuine work of the real man’——</p> - -<p>‘If you are trusting to that, I must decline to -advance any money for the speculation. Why on -earth, man, when you had a sufficient income paid -you regularly, and lived as you liked, did you -give it up and embark on a sea of trouble?’</p> - -<p>‘Because I have a mission in this world, which -I dream sometimes I shall accomplish.’</p> - -<p>‘And the mission is?’</p> - -<p>‘To open the eyes of fools.’</p> - -<p>‘My dear fellow, they object to the operation, -and have punished a good many people for trying -it.’</p> - -<p>‘Then I will be punished,’ he said. ‘But anyhow, -I’ll expose these wretched smatterers, who -serve up my things with all their wit and wisdom -taken out of them, who travesty my best thoughts. -Why, they have even made vulgar my very -name!’</p> - -<p>‘Houlot?’ I said, ‘Houlot? Is that the French -for Dawson or Collingwood?’</p> - -<p>‘That is not my real name,’ he said. ‘I abandoned -that years ago. Every one turned his back -upon the name. I did so myself at last.’</p> - -<p>‘One of the results of the eye-opening process, -I suppose?’</p> - -<p>He nodded sullenly. ‘My name used to be -Dawson,’ he said.</p> - -<p>‘You don’t mean to say,’ I cried, ‘that you are -the Dawson who was supposed to have been -drowned years and years ago?’</p> - -<p>‘I was that man—that unhappy man! But -why,’ he cried, turning round fiercely upon me, -‘why do you make me go back to all these hateful -things?’</p> - -<p>‘Then is the memory of your former life hateful -to you?’</p> - -<p>‘I escaped from the most wretched condition -that a man was ever in: tied to a woman who -made my life an intolerable burden. She was not -a bad woman, not an unworthy woman. She -was—— Well, she had a mother who was fat -and well to do, and lived in St John’s Wood.’</p> - -<p>Houlot laughed hoarsely, knocked out his pipe -on the empty stove, looked mechanically for some -tobacco in a jar on the chimney-piece. It was -empty. I offered him my pouch, which he took -with an indignant scowl.</p> - -<p>‘Well, I was meant for great things,’ he went on -between the whiffs of his pipe—‘meant for great -things; and here I am. Life fribbled and frittered -away, and that woman the main cause of it! -There was no escape from her any other way. I -believe in my heart that the woman loved me in -her fashion; all the greater was my unutterable -woe.’</p> - -<p>‘And you ran away from her?’</p> - -<p>‘I disappeared from existence. I would not -harm the woman. I would not spoil her life any -longer. No; I adopted another plan. At the -risk of my own life, I contrived that my death -should be apparent. The means were simple -enough, although they caused me some anxious -thought and preparation. I went down to a little -visited part of the coast with which I was well -acquainted, and put up at an inn where I was -known. Taking my cue partly from the well-known -farce of <i>Box and Cox</i>, I went out one -morning early and deposited a suit of clothes -in a little niche in the cliffs: a wild and solitary -spot, rarely visited by any living creature. -Later in the day, I went out again, telling the -people of the inn that I was going to bathe. -I left my clothes on the beach and took to the -water. I had chosen my time so that the set -of the tide would carry me to the place where I -had deposited my clothes, and I drifted along with -little exertion. Arrived at the spot, I landed, -found my clothes all right, and put them on. -Then I started on foot along the coast till I -reached a road-side station, made my way to -London, and then crossed the Channel, intending -to go to Paris. I thought that I should be able -to get literary employment there; for French -is as a second native tongue to me. My mother -was a Frenchwoman; her name was Houlot; -hence the name I adopted. But I took this place -on my way; and on the journey I fell from the -roof of the diligence, and the wheel went over my -hand. Amputation was necessary; and by the -time that I was cured, I had spent all my little -store of money and owed something beside. But -the people here were very humane and kind. I -set to work to write with my left hand, and earned -a little money meanwhile by teaching English; -and by degrees I got into the knack of writing -again, and contributed some articles to the English -press, by which I got a little money. It was all -a flash in the pan; my pupils fell away, my articles -were no longer acceptable. My friend here’—pointing -to the bottle—‘was always at my elbow. -But I shall shake myself free one of these days.’</p> - -<p>‘And if it happened,’ I said, as he finished and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204"></a>{204}</span> -was silent, sitting puffing at the pipe that had -long since gone out—‘if it happened that the -wife was still waiting for you—that she had heard -a rumour of your existence, and had come to seek -you’——</p> - -<p>‘No; don’t talk of that, for any sake!’ he -cried, springing to his feet. ‘Wretched and miserable -as I have been, I have never wished myself -again tied in that hateful knot. There! you would -never betray me?’</p> - -<p>‘But if she were rich, and able to give you a -good home?’</p> - -<p>‘Never, never!’ he said. ‘What degradation, -what abasement!’</p> - -<p>‘To take you out of this den of yours, to clothe -you in well-made garments, to bring you again -into society?’</p> - -<p>‘Never, never! I would hide myself in the -remotest corner of the world. Tell me, man, what -do you mean? You know something; you are a -spy, a traitor!’</p> - -<p>Houlot looked here and there as if for a weapon, -and I thought it prudent to make quickly for the -door.</p> - -<p>I went home and told Mrs Collingwood all that -had occurred, excepting the horror that M. Houlot -had shewn at the idea of returning to her. That -I thought it most prudent to suppress. She seemed -a little softened, I thought, when I told her his -account of his disappearance in the sea, and that -his motive was a good one as far as she was -concerned.</p> - -<p>We sat till late that night talking in the little -pavilion, the light from the windows of which -was reflected in the dark river. I fancied every -now and then I heard a footstep softly pacing -up and down the embankment between us and -the water’s edge. I certainly thought I had -securely locked the garden gate, and never dreamt -of our being disturbed. Just as my guest had -risen to take her leave, the door suddenly opened, -and M. Houlot stood upon the threshold. Mrs -Collingwood screamed, and ran to the furthest -corner of the room, crouching behind the window -curtains. Houlot glared at her for a moment, then -slammed to the door and strode away. I ran -after him.</p> - -<p>‘You have deceived me!’ he said savagely, as, -breathless, I overtook him upon the embankment; -‘and I, like a fool, believed you, and pictured her -to myself—still loving, still faithful to the memory -of a wretched being; and I came to seek you, to -know more about this wonderful phenomenon. -And now I see it all; she dreads me as if I were -a leper! Well, it matters not now; I am away -to-morrow. Some kind friends have raised a little -money for me; I don’t need your help now. To-morrow -before daylight I start on my way to -make my claim for that which is mine own. Tell -her—tell her that she need not fear me, that I -shall never trouble her, nor she me! I have been -a slave long enough; but to-morrow, light; to-morrow, -freedom!’</p> - -<p>‘Take care what you do,’ I said, ‘for the person -whom you seek to ruin, whom you would expose -and bring to confusion, is the woman whom you -abandoned and left to the mercy of a pitiless -world! Every step you take to that end is over -her, poor creature! The harm you did before -came right, after much misery; the harm you will -do now can never be cured!’</p> - -<p>He uttered an exclamation of rage and despair, -and disappeared in the darkness.</p> - -<p>‘Is he gone?’ cried Mrs Collingwood, as I -returned once more to the pavilion.</p> - -<p>‘Yes, he is gone; he is away to London to-morrow -to claim his rights, as he calls them—to -ruin us if he can. We must go also, and fight -him.’</p> - -<p>‘Do you know,’ faltered Mrs Collingwood, ‘that -there has come a great change over me these last -few minutes? The thought that he really loved -me and sacrificed himself for my sake; and then -he living here so lonely and wretched, and I -luxuriating on the fruits of his genius! Oh, my -heart has smitten me sorely, and I think if he -came again I should not be frightened!’</p> - -<p>‘In that case,’ I said bitterly, ‘your course is -easy enough; you have only to make him understand -he is forgiven. I will go with you to-night.’</p> - -<p>‘O no, not to-night!’ she said. ‘No; it is too -sudden. But don’t let him go away; tell him to -stay, and that perhaps things may yet be well.’</p> - -<p>‘He can’t leave before the first diligence,’ I said, -‘and I will meet him there and tell him to stop.’</p> - -<p>‘Do, do!’ she cried. ‘Keep him here for to-morrow; -then I may have made up my mind what -will be for the best.’</p> - -<p>I went to see the diligence start next morning; -but no M. Houlot was there. He had overslept -himself probably. Well, I would go and see him -at his apartment, and tell him how matters stood. -I knocked at his door; but could not make him -hear. Then I scribbled some words upon a visiting -card I happened to have in my pocket, and -thrust it under the door.</p> - -<p>The next time I saw that card it was in the -hands of the <i>commissaire</i> of police, who came, -accompanied by the <i>juge d’instruction</i>, to make -some <i>perquisitions</i> as to what I might know of the -last hours of M. Houlot; for he had been found -that morning lying dead on his mattress.</p> - -<p>The sad end of Houlot—well, of Dawson, if -you like, but I have grown to think of him and -talk of him as Houlot—quite unmanned me for a -while. I could not help blaming myself as being in -some way the cause of it. From the moment of its -discovery, I took a violent antipathy to the work I -had in hand. Houlot seemed to be always standing -at my elbow, reproaching me with killing him -over again. I don’t know whether the widow—really -now a widow—had any such visions; I fancy -not. After the first shock of the news, she found -that Houlot’s death was really a great relief to -her. It put an end to her troubles once for all. -We found at his lodgings a great heap of manuscript, -which she purchased from the agent -acting for the landlord of the premises—who had -taken possession of everything in satisfaction of -rent—for a few francs. Whether she found the -material among it for a series of novels, I don’t -know, for as soon as I had finished the work in -hand, I gave up my connection with Collingwood -Dawson. I have since taken to writing improving -books for the young, and find that it pays much -better. Still I hear of him occasionally, and find -that he continues to be a tolerably successful -author; and the other day I met my late employer, -who told me that she was married for a third -time, and to a gentleman of great literary ability, -who had undertaken the management of Collingwood -Dawson. For my own part, I advised her<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205"></a>{205}</span> -to form him into a Limited company, with a preference -in the allotment of shares for gentlemen -of the press.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="MR_FAIR_THE_SILVER_KING">MR FAIR, ‘THE SILVER KING.’</h2> -</div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> prodigious quantities of silver recently dug -from the mines of Nevada and California, have, -as is generally known, had the effect of lowering -the commercial value of silver to the extent of -several pence per ounce, and thereby depreciated -the American dollar from one hundred to about -ninety cents; that is to say, the dollar has sunk -nearly fivepence in value—a circumstance greedily -seized hold of by certain parties in the United -States, who propose, with more ingenuity than -honesty, to pay the public creditors in silver money -without making any allowance for depreciation. -On this extraordinary policy so much has been -said by the newspapers, that we do not need to go -into particulars, further than to hint that before -all the play is played, the supporters of this scheme -may unpleasantly find that there is some truth in -the old proverb that ‘honesty is the best policy.’</p> - -<p>Something like an idea of what enormous -wealth is being realised by means of the above-mentioned -silver mines is given in an account of -Mr Fair, ‘The Silver King,’ in a late number of -that smart London newspaper, <i>The World</i>. The -following is an abridgment of this amusing paper.</p> - -<p>‘There is a man alive at this present moment -who, if he were so minded, could give his daughter -a marriage-portion of thirty millions sterling. He -would then have about ten millions left for himself. -He lives six thousand miles west of London, -half-way up a mountain-side in Nevada; and his -daughter lives with him. Seven years ago he was -a poor man; to-day he is the Silver King of -America. He has dug forty million pounds’ worth -of silver out of the hill he is living on, and has -about forty millions more yet to dig. If he lives -three years longer he will be the richest man in -the world. His name is James Fair, and he is the -manager, superintendent, chief partner, and principal -shareholder in the Consolidated Virginia and -California Silver Mines, known to men as the -“Big Bonanzas.” He has an army of men toiling -for him day and night down in the very depths -of the earth—digging, picking, blasting, and crushing -a thousand tons of rock every twenty-four -hours.</p> - -<p>‘Seven years ago there were two little Irishmen -in the city of San Francisco keeping a drinking-bar -of very modest pretensions, close to one of -the principal business thoroughfares. Their customers -were of all kinds, but chiefly commercial -men and clerks. Among them was an unusually -large proportion of stock and share dealers, -mining-brokers and the like, who, in the intervals -of speculation, rushed out of the neighbouring -Exchange five or six times a day for drinks. -Whisky being almost the religion of California, -and the two little bar-keepers being careful to -sell nothing but the best article, their bar soon -became a place of popular resort. And as no true -Californian could ever swallow a drink of whisky -under any circumstances without talking about -silver mines or gold mines or shares in mines, it -soon fell out that, next to the Stock Exchange -itself, there was no place in San Francisco where -so much mining-talk went on as in the saloon -of Messrs Flood & O’Brien, which were the names -of the two little Irishmen. Keeping their ears -wide open, and sifting the mass of gossip that -they listened to every day, these two gentlemen -picked up a good many crumbs of useful information, -besides getting now and then a direct confidential -tip; and they turned some of them to -such good account in a few quiet little speculations, -that they shortly had a comfortable sum of money -lying at their bankers’. Instead of throwing it away -headlong in wild extravagant ventures, which was -the joyous custom of the average Californian in -those days, they let it lie where it was, waiting, -with commendable prudence, till they knew of -something good to put it into. They soon heard -of something good enough. On Fair’s advice they -bought shares in a mine called the Hale and -Norcross, and were speedily taking out of it fifteen -thousand pounds a month in dividends. This -mine was the property of a company, and though -it had at one time paid large and continuous -dividends, it was now supposed to be worked out -and worthless. Mr Fair, however, held a different -opinion; and when he came to examine it carefully, -he found just what he expected to find—a -large deposit of silver-ore. Thereupon he and -Flood and O’Brien together bought up all the -shares they could lay their hands upon, and -obtained complete control of the mine.’</p> - -<p>Besides being a clever and experienced miner, -Mr Fair entertained the belief that by patient -examination into holes and corners of the mine -he would discover a gigantic vein of silver-bearing -ore. He discovered the vein, the estimated -value of which was a hundred and twenty millions -sterling.</p> - -<p>‘In the excitement caused by this astounding -discovery it is scarcely more than the hard truth -to say that San Francisco went raving mad. The -vein in which the Bonanza was found was known -to run straight through the Consolidated Virginia -and California mines, dipping down as it went, -and could not be traced any farther. But that -fact was nothing to people who were bent on -having mining stock; and vein or no vein, the -stock they would have. Consequently they bought -into every mine in the neighbourhood—good and -bad alike—sending prices up to unheard-of limits, -and investing millions in worthless properties that -have never yielded a shilling in dividends, and -never will. When Flood had bought a large -quantity of the Bonanza stock, and had assured -to himself and his partners the controlling interest -in the mines, he recommended all his friends to -buy a little; and O’Brien did the same. Those -who took the advice are now drawing their proportionate -shares of dividends, amounting to about -five hundred thousand pounds a month. The -majority of those who bought into other mines -are, in Californian parlance “busted.” What these -three men and their latest partner Mackay are -going to do with their money is a curious problem, -the solution of which will be watched with great -interest in a year or two to come. The money -they hold now is yielding them returns so -enormous that their maddest extravagances could -make no impression on the amount. Every year -they are earning more, saving more, and investing -more. They have organised a bank with a capital -of ten millions of dollars; they control nearly all -the mining interests of Nevada and California;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206"></a>{206}</span> -they have a strong grip of the commercial, financial, -and farming interests all along the Pacific -slope; and by a single word they can at any -moment raise a disastrous panic, and plunge -thousands of men into hopeless ruin. It will be -an interesting thing to wait and watch how this -terrible power for good or evil is to be wielded.’</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_MONTH">THE MONTH: -<br /> -SCIENCE AND ARTS.</h2> -</div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Professor Osborne Reynolds</span>, in his presidential -address to the Scientific and Mechanical Society -of Manchester, discussed the Smoke question; a -very pressing question in a town with so grimy -an atmosphere as Manchester. He pointed out -that great part of the smoke is produced by -the furnaces of small steam-engines carelessly -managed, which are numerous throughout the -town and neighbourhood, and suggested that it -might be possible to do away with these by -producing power at some great central establishment, -and supplying it by transmission to all the -little factories of a district. But how is the transmission -to be effected? That is a question which -has often been considered by engineers, ‘not so -much as a means of preventing smoke, but because -there are in our towns numberless purposes for -which power is, or at all events might be, usefully -employed, and for which it is almost impossible -or very inconvenient to provide on the spot. Very -small steam-engines are very extravagant in coal, -besides requiring almost as much attention as large -ones; and they are dangerous.... If, therefore,’ -continues Professor Reynolds, ‘power in a -convenient form could be obtained whenever and -wherever required, at a fixed and reasonable -charge, and with no other trouble than the throwing -into gear of a clutch or the turning of a tap,’ -it would be largely made use of, and would -‘supplant steam-engines, which are now kept -working with little or nothing to do for the greater -part of their time;’ whereby an important saving -of coal would be effected. The suggestion of supplying -steam-power on a retail principle is not new, -and nothing but some practical difficulties stand in -the way. All we want is a solution of the question -by some competent engineer. Let the genius but -arise; he will find fame as well as fortune waiting -for him.</p> - -<p>The Council of the Statistical Society will give -their Howard Medal for the present year and -twenty pounds to the author of the best essay on -‘The Effects of Health and Disease on Military -and Naval Operations.’</p> - -<p>The Council of the Royal Geographical Society -have resolved to devote five hundred pounds yearly—‘in -grants to assist persons having proper qualifications, -in undertaking special geographical investigations -(as distinct from mere exploration) -in any part of the world—To aid in the compilation -of useful geographical data and preparing -them for publication, and in making improvements -in apparatus or appliances useful for geographical -instruction, or for scientific research by travellers—In -fees to persons of recognised high attainments -for delivering lectures on physical geography in -all its branches, as well as on other truly scientific -aspects of geography, in relation to its past history, -or the influences of geographical conditions on the -human race.’ Adherence to this course for a few -years will do more to advance geography as a science -than having recourse to sensational meetings.</p> - -<p>Mr Dumas, the distinguished chemist, in giving -an account to a scientific Society in Paris of the -liquefaction and solidification of gases, stated that -the specimen of oxygen produced by Mr Pictet of -Geneva was the size of a hen’s egg, and resembled -snow in the solid form, and water in the liquid -form. Theoretically he had concluded that the -density of liquid oxygen would be about the same -as that of water; and this has been confirmed by -experiment.</p> - -<p>As regards hydrogen, Mr Dumas explained that -it was liquefied under a pressure of six hundred -and fifty atmospheres with cold minus one hundred -and forty degrees; and by evaporating the -liquid thus obtained, the solid condition, shewing -the colour of blue steel, was arrived at. Many -years ago this possibility was foreseen, and the -most advanced chemists admitted the existence of a -theoretical metal—hydrogenium. ‘This confirmation -of the real nature of hydrogen,’ continued Mr -Dumas, ‘is not to be regarded merely as a theoretical -result useful to pure science; it appears to be -of great importance for the future of industry. -A certain knowledge of the metallic nature of -hydrogen will have a certain influence on metallurgy, -of which manufacturing arts will take -advantage.’</p> - -<p>The phonograph has been exhibited, and made -the subject of lectures and experiments in many -places, and as we anticipated, has given ample -demonstration that the statements put forth concerning -it are true. Marvellous as the fact may -appear, all the words spoken into the instrument -seem to be there stored up ready for repetition -whenever excited by the cylinder of tinfoil. -They do not come out quite in the same tone -as that in which they go in; but they are perfectly -distinct, and retain the characteristics of -the speaker or singer. At a scientific meeting in -London, one of the company sung <i>God Save the -Queen</i> into the phonograph. On coming to the -highest note, he had to make three attempts before -he could reach it; and these failures excited much -merriment when the stanza was (only too faithfully) -repeated by the instrument. The same air -was sung and produced without failures, and a -comic ditty was sung and inscribed on the same -cylinder: and very curious it was afterwards -to hear the stately movement of the national -hymn accompanied by the jingling notes of the -funny melody. An instrument so ingenious as -this ought to be applicable to many useful purposes. -Already there are improvements on the -original invention, and we shall doubtless hear of -others.</p> - -<p>The very best photographs of the sun ever yet<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207"></a>{207}</span> -seen have been taken at the Observatory, Meudon, -near Paris, by Mr Janssen; and copies on glass, -twelve inches diameter, are now placed in the -hands of some of our scientific societies. They -well repay study, for they shew distinctly the -granular appearance of the sun’s surface: millions -of white specks imbedded, so to speak, in a dense -dark cloud. This surface is liable to violent commotions, -or ‘vortex movements,’ as Mr Warren De -la Rue calls them, ‘of which we can form no conception -whatever in thinking of tornados on the -earth’s surface. The photosphere,’ he continues, -‘had been whirled up in cloud-like masses in -various parts of the sun; and he saw at once that -that might be the origin of the luminous prominences -with which we are all now so familiar.’ A -conclusion drawn from these appearances is that -sunspots are not the most important of solar -phenomena. ‘There are changes taking place from -day to day, from hour to hour, and in some cases -from minute to minute, which completely change -the aspect of the various parts of the sun, shewing -an amount of activity which it is extremely necessary -to study.’ And it is suggested that this could -best be done by establishing a physical observatory -devoted to ceaseless observation of the sun accompanied -by photography. Such an observatory has -been recently founded at Potsdam, near Berlin.</p> - -<p>Professor Wolf of Zurich has spent many years -in collecting from every possible source records of -sun-spots from the beginning of the seventeenth -century, and the beginning of the telescope. And -after careful examination he arrives at the conclusion -that they do not bear out the theory of -an eleven years’ period, for since 1610 there are -twenty or thirty different maxima and minima, -extending to sixteen years in some instances, and -in others contracting to seven years. This is a -fresh proof that many more observations are required -for a settlement of the question.</p> - -<p>Put a lump of zinc into the boiler of a steam-engine, -and it will prevent the formation of -‘scale;’ that is, the stony crust which, as all engineers -know to their sorrow, is very injurious and -involves constant expenditure. The experiment -having been successfully tried during four years -by certain manufacturers in France, the Minister -of Public Works appointed a Commission to inquire -into and report upon it. From their Report, -which was published last year in the <i>Annales des -Mines</i>, we learn that the zinc is to be placed in the -boiler as far as possible from the furnace, the -quantity being a quarter-pound for every five -square feet of boiler-surface if the water be soft, -and a half pound if the water be hard. The boiler -is then worked in the usual way; and when -opened for the usual cleaning the appearances as -the Commission describe will be—‘If the water be -but slightly calcareous, the deposits, instead of -forming solid and adherent scale, are found in a -state of fluid mud, which is easily removable by -simple washing. The iron being clean and free -from rust, no picking or scraping is needed, whereby -an important saving of time and labour is -effected.’</p> - -<p>On the other hand, if the water be strongly -calcareous or hard, ‘the deposits are as coherent -and strong as though the zinc had not been employed; -but this strong coat does not stick to the -iron. It can be pulled off by hand, or at the -worst detached without much effort, leaving the -iron clean. A simple washing clears it from the -boiler; and in this case, as in the foregoing, picking -and scraping are avoided.’</p> - -<p>Here the question arises—What has become of -the zinc? The answer given is, that it is not -strictly correct to say it has disappeared, for it -has been transformed into oxide of zinc, a white -and earthy substance, which often preserves the -lamellar texture of the metal, the central part -sometimes continuing metallic and unattacked. -At the same time it is worth remark that no trace -of dissolved zinc is found in the water taken -from the boilers.</p> - -<p>A communication to the Royal Institute of -British Architects by Mr Penrose makes known -certain important ‘improvements in paint materials -invented by Mr W. Noy Wilkins,’ which have -been satisfactorily tested in the decoration of St -Paul’s Cathedral. In the words of Mr Penrose, ‘The -results arrived at are of such extreme simplicity as -to make their general application extremely easy, -and also to give a strong <i>a priori</i> conviction of -their permanence. In the matter of pigments, -white-lead is entirely banished from the painter’s -stock, and the substitution of kaolin, mixed with a -smaller proportion of zinc-white, combined with -the limitation of the palette to the mineral colours. -Mr Wilkins has practised for twenty-five years -exclusively with these materials.... His discovery -is that the chemical driers, which produce -a very unfavourable effect upon painter’s work, -whether of the house-painter or the artist, causing -it to darken and to crack, can be entirely dispensed -with, by simply boiling for a short time a small -quantity of Turkey umber in the oil to be used for -painting—whether linseed, poppy, or nut oil—producing -as desired a drying painting oil or a varnish, -and the residuum forming a valuable oil cement.’ -Mr Wilkins permits cultivators of art, desirous of -more particulars, to address him at ‘The Cottage, -Elm Grove, Peckham’ (London).</p> - -<p>In another communication, by Mr I’Anson, on -the Architecture of Norway, the wooden churches -were of course mentioned, and something was said -about Norwegian timber which will bear repetition. -‘The Scotch fir furnishes the red wood, and -the spruce-fir the white. What strikes one,’ said -the speaker, ‘is, that the Scotch fir, which with us -is regarded as the least valuable kind of fir-wood, -scarcely fit for railway sleepers or fences, is the -best fir in Norway. I account for that superiority -of the Norwegian over the English tree in some -measure by the greater length of time that Scotch -fir takes to come to maturity in Norway than in -this country. Scotch fir grows at the rate of as -much as two feet a year in Britain, and takes about -fifty years to become a usable tree; whereas in -Norway it would take probably a century to grow -to a tree of equal size.’</p> - -<p>In the last annual Report of the Royal Asiatic -Society it is stated as a now nearly accepted fact, -that the language of Madagascar is a Malay -language from Sumatra, and that its connection -with the African Suahili is only that of loan-words, -just as Persian has borrowed largely from -Arabic. Philologists and others interested in -Eastern Africa will perhaps be glad to hear that a -grammar of Malagasi has been recently published.</p> - -<p>Plantations of the cinchona tree were first begun -in Jamaica in 1860, at the cost of the government. -The experiment has proved so successful that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208"></a>{208}</span> -more than eighty thousand trees are now growing -in different parts of the island. Henceforth the -West Indies will compete with India in supplying -the world with quinine.</p> - -<p>It is well known that in some churches and -large halls a reverberation prevails which annoys -the persons assembled, and prevents their hearing -distinctly. A few years ago the discovery was -made that the reverberation could be deadened by -stretching threads across the building from wall -to wall below the ceiling. This curious fact has -been further confirmed at the Palace of Industry, -Amsterdam, and in the church of Notre-Dame -des Champs, Paris, in each of which, by the simple -means of threads, the reverberation is silenced.</p> - -<p>The importation of fresh meat from the United -States of America commenced in the autumn of -1875. Since then the quantity brought to this -country from New York, Philadelphia, and other -ports, has reached a total of more than sixty -million pounds; and great as the trade has become, -it tends to increase. The graziers and agriculturists -of Europe will have to consider whether some -means may not be found for increasing and -cheapening cattle-food, if they desire to compete -with the transatlantic graziers. Whether the way -shall be by improved irrigation, extended drainage, -or creation of pastures, remains to be discovered. -On this subject much valuable information is contained -in a work entitled <i>Food from the Far West</i>, -with special reference to the Beef Production and -importation of Dead Meat from America (W. P. -Nimmo, London and Edinburgh).</p> - -<p>‘On Some Means used for testing Lubricants’ is -the title of a paper by Mr W. H. Bailey, read -before the same Society. There needs no argument -to prove that if it be possible to discover -the oil or grease which will best prevent friction, -it ought to be discovered; and the engravings in -this paper shew the contrivances for effecting this -discovery. To Dr Joule, F.R.S. all who use -machinery are indebted for having, as Mr Bailey -remarks, ‘enabled us to look upon the cost of -friction and the cash value of heat as mere questions -of arithmetic. The energy which passes -away in wasted heat may be measured and valued -with nearly as much facility as any article of commerce. -The science of heat teaches us that the -relations between heat and mechanical motion are -regulated by well-defined, accurate, and rigid -principles. Those who would command Nature’s -forces must first learn her laws; the first rudiments -of which say, that when we produce frictional -heat in our machinery, we become law-breaking -prodigals, who have incurred fines and -penalties, which are generally paid when a cheque -is given to settle the coal-bill.’</p> - -<p>Perhaps not many people south of the Border -are aware that there are gold-fields in Scotland; -but that gold can be found in Sutherlandshire and -in the south-west, has long been known to the -dwellers in those localities; and now in the <i>Scottish -Naturalist</i>, Dr Lauder Lindsay describes the gold-fields -of Lanarkshire. In the Upper Ward of -that county he tells us that ‘of alluvial gold, -from nuggets big enough to make breast-pin -heads down to granular dust, there is no scarcity. -It may be collected at any time by simple washing -from the beds or banks of any streams of the -district. Whenever a supply of gold is wanted for -museum specimens or for presentation jewellery, a -sufficiency is forthcoming. A few hours’ work of a -miner, and still more the conjoint efforts of a band -of miners extending over several days, produce the -number of grains or ounces required.’ The people -of Scotland have long known that gold can be -found in various parts of the country. The difficulty, -however, is to find it in sufficient quantities -to pay the expense of working, or even in searching -for it. Persons of an eager turn do not sufficiently -think of this, and hence endless disappointments.</p> - -<p>Our notice (No. 726, p. 750, 1877) of Dr Sayre’s -method of treating curvature of the spine has led to -inquiries for further particulars: we have pleasure -therefore in mentioning that Smith, Elder, & Co. -have published a book by Dr Sayre, entitled -<i>Spinal Disease and Spinal Curvature—their Treatment -by Suspension, and the Use of the Plaster of -Paris Bandage</i>. Besides clear descriptions, the -book contains engravings which represent the -method of treatment, and may be easily understood.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="BUTTERFLIES">BUTTERFLIES.</h2> -</div> - - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0"><span class="smcap">Once</span> more I pass along the flowering meadow,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Hear cushats call, and mark the fairy rings;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Till where the lych-gate casts its cool dark shadow,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I pause awhile, musing on many things;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Then raise the latch, and passing through the gate,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Stand in the quiet, where men rest and wait.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Bees in the lime-trees do not break their sleeping;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Swallows beneath church eaves disturb them not;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">They heed not bitter sobs or silent weeping;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Cares, turmoil, griefs, regrets, they have forgot.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I murmur sadly: ‘Here, then, all life ends.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">We lay you here to rest, and lose you, friends.’</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">By no rebuke is the sweet silence broken.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">No voice reproves me; yet a sign is sent;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For from the grassy mounds there comes a token</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Of Life immortal—and I am content.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">See! the soul’s emblem meets my downcast eyes:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Over the graves are hovering butterflies!</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse right">G. S.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="WASTE_SUBSTANCE">WASTE SUBSTANCE.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>A correspondent suggests that the refuse from -broken slate which is thrown aside at the quarries -as useless, might be ground down into powder and -used as paint. The writer informs us that he has -tried powdered slate, and found that it not only -made good paint but that the paint lasted well for -outdoor work.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The Conductors of <span class="smcap">Chambers’s Journal</span> beg to direct -the attention of <span class="smcap">Contributors</span> to the following notice:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><i>1st.</i> All communications should be addressed to the -‘Editor, 339 High Street, Edinburgh.’</p> - -<p><i>2d.</i> To insure the return of papers that may prove -ineligible, postage-stamps should in every case accompany -them.</p> - -<p><i>3d.</i> <span class="smcap">Manuscripts</span> should bear the author’s full <i>Christian</i> -name, surname, and address, legibly written.</p> - -<p><i>4th.</i> MS. should be written on one side of the leaf only.</p> - -<p><i>5th.</i> Poetical offerings should be accompanied by an -envelope, stamped and directed.</p></div> - -<p><i>Unless Contributors comply with the above rules, the -Editor cannot undertake to return ineligible papers.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="center">Printed and Published by <span class="smcap">W. & R. Chambers</span>, 47 Paternoster -Row, <span class="smcap">London</span>, and 339 High Street, <span class="smcap">Edinburgh</span>.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="center"><i>All Rights Reserved.</i></p> - -<hr class="full" /> -<p>[Transcriber’s Note—the following changes have been made to this text.</p> - -<p>Page 193: beech to beach—“a white beach”.]</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular -Literature, Science, and Art,, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, MARCH 30, 1878 *** - -***** This file should be named 62970-h.htm or 62970-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/9/7/62970/ - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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