Part 1 (2/2)
The enthusiasm which caused Esob's eyes to shi+ne and his cheek to glow as he strode up the short garden path to the door of the triht, was rather damped by the reception accorded by his an to communicate before even he had stepped off the doormat Where the lad saw only an immediate increase of pay that would suffice to solve the problem of the family's domestic embarrassments, two years of assured e spell of outdoor life in a perfect cli which he would be perfecting himself in a very important branch of his profession, and, lastly, the possibility ofadventure, Mrs Esob and Lucy discerned a long sea voyage, with its countless possibilities of disaster, two years of separation fro as dearer to thee and terrible attacks of sickness, and perils innumerable from wild beasts, venomous reptiles and insects, trackless forests, precipitoustorrents, fierce tropical storms, earthquakes, and, worse than all else, ferocious and bloodthirsty savages! What was money and the freedom from care and anxiety which its possession ensured, co ently nurtured wo their bread in the streets than suffer their beloved Harry to go forth, carrying his life in his hands, in order that they ht be comfortably housed and clothed and sufficiently fed! And indeed the picture which they dreas sufficiently alar to have daunted a lad of nervous and timid temperament, and perhaps have turned him from his purpose But Harry Esob was a youth of very differentof the ers of which his mother and sister spoke so eloquently had no terrors for him, but, on the contrary, constituted a positive and very powerful attraction; besides, as he pointed out to his co to the face of a precipice, or endeavouring to cross an ie incessantly in Peru, any more than they did elsewhere; Mr Richards had assured him that the climate was healthy; ferocious animals and deadly reptiles did not usually attack a man unless they were interfered with; and reference to an Encyclopaedia disclosed the fact that Peru, so far fro a very fair ht of such dangers as he would actually have to face, and dwelling very strongly upon the splendid opening which the offer afforded hiht his mother and sister into a th, by the time that the bedroo how co also the strength of his contention as to the advantageous character of the opening afforded him by Mr Richards's proposal, had become so far reconciled to the prospect of the separation that they were able to speak of it calmly and to conceal the heartache fro Mrs Esob and Lucy were enabled to sally forth with cheerful countenance and htly conversation as they accompanied the lad to town to assist hier portion of which was delivered at The Li, and at once unpacked for the purpose of being legiblyall buttons securely sewn on by two pairs of loving hands
The following three weeks sped like a dream, so far as the individual chiefly interested was concerned; during the day he was kept continually busy by Mr Butler in the preparation of lists of the several instrus--fro rods, wire lines, sounding chains, drawing and tracing paper, cases of instrues, and drawing pins, to tents, ca the sa his kit as the several articles co it caiven in his honour by the large circle of friends hom the Esobs had become acquainted since their arrival and settleth the preparations were all complete; the official impedimenta--so to speak-- had all been collected at Sir Philip Swinburne's offices in Victoria Street, carefully packed in zinc-lined cases, and dispatched for shi+pment in the steamer which was to take the surveyors to South Ae to the shi+p in advance, and the ood-bye to the tere dearest to him in all the world They would fain have accompanied him to the docks and remained on board with him until the moment arrived for the steae; but young Esob had once witnessed the departure of a liner froony of the protracted leave taking, the twitching features, the sudden turnings aside to hide and wipe away the unbidden tear, the heroic but futile atteht-hearted conversation, the false alarms when timid people rushed ashore, under the unfounded apprehension that they were about to be carried off across the seas, and the return to the shi+p to say goodbye yet once again when they found that their fears were groundless He had seen all this, and was quite detero such torture of waiting, he therefore so contrived that his good-bye was alh he had beenup to West the train for London Bridge, he made his way thence to Fenchurch Street and so to Blackwall, arriving on board the ss _Riood hour to spare
But, early as he was, he found that not only had Mr Butler arrived on board before him, but also that that impatient individual had already worked himself into a perfect frenzy of irritation lest he--Harry-- should allow the steamer to leave without him
”Look here, Esob,” he fu won't do at all, you know I ood ti for you all over the shi+p; and now, at a quarter to eleven o'clock, you coh you had days to spare What do youso late, eh?”
”Really, Mr Butler,” answered Harry, ”I aht that so long as I was on board in time to start with the shi+p it would be sufficient As it is I aood; for, as you are aware, the shi+p does not haul out of dock untilin particular?”
”No, I have not,” snapped Butler ”But I was naturally anxious when I arrived on board and found that you were not here If you had happened to miss the shi+p I should have been in a pretty pickle; for this Peruvian survey is far too big a job for reed Esob ”But you ht have been quite certain that I would not have been so very foolish as to allow the shi+p to leave without me I am far too anxious to avail myself of the opportunity which this survey will affordlate
Is there anything that you want o below and arrange raciously ”But, now that you are on board, don't you dare to leave the shi+p and go on shore again--upon any pretence whatever Do you hear?”
”You really need not feel the slightest apprehension, Mr Butler,”
replied Harry ”I have no intention or desire to go on shore again”
And therewith he made his way to the saloon co cabin, his cheeks tingling with sha been so hectored in public; for several passengers had been within earshot and had turned to look curiously at the pair upon hearing the sounds of Butler's high-pitched voice raised in anger
”My word,” thought the lad, ”our friend Butler is beginning early! If he is going to talk to me in that strain on the day of our departure, ill he be like e are ready to return ho to allow hi hi me to Sir Philip for insolence or insubordination; there is tooby losing my temper with him I will be perfectly civil to him, and will dovery serious can possibly happen”
Upon entering his cabin Esob was greatly gratified to learn from the steward that he was to be its sole occupant He at once annexed the top berth, and proceeded to unpack the trunk containing the clothing and other ed his books in the rack above the bunk, and then returned to the deck just in ti out of dock
He found Butler pacing the deck in a state of extreitation
”Where have you been all this while?” de abruptly, square in Esob's path ”What do you ? Are you aware, sir, that I have spent nearly an hour at the gangatching to see that you did not slink off ashore?”
”Have you, really?” retorted Harry ”There was not the slightest need for you to do so, you know, Mr Butler, for I distinctly told you that I did not intend to go ashore again Didn't I?”
”Yes, you did,” answered Butler ”But hoas I to know that you would keep your word?”
”I always keep my word, sir; as you will learn e become better acquainted,” answered the lad
”I hope so, for your sake,” returned Butler ”But sters like yourself is that they are not to be trusted” Then, glancing round hiers in his i him with unconcealed amusement, he hastily retreated below As he did so, aa cigar as he watched the traffic upon the river, turned, and regarding Esob with a good-natured smile, remarked:
”Your friend seems to be a rather cantankerous chap, isn't he? He will have to take care of himself, and keep his teo crazy e get into the hot weather Is he often taken like that?”
”I really don't know,” answered Harry ”The fact is that I only o; but I fear that he suffers a great deal froreat affliction”
”It is, both to hier dryly ”I have met his sort before, and I find that the only way to deal with such people is to leave them very severely alone He seems to be a bit of a bully, so far as I can make out, but he will have to mind his p's and q's while he is on board this shi+p, or he will be getting hienerally made very unpleasant for him
You are in his service, I suppose?”
”Yes, in a way I am,” answered Esob with circumspection; ”that is to say, we are both in the same service, but he is er ”How far are you going in the shi+p?”
”We are going to Callao,” answered Harry