Part 22 (1/2)
”Who are you?” shouted one of them
”Scilly people,” piped a shrill female voice from our midst
”That we are--very,” said John drily; at which, notwithstanding our plight, there was a general laugh
The tere speedily increased to half a dozen, and these were joined by quite a group of farers, attracted by the unwonted sound of a syren floating across their fields Soain, ran off to harness their horses to such conveyances as they could command in readiness for the drive to Penzance, while the rest re also a view to the needful, to act as porters and guides
One of the men, by the captain's orders, came forith a rope-ladder, fastened one end securely within the bulwarks, and threw the other over the side It hung about four feet froers swarh there was no real danger, pushed and jostled each other in the atte felloere clai the first chance when the Honourable John interfered
”Here,” said he, ”ladies first, and one at a tier males aside He took off his hat, turned to the crowd below, and, picking out a telegraph clerk, said, ”Catch my tile, will you? And, mind, don't sit on it! It ht it cleverly, and smiled at the instructions Then he slipped out of his frock-coat, and flung it aside; undid his cuff-links, and rolled up his sleeves; bowed to the nearest woman of the party, who happened to be a stout Scillonian in a peasant's dress, and said, ”Ready! Allow me, madam” As he helped her to the top of the bulwarks, and down the rungs, he sang out, ”Below there! Steady this lady down, and help her to the ground”
Syd and I handed up the other ladies, and the Honourable John, balanced upon the bulwarks, gallantly helped them down the ladder as far as his arraph clerks, and landed upon the wet sand The captain watched the proceedings fro all the ladies were disposed of, and we left the men to scramble down as best they could John picked up his coat, and I held it by the collar while he slipped his ar the coat aside I noticed a peculiarity of the collar as it fell and lay upon the ground While the waist and all the lower part was limp, the collar preserved an unnatural stiffness--a stiffness that extended to the breast; this part stood up as if within it there were some invisible form Several times as I turned to assist the lady whose turn came next I noticed this peculiarity; and when I held the collar to help the Honourable John into this fashi+onable frock-coat, there was a hardness about it which made me wonder whether his tailor had stitched into it several strips of buckram, or cleverly inserted beneath the collar, and down the breast, a piece of flexible whalebone Whatever it was that gave this part of his coat its rigidity, I disht that the Honourable John was a greater fop than either Syd or I supposed
Bareheaded he went to bid his cousin good-bye We also shook the captain's hand, and expressed our regret, with John, at the misfortune which had befallen him because of the deflection of the co down our portmanteaux before we descended ourselves; and the captain waved his hand to us froe would have to wait until the steamer floated off with the next tide, and un before we left for the conveyance of the mails in ti to London
John recovered his hat, and we pushed through the yielding shell beach, preceded by our improvised porters, to the broken ramparts of Treryn Dinas; these we clie of Treryn; and here we hired a trap, which ran us into Penzance in tiood dinner before we started on our journey by rail
We ell on the way to Ply a newspaper of the day before, when a curious paragraph caught my eye
”Listen to this!” said I to the other two, and I read: ”'It has frequently happened that shi+ps have got out of their course at sea by so just issued by the Ad on the matter Their Lordshi+ps say that their attention has been called to the practice of seaer which netised, and being worn by men close to the shi+p's co considerably deflected in this manner, and their Lordshi+ps have now directed that the use of steel stretchers in caps is to be immediately discontinued' I wonder if the deflection of the compass of the _Queen of the Isles_ can be explained in a si one of these stretchers”
”Whew!” exclai his knee a tremendous slap ”I have it I must write to my cousin It is ht of it”
”Thought of what?” asked Syd
”What do you mean?” inquired I
”This----” and the Honourable John for once exhibited a rueful face
”You sahere the cap placed ainst the binnacle Well, look here!” and he folded back the lappets of his coat, and showed us a narrow band of flat spring steel that passed under his collar and down either side to keep it fro and to help it to fit closely to his body ”That patent thing has done the ht have sent the whole shi+p-load of us to Davy Jones I'll forswear this fashi+onable toggery henceforth when I'm away on holiday, and follow the innocent example of sensible chaps like you”
We made no coularly quiet all the way from Plymouth to London
XIV
IN PERIL IN AFRICA
The attempt to open up new countries, the natives of which object to the process, naturally leads to adventures, often of a very dangerous kind
Nevertheless, explorers and traders take their lives in their hands, considering the possible results orth the risk
So does the missionary In place of worldly fa and death; but, while facing these, he may spread the faith which is dearer to hi the news of the love of God, with its uplifting power, to those who, sunk in ignorance and degradation, treers are not worth weighing in colorious cause in which they are dared As Bishop Hannington said just before going out as a missionary--