Part 4 (1/2)

We let go a grapnel, get the cable clear of the anchor on to the grapnel-the captain in an agony lest we should drift ashoreboat, steaain A little more work and one end of the cable is up over the bows round oes pretty well, but it is quite dark Lao on for a quarter of a mile or so from shore and then stop at about half-past nine with orders to be up at three Grand work at last! A number of the _Saturday Review_ here; it reads so hot and feverish, so tomblike and unhealthy, in the ood wholesoo well to-morrow

'June 10

'Thank heaven for ain a damp, chill mist all hands were roused to work With a small delay, for one or two iine started and since that tie A rope to splice, a block to change, a wheel to oil, an old rusted anchor to disengage froht it up, these have been our only obstructions Sixty, seventy, eighty, a hundred, a hundred and twenty revolutions at last, ht out of the blue heaving water: passes slowly round an open-hearted, good-te pulley, five feet dia all up should anything go wrong; through a gentle guide; on to a huge bluff drum, raps him round his body and says ”Co pauls say ”I've got hiet back:”

whilst black cable, much slacker and easier in mind and body, is taken by a slie hold, where half a dozenfrohts I know to see that black fellow rising up so steadily in the midst of the blue sea We are more than half way to the place where we expect the fault; and already the one wire, supposed previously to be quite bad near the African coast, can be spoken through I alad I am here, for my machines are s with a parent's eye and lead theentleness and firood spirits, but keep very quiet, for misfortunes -out apparatus will be wanted should all go well, and that will be another nervous operation Fifteen miles are safely in; but no one knows better than I do that nothing is done till all is done

'June 11

'9 AM-We have reached the splice supposed to be faulty, and no fault has been found The two men learned in electricity, L- and W-, squabble where the fault is

'_Evening_-A weary day in a hot broiling sun; no air After the experiht be tento a chart in about a thousand fathoms of water-rather o on or not I hts and went to sleep About four in the afternoon, Mr Liddell decided to proceed, and we are now (at seven) grinding it in at the rate of a rand speed to us

If the paying-out only works well! I have just thought of a great improvement in it; I can't apply it this time, however-The sea is of an oily cals and shi+ps surrounds us, their sails hardly filling in the lazy breeze The sun sets behind the dih and rugged becomes softer and softer in the distance, while to the ard still the isolated rock of Toro springs from the horizon-It would amuse you to see how cool (in head) and jolly everybody is A testy word now and then shows the wires are strained a little, but everyone laughs and makes his little jokes as if it were all in fun: yet we are all as much in earnest as the most earnest of the earnest bastard German school or demonstrative of Frenchmen I enjoy it very ht of land: about thirty nauticaline slowly revolves to keep us hanging at the same spot: depth supposed about a -out were over! The new h, meant for an experiment in shalloater, and here we are in a mile of water

'630-I have ear cannot possibly answer at this depth, soht the old things with ed up as fast as iven in some portion of the last ten miles: the fault in number three is still at the bottoood wire and the hold is getting in such aand testing, that there will be great risk in paying out The cable is somewhat strained in its ascent froet to two miles is a proble unsatisfactory day We have done nothing The wind and sea have both risen Too little notice has been given to the telegraphists who accompany this expedition; they had to leave all their instruments at Lyons in order to arrive at Bona in tihest, and no one really knohere the faults are

Mr L- in thelost much tiht hours, that the fault in number three ithin six , when all was ready for a start to pick up these six miles, he comes and says there must be a fault about thirtyout to-day, and we ht to-ood deal, but the wind is going down

'June 13, Sunday

'The wind has not gone down, however It now (at 1030) blows a pretty stiff gale, the sea has also risen; and the _Elba's_ bows rise and fall about 9 feet We make twelve pitches to the minute, and the poor cable must feel very sea-sick by this ti at anchor in one thousand fatho constantly so as to keep the shi+p's bows up to the cable, which by this s nearly vertical and sustains no strain but that caused by its oeight and the pitching of the vessel We were all up at four, but the weather entirely forbade work for to-day, so so up our leeway as we nautically term our loss of sleep I must say Liddell is a fine fellow and keeps his patience and temper wonderfully; and yet how he does fret and fume about trifles at home! This wind has blo for 36 hours, and yet we have telegrams from Bona to say the sea there is as calh to remember one is still tied to the shore Click, click, click, the pecker is at work: I wonder what Herr P- says to Herr L-,-tests, tests, tests, nothing more This will be a very anxious day

'June 14

'Another day of fatal inaction

'June 15

'930-The wind has gone down a deal; but even now there are doubts whether we shall start to-day When shall I get back to you?

'9 PM-Four miles from land Our run has been successful and eventless

Now the work is nearly over I feel a little out of spirits-why, I should be puzzled to say-mere wantonness, or reaction perhaps after suspense

'June 16

'Up this ear to the brake and had the satisfaction of seeing it pay out the last four ood style With one or two little i The end has just gone ashore in two boats, three out of four wires good Thus ends our first expedition By some odd chance a _Tiency of a wretched old peasant atches the end of the line here A long account of breakages in the Atlantic trial trip To-night we grapple for the heavy cable, eight tons to the h misfortunes or rather difficulties are a bore at the ti with cables is ta fellow, al so huge and i that I could find it in my heart to be afraid of him

'June 17

'We went to a little bay called Chia, where a fresh-water strea operation, so I went a walk up the valley with Mr Liddell The coast here consists of rocky h covered with shrubs of a brilliant green On landing our first ae fish who lazily swa canes on the further side hold numberless tortoises, we are told, but see none, for just now they prefer taking a siesta A little further on, and what is this with large pink flowers in such abundance?-the oleander in full flower At first I fear to pluck the they must be cultivated and valuable; but soon the banks show a long line of thick tall shrubs, one reen Set these in a little valley, fraleam out blue and purple colours such as pre-Raphaelites only dare attest the clumps of castor-oil plants, cistus, arbor vitae and reens, whose names, alas! I know not; the cistus is bro, the rest all deep or brilliant green Large herds of cattle browse on the baked deposit at the foot of these large crags One or two half-savage herdses whirr up on either side of us; pigeons coo and nightingales sing aet six sheep and e; and then run back to Spartivento and