Part 5 (1/2)
”'Your Yankee figuring won't play on his head, S sort of vein 'He is less a fool than you take hiht, but inquired if he ever knew a Yankee out-yankeed? John folded his arot his face well adjusted within the circle of his a his fall Suddenly I remembered that in my pocket was a handbill of Uncle Obadiah's clock factory, upon which was broadly emblazoned a time-piece of modern fashi+on Its effect was electric No sooner was it displayed than the barbarian's eye gloith anxiety; the gaudy picture carried his heart and soul captive to Uncle Saedht was characteristic
”'Principles, in these days of developht hand he stroked his chin, 'I adive way to circumstances To say a difficulty exists you Yankees cannot surmount--to say an invention is known you cannot improve and apply; to say a reovern, is a caluain the end they aim at by one movement they will resort to another ly ht to discover how the point was likely to turn he would have provided himself with the picture of a business-like areat convention with only thirty-two feht have been seen at Vienna very recently; or, better yet, the picture of a duke's flunkey, which, being the e have proved the greater attraction But John turned coldly and methodically frons! he said Nothing to be gained, his thoughts were turned now to the es Not another day would he stay; I was at liberty to start any a difficulty from his state of exciteht to the rescue the quiet and cheerful of his curious coreat difficulty Preserving, then, the cal to take us froress in his head and grasp in his fingers, can, upon the sa to please our nation, create soht for the relief of two distressed individuals One half the failures in the world are the result of theinto an iorous-- a determination to achieve the object The Areatest characteristics is, never to stand in doubt when an experiment is to be tried
”'Yes, but, Smooth!' he interrupted, 'you don't consider that we British officials abroad are placed in a very unpleasant position Our acts being at all tin Office, we too frequently remain passive for want of faith at hon Office is like a weathercock on wings; we are a es and caprices of those who may chance to be its Chief'
”'By that, I understand you know not how to act; and to avoid being wrong you re likely to receive theAmerica,--act boldly, take the responsibility on your own shoulders, and abide the consequences Be an independent citizen,--let your acts be your country's and your own;--and whatever the result then your cause Now, then, let us set about building a canoe; let us iy and it shall be done!' At this John's spirit becaood earnest, and, with necessity for an incentive, found ourselves at the expiration of three days master of a fine canoe, hich we dren the astonishment of the natives
Two daysfarewell, pro cotton, cloth and sundry Yankee notions, hich to start a trade between them and the people of Salem, Massachusetts Supplied with fish and porkmonhunter, a savory dish prepared by the natives, we set sail for Shanghai, I being skipper of the craft, and Johnshould seeate by what the sailors in times past called the rule of thuy is the master of difficulties; the application of it is all-necessary when they present the to this maxihai, while John kept a close watch on the stars At times he would work lunars in his head, as did the Macedonians Laughable as it es in these out-of-the-way parts of the world were honored with a north star, and amused himself with speculations on its identity As luck will now and then favor the unfortunate, so we, after a voyage in which were any amount of storms and hair-breadth escapes, which it will be needless to describe here, arrived at the expiration of the tenth day safely at Shanghai To know precisely where one is, and feel safe on terra-fire, makes the heart leap with joy--and with joy leaped mine
CHAPTER XII
MR SMOOTH MAKES A FEW REFLECTIONS
”Shanghai seemed a place of adventures and uncertain speculations; its people were a medley of all sorts of human kind badly propounded
Perhaps I should except that nuentry called fleas, so averse to travellers that they at once set about biting theh So, viewing it advisable, we packed up our alls, and on foot shaped our course for Scinde, a territory rather out of the way and very remotely situated
Littlejohn, still ot possession of it in a very dignified sort of way; nevertheless, he thought it advisable that as little as possible be said about the process The truth was, it was not distinctly knohat the rest ofand hardshi+p, we found ourselves in the heart of Scinde, which looked desolate enough to have been under any other than British rule:--we speak merely for the honor of British rule!
'This, Uncle John's, too?' I inquired, touching John on the shoulder
”'Beg your pardon!' he returned, with affected indifference
”'Does Britannia rule this territory?' I reiterated
”'Well,' he rejoins, hesitatingly, 'as to that--S to be considered; we believe in dispensing blessings to reat and small, may have their share, we aihout the world It's all for huood of Christianity; but, you see, we have for a long time tried totherefrom without success, and were really forced to harshthe case, we, as a national sequence, had to resort to conquering Now, though it may not be always necessary to apply the principle of conquering to do good, it follows as a rule that good must result where the conqueror is a Christian pohose only ood of all The Anglo-Saxon teaches the barbarian to know himself; and when he has done this he endeavors to infuse principles of trade and constitutional govern to leave him to himself, he reluctantly, nevertheless, is compelled to subject hi these s, as you call thes with Mexico Our East India Company overning purposes, for it is dangerous to invest a trading co powers, inasmuch as selfish interests will conserve to keep the power of the governing superior to the best interests of the governed, even though they be in theand keeping civilized, that trade may not lose its influence It teaches these poor devils of natives to talk English, and, sir, can you calculate what a blessing that will be when it coeneral use?
By and by ill be enabled to turn this vast e with the richest produce'
”'All right,' said I, interrupting his sentence: 'ill yet agree on so In the meanti it would be did they but understand the English!+
Your roup of nondescript governh they be the illegal issues of that very honorable dredging ing up so of pohich it sways on the penny-wise principle, and so pa honest Uncle John with its unfortunate affairs'
”'It never will do to talk in that kind of way, Ses, you forget to clothe thes of overnment matters, and then it never coainst powerful bodies pursuing formidable enterprises'
”'Listen, John!' I retorted, laying ood-naturedly on his left shoulder, 'that which takes fro nourish machine, and will sooner or later dry up its resources It takes out, but forgets to put in, thinking only of the present, while the future invites an enlightened policy to nurture and bring out its richer resources' But with these se Uncle John, who is at tied; but he, fathered as he is with the responsibility, is seriously to blas in their proper light, John and Jonathan, sti well their distinctive prowess, should be careful not to offend by petty e friendly relations, than wound a sensitive but worthy national pride! Proue no more, we left the desolate Scinde, continued our way across an ihtiest and htened policy only anted The people were ignorant of their power and resources: John had conquered, and viewed it well to keep thee did not dissent to this verdict My friend John thought the acquisition well approved But the people, he said, orthless; they added superstition to ignorance and fierceness, and obstinately opposed the bettering their condition 'Without atte to burden your credulity, Jonathan,' interpolated John, 'the truth is, ell understood the nature of this people, and having failed to conciliate them in one way betook ourselves to another, and in our characteristic style chastised thereat seriousness, never for a nity
Indeed, it e a people: how much real attachment between the conqueror and conquered must follow this system we leave the reader to conte, had a very circuitous way of confessing the fact of having taken into his family, by this arbitrary system of wedlock, no end of people; still he accused Jonathan of using his soft-sawder for the sah a country rich of soil and rivers turned to no account, we reached a dominion called the Punjaub, which John said had limits he knew not where, and was his, too He acquired it by the same bold and very honorable stroke of policy The chiefs, he said, kept up a continued jarring a fatal to their best interests, he, as a friend, merely stepped in to put an end to their unprofitable disputes