his cru elty led to several revolts in which he had been seriously wounded although he was amply avenged as he shot two or three of the unfor tunates in the affray and lashed ten times the number into a state of madness after they were over


if ever there was a demon let loose upon earth it was he and one less calculated to aid in the reformation of the prisoner could not have been selected


he was a shocking hypo crite besides for when the person appointed by the secretary of state to inspect the hulks capper i think was his name paid his periodi cal visits owen invariably used the soothing syrup principle


now my lads he would cry in the mildest of all imaginable tones if you have any complaints to make this gentle man has come from town expressly to hear them


at the same time his eyes belied his words they shot out such gleams of wicked light from under their shaggy penthouses of lids as deterred the boldest from stepping out of the ranks in which they were drawn up


a few daring individuals had fallen into the snare and lodged a string of grievances with the gentle man from town who very considerately pro mised to look into them but as the time was indefinitely expressed he might have meant doomsday at all events the only answer they received was becoming marked men and gain ing extra doses of owens severity


and here daylight ill give you a word of advice


you are young in these things and it may be useful to you


never thwart the officers who are placed above you let them have their full swing


let them violate every rule and regulation laid down by the government for the management of prisonors let them filch and plunder to their hearts content till they treble the amount of their just incomes be as blind as a bat and dumb as a fish or you are a lost mutton


government will not thank you for opening their eyes when they wish to be asleep


all your gains for striving to be honest will be the stamp of a troublesome and dangerous cha racter who requires good looking after


let desperate fools try their hands at reformation daylight dont you be gulled into it


its a hazardous game where all the odds are against you


luckily for me i soon got out of owens clutches


being rather notorious for my ex ploits i was drafted off into the first bay ship in order to prevent my trying to escape from the dockyard


i left wells and smithers behind and never saw either of them again as their destination was van diemens land


i was told that the former managed to stow away in an american vessel and get clear off but of the latter no further tidings reached me


there were upwards of three hundred priso ners on board but as the vessel was a large craft we were upon the whole pretty comfor tably stowed


whether it was by luck or the attraction of my handiness the doctor picked me out to assist in the dispensary and this billet excited ihe envy of my shipmates who to con fess the truth were not exempt from the general failings of the world


nor can i say much in favor of my companion the doctors mate who was one of the biggest scoundrels then unhang ed


it was not because he was a thief and a drun kard that l had any objections to his charac ter but on account of his sneaking and mis chievous disposition


to help himself out of difficulties a lie never stood in his way and to cover his own faults he was ready to sacrifice the whole body of his shipmates


however he met his deserts he died before the voyage was half over from the effects of a draught of vitriol which he mistook in a state of drunkenness for spirits of wine


his cries and groans were ter rible and his punishment was one of bitter agony


he knew besides that he was detested by all and the memory of his past life did not yield him a single straw to cling to on the dark ocean of eternity into which he was hurrying


as i was attentive during the time of my so journ in the hospital and had gathered some knowledge of the routine of the place the doctor gave me promotion of which i made good use


there were various little pickings and perquisites attached to the office which not only rendered me comfortable as to diet but also enabled me to lay by a pretty penny against the rainy weather which i anticipated would greet my landing


the idea of escape from bondage was never absent from mv mind and money i was aware would best facilitate my project


we had several patients in the hospital during the voyage and amongst them was one who had performed a previous penance of seven years in botany day and i gathered from him all the information i could respecting the manners and customs of the inhabitants and the probability of leaving them minus of a portion of the valu able live cargo consigned to them by our ship


the description he gave of the place was alarm ing it worked upon my imagination so strongly that i vowed to perish rather than remain in an earthly hell peopled by fiends


my mind was therefore steadily fixed on this point and all ideas of reformation or building myself up a good name and fortune in the new land were utterly banished


i found out too late that my informant dealt in very exaggerative statements to which i lent too greedy an ear


he was my rock ahead he was the cause of my making the first false step in this colony which after years of bitterest suffering toil and privation has left me daylight what you see menothing better than a wild beast in the toils of the hun ters


it is useless for me now to try to retrace my way the trunk has taken too deep root there is nothing left but a black gulf yawning at my feet


in dreams daylight my end assumes but two forms the bullet of the policeman and the noose of the hangmans rope


pooh


after all i am getting foolish either fate is quite good enough for a dog like me


yet punish ment often falls hardly upon others who dont so well deserve lt


ill give you an instance


there was amongst our patients a young fel low named wilson


he sprang from a good family in nottinghamshire and was well edu cated


his manners were mild and gentleman ly and there was not a man in the ship who did not respect him and feel pity for his misfortune


he had not been long on board when the malady of which he died assumed a fatal hue and he was ordered by the doctor to be placed in the hospital


his gentle demeanour completely won me and i did everything in my rough way to assuage his sufferings


often when i have been smoothing his bed and performing little offices which might conduce to his comfort he would smile upon me and gently shake his head as if to say lipey it is all useless my career will soon be ended


however he did not thank me any the less and would often talk to me of the green fields and shady woods of his country home and a young girl to whom he was at tached but who died of a broken heart when she heard of his great misfortune


i gathered up his story bit by bit and gar nered it up in my memory


he came to lon don very young and was placed in a merchants countinghouse


his master after a time gave him a good salary and treated him in every respect as though the circumstance of his being a servant imposed upon him the obligation of treating him like a human being and a fellow creature


finding himself in possession of a more liberal salary than he had before enjoyed with more time at his disposal and just of an age to be captivated by the pleasures of the town he was led into extravagant expenses and in a year or two found that he had incurred debts without the means of paying them


in stead of boldly avowing this to his employer he made selfexcuses and imputed his error to youth and ignorance of the value of money


in the meantime some of his creditors be came importunate and the devil prompted him to act as he did and as he enjoyed the full con fidence of his master he did not experience any difficulty in carrying out his design


it was his business to receive all the money and pay it regularly into the bankers


a sum became due from a person who was in good credit with the house who paid the money and ordered another parcel of goods


wilsons salary was coming due in a few days


he appropriated to his own use the money paid by the customer and dis charged his own more pressing debts with it intending to replace the sum with his salary


after that moment he never enjoyed peace


it was a simple operation and fatally secure as it turned out for he did replace the money without being discovered


but his selfesteem was gone


he dared not look his master in the face every step in the countinghouse every knock at the door struck him with dismay and overwhelmed him with horrible terror


he thought all men read guilt in his face and plucked out the direful secret from his bosom


he was a lost man


other creditors pressed upon him and he in curred fresh debts


he mixed up with loose company he habituated himself to their habits and at once made familiar with the means of putting off the evil day with the assured con sciousness that in all probability discovery


would never ensue he found resistance impos sible


the weakness that urged him to the commission constantly as with others similarly circumstanced abided by him and he found himself involved in the mesh


again and again did he adopt the same means of temporary ex trication with the same success with the same reparation and at the same miserable expense


at length his immediately pressing debts be came larger than his salary by anticipation so that sometimes when he had thus discharged them a balance of this surreptitiously obtained money remained in his hands not only until his salary again became payable but until some smaller sum fell due which would enable him by retaining that to discharge the larger and pre vious amount


in plain words he was getting into debt with his employer to an extent which no portion of his salary would enable him to repay


and yet he assured me daylight and i be lieved him that not a thought ever entered his mind of robbing his master or wronging him of a single farthing


but discovery at last burst upon him like a thunderbolt and was quickly followed by trial and condemnation


poor fellow


if ever man thoroughly repented of his errors in this world it was wilson but it came too late to save him the arrow was shot home the poison rankled in his heart and brought him to an early grave


the night of his death i was rocking in my hammock for the ship was rolling heavily lis


tening half asleep to the wind which came in sudden gusts and went wailing and shrieking through the rigging when i heard the sound of moaning as from a person in great pain


it was some time before i could rouse myself when i did i looked over my hammock towards wil sons bed and saw him struggling and clutching at the coverlid


i was soon by his side and when he recognised me he became more calm


lipey said he feebly it will soon be over


i have been warned in a dream


dont leave me


i sat down beside him and watched him


he lay upon his back his eyes looked wild and bloodshot and his breast laboured with sighs that burst from him at intervals as though they were striving to force life out of his frame


i have been warned lipey


i dreamt that they threw me overboard and i was drown ing


the dark water roared and bubbled in my ears as i sank down hundreds of fathoms


my temples were bursting and my chest was crush ed with a heavy weight


i struggled for air in vain i tried to shout for help and fight against the hideous monsters of the deep but voice and strength both left me


my brain throbbed and throbbed my mind lost its power and reason fled


lipey i was dead for all the rest was oblivion


i took one of his hands in mine it was very hot and his lips were parched


cheer up said i in as lively a tone as i could assume dont be cast down you are worth a hundred dead ones yet


he smiled faintly and replied there is no hope


i dont fear death but i should like to have been buried near lucy


a quiet home is that old churchyard with its green turf and bright daisies and the soft shade of the old yew trees


we often wandered there together and sat by my mothers grave hand in hand and dreamt of days of unclouded happiness


but the links of love and life are broken


the cold seawave will separate us even in death and


lucy here he broke off and began to talk incohe rently but turning suddenly towards me he said more collectedlylipey bury this lock of hair with me dont let rough hands tear it away


come closerpromise you willcloser yet lipey


he clutched me by the wrist for a moment and looked at me steadfastly his grasp relaxed his eye became glazed and filmy and his head fell back on the pillowhe was dead


as i watched the corpse my spirits became more and more depressed and a kind of super stitious fear began to crawl over me


i was therefore glad to call the sentry and send for the doctor


he soon came and having ascer tained that life was extinct coolly gave orders for the body to be sewed up in a hummock and prepared for interment at midday


his fellowprisoners petitioned the doctor to let them witness the funeral


he readily granted their request pleased i believefor he was not an inhuman manto find that some feeling still existed in the bosoms of us outcasts of society


we were all mustered on deck and gazed with sorrowful countenances on the grating where the remains of poor wilson were lying ready to be sent upon their long last unknown voyage


the doctor was impressed by the scene and read the burial service with great solemnity


when he came to the words which are the signal for committing the body to the deep and the grating was tripped up the men gave an invo luntary start forward as if to save their lost shipmate


each drew a long breath as the canvas shroud disappeared beneath the huge waves which rang poor wilsons knell and then turned sadly away


a few weeks after this occurrence we sighted the heads of port jackson and having shipped a pilot sailed up the harbour and cast anchor off macquarie fort


after lying there a few days and passing through the regular forms of taking descriptions and undergoing various other examinations we were landed and marched off under a strong guard to hyde park barracks which was then the grand reservoir and recep tacle for prisoners in the colony


to be continued


a new series


the mysteries of sydney


or the revelations of sin shame and sorrow


chapter ix


the den of crimethe victims story


the sunlight streamed through a small win dow upon knuckler who still slept soundly in the chair which he selected for a couch on reaching forky jems castle


the lethe of intoxication was upon him and the grave could not have secured him more safely from the bit terness of worldly cares than did that leaden slumber


he was an habitual drunkard but as in the case of thousands he had been driven to the bottle to procure a temporary oblivion from severe privations and torturing sufferings


he acted upon principle and reduced himself to the condition of a beast in order to forget that he was a man


yet while we condemn this error in the deplorable desperate and frightful conditions of society let it be remembered how often the rich seek the same relief from the sa tiety produced by overindulgence in those meteoric joys which opulence can command


the monarch of old days who offered a reward for the discovery of a new pleasure for his palled and vitiated appetite flew at last to the sparkling juice of the grape as the sole means of brightening the gloom of the hour and driving away the fearful spectres which haunt the mis applier of wealth


the apartment in which knuckler reposed was narrow and scantily furnished and bore the appearance of a workshop


on one side stood a bench to which a vice was attached and upon it were strewed files of different sizes rasps and other iron tools


bundles of keys were thrown about confusedly many of them the skeleton keys used by burglars


the room was lighted by a single window the lower panes of which were of ground glass as if for the purpose of sub duing the glare of day into a sober tone


im mediately beneath stood a deal table containing writing materials and two or three phials whose colourless contents were acids reduced to the precise power requisite to remove ink marks from paper without injuring the material


this preparation required great skill and it was in this and his exquisite penmanship that the talent of knuckler consisted


by the joint pro cess and in an incredibly short space of time a small note might be manufactured into one of a larger amount and the metamorphosis so cleverly executed as to defy aught but the strictest scrutiny


such was the studio of this accomplished artist from whence issued pic tures for which the public paid a price infinitely above their value


forky jem was busily employed in filing down the wards of a key


he ceased occasionally to compare them with an impression in wax which lay beside him then resumed his handi craft with increased energy and whistled an accompaniment from a selection of airs fashion able amongst men of his class interspersing it with a running commentary upon the job in hand and the condition of knuckler and some times breaking into snatches of song


thats getting a little near the mark i think ten minutes more and shell fit like a kid glove let em patter of bramah and chubb and hobbs all wonderful chaps but i guess that james and the screw without any ado will shove em all into a mess


bravo tools


will shove em all into a mess


jump up knuckler it is about time you did something to earn an honest living


what a pity he cant keep sober hes a clever chap in in his way and might do a rare stroke of busniss


hell break his neck over the bottle some day worse luck


how he snores


i should like to know what hes dreaming of


thw old house at home i spose whenever he gets spooney all his talk is about it and the green lanes and meadows where he used to pluck wild flowers and ramble over as gay as a bird or a butterfly and his mother and brothers and sisters


i often feel a little queer a listening to him though for the matter of that i never had any relations but was obliged to fight my way through the streets ever since i can recollect and hard limes i had of it


if these gentry folks who patter so much about religion and charity and them kind of things were to do a little more for the poverty struck and preach a little iess to them it would be all the better for them and other people too


my word if i could only get the impression of their hearts id soon make a screw to fit em but i spose theyre like a stone quarry and want picking with something stronger than a key


after all theres a deal of truth in the young cadgers chaunt oh give me a penny old man rich man oh give me a penny said i for two days i havnt had one bit of scran and now i am ready to die


go go to your parish young scamp poor scamp no parish sir have i to hail


you are breaking the law the streets to tramp so go to the handiest gaol


and thats a recommendation many take advan tage of


thieve a penny roll and get cotched and you earn a certificate of character in a mo ment theres no need to knock at the gate it opens for you of itself just as if it knew you were coming


but hard as the gaol is there is a refuge for you the narrow boundary of stone walls seems warm and friendly compared with the broad freezing sky and the wide sharp nip ping earth


jem here emitted a long whistle and examined the key with the wax model


now thats what i call a beautiful job theres not a workman in the island can turn out a thing cleaner


i must have a touch at knuckler kitely wants a score of ones transmogrified into tens and deuce a one is touched yet


forky then proceeded to the sleeper and ad ministered sundry shakes which had the effect of partially breaking his slumbers but did not restore him to full consciousness


knuckler muttered a few incoherent words and his head sank again upon his chest in impotent helpless ness


youre a nice young chap knuckler i dont think a right real down industrious persever in man of business


but this will never do


here peg come in and lend me some of your assistance and opinion in this matter


the lady answered the summons quickly and immediately applied herself to the restoration of knucklers senses


she went to work like a skilful practitioner and by introducing some pungent odour into his nostrils put an end to his somnolency


after giving a few hearty sneezes knuckler was something like himself and a subsequent ablution considerably improved his condition


one thing however was still needed to string his shattered nerves and as his modesty was not of a very high order he did not hesitate to make a requisition for the supply of his wants in his accustomed poetical style


my sweetest peggy if tis handy id like to taste one drop of brandy


a drop said peg smiling much use that would be to you after your late swigging


tis true last night i had my fill i said a drop but meant a gill


here it is knuckler chimed in forky at the same time handing him the coveted draught but mind no more at present your work requires a clear head and a steady hand


these notes are wanted quickly and by a man who wont be trifled with


we are already in his power and if he once sets the beaks upon us it would make a clear settlement of our accounts


d him rejoined knuckler with sudden fierceness


theres a spell in kitely which is unaccountable but if the devil walked the earth in mans shape it is he


i have him to thank for all my misery for being the debased de graded wretch i am


kitely exclaimed the astonished forky


even so


you never heard the story so i may as well make a clean breast of it


but as we are in the toils ill first prepare these rags which i sincerely hope will bring ruin down upon him could i be sure of that the task would be a pleasant one


knuckler sat down at the table and carefully applied the acids with a fine camels hair brush to the various places in each note where the


word one was printed


he watched the working of the fluid and being satisfied of its proper action commenced the history of one of kitelys victims


i need scarcely tell you that although i am now a thief a drunkard and affect to be a fool in the company of those who would only jeer at wisdom my character and position in life were once widely different


perhaps an inclination to evil was inherent in me or to use a milder term a yieldingness of disposition which might be moulded into ill by cunning hands but be that as it may there was a time when i shrank from the mention of crime and held its perpetrators in thorough detestation and was accustomed to inveigh against them in terms of unmeasured bitterness


i have long since learned to be more charitable that benefit at least has re sulted from adversity and the knowledge of my own imperfections


my father was a merchant residing in a town on the coast of kent and as his business was extensive he was enabled to give me a good education


he sent me to an excellent school where if i did not profit much the fault rested solely with myself


the masters were competent enough and certainly did not spare the rod upon any occasion so far as my memory serves me


but i was a wild and reckless boy and preferred heading an appleforaging expedition to follow ing xenophon and his ten thousandbut that is all greek to you forky so ill cut it short


never mind me said forky tell your story in your own way and ill skip the hard words


thats precisely what i did resumed knuckler and was made to skip for it


well i remained at school till i was about seventeen years old when my father considered the time had arrived that i should take my part in the great game of life


either from nature or habit he was a man of few words and prompt decision


he certainly asked me what profession i should prefer to enter but while i was wavering between law and physic army and navy he settled the matter by declaring for the merchant service on dry land and consigned me like a bale of goods to a london house with which he had large transactions


he sent a letter with me of which i afterwards obtained a sight i repeat it to you verbatim as the shortest and best means of giving you an insight into his charac ter


to messrs stiffin and proudly gentlemenper rover coach of this day i have consigned to you my son john


please acknowledge the receipt of same and place him to my account at his marketable value


hops are brisk


i remain gentlemen your obedient servant john stoneleigh


i thought this was cruel on the part of my honored parent but as i had never been used to many expressions of his fondness the impres sion soon wore away and i turned to my new avocations with the determination of becoming a sir thomas gresham in due time


ls that the chap who put the grasshopper on the top of the royal exchange london


en quired forky


precisely


he built the old exchange


ive nothing to thank him for


they say exchange is no robbery but by jingo it didnt prove so with a pal of mine at the old bailey


never mind go on


for about two years i remained steadily fixed at the desk performing the duties assigned to me with an exactitude which was satisfactory to my father who increased my annual allow ance and promised to take me into partnership with him when i became of age


elated with success i began to be less careful and indulged in the pleasures of the theatres and the oyster rooms where the allurements of depraved females are spread forth to tempt the unwary and dont trouble yourself about the george barnwell go but jump on to kitely said forky


i was about to touch on that theme but i must try your patience a little longer


in those saloons there were always men of the world on the look out for greenhorns and with my ardent temperament it would have been next to a miracle had i escaped


i was not naturally ad dicted to play but being induced by one of these night hawks to enter a billiard room i imper ceptibly imbibed a fondness for that game which in time became a passion


the sums i lost were not large nor did they materially inconvenience me but it distracted my mind from businessand the green baize of the table floated before my eyes and discolored the white pages of the ledger


often and often have i sat with an aching head and nerveless hand poring over a multitude of figures huddled and massed in a confusion from which i vainly endeavoured to extricate them and as often i vowed to abjure the fatal game but as daylight departed so fled my good resolves and night saw me pursuing the same destructive course


it was then i met kitely


he won my confidence by advancing me a few pounds to discharge a debt which i incurred with a stranger and from that hour i was his own never was bird more securely marked dead and bagged


he is reckoned a tidy shot at greenfinches


no man ever held a barrel so straight or pulled a trigger with such unerring certainty


the inexperience of youth made him acquainted with all my circumstances it was enough for him


he gradually led me from the billiard table to a more destructive one the hazard table


he initiated me into the mystery of main and chance and odds on and against and once more i plunged with all the fury of a maniac into a new game


in pursuing this i overdrew my allowance considerably and was compelled to raise money upon bills which kitely got dis counted as he said at an enormous sacrifice but as these advances invariably returned to his pocket he could not be a loser even if circum stances should prevent the bills being duly ho nored


and were you flat enough to pay em


you shall hear


one afternoon i left the counting house with a sum of three thousand pounds for the purpose of paying it into the bank to the credit of my employers


i was de tained for a short time in the street by some casual circumstance and when i reached the bank it was closed


as the habit of carrying large sums was familiar to me i did not expe rience any annoyance and proceeded home wards intending to leave the money in my bureau


unhappily i met kitely on the way who insisted upon my accompanying him to a little snug family party which just required one to make it complete


i hesitated kitely re newed his solicitations almost amounting to commands


i consented and was lost


the dinner was excellent the wines exquisite but why dwell upon such absurditiesi who have found corn meal and brackish water luxuries


the dessert was bitter enough forky


the party consisted of four including myself three hawks and a pigeon i spose


a true guess


when i was sufficiently primed with wine for their purpose a small game at chicken hazard was proposed just to while away the time


we began with low stakes and i was a winner


kitely who had lost termed it mere childs play and with well as sumed warmth insisted on increasing the stakes


inflamed by wine and his taunts i rushed into the snare and long before daybreak had not only lost the three thousand pounds but in curred paper liabilities to twice the amount


i recollect but little of the play but i was told when they refused to continue it that i smashed the glasses hurled the decanters at the plun derers and rushed out of the room in a state of frenzy towards the river into which i was about to plunge but was prevented by a policeman who suspecting my purpose from my disordered and hurried air followed me and prevented the suicidal intent


when i awoke it was to find myself in the bowstreet watchhouse from whence i was taken to the police office


my brain was reeling and objects passed imperfectly before me


i was in a species of stupor and only alive to one fact that a dire calamity had come over me


they called my name and roused me up


i looked toward the magistrate and saw sitting beside him the prim form of mr josiah proudly


death was preferable at that moment


there was nothing in perspective but a felons trial and an endless shame


they followed


what


wouldnt your father shell out


he was most bitter against me i had disgraced his name his mercantile name


i had made a blot in his ledger and was beyond forgiveness


he laconically ordered the firm of stiffin and proudly to debit him with their losses through me and credit him with the loss of a graceless scamp which would leave a clear balance in his fa vour


he was a very nice affectionate old gentle man and i should like nothing better than having a turn at his iron chest


but your mother and not a word of her she died of a broken heart and the others they


here knuckler stopped overcome by the powerful recollection of the past


for in that moment oer his soul winters of memory seemed to roll his eyes were set and the glassy stare which glared so frightfully in the darky ken was again visible


a palpable shudder ran through out his frame and cold globules of perspiration exuded from his clammy forehead like noxious vapours exhaled from the vaults of death


peg with a kindly feeling which is as frequently found beneath the russet garb as the queenly vestment proffered him a glass of brandy


knuckler gazed at it unconsciously for a time but at length snatched it from her hand gulped its contents and laughed hysterically


this burst relieved him and he resumed his accus tomed coolness


many thanks peggy for your medicine no physician in the four quarters of the globe could have prescribed better for my complaint


lt is only a weakness which will steal over me now and then notwithstanding my struggles to keep it down


let me reflectwhere was i in my story


about the trial said forky


true i pleaded guilty and laid the facts before them upon which they mercifully sen tenced me to five years imprisonment in the penitentiary at milbank


this had the usual sanatory effect upon my system i went in honest and came out a rogue


i shall never forget the hour when they threw the gate open and told me i was free


i walked out mechani cally and stood looking upon the dull river and the sluggish barges which drifted down and the people passing to and fro as strange things in which i had no concern


i felt myself beyond the pale of human beings and selkirk on his desolate island was not more solitary than i


for hours i continued on the same spot the cold winds whistling round me and the drizzling sleet wetting me to the skin but the torpor of my heart overpowered the numbness of my frame


my existence was only a mockery of lifea liv ing death


day gave place to the shadows of night the lamps were lighted and shot their arrowy gleams far down into the watery tide but i was heedless of the change and gazed on vacantly and unconsciously


how long i should have remained in this state i know not but a sudden and severe blow from an unseen hand stretched me upon the ground and some person attempted to rifle my pockets


this event re called me to myself and i said feebly it is quite useless my lad i only left the peniten tiary this morning


d it old fellow replied a rough voice thats hard lines are you hurt


not much but i am very weak


lend a hand bill and shift the cove to our lumber continued the speakerim afeard your neddy fell heavy


they raised me up and by dint of great exer tlon for i could scarcely keep my legs con veyed me to a small house in a bye street lead ing out of the vauxhall road


they placed me carefully on a low pallet and then i became insensible


the blow inflicted upon me heightened by mental agonies brought on a brain fever which nearly proved fatal what a mercy if it had


but youth and a good constitution brought me through


the outcasts into whose hands i fell treated me with unremitting attention and kind ness although thieves they acted like samari tans to me


you know them forky and how i was induced to join my fortune with theirs to war upon the world with the gaol the hulk the penal settlement and the gallows looming large in the distanced


but this is dry work another tot of the potent and then to this business which i hope will choke kitely


knuckler tossed off his dram and turned to the perpetration of a fresh crime with the calmness of a philosopher


what a strange paradox is man


to be continued


how i stood for the dreepd aily burghs


from lifacfocoods magazine


i many of our readera will recollect an ex ceedingly humorous dcseiiption of the doings of u couple of clever scamps named dunshunncr and mcorkindalc in getting up a mock railway computiv which we copied from lilack wd s magizinr about a year since


a recent number of the same periodical contains an article from the same pen on electioneering a hrgo portion of which wo transfer to our columns and regret that its length prevents us from presenting tho whole of it to our rendis


the tule commences with an interview between duiishunner und mcorkindulu who have been investing their money in railways the shares of which havo become valueless and the question they aro discussing is what they arc to do under tho circumstances


chapter i by jovo


ive an idea at last


you dont say so


my dear bobout with it


dunshunncr are you a mon of pim k


i should think i am


and ready to go the whole hog if required


tho entire animal


then ill tell you what it isthe elections will be ou immediatelyand by st andrew well put you up for parliament


me


you


whynot


there are hundreds of men there quite as hard up and not half so clover us yourself


and what good would that do me


dont you see


you need not cure a far thing about your debts then for tho personal liberty of member of he house of commons is sacred


you con fire away right and lett at the currency and who knows if you play your cards well but youmay get a comfortablo place


well you are a gouius bob


but then what sort of principles should i profess


that is a matter whioh requires considera tion


what are your own feelings on the subject perfect indifference lam pledged to no party and am free to exercise my independent judgmont


of course of course


we shall take care to stick oil that into the address but you must positively come forward with somo kind of tangible political views


the cuirency will do for one point but as to the others i seo a difficulty u suppose i were to start as a peelite


something may be said in favour of that view but on the whole i should ruther say not


that party may not look up for some littlo time and then currency b a stumbling block in the way


no dunshunner i do not think upon my honour that it woulc bo wise for you to commit yourself in that quarter at the present moment


suppose i try the protectionist dodge


one might como it very strong against the foreigners and in favour of nativo industry


eli bob what do you say to that it is an advantage to act with gentlemen


true but at the same time i seo many objections


the principles of the country party are not yet thoroughly understood by the peoplc and i should like to have you to start with at least popularity on your side radical then


what do you think of annual parliaments universal suffrage vote by ballot and separation of church and state i am clear against that


these views are not popular with the electors nnd even the mob would entertain a strong suspicion that you were humbugging them


what then on earth am i to do i will toll you


come out as a pure and transparent whig


in the present position of parties it is at least a safe course to pursue and it is always the readiest step to the pos session of the loaves and fishes


bob i dont like the whigs


no moro do i


they aro a bad lot


but they are in and that is everything yes au gustus continued bob solemnly there is nothing else for it


you must start as a pure whig upon the revolution principles of sixteen hundred and eightyeight


it would be a great relief to my mind bob if you would tell me what those principles really are i have not the remotest idea but we have plenty of time to look them up


then i suppose i must swallow the dutch man and the massacre of glencoe


yes and the darien business into the bar gain


these aro the principles of your party and of course you are bound to subscribe


well you know best but id rather do anything else


pooh


never fear you and whiggery will agree remarkably well


that matter then we may consider as settled


the next point to be thought of is the constituency


ay to be sure


what place am i to start for


i have got no interest and if i had any there are no nomination burghs in scotland


arent there


thats all you know my fine fellow


hark ye dunshunner more than half of the scottish burghs are at this moment held by nominees


you amaze me ifob


the thing is im possible


the reform bill that great charter of our liberties bravo


there spoke tho whig


the reform bill you think put an end to nomina tion


it did nothing of the kind it merely transferred it


did you ever hear of such things as cliques


i have


but they are tremendously un popular


nevertheless they hold the returning power


there is a clique in almost every town throughout scotland which leads the electors as quietly but as surely as the blind man is conducted by his dog


these are mo delled on the true venetian principles of secrecy


they control the whole constituency put in the member and in return monopolise the whole patronage of the place


if you have tho clique with you you are almost sure of your election if not except in the larger towns you have not a shadow of success


now what i want to impress upon you is this that wherever you go be sure that you communi cate with the clique


but how am i to find it out


that is not always an easy matter for nobody will acknowledge that they belong to it


however the thing is not impossible and we shall certainly make the experiment


come then i suppose you agree with me that it is hopeless to attempt the larger towns clearly so far as i see they are all pro vided already with candidates


and you may add cliques dunshunner


well then let us search among the smaller places


what would you think of a dash at the stirling district of burghs


why there are at least halfadozen can didates in the field


true that would naturally lessen your chance


depend upon it some one of them ihas already found the key to the clique


but theres the dreepdaily district with nobody standing for it except the honourable paul puzzlethwaite and i question whether he knows himself the nature or the texture of his politics


really dunshunner thats tho very place for you and if we look sharp after it i bet the long odds that you will carry it in a canter


do you really think so i do indeed and the sooner you start the better


let me see


i know provost binkie of dreepdaily


he is a railway bird was an originol glenmutchkin shorcholder and for tunately sold out at a premium


he is a capital man to begin with and i think will be favourable to you besides dreepdaily is an old whig burgh


i nm not so sure of kittle weem


it is a shade more respectable than dreepdaily and has always been rather con servative


the third burgh drouthielaw is a nest of radicalism but i think it may be won over if we open the publichouses


but about expenses bobwont it be a serious matter


why you must lay your account with spending some five or six hundred pounds upon the nail and i advise you to sell stock to that amount at least


the re mainder should it cost you more can stand over


bob five or six hundred pounds is a very serious sum


grantedbut then look at the honour and the immunity you will enjoy


recollect that yours is an awkward predicament


if you dont get into parliament i see nothing for it but a stoppage


thats true enough


wellhang it then i will start


theres a brave fellow


i should not in the least wonder to see you in the cabinet yet


the sooner you set about prepnring your ad dress the better


what


without seeing provost binkie to be sure


what is the use of wading when you can plunge at once into deep water


besides let me tell you that you are a great deal more likely to get credit when it is understood that you are an actual candi date


there is something in that too


but i say bobyou really must help me with the address


i am a bad hand at these things and shall never be able to tickle up the electors without your assistance


ill do all i can


just ring for a little sherry and water and well set to work


i make no doubt that between us we eau polish off a plausible placard


two hours after i forwarded through the post office a missive addressed to the editor of the dreepdaily patriot with the following do


cument enclosed


i am ratberproud of it as a manifesto of my political principles to the electors of the united district of burghs of dreepdaily drouthielaw and kittleweem


gentlemeni am induced by a requisition to which are appended the signatures of a large majority of your influential and patriotic body to offer myself as a can didate for the high honour of your representation in the ensuing session of parliament


had i consulted my own inclination i should have preferred the leisure of retirement and the pursuit of those studies so con geulnl to my taste to the more stormy and agitating arena of politics


but a deep sense of public duty compels me to respond to your call


my views upon most subjects are so well known to many of you that a lengthened explanation of them would prohnbly he superfluous


still it may be right and proper for me to explain generally what they ure


my principles are based upon the great und glorious revolution settlement of loss which by abolishing or at least superseding hereditary right intrusted the guardianship of the crown to an enlightened olignrahy for the protection ot an unpartlclpating peopk


that oligarchy is now most ably represented hy her majestys prcnent ministers to whom unhesitatingly and uncom promisingly except upon a rcry few matters i give in niv adhesion so long as they shall continue in office


opposed to faction und enemy to misrule am yet friendly to many changes of a sweeping and organic character


without relaxing the ties which at present bind together church and state ill harmonious coalition and union i would gradually confiscate the revenues of the one for tho increasing necessities of the other


i never would become a party to an attack upon tho house of icars as long as it remains subserriont to the ill of the commons nor would aller or extend the franchise except from cause shown and the deuorcd and universal wish ot the uonclcetors


i highly approve of the policy which has been pur sued towards ireland and of further concessions to a deeprooted system of agitation


i approve of in creased endowments to that much neglected country und i applaud that generosity which relieves it from all participation in the common burdens of the state


such h hue of policy cannot foil to elevate the moral tone and to develop the internal resources of ireland and i never wish to seo the day when the scotsman and the irishman may in lo far as taxation la concerned be klaced apon an equal footing


it appears to me a ighly equitable adjustment that the savings of the tint should bo appropriated for the wants of the secoua


i am in favour of tho centralising system which by drafting away the wealth and talents of the pro vinces must augment the importance of london


i am strongly opposed to the maintenance uf any local or scottish institutions which can merely servo to foster a spirit of decayed nationality mid i am of opinion that all boards and offices should be trans ferred to england with the exoeption of those con nected with the dreepdaily district which it is the bounden duty of tho legislature to protect and pre serve


i am a friend to the spread of education but hostile to any system by means of which religion especially protestantism may bo taught


i am a supporter ot free trade in all its branches i cannot see any reason for the protection of native in dustry and am ready to support any fundamental measures by meaus of which articles of foreign manu facture may be brought to compete in the home market ita our own


without restriction and without reci procity


it has always appeared to me that our im ports ure of for gnaterimportinca than our exports


i think that any lowering of price which may be the result of suoh a commercial policy will be more than adequately compensated by a coercive measure which shall compel the artisan to augment the period of his labour


i nm against any shot t linura bill and am of opinion that infant labour should bo stringently and uuiiersally enforced


with regard to the currency i feel that i miy safely leave that matter in the hands of her majestys present ministers who have never shown anydisposition to oppose themselves to the popular wish


these gentlemen are my sentiments and i think that upon consideration you will find them such as may outille mu to your cordial support


need not say how highly i shall aluc the trut or how zealously i shall endeat our to promote your local interests


these probably can bo best advanced by a cautious regard to my own


i on the other topics i shall bo happy to giro you the fullest mid most satisfactory explanation


i shall merely iidd as a summary of my opinions that while ready un the ono hand to coerce labour so ns to stimu late internal industry to the utmost und to add largely to the amount of our population i am upon the other a friend to the liberty of tho subject and to the promotion of such genial und sanatory measures its i btiit the tendency of our enlightened ugo and tho dibu


sion of universal philanthropy and the spread of popu lar opinion


i roinnin gentlemen uith the deepest respect your very obedient und humble servant augustos reoinald ddssiiunnlii


st mirrens house june


the editor of the dreepdaily patriot wisely considering that this advertisement was the mere prelude to many more was kind enough to dedicate a leading urticlo to an exposition of my past services


i am not a vain man so that i shall not here reprint the panegyric passed upon myself or the ovation which my friend foresaw


indeed i am so far from vain that i really began to think while perusing the columns of the patriot that i had somewhat foolishly shut my eyes hitherto to the greatness of that talent and the brilliancy of those parts which were now proclaimed to the world


yes it was quite clear that i had hitherto been concealing my candle under a bushel that i was cut out by nature for a legislator and that i was the very man for the dreep daily electors


under this conviction i started upon my canvass munimented with letters of introduction from mcockindale who much against his inclination was compelled to re main at home


chapter ii


in these days there lived in dreepdaily one laurence linklater more commonly known by the name of tod lowrie who exercised the respectable functions of a writer and a mes sengeratarms


lowrie was a remarkably acute individual of the gilbert gloasin school by no means scrupulous in his dealings but of singular plausibility and courage


ile had started in life as a radical but finding that line did not pay well he had prudently sub sided into a whig and in that capacity had acquired a sort of local notoriety lie had contrived moreover to gain a tolerable footing j in drouthielaw and in the course of time became intimately acquainted with the cir cumstances of its inhabitants bud under the plea of agency had contrived to worm the greater part of their titledeeds into his keep ing


it then occurred to lowrie that notwith standing the discordant situation of the burghs something might be done to effect a union under his own especial chieftainship


not that he cared in iir heart one farthing about the re presentationtyrian and trojan were in reality the same to himbut he saw that the gain of these burghs would be of immense advantage i to his party and he determined that the ad vantage should be balanced by a corresponding profit to himself


accordingly he bogan quietly to look to the state ot the neglected register lodged objections to all claims given in by pal tics upon whom ho could not depend smuggled a sufficient number of lis own clients and adherents upon the roll and in the course of three years was ahlo to intimit to au emi nent whig partisan that he laurence link later held in his own hands the representation of tho dreepdaily burghs could turn the elec tion either way ho pleased and was open to reasonable terms


the result was that mr linklater was pro motcd to a very lucrative office and moreover that tho whole patronage of the district was thereafter observed to flow thiough the lau rcntian channel


of course all those who could claim kith or kindred with lowrie wore provided for in the first instance but there were stray crumbs still going and in no one case could even a gauer ship bo obtained without the adhesion ot an additional vote


either the applicant mtibt bo ready to sell his independence or if that were done already to pervert the politics of a rela tive


a whig member was returned at the next election by an immense majority nnd for some timo linklater reigned supreme in the government of dreopdaily and drouth iclaw


but death which spares no governors knocked nt the doorof linklater


a surfeit of partanpie after the triumphant termination of a lawsuit threw the burghs into a state ol annrchy


lowrie wos gathered unto his fathers and there was no one to reign in his stead


at least there was no appnrent ruler


every ona observed that the stream of patronage and of local jobbing still flowed on as copiously ns before but nobody could discover by hat honds it was now directed


suspicion fastened its eyes for some time upon provost binkie but the vehement denials of that gentleman though not in themselves conclusive at last gained credence from the fact that a situation which he had solicited from government for his nephew was given to nnother person


awful rumours begun to circulate of the exsf ence of a socrmt junta


each man regarded his neighbour with intense suspicion and distrust bec ruse for anything he knew that neighbour might be a member of the terrible tribunal by means of which all the affairs of the community wore regulated and a single illtimed word might absolutely prove his ruin


such indeed in one instance was the case


in an evil hour for himself an independent towncouncillor thought fit to denounce the clique as an un constitutional and tyrannical body and to table a motion for an enquiry as to its nature members and proceedings


so strong was the general alarm that he could not even find a seconder


but the matter did not stop there


the rash meddler had drawn upon himself the vengeance of a remorseless foe


his business began to fall off rumours of the most malig nant description were circulated regarding his character two of hi relatives who held situa tions were dismissed without warning and without apology his credit was assaed in every quarter and in less than six months


after ho hnd made that most unfortunate harangue the name of thomns gritt baker in dreepdaily was seen to figure in the ga zette


so fell gritt a martyr and if any one mourned for him it was in secret and the profoundest awe


such was the political state of matters at tho time when i rode down the principal street ot dreepdaily


i need hardly say that i did not know a single soul in the burgh in that re spect indeed there was entire reciprocity on both sides fcr the requisition referred to in my address was a felicitous fiction by mcorkin dale


i stopped before a substantial bluff looking house tho lower part of which was occupied as a shop and a scroll above informed me that the proprietor was walter binkie grocer


a short squat man with an oleaginous face and remarkably bushy eyebrows wnsiu the act of weighing out a pennyworth of sweeties to a little girl as i entered


ia the provost of dreepdaily within r asked i lso warrant hes that was the reply hae my dear theres a sugar almond tye into the bargain


gae your waus hame noo and tell your mither that ive some grand new ten


wcel sir what was you want ing


i wish particularly to speak to the pro vost


weel then speak awa and he straight way squatted himself before his ledger


i beg your pardon sir


have i really the honour of addressing walter binkie the provost of this burgh


but if yo come on council matters yore lang ahint the hour


im just steppin up todenner and never do business after that


but perhaps you will allow me i will allow nae man sir to interrupt my leisure


if yere wanting anything gang to the town clerk


permit me one momentmy name ia dun shunner


eh what cried the provost bounding from his stool speak lower or the lad will hear ye


are ye the gentleman thats stan in for the burrows


the same


lordsake


what for did ve no say that afore


jims i say jims


look after the shop


como this woy sir up the stair and take care ye dinna tumble on that toom cask o saut


i followed the provost up a kind of cork screw stair until we emerged upon a landing place in his own proper domicile


we entered the diningroom


it was showily furnished with an enormous urn of paper roses in the grate two stuffed paroquets upon the mantel piece a flamingo coloured carpet enormous worsted bellpulls and a couple of portraits by some peripatetic follower of vandyke ono of them representing the provost in his civic cos tume and the other bearing some likeness to a fat female in a turban with a cairngorm brooch about the size of a platter on her breast and no want ot carmine on the space dedicated to the cheeks


tho provost locked the door and then clapped his car to the keyhole


he next ap


proached the window drew down the blinds so as effectually to prevent any opposite scru tiny and motioned me to a seat


and so yere mr dunshunncr said ho


oh man but i havo been wearyin to seo you


i indeed


you flatter me very much


nae flattery mr dunshunncrnane


im a plain honest man thats a and naebody can say that wattie binkie has blawn in their lug


and sae yore coinin forard for tho burrows


its a bauld thing sira bauld thing and a great honour ye seek


no that i think ye winna do honour it but its a great trust for sae young a man a heavy responsibility as a body may say to hang upon a callauts shou theis


i hope mr binkie that ray future con duct may show that i can at least act up to my professions


nae doubt sirim no misdoubtin ye and to say the truth ye profess weel


i have eadyer address sir and i uko yer princi plestheyre the stench auld whig nnes koop a wo can to ourselves and baud a gude grup


but whas bringing yo forrard


wha signed yer requisition


no the kittleweem folk i hope


that


wad be a sair thing against yo


why no certainly not


the fact is mr binkie that i have not seen the requisi tion


its contents were communicated by a third party on whom i have the most perfect reliance and as i understood there was some delicacy in the matter i did not think it i proper to insist upon a sight of the signn t tures


i the provost gave a long whistle


i see it roo


he said i see it i kent there was something gaun on forbyo the common


yere a lucky man mr dunshun ner and yere election is as sure as won


yeve been spoken to by them


ye ken o


upon my wordi do not understand ay ay


yere rieht to be cautious


weel i wat they are kittle cattle to ride the water on


but wha wast sirwha wast


t ye needna be feared of me


i ken how to keep a secret


i really mr binkie except through a third party as i have told you already i have had no communication with any one


wee


they aro closetheres nae denyin that


but ye surely maun ha some inkling i o the menthem thats nhint the screen yo ken


indeed i have not


but stayif you al lude to the clique wheest sir wheest


cried the provost in on agitated tone of voice


gudesake tak care what yo sayye dinna ken wha may hear ye


ye hao spoken a word that i havena heard this money a day without shaking in my shoon


ay speak coevily of the devilyo dinna ken how weel ye may be acquaint


surely sir there can be no harm in men tioning the


no under that name mr dnnshunnerno under that name and no here


i wadna ca thom that on the tap of ben nevis without a grue


ayand sae they are wi ye are they


weel they are a queer set


you know the parties then mr binkie i ken na moir about them than i ken whnu to find the caverns o the east wind


whether they are three or thretty or a hunder surpasses my knowledge but they hao got the secret othc fern seed and walk about invisible its athegether a great mystery but doubtless ye will obtain a glimpse


in the mean time since ye come from that quaitcr i am bound to obey


you are very kind i am sure mr binkie


may i ask then your opinion of matters as they stand at present


our present member mr whistlerigg will not stand again


hes got some place or either up in london and my certie hes worked weel for it


theres nabody else stannin forbye that man pozzlethwaite and he durna verra weel ken


what ho is himself


if its a rieht yonder continued the provost jerking his thumb over his left shoulder yere as gudo as elected


as it would have boen extremely impolitic for me under present circumstances to have disclaimed all connection with a body which fxercised an influence so marked and decided i allowed provost binkio to remain under the illusion that i was the chosen candidate of the clique


in fact i had made up my mind that i should become so at any cost so soon as it vouchsafed to disclose itself and nppenr before my longing eyes


i therefore lnunched at once into practical details in the discussion of which the provost exhibited both shrewdness and goodwill ne professed his readiness at once to become chairman of my committee drew out a list of the most influential persons in the bnrgh to whom i ought immediately to apply and gave mo much information regarding the politics of the other places


from what he said i gathered that with the aid of the clique i was sure of dreepdaily and drouthielawas to the electors of kittleweem they were in his opinion awheem dirt whom it woujd be useless to consult and hopeless to con ciliate


i certainly had no previous idea that the bulk of the electors had so little to say in the choice of their own representative


when i ventured to hint at the remote possi bility of a revolt the provost indignantly ex claimed they dauma sirthey daunia for the lives of them do it


set them up indeed


let me see ony man that wad venture to vote against the town council and theand them and ill make a clean sweep of him out ol dreepdaily


nothing in short could have been more satis factory than this statement


the provost continued v just ue word mair


promising is a cheap thing and ye neednn be vf ra sparing of it


if ony body speaks to ye about a gaugership or a place in the customs or the post office just gie yo a bit wink take out your notebook nnd make a mark wi the keelavinc pen


it aye looks weel and gangs as far as a downright promise


deny or refuse naebody


let them think that yo can do every thing wi tho mi nistry and if there should happen to be a whaup in the rape let them oven find it out theirsells


tell them that ye stand up for dreepdaily and its auld charter and the whig constitution and liberal principles


maist feck o them dinna ken what liberal principles is but they like the word


i while i think that liberal principles means saying muckle and doing naething but you need na tell them that tho whigs are langheaded chiells and they hae had the sense to claim a the liberality to themsells ever since the days o the reform bill


such and suchlike were the valuable maxims which provost binkie instilled into my mind during the progress of breakfast


i must say they mnde a strong impression upon mc and any candidate who mny hereafter come forward for the representation of a scot tish burgh on principles similar to my own would do well to pursue and remember them


at length i rose to go directed by the provosts list i set forth in j search of my constituency


the first elector whose shop i entered was a draper of the name of mauslan


i found him in the midst of his tartans


mr mauslan i presume ay was the eurt response


allow me to introduce myself sir


my name is dunshunner


oh


vyou are probably aware sir that i am a candidate for the representation of these burghs ray


i hope and trust mr mauslan that ray principles are such ns meet with your ap probation may be


lama friend sir to civil and religious libertyto dreepdaily and its charterto the old whig constitution of and to the true interests of the people


weel


confound the fellow


thought i was there ever such an insensate block


i must bring bim to the point at once


mr m auslan i continued in a very insinuating tone such being my sentiments may i venture to calculate on your support


theres twa words to that bargain re plied mauslan depnrting from monosyllables


any further explanation that may be re quired i am sure i will readily its nae use


how said i a good deal alarmed


is it possible you ore already pledged


no


then what objection i made nane i see ye dinna ken us here


the pears no ripe yet


what pear asked i astonished at this horticultural allusion


hork ye said mauslan looking steal thily around him and for the first time ex hibiting some marks of intelligence in his fea tureshark yehae ye seen toddy tam yet


mr gills


not yet


i am just going to wait upon him but provost binkie has pro mised mo his support


wha cares for provost binkie


gang to toddy tam


not one other word could i extract from the oracular mauslan so like a pilgrim turned my face towards mecca and sallied forth in quest of this nilimportant personage


on my way however i entered the house of another voter one shanks a member of the town council from whom i received equally unsatisfactory replies


he like mauslan pointed steadily towards toddy tam


now who and what was the individual who by the common consent of his townsmen had earned so honorable an epithet


mr thomas gills had at one time been a clerk in the office of the departed linklater


his function was not strictly legol nor con fined to the copying of processes it had a broader and wider scope and was exercised in a moro congenial manner


in short mr gills was a kind of provider for the establishment


his duties were to hunt out business which he achieved to a miracle by ficquenting every possible publichouse and w ringing from them amidst their cups the stories of the wrongs of his compotators


wo to the wight who sat down for an afternoons convivality with toddy tam


before the mixing of the fourth tumbler the ingenious gills was sure to olicit some hardship or grievanoe for which benignant thomas could give redress and rare indeed was the occurrence of the evening on which he did not capture some additional clients


he would even go the length of j routing his victim when inordinately shy i until the fatal mandate was given and retrae tion utterly impossible


such decided business talents of course wer not overlooked by the ragriciotis lau rence linklater


gills enjoyed a largo salary the greater moiety of which ho consumed in alcoholic experiments and shortly lieiure tlio decease of his patron he was promoted to the lucrative and easy office of some county re gistrarship


he now began to cultivate con viviality for its own especial sake


it was no longer dangerous to drink with him for though from habit he continued to poke into grievances ho never on the following morn ing pursued the subject further


but what was most remarkable about toddy tam wos his independence


he never truckled to dic tation from tiny quarter but whilst binkie and the rest were in fenr and terror at the clique he openly defied that body and dared them to do their worst


he was the only man in dreepdaily who ventured to sny that tom gritts was right in the motion he mnde nnd he further added that if he thomas grills had been in the town council the worthy and patriotic baker should not havewanted seconder


this was considered a veiy daring speech and one likely to draw down the ven geance of the unrelenting junta but the thunder slept in the cloud and mr gills en i joyed himself as before


i found him in his back parlour in company with a very rosy individual


although it was not yet noon a case bottle and glasses were on the table and the whole apartment stunk abo minably with the fumes of whisky


sit in mr dunshunncr sit in said toddy tam in a tone of great cordiality after i had effected my introduction yell no hae had your morning yet


lass bring in a clean glass for the gentleman


hopo you will excuse me mr gills i really never do hootsnonsense


ye maun be neigh


bourlike yo kenwe a expect it at dreep daily


aud so saying toddy tam poured mo out a full glass of spirits


i had as licve have swallowed ink but i was forced to con strain myself and bolt it ay and so ye nre coming round to us as a candidate are ye


what d ye think o that mr thomsonhae ye rend mr dunshunners address


the rubicund individual chucked leered and rose to go but toddy tam laid a heavy hand upon his shoulder sit yo down man he said


ive nae thing to say to mr dunshunncr that the hail warld may not hear nor him to me neither i hope


certainly not said i and i really should feel it as a groat obligation if mr thomson would be kind enough to remain


thats right lad


shouted gills


nao holeandcorner work for me


a fair and abune board and the deil fly away with the clique


had thomson been an ordinary mau he probabiy would have grown pale at this daring objurgation as it was ho fidgetted in his chair and his face became a shade moro crim son


weel now continued toddy tam let us hear what mr dunshunner has got to say i for himself


theres naething like hearing opinions before we put ony questions


thus adjured i went through the whole of my political confession ol faith laying of course due stress on the great and glorious revolution of and my devotion to the cause of liberality


toddy tam and his com panion heard me to the end without interrup tion


gudesae fargude mrdunshunner said gills i seo little to object to in your general principles but for a that im no going to pledge mysel until i ken mair o ye


i hope sir that yere using nae underhand influence that thcro has been nae communings with the clique a body that i perfectly abominate


dreepdnily shall never be made a pocket bur row so long as thomas gills has any influence in it


i assured mr gills what was the naked truth that i hid no knowledge hatever of the clique


ye see mr dunshunner continued toddy tam wo are a gey and independent sort of people here and we want to bo inde pendently represented


my good friend mr thomson here can tell you that i have had a sair fecht against secret influence and i am amaist feared that some men like the provost owe mo a grudge for it


hes a pawkie loon the provost and kens brawly how to play his cards


hes athat ejaculated thomson


but i dinna care a snuff of tobacco for the hail of the town council or the clique


give me a mnn of perfect independence and i will support him


i voted for the last member suir against my conscience for he was put up by the clique and never came neur us but i hope better things frao you mr dunshunner if you should happen to be returned


mind i dont say that i am going to support yei maun think about it ibut if ye are a good man and a true and no a nominee i dare say that both my gude friend thomson and myself will no objeck to lend you a helping hnnd


this was all i could extract from toddy tam and though favourable it was far from being satisfactory


there was a want from some cause or another of that cordial support which i had been led to anticipate and i almost felt halfinclined to abandon the enter prise altogether


however after having issued my address this would have looked like cow ardice


i therefore diligently prosecuted my canvass and contrived in the course of the day to encounter a great portion of the elec tors


very few pledged themselves


some surly independents refused pointblankalleg ing that they did not intend to vote at all others declined to promise until they should know how toddy tam and other magnates were likely to go


my only pledges were from the sworn retainers ol the provost


mysie was the bearer of a billet addressed to myself and marked private and par ticular


i opened it and read as fol lows sirsome of those whs are well disposed towards you have arranged to meet this night and desirous of a private interview at which lull and mutual explanations mny be given


it may he right to mention to you that the question of the currency will form tile basis of any political arrangement and it is expected that you will then bo prepared to state explicitly your views with regard to bullion


something more than pledges upon this subject will be required


as this meeting will be a strictly prlvute one the utmost secrecy must be observed


ile on the bridge at eleven oclock this night and you will be conducted to the appointed place


do not fail as you value your own interest


yours etc shell out


who brought this letter mysie said i considerably flustered at its contents


a laddie


he said there was nae answer and ran awa


chapter iv


just as i reached the bridge beneath which the river was roaring rather uncomfortably a raggedlooking figure started out from an entry


a solitary lamp suspended from above gave me a full view of this personage who resombled an animated scarecrow he stared me full in the face and then mut tered with a wink and a leer was ye seekin for anybody the nicht


eh now man but its cauld


who may you be my friend said i edging off from my uncompromising acquain tance


it turned out this was nn idiot lad sent to lead me to the promised meeting


i made up my mind at once to run all risks and follow him


geordie strode on selecting apparently the most unfrequented lanes and making as i anxiously observed for a remote part of the suburbs


nor was his voice silent during our progress for he kept regaling mo with a series of snatches which being for the most part of a most supernatural and diabolical tendency did not much contribute towards the restora tion of my equanimity


at length he paused before a small house the access to which was by a downward flight of steps


aythis is the place


he muttered


i ken it weel


its no just bad the whusky that they sell but they needna put so muckle water intil t so saying he descended the stair


i fol lowed


there was no light in the passage but tho bauldy went forward stumbling and groping in the dark


i saw a bright ray streaming through a crevice and three distinct knocks wore given


como in whaever ye are said a bluff i voice and i entered a low apartment in j which the candles looked yellow through a fog of tobaccosmoke


titree men were seated at a deep table covered with the implemento of national conviviality and to my intenso asto nishment none of the throo weie strnnpcrm to me


i at once recognised the features of the taciturn mauslan the wary shanks and the independent mr thomas gills


theres the man ye wanted said geordie flapping me familiarly on the should


whaurs the dram ye promised me


in campbelltown my luvo was born hnr mither m umi furn but feriutosh is the place for me for thats the strangest pcerit


haud yer clavering tongue ye common village said toddy tam


wud ye bring in the neebourhood on us


mauslan gio the body his dram and then see him out of the door


we manna be interfered wi in our cracks


mauslan obeyed


a large glass of nlcohal was given to my guide who swallowed it with a sigh of pleasure


eh man


thats gude and strang


its no ilka whusky thatll mak geordie dowie pech


pair fa yer face my honny mauslan could you no just gic us anither


pit him out said the remorseless gills


its just extraordinr how lond the creature is o drink


and geordie was forcibly ejected after an ineffectual clutch at the bottle


sit ve down mr dunshunner said toddy tam addressing himself to me sit ve down and mix yoursel a tumbler


i daresay now yo was a little surprised at the note yo got this morning eh


why certainly mr gills i did not anti cipate the pleasure ay i kenned yo wad wonder at it


but ilka place has its am wuys o doing business and this is oursquiet and cozy ye see


ise warrant too ye thocht mauslan a queer ane because he wadna speak out


i laughed dubiously towards mauslan who responded with the austercst of possible grins


and shanks too continued toddy tam shanks wadna speak out neither


theyre auldfarrant hands baith o them mr dun shunner and they didna like to promise ony thing without me


we three aye gong the gither


i hope then mr gills that i may calcu late upon your supports and that of your friends


my views upon the currency ay thats speaking out at once


ho muckle ay hoo muckle interposed mauslan with a glistening eye


i really do not understand you gentle men


troth then yero slow at the uptak re marked gills after a meaning pause


i see we maun be clear and conceese


hark ye mr dunshunner who do ye think weare


three most respectable gentlemen for whom i have the highest possible regard


hoots nonsense


dye no ken


no was mv puzzled response


weel then said toddy tam advancing his lips to my ear and pouring forth an al coholic whisper we three can do mair than ye think o


its huz that is the clique


i recoiled in perfect amazement and gazed in succession upon the countenances of the three compatriots


yesthere could be no doubt about iti was in the presence of the tremendous junta of dreepdaily the veil of isis had been lifted up and the principal figure upon the pedestalwas the magnanimous and independent gills


always a worshipper of genius i began to entertain a feeling little short of veneration towards toddy tam


the ad mirable manner in which he had contrived to conceal his real power from the public his assumed indignation and horror of the clique and his hold over all classes of the electors demonstrated him at once to be a consummate master of the political art


machiavelli could not have devised a subtlerstratagem than gills thats just the plain truth o the matter observed shanks who had hitherto remained silent


we three is the clique and we hae the representation o the burrow in our hands


now to speak to the point if we put our names down on your committee you carry the election and we re ready to come to anunder atanding upon fair and liberal grounds


and we did come to an understanding upon grounds jiich might be justly characterized as fair on the one side and certainly liberal on the other


there was of course some little dis cussion as to tho lengths i was expected to go in financial matters and it was even hinted that with regard to bullion the honorable mr pozzleth waite might possibly entertain as en larged views as myself


however we fortu nately sueoeeded in adjusting all our differ ences


i not only promised to give the weight of my name to a bill but exhibited upon the spot a draft which met with the cordial appro bation of my friends and which indeed was so satisfactory that they did not offer to return it


thats right then said toddy tam in serting the lostmentioned document in a greasy pocketbook


our names go down on your committy and the election is as gude as won


an eldritch laugh at a little window which communicated with the street at this moment electrified the speaker


there was a glimpse of a human face seen through the dingy pane


a loud oath burst from the lips of toddy tam thomas


some deevil has been watching us


he cried


bin mauslan rin for your life and grip him afore he can turn the corner


i wad not for a thousand pund that this nichts wark were to get wind


m ivuslan rushed as desired but all his efforts were ineffectual the fugitive whoave he was had very prudently dived into the darkness and the draper returned without his victim


what is to be done said i it strikes me gentlemen that this may turn out to be a very unpleasant business


nae fearsnea fears said toddy tam looking however the rcvetse of comfortable


it will hae been some callant trying to hey us thats a


but mind ye no a word o this to ony living human being and aboon a to provost binkie


ivo keepit hiin for four years in the dark and it never wad do to show the cat the road to the kim


i acquiesced in the precautionary arrange ment and we parted toddy tam and bia friends having by this time disposed of all the surplus fluid


it was very late before i reached the provosts dwelling


chapter v parliament was at length dissolved tho new writs were issued and the day of nomina tion fixed for the dreepdaily burghs


for a time it appeared to myself and indeed to almost overy one else that my return was per fectly secure


provost binkie was in great glory and the faces of the unknown clique were positively radiant with satisfaction


but a storm was brewing in another quarter upon which we had not previously calculated


the honorable mr pozzleth waite my op ponent had fixed his headquarters at dreu thiclaw and to all appearance was making very little progress in dreepdaily


two days before the nomination a new can didate appeared in tho field


sholto douglas was the representative of one of the oldest branches of his distinguished name and the race to which ho more immediately belonged had ever been foremost in the ranks of scot tish chivalry and patriotism


in fact no family had suffered moro from their attach ment to tho cause of legitimacy than the douglases of inverlachan


forfeiture after forfeiture had cut down their broadlands to a narrow estate and but for an unexpected indian legacy the present heir would have been marching as a subaltern in a foot regiment


but a large importation of rupee had infused new life and spirit into the bosom of sholto douglas


young eager and enthusiastic ho determined to rescue himself from obscurity and the pre sent state of the dreepdaily burghs appeared to offer a most tempting opportunity


douglas was of course conservative to tho backbone but more thnn that he openly proclaimed him self a friend of the people and a supporter of the rights of labour


confound tho fellow said bob mcork indalc to mp tho morning after sholtos ad dress had been placnrded through tho burghs who would have thought of un attack of thib kind from such a quarter


have you seen hi manifesto dunshunner


yeshere it is in the patriot


tho editor however gives him it boundly in the leading article


i like his dogmatic style and whofe salo denunciations of the tories


ill eil you what it ia thoughivok upon this as anything but a joke


douglas is evidently not a man to stand upon old aristo cratic pretensions


he has got the right sow by the ear thi time and had he started a little earlier might have roused the national spirit to a very unpleasant pitch


you observe what he says about scotland the neglect of her local interests and the manner in which she has been treated with reference to ireland


the morning of the day appointed for the nomination dawned upon the people of dreep daily with more than usual splendour


for once there was no mist upon the surrounding hills and the sky was clear as sapphire


i rose early to study my speech which had re ceived the finishing touches from mcorkin dale on the evening before and i flattered myself it was as pretty a piece of whig rheto ric as ever was spouted from a hustings


toddy tam indeed had objected upon seeing a draft that there was nae banes intil it but the political economist was considered by the committee a superior authority on such subjects to gills


after having carefully conned it qver i went down stairs where the whole party were already assembled


a large blue and yellow flag with the inscription dunshunner and the good cause was hung out from the window to the intense delight of a gang of urchins who testified to the popula rity of the condidate by ceaseless vociferation to poor out


the wall opposite however bore some memoranda of an opposite tendency for i could see some large placards newly pasted up on which the words electors of dreepdaily


you are sold lythe cliyne were conspicuous in enormous capitals


i heard too something like a ballad chanted in which my name seemed to be coupled irreverently with that of the independent gills


provost binkiewho in common with the rest of the company wore upon his bosom an enormous blue and buff cockade prepared by the fair hands of his daughtersaluted me with great cordiality


i ought to observe that the provost had been kept as much as possible in the dark regarding the actual result of the canvass


he was to propose me and it was thought that his nerves would be more steady if he came forward under the most positive conviction of success


this is a great day mr dunshunnera great day for dreepdaily he said


a day if i may sae speak o triumph and rejoicing


the news o this will rin trae


one end o the land to the itherfor the een o a scotland is fixed on dreepdaily and the stench auld whig principles is sure to prevail even like a mighty river that rins down in spate to the sea


i justly coucluded that this figure of speech formed part of the address to the electors which for the two last days had been simmer ing in the brain of the worthy magistrate along with the fumes of the potations he had imbibed as incentives to the extraordinary effort


of course i took care to appear to participate in his enthusiasm


my mind however was very far from being thoroughly at ease


as twelve oclock which was the hour of nomination drew near there was a great mus ter at my committeeroom


the band of the independent tectotallers was in attendance


they had been well primed with ginger cordial and were obstreperous to a gratifying degree


toddy tam came up to me with a face of the colour of carnation i think it rieht to tell ye mr dunshunner that thers will be a bit o a bleeze ower yonder at the hustings


the kittleweem folk has come through in squads and lord hartsides tenantry have marched in a body wi sholto douglass colours flying


and the drouthielaw fellowswhat has become of them


oh theyre no wi us eithertheyre just savage at the clique


gudesake mr dun shunner tak tent and dinna say a word aboot huz


i intend myself to denounce the body and may be that will do us gude


i highly approved of mr gills determina tion and as the time had now come we formed in column and marched towards the hust ings with the teetotal band in front play ing a very lugubrious imitation of glorious apollo


the other candidates had already taken their places


the moment i was visible to the au dience i was assailed by a volley of yells among which erics of doun wi the clique


wha bought themnae nominee


weve had eneuch othe whigb


c were distinctly audible


this was not at all the kind of reception i had bargained for however there was nothing fer it but to put on a smiling face and i reciprocated cour tesies as well as i could with both of my honourable opponents


during the reading of the writ and the bri bery act there was a good deal of joking which i presume was intended to be good humoured


at the same time there could be no doubt that it was distinctly personal


i heard my name associated with epithets of any thing but an endearing description and to say the truth if choice had been granted i would far rather have been at jericho than in the front of the hustings at dreepdaily


a man must be indeed intrepid and conscious of a good cause who can oppose himself without blenching to the objurgation of an ex cited mob


the honorable paul pozzlethwaite on ac count of his having been the earliest candidate in the field was first proposed by a town coun cillor of drouthielaw


this part of the cere mony appeared to excite but little interest the hooting and cheering being pretty equally dis tributed


it was now our turn


gang forrard provost and be sure ye speak out said toddy tam and mr binkie advanced accordingly


thereupon such a row commenced as i never had witnessed before


yelling is a faint word to express the sounds of that storm of extrao dinary wrath which descended upon the head of the devoted provost clique clique resounded on every side and myriads of eyes ferocious as those of the wild cat were bent seowlingly on my worthy proposer


in vain did he gesticulatein vain implore


the voice of demosthenesnay the deep bass of stentor himselfcould not have been heard amidst that infernal uproar so that after working his arms for a time like the limbs of a telegraph exerting himnelf until he became absolutely swart in the face binkie was fain to give it up and retired amidst a whirlwind of abuse


may the deil fly awa wi the hail pack o them


i said he almost blubbering with excite ment and indignation


wha wad ever hae thought to have seen the like o this


and huz too that gied them the reform bill


try your hand at them tam for my hearts amaist broken


tho bluff independent character of mr gills and his reputed purity from all taint ot the clique operated considerably in his favour ile advanced amidst general cheering and cries of noo for toddy tam


lets hear mr gills


and tho like and as he tossed his hat aside and clenched his brawny fist he teally looked the incarnation of a sturdy and independent elector


his style too was decidedly popular listen tae mc


he said and let thae brawlin braggin bletherin idiwits frae drou thielaw baud their lang clavering tongues and no keep rowtin like a herd of senseless nowte


great cheering from dreepdaily and kittle weemconsiderable disapprobation fromdrou tliielaw


i ken them weel the auld haverils


cheers


but you my friends that i have wait wi for twenty years is it possible that yo can believe for one moment that i wad sub mit to be dictated to by a clique


cries of no no


its no you tam


and con fusion


no mer i dinna thank yo for that


wull ony man daur say to my face that i ever colleagued wi a pac that wad buy and sell the haiu of us as readily as ye can deal wi sheeps heads in the public market


laughter


div ye think that if mr dunshunner was ony way mixed up wi that gane i would be here this day tae second bim


div ye think


here mr gills met with a singular inter ruption


a remarkable figure attired in a red coat and cocked hat nt one time probably the property of a civic officer and who had been observed for some time bobbing about in front of the hustings waa now elevated upon the shoulders of a yeoman and displayed to the delighted spectators the features of geordie dowie


ay toddy tam uro ye there man


erjea geordie with a malignant jjriu


what s wasyou and the clique doin at nonsc fin issent on friday night


what was it geordio


what was it cried a hundred voices


am i to be interrupted by a natural r cried gills looking however considerably flushed in the face


what hae ye dune wi the notes tam the lang chield up by there gied yo


and whaurs your freends shanks and mauslan


see that vc steck to the window nist time ma man


cried geordie with demoniac fe rocity


this was quite enough for the mob who seldom require any excuse for a display of their hereditary privileges


a perfect hurri cane of hissing and of yelling arose and gills though he fought like a hero was at last forced to retire from the contest


had geordie dowies windpipe been within his grasp at that moment would not have in sured for any amount the life of the perfidious spy


sholto douglas was proposed and seconded amidst great cheering and then pozzlethwaite rose to speak


i do not very well recollect what he said for i had quite enough to do in thinking of myself and the honorable paul would have conferred a material obligation upon me if he had talked for an hour longer


at length my turn came


electors of dreepdaily


that was the whole of my speech at least the whole of it that was audible to any one human being


humboldt if i recollect right talks in one of his travels of having somewhere encountered a mountain composed of millions of snakes whose hissing might have equalled that o the transformed legions of pandemo nium


i wish humboldt for the sake of scientific comparison could have been upon the hustings that day


certain i am that the sibilation did not leave my ears for a fort night afterwards and even now in my slum bers i am haunted by a wilderness of asps


however at the urgent entreaty of mcorkindale i went off for about ten minutes though i was quivering in every limb and as pale a a ghost and in order that the public might not lose the benefit of my sentiments i concluded by handing a copy of my speech interlarded with fictitious cheers to the reporter for the dreepdaily pa triot


that document may still be seen by the curious in the columns of that impartial newspaper


i will state this for sholto douglas that he had behaved like a perfect gentleman


there was in his speech no triumph over the discom fiture which the other candidates had received


on the contrary he rather rebuked the audi ence for not having listened to us with greater atience


he then went on with his oration need hardly say it was a national one and it was most enthusiastically cheered


all that i need mention about the show of hands is that it was not by any means hollow in my favour


that afternoon we were not quite so lively in the committeeroom as usual


the serenity of messrs gills mauslanand perhaps i may add of myselfwas a good deal shaken by the intelligence that a broadside with the tempting title of full and particular account of an interview between the clique and mr dunshunner held at nanse finlaysans tavern on friday last and how they came to terms


by an eye witness waa circulating like wildfire through the streets


to have been beaten by a douglab was nothing but to have been so art fully entrapped by a bauldy


provost binkie too was dull and dissatis fied


the reception he had met with in his native town was no doubt a severe mortifica tion but the feeling that he had been used as a catspaw and implement of the clique was i suspect uppermost in his mind


poor man


we had great difficulty that evening in bring ing him to his sixth tumbler


even mcorkindale was hipped


i own i was surprised at this for i knew of old the in defatigable spirit and keen energy of my friend


and i thought that he would even have re doubled his exertions such however was no the case


i pass over the proceedings at the poll


from a very early hour it became perfectly evident that my chance was utterly gone and indeed had it been possible i should have left dreepdaily before the close


at four oclock the nnmbers stood thus dreepdaily


drouthielaw


klttlewoem


douglas


puzzlethwaite dunshunner majority for douglas


we had an awful scene in the committee room


gills who had been drinking all day shed copious floods of tears shanks was dis consolate and mauslan refused to be com forted


of course i gave the usual plodgo that on the very first opportunity i should come forward again to reassert the indepen dence of the burghs noweynfamously sacrificed to a conservative but the cheering at tn announcement was of the very faintebt descrip tion and i doubt whether any one believed me


two hours afterwards i was miles away from dreepdaily


american notes for general circulation


by charles dickens


chapter iv


an american railroad


lowell and its factory system


before leaving boston i devoted one day to an excursion to lowell


i assign a separate chapter to this visit not be cause i am about to describe it at any great length but because i remember it as a thing by itself and am desirous that my readers should do the same i made acquaintance with an american railroad on this occasion for the first time


as these works are pretty much alike all through the states their general characteristics are easily described


there are no first and second class car riages as with us but there is a gentle mens car and a ladies car the main distinction between which is that in the first everybody smokes and in the second nobody does


as a black man never tra vels with a white one there is also a negro car which is a great blundering clumsy chest such as gulliver put to sea in from the kingdom of brobdignag


there s a great deal of jolting a great deal of noise a great deal of wall not much window a locomotive engine a shriek and a bell


the cars are like shabby omnibusses but larger holding thirty forty fifty peo ple


the seats instead of stretching from end to end are placed crosswise


each seat holds two persons


there is a long row of them on each side of the caravan a narrow passage up the middle and a door at both ends


in the centre of the carriage there is usually a stove fed with charcoal r anthracite coal which is for the most part redhot


it is insufferably close and you see the hot air fluttering between yourself and any other object you may happen to look at like the ghost of smoke


in the ladies car there are a great many gentlemen who have ladies with them


there are also a great many ladies who have nobody with them for any lady may travel alone from one end of the united states to the other and be certain of the most courteous and considerate treatment every where


the conductor or checktaker or guard or whatever he may be wears no uniform


he walks up and down the car and in and out of it as his fancy dictates leans against the door with his hands in his pockets and stares at you if you chance to be a stranger or enters into a conversation with the passenger about him


a great many newspapers are pulled out and a few of them are read


everybody talks to you or to anybody else who hits his fancy


if you are an englishman he expects that that railroad is pretty much like an english railroad


if you say no he says yes


interrogatively and asks in what res pect they differ


you enumerate the heads of difference one by one and he says yes


still interrogatively to each


then he guesses that you dont travel faster in england and on your replying that you do says yes


again still interrogatively and it is quite evi dent dont believe it


after a long pause he remarks partly to you and partly to the knob on the top of his stick that yankees are reckoned to be considerable of a goahead people too upon which you say yes and then he says yes again affirmatively this time and upon your looking out of the window tells you that behind that hill and some three miles from the next station there is a clever town in a smart location where he ex pects you have concluded to stop


your answer in the negative naturally leads to more questions in reference to your in tended route always pronounced rout and wherever you are going you invariably learn that you cant get there without im mense difficulty and danger and that all the great sights are somewhere else


if a lady take a fancy to any male pas sengers seat the gentleman who accom panies her gives him notice of the fact and he immediately vacates it with great politeness


politics are much discussed so are banks so is cotton


quiet people avoid the question of the presidency for there will be a new election in three years and a half and party feeling runs very high the great constitutional feature of this institution being that directly the acrimony of the last election is over the acrimony of the next one begins which is an unspeakable comfort to all strong politicians and true lovers of their country that is to say to ninetynine men and boys out of every ninetynine and a quarter


except when a branch road joins the main one there is seldom more than one track of rails so that the road is very narrow and the view where there is a deep cutting by no means extensive


when there is not the character of the scenery is always the same mile after mile of stunted trees some hewn down by the axe some blown down by the wind some halffallen and resting on their neighbours many mere logs half hidden in the swamp others mouldered away to spongy chips


the very soil of the earth is made up of minute fragments such as these each pool of stagnant water has its crust of vegetable rottenness on every side there are the boughs and trunks and stumps of trees in every possible stage of decay decomposition and neglect


now you emerge for a few brief minutes on an open country glittering with some bright lake or pool broad as many an english river but so small here that it scarcely has a name now catch hasty glimpses of a distant town with its clean white houses and their cool piazzas its prim new en gland church and school house when whirrr


almost before you have seen them comes the same dark screen the stunted trees the stumps the logs the stagnant waterall so like the last that you seem to have been transported back again by magic