ON THE 
 
 R 
 
 RV.V!''<.'ijB 
 
 Bi 
 
 li 
 
 H!v>i' 
 
 5i«i.;;il 
 
 Ro'A^ 
 
 
 ■1 
 
 jllllil 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2007 with funding from 
 
 IVIicrosoft Corporation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/freaksonfellsortOOballrich 
 
FREAKS ON THE FELLS. 
 
•VTi-MAlf AND SOKS, 
 
 OKIEin-AL, CLASSICAL, AND GEKERAI, PUUTCEW^ 
 
 O&KAT QUEEN STREET, LOKSOK. V/.C. 
 
' He was struck absolutely dumb by the amazing ' tableau vivant ' 
 that met his vision."— p. 22 
 

 FEEAKS ON THE FELLS; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THREE MONTHS' RUSTICATIOX 
 
 WHY I DID NOT BECOME A SAILOE. 
 
 E. M.' BALL ANT YNE, 
 
 ATJTnOB OP " THK WILD MAK OF THE -WEST," ETC. 
 
 ^ ^t'b dclJition, iaitfj J:IIustrr.ticn3. 
 
 LONDON: 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, 
 
 THE BEOADWAY, LUDGATE ; 
 NEW YORK 416. BROOME STREET. 
 

 P 
 
 alFT OF 
 
 '^^.ci 
 
u^ 
 
 FEEAKS ON THE FELLS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ME. SUDBEREY IN HIS COUNTING-HOUSE. 
 
 Me. John Sudbeeey was a successful London 
 merchant. He was also a fat little man. More- 
 over, he was a sturdy little man, wore spectacles, 
 and had a smooth bald head, over which, at 
 the time we introduce him to the reader, fifty 
 summers had passed, with their corresponding 
 autumns, winters, and springs. The passage of 
 so many seasons over him appeared to have 
 exercised a polishing influence on the merchant, 
 for Mr. Sudberry's cranium shone like a biUiard- 
 ball. In temperament Mr. Sudberry was san- 
 guine, and full of energy. He could scarcely 
 have been a successful merchant without these 
 quaUties. He was also extremely violent. 
 
 Now, it is necessary here to guard the reader 
 
 ivil37472 
 
( e » « aO < 
 , «. • r «r » 
 
 .• • ». • • 
 
 % Freaks on the Fells ; or, 
 
 from falling into a mistake in reference to Mr. 
 Sudberry's character. We have said that lie 
 was violent^ but it must not be supposed that he 
 was jpassionate. By no means. He was the 
 most amiable and sweet-tempered of men. His 
 violence was owing to physical rather than 
 mental causes. He was hasty in his volitions, 
 impulsive in his actions,, madly reckless in his 
 personal movements. His moral and physical 
 being was capable of only two conditions— deep 
 repose or wild activity. 
 
 At his desk Mr. Sudberry was wont to sit 
 motionless like a statue, with his face buried in 
 his hands and his thoughts busy. When these 
 thoughts culminated, he would start as if he 
 had received an electric shock, seize a pen, and, 
 with pursed hps and frowning brows, send it 
 careering over the paper with harrowing rapidity, 
 squeaking and chirping (the pen, not the man) 
 like a small bird with a bad cold. Mr. Sudberry 
 used quills. He was a tremendous writer. He 
 could have reported the debates of the " House " 
 in long hand. 
 
 The merchant's portrait is not yet finished. 
 
Three Months' Bustication. 3 
 
 He was a peculiar maiij and men of this sort 
 cannot be sketched off in a few lines. Indeed, 
 had he not been a pecuhar man, it would not 
 have been worth while to drag him thus pro- 
 minently into notice. 
 
 Among other peculiarities in Mr. Sudberry^s 
 character, he was afflicted with a chronic ten- 
 dency to dah his pen into the ink-bottle and 
 split it to the feather, or double up its point so 
 as to render it unserviceable. This infirmity, 
 coupled with an uncommon capacity for upsetting 
 ink-bottles, had induced him . to hire a smaU 
 clerk, whose principal duties were to mend pens, 
 wipe up ink, and, generally, to attend to the 
 removal of debris. 
 
 When Mr. Sudberry slept he did it profoundly. 
 When he awoke he did it with a start and a 
 stare, as if amazed at having caught himself in 
 the very act of indulging in such weakness. 
 When he washed he puffed, and gasped, and 
 rubbed, and made such a noise, that one might 
 have supposed a wabus was engaged in its ab- 
 lutions. How the skin of his head, face, and 
 neck stood the towelling it received is inoom- 
 B 2 
 
4 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 prehensible ! Wlien lie walked he went like an 
 express train; wlien lie sauntered he relapsed 
 into the slowest possible snaiPs-pace, but he did 
 not graduate the changes from one to the other. 
 "When he sat down he did so with a crash. The 
 number of chairs which Mr. Sudberry broke in 
 the course of his life would have filled a goodly- 
 sized concert-room ; and the number of tea-cups 
 which he had swept off tables with the tails 
 of his coat mighty we believe^ have set up a 
 moderately ambitious man in the china trade. 
 
 There was always a beaming smile on the 
 merchant's countenance, except when he was 
 engaged in deep thought ; then his mouth was 
 pursed and his brows knitted. 
 
 The small clerk was a thin-bodied, weak- 
 minded, timid boy, of about twelve years of age 
 and of humble origin. He sat at Mr. Sudberry's 
 double desk in the office, opposite and indanger- 
 ous proximity to his master, whom he regarded 
 with great admiration, alarm, and awe. 
 
 On a lovely afternoon towards the middle of 
 May, when City men begin to thirst for a draught 
 of fresh air, and to long for an undignified roll 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 5 
 
 on tlie green fields among primroses, buttercups, 
 and daisies, Mr. Sudberry sat at his desk reading 
 the advertisements in the Times, 
 
 Suddenly he flung the paper away, hit the 
 desk a sounding blow with his clenched fist, and 
 exclaimed firmly, — " I'll do it ! " 
 
 Accustomed though he was to nervous shocks, 
 the smaU clerk leaped with more than ordinary 
 tremor off his stool on this occasion, picked up 
 the paper, laid it at his master's elbow, and sat 
 down again, prepared to lopk out — nautically 
 speaking — ^for more squalls. 
 
 Mr. Sudberry seized a quill, dabbed it into 
 the ink-bottle and split it. Seizing another he 
 dabbed again ; the quill stood the shock ; the 
 small clerk ventured a sigh of relief and laid 
 aside the inky napkin — which he had pulled out 
 of his desk expecting an upset and prepared for 
 the worst. A note was dashed off in two minutes, 
 — signed, sealed, addressed, in half a minute, and 
 Mr. Sudberry leaped off his stool. His hat was 
 thrown on his head by a species of sleight of 
 hand, and he appeared in the outer oJ0&ce sud- 
 denly, hke a stout Jack-in-the-box. 
 
6 Freaks on the Fells ; or, 
 
 '^Pm awajj Mr. Jones (to his liead clerk), and 
 won't be back till eleven to-morrow morning. 
 Have you tbe letters ready ? I am going round 
 by the post-office and will take charge of them." 
 
 '^'They are here, sir^^' said Mr. Jones_, in a 
 mild voice. 
 
 Mr, Jones was a meek man, with a red nose 
 and a humble aspect. He was a confidential 
 clerk, and much respected by the firm of Sud- 
 berry & Co. In fact, it was generally understood 
 that the business could not get on without him . 
 His caution was a most salutary counteractive to 
 Mr. Sudberry's recklessness. As for ^^ Co.,'' he 
 was a sleeping partner and an absolute non- 
 entity. 
 
 Mr. Sudberry seized the letters and let them 
 fall, picked them up in haste, thrust them con- 
 fusedly into his pocket, and rushed from the 
 yoom, knocking over the umbrella-stand in his 
 exit. The sensation left in the office was that of 
 a dead calm after a sharp squall. The small clerk 
 breathed freely, and felt that his life was safe for 
 that day. 
 
Three Months* Rustication, 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ME. SUDBEREY AT HOME. 
 
 '''My deae/' cried Mr. Sudberry to his wife, 
 abruptly entering the parlour of his villa, 
 near Hampstead Heath, '^I have done the 
 deed ! " 
 
 '' Dear John, you are so violent ; my nerves, 
 — really — what deed ? " said Mrs. Sudberry, a 
 weak-eyed, delicate woman, of languid tempera- 
 ment, and not far short of her husband^s age. 
 
 ^' I have written off to secure a residence in 
 the Highlands of Scotland for our summer quar- 
 ters this season.^' 
 
 Mrs. Sudberry stared in mute surprise. 
 " John ! my dear ! are you in earnest ? Have 
 you not been precipitate in this matter ? You 
 know, love, that I have always trusted in your 
 prudence to make arrangements for the spending 
 of our holiday ; but really, when I think ^^ 
 
8 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 '^ Well, my dear, ' When you think/ — ^pray, 
 go on/' 
 
 '^ Don't be hasty, dear John ; you know I have 
 never objected to any place you have hitherto 
 fixed on. Heme Bay last year was charming, 
 and the year before we enjoyed Margate so 
 much. Even Worthing, though rather too long 
 a journey for a family, was delightful ; and as 
 the family was smaller then, we got over the 
 journey on the whole better than could have 
 been expected. But Scotland ! — the High- 
 lands ! " 
 
 Mr. Sudberry's look at this point induced his 
 wife to come to a full stop. The look was not a 
 stern look, — much less a savage look, as connu- 
 bial looks sometimes are. It was an aggrieved 
 look ; not that he was aggrieved at the dubious 
 reception given by his spouse to the arrangement 
 he had made; — no, the sore point in his mind 
 was that he himself entertained strong doubts as 
 to the propriety of what he had done ; and to 
 find these doubts reflected in the mind of his 
 faithful better-half was perplexing. 
 
 "Well, Mary,'' said the worthy merchant. 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 9 
 
 *' go on. Do you state the cons, and Pll enu- 
 merate the ;pros, after which we will close the 
 account,, and see on which side the balance lies/' 
 
 '^ You knoWj dear,^' said Mrs. Sudberry, in a 
 remonstrative tone^ " that the journey is fear- 
 fully long. I almost tremble when I think of 
 it. To be sure, we have the railroad to Edin- 
 burgh now; but beyond that we shall have to 
 travel by stage, I suppose, at least I hope so ; 
 but perhaps they have no stage-coaches in 
 Scotland?^' 
 
 '^ Oh yes, they have a few, I believe,^' replied 
 the merchant, with a smile. 
 
 '' Ah ! that is fortunate ; for waggons are 
 fearfully trying. No, I really think that I could 
 not stand a waggon journey after my experience 
 of the picnic at Worthing some years ago. 
 Think of our large family — seven of us altogether 
 — in a waggon, John " 
 
 ^^ But you forget, I said that there are stage- 
 coaches in Scotland.^' 
 
 " Well ; but think of the slow and wearisome 
 travelling among great mountains, over preci- 
 pices, and through Scotch mists. Lady Know- 
 
10 Freaks on the Fells ; or, 
 
 nothing assures me she has been told that the 
 rain never ceases in Scotland, except for a short 
 time in autumn, just to give the scanty crops 
 time to ripen. You know, dear, that our dar- 
 ling Jacky^s health could never stand the Scotch 
 mists, he is so very delicate.''^ 
 
 '' Why, Mary ! ^' exclaimed Mr. Sudberry, 
 abruptly; '^the doctor told me only yesterday 
 that for a boy of ^yq years old he was a perfect 
 marvel of robust health — that nothing ailed him, 
 except the result of over-eating and the want of 
 open-air exercise; and I am sure that I can 
 testify to the strength of his legs and the sound- 
 ness of his lungs; for he kicks like a jackass, 
 and roars like a lion/' 
 
 ^' It is very wrong, very sinful of the doctor," 
 said Mrs. Sudberry, in a languidly indignant 
 manner, *^^to give such a false report of the 
 health of our darling boy ^' 
 
 At this moment the door burst open, and the 
 ^' darKng boy '' rushed into the room — ^with a 
 wild cheer of defiance at his nurse, from whom 
 he had escaped, and who was in full pursuit — 
 hit his head on the comer of the table, and fell 
 
Three Months' Rustication, ii 
 
 flat on tlie floor, witli a yell tliat miglit have 
 sent a pang of jealousy to the heart of a Chippe- 
 way Indian ! 
 
 Mr. Sudberry started np, and almost over- 
 turned the tea-table in his haste; but before 
 he could reach his prostrate son, nurse had 
 him kicking in her arms_, and carried him off 
 howling. 
 
 "Darling child !'^ said Mrs. Sudberry, with 
 her hand on her heart. " How you do startle 
 me, John, with your violence ! That is the 
 fifteenth tea-cup this week.^^ 
 
 The good lady pointed to a shattered member 
 of the set that lay on the tray beside her. 
 
 ^'1 have just ordered a new set, my dear,'^ 
 said her husband, in a subdued voice. '^Our 
 poor deal boy would benefit, I think, by moun- 
 tain air. But go on with the cons.'' 
 
 "Have I not said enough ?'■' replied Mrs. 
 Sudberry, with an injured look. "Besides, 
 they have no food in Scotland.'^ 
 
 This was a somewhat staggering assertion. 
 The merchant looked astonished. 
 
 ^^At least,^^ pursued his wife, "they have 
 
12, Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 nothing, I am told, but oatmeal. Do you 
 imagine that Jacky could live on oatmeal ? Do 
 you suppose tliat your family would return to 
 London in a condition fit to be looked at, after a 
 summer spent on food sucli as we give to our 
 horses ? No doubt you will tell me they have 
 plenty of milk, — ^buttermilk, I suppose, wMcli 
 I abhor. But do you think that I could live 
 with pleasure on sawdust, just because I had 
 milk to take to it?^' 
 
 *^^But milk implies cream, my dear,^' inter- 
 posed the merchant, ''and buttermilk implies 
 butter, and both imply cows, which are strong 
 presumptive evidence in favour of beef. Be- 
 sides ^^ 
 
 ''Don^t talk to me, Mr. Sudberry. I know 
 better; and Lady KJnownothing, who went to 
 Scotland last year, in the most unprejudiced 
 state of mind, came back absolutely hor- 
 rified by what she had seen. Why, she 
 actually tells me that the natives still wear 
 the kilt ! The very day she passed through 
 Edinburgh she met five hundred men without 
 trousers ! To be sure, they had guns on their 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 13 
 
 shoulders, and some one told her they were 
 soldiers; but the sight was so appalling that 
 she could not get rid of the impression; she 
 shut her eyes, and ordered the coachman to 
 drive straight through the town, and let her 
 know when she was quite beyond its walls. 
 She has no doubt whatever that most, if not 
 all, of the other inhabitants of that place were 
 clothed — ^perhaps I should say unclothed — ^in the 
 same way. What surprised poor Lady Ejiow- 
 nothing most was, that she did not see nearly 
 so many kilts in the Highlands as she saw on 
 that occasion in Edinburgh, from which she 
 concluded that the natives of Scotland are less 
 barbarous in the north than they are in the 
 south. But she did see a few. One man who 
 played those hideous things called the pipes — 
 which, she says, are so very like little pigs 
 being killed — actually came into her presence 
 one day, sat down before her with bare 
 knees, and took a pinch of snuff with a salt- 
 spoon \" 
 
 " That is a dreadful account, no doubt,^' said 
 Mr. Sudberry, '^but you must remember that 
 
14 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 Lady Knownotliing is given to exaggerating, 
 and is therefore not to be depended on. Have 
 you done witL. tlie cons V 
 
 ''^Not nearly done, Jolin, but my nervous 
 system cannot stand tbe sustained contemplation 
 of such tbings. I sbould like to recover breath 
 and bear wbat you bave to say in favour of tbis 
 temporary expatriation, I bad almost said, of 
 your family/^ 
 
 '^Well, tben, bere goes for tbe jpros/' cried 
 Mr. Sudbercy, wbile a gleam of excitement sbot 
 from bis eyes, and bis clenched hand came 
 heavily down on tbe table. 
 
 ^^ The sixteenth cup — as near as possible/' 
 observed his wife, languidly. 
 
 '^ Never mind tbe cups, my dear, but listen to 
 me. Tbe air of tbe Highlands is salubrious and 
 bracing '^ 
 
 " And piercingly cold, my dear John^^^ inter- 
 rupted Mrs. Sudberry. 
 
 " In summer,^^ pursued the husband, regardless 
 of the interruption, "it is sometimes as clear 
 and warm as it is in Italy " 
 
 " And often foggy, my dear/' 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 15 
 
 " The mountain scenery is grand and majestic 
 beyond description " 
 
 "Then why attempt to describe it^ dear 
 John?^^ 
 
 " The hotels in most parts of tlie Highlands^ 
 though rather expensive " 
 
 " All ! think of that, my dear/' 
 
 " Thougli rather expensive, are excellent ; the 
 food is of the best quality, and the wines are 
 passable. Beds ^' 
 
 " Have they beds, my dear t'' 
 
 '^Beds are generally found to be well aired 
 and quite clean, though of course in the poorer 
 and more remote districts they are '^ 
 
 " Hush ! pray spare my feelings, my dear 
 Jobn/' 
 
 " Kemote districts, tbey are not so immaculate 
 as one would wish. Then there are endless 
 moors covered with, game, and splendid lakes 
 and rivers full of fisb. Just think, Mary, wbat 
 a region for our dear boys to revel in. Think 
 of tbe sbooting '' 
 
 " And the dreadful accidents, my dear/' 
 
 " Think of tbe fisbing '' 
 
i6 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 "And the wet feet, and the colds. Poor 
 darling Jacky, wtat a prospect ! ^' 
 
 " Think of the glorious sunrises seen from the 
 mountain tops before breakfast " 
 
 '' And the falling over precipices, and broken 
 necks and limbs, dear John.^' 
 
 '^ Think of the shaggy ponies for our darling 
 Lucy to ride on '' 
 
 "Ah! and to fall off." 
 
 " And the dew of early morning on the hills, 
 and the mists rolling up from the lakes,* and the 
 wild uncultivated beauty of all around us, and 
 the sketching, and walking, and driving " 
 
 "Dreadful!" 
 
 ^^ And bathing and boating " 
 
 " And drowning ! " 
 
 '^ Not to mention the " 
 
 '^Dear John, have pity on me. The ^ros 
 are too much for me. I cannot stand the 
 thought " 
 
 '^ But, my dear, the jplace is taken. The thing 
 is fixed/' said Mr. Sudberry, with emphasis. 
 
 Mrs. Sudberry was a wise woman. When she 
 was told by her husband that a thing was fiiced, 
 
Three Monties' Rustication. 17 
 
 she invariably gave in with a good grace. Her 
 powers of dissuasion having failed — as they 
 always did fail^ — she arose, kissed Mr. Sud- 
 herry^s forehead, assured him that she would 
 try to make the most of it since it was fixed, 
 and left the room with the comfortable feeling 
 of having acted the part of a dutiful wife and 
 a resigned martyr. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 It was towards the close of a doubtful sum- 
 mer's evening, several weeks after the conversa- 
 tion just detailed, that a heavy stage-coach, of 
 an old-fashioned description, toiled slowly up 
 the ascent of one of those wild passes by which 
 access is gained into the highlands of Perthshire. 
 
 The course of the vehicle had for some time 
 lain along the banks of a turbulent river, whose 
 waters, when not brawhng over a rocky bed in 
 impetuous velocity, or raging down a narrow 
 gorge in misty spray, were curling calmly in 
 deep pools or cauldrons, the dark surfaces of 
 which were speckled with foam, and occasionally 
 broken by the leap of a yellow trout or a silver 
 salmon. 
 
 
 
1 8 Freaks on the Fells; ovj 
 
 To an angler tlie stream would have been 
 captivating in the extreme^ but his ardour would 
 have been somewhat damped by the sight of the 
 dense copsewood which overhung the water, 
 and, while it added to the wild beauty of the 
 scenery, suggested the idea of fishing under 
 difiSculties. 
 
 When the coach reached the narrowest part 
 of the pass, the driver pulled up, and intimated 
 that '^ she would be obleeged if the leddies and 
 gentlemen would get down and walk up the 
 brae." 
 
 Hereupon there descended from the top of the 
 vehicle a short, stout, elderly gentleman, in a 
 Glengarry bonnet, green tartan shooting-coat, 
 and shepherd's-plaid vest and pantaloons; two 
 active youths, of the ages of seventeen and 
 fifteen respectively, in precisely similar costume ; 
 a man-servant in pepper and salt, and a little 
 thin timid boy in blue, a sort of confidential 
 page without the buttons. All of them wore 
 drab gaiters and shoes of the thickest conceiv- 
 able description. From the inside of the coach 
 there issued a delicate elderly lady, who leanedj 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 19 
 
 in a lielplsss manner^ on tlie arm of a young, 
 plain^ but extremely fresh and sweet-looking 
 girl of about sixteen,, wbom tlie elder lady called 
 Lucy^ and wIlo was so mucli engrossed with her 
 mother^ that some time elapsed before she could 
 attend to the fervent remarks made by her father 
 and brothers in regard to the scenery. There 
 also came forth from the interior of the coach a 
 large, red-faced angry woman, who dragged 
 after her a little girl of about eight, who might 
 be described as a modest sunbeam, and a httle 
 boy of about five, who resembled nothing shoyt 
 of an imp incarnate. When they were all out, 
 the entire family and household of Mr. Sudberry 
 stood in the centre of that lovely Highland pass, 
 and the coach, which was a special one hired for 
 the occasion, drove slowly up the ascent. 
 
 What the various members of the family said 
 in the extravagance of their excited feehngs on 
 this occasion we do not intend to reveal. It has 
 been said that the day was doubtful: in the 
 south the sky was red with the refulgent beams 
 of the setting sun, which gleamed on the moun- 
 tain peaks and glowed on the purple heather. 
 c 2 
 
20 Freaks on the Fells; or. 
 
 Towards the nortli dark leaden clouds obscured 
 the heavens, and presaged stormy weather. A 
 few large drops began to fall as they reached the 
 crest of the road, and opened up a view of the 
 inclosed valley or amphitheatre which lay beyond, 
 with a winding river, a dark overshadowed loch, 
 and a noble background of hills. In the far 
 distance a white house was seen imbedded in the 
 blue mountains. 
 
 " Yonder's ta hoose,^^ said the driver, as the 
 party overtook the coach, and resumed their 
 places — ^the males on the top and the females 
 inside. 
 
 " Oh, my dear ! look ! look !" cried Mr. Sud- 
 berry, leaning over the side of the coach ; ^^ there 
 is our house — the white house — our Highland 
 home ! " 
 
 At this moment a growl of distant thunder 
 was heard. It was followed by a scream from 
 Mrs. Sudberry, and a cry of-r- 
 
 " You'd better send Jacky inside, my dear.'' 
 
 " Ah, he may as well remain where he is," re- 
 plied Mr. Sudberry, whose imperfect hearing led 
 him to suppose that his spouse had said, ^^ Jacky's 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 21 
 
 inside, my dear ! " whereas the real truth was 
 that the boy was neither out nor inside. 
 
 Master Jacky, be it known, had a remarkably 
 strong will of his own. During the journey he 
 preferred an outside seat in all weathers. By 
 dint of much coaxing, his mother had induced 
 him to get in beside her for one stage ; but he 
 had made himself so insufferably disagreeable, 
 that the good lady was thereafter much more 
 disposed to let him have his own way. When 
 the coach stopped, as we have described, Jacky 
 got out, and roundly asserted that he would 
 never get in again. 
 
 When the attention of the party was occupied 
 with the gorgeous scenery at the extremity of 
 the pass, Jacky, under a sudden impulse of 
 wickedness, crept stealthily into the copse that 
 Hned the road, intending to give his parents a 
 fright. In less than five minutes these parents 
 were galloping away at the rate of ten miles an 
 hour, each happy in the belief that the sweet 
 boy was with the other. 
 
 Somewhat surprised at the prolonged and 
 death-like silence that reigned around him, Jacky 
 
32 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 returned to the road, where he actually gasped 
 with horror on finding himself the solitary 
 tenant of an apparently uninhabited wilderness. 
 Sitting down on a stone, he shut his eyes, 
 opened wide his mouth, and roared vehemently. 
 
 At the end of about five minutes he ventured 
 to re-open his eyes. His face instantly assumed 
 an expression of abject terror, and the roar was 
 intensified into a piercing shriek when he beheld 
 a fierce little black cow staring at him within a 
 yard of his face. 
 
 A drove of shaggy Highland cattle had come 
 suddenly round a turn in the pass while Jacky^s 
 eyes had been shut. They now filed slowly and 
 steadily past the transfixed boy, as if they were a 
 regiment and he a reviewing general. Each 
 animal as it came up stopped, stared for a few 
 seconds, and passed slowly on with its head 
 down, as if saddened by the sight of such a 
 melancholy spectacle. There were upwards of a 
 hundred animals in the drove; the prolonged 
 and maddening agony which Jacky endured may 
 therefore be conceived but cannot be described. 
 
 Last of all came the drover, a kilted, plaided. 
 
A drove of shag£(y Highland cattle had come saddenly round a turn 
 m the pass, while Jacky's eyes had been shut."— p. 37 
 
Tliree Months' Busticaiion, s^j 
 
 and bonneted Higlilander, quite as shaggy as 
 tlie roughest of his cattle^ and rather fiercer in 
 aspect. He was nofc so in reality however,, for, 
 on coming to the place where the poor boy sat, 
 he stopped and stared as his predecessors had 
 done. 
 
 ^^ Fat is she doin^ there ?'^ said he. 
 
 Jacky paused, and gazed for one moment in 
 mute surprise, then resumed his roar with shut 
 eyes and with tenfold vigour. 
 
 As it was evident that any farther attempt at 
 conversation must prove fruitless, the drover 
 took Jacky in his arms, carried him to the 
 extremity of the pass, set him down, and, point- 
 ing to the white house in the blue distance. 
 
 '^ Yonder's ta hoose ; let her see how she can 
 rin." 
 
 Jacky fixed his eyes on the house with the 
 stare of one who regarded it as his last and only 
 refuge, and ran as he had never done before, 
 roaring while he ran. 
 
 ^^ She^s a clever callant,^^ observed the drover 
 with a grim smile, as he turned to follow his cattle. 
 
24 Freaks on the Fells ; or, 
 
 Meanwhile tlie Sudbeny family readied the 
 White House in the midst of increasing rain and 
 mists and muttering thunder. Of course Jacky^s 
 absence was at once discovered. Of course the 
 females screamed and the males shouted^ while 
 they turned the mail-coach entirely inside out in 
 a vain search for the lost one. The din was 
 increased by nine shepherd dogs^ who rushed 
 down the mountain- side, barking furiously with 
 delight (probably) and with excitement (cer- 
 tainly) at the unwonted sight of so many 
 strangers in that remote glen. Presently the 
 coach was turned round, and the distracted father 
 galloped back towards the pass. Of course he 
 almost ran over his youngest son in less than 
 five minutes ! Five minutes more placed the 
 recovered child in its mother's arms. Then 
 followed a scene of kissing, crying, laughing, 
 barking, and excitement, which is utterly inde- 
 scribable, accompanied by thunder, lightning, 
 and rain, in the midst of which tempestuous 
 mental and elemental commotion, the Sudberry 
 family took possession of their Highland home. 
 
Three Months' Bustication, 25 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FIEST IMPRESSIONS. 
 
 Next morning tte Sudberrys were awakened to 
 a sense of the peculiar circumstances into wliich 
 they had plunged by the lowing of cattle, the 
 crowing of cocks, and the furious barking of 
 collie dogs, as the household of Donald McAllister 
 commenced the labours of a new day. 
 
 Of course every member of the Sudberry family, 
 with the exception of '^ mamma,^^ rushed to his 
 or her respective window. 
 
 " Oh ! how beautiful ! '' gushed from the heart 
 and lips of Lucy, as she gazed in wonder through 
 the casement; and a shriek burst from Jacky 
 as he stared in wild delight upon the gorgeous 
 scene that met his view. 
 
 We have said that the White House was em- 
 bedded among the blue hills. It was an old and 
 extremely simple building, having an oblong 
 
26 Freaks on the Fells-, or^ 
 
 front,, two sides, and a back; two stories, six 
 windows, and one door; wMcli last, imbued, 
 apparently, with a dislike to being shut, was 
 always open. The house appeared to have an 
 insatiable thirst for mountain air, and it was well 
 supphed with this fresh and exhilarating beve- 
 rage ; for it stood in an elevated position on the 
 slope of a mountain, and overlooked a wide 
 tract of flood and fell, on which latter there was 
 little wood but a luxuriant carpet of grass and 
 heather. 
 
 The weather had evidently resolved to make 
 amends for its surly reception of the strangers 
 on the previous evening, by greeting them with 
 one of its sweetest Highland smiles in the 
 morning. 
 
 When Mr. Sudberry, in the exuberance of his 
 delight, ran without hat or coat to a neighbour- 
 ing knoll, accompanied by all his children, the 
 scene that met his eye was one of surpassing 
 grandeur and beauty. The mists of early morn- 
 ing were rolliag up from the loch in white fleecy 
 clouds, which floated over and partly concealed 
 the sides of the mountains. The upper wreaths 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 27 
 
 of these clouds^ and the crags and peaks tliat 
 pierced througli tliem^ were set on fire by the 
 rising sun. Great fissures and gorges in the 
 hills_, which at other times lay concealed in the 
 blue haze of distance,, were revealed by the 
 mists and the slanting rays of the sun, and the 
 incumbent chfis, bluff promontories, and capes, 
 were in some places sharply defined, in others 
 luminously softened, so that the mountains dis- 
 played at once that appearance of solid reality, 
 mingled with melting mystery, which is seen at 
 no period of the day but early morning. The 
 whole scene — ^water, earth, and sky — was so 
 involved, that no lines of demarcation could be 
 traced anywhere; only bold startling points, 
 melting into blue and white masses that mingled 
 with each other in golden and pearly greys of 
 every conceivable variety. Having said thus 
 much, we need scarcely add that the scene 
 cannot be adequately described. 
 
 A hght fragrant air met the stout Englishman 
 as he crested the hill, and filled his unaccustomed 
 nostrils with sensations that could not have been 
 excelled had he been greeted by one of ^^ Afric^s 
 
28 Freaks on the Fells; or^ 
 
 spicy gales.^^ The same air, with telegraphic 
 speed,, conveyed to the collie dogs of the place 
 the information that the Sudberrys were abroad; 
 whereupon the whole pack — ^nine in number — 
 bounded open-mouthed up the hill, with noise 
 and ferocity enough to have alarmed the bravest 
 of the brave. No wonder, then, that poor Jacky 
 rushed into his father^s knees, being too small 
 to run into his arms. But these seemingly fero- 
 cious dogs were in reality the gentlest and 
 meekest of animals. 
 
 '' Down, Topper, down ! Down, Lively, lass ; 
 come into heel, Swaney,^^ cried Donald McAllis- 
 ter, as he approached his tenants. " Grood mornin^, 
 miss ; momin', gentlemen. The Ben has on its 
 nightcap, but I^m thinkin' itTl soon take it off." 
 
 Donald McAlHster's English was excellent, but 
 he spoke in a slow deliberate manner, and with a 
 shghtly nasal drawl, which sounded very peculiar 
 in the ears of the Sudberrys, — just as pecuhar, 
 in fact, as their speech sounded in the ears of 
 McAlhster. 
 
 " Ah ! you call the white cloud on the moun- 
 tain-top a nightcap? — good, very good^" cried Mr. 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 29 
 
 Sudberry-j rubbing his hands. ^' What a charming • 
 place this is^ a paradisaical place, so to speak. 
 The dogs won^t bite, will they?" said he, patting 
 the alarmed Jackey on the head. 
 
 'No fear o' the dogs. Sir," returned McAUister; 
 *^ they're like lambs. It's just their way. Ye'll . 
 be for a row on the loch the day, no doot." The 
 Highlander addressed this remark to George and 
 
 Fred. 
 
 '^ What ! " exclaimed the former, '^ is there a 
 
 boat that we can have the use of? " 
 
 '^ 'Deed is there, a good safe boat too, that 
 can hold the whole of ye. Til show you where 
 the oars lie after breakfast." 
 
 '^ Capital," cried Mr. Sudberry, rubbing his 
 hands. 
 
 " Charming," exclaimed Lucy, with sparkling 
 eyes. 
 
 Master Jacky expressed his glee with a cha- 
 racteristic cheer or yell, that at once set fire to 
 the easily inflamed spirits of the dogs, causing 
 them to resume their excited gambols and furious 
 barking. This effectually stopped the conversa- 
 tion for five minutes. 
 
30 Frealcs on the Fells ; or^ 
 
 '^ I delight in boating/^ observed Fred, when 
 McAllister had quelled the disturbance. 
 
 '^ So do 1/' said his father ; '^ but fishing is 
 the thing for me. There's nothing like fishing. 
 You have fine trout in the lake^ I believe ? " 
 
 " A.J, an' salmon too/' answered McAllister. 
 
 " So Pve heard^ so I've heard^" said Mr. 
 Sudberry_, with a glow of excitement and plea- 
 sure on his round visage. ^^ We must get our 
 rods and tackle unpacked at once^ George. You 
 are a great fisher, no doubt, Mr. McAllister ? " 
 
 " Well, not just that, but I do manage to fill 
 a basket now and then, an' whiles to land a 
 g'ilse." 
 
 '' A gilse ! " cried George in surprise, ^^ what 
 is that?" 
 
 ^^ It's a small salmon ■ ■ " 
 
 '^ Oh ! you mean a grilse," interposed Mr. 
 Sudberry. 
 
 " Yes, I mean that, an' I said that," returned 
 McAllister, slowly and with emphasis. ^^ Scien- 
 teefic men are not agreed whether the g'ilse 
 is a small salmon or not, I'm of opeenion that 
 it is. But whether or not, it's a famous fish 
 
Three MontJis' Rustication. 31 
 
 on tlie table^ and lively enough, on tlie line to 
 deliglit the heart of every true disciple of Isaac 
 Walton/^ 
 
 " What^ you have read that charming book ?" 
 exclaimed Mr. Sudberry^ looking at the rugged 
 Highlander in some surprise. 
 
 ^' Yes/^ replied the other^ in the grave quiet 
 manner that was peculiar to him ; " I took to it 
 one winter as a sort o' recreation, after readin^ 
 through ^ Paley^s Evidences.'' ^' 
 
 " Wliat ! '' cried Mr. Sudberry, ^' whose Evi- 
 dences did you say ? " 
 
 '^ Paley^s j yeVe heard o' him, dootless.^^ 
 
 '' Why, yes,^^ replied Mr. Sudberry, " I have 
 J^eard of him, but I — I must confess that I have 
 not read him.^^ 
 
 At this point, Jacky's eye fell on a shaggy 
 little cow which had strayed near to the party, 
 and stood regarding him with a stern inquisitive 
 glance. Eemembering the fright h.e had re- 
 ceived so recently from a similar creature, he 
 uttered a tremendous roar, and again sought 
 refuge in his father's knees. The discussion on 
 Paley was thus cut short ; for the dogs — ^whose 
 
3^ Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 chief delight was to bark,, though not to bite, 
 as has been hbellously asserted of all dogs by 
 Dr. Watts — sprang to their feet, divided their 
 forces, and, while two of the oldest kept frisking 
 round and leaping upon the party in a pro- 
 miscuous manner, as if to assure them of pro- 
 tection in the event of danger, the remainder 
 ran open-mouthed and howling at the cow. 
 That curly-headed, long-horned creature received 
 them at first with a defiant look and an elevated 
 tail, but ultimately took to her heels, to the 
 immense delight of Jacky, whose soul was 
 imbued with a deep and altogether unutterable 
 horror of cattle, especially black cows. 
 
 The service which the dogs rendered to him 
 on this occasion induced the boy to make 
 advances of a friendly nature, which were met 
 more than half way, and the result was the 
 establishment of a good understanding between 
 the Sudberrys and the collie dogs, which ulti- 
 mately ripened into a lasting friendship, inso- 
 much that when the family quitted the place, 
 Lucy carried away with her a lock of Lively 's 
 hair, cut from the pendent tip of her right e?.r. 
 
Three Months* Rustication, 33 
 
 Presently Mr. Sudberry pulled out Ms watch, 
 and, exclaiming that it was breakfast-time, 
 trotted down the hill, followed by his family and 
 escorted by the dogs. 
 
 We will pause here to describe Mr. Sudberry's 
 family briefly. 
 
 George was the merchant's eldest son. He 
 was bold, stout, active, middle-sized, and seven- 
 teen years of age; full of energy and life, a 
 crack rower, a first-rate cricketer, and generally 
 a clever fellow. George was always jolly. 
 
 Fred was about the same height as his 
 brother, two years younger, slender in form, 
 and gentle in disposition, but active, too, when 
 occasion required it. His forte was drawing 
 and painting. Fred %^as generally quiet and 
 grave. Both brothers were musical. 
 
 Lucy had reached the interesting age of six- 
 teen. She was plain, decidedly, but sweet- 
 tempered in the extreme. Her mouth was good, 
 and her eyes were good, and her colour was 
 good, but her nose was a snub, — an undeniable 
 and incurable snub. Her mother had tried to 
 amend it from the earhest hours of Lucv's 
 
34 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 existence by pulling tlie point gently downwards 
 and pinching up tlie bridge,, — or, ratber, tbe 
 boUow wbere tbe bridge ought to have been, — 
 but all in vain; the infant turned up its eyes 
 when the operation was going on, and still 
 turned up its nose when it was over. Yes, 
 although there were many of the elements of 
 beauty about Lucy, she was plain — ^but sweet; 
 always bear that in mind. She was funny too. 
 Not that she made fun of her own free will ; but 
 she appreciated fun in others so intensely that 
 she looked funny herself, and she giggled. This 
 was her only fault, she giggled. When the 
 spirit of fun was roused, nothing could stop her. 
 But don^t suppose that she was always giggling ; 
 by no means. She was always good and amiable, 
 often grave, and sometimes deeply serious. 
 
 Matilda, commonly called Tilly, was a meek, 
 deHcate, pretty little girl of eight years old. 
 She was charmingly innocent and ignorant. In 
 the last respect she resembled her mother, who 
 was the only other stupid member of Mr. Sud- 
 berry^s family. Being deeply impressed with 
 the fact of her ignorance and stupidity, Mrs. 
 
Three Months' Rustication, '^^ 
 
 -Sadberry went on tlie tack of boldly admitting 
 the same^ and iiolding, or affecting to bold^ 
 ability and general acquirements in contempt. 
 
 Mrs. Brown was a female dragon^ nurse to 
 Master Jacky and Miss Tilly; slie tormented 
 the former, whom she disliked, and spoiled the 
 latter, whom she loved. 
 
 Hobbs was the man servant of the family 
 He was characterized chiefly by a tendency to 
 drop his h's in conversation, out of words to 
 which they naturally belonged, and to pick them 
 up and insert them in the most contradictory 
 manner in words with which they had no con- 
 nection whatever. He was also marked by the 
 strong regard and esteem which he had for his 
 master and family; the stronger regard and 
 esteem which he had for himself, and the easy, 
 good-humoured way in which he regarded the 
 remainder of the world at large as an inferior 
 order of beings. 
 
 As for Peter, he has already been described as 
 
 the timid clerk of humble origin, whose chief 
 
 .duties, while in London, were to wipe up ink 
 
 and clear away debris. He had been taken with 
 
 D 2 
 
3^ Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 tlie family to act the part of a page in buttons— 
 witliout the buttons — and to make Mmself gene- 
 rally useful. Hitherto the pagers bosom had, 
 since leaving London^ been a chamber of inde- 
 scribable terrors. Truly, if, as is said, the anti- 
 cipation of death be worse than the reality, poor 
 Peter must have suffered a prolonged and con- 
 tinuous death during the last few days. Never 
 having been on a railway before, the first shriek 
 of the whistle pierced him like a knife, the shock 
 of starting rent him (figuratively) like a thunder- 
 bolt. Thereafter, every passing train was an 
 excruciating arrow in his quivering heart, every 
 tunnel was a plunge into the horrible anticipation 
 that '' here it was coming at last ! '^ But Peter's 
 trials were now, for a time, he fondly hoped, at 
 an end. Poor boy ! he little knew what was in 
 9t}ore for him. 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 37 
 
 CHAPTER lY. 
 
 FIEST COMEES SERVED FIRST^ ETC. 
 
 When Mr. Sudberiy readied the breakfast par- 
 lour, and put his head in at the door to see 
 whether his faithful wife were there, he was 
 struck absolutely dumb by the amazing tableau, 
 vivant that met his vision. 
 
 There was nothing in the aspect of the room 
 itself to surprise him. It was homely and neat. 
 The table was spread with a clean white cloth, 
 on which the breakfast equipage was displayed 
 with a degree of care and precision that betrayed 
 the master-hand of Hobbs ; but on the edge of 
 the table sat a large black cat, calmly break- 
 fasting off a pat of delicious fresh butter. Be- 
 side the table, with its fore-legs thereon and its 
 hind legs on the floor, stood a large nanny- 
 goat, which was either looking in vain for some- 
 thing suited to its own particular taste, or 
 
38 F%*eahs on the Fells; or, 
 
 admiring witli disinterested complacency the 
 energy with which two hens and a bantam cock 
 pecked out the crumb of a wheaten loaf. If the 
 latter were the goat^s occupation^ it must have 
 been charmed beyond expression; for the half 
 of the loaf had been devoured by the audacious 
 trio_, and_, just at the moment of Mr. Sudberry^s 
 appearance^ the bantam^s body was buried over 
 the shoulders^ and nothing of it was visible to 
 the horrified master of the house save its tail, 
 appearing over the edge of the loaf. 
 
 '^ She — ee — w ! •'^ roared Mr. Sudberry, rush- 
 ing into the room and whirling his arms like the 
 sails of a windmill. The cat vanished through 
 the window like a black vision galvanized and 
 made awfully real. The poultry, thrown into 
 convulsions of terror, flew screaming round the 
 room in blind haste, searching for a door or 
 window of escape; while the goat, true to its 
 nature, ran at the enemy on its hind legs, and, 
 with its head down, attempted to punch him on 
 the stomach. By an active leap to one side, the 
 enemy escaped this charge; but the goat, no- 
 thing daunted, turned to renew the attack ; next 
 
Three Months^ Rustication, 39 
 
 moment George, Fred_, and Hobbs rusLing into 
 tlie room, diverted its attention. Intimidated by 
 overwhelming numbers, the animal darted 
 through the doorway^ along the passage and out 
 at the front door, where it met Peter unexpect- 
 edly, and wreaked its disappointed vengeance 
 on him by planting on his chest the punch which 
 had been intended for his master. By this 
 means that timid and hapless youth was laid 
 flat on the green grass. 
 
 '^ Is Jacky safe ? '' cried Mrs. Sudberry, 
 running into the room with terror on her coun- 
 tenance, and falling down on the sofa in a semi- 
 swoon on being informed that he was. She was 
 followed by Lucy and Tilly, with scent-bottles, 
 and by nurse, who exhibited a tendency to go 
 off into hysterics ; but who, in consequence of a 
 look from her master, postponed that luxury to 
 a more convenient season. 
 
 Thus the ^^expatriated" family assembled to 
 morning prayers, and to partake of their first 
 Highland breakfast. 
 
 Of course that day, being their first, was spent 
 in an excited and rambling endeavour to master 
 
40 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 the localities and ascertain the most interesting 
 points about their new home. 
 
 Mrs. S. and her daughters examiaed the in- 
 terior accommodation of the White House 
 minutely, and_, with the assistance of Mrs. 
 Brown, Hobbs, and the page, disposed their 
 goods and chattels to the best advantage ; while 
 her husband and sons went out to introduce 
 themselves to the farmer and his family. They 
 lived in a small cottage, or off-shoot, at the back 
 of the prrDcipal dwelling, in close proximity to 
 which were the byre, stable, and barns. 
 
 It would occupy too much space to relate in 
 detail all the things and sights that called forth 
 the delight and surprise of the excitable Mr. 
 Sudberry. How he found to his amazement 
 that the byre was under the same roof with the 
 farmer's kitchen, and only separated therefrom 
 by a wooden partition with a door in it. How 
 he was assailed by the nine collie dogs the 
 moment he entered the kitchen with threats of 
 being torn to pieces, yet was suffered to pass 
 unscathed. How he and his sons were intro- 
 duced by Mr. McAllister to his mother, a grave. 
 
Tloree Months' Rustication. 41 
 
 mild_, old woman, who puzzled them beyond 
 measure ; because, although clad in homely and 
 unfashionable garments, and dwelling in a hut 
 little better than the habitation of the cattle, 
 except in point of cleanliness, she conversed and 
 conducted herself towards them with a degree of 
 unaflfected ease and urbanity that might have 
 graced any lady in the land. How this old lady 
 astonished them with the amount of general 
 knowledge that leaked out in the course of a few 
 minutes^ talk. How she introduced the dogs by 
 name, one by one, to Jacky, which delighted him 
 immensely; and how, soon after that, Jacky 
 attempted to explore out-of-the-way corners of 
 the farm-yard, and stepped suddenly up to the 
 knees in a mud-hole, out of which he emerged 
 with a pair of tight-fitting Wellington boots, 
 which fiUed him with ecstasy and his father with 
 disgust. 
 
 All this and a great deal more might be dilated 
 on largely ; but we are compelled to dismiss it 
 summarily, without further remark. 
 
 In the course of that day Mr. Sudberry and 
 his boys learned a great deal about their new 
 
4'Z Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 home from McAllister^ wliom they found intelli- 
 gent^ shrewdy and well-informed on any topic 
 ih-Qj chose to broach ; even although he was, as 
 Mrs. Sudberry said in surprise, ^^ quite a common 
 man, who wore corduroy and wrought in his 
 fields like a mere labourer.''^ After dinner they 
 all walked out together, and had a row on the 
 lake under his guidance; and in the evening 
 they unexpectedly met Mr. Hector Macdonald, 
 who was proprietor of the estate on which the 
 White House stood, and who dwelt in another 
 white house of much larger size at the head of 
 the loch, distant about two miles. Mrs. Sud- 
 berry had expected to find this Highland gentle- 
 man a very poor and proud sort of man, with a 
 rough aspect, a superabundance of red hair, and, 
 possibly, a kilt. Judge, then, her surprise when 
 she found him to be a young gentleman of re- 
 fined mind, prepossessing manners, elegant 
 though sturdy appearance, and clad in grey 
 tweed shooting-coat, vest, and trousers, the cut 
 of which could not have been excelled by her 
 own George^s tailor, and George was particular 
 in respect of cut. 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 43 
 
 Mr. Macdonald_, wlio carried a fishing-rod^ 
 introduced himself, and accompanied his new 
 friends part of the way home ; and then, saying 
 that he was about to take a cast in the river 
 before sunset, offered to show the gentlemen 
 the best pools. ^^The gentlemen ^^ leaped at 
 the offer more eagerly than ever trout leaped at 
 an artificial fly ; for they were profoundly igno- 
 rant of the gentle art, except as it is practised 
 on the Thames, seated on a chair in a punt, and 
 with bait and float. 
 
 Hector Macdonald not only showed his friends 
 where to fish, but how to fish; and the whole 
 thing appeared so easy as practised and explained 
 by him, that father and sons turned their steps 
 homeward about dusk, convinced that they could 
 " do it ^^ easily, and anticipating triumph on the 
 morrow. 
 
 On the way home, after parting from 
 Hector, they passed a sohtary hut of the 
 rudest description, which might have escaped 
 observation had not a bright stream of light 
 issued from the low doorway and crossed their 
 path. 
 
44 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 " I would like to peep into this cottage, father/' 
 said Fred, who cherished strong sympathies with 
 poor people. 
 
 '^ Come then/' cried Mr. Sudberry, '' let us 
 explore.'' 
 
 Jacky, who was with them, felt timid and 
 objected; but being told that he might hang 
 about outside, he gave in. 
 
 They had to bend low on entering the hovel, 
 which was mean and uncomfortable in appear- 
 ance. The walls were built of unhewn stones, 
 gathered from the bed of the river hard by; 
 the interstices were filled up with mud and 
 straw. Nothing graced these walls in the shape 
 of ornament ; but a few mugs and tin pots and 
 several culinary implement hung from rusty 
 nails and wooden pegs. The floor was of hard 
 mud. There was no ceiling, and the rafters 
 were stained black by the smoke of the peat fire 
 which burned in the middle of the floor, and the 
 only chimney for which was a small hole in the 
 roof. A stool, a broken chair, and a crooked 
 table, constituted the entire furniture of the 
 miserable place ; unless wo may include a heap 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 45 
 
 of straw and rags in a corner whicli served for 
 a bed. 
 
 Seated on tlie stool, and bending over tbe 
 fire, was an old woman, so wild and shrivelled 
 in ber appearance that a much less superstitious 
 urchin than Jacky might have believed her to 
 be a witch. Her clothing may be described as 
 a bundle of rags, with the exception of a 
 shepherd^s plaid on her shoulders, the spotless 
 purity of which contrasted strangely with the 
 dirtiness of everything else around. The old 
 creature was moaning and moping over the fire, 
 and drawing the plaid close round her as if she 
 were cold, although the weather was extremely 
 warm. At first she took no notice whatever of 
 the entrance of her visitors, but kept muttering 
 to herself in the Gaelic tongue. 
 
 "A fine evening, my good woman,^'' said 
 Fred, laying his hand gently on her shoulder. 
 
 '^Hoo do ye know Pm good?'^ she cried, 
 turning her gleaming eyes, sharply on her 
 questioner. 
 
 ^^Don^t be angry, granny,^' put in Mr. 
 Sudberry, in a conciliatory tone. 
 
4^ Freaks on the Fells ; or, 
 
 The effect of this remark on the old woman 
 was the reverse of what had been expected. 
 
 *■*' Granny ! granny ! ^' she shrieked fiercely^ 
 holding up her skinny right arm and shaking 
 her fist at Mr. Sudberry, ^' who dares to ca^ me 
 granny?^' 
 
 '* My dear woman^ I meant no offence/^ said 
 the latter, much distressed at having unwittingly 
 roused the anger of this strange creature,, who 
 continued to glare furiously at the trio. 
 
 Jacky kept well in the background, and con- 
 tented himself with peeping round the door- 
 post. 
 
 " No ofience ! no offence ! an' you dare to ca' 
 me granny ! Go ! go ! ^o /■'■' 
 
 As she uttered these three words with increas- 
 ing vehemence, the last syllable was delivered 
 in a piercing scream. Bising suddenly from her 
 stool, she pointed to the door with an air of 
 command that would have well become the 
 queen of the witches. 
 
 \ Not wishing to agitate the poor woman, 
 whom he now regarded as a lunatic, Mr. 
 Sudberry turned to go ; but a wonderful change 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 47 
 
 in tlie expression of her face arrested Mm. Her 
 eye had fallen on the round visage of Jacky, and 
 a beaming smile now lighted up and beautified 
 the countenance which had so recently been 
 distorted with passion. Uttering some unin- 
 telligible phrase in Gaelic^ she held out her 
 skinny arms towards the child,' as if entreating 
 him to come to her. Strange to say, Jacky did 
 not run away or scream with fright as she 
 approached him and took him in her arms. 
 Whether it was that he was too much petrified 
 with horror to offer any resistance, or that he 
 understood the smile of afiection and recipro- 
 cated it, we cannot tell; but certain it is that 
 Jacky suffered her to place him on her knee, 
 stroke his hair, and press him to her old 
 breast, as unresistingly and silently as if she 
 had been his own mother, instead of a mad 
 old woman. 
 
 Fred availed himself of this improved state of 
 things to again attempt to open an amicable 
 conversation; but the old woman appeared to 
 have turned stone deaf, for she would neither 
 look at nor reply to him. Her whole attention 
 
48 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 was devoted to Jacky, into whose wondering 
 ears she poured a stream of Gaelic^ without 
 either waiting for or apparently expecting a reply. 
 
 Suddenly, without a word of warning, she 
 pushed Jacky away from her, and began to 
 wring her hands and moan as she bent over the 
 fire. Mr. Sudberry seized the opportunity to 
 decamp. He led Jacky quietly out of the hut 
 and made for the White House at as rapid a 
 pace as the darkness of the night would allow. 
 As they walked home, father and sons felt as if 
 they had recently held familiar converse with a 
 ghost or an evil spirit. 
 
 But that feeling passed away when they were 
 all seated at tea in the snug parlour, relating 
 and listening to the adventure; and Jacky 
 swelled to double his size, figuratively, on 
 finding himself invested with sudden and sin- 
 gular importance as the darling of an ^^old 
 witch.^^ Soon, however, matters of greater 
 interest claimed the attention of Mr. Sudberry 
 and his sons; for their bosoms were inflamed 
 with a desire to emulate the dexterous Hector 
 Macdonald. 
 
Three Months' Rustication* 49 
 
 Rods and tackle were overhauled, and every 
 preparation made for a serious expedition on the 
 morrow. That night Mr. Sudberry dreamed of 
 fishing. 
 
50 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SOME ACCOUNT OF A GREAT FISHING EXPEDITION. 
 
 There was an old barometer of the banjo type in 
 the parlour of tbe White House^ which, what- 
 ever might have been its character for veracity 
 in former days, had now become such an invete- 
 rate story-teller, that it was pretty safe to accept 
 as true exactly the reverse of what it indicated. 
 One evening Mr. Sudberry kept tapping that 
 antique and musical-looking instrument, with a 
 view to get it to speak out its mind freely. The 
 worthy man^s efforts were not in vain, for the 
 instrument, whether out of spite or not, we 
 cannot say, indicated plainly ^^ much rain.^' 
 
 ^NTow, it must be known that Mr. Sudberry 
 knew as much about trout and salmon fishing 
 as that celebrated though solitary individual, 
 " the man in the moon.''^ Believing that bright, 
 dry, sunny weather was favourable to this sport. 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 51 
 
 his heart failed him when the barometer became 
 so prophetically depressed_, and he moved about 
 the parlour with quick_, uneasy steps, to the 
 distress of his good wife, whose work-box he 
 twice swept off the table with his coat-tails, and 
 to the dismay of George, whose tackle, being 
 spread out for examination, was, to a large ex- 
 tent, caught up and hopelessly affixed to the 
 same unruly tails. 
 
 Supper and repose finally quieted Mr. Sud- 
 berry^s anxious temperament, and when he 
 awoke on the following morning, the sun was 
 shining in unclouded splendour through his 
 window. Awaking with a start, he bounced out 
 of bed, and, opening his window, shouted with 
 delight that it was a glorious fishing day. 
 
 The shout was addressed to the world at large, 
 but it was responded to only by Hobbs. 
 
 " Yes, sir, it is a hexquisite day,^^ said that 
 worthy ; " what a day for the Thames, sir I It 
 does my ^art good, sir, to think of that there 
 river.^' 
 
 Hobbs, who was standing below his master's 
 window, with his coat oft^ and his hands in his 
 
52 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 waistcoat pockets^ meant this as a Happy and 
 delicate allusion to things and times of the past. 
 
 '^ Ah ! Hobbs/^ said Mr. Sudberry, ^^ you 
 don't know what fishing in the Highlands is, 
 yet ; but you shall see. Are the rods ready ?'' 
 
 " Yes, sir.'' 
 
 '^ And the baskets and books?'' 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 " And, ah ! I forgot — the flasks and sand- 
 wiches — are they ready, and the worms ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir -, Miss Lucy's a makin' of the 
 san'wiches in the kitchen at this moment, and 
 Maclister's a diggin' of the worms." 
 
 Mr. Sudberry shut his window, and Greorge, 
 hearing the noise, leaped out of bed with the 
 violence that is peculiar to vigorous youth. Fred 
 yawned. 
 
 " What a magnificent day ! " said George, 
 rubbing his hands, and slapping himself prepara- 
 tory to ablutions ; " I will shoot." 
 
 ** Will you-a-ow?" yawned Fred, ^^I shall 
 Slcetcn. I mean to begin with the old woman's 
 hut." 
 
 " ^Tiat ! do you mean to have your nose 
 
Three Months* Rustication. 53 
 
 plucked offi and your eyes torn out at the 
 beginning of our holiday ? *' 
 
 " Not if I can help it^ George ; but I mean to 
 run the risk — I mean to cultivate that old 
 woman/' 
 
 ^^ Hallo! hi!" shouted their father from 
 below^ while he tapped at the window with the 
 end of a fishing-rod. ^^ Look ahve there, bpys, 
 else we'll have breakfast without you/' 
 
 '^ Aj, ay, father 1 " Fred was up in a 
 moment. 
 
 About two hours later, father and sons sallied 
 out for a day's sport, George with a fowling- 
 piece, Fred with a sketch-book, and Mr. Sud- 
 berry with a fishing-rod, the varnish and brass- 
 work on which, being perfectly new, glistened in 
 the sun. 
 
 '^ We part here, father," said George, as they 
 reached a rude bridge that spanned the river 
 about half a mile distant from the White House. 
 " I mean to clamber up the sides of the Ben, 
 and explore the gorges. They say that ptar- 
 migan and mountain hares are to be found 
 there." 
 
54 Freaks on the Fells; or. 
 
 The youth's eye sparkled with enthusiasm; 
 for^ having been born and bred in the heart of 
 London, the idea of roaming alone among wild 
 rocky glens up among the hills^ far from the 
 abodes of men, made him fancy himself little 
 short of a second Crusoe. He was also elated 
 at the thought of firing at real wild birds and 
 animals — his experiences with the gun having 
 hitherto been confined to the unromantic prac- 
 tice of a shooting-gallery in Kegent Street. 
 
 ^' Success to you, George/' cried Mr. Sud- 
 berry, waving his hand to liis son, as the latter 
 was about to enter a ravine. 
 
 " The same to you, father,'' cried George, as 
 he waved his cap in return, and disappeared. 
 
 Five minutes' walk brought them to the hut 
 of the poor old woman, whose name they had 
 learned was Moggy. 
 
 ^^ This, then, is my goal," said Fred, smiling. 
 " I hope to scratch in the outline of the interior 
 before you catch your first trout." 
 
 '^Take care the old woman doesn't scratch 
 out your eyes, Fred," said the father, laughing. 
 '' Dinner at five — sharp, remember." 
 
Tliree Months' Busticaiion, ^^ 
 
 Fred entered the Lovely and Mr. Sudberry, 
 walking briskly along the road for a quarter of a 
 mile_, diverged into a foot-path which conducted 
 him to the banks of the river, and to the margin 
 of a magnificent pool where he hoped to catch 
 his first trout. 
 
 And now, at last, had arrived that hour to 
 which Mr. Sudberry had long looked forward 
 with the most ardent anticipation. To stand 
 alone on a lovely summer^s day, rod in hand, on 
 the banks of a Highland stream, had been the 
 ambition of the worthy merchant ever since he 
 was a bov. Fate had decreed that this ambition 
 should not be gratified until his head was bald ; 
 but he did not rejoice the less on this account. 
 His limbs were stout and still active, and his 
 enthusiasm was as strong as it was in boyhood. 
 Xo one knew the powerful spirit of angling 
 v/hich dwelt in Mr. Sudberry^s breast. His wife 
 did not, his sons did not. He was not fully 
 •aware of it himself until opportunity revealed it 
 in the most surprising manner. He had, indeed, 
 known a little of the angler's feelings in the days 
 of his youth, but he had a soul above punts, and 
 
56 Freaks on ike Fells; or, 
 
 chairs, and floats, and such trifles; although, 
 like aU great men, he did not despise httle 
 things. Many a day had he sat on old Father 
 Thames staring, with eager expectation, at a 
 gaudy float, as if all his earthly hopes were de- 
 pendent on its motions ; and many a struggling 
 fish had he whipped out of the muddy waters 
 with a shout of joy. But he thought of those 
 days, now, with the feelings of an old soldier 
 who, returning from the wars to his parents' 
 abode, beholds the drum and pop-gun of his 
 childhood. He recalled the pleasures of the 
 punt with patronizing kindliness, and gazed 
 majestically on crag, and glen, and bright, 
 glancing stream, while he pressed his foot upon 
 the purple heath, and put up his fishing-rod ! 
 
 Mr. Sudberry was in his element now. The 
 deep flush on his gladsome countenance indicated 
 , the turmoil of combined romance and delight 
 which raged within his heaving chest, and which 
 he with difficulty prevented from breaking forth 
 into an idiotic cheer. He was alone, as we have 
 said. He was purposely so. He felt that, as 
 yet, no member of his family could possibly sym- 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 57 
 
 pathize with his feelings. It was better that 
 they should not witness emotions which they 
 could not thoroughly understand. Moreover, he 
 wished to surprise them with the result of his 
 prowess — in regard to which his belief was un- 
 limited. He felt, besides, that it was better 
 there should be no witness to the trifling failures 
 which might be expected to occur in the first 
 essay of one wholly unacquainbed with the art 
 of angling as practised in these remote glens. 
 
 The pool beside which Mr. Sudberry stood 
 was one which Hector Macdonald had pointed 
 out as being one of the best in the river. It lay 
 at the tail of a rapid, had an eddy in it, and a 
 rippling, oily surface. The banks were in places 
 free from underwood, and only a few small trees 
 grew near them. The shadow of the moun- 
 tain, which reared its rugged crest close to it, 
 usually darkened the surface, but at the time we 
 write of a glowing sun poured its rays into the 
 deepest recesses of the pool — a fact which filled 
 Mr. Sudberry, in his ignorance, with delight; 
 but which, had he known better, would have 
 overwhelmed him with dismay. In the present 
 
58 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 instance it happened tliat ^' ignorance was bliss/' 
 for as every fish in the pool was watching the 
 angler with grave nptumed eyes while he put up 
 his rod, and would as soon have attempted to 
 swallow Mr. Sudberry's hat as leap at his arti- 
 ficial flies, it was well that he was not aware of 
 the fact, otherwise his joy of heart would have 
 been turned into sorrow sooner than there was 
 any occasion for. 
 
 Musing on piscatorial scenes past, present, and 
 to come, Mr. Sudberry passed the line through 
 the rings of his rod with trembhng and excited 
 fingers. "While thus engaged, he observed a 
 break on the surface of the pool, and a fish 
 caused a number of rings to form on the water ; 
 these floated toward him as if to invite him on. 
 Mr. Sudberry was red-hot now with hope and 
 expectation. It was an enormous trout that had 
 risen. Most trouts that are seen, but not caught, 
 are enormous ! 
 
 There is no pleasure without its alloy. It 
 could not be expected that the course of true 
 sport, any more than that of true love, should 
 run smooth. Mr. Sudberry's ruddy face suddenly 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 59 
 
 turiied pale when he discovered that he had for- 
 gotten his fishing book ! Each pocket in his 
 coat was slapped and plunged into with vehe- 
 ment haste, while drops of cold perspiration stood 
 on his forehead. It was not to be found. Sud- 
 denly he recollected the basket at his back : 
 wrenching it open, he found the book there, and 
 joy again suflfused his visage. 
 
 Selecting his best line and hooks — as pointed 
 out to him by Hector — Mr. Sudberry let out a 
 few yards of line, and prepared for action. Ee- 
 membering the advice and example of his friend, 
 he made his first cast. 
 
 Ha ! not so bad. The line fell rather closer 
 to the bank on which he stood than was con- 
 sistent with the vigour of the cast ; but never 
 mind, the next would be better ! The next was 
 better. The line went out to its full extent, and 
 came down on the water with such a splash that 
 no trout in its senses would have looked at the 
 place for an hour afterwards. But Mr. Sudberry 
 was ignorant of this, so he went on hopefully. 
 
 As yet the line was short, so he let out half-a- 
 dozen yards boldly, and allowed the stream to 
 
6o Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 draw it straight. Tlien^ making a violent eflfort, 
 lie succeeded in causing it to descend in a series 
 of circles close to his feet ! This, besides being 
 unexpected, was embarrassing. Determined to 
 succeed, he made another cast, and caught the 
 top branch of a small tree, the existence of which 
 he had forgotten. There the hooks remained 
 fixed. 
 
 A deep sigh broke from the excited man, as 
 he gazed ruefully up at the tree. Under a sudden 
 and violent impulse, he tried to pull the tackle 
 forcibly away. This would not do. He tried 
 again till the rod bent almost double, and he was 
 filled with amazement to find that the casting-line, 
 though no thicker than a thread, could stand such 
 a pull. Still the hooks held on. Laying down 
 his rod, he wiped his forehead and sighed again. 
 
 But Mr. Sudberry was not a man to be easily 
 thwarted. Kecalling the days of his boyhood, 
 he cast ofi" his coat and nimbly shinned up the 
 trunk of the tree. In a few minutes he reached 
 the top branch and seized it. At that moment 
 the bough on which he stood gave way, and he 
 fell to the ground with a terrible crash, bringing 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 6 1 
 
 tlie top branch along with him ! Gathering him- 
 self up, he carefully manipulated his neck to 
 ascertain whether or not it was broken. He found 
 that it was not ; but the line was, so he sat 
 down quietly on the bank and replaced it with 
 a new one. 
 
 Before Mr. Sudberry left that spot on the 
 bank beside the dark pool, he had caught the 
 tree four times and his hat twice, but he had 
 caught no trout. " They're not taking to-day, 
 that's it,'' he muttered sadly to himself; "but 
 come, cheer up, old feUow, and try a new fly." 
 
 Thus encouraged, by himself, Mr. Sudberry 
 selected a large blue fly with a black head, red 
 wings, and a long yellow tail. It was a gorgeous, 
 and, he thought, a tempting creature; but the 
 trout were evidently not of the same opinion. 
 For several hours the unfortunate piscator flogged 
 the water in vain. He became very hot during 
 this prolonged exertion, stumbled into several 
 holes, and wetted both legs up to the knees, had 
 his cap brushed off more than once by over- 
 hanging branches, and entangled his line 
 grievously while in the act of picking it My, 
 
62 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 bruised Ms sliins several timeSj and in short 
 got so mucli knocked about_, battered, and wor- 
 ried_, tliat lie began to feel in a state of mental 
 and physical dishevelment. 
 
 Still Ms countenance did not betray mucli of 
 Ms feelings. He found fisMng more difficult in 
 all respects tban lie had expected; but what 
 then ? Was he going to give way to disgust at 
 the first disappointment ? Certainly not. Was 
 he going to fail in perseverance now, after having 
 established a reputation for that quality during a 
 long commercial life in the capital of England ? 
 Decidedly not. Was that energy, that vigour, 
 that fervour of character for which he was noted 
 to fail him here — here, in an uncivilized country, 
 where it was so much required — after having 
 bean the means of raising him from a humble 
 station to one of affluence ; after having enabled 
 him to crush through all difficulties, small or 
 great, as well as having caused him to sweep 
 hecatombs of crockery to destruction with Ms 
 coat-tails ? Indubitably not ! 
 
 Glowing with such thoughts, the dauntless 
 man tightened his cap on Ms brow, pressed Ms 
 
Three Months* Rustication, 6^ 
 
 lips togetlier witli a firm smile, frowned good- 
 httmouredly at fate and the water, and continued 
 his unflagging, tliougli not unflogging, way. 
 
 So, tlie hot sun beat down upon him until 
 evening drew on apace, and then the midges 
 came out. The torments which Mr. Sudberry 
 endured after this were positively awful, and the 
 struggles that he made, in the bravery of his 
 cheerful heart, to bear up against them, were 
 worthy of a hero of romance. His sufierings 
 were all the more terrible and exasperating, 
 that, at first, they came in the shape of an efiect 
 without a cause. The skin of his face and hands 
 began to inflame and to itch beyond endurance 
 — to his great surprise ; for the midges were so 
 exceedingly small and light, that, being deeply 
 intent on his line, he did not observe them. He 
 had heard of midges, no doubt ; but never having 
 seen them, and being altogether engrossed in his 
 occupation, he never thought of them for a 
 moment. He only became aware of ever-increas- 
 ing uneasiness, and exhibited a tendency to rub 
 the backs of his hands violently on his trousers, 
 and to polish his countenance with his cufis. 
 
64 Freaks on the Fells; or. 
 
 It must be the effects of exposure to tlie sun, 
 he thought — ^yes, that was it; of course, that 
 would go off soon, and he would become case- 
 hardened, a regular mountaineer ! Ha ! was 
 that a trout ? Yes, that must have been one at 
 last; to be sure, there were several stones and 
 eddies near the spot where it rose, but he knew 
 the difference between the curl of an eddy now, 
 and the splash of a trout ; he would throw over 
 the exact spot, which was just a foot or two 
 above a moss-covered stone that peeped out 
 of the water. He did so, and caught it — the 
 stone, not the trout — and the hooks remained 
 fixed in the slimy green moss. ' 
 
 Mr. Sudberry scratched his head and felt 
 inclined to stamp. He even experienced a wild 
 desire to cast his rod violently into the river 
 and walk home with his hands in his pockets : 
 but he restrained himself. Pulling on the line 
 somewhat recklessly, the hook came away, to 
 his immense delight, trailing a long thread of 
 the green moss along with it. 
 
 Mr. Sudberry now took to holding a muttered 
 conversation with himself — a practice which was 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 65 
 
 by no means new to him, and in tlie course of 
 whicli lie was wont to address himself in curiously 
 disrespectful terms. '^Come, come, John, my 
 boy, don^t be cast down ! Never say die ! 
 
 Hope, ay, hope told a flatter Hallo ! was that 
 
 a rise ? No, it must have been another of these 
 — what can be the matter with your skin to-day, 
 John ? I don^t believe it's the sun, after all. 
 The sun never drove any one frantic. Never 
 mind; cheer up, old cock ! That seems a very 
 likely hole — a beautiful — be-au-ti — steady ! That 
 was a good cast — ^the best you've made to-day, 
 my buck ; try it again — ha ! ss — s ! caught again, 
 as Pm a Dutchman. This is too bad. Really, 
 you know — ^well, youVe come off easier than 
 might have been expected. Now then, softly. 
 What can be the matter with your face ? — surely 
 — ^it cannot be '' (Mr. Sudberry's heart palpitated 
 at the thought) '^ the measles ! Oh ! impossible, 
 pooh ! pooh ! you had the measles when you 
 were a baby, of course — d'ye know, John, you're 
 not quite sure of that. Fevers, too, occasionally 
 come on with extreme — dear me, how hot it is, 
 and whal; a time you have been fishing, you 
 
 F 
 
66 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 stupid fellow^ without a rise ! It must be getting 
 late.^^ 
 
 Mr. Sudberry stopped witb a startled look as 
 he said this. He glanced at the sun^ pulled out 
 his watchj gazed at it with unutterable surprise, 
 put it to his ear, and groaned. 
 
 " Too late ! half-past five ; dinner at five — 
 punctually ! Oh ! Mary, Mary, won^t I catch it 
 to-night ! " 
 
 A cloud passed over the sun as he spoke. 
 Being very susceptible to outward influences, 
 the gloom of the shadow descended on his spirits 
 as well as his person, and for the first time that 
 day a look of deep dejection overspread his 
 countenance. 
 
 Suddenly there was a violent twitch at the end 
 of the rod, the reel spun round with a sharp 
 whirr-r, and every nerve in Mr. Sudberry's 
 system received an electric shock as he bent 
 forward, straddled his legs, and made a desperate 
 effort to fling the trout over his head. 
 
 The slender rod would not, however, permit 
 of such treatment. It bent double, and the 
 excited piscator was fain to wind up — an ope- 
 
Three Moriths' Rustication, 6y 
 
 ration wMcli lie performed so hastily tli9,t tke 
 line became entangled with the winch of the 
 reel^ which brought it to a dead lock. With a 
 gasp of anxiety he flung down the rod^ and 
 seizing the Hne with his hands, hauled out a 
 beautiful yellow trout of about a quarter of a 
 pound in weight, and five or six inches long. 
 
 To describe the joy of Mr. Sudberry at this 
 piece of good fortune were next to impossible. 
 Sitting down on his fishing-basket, with the 
 trout full in view, he drew forth a smaU flask 
 of sherry, a shoe of bread, and a lump of cheese, 
 and proceeded then and there to regale himself. 
 He cared nothing now for the loss of his dinner ; 
 no thought gave he to the anticipated scold from 
 neglected Mrs. Sudberry. He gave fiill scope to 
 his joy at the catching of this, his first trout. He 
 looked up at the cloud that obscured the sun, and 
 forgave it, little thinking, innocent man, that 
 the said cloud had done him a good turn that 
 day. He smiled benignantly on water, earth, 
 and sky. He rubbed his face, and when he did 
 so he thought of the measles and laughed — 
 laughed heartily, for by that time he had dis- 
 r 2 
 
68 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 covered the true cause of his misery; and 
 altliougli we cannot venture to say that he 
 forgave the midges, sure we are that he was 
 greatly moUified towards them. 
 
 Does any ignorant or cynical reader deem such 
 an extravagance of dehght inconsistent with so 
 trifling an occasion ? Let him ponder before he 
 ventures to exclaim " Ridiculous ! '^ Let him 
 look round upon this busy, whirling, incompre- 
 hensible world, and note how its laughing and 
 weeping multitudes are ofttimes tickled to up- 
 Toarious merriment, or whelmed in gloomy woe, 
 by the veriest trifles, and then let him try to 
 look with sympathy on Mr. Sudberry and his 
 first trout. 
 
 Having carefully deposited the fish in his 
 basket, he once more resumed his rod and his 
 expectations. But if the petty annoyances that 
 beset our friend in the fore part of that day may 
 be styled harassing, those with which he was 
 overwhelmed towards evening may be called 
 exasperating. First of all he broke the top of 
 his rod, a misfortune which broke his heart 
 entirely. But, recollecting suddenly that he had 
 
Three Months^ Rustication, 6g 
 
 tliree spare top-pieces in the butt^ his heart was 
 cemented and bound up, so to speak, in a rough 
 and ready manner. Next, he stepped into a 
 hole, which turned out to be three feet deep, so 
 that he was instantly soaked up to the waist. 
 Being extremely hot, besides having grown quite 
 reckless, Mr. Sudberry did not mind this; it 
 was pleasantly cooHng. He was cheered, too, 
 at the moment, by the re-appearance of the sun, 
 which shone out as bright as ever, warming his 
 heart (poor, ignorant man !) and, all unknown to 
 him, damaging his chance of catching any more 
 fish at that time. 
 
 Soon after this he came to a part of the river 
 where it flowed through extremely rugged rocks, 
 and plunged over one or two precipices, sending 
 up clouds of grey mist and a dull roar which 
 overawed him, and depressed his spirits. This 
 latter effect was still further increased by the 
 bruising of his shins and elbows, which resulted 
 from the rough nature of the ground. He 
 became quite expert now in hanking on bushes 
 and disentangling the line, and experienced a 
 growing belief in the truth of the old saying that 
 
70 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 '*" practice makes perfect/^ He cast better, lie 
 hanked oftener, and lie disentangled more easily 
 than he had done at an earlier period of the 
 day. The midges, too, increased as evening 
 advanced. 
 
 Presently he came upon a picturesque portion 
 of the stream where the waters warbled and 
 curled in little easy-going rapids, miniature falls, 
 and deep, oily pools. Being an angler by 
 nature, though not by practice (as yet), he felt 
 that there must be something there. A row of 
 natural stepping-stones ran out towards a splen- 
 did pool, in which he felt assured there must be 
 a large trout — ^perhaps a grilse. His modesty 
 forbade him to hint ^^ a salmon,^^ even to himself. 
 
 It is a very difficult thing, as every one knows, 
 to step from one stone to another in a river, 
 especially when the water flowing between runs 
 swift and deep. Mr. Sudberry found it so. In 
 his effort to approach the pool in question, which 
 lay under the opposite bank, he exhibited not a 
 few of the postures of the rope-dancer and the 
 acrobat ; but he succeeded, for Mr. Sudberry was 
 a man of indomitable pluck. 
 
The rock on which he stood was too narrow to admit of much 
 m.ovement." — p. 71 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 71 
 
 Standing on a small stone, carefully balanced, 
 and with, his feet close together, he made a 
 beautiful cast. It was gracefully done; it was 
 vigorously, manfully done — considering the diffi- 
 culty of the position, and the voracity of the 
 midges — and would have been undoubtedly suc- 
 cessful but for the branch of a tree which grew 
 on the opposite bank and overhung the stream. 
 This branch Mr. Sudberry, in his eagerness, 
 had not observed. In casting, he thrust the 
 end of his rod violently into it ; the Hne 
 twirled in dire confusion round the leaves 
 and small boughs, and the drag hook, as if 
 to taunt him, hung down within a foot of 
 his nose. 
 
 Mr. Sudberry in despair made a desperate 
 grasp at this and caught it. More than that — it 
 caught him, and sunk into his forefinger over the 
 barb, so that he could not get it out. The rock 
 on which he stood was too narrow to admit of 
 much movement, much less to permit of his 
 resting the butt of his rod on it, even if that 
 had been practicable — ^which it was not, owing 
 to the line being fast to the bough, and the reel 
 
7^ Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 in a state of dead-lock from some indescribable 
 manoeuvre to whicli it had previously been sub- 
 jected. 
 
 There he stood, the very personification of 
 despair ; but while standing there he revolved in 
 his mind the best method of releasing his line 
 without breaking it or further damaging his rod. 
 Alas ! fortune, in this instance, did not favour 
 the brave. While he was looking up in rueful 
 contemplation of the havoc above, and then 
 down at his pierced and captured finger, his foot 
 slipped and he fell with a heavy plunge into deep 
 water. That settled the question. The whole of 
 his tackle remained attached to the fatal bough 
 excepting the hook in his finger, with which, 
 and the remains of his fishing-rod, he floundered 
 to the shore. 
 
 Mr. Sudberry^s first act on gaining the land 
 was to look into his basket, where, to his great 
 relief, the trout was still reposing. His next 
 was to pick up his hat, which was sailing in an 
 eddy fifty yards down the stream. Then he 
 squeezed the water out of his garments, took 
 down his rod, with a heavy sigh strangely 
 
Three Months* Rustication, 73 
 
 mingled witli a triumpliant smile, and turned his 
 steps iiome just as tlie sun began to dip beHnd 
 tlie peaks of the distant hills. 
 
 To his surprise and relief, Mrs. Sudberry did 
 not scold when, about an hour later, he entered 
 the hall or porch of the White House with the 
 deprecatory air of a dog that knows he has been 
 misbehaving, and with the general aspect of a 
 drowned rat. His wife had been terribly 
 anxious about his non-arrival, and the joy she 
 felt on seeing him safe and well induced her to 
 forget the scold. 
 
 " Oh ! John dear, quick, get off your clothes," 
 was her first exclamation. 
 
 As for Jacky, he uttered a cheer of delight 
 and amazement at beholding his father in such a 
 woeful plight; and he spent the remainder of 
 the evening in a state of impish triumph; for, 
 had not his own father come home in the same 
 wet and draggled condition as that in which he 
 himself had presented himself to Mrs. Brown 
 earlier in the day, and for which he had received 
 a sound whipping ? " Hooray ! " and with that 
 the amiable child went off to inform his worthy 
 
74 FreaTcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 nurse that '' papa was as bad a boy as Himself — 
 badder^ in fact ; for lie [Jacky] had only been in 
 the water up to the waist,, while papa had gone 
 into it head and heels ! " 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 75 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE PICNIC. 
 
 A VISION of beauty now breaks upon the scene ! 
 This vision is tall_, graceful, and commanding in 
 figure. It has long black ringlets, piercing 
 black eyes, a fair deHcate skin, and a be- 
 witching smile that displays a row of — of 
 " pearls ! " The vision is about sixteen years 
 of age, and answers to the romantic name of 
 Flora Macdonald. It is sister to that stalwart 
 Hector who first showed Mr. Sudberry how to 
 fish; and stately, sedate, and beautiful does it 
 appear, as, leaning on its brother^s arm, it 
 ascends the hill towards the White House, 
 where extensive preparations are being made 
 for a picnic. 
 
 " Good morning, Mr. Sudberry,^' cries Hector, 
 doffing his bonnet and bowing low to Lucy. 
 ''Allow me to introduce my sister. Flora; but 
 
76 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 (glancing at the preparations) I fear tliat my 
 visit is inopportune/^ 
 
 Mr. Sudbeny rushes forward and shakes 
 Hector and sister heartily by the hand. 
 
 ^' My dear sir, my dear madam, inopportune ? 
 impossible ! I am charmed. We are just going 
 on a picnic, that is all, and you will go with us. 
 Lucy, my dear, allow me to introduce you to 
 Miss Macdonald '^ 
 
 " Flora, my good sir ; pray do not let us stand 
 upon ceremony,-'^ interposes Hector. 
 
 Lucy bows with a slight air of bashful reserve; 
 Flora advances and boldly offers her hand. The 
 blue eyes and the black meet; the former 
 twinkle, the latter beam, and the knot is tied ; 
 they are fast friends for life ! 
 
 '^ Glorious day,^^ cries Mr. Sudberry, rubbing 
 his hands. 
 
 "Magnificent,^^ assents Hector. "You are 
 fortunate in the weather, for, to say truth, we 
 have Httle enough of sunshine here. Sometimes 
 it rains for three or four weeks, almost without 
 cessation.^' 
 
 "Does it indeed?^' 
 
Three Months' Busticatton, 77 
 
 Mr. Sudberiy's visage elongates a little for 
 one moment. Just then George and Fred come 
 out of the WHte House laden with, hampers and 
 fishing-baskets full of provisions. They start, 
 gaze in surprise at the vision, and drop the 
 provisions. 
 
 '' These are my boys,, Miss Macdonald — ^Hec- 
 tor's sister, lads/^ cries Mr. Sudberry. " You'll 
 join us, I trust ? '' (to Hector.) 
 
 Hector assents "with pleasure."" He is a 
 most amiable and Accommodating man. Mean- 
 while George and Fred shake hands with Flora, 
 and express their ^^ delight, their pleasure, &c., 
 at this unexpected meeting which, &c., &c/' 
 Their eyes meet, too, as Lucy's and Flora's had 
 met a minute before. Whether the concussion 
 of that meeting is too severe, we cannot say, but 
 the result is, that the three pair of eyes drop to 
 the ground, and their owners blush. George 
 even goes the length of stammering something 
 incoherent about "Highland scenery," when a 
 diversion is created in his favour by Jacky, 
 who comes suddenly round the corner of the 
 house with a North-American-Indian howl. 
 
78 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 and with, tiie nine dogs tearing after Mm 
 clamorously. 
 
 Jacky tumbles over a basket^ of course (a 
 state of disaster is Ms normal condition), bruises 
 Ms sMns and yells fearfully, to tbe dismay of Ms 
 mother, wlio runs sbrieking to the window in 
 her dressing-gown, meets the gaze of Hector 
 and Flora Macdonald, and retires precipitately 
 in discomfiture. 
 
 No such sensibility afiects the stern bosom of 
 Mrs. Brown, who darts out at the front door, 
 catches the unhappy boy by one arm, and drags 
 him into the house by it as if it were a rope, the 
 child a homeward-bound vessel, and she a tug- 
 steamer of nine hundred horse-power. The 
 sounds that proceed from the nursery thereafter 
 are strikingly suggestive : they might be taken 
 for loud clapping of hands, but the shrieks wMch 
 follow forbid the idea of plaudits. 
 
 Poor Tilly, who is confused by the uproar, 
 follows the nurse timidly, bent upon intercession, 
 for she loves Jacky dearly. 
 
 The nine dogs — easy-going, jovial creatures — 
 at once jump to the conclusion that the ham and 
 
Three Months^ Rustication. 79 
 
 cold chicken have been prepared and laid out 
 there on the green hill-side for their special 
 entertainment. They make a prompt dash at 
 the hampers. Gentlemen and ladies alike rush 
 to the rescue, and the dogs are obliged to 
 retire. They do so with a surprised and injured 
 look in their innocent eyes. 
 
 " Have you one or two raw onions and a few 
 cold boiled potatoes ? '^ inquires Hector. 
 
 '^m run and see/^ cries George,, who soon 
 returns with the desired edibles in a tiu can. 
 
 '' That wiU do. Now I shall let you taste a 
 potato salad ; meanwhile I will assist in carrying 
 the baskets down to the boat.^^ 
 
 Hector's and Lucy's eyes meet as this is said. 
 There must be some unaccountable influence in 
 the atmosphere this morning, for the meeting of 
 eyes, all round, seems to produce unusual 
 results ! 
 
 "Will Mr. McAllister accompany us?'' says 
 Mr. Sudberry. 
 
 Mr. McAllister permits a quiet smile to disturb 
 the gravity of his countenance, and agrees to do 
 so^ at the same time making vague reference to 
 
8o FreaJcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 the groves of Arcadia^ and the delight of dining 
 alfresco J specially in wet weather^ — observations 
 whicli surprise Mr. Sudberry^ and cause Hector 
 and tbe two brothers to laugh. 
 
 Mrs. Sudberry is ready at last ! The gentle- 
 men and Hobbs load themselves^ and_, followed 
 by Jacky and the ladies^ proceed to the margin 
 of the loch^ which sheet of water Mr. Sudberry 
 styles a " lock/^ while his better-half deliberately 
 and obstinately calls it a ^^ lake.'^ The party is 
 a large one for so small a boat_, but it holds 
 them all easily. Besides^ the day is calm and 
 the water lies like a sheet of pure glass ; it 
 seems almost a pity to break such a faithful 
 mirror with the plashing oars as they row away. 
 
 Thus^ pleasantly^ the picnic began ! 
 
 George and Fred rowed, Hector steered_, and 
 the ladies sang, — Mr. Sudberry assisting with a 
 bass. His voice, being a strong baritone, was 
 overwhelmingly loud in the middle notes and 
 sank into a muffled ineffective rumble in the 
 deep tones. Having a bad ear for time, he dis- 
 concerted the ladies — also the rowers. But 
 what did that matter ? He was overflowing with 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 8i 
 
 delight, and apologized for liis awkwardness by 
 laughing loudly and begging the ladies to begin 
 again. This they always did_, with immense 
 good humour. Mrs. Sudberry had two engross- 
 ing subjects of contemplation. The one was the 
 boat, which, she was firmly persuaded, was on 
 the point of upsetting when any one moved ever 
 so little ; the other was Jacky, who, owing to 
 some strange impulse natural to his impish cha- 
 racter, strove to stretch as much of his person 
 beyond the side of the boat as was possible 
 without absolutely throwing himself overboard. 
 
 The loch was upwards of three miles in length; 
 before the party had gone half the distance Mr. 
 Sudberry senior had sung himself quite hoarse, 
 and Master Sudberry junior had leaped three- 
 quarters of his length out of the boat six times, 
 and in various other ways had terrified his poor 
 mother almost into fits, and imperilled the Hves 
 of the party more than once. 
 
 '^ By the way,^^ said Fred, when his father 
 concluded a fine old boat-song with a magni- 
 ficent flourish worthy of an operatic artiste, 
 ^^can any one tell me anything about the 
 a 
 
82 Freaks on the Fells ; or, 
 
 strange old woman tliat lives down in tlie liiit 
 near tlie bridge ? " 
 
 ^^Ha! ha!^' laughed George, "1 can tell 
 you tliat she's an old witcli, and a very fierce 
 one too/' 
 
 A slight frown gathered on Flora's white 
 forehead, and a flash shot from her dark eyes, as 
 George said this, but George saw it not. Lucy 
 did, however, and became observant, while 
 George continued, — 
 
 '^ But methinks, Fred, that the long visit you 
 paid her lately must have been sadly misapplied 
 if you have not pumped her history out of 
 her." 
 
 '^ I went to paint, not to pump. Perhaps 
 Mr. Macdonald can teU me about her." 
 
 '^ Not I," said Hector, lighting a cigar. ^^ I 
 only know that she lost her grandson about six 
 years ago, and that she's been mad ever since, 
 poor thing." 
 
 " For shame. Hector," said Flora ; " you 
 know that poor old Moggy is no more mad than 
 yourself." 
 
 ^^ Possibly not, sweet sister, but as you often 
 
TJiree Mo^itW llustication. 83 
 
 tell me tliat I am mad, and as I never deny tlie 
 charge, it seems to me that you have said 
 nothing to vindicate the old woman^s character 
 for sanity/^ 
 
 '^ Poor thing/^ said Flora, turning from her 
 brother, and speaking with warmth to Fred; 
 ^' if you knew how much that unhappy old 
 creature has suffered, you would not be surprised 
 to find her somewhat cross at times. She is one 
 of my people, and I^m very glad to find that you 
 take an interest in her/' 
 
 " ^ My people ! ' Flora then takes an interest 
 in the poor," thought the observant Lucy. 
 Another link was added to the chain of 
 friendship. 
 
 " Do tell us about her, please," cried George. 
 ^^ There is nothing that I love so much as a 
 story— especially a horrible one, with two or 
 three dreadful murders to chill one's blood, and 
 a deal of retributive justice to warm it up again. 
 I'm dying to know about old Moggy." 
 
 ^^ Are you ? " said Flora saucily. ^' Fm glad 
 to hear that, because I mean to keep you in a 
 dying state. I will tell the story as a dead 
 G 2 
 
84 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 secret to Lucy_, wlieii I take her to see my poor 
 people^ and you shan't hear it for weeks to 
 come/' 
 
 George cast np his eyes in affected despair_, 
 and said with a groan^ that he " would endeavour 
 to exist notwithstanding/' 
 
 " Oh ! I know all about old Moggy/' cried 
 Jacky with energy. 
 
 Everyone Jooked at the boy in surprise. In 
 the midst of the foregoing dialogue he had 
 suddenly ceased to tempt his fate^ and sat down 
 quietly with a hand on each knee and his eyes 
 fixed intently on Flora Macdonald — to the sur- 
 prise and secret joy of his mother, who, being 
 thus relieved from anxiety on his account, had 
 leisure, to transfer the agony of her attention to 
 the boat. 
 
 " "What do you know about her, child ? " 
 asked Flora. 
 
 ^' She's jolly," repHed the boy with prompt 
 vivacity. 
 
 " Most genuine testimony in her favour,'^ 
 laughed Hector, '^ though the word is scarcely 
 appropriate to one whose temper is sour/' 
 
Three Months' Bustication, 85 
 
 " Wliy do you think her jolly, my boy ?" 
 said Flora. 
 
 '' ^Cause I do. She's a old brick ! " 
 
 " Jacky, darling/' said Mrs. Sudberry, '' do 
 try to give up those ugly slang words — they're 
 so naughty — ^that is to say — at least — they are 
 very ugly if they're not positively naughty." 
 
 ^' She's a jolly old brick," retorted Jacky, 
 with a look at his mother that was the concen- 
 trated essence of defiance. 
 
 " Dear child ! " 
 
 Lucy sniggered and coughed somewhat vio- 
 lently into her handkerchief, while Flora, re- 
 pressing a smile, said, — 
 
 '' But why does Jacky like old Moggy so 
 much ? " 
 
 " Hallo ! don't run us ashore," shouted Mr. 
 Sudberry, starting up with a sudden impetuosity 
 which shook the boat and sent a pang to the 
 heart of his wife, the sharpness of which m 
 words can convey. A piercing shriek, however, 
 betrayed the state of her feehngs as the boat 
 was swept violently round by George to avoid a 
 point of rock. As they were now drawing near 
 
86 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 to the spot wliere it was proposed that they 
 should picnic^ Jacky suddenly became alive to 
 the fact that in his interest about old Moggy he 
 had been betrayed into a forgetfulness of his 
 opportunities. No time was to be lost. Turning 
 round with a cheer^ he made a desperate plunge 
 at the water and went much farther over than h^ 
 had intended^ insomuch that he would certainly 
 have taken a '^ header/^ into its depths had not 
 McAUister grasped him by the baggy region of 
 his trousers and gravely lifted him into his 
 mother^s lap. Next moment the boat^s keel 
 grated sharply on the gravely to the horror of 
 Mrs. Sudberry^ who^ having Buried her face in 
 the bosom of her saved son^ saw not what had 
 occurred, and regarded the shock as her death- 
 warrant. 
 
 Thus agreeably the picnic continued ! 
 
Three Months^ Bustication, 87 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 THE PICNIC CONCLUDED. 
 
 What a glorious day it was, and what spirits it 
 put everybody in ! The sun shone with an in- 
 tensity almost torrid; the spot on which they 
 had landed was green and bright, like a slice 
 out of the realms of fairy-land. No zephyr 
 dared to disturb the leaves or the glassy water ; 
 great clouds hung in the bright blue sky— rotund, 
 fat, and heavy, like mountains of wool or butter. 
 Everything in Nature seemed to have gone to 
 sleep at noon, as if Spanish principles had sud- 
 denly imbued the universe. 
 
 And what a business they had, to be sure, with 
 the spreading of the viands and the kindling of 
 the fire ! The latter was the first duty. Hector 
 said he would undertake it, but after attempting 
 to Hght it with damp sticks he gave it up and 
 assisted the ladies to lay the cloth on the grass. 
 
88 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 Tlien George and Fred got the fire to kindle, 
 and Mr. Sudberry, in attempting to mend it, 
 bm'nt his fingers and put it out, whereupon 
 McAllister came to his rescue and got it to 
 blaze in right earnest. Jacky thereafter tried 
 to jump over it, fell into it, and was saved from 
 premature destruction by being plucked out 
 and quenched before having received any further 
 damage than the singing of his hair and eye- 
 lashes. He was thus rendered a little more 
 hideous and impish-like than Nature had in- 
 tended him to be. 
 
 Jacky happened to be particularly bad that 
 day. Not only was he more bent on mischief 
 than usual, but fortune seemed to enhance the 
 value (so to speak) of his evil doings, by con- 
 necting them with disasters of an unexpected 
 nature. He tried to leap over a small stream 
 (in Scotland styled a burn), and fell into it. 
 This necessitated drying at the fire — a slow pro- 
 cess and disagreeable in all circumstances, but 
 especially so when connected with impatience 
 and headstrong obstinacy. Then he put his 
 foot on a plate of sandwiches, and was withip 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 89 
 
 an ace of sitting down on a jam tart_, mucli to 
 his own consternation^ poor boj, for had. he 
 destroyed that, the chief source of his own pro- 
 spectiye feHcity would have been dried up. 
 
 It is not to be supposed that every one 
 regarded Jacky^s eccentricities with the forgiv- 
 ing and loving spirit of his mother. Mr. Sud- 
 berry_, good man^ did not mind much ; he wa« 
 out for a day's enjoyment, and having armed 
 himself cap-^-pie with benevolence, was invul- 
 nerable. Not so the other members of the party, 
 all of whom had to exercise a good deal of for- 
 bearance towards the boy. McAllister took 
 him on his knee and gravely began to entertain 
 him with a story, for which kindness Jacky kicked 
 his shins and struggled to get away; so the 
 worthy man smiled sadly, and let him go, 
 remarking that Ovid himself would be puzzled to 
 metamorphose him into a good boy — this in an 
 undertone, of course. 
 
 Hector Macdonald was somewhat sanguine 
 and irascible in temper. He felt a tingling in 
 his fingers, and an irresistible desire to apply 
 them to the ears of the little boy. 
 
9© Freaks on the Fells ; or, 
 
 '^ Come here, Jacky V said lie. 
 
 Floraj wlio understood his feelings, smiled 
 covertly while she busied herself with cups, 
 plates, and pannikins. Lucy, who did not under- 
 stand his feelings, thought " he must be a good- 
 natured fellow to speak so kindly to a child who 
 had annoyed him very much.''^ Lucy did not 
 admit that she herself had been much annoyed" 
 by her Httle brother's pertinacity in interrupting 
 conversation between her and Hector, although 
 she might have done so with perfect truth. 
 
 Jacky advanced with hesitation. Hector bent 
 down playfully and seized him by both arms, 
 turning his back upon the party, and thus bring- 
 ing his own bulky figure between them and 
 young Hopeful. 
 
 ^^ Jacky, I want you to be good." 
 
 " I won't ! '' promptly said, and with much 
 firmness. 
 
 '^Oh, yes, you will!'' A stern masculine 
 countenance within an inch of his nose, and a 
 vigorous Httle shake, somewhat disconcerted 
 Jacky, who exhibited a tendency to roar ; but 
 Hector closed his strong hands on the little arms 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 91 
 
 so suddenly and so powerfully tliat^ being unex- 
 pectedly agonized, Jacky was for a moment 
 paralyzed. The awful glare of a pair of bright 
 blue eyes, and tbe glistening of a double row of 
 white teeth, did not tend to reassure him. 
 
 " Oh, yes, you will, my little man ! " repeated 
 Hector, tumbling him over on his back with a 
 smile of ineffable sweetness, but with a Httle 
 touch of violence that seemed inconsistent there- 
 with. 
 
 Jacky rose, gasped, and ran away, glancing 
 over his shoulder with a look of alarm. This 
 little piece of by-play was not observed by any 
 one but Flora, who exchanged a bright glance 
 and a smile with her brother. 
 
 The imp was quelled — he had met his 
 match ! During the remaiuder of the picnic he 
 disturbed no one, but kept at the farthest possi- 
 ble distance from Hector that was consistent 
 with being one of the party. But it is not to 
 be supposed that his nature was changed. No 
 — Jacky's wickedness only sought a new channel 
 in which to flow. He consoled himself with 
 thoughts of the dire mischief he would perpe- 
 
9i Freaks on the Fdis ; or, 
 
 trate wlien the dinner was over. Meanwhile, lie 
 sat down and gloated over tlie jam tart, devour- 
 ing it in imagination. 
 
 '■'■ Is tliat water boiling yet ? ^^ cried Mr. Sud- 
 berry. 
 
 ^^ Just about it. Hand me tbe eggs, Fred.'' 
 
 ^' Here tliey are/^ cried Flora, going towards 
 tlie fire with a basket. 
 
 She looked very sweet at that moment, for the 
 active operations in which she had been engaged 
 had flushed her cheeks and brightened her eyes. 
 
 George and Fred gazed at her in undisguised 
 admiration. Becoming suddenly aware of the 
 unpohteness of the act, the former ran to relieve 
 her of the basket of eggs; the latter blushed, 
 and all but upset the kettle in an effort to im- 
 prove the condition of the fire. 
 
 '^ Fred, you goose, leave alone, will you ! ^' 
 roared George, darting forward to prevent the 
 catastrophe. 
 
 " This is really charming, is it not, Mr. Mac- 
 gregor?" said Mrs. Sudberry, with a languid 
 smile. 
 
 ^^ Macdonald, madam, if I may be allowed to 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 93 
 
 correct you/^ said Hector^ with a smile and a 
 little bow. 
 
 ^^ Ah, to be sure ! ^' (with, an attempt at a 
 laugh) _, ^^I have such a stupid habit of mis- 
 naming people/^ 
 
 If Mrs. Sudberry had told the exact truth she 
 would have said, " I have such diffipulty in 
 remembering people's names that I have made 
 up my mind to call people by any name that 
 comes first into my head rather than confess my 
 forge tfulness/' But she did not say this ; she 
 only went on to observe that she had no idea it 
 would have been so charming. 
 
 "To what do you refer?'-' said Hector,, "the 
 scenery, the weather, or the prospect of dinner?'' 
 
 " Oh ! you shocking man, how can you talk 
 of food in the same breath with " 
 
 " The salt ! " exclaimed Lucy, with a little 
 shriek. 
 
 Was there ever a picnic at which the salt was 
 not forgotten, or supposed to have been for- 
 gotten ? Never ! 
 
 Mr. Sudberry's cheerful countenance fell. He 
 had never eaten an egg without salt in his life. 
 
94 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 and did not believe in the possibility of doing so. 
 Every one ransacked everything in anxious haste. 
 " Here it is ! ^^ (hope revived) . '^ ISTo, it^s only 
 the pepper.^^ (Mitigated despair and ransacking 
 continued.) ^^ Maybe it^ll be in this parcel/' 
 suggested McAllister_, holding up one which had 
 not yet been untied. " Oh ! bring it to me_, Mr. 
 Macannister ! '^ cried Mrs. Sudberry with un- 
 wonted energy^ for her happiness was dependent 
 on salt that day, coupled, of course, with weather 
 and scenery ! ^^ Faugh ! no, it's your horrid 
 onions, Mr. Mac Andrews.'' 
 
 " Why, you have forgotten the potato salad, 
 Mr. Macdonald," exclaimed Lucy. 
 
 ^^No, I have not; it can be made in five 
 minutes, but not without salt. Where can the 
 salt be? I am certain it could not have been 
 forgotten." 
 
 The only individual of the party who remained 
 calmly indifferent was Master Jacky. That 
 charming creature, having made up his mind to 
 feed on jam tart, did not feel that there was any 
 need for salt. An attentive observer might have 
 noticed, however, that Jacky's look of supreme 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 95 
 
 indifference suddenly gave place to one of inex- 
 pressible glee. He became actually red in the 
 face with hugging himself and endeavouring to 
 suppress all visible signs of emotion. His eye 
 had unexpectedly fallen on the paper of salt 
 which lay on the centre of the table-cloth^ so 
 completely exposed to view that nobody saw it ! 
 M^' Why^ here it is^ actually before our eyes ! '^ 
 shouted George, seizing the paper and holding 
 it up. 
 
 A small cheer greeted its discovery. A groan 
 instantly followed, as George spilt the whole of 
 it. As it fell on the cloth, however, it was soon 
 gathered up, and then Mr. Sudberry ordered 
 every one to sit down on the grass in a circle 
 round the cloth. 
 
 '^What a good boy Jacky has suddenly be- 
 come ! ^^ remarked Lucy in some surprise. 
 
 ^^ Darling V' ejaculated his mother. 
 
 " A very good Httle fellow,^' said Flora^ with a 
 peculiar smile. 
 
 Jacky said nothing. Hector's eye was upon 
 him, as was his upon Hector. Deep unutterable 
 thoughts filled his swelling heart, but he spoke 
 
96 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 not. He merely gazed at tlie jam tart_, a large 
 portion of whicli was in a few minutes supplied 
 to him. The immediate result was crimson 
 hands^ arms,, and cheeks. 
 
 While Hector was engaged in concocting the 
 potato salad the kettle upset^ extinguished the 
 fire^ and sent up a loud triumphant hiss of steam 
 mingled with ashes. Fortunately the potattes 
 were cooked^ so the dinner was at last begun in 
 comfort — that is to say, every one was very hot, 
 very much exhausted and excited, and v^ery 
 thirsty. Jacky gorged himself with tart in five 
 minutes, and then took an opportunity of quietly 
 retiring into the bushes, sheltered by which he 
 made a detour unseen towards the place where 
 the boat had been left. 
 
 Alas for the picnic party that day, that they 
 allowed Hector to prevail on them to begin with 
 , his potato salad ! It was partly composed of 
 raw onions. After having eaten a few mouthfuls 
 of it, their sense of taste was utterly destroyed ! 
 The chickens tasted of onions, so did the cheese 
 and the bread. Even the whisky was flavoured 
 with onions. The beefsteak-pie might as well 
 
Three Months* Rustication, 97 
 
 have been an onion-pie ; indeed, no member of 
 the party could, with shut eyes, have positively 
 said that it was not. The potatoes harmonised 
 with the prevailing flavour ; not so the ginger- 
 bread, however, nor the butter. Everything was *. 
 oniony; they finished their repast with a sweet 
 onion- tart ! To make things worse, the sky soon 
 became overcast, a stiff breeze began to blow, 
 and Mr. McAllister '*^ opined '^ that there was 
 going to be a squaU. 
 
 A piercing shriek put an abrupt termination 
 to the meal ! 
 
 Intent on mischief, the imp had succeeded in 
 pnshing off the boat and clambering into it. 
 For some time he rowed about in a circle with 
 one oar, much delighted with his performances. 
 But when the breeze began to increase and blow 
 the boat away he became alarmed, and when the 
 ©ar missed the water and sent him sprawhng on 
 his back, he gave utterance to the shriek above 
 referred to. Luckily the wind carried him past 
 the place where they were picnicing. There 
 was but one mode of getting at the boat. It 
 was at once adopted. Hector threw off his coat 
 and vest and swam out to it ! 
 
 B 
 
98 Frealis on the Fells ; or, 
 
 Ten minutes later, they were rowing at full 
 speed for the foot of the loch. The sky was 
 dark and a squall was tearing up the waters of 
 the lake. Then the rain came down in torrents. 
 •Then it was discovered that the cloaks had been 
 left at Hazlewood creek, as the place where they 
 had dined was named. To turn back was impos- 
 sible. The gentlemen^s coats were therefore put 
 on the ladies^ shoulders. All were soaked to 
 the skin in a quarter of an hour. Jacky was 
 quiet — ^being sHghtly overawed, but not humbled I 
 His mother was too frightened to speak or 
 scream. Mr. Sudberry rubbed his hands and 
 said, '^ Come, I like to have a touch of all sorts 
 of weather, and won't we have a jolly tea and. a 
 rousing fire when we get home?^^ Mrs. S. 
 sighed at the word '' home.^^ McAllister volun- 
 teered a song, and struck up the '^ Callum^s 
 Lament,^^ a dismally cheerful Gaelic ditty. In the 
 midst of this they reached the landing-place, 
 from which they walked through drenched 
 heather and blinding rain to the White House. 
 
 Thus, drearily, the picnic ended I 
 
Three Months* Busticatlon. 99 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CONCEENING FOWLS AND POOLS. 
 
 One moming the Sudberry family sat on the 
 green hill-side^ in front of tlie White House, 
 engaged in their usual morning amusement — 
 feeding the cocks and hens. 
 
 It is astonishing what an amount of interest 
 may be got up in this way ! If one goes at it 
 with a sort of philanthropico-philosophical spirit, 
 a full hour of genuine satisfaction may be thus 
 obtained — not to speak of the joy imparted to 
 the poultry, and the profound glimpses obtained 
 into fowl character. 
 
 There were about twenty hens, more or less, 
 and two cocks. With wonderful sagacity did 
 these creatures come to perceive that when the 
 Sudberiys brought out chairs and stools after 
 breakfast, and sat down thereon, they, the fowls, 
 were in for a feed ! And it was surprising the 
 H 2 
 
loo Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 punctuality with. wMch they assembled each fine 
 morning for this purpose. 
 
 Most of the family simply enjoyed the thiug ; 
 but Mr. Sudberry, in addition to enjoying it, 
 studied it. He soon came to perceive that 
 the cocks were cowardly wretches, and this 
 gave him occasion to point out to his wife the 
 confiding character and general superiority of 
 female nature, even in hens. The two large 
 cocks could not be prevailed on to feed out of 
 the hand by any means. Under the strong 
 influence of temptation they would strut with 
 bold aspect, but timid, hesitating step, towards 
 the profiered crumb, but the slightest motion 
 would scare them away; and when they did 
 venture to peck, they did so with violent haste, 
 and instantly fled in abject terror. 
 
 It was this tendency in these ignoble birds 
 that exasperated poor Jacky, whose chief delight 
 was to tempt the unfortunate hens to place 
 nnlimited confidence in him, and then clutch 
 them by the beaks or heads and hold them 
 wriggling in his cruel grasp; and it was this 
 tendency that induced him, in the heat of dis- 
 
Three Months* Mustication. loi 
 
 appointment, and without any reference what- 
 ever to sex, to call the cocks " big hens ! " 
 
 The henSj on the other hand, exhibited gentle 
 and trusting natures. Of course there wa% 
 variety of character among them, as there is 
 among ladies ; but, for the most part, they were 
 wont to rush towards their human friends in a 
 body and peck the crumbs, — at first timidly, 
 then boldy, — ^from their palms. There was one 
 hen — a black and ragged one, with only halt" 
 a tail, and a down-trodden aspect — ^which actu- 
 ally went the length of jumping up on Httle 
 Tilly's knee and feeding out of her lap. It 
 even allowed her to stroke its back, bat it 
 evidently permitted rather than enjoyed the 
 process. 
 
 On the morning in question, the black hen 
 was bolder than usual; perhaps it had not 
 breakfasted that day, for it was foremost in the 
 rush when the family appeared with chairs and 
 stools, and leaped on Tilly's knee, without 
 invitation, as soon as she was seated; where- 
 upon Tilly called it '' a dear darling pretty 'ittle 
 pet,'* and patted its back. 
 
102 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 ^^ Wliy, tke creature seems quite fond of you, 
 my cidld/^ said Mrs. Sudberry. 
 
 " So it is, mamma. It loves me, I know, by 
 tlie way it looks at me witli its beautiful black 
 eye. What a pity tke other is not so nice ! I 
 think the poor darling must be blind of that 
 eye.'' 
 
 There was no doubt about that. Blackie's 
 right eye was blinder than any bat's ; it was an 
 opaque white ball — a circumstance which caused 
 it no little annoyance, for the other eye had to 
 do duty for both, and this involved constant 
 screwing of the head about and unwearied 
 watchfulness. It was as if a soHtary sentinel 
 were placed to guard the front and back doors 
 of a house at one and the same time. Despite 
 Blackie's utmost care, Jacky got on her l)lind 
 side more than once, and caught her by the 
 remnant of her poor tail. This used to spoil 
 Tilly's morning amusement, and send her sor- 
 rowful into the house. But what did that 
 matter to Jacky ? He sometimes broke out 
 worse than usual, and set the whole brood into 
 an agitated flutter, which rather damaged the 
 
Three Months' Rustication 103 
 
 happiness of tlie family. But wliat did that 
 matter to Jacky ? 
 
 Oh ! he was a '^ darling child/' according tff 
 his mother ! 
 
 Eor some time the feeding went on quietly 
 enough. The fowls were conjiding. Mr. 
 Sudberry was becoming immensely philosophi- 
 cal; Mrs. S. was looking on in amiable gratifica- 
 tion; George had prevailed on a small white 
 hen to allow him to scratch her head ; Fred was 
 taking a rapid portrait of the smallest cock; 
 Lucy had drawn the largest concourse towards 
 herself by scattering her crumbs on the ground ; 
 Jacky had only caught two chickens by their 
 beaks and one hen by its tail, and was partially 
 strangling another, and the nine McAllister dogs 
 were ranged in a semicircle round the group, 
 looking on benignantly and evidently inclined 
 to put in for a share, but restrained by the 
 memory of past rebuffs — ^when little Blackie, 
 standing on Tilly's knee, and having eaten a 
 large share of what was going, raised itself to 
 its full height, flapped its wings, and gave 
 utterance to a cackle of triumph ! A burst of 
 
104 Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 laughter followed — and Tilly gave a shriek of 
 delighted surprise that at once dissolved the 
 spell and induced the horrified fowl to seek 
 refuge in precipitate flight. 
 
 "By the way/' said Mrs. Sudberry, "that 
 reminds me that this would be a most charming 
 day for your excursion over the mountains to 
 that Lake What-you-may-caU-it." 
 
 What connection there was between the little 
 incident just described and the excursion to Lake 
 " What-you-may-caU-if we cannot pretend to 
 state ; but there must have been some sort of 
 connection in Mrs. Sudberry's brain^ and we 
 record her observation because it was the origin 
 of this day's proceedings. Mr. S. had, for some 
 time past, talked of a long walking excursion 
 with the whole family to a certain small loch or 
 tarn among the hills. Mrs. S. had made up her 
 mind, — first, that she would not go ; and second, 
 that she would get everyone else to go, in order 
 to let Mrs. Brown and Hobbs have a thorough . 
 cleaning up of the house. This day seemed to* 
 suit for the excursion — ^hence her propounding 
 of the plan. Poor delicate Tilly seldom went on 
 
Three Months' Itustication. 105 
 
 long expeditions, — she was often doomed to 
 remain at home. 
 
 Mr. Sudbeiry shouted " Capital ! huzza ! '* 
 clapped his hands and rushed into the house to 
 prepare, scattering the fowls Hke chaff in a 
 whirlwind. Fired by his example, the rest of the 
 family followed. 
 
 " But we must have our bath first, papa,'' cried 
 Lucy, 
 
 '^Certainly, my love, there will be time for 
 that/' 
 
 So away flew Lucy to the nursery, whence she- 
 re-issued with Jacky, Tilly, Mrs. Brown, and 
 towels. 
 
 The bathing-pool was what George called a 
 *' great institution." In using this slang expres- 
 sion George was literally correct, for the bathing- 
 pool was not a natural feature of the scenery : it 
 was artificial, and had been instituted a week 
 after the arrival of the family. The loch was a 
 little too far from the house to be a convenient 
 place of resort for ablutionary purposes. Close 
 beside the house ran a small burn. Its birth- 
 place was one of those dark glens or " corries *' 
 
io6 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 aituated higli up among those mountains tliat 
 formed a grand towering background in all 
 Fredas sketches of tlie White House. Its bed 
 was rugged and broken — a deep cutting, whicli 
 the water had made on the hill-side. Here was 
 quite a forest of dwarf-trees and shrubs ; but so 
 small were they, and so deep the torrent's bed, 
 that you could barely see the tree-tops as you 
 approached the spot over the bare hills. In dry 
 weather this burn tinkled over a chaos of rocks, 
 forming myriads of miniature cascades and 
 hosts of limpid little pools. During heavy rains 
 it ran roaring riotously over its rough bed with 
 a force that swept to destruction whatever 
 chanced to come in its way. 
 
 In this burn, screened from observation by an 
 umbrageous coppice, was the bathing-pool. No 
 pool in the stream was deep enough, in ordinary 
 weather, to take Jacky above the knees; but 
 one pool had been found, about two hundred 
 yards from the house, which was large enough, 
 if it had only been deeper. To deepen it, there- 
 fore, they went — every member of the family. 
 
 Let us recall the picture : — Father, in shirt 
 
Three Months* Bustlcation, 107- 
 
 sleeves rolled up to tlie shoulders, and trousers 
 rolled up to tlie knees, in tlie middle of the 
 pool, trying to upheave from the bottom a 
 rock larger than himself — if he only knew it ! 
 But he doesn't, because it is deeply imbedded, 
 therefore he toils on in hope. George building, 
 Vtith turf and stone, a strong embankment with 
 a narrow outlet, to allow the surplus water to 
 escape. Fred, Lucy, Tilly, and Peter cutting 
 turf and carrying stones. Mother superintend- 
 ing the whole and making remarks. Jacky 
 making himself universally disagreeable, and 
 -distracting his mother in a miscellaneous sort 
 of way. 
 
 ^^ It's as good as Eobinson Crusoe any 
 •day ! '' cries father, panting and wiping his, bald 
 forehead. ^^ What a stone ! I can't budge it.'' 
 He stoops again, to conquer, if possible ; but 
 the great difficulty with father is, that the water 
 comes so near to his tucked-up trousers that he 
 'Cannot put forth his full strength without 
 wetting them ; and mother insists that this 
 must not be done. ^' Come, George and Fred, 
 bring the pickaxe and the iron lever, we must 
 
io8 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 have this fellow out ; he's right in the middle of 
 the pool. NoWj then, heave ! ^' 
 
 The lads obey, and father straddles so fiercely 
 that one leg slips down. 
 
 *' Hah ! therej you've done it now ! " from 
 mother. 
 
 " Well, my dear, it can't be helped," meekly, 
 from father, who is secretly glad, and prepares to 
 root out the stone like a Hercules. Jacky gets 
 excited, and hopes the other leg will slip down and 
 get wet too ! '' Here, hand me the lever, George ; 
 you don't put enough force to it." George 
 obeys and grins. '' Now then, once more, with 
 will — ho ! hi ! hup ! " Father strains at the 
 lever, which, not having been properly fixed, 
 slips', and he finds himself suddenly in a sitting 
 posture, with the water round his waist. As 
 the cool element embraces his loins, he ^^h — 
 ah — ^h ! " gasps, as every bather knows how ; 
 but the shock to his system is nothing com- 
 pared with the aggravation to his feelings when 
 he hears the joyful yell of triumph that issues 
 from the brazen lungs of his youngest hope. 
 
 '^ Never mind, Pll work all the better now 
 
Three Months^ Rustication, 109 
 
 — come, let us be jolly, and clear eut the rest 
 of the pool/' Good man ! nothing can put him 
 out. Gradually the bottom is cleared of stones 
 (excepting the big one), and levelled, and the 
 embankment is built to a sufficient height. 
 
 " Now for the finishing touch ! '^ cries George ; 
 "bring the turf, Fred— I'm ready!'' The 
 water of the bum is rushing violently through 
 the narrow outlet in the ^^ dyke." A heavy 
 stone is dropped into the gap, and turf is piled 
 on. " More turf ! more stones ! quick, look 
 alive ! — ^it'll burst everything — ^there, that's it ! " 
 All hands toil and work at the openings to 
 smother it up. The angry element leaks through, 
 bursts, gushes — is choked back with a ready 
 turf, and squirts up in their faces. Mother is 
 stunned to see the power of so small a stream 
 when the attempt is made to check it tho- 
 roughly; she is not mechanically-minded by 
 nature, and has learned nothing in that way by 
 education. It is stopped at last, however. 
 
 For a quarter of an hour the waters from above 
 are cut off from those below, as completely as 
 were those of the Jordan in days of old. They all 
 
no Freaks on the Fells; ovj 
 
 stand panting and silent, watcliing tlie rising of 
 the water, while George keeps a sharp eye on 
 the dyke to detect and repair any weakness. At 
 last it is full, and the surplus runs over in a 
 pretty cascade, while the accommodating stream 
 piles mud and stones against the dyke, and thus 
 unwittingly strengthens the barrier. The pool 
 is formed, full three feet deep by twenty broad. 
 Jacky wants to bathe at once. 
 
 " But the pool is like pea-soup, my pet — wait 
 until it clears." 
 
 " I wonH— let me bathe ! " 
 
 " Oh, Jacky, my darling ! " 
 
 ^awiU! IwiU!" 
 
 He does ; for in his struggles he slips on the 
 bank, goes in head foremost, and is fished out in 
 a disgusting condition ! 
 
 So the bathing-pool was made. It was un- 
 doubtedly a ^^ great institution j " they did not 
 know at the time that, like many such institu- 
 tions, it was liable to destruction j but they lived 
 to see it. 
 
 Meanwhile, to return from this long digres- 
 sion, Lucj, Tilly^ and Jacky bathed, while 
 
Three Months* Bustication. iii 
 
 Mrs. Brown watched and scolded. This duty 
 performed^ they returned to the house^ where 
 they found the remainder of the party ready for a 
 journey on foot to lake ^' What -you-may- call-it/^ 
 which lake Lucy named the Lake of the Clouds^, 
 its Gaelic cognomen being quite unpronounce- 
 able. 
 
iia Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A GRAND EXCURSION OVER THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Little did good Mr. Sudbeny think what an 
 excursion lay before him that day, when, in the 
 pride of untried strength and unconquerable 
 spirits, he strode up the mountain side, with his 
 dutiful family following, like a '*^tail" behind 
 him. There was a kind of narrow sheep-path, 
 up which they marched in single file. Father 
 :first, Lucy next, with her gown prettily tucked 
 up; George and Fred following, with large 
 fishing-baskets stufied with edibles ; Jacky next, 
 light and active, but, as yet, quiescent ; timorous 
 Peter bringing up the rear. He, also, was laden, 
 but not heavily. Mr. Sudberry carried rod and 
 basket, for he had been told that there were 
 large trout in the Lake of the Clouds. 
 
 Ever and anon the party halted and turned 
 
Three Months' Rustication, w^, 
 
 round to wave hats and kerchiefs to Mrs. Sud- 
 beny, Tilly, and Mrs. Brown, who returned the- 
 salute with interest, until the White House 
 appeared a mere speck in the valley below, and. 
 Mrs. Brown became so small that Jacky, for 
 the first time in his life, regarded her as a- 
 contemptible little thing ! At last a shoulder 
 of the hill shut out the view of the valley andj 
 they began to feel that they were in a deep soli-^ 
 tude, surrounded by wild mountain peaks. 
 
 It is a fact, that there is something pecuhariy 
 invigorating in mountain air. "What that some- 
 thing is we are not prepared to say. Oxygen 
 and ozone have undoubtedly something to do 
 with it, but in what proportions we know not. 
 Scientific men could give us a learned disquisi- 
 tion on the subject, no doubt; we therefore 
 refer our readers to scientific men, and confine 
 our observations to the simple statement of the 
 fact, that there is something extremely invigo- 
 rating in mountain air. Every mountaineer 
 knows it; Mr. Sudberry and family proved it 
 that day beyond dispute, excepting, by the way, 
 poor Peter, whose unfortunate body was not 
 I 
 
114 F^'ealcs on the Fells; oi'y 
 
 adapted for rude contact with the rough ele- 
 :ments of this world. 
 
 The whole party panted and became very 
 warm as they toiled upwards; but_, instead of 
 growing fatigued, they seemed to gather fresh 
 strength and additional spirit at every step — 
 always excepting Peter, of course. Soon a wild 
 spirit came over them. On gaining a level 
 patch of springy turf, father gave a cheer, and 
 rushed madly, he knew not, and cared not, 
 "whither. Sons and daughters echoed the cheer, 
 and followed his example. The sun burst forth 
 ^t the moment, crisping the peaks, gorges, and 
 clouds, — ^which -were all mingled together, — with 
 golden fires. Each had started off without 
 -definite intention, and they were scattered far 
 and wide in five minutes, but each formed the 
 natural resolve to run to the nearest summit, in 
 order to devour more easily the view. Thus, 
 they all converged again and met on a neigh- 
 bouring knoll that overtopped a terrific precipice 
 which overhung a small lake. 
 
 " The — Lake — of the — Clouds ! *' exclaimed 
 Lucy; as she came up, breathle^ and beaming. 
 
Three Months* Rustication, 115 
 
 "' Impossible ! *' cried her father ; *^ McAllister 
 «ays it is on tlie otlier side of the ridge, and 
 we're not n^ar the top yet. Where are Peter 
 and Jacky?'' 
 
 '' I cannot see them ! '* said George and Fred, 
 in a breath. 
 
 " No more can I/' cried Lucy. 
 
 1^0 more could anybody, except a hunter or 
 an eagle, f^^r they were seated quietly among 
 grey rocks and brown ferns, which blended with 
 their costume so as to render them all but 
 invisible. 
 
 The party on the knoll were, however, the 
 reverse of invisible to Jacky and his exhausted 
 companion. They stood out, black as ink, 
 against the bright blue sky, and were so sharply 
 defined that Jacky declared he could see the 
 *' turn-up of Lucy's nose." 
 
 The reader must not suppose that M'^ster 
 Jacky was exhausted, like his slender compa- 
 nion. A glance at his firm lip, flushed cheek, 
 sturdy little limbs, and bright eyes, would have 
 made that abundantly plain. No, Jacky was in 
 a peculiar frame of mind — that was all. H« 
 I 2 
 
fi6 FreaJcs on the Felh; or, 
 
 chose to sit beside Peter^ and,, as lie never con- 
 descended to give a reason for his choice, we 
 cannot state one. He- appeared to be medita- 
 tively inclined that day. Perhaps he was 
 engaged in the concoction of some excruciating 
 piece of wickedness — ^who knows ? 
 
 Suddenly Jacky turned with & look of earnest 
 gravity towards his companion, who was a woe- 
 begone spectacle of exhaustion. '^ I say, we^d 
 better go on, donH you think ? '' 
 
 Peter looked up languidly, sighed heavily, and 
 laid his hand on the fishing-basket full of sand- 
 wiches, which constituted his burden. It was 
 email and light, but to the poor boy it felt like 
 a ton. Jacky's eyes became still more owlisHy 
 wide, and his face graver than ever. He had 
 never seen him in this condition before — indeed, 
 Jacky^s experience of life beyond the nursery 
 being limited, he had never seen any one in such 
 a case before. 
 
 '^ I say, Peter, are you desprit blowM ?" 
 
 *' Desprit,^^ sighed Peter. 
 
 Jacky paused and gazed at his companion for 
 nearly a minute. 
 
Three Months Rustication^ 117 
 
 *' I say, d^e think you could walk if you 
 tried ?^^ 
 
 ^' Oh, yes ! '^ (with, a groan and a smile ;) 
 '^come, PU try to push ahead now/^ 
 
 "Here, give me the basket/' cried Jacky, 
 starting up with sudden and tremendous energy, 
 and wrenching the basket out of Peter's hand. 
 He did it with ease, although the small clerk 
 was twice the size of the imp. 
 
 Peter remonstrated, but in vain. Mrs. 
 Brown, a woman of powerful frame and strong 
 mind, could not turn Jacky from his purpose — ^it 
 was not likely, therefore, that an amiable milk- 
 and-water boy, in a state of exhaustion, could 
 do it. Jacky swung the basket over his 
 shoulder with an amount of exertion that made 
 him stagger, and, commanding Peter to follow, 
 marched up the hill with compressed lips and 
 knitted brows. 
 
 It was an epoch in the mental development of 
 Jacky — it was a new sensation to the child. 
 Hitherto he had known nothing but the feeling 
 of dependence. Up to this point he had been 
 compelled by the force of circumstances to look 
 
Ii8 Frcalcs on the Fells;, or,. 
 
 up to every one — and_, alas ! he had done so 
 with a very bad- grace. He had never known, 
 what it was to help any one. His mother had 
 thoroughly spoiled him. Strange infatuation in 
 the mother ! She had often blamed the boy for 
 spoiling his toys; but she had never blamed 
 herself for spoiling the boy ! '^ Darling Jacky ! 
 don^t ask the child to do anything for you — he's 
 too young yet." So Jacky was never asked to 
 help any one in any waj, except by Mrs. Browii,. 
 who did not '^ ask/^ but commanded^ and^, 
 although she never rewarded obedience with the 
 laurel, either literally or figuratively, she inva- 
 riably punished disobedience with the palm. 
 Little Tilly always did everything she wanted 
 done herself, and could never do enough for 
 Jacky, so that she afforded no opportunity for 
 her brother to exercise amiable qualities. Thus 
 was Jacky trained to be a selfish little imp, and 
 to this training he superadded the natural 
 wickedness of his own little heart.. But now,, 
 for the first time, the tables were turned. Jacky 
 felt that Peter was dependent on him — that he- 
 could not get on without him. '^Foor Peter^,, 
 
Three Months* Bustkation, 119! 
 
 I'll liclp liim — lie's a weak skinny chap, and I'm 
 strong as a lion — as a elephant — as a crokindile 
 — anything ! Come on, Peter, are you getting 
 better now?" Thus they went up the hill, 
 together. 
 
 '' Ha ! there they are at last, close under this 
 mound. Why, I do believe that Jacky's carry- 
 ing the basket ! " 
 
 Mr. Sudberry was bereft of breath at this 
 discovery ; so was every one else. Wlien the 
 boy stumped up the hill and flung down the- 
 basket with an emphatic " there ! " his father 
 turned to the small clerk — 
 
 "How now, sir, did you bid Jacky carry 
 that ? " 
 
 "Please, sir — no, sir;" (whimpering) "but 
 Master Jacky forced it out of my hand, sir, and 
 insisted on carrying it. He saw that I was very 
 tired, sir — and so I am, but I would not have-, 
 asked him to carry it, if I had been ever so 
 tired — ^indeed I would not, sir." 
 
 "Pm not displeased, my boy," said Mr. Sud- 
 berry, kindly, patting him on the head ; " I only 
 wanted to know if he offered." 
 
ii.20 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 " Of course I did/' cried the imp, stoutly, with 
 ^Ms arms akimbo — " and why not ? Don't you 
 •see that the poor boy is dead beat ; and was I 
 -goin' to stand by and see him faint by his -self, 
 all alone on the mountain?'' 
 
 '' Certainly not ! " and Mr. Sudberry seized 
 Jacky and whirled him round till he was quite 
 giddy, and fell on the heather with a cheer, and 
 vdeclared that he would not budge from that spot 
 iuntil they had lunched. Need we say that Mr. 
 Sudberry himself was the subject of a new sen- 
 :satioii that day, — a sensation of a peculiarly 
 hopeful nature, — as he gazed at his youngest son ; 
 while that refined Httle creature crammed himself 
 with sandwiches and gingerbread, and besmeared 
 his hands and visage with a pot of jam, that had 
 been packed away by his mother for her own 
 darling's special use ? 
 
 '^ My poor lad, you must not come any farther 
 with us. I had no idea you were so much fatigued. 
 Remain here by the provisions, and rest in the 
 sunshine till we return." 
 
 So Mr. Sudberry gave Peter a plaid that 
 had been carried up to serve as a table-cloth. 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 121 
 
 and told him to wrap well up in it, lest lie 
 -should catch cold. They left him there on the 
 knoll, refreshed and happy, and with a new feel- 
 ing in his breast in regard to Jacky, whom, up 
 to that day, he had regarded as an imp of the 
 most hopelessly incorrigible description. 
 
 '' Over the mountain and over the moor^^ the 
 Sudberrys wandered. The ridge was gained, 
 and a new world of mountains, glens, gorges, and 
 peaks was discovered on the other side of it, 
 with the Lake of the Clouds lying, like a bright 
 -diamond, far below them. They descended into 
 this new world with a cheer. A laugh or a cheer 
 was their chief method of conversation now — 
 their spirits as well as their bodies being so 
 high. " Not a house to be seen ! not a sign 
 of man ! the untrodden wilderness ! " cried Mr. 
 Sudberry. " Eobinson Crusoe ! Mungo Park ! 
 Pooh!'' shouted George. "Hooray!'' yelled 
 Jacky. The whole party laughed again, and 
 -down the slope they went, at such a pace that 
 it was a miracle they did not terminate their 
 career in the lake with the poetic name. 
 
 At this point every one was suddenly " seized." 
 
122 FrealiS on the Fells; or, 
 
 Mr. S. and George were seized with an irresistible^ 
 desire to fisli ; Fred was seized with a burning 
 desire to sketch ; Lucy was seized with a pas- 
 sionate desire to gather wild flowers ; and Jacky 
 was seized with a furious desu-o to wet himself 
 and wade luith Jiis shoes on. He did it, too, and, 
 in the course of an hour, tumbled into so many 
 peat-bogs, and besmeared himself with so muck 
 coffee-coloured mud, that his own mother would 
 have failed to recognize him. He was supremely 
 happy — so was his father. At the very first cast 
 he (the father) hooked a trout of half-a-pound 
 weight, and lost it, too ! but that was nothing.. 
 The next cast he caught one of nearly a pound.- 
 George was equally successful. Fortune smiled." 
 Before evening began to close, both baskets^ 
 were half full of splendid trout; Lucy^s basket 
 was quite full of botanical specimens; Fred's 
 sketch was a success, and Jacky was as brown 
 as a Hottentot from head to foot. They pre- 
 pared to return home, rejoicing. 
 
 Haste was needful now. A short cut round 
 the shoulder of the ridge was recommended by 
 George, and taken. It conducted them into a. 
 
TliVCG Months' Rustication. 123 
 
 totally different gap from the one which led to 
 their own valley. If followed out, this route 
 would have led them to a spot ten miles distant 
 from their Highland home; but they were in 
 blissful igTiorance of the fact. All gaps and 
 gorges looked much the same to them. Sud- 
 denly Mr. Sudberry paused : — 
 
 "Is this the way we came V 
 
 Grave looks, but no reply. 
 
 " Let us ascend this ridge, and make sure that 
 we are right. ^^ 
 
 They did so, and made perfectly certain that 
 they were wrong. Attempting to correct their 
 mistake, they wandered more hopelessly out of 
 their way, but it was not until the shades of 
 night began to fall that Mr. Sudberry, with a 
 cold perspiration on his brow, expressed his 
 serious belief that they were "lost!" 
 
124 Freahs on the Fells; or, 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 LOST ON THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Did ever the wortliy London mercliant, in tlie 
 course of his life, approach to the verge of the 
 region of despair, it was on that eventful night 
 when he found himself and his family lost among 
 the mountains of Scotland. 
 
 " It^s dreadful,^' said he, sitting down on a 
 cold grey rock, and beginning slowly to realize 
 the utter hopelessness of their condition. '^ My 
 poor Lucy, don^t be cast down^^ (drawing her 
 to his breast) ; ^^ after all, it will only be a night 
 of wandering. But we must keep moving. We 
 dare not venture to lie down in our wet clothes. 
 We must not even rest long at a time, lest a 
 chill should come upon you.^' 
 
 ^^ But Pm quite warm, papa, and only a very 
 little tired. I could walk for miles yet.^^ She 
 said this cheerily, but she could not help looking' 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 125 
 
 anxious. The night was so dark, however, that 
 no one could see her looks. 
 
 '^ Do let me go off alone, father/' urged 
 George ; " I am as fresh as possible, and could 
 run over the hills until I should fall in with 
 
 "Don't mention it, George; I feel that our 
 only hope is to keep together. Poor Peter ! 
 what will become of that boy ? '' 
 
 Mr. Sudberry became almost desperate as he 
 thought of the small clerk. He started up. 
 '^Come, we must keep moving. You are not cold, 
 dear ? are you sure you are not cold ? " 
 
 " Quite sure, papa; why are you so anxious?" 
 
 " Because I have a flask of brandy, which I 
 mean to delay using until we break down and 
 cannot get on without it. Whenever you begin 
 to get chilled I must give you brandy. Not till 
 then, however ; spirits are hurtful when there is 
 hard toil before you, but when you break down 
 there is no resource left. Rest, food, sleep, 
 would be better, but these we have no chance 
 of getting to-night. Poor Jacky ! does he keep 
 warm, George ? '' 
 
126 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 ^' No fear of liim/' cried George, with forced 
 gaiety. " He's all right/^ 
 
 Jack had broken down completely soon after 
 nightfall. Vigorously, manfully had he struggled 
 to keep up; but when his usual hour for going 
 to bed arrived, nature refused to sustain him. 
 He sank to the ground, and then George wrapped 
 him up in his shooting-coat, in which he now 
 lay, sound asleep, like a dirty brown bimdle, on 
 his brother's shoulders. 
 
 •^ I'll tell you v/hat,'' said Fred, after they had 
 walked, or rather stumbled, on for some time in 
 silence. Suppose you all wait here for ^^n. 
 minutes while I run like a greyhound to the 
 nearest height and sec if anything is to be seen. 
 Mamma must have alarmeu che whole neigh- 
 bourhood by this time, and if they are looking 
 for us they w^ll be sure to have lanterns or 
 torches.-" 
 
 " A good idea, my boy. Go, and pause every 
 few minutes to shout, so that we may not lose 
 you. Keep shouting, Fred, and we will wait 
 b)re and reply.'' 
 
 Fred was off in a moment, and before he Iiad 
 
Three Months* Rustication, 127 
 
 got fifty yards away was floundering knee- deep 
 in a peat-bog. So mucli for reckless haste, 
 thought he, as he got out of the bog and ran 
 forward with much more caution. Soon those 
 waiting below heard his clear voice far up the 
 heights. A few minutes more and it rang forth 
 again more faintly. Mr. Sudberry remarked that 
 it sounded as if it came from the clouds ; he put 
 his hands to his mouth, sailor fashion, and 
 rephed. Then they listened intently for the 
 next shout. How still it was while they, sat 
 there ! What a grand, gloomy solitude ! They 
 could hear no sound but the beating of their 
 own hearts. Solemn thoughts of the Creator 
 of these mighty hills crept into their minds as 
 they gazed around and endeavoured to pierce 
 the thick darkness. But this was impossible. 
 It was one of those nights in which the darkness 
 was so profound that no object could be seen 
 even indistinctly at the distance of ten yards. 
 Each could see the other^s form like a black 
 marble statue, but no feature could be traced. 
 The mountain peaks and ridges could indeed be 
 eeen against the dark sky, like somewhat deeper 
 
128 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 shadows, but the crags and corries, the scattered 
 rocks and heathery knolls, the peat-bogs and 
 the tarns of the wild scene which these circling 
 peaks inclosed — all were steeped in impenetrable 
 gloom. There seemed something terrible, almost 
 unnatural, in this union of thick darkness with 
 profound silence. Mr. Sudberry was startled 
 by the sound of his own voice when he again 
 spoke. 
 
 ^' The boy must have gone too far. I cannot 
 hear '' 
 
 '^Hush!^' 
 
 " Hi ! '^ in the far distance, like a faint echo. 
 They all breathed more freely, and Mr. Sud- 
 berry uttered a powerful response. Presently 
 the shout came nearer — nearer still, and soon 
 Fred rejoined them, with the disheartening in- 
 formation that he had gained the summit of the 
 ridge, and could see nothing whatever ! 
 
 *' Well, my children,^^ said Mr. Sudberry, with 
 an assumption of cheerfulness which he was far 
 from feeling, ^^ nothing now remains but to push 
 straight forward as fast as we can. We must 
 come to a road of some sort in the long run. 
 
Tliree Months' Rustication, 129 
 
 which will conduct to somewhere or other, no 
 doubt. Come, cheer up ; forward ! Follow close 
 behind me, Lucy. George, do you take the 
 lead — you are the most active and sharpsighted 
 among us ; and mind the bogs." 
 
 " What if we walk right over a precipice ! '* 
 thought Fred. He had almost said it, but 
 checked himself for fear of alarming the rest 
 unnecessarily. Instead of cautioning George, he 
 quietly glided to the front and took the lead. 
 
 Slowly, wearily, and painfully they plodded on, 
 stumbling at times over a rugged and stone- 
 covered surface, sometimes descending a broken 
 slope that grew more and more precipitous until 
 it became dangerous, and then, fearing' to go 
 farther — not knowing what lay before — ^they had 
 to retrace their steps and search for a more 
 gradual descent. Now crossing a level patch 
 that raised their hopes, inclining them to believe 
 that they had reached the bottom of the valley ; 
 anon coming suddenly upon a steep ascent that 
 dashed their hopes and induced them to suppose 
 they had turned in the wrong direction and were 
 reascending instead of descending the mountain, 
 
 K 
 
130 Freaks on the Fells; or^ 
 
 All the time Jacky slept like a top, and George, 
 being a sturdy fellow, carried liim without a 
 murmur. Several times Fred tried to make liim 
 give up his burden, but George was inexorably 
 obstinate. So they plodded on till nearly mid- 
 night. 
 
 ''Is that a house?" said Fred, stopping short 
 and pointing to a dark object just in front of 
 them. ''No, it's a lake." "Nonsense, it's a 
 mountain." A few more steps, and Fred recoiled 
 with a cry of horror. It was a precipice full a 
 hundred feet deep — the dark abyss of which had 
 assumed such varied aspects in their eyes ! 
 
 A long detour followed, and they reached the 
 foot in safety. Here the land became boggy- 
 Each step was an act fraught with danger,, 
 anxiety, and calculation. Whether they should 
 step knee-deep into a hole full of water, or trip 
 over a rounded mass of solid turf, was a matter 
 of absolute uncertainty until the step was 
 taken. 
 
 " Oh 1 that we had only a gleam of moon- 
 shine," said Lucy with a sigh. Moonshine ! 
 How often had George in the course of his lif@ 
 
Three Months' Biisticazia.T, 131, 
 
 talked witli levity, almost amounting to con- 
 tempt, of things being ^^ all a matter of moon- 
 shine ! ^' What would he not have given to 
 have had only a tithe of the things which sur- 
 rounded him at that time converted into '^ moon- 
 shine ! '' 
 
 A fee j!e cheer from Fred caused an abrupt 
 halt. 
 
 '' What is it t"—'' Hallo ! ''—'' What now ? '' 
 
 " The lake at last ! — Our own loch ! I knovv 
 the shape of it well ! Hurrah ! ^^ 
 
 Every one was overjoyed. They all gazed at 
 it long and earnestly, and unitedly came to the 
 conclusion that it was the loch — probably at 
 the distance of a mile or so. Pushing forward 
 with revived spirits, they came upon the object 
 of their hopes much sooner than had been anti- 
 cipated. In fact, it was not more than twe 
 hundred yards distant. A wild yell of laughteir 
 mingled with despair burst from Fred as the- 
 lake galloped away in the shape of a white horse ! 
 The untravelled reader may possibly doubt this* 
 Yet it is a fact that a white horse was thus 
 mistaken for a distant lake ! 
 K 2 
 
i^z Freciks on the Fells; or, 
 
 The revulsion of feeling was tremendous. 
 Every one sighed^ and Mr. Sudberry groaned, 
 for at that moment the thought of poor Peter 
 recurred to his mind. Yet there remained a 
 strange feeling of kindliness in the breast of 
 each towards that white horse. It was an un- 
 deniable proof of the existence of animal life in 
 those wild regions, a fact which the deep soli- 
 tude of all around had tempted them madly to 
 doubt — unknown even |to themselves. Besides, 
 it suggested the idea of an owner to the horse, 
 and by a natural and easy process of reasoning 
 they concluded that the owner must be a human 
 being, and that, when at home, he probably 
 dwelt in a house. What more probable than 
 that the house was even then within hail ? 
 
 Acting on the idea, Mr. Sudberry shouted for 
 two minutes with all his might, the only result 
 of which was to render himself extremely hoarse. 
 Then George tried it, and so did Fred, and 
 Jacky awoke and began to whimper and to ask 
 to be let alone. He also kicked a little, but 
 being very tired, soon fell asleep again. " You 
 must let me carry him now ! '^ said Fred. " I 
 
Three Months' Biistication. 133 
 
 won't ! " Fred tried force, but George was too 
 strong for him; so tliej went on as before, 
 Lucy leaning somewhat heavily on her father's 
 arm. 
 
 Presently they heard the sound of water. It 
 filled them with mitigated joy and excitement, 
 on the simple principle that aiiythinrj in the 
 shape of variety was better than nothing. A clap 
 of thunder would have raised in their depressed 
 bosoms a gleam of hope. A flash of lightning 
 would have been a positive blessing. Mr. 
 Sudberry at once suggested that it must be a 
 stream, and that they could follow its course — 
 wade down its bed, if necessary — till they should 
 arrive at ^^ something ! " Foolish man ! he had 
 been long enough in the Highlands by that time 
 to have known that to walk down the bed of 
 a mountain-burn was about as possible as to 
 walk down the shaft of a coal-mine. They came 
 to the edge of its banks, however, and looking 
 over, tried to pierce its gloom. There was a 
 pale gleam of white foam — a rumbling, rustling 
 sound beneath, and a sensation of moisture in 
 the atmosphere. ^^ It rains ! '' said Mr. Sud- 
 
t34 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 berry. " I rather tliink it's tlie spray of a fall ! '' 
 observed George. 
 
 Had Mr. Sudberiy known the depth, of the 
 tremendous gulf into which he was peering, and 
 the steep cliff on the edge of which he stood, he 
 v/ould have sprung back in alarm. But he did not 
 know — he did not entertain the faintest idea of 
 the truth^ so he boldly, though cautiously, began 
 to clamber down, assisting Lucy to descend. 
 
 Man (including woman) knows not what he 
 can accomplish until he tries. Millions of glit- 
 tering gold would not have induced any member 
 of that party to descend such a place in the dark, 
 iiad they known what it was — ^yet they accom- 
 plished it in safety. Down, down they went ! 
 ^' Dear me, when shall we reach the foot ? We 
 must be near it now.^' No, they were not near 
 it; still down they went, becoming more and 
 more alarmed, yet always tempted on by the 
 feeling that each step would bring them to the 
 bottom. ^' What a noise the stream makes ! 
 why, it must be a river ! '^ No, it was not a 
 river — it was a mere burn ; quite a little burn, 
 tbut — ^what then ? Little men are always fussier 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 135 
 
 and noisier than big men ; little boys invariably 
 liowl more furiously tlian big boys. Nature is 
 full of analogies ; and little streams^ especially 
 mountain streams, always make more ado in 
 finding their level titan big rivers. 
 
 They got down at last, and then they found 
 the stream rushing, bursting, crashing among 
 rent and riven rocks and boulders as if it had 
 gone furiously mad, and was resolved never - 
 more to flow and murmur, but always to leap 
 and roar. It was impassable; to walk down its 
 banks or bed was impossible, so the wanderers 
 had to re-ascend the bank and roam away over 
 black space in search of another crossing. They 
 soon lost the sound in the intricacies of cliffs and 
 dells, and never again found that stream. But 
 they found a narrow path, and Fred announced 
 the discovery with a cheer. It was an ex- 
 tremely rugged path, and appeared to have been 
 macadamized with stones the size of a man's 
 head. This led them to suspect that it must be 
 a, ditch, not a path ; but it turned out to be the 
 dry bed of a mountain torrent — dry, at least, 
 as regards running water, though not dry in 
 
1^6 Frcalcs on the Fells ; or , 
 
 respect of numerous stagnant pools, into whicli 
 at various times each member of the party 
 stepped unintentionally. It mattered not — 
 nothing could make them wetter or more 
 miserable than they were — so they thought. 
 They had yet to learn that the thoughts of men 
 are for ever misleading them, and that there is 
 nothing more certain than the uncertainty of all 
 human calculations. 
 
Tfiree Months' Eusticafion, 137 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 STILL LOST ! 
 
 Meanwhile, Mrs. Sudberry was thrown into a 
 species of frenzied horror, which no words can 
 describe, and which was not in any degree 
 allayed by the grave shaking of the head with 
 which Mr. McAllister accompanied his vain 
 efforts to comfort and reassure her. This ex- 
 cellent man quoted several passages from the 
 works of Dugald Stewart and Locke, tending to 
 show, in common parlance, that " necessity has 
 no law,'' and that the rightty- constituted human 
 mind ought to rise superior to all circumstances 
 — quotations which had the effect of making 
 Mrs. Sudberry more hysterical than ever, and 
 which induced Mrs. Brown to call him who 
 offered such consolation a " brute ! '' 
 
 But McAllister did not confine his efforts 
 Bolely to the region of mind. While he was 
 
138 Freaks 011 the Fells ; or, 
 
 earnestly administering doses of tlie wisdom of 
 Stewart and Locke to tlie agitated lady in the 
 parlour, Dan and Hugii, with several others, 
 were, by his orders, arming themselves in the 
 kitchen for a regular search. 
 
 " She's ready,'' said Dan, entering the par- 
 lour unceremoniously with a huge stable lantern. 
 
 " That's right, Dan — keep away up by the 
 slate corrie and come doun by the red tarn. If 
 they've taken the wrong turn to the right, you're 
 sure to fall in wi' them thereaway. Send Hugh 
 round by the burn; I'll go straight up the 
 hill and come doun upon Loch Cognahoighliey. 
 Give a shout now and then, as ye goo." 
 
 Dan was a man of action and few words : he 
 vouchsafed no reply, but turned immediately 
 and left the room, leaving a powerful odour of 
 the byre behind him. 
 
 Poor Mrs. Sudberry and Tilly were unspeak- 
 ably comforted by the grave business-like way in 
 which the search was gone about. They recalled 
 to mind that a search of a somewhat similar na- 
 ture, in point of manner jfnd time, was under- 
 taken a week before for a stray sheep, and that 
 
ThrcG Months' Rustication. 139 
 
 it liad been successful; so they felt relieved, 
 though, they remained^ of course^ dreadfully 
 anxious. McAllister refrained from administer- 
 ing any more moral philosophy. As he was not 
 at all anxious about the lost party, and was 
 rather fond of a sly joke, it remains to this day 
 a matter of doubt whether he really expected 
 that his nostrums would be of much use. In a 
 few minutes he was breasting the hill like a 
 true mountaineer, with a lantern in his hand, and 
 Tvith Hobbs by his side. 
 
 " Only think, ma'am,^' said Mrs. Brown, who 
 was not usually judicious in her remarks, ^^ only 
 think if theyVe been an^ fell hover a preci- 
 pice.^^ 
 
 " Shocking ! " exclaimed poor Mrs. Sudberry, 
 with a little shriek, as she clapped her hands on 
 her eyes. 
 
 " Poor Jacky, ma'am, p'raps 'e's lyin' hall in a 
 mr.i-igled 'eap at the foot of a '' 
 
 ^* Leave me !" cried Mrs. Sudberry, with an 
 -amount of sudden energy that quite amazed Mrs. 
 Brown, who left the room feeling that she was 
 an injured woman. 
 
I40 PreaTis on th'e Fells ; or, 
 
 *' Darling mamma, they will come back ! " 
 said Tilly, throwing her arms round her mother's 
 neck, and bursting into tears on her bosom. 
 '^ You know that the sheep — the lost sheep — was 
 found last week and brought home quite safe. 
 Dan is .90 kind, though he does not speak much, 
 and Hugh too. They will be sure to find them, 
 darling mamma!" 
 
 The sweet voice and the hopeful heart of the 
 child did what philosophy had failed to accom- 
 plish — Mrs. Sudberry was comforted. Thus we 
 see, not that philosophy is a vain thing, but that 
 philosophy and feeling are distinct, and that each 
 is utterly powerless in the domain of the other. 
 
 When Peter was left alone by his master, as 
 recorded in a former chapter, he sat himself 
 down in a cheerful frame of mind on the sunny 
 side of a large rock, and gave himself up to the 
 enjoyment of thorough repose, as well mental as 
 physical. The poor lad was in that state of ex- 
 treme lassitude which renders absolute and 
 motionless rest delightful. Extended at full 
 length on a springy couch of heath, with his 
 eyes peeping dreamily through the half-closed 
 
Three Months^ Rustication. 141 
 
 lids at the magnificent prospect of mountains 
 and glens tliat lay before him^ and below liim 
 too^ so that he felt like a bird in mid-air, 
 looking down upon the world,, with his right 
 arm under his meek head, and both pillowed 
 on the plaid, with his countenance exposed to 
 the full blaze of the sun, and with his recent 
 lunch commencing to operate on the system, 
 so as to render exhaustion no longer a pain, 
 but a pleasure, Peter lay on that knoll, high 
 up the mountain side, in close proximity to 
 the clouds, dreaming and thinking about — 
 nothing; that is to say, about everything or 
 anything in an imbecile sort of way : in other 
 words, wandering in his mind disjointedly over 
 the varied regions of memory and imagination ; 
 too tired to originate an idea ; too indijQTerent to 
 resist one when it arose ; too weak to follow it 
 out; and utterly indifferent as to whether his 
 mind did follow it out, or cut it short off in the 
 middle. 
 
 We speak of Peter's mind as a totally distinct 
 and separate thing from himself. It had taken 
 the bit in its teeth and run away. He cared no 
 
142 Frealcs 011 the Fells; or, 
 
 more for it than lie did for tlie nose on his face, 
 which, was, at that time, as red as a carrot, by 
 reason of the sun shining full upon its tip. But 
 why attempt to describe Peter^s thoughts? 
 Here they are — such as they were — for the 
 reader to make what he can out of them. 
 
 " Heigh ho ! comfortable now — -jolly — what a 
 place ! How I hate mountains — climbing them 
 — dreadful ! — like ^em to lie on, though — sun, I 
 like your jolly red-hot face — Sunday ! wonder 
 iPs got to do with sun — p^raps — twinkle, twinkle, 
 little sun, how I wonder — oh, what fun ! — won't 
 I have sich wonderful tales — tales — tails — sto- 
 ries are tails — stick 'em on the end of puppy- 
 dogs, and see how they'd look — two or three 
 two-legged puppies in the office — what a differ- 
 ence now ! — no ink-bottles, no smashings, no 
 quills, plenty of geese, though, and grouse and 
 hares — what was I thinking about ? Oh, yes — 
 the office — no scribbles — no stools, no desks, No- 
 vember — dear me, that's funny ! No-vember — 
 what's a vember ? Cut him in two can't join him 
 again — no — no — snore ! " 
 
 At this point Peter's thoughts went out al- 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 143 
 
 together in sleep, leaving tlie happy youtli in 
 peaceful oblivion. Ho started suddenly after an 
 hour^s nap, under the impression that he was 
 tumbling over a precipice. 
 
 To give a little scream and clutch wildly at the 
 heather was natural. He looked round. The 
 sun was still hot and high. Scratching his head, 
 as if to recall his faculties, Peter stared vacantly 
 at the sandwiches which lay beside him On a 
 piece of old newspaper. Gradually his hand 
 wandered towards them, and a gleam of intelli- 
 gence, accompanied by a smile, overspread his- 
 countenance as he conveyed one to his lips. 
 Eating seemed fatiguing, however. He soon 
 laid the remnant down, drew the plaid over him, 
 nestled among the heather, and dropped into a 
 heavy sleep with a sigh of ineffable comfort. 
 
 When Peter again woke up, the sun was 
 down, and just enough of light remained to 
 show that it was going to be an intensely dark 
 night. Can any one describe, can any one 
 imagine, the state of Peter's feelings ? Certainly 
 not ! Peter, besides being youthful, was, as we 
 have said, an extremely timid boy. He was 
 
144 Freal's on the Fells; o?-, 
 
 constitutionally afraid of tlie dark, even when 
 surrounded by friends. What, then, were his 
 sensations when he found himself on the moun- 
 tain alone — lost ! The thought w^as horror ! Peter 
 gasped ; he leaped up with a wild shout_, gazed 
 madly round, and sank down with a deep groan. 
 Up he sprang again and ran forward a few paces. 
 Precipices occurred to him — he turned and ran as 
 many paces backward. Bogs occurred to him — he 
 •came to a full stop, fell on his knees, and howled. 
 Up he leaped again, clapped both hands to his 
 mouth, and shouted until his eyes threatened to 
 come out and his face became purple, " Master ! 
 Master ! George ! hi ! hallo — o ! Jacky ! ho — 
 o — o ! ^^ The ^^ ! ^^ was prolonged into a wild 
 roar, and down he went again quite flat. Up he 
 jumped once more ; the darkness was deepening. 
 He rushed to the right — left — all round — tore 
 his hair and gazed into the black depths below — 
 yelled and glared into the dark vault above ! 
 
 Poor Peter ! Thus violently did his gentle 
 spirit seek relief during the first few minutes of 
 its overwhelming consternation. 
 
 But he calmed down in the course of time into 
 
Three Months* Rustication, 145; 
 
 a species of mild despair. A bursting sob broke- 
 from him occasionally, as with his face buried' 
 in his hands, his head deep in the heather, an^ 
 his eyes tight shut, he strove in vain to blind! 
 himself to the true nature of his dreadful positiorr^ 
 At last he became recklessly desperate, and, 
 rising hastily, he fled. He sought, poor lad, to fly 
 from himself. Of course the eSbrt was fruitless-^ 
 Instead of distancing himself — an impossibility 
 at all times — doubly so in a rugged country — h.9 
 tumbled himself over a cliS" (fortunately not a. 
 high one), and found himself in a peat-bog" 
 (fortunately not a deep one). This cooled an^ 
 somewhat improved his understanding, so that 
 he returned to the knoll a wiser, a wetter, and 
 a sadder boy. Who shall describe the agonies, 
 the hopes, the fears, the wanderings, the faggings, 
 and the final despair of the succeeding hours ? 
 It is impossible to say who will describe all 
 this, for we have not the slightest intention Ctf 
 attempting it. 
 
 Towards midnight Dan reached a very dark 
 and lonely part of the mountains, and was sud- 
 denly arrested by a low wail. The sturdy Celi 
 
 L 
 
1^6 Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 raised his lantern on high. Just at that moment 
 Peter's despair happened to culminate^ and he 
 lifted his head out of the heather to give free 
 vent to the hideous groan with which he meant, 
 if possible, to terminate his existence. The 
 groan became a shriek, first of terror, then of 
 •Ifcope after that of anxiety, as Dan came dancing 
 towards him like a Jack-o'-lantern. 
 
 " Fat is she shriekin' at ? '' said Dan. 
 
 '^ Oh ! Fm so glad — Pm so — o — ow — ^hoo ! '' 
 
 Poor Peter seized Dan round the legs, for, 
 being on his knees, he could not reach higher, 
 and embraced him. 
 
 '' Fat's got the maister ? " 
 
 Peter could not tell. 
 
 '' Can she waalk ? " 
 
 Peter couldn't walk — ^his limbs refused their 
 office. 
 
 ^^ Here, speel up on her back.'^ 
 
 Peter could do that. He did it, and hugged 
 Dan round the neck with the tenacity of a ship- 
 wrecked mariner clinging to his last plank. The 
 sturdy Celt went down the mountain as Hghtly 
 as if Peter wore a fly, and as if the vice-Hke 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 147 
 
 grip of his arms round his throat were the 
 embrace of a worsted comforter. 
 
 " Here they are, ma'am ! *' screamed ]Mrs. 
 Brown. 
 
 She was wrong. Mrs, Brown was usually 
 wrong. Peter alone was deposited before the 
 eager gaze of Mrs. Sudberry, who fainted away 
 with disappointment, Mrs, Brown said "be 
 off to Peter, and applied scent-bottles to her 
 mistress. The poor boy's grateful heart wanted 
 to embrace somebody; so he went slowly and 
 sadly upstairs, where he found the cat and 
 embraced it. Hours passed away, and the Sud- 
 berry family still wandered lost, and almos* 
 hopeless, among the mountains. 
 
 h 2 
 
14^ Freaks on the Fells; or. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 FOUND. 
 
 We left Mr* Sudberry and his children in the 
 nearly dry bed of a mountain torrent^ indulging 
 the belief that matters were as bad as could be, 
 and that, therefore, there was no possibility of 
 their getting worse. 
 
 A smart shower of rain speedily induced 
 them to change their minds in this respect. 
 Seeking shelter under the projecting ledge of a 
 great cliff, the party stood for some time there 
 in silence. 
 
 " You are cold, my pet,^^ said Mr. Sudberry. 
 
 '^ Just a little, papa ; I could not help shud- 
 dering," said Lucy, faintly. 
 
 " Now for the brandy,'^ said her father^ draw- 
 ing forth the flask. 
 
 *' Suppose I try to kindle a fire,'^ said George, 
 swinging the bundle containing Jacky off his 
 
Three Months^ Rustication, 149 
 
 shoulder, and placing it in a hollow of the 
 rocks. 
 
 " Well, suppose you try.'* 
 
 George proceeded to do so, but on collecting 
 a few broken twigs he found that they were 
 soaking wet, and on searching for the match- 
 box he discovered that it had been left in the 
 provision-basket, so they had to content them- 
 selves with a sip of brandy all round — excepting 
 Jacky. That amiable child was still sound 
 asleep, but in a few minutes he was heard to 
 utter an uneasy squall, and then George dis- 
 covered that he had deposited part of his ro- 
 tund person in a puddle of water. 
 
 '^ Come, let us move on,'* said Mr. Sudberry, 
 '^ the rain gets heavier. It is of no use putting 
 off time, we cannot be much damper than we 
 are.'' 
 
 Again the worthy man was mistaken ; for, in 
 the course of another hour, they were all so 
 thoroughly drenched, that their previous con- 
 dition might have been considered, by contrast, 
 one of absolute dryness. 
 
 Suddenly, a stone wall, topped by a paling. 
 
150 FreaTcs on the Fells; m% 
 
 barred tlieir furtiier progress. Fred^ who was 
 in advance, did not see this wall — he only felt 
 it when it brought him up. 
 
 "Heroes a gate, I believe/' cried George, 
 groping about. It was a gate, and it opened 
 upon the road ! For the first time for many 
 hours a gleam of hope burst in upon the be- 
 nighted wanderers. Presently a ray of light 
 dazzled them. 
 
 "What ! do my eyes deceive me — a cottage V^ 
 cried Mr. Sudberry. 
 
 " Ay, and a witch inside,*' said George. 
 
 " Why, it's old — no, impossible ! " 
 
 "Yes, it is, though — it's old Moggy's cot- 
 tage." 
 
 " Hurrah ! " cried Fred. 
 
 Old Moggy's dog came out with a burst of 
 indignation that threatened annihilation to the 
 whole party, but, on discovering who they were, 
 it crept humbly back into the cottage. 
 
 " Does she never go to bed ? " whispered 
 George, as they approached and found the old 
 woman moping over her fire, and swaying her 
 body ta and fro, with the thin dirty gown 
 
" It stared round the room with a vacant look."— p, 15] 
 
'fhree Months^ Rustication. 151 
 
 clinging close to lier figure^ and tlie spot- 
 lessly clean plaid drawn tightly round her 
 shoulders. 
 
 *'^Good evening, old woman/^ said Mr. Sud- 
 berry, advancing with a conciliatory air. 
 
 '^ It's morninV' retorted the old woman with 
 a scowl. 
 
 ^^ Alas ! yon are right ; here have we been 
 lost on the hills and wandering all nighty and 
 glad am I to find your fire burning, for my 
 poor daughter is very cold and much exhausted. 
 May we sit down beside you ? " 
 
 No reply save a furtive scowl. 
 
 '^ What's that ? " asked Moggy, sharply, as 
 George deposited his dirty wet bundle on the 
 floor beside the fire opposite to her. 
 
 The bundle answered for itself, by slowly 
 unrolling, sitting up and yawning violently, at 
 the same time raising both arms above its head 
 and stretching itself. Having done this, it 
 stared round the room with a vacant look, and 
 finally fixed its goggle eyes in xniile surprise 
 on Moggy. 
 
 The sight of this wet, dirty little creature 
 
s^Z Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 •actedj as formerly, like a charra on the old 
 woman. Her face relaxed into a smile of deep 
 tenderness. She immediately rose, and taking 
 the child in her arms carried him to her stool 
 and sat down with hijn in her lap. Jacky made 
 mo resistance ; on the contrary, he seemed to 
 liave made up his mind to submit at once and 
 with a good grace to the will of this strange 
 old creature — to the amazement as well as 
 amusement of his relations. 
 
 The old woman took no further notice of her 
 other visitors. She incontinently became stone 
 deaf and, apparently, blind, for she did not 
 deign to bestow so much as a glance on them, 
 while they circled close round her fire and 
 heaped on fresh sticks without asking leave. 
 But she made up for this want of courtesy by 
 bestowing the most devoted attentions on Jacky. 
 Finding that that young gentleman was in a 
 filthy as well as a moist condition, she quietly 
 undressed him, and going to a rough chest in a 
 corner of the hut, drew out a full suit of cloth- 
 ing, with which she speedily invested him. The 
 garb was peculiar — a tartan jacket, kilt, and 
 
Three Months^ Rustication. 1^3 
 
 hose, and these seemed to have been made ex- 
 pressly for him, they fitted so well. Although 
 quite clean, thin, threadbare, and darned, the 
 appearance of the garments showed that they 
 had been much worn. Having thus clothed 
 Jacky, the old woman embraced him tenderly, 
 then held him at arm's length and gazed 
 at him for a few minutes. Finally, she 
 pushed him gently away and burst into tears 
 — rocking herself to and fro, and moaning 
 dismally. 
 
 Meanwhile Jacky, still perfectly mute and 
 observant, sat down on a log beside the poor 
 old dame and stared at her until the violence 
 of her grief began to subside. The other mem- 
 bers of the party stared too — at her and at 
 •each other — as if to say, ^'What can all this 
 mean?'' 
 
 At last Jacky began to manifest signs of im- 
 patience, and, pulling her sleeve, he said— • 
 
 " Now, g'anny, lollipops V 
 
 Old Moggy smiled, rose, went to the chest 
 again, and returned with a handful of sweet- 
 meats, with which Jacky at once proceeded to 
 
154 Freaks on the Fells ; or, 
 
 regale kimself^ to tlie infinite joy of the old 
 
 't3 
 
 woman. 
 
 Mr. Sudberry now came to tlie conclusion tliat 
 there must be a secret understanding between 
 this remarkable couple ; and he was right. 
 Many a time during the last two weeks had 
 Master Jacky, all unknown to his parents^ made 
 his way to old Moggy's hut — attracted thereto 
 by the splendid ^^ lollipops '^ with which the 
 subtle old creature beguiled him, and also by 
 the extraordinary amount of affection she 
 lavished upon him. Besides this, the child had 
 a strong dash of romance in his nature, and it 
 was a matter of deep interest to him to be a 
 courted guest in such a strange old hovel, and 
 to be fondled and clothed, as he often was, in. 
 Highland costume, by one who scowled upon 
 everyone else — excepting her little dog, with 
 which animal he became an intimate friend. 
 Jacky did not trouble himself to inquire into the 
 reason of the old woman's partiality — sufficient 
 for him that he enjoyed her hospitality and her 
 favour, and that he was engaged in what he had 
 a vague idea must needs be a piece of clandes- 
 
Three Months* Bustication. 155 
 
 tine and very terrible wickedness. His long^ 
 absences, during these visits, had indeed been 
 noticed by his mother, but as Jacky was in the 
 habit of following his own inclinations in eveiy- 
 thing and at all times, without deigning to give- 
 an account of himself, it was generally under- 
 stood that he had just strayed a little farther 
 than usual while playing about. 
 
 While this was going on in Moggy's hut,, 
 George had been despatched to inform Mrs. 
 Sudberry of their safety. The distance being 
 short, he soon ran over the ground, and burst 
 in upon his poor mother with a cheer. Mrs. 
 Sudberry sprang into his arms and burst into 
 tears; Mrs. Brown lay down on the sofa and 
 went into quiet hysterics ; and little Tilly, who- 
 had gone to bed hours before in a condition of 
 irresistible drowsiness, jumped up with a scream, 
 and came skipping down stairs in her night- 
 gown. 
 
 '^ Safe, mother, safe ! '^ 
 
 ''And Jacky?'' 
 
 "Safe, too, all of us." 
 
 ''Oh! Tm so thankfid." 
 
156 Freaks on the Fells ; oVj 
 
 '' Noj not all of us,^^ said George, suddenly 
 recollecting Peter. 
 
 Mrs. Sudberry gasped and turned pale. ^^Oli ! 
 George, quick, tell me '' 
 
 " Poor Peter/^ began George. 
 
 '' Please, sir, Pve bin found,'' said a meek 
 voice behind him, at which George turned 
 round with a start — still supporting his 
 mother. 
 
 Mrs. Brown, perceiving the ludicrous nature 
 of the remark, began to grow violent on the 
 sofa and to kick a little. Then Mrs. Sudberry 
 asked for each of the missing ones individually 
 — sobbing between each question — and at each 
 sob Tilly's sympathetic bosom heaved, and Mrs. 
 Brown gave a kick and a subdued scream. 
 Then George began to tell the leading features 
 of their misfortunes rapidly, and Mrs. Brown 
 listened intently until Mrs. Sudberry again 
 sobbed, when Mrs. Brown immediately recol- 
 lected that she was in hysterics, and recom- 
 menced kicking. 
 
 ''But where are they?" cried Mrs. Sudberry, 
 suddenly. 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 157 
 
 '^ I was just coining to that — they're at old 
 Moggy's hut, drying themselves and resting/' 
 
 " Oh ! ni go down at once. Take me there." 
 
 Accordingly, the poor lady threw on her 
 bonnet and shawl and set off with George for 
 the cottage, leaving Mrs. Brown, now relieved 
 from all anxiety, kicking and screaming violently 
 on the sofa, to the great alarm of Hobbs, who 
 just then returned from his fruitless search. 
 
 '^ My son, my darhng !" cried Mrs. Sudberry, 
 as she rushed into the cottage and clasped Jacky 
 in her arms. She could say no more, and if she 
 had said more it could not have been heard, 
 for her appearance created dire confusion and 
 turmoil in the hovel. The lost and found 
 wanderers started up to welcome her, the little 
 dog sprang up to bark furiously and repel her, 
 and the old woman ran at her screaming, with 
 intent to rescue Jacky from her grasp. There 
 was a regular scuffle, for the old woman was 
 strong in her rage, but George and Fred held 
 her firmly though tenderly back, while Mr. S. 
 hurried his alarmed spouse and their child out 
 of the hut, and made for home as fast as 
 
158 Frcalis on the Fells; or, 
 
 possible. Lucy followed witli George almost 
 immediately after_, leaving Fred to do his best 
 to calm and comfort tbe old woman. For his 
 humane eflforts Fred received a severe scratching 
 on the face^ and was compelled to seek refuge 
 in flight. 
 
TJiree Months' Rustication, 159 
 
 CHAPTER XI 1 1. 
 
 VISITING THE POOE. 
 
 For some time after this tlie Sudberry family 
 -wore particularly careful not to wander too far 
 from their mountain home. Mr. Sudberry 
 forbade every one, on pain of bis utmost dis- 
 pleasure, to venture up among the bills without 
 McAllister or one of his lads as a guide. As a 
 further precaution, he wrote for six pocket com- 
 passes to be forwarded as soon as possible. 
 
 '^ My dear," said his wife, " since you are 
 writing home, you may as well " 
 
 '^ My dear, I am not writing home." 
 
 " You're writing to London for compasses, 
 are you not ? " 
 
 *' No," said Mr. Sudberry with a smile, ^^ I 
 believe they understand how to manufacture the 
 mariner's compass in Scotland — I am writing to 
 my Edinburgh agent for them." 
 
i6o Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 ^^ Oil ! all; well, it did not occur to me. Now 
 you mention it, I think I have heard that the 
 Scotch have sort of scientific tendencies/^ 
 
 " Yes, they are ^ feelosophically ' inclined, as 
 our friend McAllister would say. But what did 
 you want, my love ? " 
 
 '^ I want a hobby-horse to be sent to us for 
 Jacky ; but it will be of no use writing to Edin- 
 burgh for one. I suppose they do not use such 
 things in a country where there are so few 
 real horses, and so few roads fit for a horse to 
 walk on.*' 
 
 Mr. Sudberry made no reply, not wishing to 
 incur the expense of such a useless piece of 
 furniture, and his wife continued her needlework 
 with a sigh. From the bottom of her large 
 heart she pitied the Scottish nation, and won- 
 dered whether there was the remotest hope of 
 the place ever being properly colonized by the 
 English, and the condition of the aborigines 
 ameliorated. 
 
 " Mamma, Pm going with Flora Macdonald 
 to visit her poor people,'' said Lucy, entering at 
 the moment with a flushed face, — for Lucy was 
 
Tltree Months' Rustication, i6i 
 
 addicted to running when in a hurry — and with 
 a coquettish little round straw hat. 
 
 " Yery well, my love, but do take that good- 
 natured man to guide you — Mr. What^s-his- 
 name — Pve such a memory ! Ah ! McCannister ; 
 do take him with you, dear.'' 
 
 " There is no need, mamma. Nearly all the 
 cottages lie along the road-side, and Flora is 
 quite at home here, you know.'' 
 
 '' True, true, I forgot that." 
 
 Mrs. Sudberry sighed and Lucy laughed gaily 
 as she ran down the hill to meet her friend. 
 The first cottage they visited was a little rough 
 thatched one with a low roof, one door, and two 
 little windows, in which latter there were four 
 small panes of glass with a knot in each. The 
 interior was similar to that of old Moggy's hut, 
 but there was more furniture in it, and the 
 whole was pervaded by an air of neatness and 
 cleanliness that spoke volumes for its owner. 
 
 " This is Mrs. Cameron's cottage," whispered 
 Flora as they entered. " She was knocked over 
 by a horse while returning from church last 
 Sunday, and I fear has been badly shaken. 
 
i62 Freaks on the Fells; 
 
 or. 
 
 — ^Well, Mrs. Cameron, how are you to- 
 day?" 
 
 A mild little voice issued from a box-bed in. 
 a corner of the room. " Thankee, mem, Fm 
 no that ill, mem. The Lord is vera kind to 
 me — ay.'' 
 
 There was a mild sadness in the tone, a sort 
 of — the-world's-in-an-awfu'-state,-but-no-doot- 
 it's-a'-for-the-bestj-an'-Pm-resigned-to-my-lot,- 
 though-I-wad-na-objec'-to-it^s-being-a-we-thing- 
 better-oo-ay, — feehng in it, which told of much 
 sorrow in years gone by, and of deep humility, 
 for there was not a shade of complaint in the 
 tone. 
 
 " Has the doctor been to see you, my dear 
 granny'?'' inquired Flora, sitting down at the 
 side of the box-bed, while Lucy seated herself 
 on a stool and tried to pierce the gloom within. 
 
 " Oo, ay, he cam' an' pood aff ma mutch, an' 
 feel'd ma heed a' over, but he said nothin' — 
 only to lie quiet an' tak a pickle water- gruel, 
 00 ay." 
 
 As the voice said this its owner raised herself 
 on one elbow, and, peering out with a pair. 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 163 
 
 of brigM eyes, displayed to her visitor tTie small, 
 withered, yet healthy countenance of one who 
 mus-t have been a beautiful girl in her youth. 
 She was bow upwards of seventy, and was, as 
 Lucy afterwards said, " a sweet, charming, dear 
 old woman/' Her features were extremely 
 small and delicate, and her eyes had an anxious 
 look, as if she were in the habit of receiving 
 periodical shocks of grief, and were wondering 
 what shape the next one would take. 
 
 ^' I have brought you a bottle of wine," said 
 Flora ; " now don't shake your head — you must 
 take it; you cannot get well on grueh Your 
 •daughter is at our house just now, I shall meet 
 her on my way home and wiU tell her to insist 
 on your taking it/' 
 
 The old woman smiled, and looked at Lucy. 
 
 ^^ This is a friend whom I have brought to see 
 you,'' said Flora, observing the glance. The 
 old woman held out her hand, and Lucy pressed 
 it tenderly. '' She has come all the way from 
 London to see our mountains, granny." 
 
 ^^ AjV said the old woman with, a kind 
 motherly smile, '^it's a lang way to Lunnon, a 
 M 2 
 
164 FreaJcs on ttte Fells; o?, 
 
 la-a-ng way ay. Ye'll be thinkin' we^re a wild 
 kind o' folk liere-away ; somewhat uncouth, we 
 are, no doot." 
 
 '^ Indeed, I think you are very nice people/^ 
 said Lucy, earnestly. " I had no idea how charm- 
 ing your country was, until I came to it.^' 
 
 '' Ay, 00 ay ! we can only get ideas by seein' 
 or readin\ It^s a grawnd thing, travelling, but 
 it's wonderfu' what readin' '11 do. My guid- 
 man, that's deed this therteen year, — ay, — 
 come Marti'mas, he wrought in Lunnon for 
 a year before we was marrit, an' he sent me 
 the news-papers reglar once a month — ay, the 
 English is fine folk. My guid-man aye said 
 that." 
 
 Lucy expressed much interest in this visit 
 of the departed guid-man, and, having touched 
 a chord which was extremely sensitive and not 
 easily put to rest after having been made to 
 vibrate, old Mrs. Cameron entertained her with 
 a sweet and prolix account of the last illness, 
 death, and burial, of the said guid-man, with the 
 tears weUing up in her bright old eyes and 
 hopping over her wrinkled cheeks until Flora 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 165 
 
 forbade her to say anotlier word, reminding her 
 of tlie doctor's orders to keep quiet. 
 
 " Oo ay, ye'U be gawin' to read me a bit o' 
 the book f'-* 
 
 " I tbougbt you would ask that ; what shall 
 it be?'' 
 
 ^^ Oo, ye canna go wrang." 
 
 Flora opened the Bible, and, selecting a pas- 
 sage, read it in a slow, clear tone, while the old 
 woman lay back and listened with her eyes up- 
 turned and her hands clasped. 
 
 '^ Isn't it grawnd ? " said she, appealing to 
 Lucy with a burst of feeling, when Flora had 
 concluded. 
 
 Lucy was somewhat taken aback by this en- 
 thusiastic display of love for the Bible, and felt 
 somewhat embarrassed for an appropriate an- 
 swer j but Flora came to her rescue — 
 
 '^I've brought you a book, granny; it will 
 amuse you when you are able to get up and 
 read. There now, no thanks — you positively 
 must lie down and try to sleep. I see your 
 cheek is flushed with all this talking. Good day, 
 granny ! " 
 
1 65 Frealis on the Fells; or, 
 
 '^ Tlie next whom we will visit is a very differ- 
 ent eliaracter/^ said Flora^ as they walked 
 briskly along the road that followed the wind- 
 ings of the river ; ^' he dwells half a mile off/"* 
 
 ^^ Then you will have time to tell me about old 
 Moggy,'^ said Lucy. " You have not yet ful- 
 mied your promise to tell me the secret connected 
 with her, and I am burning with impatience to 
 know it/' 
 
 ^^ Of course you are ; every girl of your age is 
 set on fire by a secret. I have a mind to keep 
 you burning a Httle longer.^' 
 
 " And pray,, gi-andmamma,^^ said Lucy, with 
 an expressive twinkle in her eyes, ^^at what 
 period of your prolonged life did you come to- 
 form such a just estimate of character in girls 
 oi my age?'' 
 
 " Pll answer that question another time,'' said 
 Flora ; " meanwhile, I will relent and tell you 
 about old Moggy. But, after all, there is not 
 much to tell, and there is no secret connected 
 with her, although there is a little mystery." 
 
 " No secret, yet a mystery ! a distinction with- 
 out a difference, it seems to me." 
 
Tliree Months' Rustication. 167 
 
 ^^ Perhaps it is. You shall hear : — ^When a 
 middle-aged woman. Moggy was housekeeper to 
 Mr. Hamilton,, a landed proprietor in this neigh- 
 bourhood. Mr. Hamilton's gardener fell in love 
 with Moggy; they married, and, returning to 
 this their native hamlet, settled down in the 
 small hut which the old woman still occupies. 
 They had one daughter, named Mary, after Mr. 
 Hamilton's sister. When Mary was ten years 
 old her father died of fever, and soon after- 
 wards Moggy was taken again into Mr. Hamil- 
 ton's household in her old capacity; for his 
 sister was an invalid, and quite unfit to manage 
 his house. In the course of time httle Mary 
 became a woman and married a farmer at a consi- 
 derable distance from this neighbourhood. They 
 had one child, a beautiful fair-haired little fellow. 
 On the very day that he was born his father 
 was killed by a kick from a horse. Tha shock 
 to the poor mother was so great, that she sank 
 under it and died. Thus the little infant was 
 left entirely to the care of his grandmother. He- 
 was named Willie, after his father. 
 
 '^ Death seemed to cast his shadow over poor 
 
1 68 Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 Moggy's path all her life through. Shortly after 
 this event Mr. Hamilton died suddenly. This was 
 a great blow to the housekeeper, for she was much 
 attached to her old master, who had allowed her 
 to keep her little grandson beside her under his 
 roof. The sister survived her brother about five 
 years. After her death the housekeeper returned 
 to her old hut, where she has ever since lived on 
 the interest of a small legacy left her by her old 
 master. Little Willie, or wee WuUie, as she 
 used to call him, was the light of old Moggy's 
 eyes, and the joy of her heart. She idolized and 
 would have spoiled him, had that been possible, 
 but the child was of a naturally sweet disposition, 
 and would not spoil. He was extremely amiable 
 and gentle, yet bold as a young lion, and full of 
 fun. I do not wonder that poor old Moggy was 
 both proud and fond of him in an extraordinary 
 degree. The blow of his removal well-nigh 
 withered her up, body and soul '' 
 
 '^ He died V said Lucy, looking up at Flora 
 with tearfiil eyes. 
 
 '^ No, he did not : perhaps it would have been 
 better if the poor child had died ; you shall hear. 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 169 
 
 When Willie was six years old a gang of gipsies 
 passed through this hamlet^ and_, taking up their 
 abode on the common, remained for some time. 
 They were a wild, dangerous set, and became 
 such a nuisance that the inhabitants at last took 
 €he law into their own hands, and drove them 
 away. Just before this occurred Httle Willie 
 ■disappeared. Search was made for him every- 
 where, but in vain. The gipsies were suspected, 
 -and their huts examined. Suspicion fell chiefly 
 •on one man, a stout ill-favoured fellow, with an 
 ugly squint and a broken nose ; but nothing could 
 1)6 proved either against him or the others, ex- 
 <jept that at the time of the child's disappearance, 
 this man was absent from the camp. From that 
 •day to this, dear httle Willie has never been 
 Tieard of. 
 
 *' At first, the poor old grandmother went about 
 .almost mad with despair and anxiety, but, as years 
 "passed by, she settled down into the moping old 
 •creature you have seen her. It is five years 
 «ince that event. Willie will be eleven years 
 ■old now, if alive ; but, alas ! I fear he must be 
 ■dead.'-' 
 
I JO Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 '^ Wliat a sad_, sad tale ! ^' said Lucy. '^ I sup- 
 pose it must be because our Jacky is about tlie 
 age that Willie was when lie was stolen^ that 
 the poor woman has evinced such a fondness for 
 him/^ 
 
 '^ Possibly ; and, now I think of it, there is a 
 good deal of resemblance between the two, 
 especially about the hair and eyes, though Willie 
 was much more beautiful. You have noticed, 
 no doubt, that Moggy wears a clean plaid '^ 
 
 " Oh, yes,^^ interrupted Lucy, "1 have observed 
 that.-'' 
 
 ^^That was the plaid that Willie used to wear 
 in winter. His grandmother spends much of her 
 time in washing it j she takes great pains to keep 
 it clean. The only mystery about the old woman 
 is the old chest in one corner of her hut. She 
 keeps it jealously locked, and no one has ever 
 found out what is in it, although the inquisitive 
 folk of the place are very anxious to know. But 
 it does not require a wizard to tell that. Doubt- 
 less it contains the clothing and toys of her grand- 
 son. Poor old Moggy V 
 
 " I can enlighten you on that point,'' said 
 
Three Months* Rustication. lyi 
 
 Lucy, eagerly opening tlie lid of a small basket- 
 which, liung on her arm, and displaying the small 
 suit of Highland clothing in which Jacky had been 
 conveyed home on the night when the Sudberrys 
 were lost on the hills. '' This suit came out of 
 the large chest, and as I knew you meant to ^-isit 
 Moggy to-day, I brought it with me/' 
 
 The two friends reached the door of a small 
 cottage as Lucy said this, and tapped. " Come 
 in V gruffly said a man's voice. This was one of 
 Flora's difficult cases. The man was bed-ridden, 
 and was nursed by a granddaughter. He was 
 quite willing to accept comfort from Flora, espe- 
 cially when it took the shape of food and medi- 
 cine ; but he would not listen to the Bible. Flora 
 knew that he liked her visits, however ; so, with 
 prayers in her heart and the Bible in her hand, 
 she persevered hopefully, yet with such dehcacy 
 that the grujff old man became gruffer daily, 
 as his conscience began to reprove him for his 
 gruffness. 
 
 Thus, from hut to hut she went, with love to 
 mankind in her heart and the name of Jesus on 
 her lip ; sometimes received with smiles and sent 
 
172 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 away with blessings, occasionally greeted witli a 
 cold look, and allowed to depart with a frigid 
 ^^ good-day P' 
 
 Lucy had often wished for some such work as 
 this at home, but had not yet found courage 
 to begin. She was deeply sympathetic and 
 observant. Old Moggy was the last they visited 
 that day. Flora was the only female she would 
 tolerate. 
 
 ^^ Pve been tryin' to say't a' night an^ I canna 
 do^t ! " she said stoutly, as the ladies entered. 
 
 ^' You forget the words, perhaps, dear Moggy — 
 
 ' The Lord gave, and the Lord hath ' '' " Na, 
 
 na, I dinna forget them, but I canna say them." 
 So Flora sat down on a stool, and gently sought, 
 by means of the Bible, to teach the old woman 
 one of the most difficult lessons that poor human 
 nature has got to learn in this world of mingled 
 happiness and woe. 
 
Tliree Months^ Bustication. 173 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A SURPRISE AND A BATTLE. 
 
 '^ Here ! halloo ! hi ! Hobbs ! I say/^ shouted 
 Mr. Sudberry, running out at the front door, 
 after having swept Lucy's workbox off the table 
 and trodden on the cat's tail. '^ Where has 
 that fellow gone to? He's always out of the 
 way. Halloo ! (looking up at the nursery 
 window) Mrs. Brown!" 
 
 Mrs. Brown, being deeply impressed with the 
 importance of learning (just because of Mrs. Sud- 
 berry's contempt thereof), was busily engaged at 
 that moment in teaching Miss TiUy and Master 
 Jacky a piece of very profound knowledge. 
 
 " Now, Miss Tilly, what is the meaning of 
 procrastination ? " {^^ Ho ! hi ! halloo-o-0-0 " 
 from Mr. Sudberry ; but Mrs. Brown, supposing 
 the shout is meant for any one but herself, takes 
 no notice of it.) 
 
174 Frcat{s on iTte Fells; or, 
 
 Tillij. — '^ Doing to-day what you might have 
 put oS till to-morrow/' {'' Halloo ! ho ! don't 
 you hear ? hi ! '' from below.) 
 
 Mrs, Brown. — " No^ you little goose ! What 
 is it, Jacky ? " 
 
 Jacky. — ^' Doing to-morrow what you might 
 have put off till to-day/' (" Hi ! halloo ! are 
 you deaf up there ? ") 
 
 Mrs. Brown. — "Worse and worse, stupid httle 
 goose ! '' 
 
 Jacky (indignantly). — " Well, then, if it's 
 neither one thing nor t'other, just let's hear 
 
 what you make it out to be " ("Hi! ho f 
 
 halloo ! Mrs. Bra-a-o-w-n ! ") 
 
 " Bless me, I think papa is calling on me. 
 Yes, sir. Was you calling, sir" (throwing up 
 the window and looking out) ? 
 
 " Calling ! no ; I was n't *" calling.'* I was 
 shrieking, howling, yelling. Is Hobbs there ? " 
 
 " No, sir ; 'Obbs is not 'ere, sir." 
 
 " Well, then, be so good as to go and look for 
 him, and say I want him directly to go for the 
 letters." 
 
 " 'Ere I am, sir," said Hobbs, coming sud- 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 175 
 
 ■denly round the corner of tlie house^ with an 
 appearance of extreme haste. 
 
 Hobbs had, in fact, been within hearing of 
 his master, having been, during the last half- 
 hour, seated in McAllister^s kitchen, where the 
 uproarious merriment had drowned all other 
 sounds. Hobbs had become a great favourite 
 with the Highland family, owing to his hearty 
 good humour and ready power of repartee. The 
 sharp cockney, with the easy-going effrontery 
 peculiar to his race, attempted to amuse the • 
 household — namely, Mrs. McAllister, Dan, , 
 Hugh, and two good-looking and sturdy-limbed 
 servant-girls — by measuring wits with the 
 " canny Scot,'^ as he called the farmer. He 
 soon found, however, that he had caught a 
 Tartar. The good-natured Highlander met his 
 raillery with what we may call a smile of grave 
 simplicity, and led him slily into committing ' 
 himself in such a way that even the untutored 
 servants could see how far the man was behind 
 their master in general knowledge ; but Hobbs 
 took refuge in smart reply, confident assertion, 
 extreme volubility, and the use of hard words. 
 
176 Frealcs on the Fells; ovj 
 
 so that it sometimes seemed to the domestics as 
 if he really had some considerable power in 
 argument. Worthy Mrs. McAllister never joined 
 in the debate, except by a single remark now 
 and then. She knew her son thoroughly, and 
 before the Sudberrys had been a week at the 
 White House she understood Hobbs through 
 and through. She was wont to sit at her spin- 
 ning-wheel regarding this intellectual sparring 
 with grave interest, as a peculiar phase of the 
 human mind. A very sharp encounter had 
 created more laughter than usual at the time 
 when Mr. Sudberry halloed for his man-servant. 
 
 " You must be getting deaf, Hobbs, I fear,'' 
 said the master, at once pacified by the man's 
 arrival ; '^ go down and fetch '^ 
 
 *^ Pray do not send him away just now/^ 
 cried Mrs. Sudberry, " I have something par- 
 ticular for him to do. Can you go down 
 yourself, dear?'' 
 
 The good man sighed. ^^Well, I will go/' 
 and accordingly away he went. 
 
 ''Stay, my dear." 
 
 "Well." 
 
Three Months* Rustication, 177 
 
 ^' I expect one or two small parcels by the 
 coacli this morning ; mind you ask for ^em and 
 bring ^em up/' 
 
 ^* Ay, ay ! '* and Mr. Sudberry, with his hands 
 in his pockets, and his wideawake thrust back 
 and very much on one side of his head, sauntered 
 down the hill towards the road. 
 
 One of the disadvantageous points about the 
 White House was its distance from any town or 
 market. The nearest shop was four miles off, 
 so that bread, butcher-meat, and groceries had 
 to be ordered a couple of days beforehand, and 
 were conveyed to their destination by the mail- 
 coach. Even after they were deposited at the 
 gate of Mr. McAllister's farm, there was still 
 about half a mile of rugged cart-road to be got 
 over before they could be finally deposited in the 
 White House. This was a matter of constant 
 anxiety to Mr. Sudberry, because it was necessary 
 that some one should be at the gate regularly to 
 receive letters and parcels, and this involved 
 constant attention to the time of the mail pass- 
 mg. When no one was there, the coachman 
 left the property of the family at the side of the 
 
 N 
 
178 Freaks on the Felh 
 
 or. 
 
 road. Hobbs, however^ was usually up to timej, 
 fair weatber and foul^ and tbis was tbe first time 
 bis master bad been called on to go for tbe 
 letters. 
 
 Walking down the road^ Mr. Sudberry wbistled 
 an extremely operatic air_, in tbe contentment 
 of bis beartj and glanced from side to side, with 
 a feeling amounting almost to affection, at tbe 
 various objects wbicb bad now become quite 
 familiar to bim, and witb many of wbicb be bad 
 interesting associations. 
 
 Tbere was tbe miniature but, on tbe roof of 
 wbicb be usually laid bis rod on returning from 
 a day^s fisbing. Tbere was tbe rude stone bridge 
 over tbe bum, on tbe low parapet of wbicb be 
 and tbe family were wont to sit on fine evenings,, 
 and commune of fisbing, and boating, and cbmb- 
 ing, and wonder wbetber it would be possible ever 
 asrain to return to tbe bumdrum life of London. 
 Tbere was tbe pool in tbe same burn over wbicb 
 one day be, reckless man, bad essayed to leap, 
 and into wbicb be bad tumbled, wben in eager 
 pursuit of Jacky. A little below tbis was tb& 
 pool into wbicb tbe said Jacky bad rusbed in 
 
Three Months' Uustication, 179 
 
 wild desperation on finding tiiat his father was 
 too fleet for him. Passing through a five-barred 
 gate into the next fields he skirted the base of a 
 high_, precipitous crag, on which grew a thicket 
 of dwarf trees and shrubs, and at the foot of 
 which the bum warbled. Here_, on his left, 
 stood the briar bush out of which had whirred the 
 first live grouse he ever set eyes on. It was at 
 this bird that, in the madness of his excitement, 
 he had flung first his stick, then his hat, and 
 lastly his shout of disappointment and defiance. 
 A little further on was that other bush out of 
 which he had started so many grouse that he 
 now never approached it without a stone in each 
 hand, his eyes and nostrils dilated, and his 
 breath restrained. He never by any chance on 
 these occasions sent his artillery within six yards 
 of the game ; but once, when he approached the 
 bush in a profound reverie, and without the 
 usual preparation, he actually saw a bird crouch- 
 ing in the middle of it ! To seize a large stone 
 and hit the ground at least forty yards beyond 
 the bush was the work of a moment. Up got 
 the bird with a tremendous whizz ! He flung; 
 
i8o Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 Ms stick wildly, and, hitting it (by chance) fair 
 on the head, brought it down. To rush at it, 
 fall on it, crush it almost flat, and rise up slowly 
 holding it very tight, was the result of this 
 •successful piece of poaching. Another result 
 was a charming addition to dinner a few days 
 afterwards. 
 
 At all these objects Mr. Sudberry gazed be- 
 nignantly as he sauntered along in the sunshine, 
 indulging in sweet memories of the recent past, 
 and whistling operatically. 
 
 The high-road gained, he climbed upon the 
 gate, seated himself upon the top bar to await 
 the passing of the mail, and began to indulge 
 in a magnificent air, the florid character of which 
 he rendered much more effective than the com- 
 poser had intended by the introduction of in- 
 numerable flourishes of his own. 
 
 It was while thus engaged, and in the middle 
 <)f a tremendous shake, that Mr. Sudberry sud- 
 denly became aware of the presence of a man 
 not more than twenty yards distant. He was 
 lying down on the embankment beside the road, 
 and his ragged dress of muddy-brown corduroy 
 
Three Months' Rustication. ibi 
 
 so resembled the broken ground on whicli ha 
 lay that he was not a very distinct object, even 
 when looked at point-blank. Certainly Mr. 
 Sudberry thought him an extremely disagreeable 
 object as he ended in an ineffective quaver and 
 with a deep blush ; for that man must be more- 
 than human who, when caught in the act of 
 attempting to perpetrate an amateur concert in 
 all its parts, does not feel keenly. 
 
 Being of a sociable disposition, Mr. Sudberry 
 was about to address this ill-favoured beggar — 
 for such he evidently was — ^when the coach came- 
 round a distant bend in the road at full gallop. 
 It was the ordinary tall, top-heavy mail of the' 
 first part of the nineteenth century. Being a 
 poor district, there were only two horses, a white 
 and a black ; but the driver wore a stylish red 
 coat, and cracked his whip smartly. The road; 
 being all down hill at that part, the coach came 
 on at a spanking pace, and pulled up with a 
 crash. 
 
 The beggar turned his face to the ground, and 
 pretended to be asleep. 
 
 Mr. Sudberry noticed this; but, being in* 
 
&Sz Finales on the Fells; or, 
 
 ierested in his own afikirs^ soon forgot th© 
 circumstance. 
 
 " Got any letters for me to-day, my man ? " 
 
 Oh yes, he has letters and newspapers too. 
 I^Ir. Sudberry mutters to himself as they are 
 lianded down, " Capital ! — ^ha ! — ^business ; hum ! 
 — ^private j ho ! — compasses ; good ! Any 
 more ? " 
 
 There are no more ; but there is a parcel or 
 two. The coachman gets down and opens the 
 door of the box behind. The insides peep out, 
 ^and the outsides look down with interest. A. 
 great many large and heavy things are pulled 
 out and laid on the road. 
 
 Mr. Sudberry remarks that it would have been 
 **^ wiser to have stowed his parcels in front. ^■' 
 
 The coachman observes that these are his 
 parcels, shuts the door, mounts the box, and 
 drives away, with the outsidee grinning and the 
 insides stretching their heads out, leaving Mr. 
 ^Sudberry transfixed and staring. 
 
 *' ^ One or two small parcels,^ '' murmured the 
 «good man, recalling his wife's words — ' and mind 
 ^a bring 'em up.' One salmon, two legs of 
 
TJiree Months' Rustication* 18^ 
 
 mutton, one ham, three dozen of beer, a cask 
 of — of — sometliing or other, and a bag of — of — 
 ditto (groceries, I suppose), ' and mind you 
 bring ^em up ! ' How! ^^^a^s the question !' ^' 
 cried Mr. Sudberry, quoting Hamlet, in des- 
 peration. 
 
 Suddenly he recollected the beggar-man. 
 "Halloo! friend; come hither/' 
 
 The man rose slowly, and rising did not im- 
 prove his appearance. He was rather tall, shaggy, 
 loose-jointed, long-armed, broad-shouldered, and 
 ihe squinted awfully. His nose was broken, and 
 his dark colour bespoke him a gipsy. 
 
 " Can you help me up to yonder house with 
 these things, my man ? '' 
 
 " No,'' said the man, gruffly, '^ I'm footsore 
 with travellin' ; but I'll watch them here while 
 you go up for help." 
 
 " Oh ! ahem ! " said Mr. Sudberry, with 
 peculiar emphasis; "you seem a stout fellow, 
 and might find more difficult ways of earning 
 half a crown. However, I'll give you that sum if 
 you go up and tell them to send down a barrow." 
 
 " I'll wait here," replied the man, with a 
 
184 Freaks on the Fells ; or, 
 
 sarcastic grin, limping back to his former seat 
 on the bank. 
 
 *' Oh ! very well, and I will wait here," said 
 Mr. Sudberry, seating himself on a large stone, 
 and pulling out his letters. 
 
 Seeing this, the gipsy got up again, and looked 
 cautiously along the road, first to the right and 
 then to the left. No human being was in sight. 
 Mr. Sudberry observed the act, and felt un- 
 comfortable. 
 
 " YouM better go for help, sir,'' said the man, 
 coming forward. 
 
 '' Thank you, Fd rather wait for it.''^ 
 
 '^ This seems a handy sort of thing to carry,^'" 
 said the gipsy, taking up the sack that looked 
 like groceries, and throwing it across his shoulder. 
 '' I'll save you the trouble of taking this one up, 
 anyhow." 
 
 He went ojff at once at a sharp walk, and with 
 no symptom either of lameness or exhaustion. 
 Mr. Sudberry was after him in a moment. The 
 man turned round and faced him. 
 
 *' Put that where you took it from ! " thundered 
 Mr. Sudberry. 
 
Three Months* Rustication. 185 
 
 " OH ! you're going to resist." 
 
 The gipsy uttered an oath_, and ran at Mr. 
 Sudberry, intending to overwhelm him with oner 
 blow, and rob him on the spot. The big block- 
 head little knew his man. He did not know 
 that the little Englishman was a man of iron 
 frame ; he only regarded him as a fiery little 
 gentleman. Still less did he know that Mr. 
 Sudberry had in his youth been an expert boxer, 
 and that he had even had the honour of being 
 knocked flat on his back more than once by 
 fi-qfessional gentlemen — in an amicable way, 
 of course — at four and sixpence a lesson. He 
 knew nothing of all this, so he rushed blindly 
 on his fate, and met it — ^that is to say, he met 
 Mr. Sudberry's left fist with the bridge of his 
 nose, and his right with the pit of his stomach ; 
 the surprising result of which was that the gipsy 
 staggered back against the wall. 
 
 But the man was not a coward, whatever other 
 bad qualities he might have been possessed oL 
 Eecovering in a moment, he rushed upon his 
 little antagonist, and sent in two sledge-hammer 
 blows with such violence that nothing but the 
 
1 86 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 Englisliman's activity could have saved him from 
 instant defeat. He dncked to the first, parried 
 the second_, and returned with such prompt 
 goodwill on the gipsy^s right eye, that he was 
 again sent staggering back against the wall; 
 from which point of observation he stared 
 straight before him, and beheld Mr. Sudberry> 
 in the wildness of his excitement, performing a 
 species of Cherokee war-dance in the middle of 
 the road. Nothing daunted, however, the man 
 was about to renew his assault, when George 
 and Fred, all ignorant of what was going on, 
 came round a turn of the road, on their way to 
 see what was detaining their father with the 
 letters. 
 
 " Why, that's father ! '' cried Fred. 
 
 "Fighting \'' yelled George. 
 
 They were off at full speed in a moment. The 
 gipsy gave but one glance, vaulted the wall, and 
 dived into the imderwood that lined the banks of 
 the river. He followed the stream a few hundred 
 yards, doubled at right angles on his course, and 
 in ten minutes more was seen crossing over a 
 shoulder of the hill, like a mountain hare. 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 18*7 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 A DEEAM AND A BALL. 
 
 That evening Mr. Sudberry, having spent the 
 day in a somewhat excited state — having swept 
 everything aronnd him, wherever he moved, with 
 his coat-tails, as with the besom of destruction — 
 having despatched a note to the nearest consta- 
 bulary station, and having examined the bolts 
 and fastenings of the windows of the White House 
 — sat down after supper to read the newspaper, 
 and fell fast asleep, with his head hanging over 
 the back of his chair, his nose turned up to the 
 ceiling, and his mouth wide open. His loving 
 family — minus Tilly and Jacky, who were abed — 
 encircled the table, variously employed, and 
 George stood at his elbow, fastening up a pair 
 •of bookshelves of primitive construction, coupled 
 together by means of green cord. 
 
 While thus domestically employed, they heard 
 
J 88 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 a loudj steady thumping outside. Tke Sudberrys 
 were well acquainted by tbis time witb tbat sound 
 and its cause. At first it bad filled Mrs. S. with 
 great alarm^ raising in her feeble mind horrible 
 reminiscences of tales of burglary and midnight 
 murder. After sufiering inconceivable torments 
 of apprehension for two nights,, the good lady 
 could stand it no longer^ and insisted on her 
 husband going out to see what it could be. As 
 the sound appeared to come from the cottage, or 
 ofishoot from the White House, in which the- 
 McAlKsters lived, he naturally went there, and 
 discovered that the noise was caused by the- 
 stoutest of the two servant-girls. This sturdy 
 lass, whose costume displayed a pair of enormous 
 ankles to advantage, and exhibited a pair^of arms- 
 that might have made a prize-fighter envious,, 
 was standing in the middle of the floor, with a 
 large iron pot before her and a thick wooden pin> 
 in her hands, with the end of which she was, 
 according to her own statement, *' champin^ 
 tatties.'^ 
 
 Mrs. McAllister, her son, Hugh and Dan, and- 
 the other servant-girl, were seated round the 
 
Three Months^ Rustication, 189 
 
 walls of the room^ watching the process with 
 deep interest, for their supper was in that pot. 
 The nine dogs were also seated round the room, 
 watching the process with melancholy interest ; 
 for their supper was not in that pot, and they 
 linew it, and wished it was. 
 
 " My dear,^^ said Mr. Sudberry, on returning 
 to the parlour, '^ they are ^ champing tatties.' " 
 
 "What?" 
 
 '^ ' Champing tatties ;' in other words, mashing 
 potatoes, which it would seem, with milk, con- 
 stitute the supper of the family .'' 
 
 Thus was Mrs. Sudberry's mind relieved, and 
 from that night forward no further notice was 
 taken of the sound. 
 
 But on the present occasion the champing of 
 the tatties had an unwonted effect on Mr. Sud- 
 berry. It caused him to dream, and his dreams 
 naturally took a pugilistic turn. His breathing 
 "became quick and short ; his face began to twitch ; 
 and Lucy suggested that it would be as well to 
 '^ awake papa," when papa suddenly awaked 
 himself, and hit George a tremendous blow on 
 the shoulder. 
 
xgo Freaks on tJie Fells; or, 
 
 " Hallo ! father/^ cried George remonstrativelv^ 
 rubbing tlie assaulted limb ; '' really, you know^ 
 if you come it in this way often_, you will alienato 
 my afFections_, I fear/^ 
 
 " My dear boy ! — wliat ? — ^where ? Why I 
 was dreaming ! " 
 
 Of course he was, and the result of his dream^ 
 was that everybody in the room started up in, 
 surprise and excitement. Thereafter they sat 
 down in a gay and very talkative humour. Soo» 
 afterwards a curious squeaking was heard in tli& 
 adjoining cottage, and another thumping sound 
 began which was to the full as unremitting as,, 
 and much more violent than, that caused by 
 ^' champin' tatties. '' The McAUister household,, 
 having supped, were regaling themselves with a 
 dance. 
 
 " What say to a dance with them ? " said 
 Gewge. 
 
 ^^ Oh !^^ cried Lucy, leaping up. 
 
 "Capital!'' shouted Mr. Sudberry, clapping 
 his hands. 
 
 A message was sent in. The reply was,. 
 *' heartily welcome ! " and in two minutes Mr. 
 
Three Months' Rustication. jgi 
 
 Sudberry and stout servant-girl No. 1, George 
 and stout girl No. 2, Hugh and Lucy, Dan aiui 
 Hobba (the latter consenting to act as girl 
 No. 3), were dancing the Eeel o^Tullocbgorum 
 like maniacs, to the inspiring strains of McAllis- 
 ter's violin, while Peter sat in a corner in con- 
 stant dread of being accidentally sat down upon. 
 Fred, in another corner, looked on, laughed, and 
 was caressed furiously by the nine dogs. Mrs. 
 Sudberry talked philosophy in the window, with 
 grave, earnest Mrs. McAllister, whose placid 
 equanimity was never disturbed, but flowed on, 
 broad and deep, hke a mighty river, and whose 
 interest in all things, small and great, seemed 
 never to flag for a moment. 
 
 The room in which all this was going on was of 
 the plainest possible description. It was the hall, 
 the parlour, the dining-room, the drawing-room, 
 and the library of the McAllister family. Earth 
 was the floor, whitewashed and uneven were the 
 walls, non-existent was the ceiling, and black with 
 peat- smoke were the rafters. There was a dresser, 
 clean and white, and over it a rack of plates and 
 dishes. There was a fire-place — a huge yawning 
 
192 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 gulf^ witli a roaring fire (for culinary purposes 
 only, being summer) — and beside it a massive 
 iron gallows, on whicli to hang the family pot. 
 Said pot was a cauldron ; so big was it that there 
 was a species of winch and a chain for raising and 
 lowering it over the fire ; in fact, a complicated 
 sort of machinery, mysterious and soot-begrimed, 
 towered into the dark depths of the ample chim- 
 ney. There was a brown cupboard in one comer, 
 -and an apoplectic eight-day clock in another. A 
 small bookshelf supported the family Bible and 
 several ancient and much- worn volumes. Wooden 
 benches were ranged round the walls ; and clumsy 
 chairs and tables, with various pails, buckets, 
 luggies, troughs, and indescribable articles, com- 
 pleted the furniture of the picturesque and cozy 
 afpartment. The candle that lighted the whole 
 was supported by a tall wooden candlestick, 
 whose foot rested on the ground, and whose 
 body, by a simple but clumsy contrivance, could 
 be lengthened or shortened at pleasure, from 
 about three to five feet. 
 
 But besides all this, there was a world of 
 materiel disposed on the black rafter^ above — 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 193 
 
 old farm implements, broken furniture, an old 
 musket, an old claymore, a broken spinning- 
 wheel, &c., all of wbicb were piled up and so^ 
 mingled with the darkness of the vault above, 
 that imagination might have deemed the spot s^ 
 general rendezvous for the aged and the maimed 
 of '^ still life/^ 
 
 Fast and furious was the dancing that night. 
 Native animal spirits did it all. No artificial- 
 stimulants were there. '^ Tatties and mulk " 
 were at the bottom of the whole affair. Tho^ 
 encounter of that forenoon seemed to have had 
 the effect of recalling the spirit of his youth to 
 Mr. Sudberry, and his effervescing joviality gavey 
 tone to all the rest. 
 
 '' Now, Fred, you must take my place,^^ said- 
 lie, throwing himself in an exhausted condition 
 on a " settle ."^^ 
 
 " But perhaps your partner may want a rest ?"' 
 suggested Fred. 
 
 Lass No. 1 scorned the idea, so Fred began. 
 
 ^^Are your fingers not tired ?^' asked Mi. 
 Sudberry, wiping his bald forehead, whicb 
 glistened as if it had been anointed with oil. 
 
194 I^reaKs on the Fells; or, 
 
 " Not yet/' said McAllister, quietly. 
 
 Not yet ! If the worthy Highlander had 
 played straight on all night and half the next 
 day, he would have returned the same answer to 
 the same question. 
 
 "You spend a jolly life of it here^" said Mr. 
 Sudberry to Mrs. McAllister. 
 
 " Ay, a pleasant life, no doot ; but we're not 
 always fiddling and dancing.-" 
 
 " True, but the variety of herding the cattle 
 on these splendid hills is charming.-" 
 
 " So it is,'' assented Mrs. McAlHster ; " we've 
 reason to be contented with our lot. Maybe ye 
 would grow tired of it, however, if ye was 
 always here. I'm told that the gentry whiles 
 grow tired' of their braw rooms, and take to 
 plowterin' aboot the hills and bums for change. 
 Sometimes they even dance wi' the servants in a 
 Highland cottage ! " 
 
 ^' Ha ! you have me there," cried Mr. 
 Sudberry, laughing. 
 
 ^' Let me sit down, pa, pray do ! " cried Lucy. 
 Her father rose quickly, and Lucy dropped into 
 iiis place quite exhausted. 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 195 
 
 " Come, father, relieve me ! '^ cried Fred. 
 ^^ I^m done up, and my partner won't give m." 
 
 To say trutli, it seemed as if tlie said partner 
 (stout lass No. 1) never would give in at all. 
 From tlie time that tlie Sudberrys entered 
 she had not ceased to dance reel after reel, 
 without a minute of breathing-time. Her 
 countenance was like the sun in a fog; her 
 limbs moved as deftly and untiringly, after 
 having tired out father and son, as they did 
 when she began the evening, and she now went 
 on, with a quiet smile on her face, evidently 
 resolved to show their English guests the nature 
 of female Highland metal. 
 
 In the midst of all this the dogs suddenly 
 became restive and began to growl. Soon after a 
 knock came to the door, and the dogs rushed at it, 
 barking violently. Mr. McAllister went out, and 
 found that a company of wandering beggars had 
 arrived, and prayed to be allowed to sleep in the 
 barn. Unfortunate it was for them that they 
 came so soon after Mr. Sudberry^s unpleasant 
 rencontre with one of their fraternity. The 
 good man of the house, although naturally 
 o 2 
 
196 Freahs on the Fells; or, 
 
 humane and hospitable to such poor wanderers, 
 was on the present occasion embittered against 
 them ; so he ordered them off. 
 
 This incident brought the evening to an 
 abrupt termination, as it was incumbent on the 
 farmer to see the intruders safely off his 
 premises. So the Sudberrys returned, in a 
 state of great delight, excitement, and physical 
 warmth, to their own parlour. 
 
 The only other fact worth recording in regard 
 to this event is, that the Sudberrys were two 
 hours late for breakfast next morning ! 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 197 
 
 CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 THE EFFECTS OP COMPASSES. 
 
 The first few weeks of the Sudberrys' residence 
 in their Highland home were of an April cast — 
 alternate sunshine and shower. Sometimes they 
 had a day of beaming light from morning till 
 night; at other times they had a day of un- 
 mitigated rain, or, as Mr. Sudberry called it, 
 " a day of cats and dogs ; " and occasionally 
 they had a day which embraced within its own 
 circuit both conditions of weather — glorious 
 bursts of sunshine alternating with sudden 
 plumps of rain. 
 
 Thus far the weather justified and strength- 
 ened the diverse opinions of both husband and 
 wife. 
 
 " Did I not tell you, my love, that the 
 climate was charming ? '' was Mr. Sudberry's 
 triumphant remark when a dazzling blaze ot 
 
198 I^realis on t^c Fells; or, 
 
 light would roll over flood and fell and clias©' 
 tlie clouds away. 
 
 ^^ There,, didn^t I say so ? '' was the withering 
 rejoinder of Mrs. S., when a back cloud rolled 
 over the sky and darkened the landscape as with 
 a wipe of ink. 
 
 Hitherto victory leaned decidedly to neither- 
 side^ the smile of triumph and the humbled 
 aspect of defeat rested alternate on either 
 countenance^ so that both faces taken together 
 formed a sort of contradictory human barometer, 
 which was not a bad one — at all events it was 
 infinitely superior to that instrument of the 
 banjo type which Mr. Sudberry was perpetually 
 tapping in order to ascertain whether or not its 
 tendencies were dropsical. 
 
 When father was up at ^' set fair," mother was 
 certain to be depressed, inclining to much rain ; 
 yet, strangely enough, it was on such occasions 
 very dry ! When mother was " fair ■'^ (baro- 
 metrically speaking, of course), father was- 
 naturally down at " changeable ! " Yet there 
 was wonderful contradiction in the readings of 
 this barometer ; for, when mother's countenance^ 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 199 
 
 indicated '^mucli rain/' father sometimes went 
 down to " stormy/' and the tails of his coat 
 became altogether unmanageable. 
 
 But^ towards the middle of the holidays, father 
 gained a decided victory. For three weeks 
 together they had not a drop of rain — scarcely a. 
 cloud in the sky; and mother, although fairly 
 beaten and obliged to confess that it was indeed 
 splendid weather, met her discomfiture with a. 
 good grace, and enjoyed herself extremely^ — in a» 
 quiet way. 
 
 During this bright period the Sudberry family, 
 one and all, went ahead, as George said, '*" at 
 a tremendous pace." The compasses having 
 arrived, Mr. Sudberry no longer laid restrictions 
 on the wandering propensities of his flock ; but, 
 having given a compass to each, and taught 
 them all the use of it, sent them abroad upon 
 the unexplored ocean of hills without fear. Even 
 Jacky received a compass, with strict injunc- 
 tions to take good care of it. Being naturally of 
 an inquiring disposition, he at once took it to 
 pieces, and this so effectually that he succeeded 
 in analyzing it into a good many more pieces 
 
aoo Freahs on the Fells; or, 
 
 than its fabricator had. ever dreamed of. To 
 put it, together again would have taxed the 
 ingenuity of the same fabricator — no wonder 
 that it was beyond the power of Jacky alto- 
 gether. But this mattered nothing to the " little 
 darling/' as he did not understand his father's 
 learned explanation of the uses of the instru- 
 ment. To do Mr. Sudberry justice, he had not 
 expected that his boy could understand him; 
 but he was aware that if he, Jacky, did not get 
 a compass as well as the rest of them, there would 
 be no peace in the White House during that 
 season. Moreover, Jacky did not care whether 
 he should get lost or not. In fact, he rather 
 relished it ; for he knew that it would create a 
 pleasant excitement for a time in the household, 
 and he entertained the firm belief that McAllister 
 and his men could find any creature on the hills, 
 man or beast, no matter how hopelessly it should 
 be lost. 
 
 There being, then, no limit to the wanderings " 
 of the Sudberrys, they one and all gave them- 
 selves over deliberately to a spirit of riotous 
 rambling. Of course they all^ on various occa- 
 
Three Months* Rustication. 201 
 
 -sions, lost themselves^ despite tlie compasses; 
 but, having become experienced mountaineers, 
 they always took good care to find themselves 
 again before sunset. George and Fred candidly 
 declared that they preferred to steer by '' dead 
 xeckoning/' and left their compasses at home. 
 Lucy always carried hers, and frequently con- 
 sulted it, especially when in her father's pre- 
 sence, for she was afflicted, poor girl, with that 
 unfashionable weakness, an earnest desire to 
 please her father even in trifles. Nevertheless, 
 she privately confided to Fred one day that she 
 was often extremely puzzled by her compass, 
 -and that she had grave doubts as to whether, 
 on a certain occasion, when she had gone for 
 a long ramble with Hector and Flora Mac- 
 'donald, and been lost, the blame of that disaster 
 was not due to her compass. Fred said he 
 thought it was, and believed that it would be 
 the means of compassing her final disappearance 
 from the face of the earth if she trusted to it so 
 much. 
 
 As for Mr. Sudberry himself, his faith in the 
 < compass was equal to that of any mariner. The 
 
202 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 worthy man was, or believed himself to be (which 
 is the same thing, you know !) . of profoundly 
 scientific tendencies. He was aware, of course,, 
 that he had never really studied any science what- 
 ever; but he had dabbled in a number of them, 
 and he felt that he had immense capacity for deep 
 thought and subtle investigation. His mind was 
 powerfally analytical — that^s what it was. One 
 consequence of this peculiarity of mind was that 
 he "took his bearings" on short and known 
 distances, as well as on long venturesome ram- 
 bles; he tested himself and his compass, as it 
 were. 
 
 One day he had walked out alone in the 
 direction of the village, four miles distant from 
 the White House, whence the family derived 
 their supplies. He had set out with his rod (he 
 never walked near the river without his rod), 
 intending to take a cast in what he styled the 
 ''^ lower pools.-'^ By degrees he fished so near 
 to the village that he resolved to push forward 
 and purchase a few books. Depositing rod and 
 basket among the bushes, he walked smartly 
 along the road, having previously, as a matter 
 
Three Months' izustication. 203: 
 
 of cburse, taken Ms bearings from the village" 
 by compass. A flock of skeep met kirn, gazed 
 at kim in evident surprise, and passed on. At 
 tkeir keels came tke colHo dog, witk kis tongue 
 out. It bestowed a mild, intelligent glance on 
 tke stranger, and also passed on. Close bekind 
 tke dog came tke skepkerd, witk plaid bonnet 
 and tkick stick. 
 
 " A fine day, friend,^-' said ]^^r. Sudberr}^ 
 
 '^ Oo, ay, it is a fine day." 
 
 He also passed on. 
 
 Anotker turn in tke road, and Mr. Sudberry 
 met a drove of skaggy cattle, eack cow of wkick 
 looked sturdy and fierce enougk for any ordinary 
 bull; wkile tke bull kimself was sometking 
 awful to look upon. Tkere is notking ladylike or 
 at all feminine in tke aspect of a Higkland cow ! 
 
 Mr. Sudberry politely stepped to one side^ 
 and made way for tkem. Many of tke animals 
 paused for an instant, and gazed at tke Englisk- 
 man witk profound gravity, and tken went on 
 tkeir way witk an air tkat skewed tkey evidently 
 could make notking of kim. Tke drover tkougkt 
 otherwise, for ke stopped. 
 
204 Frealcs on the Fells j or, 
 
 " Coot-tay to you^ sir/^ 
 
 " Good-day, friend, good-day. Splendid wea- 
 ther for tlie — for tlie — " Mr. Sudberry did not 
 know exactly for wliicli department of agricul- 
 ture tlie weather was most favourable, so he 
 said — ^' for the cattle.^^ 
 
 " Oo, ay, the weather's no that ill. Can she 
 tell the time o^ day ? '' 
 
 Out came the compass. 
 
 " West-nor-west, and by Oh ! I beg your 
 
 pardon (pulling out his watch and replacing the 
 compaes), a quarter-past two.'^ 
 
 The drover passed on, and Mr. Sudberry, 
 chuckling at his mistake, took the bearings of 
 a tall pine that grew on a distant knoll. 
 
 On gaining the outskirts of the village, Mr. 
 Sudberry felt a sensation of hunger, and in- 
 ■stantly resolved to purchase a bun, which article 
 he had now learned to call by its native name of 
 *^^ cookie.-'^ At the same instant a bright idea 
 struck him — ^he would steer for the baker^s shop 
 by compass ! He knew the position of the shop 
 exactly — the milestone gave him the distance — 
 he would lay his course for it. He would walk 
 
Three Months' Uustication. 205. 
 
 conscientiously, with his eyes on the ground, ex- 
 cept when it was necessary to refer to the com- 
 pass, and he would not raise them until he stood 
 within the shop. It would be a triumphant exhi-^ 
 hition of the practical purposes, in a small way, 
 to which the instrument might be applied. 
 
 Full of this idea, he took a careful observa- 
 tion of the compass, the sun, and surrounding 
 nature; laid his coiirse for the baker^s shop,, 
 which was on the right side of the village, and 
 walked straight into the butcher's, which lay 
 on its left extremity. He was so much put out. 
 on lifting his eyes t® those of the butcher, that 
 he ordered a leg of mutton and six pounds 
 of beefsteaks on the spot. The moment after he 
 recollected that two legs of mutton and a round 
 of beef had been forwarded to the White House 
 by coach the day before, and that there was a 
 poached brace of moorfowl in the larder at that, 
 moment; but, having given the order in a 
 prompt, business tone of voice, he felt that ho 
 lacked moral courage to rescind it. 
 
 '^Ye'U ha'e frien's comin' to veesit ye,'' ob* 
 served the butcher, who was gifted with a pecu- 
 
:2o6 Frealcs on 'he Fells; or, 
 
 liar and far-sighted faculty of " putting tliat and 
 Jiat together/' 
 
 '^ No ; we have no immediate prospect of such 
 a pleasure/' 
 
 ^' Ay ? Hum ! it's wonderfu' what an appe- 
 teet the hill air gives to strangers." 
 
 ^' A tremendous appetite ! Good-day, friend." 
 
 Mr. Sudberry said this heartily, and went off 
 to the baker's — by dead reckoning — discomfited 
 but chuckling. 
 
 The butcher pondered and philosophized over 
 the subject the remainder of the afternoon, with 
 much curiosity but with no success. Had the 
 wisdom of Plato been mingled with his Scotch 
 philosophy, the compound reduced to an essen- 
 tial oil of investigative profundity, and brought 
 to bear on the subject in question, he would 
 have signally failed to discover the reason of 
 the Sudberrys' larder being crammed that 
 week with an unreasonable quantity of butcher- 
 meat. 
 
 Yes ! during these three weeks of sunshine 
 the Siidbenys made hay of their time as 
 diligently as the McAllisters made hay of their 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 207 
 
 grass, and tlie compasses played a prominent 
 part in all their doings, and led them into 
 many scrapes. Among other things, they led 
 them to Glen Ogle. More of this in the next 
 chapter. 
 
2o8 Freaks on the Fells; or. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE TEIP TO GLEN OGLE. 
 
 Without entering into minute comparisons, it 
 may be truly said that Glen Ogle is one of the- 
 grandest and wildest of mountain passes in the- 
 highlands of Perthshire. Unlike the Trosachs^ 
 which Sir Walter Scott has immortalized in his 
 ^^ Lady of the Lake/^ Glen Ogle is a wild,, rugged^ 
 rocky pass, almost entirely destitute of trees,, 
 except at its lower extremity, and of shrubs,, 
 except along the banks of the little burn which 
 meanders like a silver thread down the centre of 
 the glen. High precipitous mountains rise on 
 either hand — those on the left being more 
 rugged and steep than those on the right. The 
 glen is very narrow throughout — a circumstance 
 which adds to its wildness ; and which, in gloomy- 
 weather, imparts to the spot a truly savage 
 aspect. Masses of debris and fallen rocka line 
 
Tliree Months' Rustication. 209 
 
 the base of the precipices, or speckle the sides 
 of the mountains in places where the slopes, 
 being less precipitous than elsewhere, have 
 served to check the fallen matter; and the 
 whole surface of the narrow vale is dotted with 
 rocks of various sizes which have bounded from 
 the cliffs and, overleaping every obstacle, h^ve 
 found a final resting-place on a level with the 
 little stream. 
 
 The road follows the course of the stream at 
 the foot of the glen; but, as it advances, it 
 ascends the mountains on the right and runs 
 along their sides until the head of the pass is 
 gained. Here it crosses, by means of a rude 
 stone bridge, a deep chasm, at the bottom of 
 which the waters of the burn leap and roar 
 among chaotic rocks — a foretaste of the innu- 
 merable rushes, leaps, tumbles, and plunges, 
 which await them all down the glen. Just 
 beyond this bridge is a small level patch of 
 mingled rocky and mossy ground. It is the 
 summit of the mountain ridge ; yet the highest 
 peaks rise above it, and so hem it in that it 
 resembles the arena of a rude amphitheatre. In 
 
aio Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 tlie centre of tliis spot lies a clear, still lake, or 
 tarn, not more than a hundred yards in diameter. 
 This is the fountain-head of two streams. From 
 the pools and springs, within a stone^s cast of 
 the tarn, arise the infant waters of the burn 
 already mentioned, which, descending Glen Ogle, 
 find their way to the Firth of Tay, through 
 Strath Earn. From the opposite side of the 
 tarn issues another brook, which, leaping down 
 the other side of the mountains, mingles its 
 waters with Loch Tay, and finds its way, by a 
 much more circuitous route, to the same frith. 
 The whole region is desolate and lonely in the 
 extreme, and so wild that a Eocky Mountain 
 hunter, transported thither by fairy power^ 
 might find himself quite at home, except in the 
 matter of big-horned goats and grizzly bears. 
 But, for the matter of that, he would find 
 mountain sheep with very respectable horns in 
 their way ; and, as to bears, the hill-sides are 
 bare enough to satisfy any hunter of moderate 
 expectations. 
 
 Up to this elevated tarn, among the hoary 
 mountain peaks, the Sudberry family struggled 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 211 
 
 one hot^ suniiy_, lovely forenoon. Bent on a long^ 
 and bold flighty thej had travelled by the stage- 
 coacli to the foot of the glen, near the head of 
 Loch Earn. Here they were deposited at the 
 door of a picturesque white-washed house_, which 
 was styled the Inn_, and from this point they 
 toiled up the glen on foot_, intoxicating them- 
 selves on the way with deep draughts of mingled 
 excitement, fresh air, and romance. 
 
 The whole family were out upon this occasion, 
 including Mrs. Brown, Hobbs, and Peter. The 
 delicate Tilly was also there, and to her Master 
 Jacky devoted himself with an assiduity worthy 
 of even a good boy. He took occasion several 
 times, however, to tell Peter, in ' a grave way, 
 that whenever he felt tired he would be glad to 
 carry his basket for him, and himself too, for the 
 matter of that, if he should get quite knocked up. 
 He indemnified himself for these concessions on 
 the side of virtue by inflicting various little 
 torments on the bodies and minds of Mrs. Brown 
 and his mother, such as hiding himself at some 
 distance a-head, and suddenly darting out from 
 behind a rock with a hideous yell ; or coming 
 p 2 
 
:ii'Z Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 >up beliind with eyes staring and hair flying, and 
 screaming "mad bulP' with all the force of his 
 lungs. 
 
 Hector and Flora Macdonald were also of the 
 party. George and Fred were particularly 
 >attentive to Flora, and Hector was ditto to 
 Lucy. He carried her botanical box, and gave 
 her a good deal of information in regard to 
 plants and wild flowers, in which Lucy professed 
 a deep interest, insomuch that she stopped 
 frequently to gather specimens and listen to 
 Hector's learned observations, until they were 
 more than once left a considerable way behind 
 the rest of the party. Indeed, Lucy's interest 
 in science was so great that she unwittingly 
 pulled two or three extremely rare specimens to 
 pieces while listening to these eloquent dis- 
 ■courses, and was only made conscious of her 
 wickedness by a laughing remark from Hector 
 that she " must surely have the bump of destruc- 
 tiveness largely developed.'' 
 
 Arrived at the tarn, each individual deposited 
 his and her basket or bundle on a selected spot 
 of dry ground, and the ladies began to spread 
 
 \ 
 
Three Months^ Rustication, 315 
 
 «. out the viands while Mr. Sudberry took the exact 
 bearings of the spot by compass. While thus 
 philosophically engaged,, he observed that fish 
 were rising in the tarn. 
 
 " Hallo ! Hector ; why I see fish in the pond.^^ 
 
 ''True/' replied the young man^ ''plenty of 
 trout ; but they are small. '^ 
 
 "PU fish/' said Mr. Sudberry. 
 
 "So will I^" cried George. 
 
 And fish they did for half an hour^ at the end 
 of which period they were forcibly torn away 
 from the water side and made to sit down and 
 eat sandwiches — having caught between them 
 two dozen of trout^ the largest of which was 
 about five inches long. 
 
 " Why how did ever the creatures get up into 
 such a lake?'' inquired Mr. Sudberry, eyeing 
 the trout in surprise : " they could never jump 
 up all the waterfalls that we have passed to- 
 day." 
 
 " I suppose they were born in the lake/' sug- 
 gested Hector, with a smile. 
 
 "Born in it?" murmured Mr. Sudberry, pon- 
 dering the idea, " but the first ones could not? 
 
214 Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 have been bom in it. How did the first ones 
 get there?'' 
 
 " The same way as what the first fishes came 
 into the sea, of course/' said Jacky, lookiDg very 
 pompous. 
 
 Unfortunately he unintentionally tried to per- 
 form that impossible feat which is called swallow- 
 ing a crumb down the wrong throat, thereby 
 nearly choking himself, and throwing his mother 
 into a flutter of agitation. 
 
 There was something so exhilarating in the 
 atmosphere of that elevated region that none of 
 the party felt inclined to waste much time over 
 luncheon. Mr. Sudberry, in particular, was very 
 restless and migratory. His fishing propensities 
 had been aroused, and could not be quieted. He 
 had, in the course of a quarter of an hour, gob- 
 bled what he deemed it his duty to eat and 
 drink, and, during the remainder of the meal, 
 had insisted on helping everybody to everything, 
 moving about as he did so, and thereby causing 
 destruction to various articles of crockery. At 
 last he declared that he was ofi" to fish down the 
 burn^ and that the rest of the party would 
 
Three Months* RusUcatioii, S15 
 
 pick him up on their way back to the coach, 
 which was to start from the inn at Loch Earn 
 Head at five in the afternoon. 
 
 '' Now don't be late/' said he ; " be at the inn 
 by half-past four precisely." 
 
 ^'^Ay,, ay; yes, yes;" from everybody, and 
 away he went alone to enjoy his favourite sport. 
 
 The rest of the party scattered. Some went 
 to good points for sketching, some to bota- 
 nize, and others to ascend the highest of the 
 neighbouring peaks. Mrs. Brown and Hobbs 
 were left in charge of the debris of luncheon, to 
 tlie eating up of which they at once devoted 
 themselves with the utmost avidity as soon as 
 the others were gone. 
 
 '^ Come, this is wot I calls comfortable," said 
 Hobbs. (He spoke huskily, through an im- 
 mense mouthful of sandwich.) " Aint it, Mrs. 
 Brown ? " 
 
 " Humph ! " said Mrs. Brown. 
 
 It is to be remarked that Mrs. Brown was out 
 of temper — not that that was an unusual thing ; 
 but she had found the expedition more trying 
 than she had anticipated, and the torments of 
 
2i6 Frcalcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 mind and body to wMch Jacky had subjected 
 hev were of an uncommonly irritating nature. 
 
 '^Wot/-' continued Hobbs_, attacking a cold 
 tongue^ '^ d^you tliink of the natives of this ^ere 
 place?'' 
 
 " Nothink at all/' was Mrs. Brown's prompt 
 rejoinder. 
 
 Hobbs^ who was naturally of a jolly, sociable 
 disposition, felt a little depressed at Mrs. 
 Brown's repellant manner, so he changed his 
 mode of address. 
 
 ,ec rjr^y. some of this 'ere fowl, Mrs. Brown, it's 
 remarkably tender, it is ; just suited to the 
 
 tender lips of dear me, Mrs. Brown, how 
 
 improvin' the mountain hair is to your com- 
 plexion, if I may wenture to speak of improvin' 
 that w'ich is perfect already." 
 
 " Get along, Hobbs ! " said Mrs. Brown,, 
 affecting to be displeased. 
 
 ^^ My dear, I'm gettin' along like a game 
 chicken, perhaps I might say like Dan, who's 
 got the most uncommon happetite as I ever did 
 see. He's a fine fellow, Dan is, aint he, Mrs, 
 Brown ? " 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 217 
 
 ''Brute," said Mrs. Brown; "they^re all 
 brutes." 
 
 " Ah ! " said Hobbs, shaking his head, 
 '^ strong language, Mrs. Brown. But, admit- 
 ting that (merely for the sake of argument, of 
 course), you cannot deny that they are raither 
 clever brutes." 
 
 '' I do deny it," retorted Mrs. Brown, taking 
 a savage bite out of the leg of a chicken, as if 
 it represented the whole Celtic race. "Don't 
 they talk the most arrant stuff? — 'specially that 
 McAllistef, who is for ever speakin' about 
 things that ho don't understand, and that 
 nobody else does ! " 
 
 " Speak for yourself, ma'am," said Hobbs, 
 drawing himself up with as much dignity as was 
 ^ compatible with a sitting posture. 
 
 '' I do speak for myself. Moreover, I speak 
 for some whom I might name^ and who aint vcrij 
 far away." 
 
 '' If, ma'am, you mean that insinivation to 
 apply " 
 
 '' I make no insinivations. Hand me that pot 
 of jam no, the unopened one." 
 
21 8 Freaks on the Tells; or, 
 
 Hobbs did as lie was required witli excru- 
 ciating politeness,, and thereafter took refuge in 
 dignified silence; suffering, however, an ex- 
 pression of lofty scorn to rest on liis countenance. 
 ]\Irs. Brown observed tliis, and lier irate spirit was 
 still farther chafed by it. She meditated giving 
 utterance to some withering remarks while, 
 with agitated fingers, she untied the string of 
 the little pot of cranberry-jam. Worthy Mrs. 
 Brown was particularly fond of cranberry-jam. 
 She had put up this pot in her own basket 
 -expressly for her own private use. She now 
 opened it with the determination to enjoy it to 
 the full, to smack her lips very much and fre- 
 quently, and offer none of it to Hobbs. When 
 the cover was removed she gazed into the pot 
 with a look of intense horror, uttered a piercing 
 shriek, and fell back in a dead faint. 
 
 This extraordinary result is easily accounted 
 for. Almost every human being has one grand 
 special loathing. There is everywhere some 
 creature which to some individual is an object 
 of dread — a creature to be shrunk from and 
 ehuddered at. Mrs. Brown's horror was frogs. 
 
Three Montlis* Busticatlon. S19 
 
 •Jacky knew this well. He also knew of Mrs. 
 B.'s love for cranberry-jam, and lier having pnt 
 up a special pot. To abstract the pot, replace 
 it by a similar pot with a live frog imprisoned 
 therein, and then retire to chuckle in solitude 
 and devour the jam, was simple and natural. 
 That the imp had done this; that he had 
 watched with delight the deceived woman pant 
 up Glen Ogle with the potted frog on her arm 
 and perspiration on her brow ; that he had asked 
 for a little cranberry-jam on the way, with an 
 expression of countenance that almost betrayed 
 him ; and that he had almost shrieked with glee 
 vrhen he observed the anxiety with which Mrs. 
 Brown — having tripped and fallen — opened her 
 basket, and smiled to observe that the pot was 
 not broken ; that the imp, we say, had been guilty 
 of all this was known only to himself, but much 
 of it became apparent to the mind of Ilobbs when, 
 on Mrs. Brown fainting, he heard a yell of triumph, 
 and, on looking up, beheld Master Jacky far up 
 the heights, clearly defined against the bright 
 sky, and celebrating the success of his plot with 
 
 a maniacal edition of the Highland fling. 
 
 t 
 
220 Freahs on the Fells; or, 
 
 At a quarter-past four all the party assembled 
 at the inn except Mr. Sudberry. 
 
 Five arrived — no Mr. Sudberry. The coach 
 could not wait ! The gentlemen^ in despair^ 
 rushed up the bed of the stream, and found him 
 fishing_, in a glow of excitement, with his basket 
 and all his pockets full of splendid trout. 
 
 The result was that the party had to return 
 home in a large waggon, and it was night when? 
 at last they embarked in their boat and rowed 
 down their own lake. It was a profound calm.. 
 The air was mild and balmy. There was just 
 enough of light to render the surrounding moun- 
 tains charmingly mysterious, and the fatigues 
 of the day made the repose of the boat agreeable. 
 Even Mrs. Sudberry enjoyed that romantic 
 night-trip on the water. It was so dark that 
 there was a tendency to keep silence on landing 
 — ^to speak in low tones; but a little burst of 
 delight broke forth when they surmounted the 
 dark shoulder of the hill, and came at last in 
 sight of the windows of the Wiiite House, glow- 
 ing a ruddy welcome home. 
 
Tlirce Months' Rixstication. 221 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE FAMILY GO TO CHUECn UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 
 
 It would seem to be a well understood and un- 
 deniable fact tbat woman invariably gains tlie 
 victory over man in the long run ; and even 
 when she does not prove to be the winner^ she 
 is certain to come off the conqueror. It is well 
 that it should be so. The reins of the world 
 could not be in better hands ! 
 
 But, strangely enough, woman triumphs, no^- 
 only in matters over which she and man have, 
 more or less, united control, but even in matters 
 with which the human race cannot interfere. 
 For instance, in regard to weather — despite the 
 three weeks of unfailing sunshine, Mrs. Sudberry 
 maintained her original opinion that, notwith- 
 standing appearances being against her, the 
 weather in the Highlands of Scotland was, as a 
 rule^ execrable. As if to justify this opinion. 
 
222 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 the weather suddenly changed,, and the three 
 weeks of sunshine were followed by six weeks 
 of rain. 
 
 Whether there was something unusual in the 
 season or not we cannot positively say, but 
 certain it is that for the period we have named 
 it rained incessantly, with the exception of four 
 days. During a great part of the time it rained 
 from morning till night. Sometimes it was in- 
 termittent, and came down in devastating floods. 
 At other times it came in the form of Scotch 
 mist, which is simply smail rain, so plentiful that 
 it usually obliterates the whole landscape, and 
 so penetrating that it percolates through every- 
 thing except waterproof. It was a question 
 which was the more wetting species of rain — 
 the thorough down-pour or the heavy mist. But 
 whether it poured or permeated, there was never 
 any change in the leaden sky during these six 
 weeks, and the mountains were never clearly 
 seen except during the four accidental days 
 already referred to. 
 
 At first Mrs. Sudberry triumphed; but long 
 before that season was over she had reached such 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 223. 
 
 a condition of humility that slie would hava 
 actually rejoiced in a fine day. 
 
 As for the rest of the family, they bore up 
 against it bravely for a time. On the first day of 
 this wet season they were rather pleased than 
 otherwise to be obhged to stay in the house. 
 Jacky, in particular, was delighted, as it afibrded 
 him a glorious opportunity of doing mischief, 
 and making himself so disagreeable that all,, 
 except his mother, felt as if they hated him. 
 On the second day, indoor games of various- 
 kinds were proposed and entered into with 
 much spu-it. On the third day the games 
 were tried again, with less spirit. On the 
 fourth day they were played without any spirit 
 at all, and on the fifth they were given up 
 in disgust. The sixth day was devoted to- 
 reading and sulking, and thus they ended that 
 week. 
 
 The seventh day, which chanced to be Sunday, 
 was one of the four fine days before mentioned. 
 The sky was blue, the sun intensely bright, and 
 the inundated earth was steaming. The elastic 
 spirits of the family recovered. 
 
324 Frealis on the Fells; or, 
 
 '' Comej we^ll walk to churcli ! " cried Mr. 
 Sudberry^ as tliey rose from breakfaS't. 
 
 ^' What, my dear ! ■'^ exclaimed bis wife, " and 
 the roads knee- deep in mud and water ! " 
 
 ^^ I care not, if they were waist-deep ! '^ cried 
 the reckless man ; ^^ Fve been glued to my seat 
 for a week, so 1^11 walk to church, if I should 
 have to swim for it/^ 
 
 " So will I ! So will I ! ^^ from George and Fred ; 
 ^' So will we all ! ^' from Lucy ; " And me, too ! ^' 
 timidly, from Tilly ; with ^^ Hurrah ! ^' furiously 
 from the imp, — this decided the business. 
 
 ^^ Very well ! ^' said the resigned mother of 
 the flock ; " then I will go too ! ^^ 
 
 So away they went to church, through mud 
 •and mire and water, with the nine collie dogs 
 at their heels, and Mr. McAllister bearing them 
 company. 
 
 Fred and McAllister walked together in rear 
 of the rest, conversing earnestly, for the latter 
 was learned in theology, and the former dearly 
 loved a philosophical discussion. Mr. Sudberry 
 and Lucy walked in advance. As he approached 
 the well-known bush, the force of habit induced 
 
TJi7'ee Months' Rustication. 225 
 
 him almost unconsciously to pick up a stone and 
 walk on tip-toe. Lucy, who did not know the 
 cause of this strange action, looked at her father 
 in surprise. 
 
 Whirr ! went a black-cock ; bang ! went the 
 stone, and a yell instantly followed, accompanied 
 by a hat — ^it was his best beaver ! 
 
 '^ Why, dear papa, it is Sunday ! '' 
 
 " Dear me, so it is ! ^^ The good man was 
 evidently much discomfited. " Ah ! Lucy dear, 
 that shows the effect and force of bad habit; 
 that is to say, of habit (for the simple act cannot 
 be called bad) on the wrong day.'^ 
 
 '^ You cannot call throwing your best hat in 
 the mud a good habit on any day,^^ said Mrs. 
 Sudberry, with the air of a woman who regarded 
 her husband^s chance of mending as being quite 
 hopeless. 
 
 *^ It was only forgetfulness, my dear ! " said 
 the worthy man, putting his hat quite meekly 
 on the back of his head, and pushing forward in 
 order to avoid further remarks. Coming to a 
 hollow of the road, they found that it was 
 submerged a foot deep by the river, which had 
 Q 
 
:'Z26 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 been swollen into a small lake at that spot. 
 There was much, trouble here. McAllister^ with 
 native gallantry, offered to carry the ladies over 
 in his arms_, but the ladies would not listen to 
 the proposal, with the exception of Tilly, who at 
 -once accepted it gladly. The rest succeeded in 
 ^scrambling along by the projecting stones at the 
 base of the wall that ran alongside of the road, 
 ;and gained the other side, after many slips, 
 much alarm, and sundry screams. 
 
 ^^ Oh, you darling ! ^' cried Tilly, suddenly. 
 She pointed to a hole in the wall, out of which 
 ^peeped the most wide-awake weasel that ever 
 ^lived. Its brown little head and sharp nose 
 moved quickly about with little jerks, and its 
 round lustrous black eyes seemed positively to 
 gUtter with surprise (perhaps it was delight) at 
 the Sudberry family. Of course Jacky rushed 
 ■ at it with a yell — there was a good deal of the 
 'terrier in Jacky — and of course the weasel 
 'turned tail and vanished like a flash of light. 
 
 When they came to the narrowest part of the 
 'pass which opened out of their own particular 
 •valley — Kasselas Yale, as Lucy had named it — 
 
Three Months' Rustication, Z'zy 
 
 Tilly was fortunate enough to set eyes on another 
 '^^ darling/^ whichj in the shape of a roe deer, 
 stood, startled and trembling, in the centre of 
 the pass. They came on it so suddenly that it 
 seemed to have been paralysed for a moment. 
 A shout from the imp, however, quickly dissolved 
 the spell ; with one graceful bound it cleared the 
 wall, and was far away among the brackens on 
 the mountain side before the party had recovered 
 from their delight and surprise at having met a 
 real live wild deer, face to face, and not twenty 
 yards distant, in this unexpected manner. 
 
 Nothing further occurred to arrest their 
 progress to church, which was upwards of four 
 miles from their home among the hills. 
 
 The sermon that day was pecuhar. The 
 minister of the parish was a young man ; one of 
 those quiet, modest, humble young men who are, 
 as their friends think, born to be neglected in 
 this world. He was a shrewd, sensible young 
 fellow, however, who, if put to it, could have 
 astonished his '^ friends " not a little. He was 
 brimful of '^ Scotch " theology ; but, strange to 
 eay, he refrained from bringing that fact promiw 
 Q 2 
 
228 Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 nently before liis flock, insomucli that some of 
 the wiser among them held the opinion that, 
 although he was an excellent, worthy young 
 man, he was, if anything, a little commonplace 
 — in fact, '' he never seemed to have ony diffee- 
 culties in his discoorses, an^ if he had, he aye 
 got ower them by sayin' plump oot that they 
 were mysteries he did na pretend to unravel ! '^ 
 
 Any one with half an eye might have seen 
 that the young clergyman was immeasurably 
 above his flock intellectually. A few of them, 
 among whom was our friend McAllister, per- 
 ceived this, and appreciated their minister. The 
 most of them, good souls, thought him worthy, 
 but vjeah. 
 
 Feeling that he had been appointed to preach the 
 Gospel, this youth resolved to '^ make himself all 
 things to all men, in order that he might gain 
 some.'^ He therefore aimed at preaching Christ 
 crucified, and kept much of his own light in the 
 background, bringing it out only in occasional 
 flashes, which were calculated to illuminate, but 
 not dazzle, the minds of his people. He remem- 
 bered the remark of that old woman who, when 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 229 
 
 asked what she thought of a new minister, said, 
 '*^IIoot! I think naethin' o* him ava'; I under- 
 stand every word he says'* and he resolved 
 rather to be thought nothing of at all than pander 
 to the contemptible craving of those who fancy 
 that they are drinking deep draughts of wisdom 
 when they read or hear words that are incompre- 
 hensible, but which sound profoundly philoso- 
 phical. 
 
 But we might have spared our readers all this, 
 for the young minister did not preach that day. 
 lie was unwell, and a friend had agreed to preach 
 for him. The friend was an old man, with bent 
 form and silvery hair, who, having spent a long 
 life in preaching the Gospel, had been compelled, 
 by increasing age, to retire from active service. 
 Yet, like a true warrior, he could, when occasion 
 required, buckle on his Christian armour and 
 fight stoutly, as of old, for his beloved Master and 
 for the salvation of human souls. 
 
 His eye was dim and his voice was weak, and 
 it brought tears to the eyes of the sympathetic 
 among the people to see the old man lose his 
 place and unconsciously repeat his sentences. 
 
230 Frealcs on the Fells; or. 
 
 But not a shadow of disrespect mingled with 
 their feelings. There was no mistaking the glow 
 of love and the kindly fire which flushed the pale 
 face when salvation was the theme. When he 
 mentioned the name of Jesus^ and urged sinnera 
 to flee from the wrath to come, the people felt 
 the truth of that word, " God's strength is per- 
 fected in man's weakness.'' 
 
 The Sudberrys felt very happy that day ont 
 returning home. They overtook old Moggy, 
 stumping along through mud and water, with 
 tears bedewing her cheeks. 
 
 '^ Why, Moggy, you are all wet ! " said rred,„ 
 hastening towards her. 
 
 '' Ay, I fell into a dub as I cam out o' the- 
 kirk. But, ech ! sirs, I've heard blessed words 
 this day." 
 
 The Sudberrys spent that evening in their 
 usual way. They went to a particular spot,, 
 which Lucy had named the Sunny Knoll,, 
 and there learned hymns ofi" by heart, which 
 were repeated at night and commented on 
 by Mr. Sudberry. After supper they all got 
 into what is called ^^ a talk." It were pre- 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 231* 
 
 sumptuous to attempt to explain what that: 
 means. Everyone knows what it is. Many- 
 people know, also, that " o, talk^^ can be got' 
 up when people are in the right spirit, on any:- 
 subject, and that the subject of all others most^ 
 difficult to get up this " talk '' upon, is religion. 
 Mr. Sudberry knew this ; he felt much inclined' 
 at one time that night to talk about fishing, 
 but he laid strong constraint on himself, and 
 gave the conversation a turn in the right 
 direction. The result was ^^ a talk " — a hearty,, 
 free, enthusiastic, communing — on the Saviour, 
 the soul, and eternal things, which kept them- 
 up late and sent them happy to bed — happier 
 than they had yet been all that season. 
 
332 ' Freaks on the Fells; or^ 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A STRANGE HOME-COMING. 
 
 Master Jacky made two discoveries next day, 
 both of whicli lie announced with staring eyes 
 and in breathless haste, having previously dashed 
 into the parlour like a miniature thunderbolt. 
 
 The first was that the bathing-pool was clean 
 swept away by the floods, not a vestige of it 
 being left. The whole family rushed out to see 
 with their own eyes. They saw and were con- 
 vinced. Not a trace of it remained. Even the 
 banks of the Httle stream had been so torn and 
 altered by gushing water and tumbling rocks 
 that it was almost impossible to say where that 
 celebrated pool had been. The rains having 
 commenced again on Monday (just as if Sunday 
 had been allowed to clear up in order to let 
 people get to church), the family returned to 
 the house, some to read and sketch, Mr. Sud- 
 
Tliree Months' Rustication. 1'^'^ 
 
 berry and George to prepare for a fishing ex- 
 cursion, despite the rain. 
 
 The second discovery was more startling in 
 its nature. Jacky announced it, with round 
 ■eyes and a blazing face, thus — '^ Oh ! ma, old 
 Moggy's d dyin' ! ^' 
 
 The attractive power of ^'sweeties'' and a 
 certain fondness for the old woman in the boy's 
 heart had induced Jacky to visit the hut so 
 frequently that it at last came to be understood 
 that, when the imp was utterly lost, he was sure 
 to be at old Moggy's ! He had sauntered down, 
 indifierent to rain, to call on his friend just after 
 discovering the destruction of the bathing-pool, 
 und found her lying on the bundle of rags which 
 constituted her bed. She was groaning woefully. 
 Jacky went forward with much anxiety. The 
 old woman was too ill to raise herself, but she 
 had sufficient strength to grasp the child's hand, 
 •and, drawing him towards her, to stroke his 
 head. 
 
 " Hallo ! Moggy, you're ill ! " 
 
 A groan and a gasp was the reply, and the 
 poor creature made such wry faces, and looked 
 
^34 Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 altogether so cadaverous^ that Jacky was quite 
 alarmed. He suggested a drink of water, and 
 brought her one. Then, as the old woman 
 poured out a copious stream of Gaelic with much 
 emphasis, he felt that the presence of some 
 more able and intelligent nurse was necessary, 
 so, like a sensible boy, he ran home and 
 delivered his report, as has already been de- 
 scribed. 
 
 Lucy and Fred hastened at once to the hut 
 of the old woman, and found her in truth in a 
 high fever, the result, no doubt, of the severe 
 wetting of the day before, and having slept in 
 damp clothes. Her mind was wandering a little 
 when Lucy knelt at her side and took her hand, 
 but she retained sufficient self-control to look 
 up and exclaim earnestly, " I can say^d noo — I 
 can sayM noo ! I can say Thy will he done ! " 
 
 She became aware, as she said so, that the 
 visitor at her side was not the one she had 
 expected. 
 
 " Eh ! ye're no' Miss Flora.'' 
 
 " No, dear granny, but I am quite as anxious. 
 to help you, and Flora will come very soon^ 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 235 
 
 We have only just heard of your illness, and 
 have sent a message to Flora. Come, tell me 
 what is the matter; let me put your poor head 
 right/' 
 
 Old Moggy submitted with a groan, and Lucy, 
 assisted by Fred, endeavoured to make her bed 
 a little more comfortable, while the anxious and 
 staring Jacky was sent back to the house for 
 some tea and a dry flannel gown. Before hisr 
 return, however. Flora Macdonald, who chanced 
 to be in the neighbourhood, came in to see 
 Moggy, and immediately took the case in hand, 
 in a way that greatly reHeved Fred and Lucy, 
 because they felt that she was accustomed to such 
 incidents, and thoroughly understood what to do. 
 
 Hobbs, who came in a few minutes later with 
 the Sudberry medicine chest, was instantly 
 despatched by Flora for the doctor, and George, 
 who entered a few minutes after that, was sent 
 about his business, as were also a number of 
 gossips, whose presence would ere long have 
 rendered the small hut unbearably warm but for 
 Florals decision. 
 
 Meanwhile all this unusual bustle had the 
 
236 Freaks on the Fells ; or, 
 
 effect of diverting tlie mind of the patient, wlio 
 ceased to groan, and took to wondering instead. 
 
 Leaving them all thus engaged, we must beg 
 the reader to accompany us to a very different 
 scene. 
 
 It is a dense thicket within the entrance of 
 the pass, to which reference has been made 
 more than once. Here a band of wandering 
 beggars or gipsies had pitched their camp on a 
 spot which commanded an extensive view of 
 the high road, yet was itself concealed from view 
 by the dwarf trees which in that place covered 
 tho rugged hill-side. 
 
 There was a rude hut constructed of boughs 
 and ferns, underneath which several dark-skinned 
 and sturdy children were at play. A dissipated 
 looking young woman sat beside them. In 
 front of this hut a small fire was kindled,, and 
 over it, from a tripod, hung an iron pot, the 
 contents of which were watched with much in- 
 terest and stirred from time to time by a middle- 
 r.ged woman of forbidding aspect. Beside her 
 stood our amiable friend with the squint and 
 the broken nose, who has already been men- 
 
Three Months- Rustication. 237 
 
 tioned as having received a merited thrashiiig 
 from Mr. Sudberry. 
 
 '^ Yes, tlie little brute has come back/' said 
 the gipsy, grinding his teeth in a way that 
 might have led one to suppose he would have 
 been glad to have had the " little brute '' 
 between them. 
 
 ^^ Serves ye right for stealin' him away ! '^ 
 said the woman. 
 
 ^^ Serves me right ! " echoed the man, bitterly. 
 " Did I not vow that I would have my revenge 
 on that old witch ? Did she not stand up in 
 court and witness again' me, so that I got two 
 year for a job that many a fellow gits off with 
 six months for ? '' 
 
 " Well, you know you deserved it ! '' was 
 the woman's comforting rejoinder. " You com- 
 mitted the robbery." 
 
 ^' So I did ; but if that she- wolf had not made 
 it out so bad, I'd have got off with six months. 
 Ha ! but I knew how to touch her up. I knew 
 her weakness ! swore, afore I left the dock, 
 that I'd steal away the little cub she was so fond 
 of — and I did iV* 
 
338 Frealis on the Fells; or, 
 
 There was a gleam of triumph in the gipsy^a 
 face as he said this, but it was quickly followed 
 by a scowl when the woman said, — 
 
 " Well, and much you have made of it. Here 
 has the brat come back at the end o^ five years, 
 to spoil our harvest ! ^' 
 
 " How could I know he'd do that ? I paid 
 the captain a goodish lump o' tin to take him 
 on a long voyage, and I thought he was so 
 young that he'd forget the old place/'' 
 
 ^^ How d'ye know that he hasn't forgot it ? " 
 enquired the woman » 
 
 "'Cause I seed him not twenty miles from 
 this, and heerd him say he'd stop at the Blue 
 Boar all night, and come on here in the morning 
 — that's to-m'orrow — so I come straight out to 
 ask you wot I'm to do." 
 
 " Ha ! that's like you. Too chicken-hearted 
 to do anything till I set you on, an' mean 
 -enough to saddle it on me when ye'r nabbed." 
 
 " Come, that's an old story ! " growled the 
 man. "You know wot I am, and I knows 
 wot yoii are. But if somethin's not done, we'll 
 liave to cut this here part o' the country in the 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 339 
 
 Tery thick o^ the season, when these southern 
 sightseers are ranging about the hills/' 
 
 " That's true ! '' rejoined the woman_, seriously. 
 '^ Many a penny the bairns get from them, an' 
 there's no part so good as this. Ye couldn't 
 jput him out 0' the way, could ye ? " 
 
 *^ No/' said the man, doggedly. 
 
 The woman had accompanied her . question 
 •with a sidelong glance of fiendish meaning, 
 but her eyes at once dropt, and she evinced no 
 anger at the sharp decision of her companion's 
 reply. 
 
 '^ Mother ! " cried the young woman, issuing 
 from the hut at that moment, '^ don't you dare 
 to go an' tempt him again Hke that. Our hands 
 are black enough already ; don't you try to make 
 them red, else I'll blab ! " 
 
 The elder woman assumed an injured look as 
 she said, '' Who spoke of makin' them red ? 
 Evil dreaders are evil doers. Is there no way o' 
 puttin' a chick out o' the way besides murderin' 
 Mm?" 
 
 '^ Hush ! " exclaimed the man, starting and 
 glancing round with a guilty look, as if he 
 
240 Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 fancied the bare mention of the word ^^ murder '* 
 would bring tbe strong arm of the law down on 
 his head. 
 
 " I won't hush ! " cried the woman. " You're 
 cowards, both of you. Are there no corries in 
 the hills to hide him in — no ropes to tie him 
 with — that you should find it so difficult to keep 
 a brat quiet for a week or two ? '* 
 
 A gleam of intelhgence shot across the ill- 
 favoured face of the gipsy. 
 
 " Ha ! you're a wise woman. Come, out 
 with your plan, and see if I'm not game to 
 do it." 
 
 ^' There's no plan worth speakin' of/' rejoined 
 the woman, somewhat mollified by her com- 
 panion's complimentary remarks. ^'AU you've 
 to do is to go down the road to-morrow, catch 
 him, and bring him to me. I'll see to it that he 
 don't make his voice heard until we've done with 
 this part of the country. Then we can slip the 
 knot and let the brat go free." 
 
 " I'll do it ! " said the man, sitting down on a 
 stone and beginning to fill his pipe. 
 
 '^ I thought he was dead ! " said the woman. 
 
Tliree Months' Rusticatioit, 241 
 
 " So did I ; but he^s not dead yet, an' don't 
 look as if he'd die soon." 
 
 " May be/' said tlie woman, '^ he won't re- 
 member ye. It's full five year now sin' lie was 
 took away." 
 
 "Won't lie ?" retorted tbe man, with an angry 
 look, which did not tend to improve his disagree- 
 able visage. " Hah ! I heerd him say he'd 
 know me if he saw me in a crowd o' ten thou- 
 sand. I would ha' throttled the cub then and 
 there, but the place was too public." 
 
 A short silence ensued, during which the 
 gipsies ate their food with the zest of half-starved 
 wolves. 
 
 " You'd better go down and see old Moggy," 
 suggested the woman, when the man had finished 
 his repast and resumed his pipe. " If the brat 
 escapes you to-morrow, it may be as well to let 
 the old jade know that you'll murder both him 
 and her, if he dares to blab." 
 
 The man shook his head. " No use ! " said 
 he. But the woman repeated her advice in a 
 tone that was equivalent to a command, so the 
 man rose up sulkily and went. 
 
 R 
 
242 FreaJcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 He was not a little surprised, on drawing near 
 to tlie liiit_, to find it in a state of bustle, and 
 apparently in possession of the Sudberrys. Not 
 daring to show himself, he slunk back to his 
 encampment, and informed his female companion 
 of what he had seen. 
 
 ^' All the more reason to make sure work of 
 him on the road to-morrow ! '^ said she, with a. 
 dark frown. 
 
 '^ So I mean to ! ^' replied the man, doggedly. 
 
 With these amiable sentiments and intentions 
 animating their breasts, this pair crept into their 
 booth and went to rest in the bosom of their 
 family. 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 243.. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 MYSTEEIOTJS MATTERS. A HAPPY EETUEN, &C. 
 
 The morning whicli followed the events narrated 
 in tlie last chapter broke with unclouded 
 splendour. It was the second of the four bright 
 days which relieved the monotony of those six 
 drearv weeks of rain. 
 
 Rejoicing in the glorious aspect of earth and 
 sky, and in the fresh scents which the rain had 
 called forth from every shrub and flower on the 
 mountains, Mr. Sudberry dashed about the 
 White House — ^in and out — awaiting the assem- 
 bling of the family to breakfast with great 
 impatience. His coat-tails that morning proved 
 the means of annihilating the sugar-basin — 
 the last of the set which had graced the board 
 on his arrival in the Highlands, and which had 
 been left, for some time past, '*" blooming alone,^' 
 all its former companions having been shattered 
 and gone long ago. 
 
 R 2 
 
244 Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 According to custora_, Mr. Sudberry went 
 forward to the barometrical banjo, intending to 
 tap it — not that he expected correct information 
 now. No ; he had found out its falsehood, and 
 was prepared to smile at anything it should say. 
 He opened his eyes, however, and exclaimed 
 " Hallo ! '^ with unwonted energy, on observing 
 that, as if in sheer defiance of the weather, of 
 truth, and of public opinion, its index aimed 
 point blank at ^' stormy ! " 
 
 He speedily discovered that this tremendous 
 falsehood was the result of a careful intes- 
 tine examination, to which the instrument had 
 been privately subjected by Master Jacky the 
 evening before ; in the course of which ex- 
 amination the curious boy, standing below the 
 barometer, did, after much trouble, manage to 
 cut the bulb which held the mercury. That 
 volatile metal, being set free, at once leaped 
 into its liberator's bosom and gushed down 
 between his body and his clothes to the floor ! 
 
 " PU thrash him to within an inch — '' Mr. 
 Sudberry clenched his teeth and his fists, and 
 burst out of the room (it was at this moment that 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 245 
 
 the last of the set became " faded and gone ''), 
 and rushed towards the nursery. " No, I won^t/' 
 he muttered, suddenly wheeling round on his 
 heel and returning slowly to the parlour. '^ I'll 
 say nothing whatever about it/' And Mr. 
 Sudberry kept his word — Jacky never heard of 
 it from that day to this ! 
 
 Seizing the opportunity of the fine day, Mr. 
 Sudberry and George went out to fish. They 
 fished with worm now, the streams being too 
 much swollen for fly. 
 
 Meanwhile, Master Jacky sauntered down 
 alone, in a most free-and-easy independent 
 manner, to visit old Moggy, who was thought 
 to be in a dying state — at least the doctor said 
 so, and it was to be presumed that he was 
 right. 
 
 Jacky had regularly constituted himself sick 
 nurse to the old woman. Despite the entreaties 
 of Flora and his sister, who feared that the 
 disease might be infectious, he could not be 
 prevailed on to remain away. His nursing did 
 not, indeed, consist in doing much that was 
 useful. He confined himself chiefly to playing 
 
246 Freaks on the Fells ; or, 
 
 ' on tlie river-banks near tlie liufc and to making 
 occasional inquiries as to how tke patient was 
 getting on. Sometimes he also assisted Flora 
 in holding sundry cups, and glasses,, and medi- 
 cine bottles^ and when Flora was away he 
 :amused himself by playing practical jokes on the 
 young woman who had volunteered to act as 
 regular nurse to the old invalid. 
 
 Towards the afternoon, Jacky put his hands 
 behind his back — he would have put them under 
 his coat-tails if he had had any, for he was very 
 old-mannish in "his tendencies — and sauntered 
 f down the road towards the pass. At this same 
 time it chanced that another httle boy, more 
 than twice Jacky^s age, was walking smartly 
 -along the same road towards the same pass from 
 the other side of it. There were as yet several 
 ' miles between the two boys, but the pace at 
 which the elder walked bid fair to bring them 
 face to face within an hour. The boy whom we 
 now introduce was evidently a sailor. He wore 
 blue trousers, a blue vest with httle brass 
 buttons, a blue jacket with bigger brass buttons, 
 i and a blue cap with a brass button on either side 
 
Tliree Months' Rustication. 247 
 
 — each brass button, on coat, cap, and vest^ 
 having an anchor of (apparently) burnished gold 
 in the centre of it. He had clear blue eyes, 
 brown curly hair, and an easy, off-hand swagger, 
 which last was the result of a seafaring life and 
 example ; but he had a kindly and happy, rather 
 than a boastful or self-satisfied, expression of 
 face, as he bowled along with his hands in his 
 pockets, kicking all the stones out of his way, 
 and whistling furiously. Sometimes he burst 
 into a song, and once or twice he laughed, smote 
 his thigh, and cheered, but never for a moment 
 did he slacken his pace, although he had walked 
 many a mile that day. 
 
 Ctiriously enough, at this same time, a man 
 was crouching behind some bushes in the centre 
 of the pass towards which these two boys were 
 approaching. This man had a pair of grey 
 eyes which might have been beautiful had they 
 not been small and ferocious-looking, and a 
 nose which might have been aquiline had the 
 bridge not been broken, and a head of shaggy 
 hair which might have been elegant had it been 
 combed, oiled, curled, and dyed, and a general 
 
248 Frcalcs on the Fells; 01 
 
 appearance wliicli might have been prepossessing 
 had it not been that of a thorough blackguard. 
 This lovely specimen of humanity sat down on a 
 rock, and waited, and fidgetted ; and the expres- 
 sion of his sweet face betrayed, from time to 
 time, that he was impatient and anything but 
 easy in his mind. 
 
 As Jacky walked very leisurely and stopped 
 frequently to play, his progress towards the pass 
 was slow, and as our waiting friend, whom the 
 reader no doubt recognises as the gipsy, could not 
 see far along the road in that direction, he was 
 not aware of his approach. On the other hand, 
 the sailor boy came on fast, and the road was so 
 open and straight in that direction that the 
 gipsy saw him when he was far enough away to 
 seem like a mere blue spot in the distance. 
 
 Presently he gained the entrance to the pass 
 and began the ascent, which was gradual, with a 
 riotous windlass song, in which the sentiments, 
 yo ! heave ! and ho ! were most frequently ex- 
 pressed. As he drew near, the gipsy might have 
 been observed to grin a smile that would have 
 been quite captivating but for some obstinate 
 
" Hah ! EQv lad, you remember me, it seems."- p. 249 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 249 
 
 peculiarity about the muscles of tlie mouth whidi 
 rendered it very repulsive. 
 
 Next moment the sailor boy was abreast of 
 him. The moment after that the bushes parted^ 
 and the gipsy confronted his victim, cutting a 
 tremendous " heave ! '^ short in the middle, and 
 converting the '^ ho ! ^' that should have followed 
 into a prolonged whistle of astonishment. 
 
 '^ Hah ! my lad, you remember me, it seems V^ 
 
 '^^Eemember you? Yes, I just do!'^ an- 
 swered the boy, in whose countenance every trace 
 of boyishness was instantly swallowed up in an 
 intense gaze of manly determination. 
 
 This mute but meaning glance had such a 
 strange effect upon the gipsy that he actually 
 cowered for a moment, and looked as if he were 
 afraid he was going to " catch it.^^ However, 
 he forced a laugh and said — 
 
 " Come, Billy, you needn't look so cross. 
 You know I was hard put to it w'en I sent you 
 a-boord the Fair Nancy, and you shouldn't ought 
 to owe me a grudge for puttin' ye in the way 
 o' makin' yer fortin'.'' 
 
 The man kept edging towards the boy as ho 
 
550 Freciks on the Fells; or, 
 
 spoke^ but tlie boy observed this and kept 
 edging away^ regarding tke man with compressed 
 lips and dilated eyes^ but not vouchsafing a word 
 in reply. 
 
 '^ I say, Billy, it's unkind, you know, to forget 
 old times like this. I want to shake hands ; and 
 there's my old woman up on the hill, as wants 
 to see you again.'' 
 
 Suddenly the fierce look left the boy's face, 
 and was replaced by- a wild, waggish expres- 
 sion. 
 
 '^ Oh ! your old woman wants to see me, does 
 she? And you want to shake hands, do you? 
 Now look here. Growler ; I see through you ! 
 You thought to catch a flat, and you'll find 
 you've caught a tartar; or, rather, that the 
 tartar has caught you. But I've grown merciful 
 since I went to sea" (the lad tucked up his 
 wristbands at this point, as if he really meditated 
 a hand-to-hand encounter with his huge an- 
 tagonist). ^^I do remember old times, and I 
 know how richly you deserve to be hanged; 
 but I don't want to mix up my home-coming, 
 if I can help it, with dirty work. Now, I'll tell 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 251 
 
 you what — 1^11 give yon your choice o' two 
 courses. Either take yourself off and be out 
 <>' hail of this part of the country within twelve 
 hours_, or walk with me to the nearest police 
 station and give yourself up. There — Pll give 
 you exactly two minutes to think over it/' 
 
 The youthful salt here pulled out an enormous 
 double- case silver watch with an air of perfect 
 nonchalance,, and awaited the result. For a few 
 seconds the gipsy was overwhelmed by the 
 lad's coolness ; then he burst into a gruff laugh 
 and rushed at him. He might as well have 
 run at a squirrel. The boy sprang to one side, 
 crossed the road at a bounds and, still holding 
 the watch, said — *' Half a minute gone ! '' 
 Again the man rushed at his small opponent 
 with similar result, and a cool remark, that 
 another half minute was gone. This so ex- 
 asperated the gipsy, that he ran wildly after 
 the boy for half a minute, but the latter was 
 as active as a kitten, and could not be caught. 
 
 '' Time's up ; two minutes and a quarter ; so 
 don't say that I'm not merciful. Now, follow me 
 to the constable.^' 
 
352 Frealis on the Fells; or, 
 
 So saying, Billy, as the man had called him, 
 turned his back towards the pass and ran off at 
 full speed towards the village. The gipsy followed 
 him at once, feeling that his only chance lay in 
 capturing the boy; but so artfully did Billy 
 hang back and allow his pursuer to come close 
 up, that he had almost succeeded in enticing 
 him into the village, when the man became 
 suddenly aware of his folly, and stopped. Billy 
 stopped too. 
 
 " What ! you're not game to come on ? '' 
 The man shook his fist, and, turning his face 
 towards the pass, ran back towards his booth in 
 the hills, intending to take the boy's first piece of 
 advice, and quit that part of the country. But 
 Billy had no idea of letting him off thus. He 
 now became the pursuer. However fast the 
 gipsy ran, the sailor lad kept up with him. If 
 the man halted, as he frequently did in a breath- 
 less condition, and tried to gain over his ad- 
 versary, Billy also stopped, said he was in no- 
 hurry, thrust his hands into his jacket pockets, 
 and began to whistle. Thus he kept him in 
 visw until they once more stood in the pass^ 
 
Three Months' Eustication. 253 
 
 Here the man sat down on a large stone, 
 thorouglily exhausted. The boy sat down on 
 another stone opposite to him, looking quite fresh 
 and jolly. Five years of hearty devotion to a 
 noble calling had prepared the muscles of the 
 little sailor for that day^s exercise. The same 
 number of years spent in debauchery and crime 
 had not prepared the vagabond giant for that 
 day's work. 
 
 '^ What has brought you back ? " said Growler, 
 savagely. 
 
 " To see the old granny whom you stole me 
 from/' replied the boy. ''Also, to have the satis- 
 faction of puttin' you in limbo ; although I did 
 not expect to have this pleasure.'^ 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! '' laughed Growler, sarcastically, 
 '' you'll fail in both. It's not so easy to put me 
 in limbo as you think — and your grandmother is 
 dyin'.'' 
 
 " That's false ! " cried Billy, springing half 
 way across the road and shaking his little fist at 
 his enemy — " you know it is. The landlord of 
 the ' Blue Boar ' told me he saw her at church 
 strong and well last Sunday." 
 
254 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 " She's djin', however^ may be dead/' said 
 tlie man, with a sneer so full of triumph, that 
 it struck a chill to the heart of the poor boy. 
 
 Just at that moment Jacky Sudberry turned 
 slowly round a sharp angle of the road, and 
 stood there transfixed, with his eyes Hke two 
 saucers, and his mouth as round as an O. 
 
 The sight of this intruder distracted Billy's 
 attention for a moment. Growler at once bounded 
 over the low wall and dived into the underwood. 
 Billy hesitated to follow him, for the last piece 
 of information weighed heavily on his mind. 
 That mementos hesitation was sufficient for the 
 gipsy to make good his retreat. Although Billy 
 leaped the wall the next moment, and darted 
 hither and thither through the copse, he failed to 
 catch sight of him again, and finally returned to 
 the road, where he found Jacky seated on a 
 stone, pondering in a state of bewilderment on 
 what he had seen. 
 
 ^^ Well, my boy, how goes it ? " cried the 
 sailor heartily, as he came forward, wiping his 
 heated brow with a blue spotted cotton hand- 
 kerchief. 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 2^^, 
 
 '^ All right ! '' was Jacky^s prompt reply. ^'' I 
 say, was you fightin^ with that man?^^ 
 
 '^ Aye, that was I, and IVe not done with him 
 
 yet/^ 
 
 Jacky breathed hard and looked upon the young 
 sailor lad with a deep reverential awe, feeling that 
 he was in the presence of a real Jack the Giant- 
 KiUer. 
 
 " He runn'd away \" said Jacky in amazement. 
 ''Did you hit him hard V 
 
 "Not with my fists; they aint big enough for 
 that yet. WeVe only had a sparring-match with 
 words and legs/^ 
 
 Jacky glanced at Billyhs legs as if he regarded 
 them in the hght of dire engines of destruction. 
 Indeed, his active mind jumped at once to the 
 conclusion that the sailor's must be a kicking 
 mode of warfare ; but he was too much amazed 
 to make any rejoinder. 
 
 '' Now, my boy, I'm going this way, so I'll 
 bid you good day," said Billy. Jacky informed 
 him that he was going the same way, — ^having 
 only been taking a stroll, — and would willingly 
 go back, whereupon Billy put his arm round his 
 
2j^b Freal's on the Fells ; or, 
 
 shoulder, as boys are wont to do_, and Jacky 
 grasped Billy round the waist, and thus they 
 wandered home together. 
 
 " I say, you're a funny chap/' observed the 
 young sailor, in a comic vein, as they vrent along. 
 
 "So are you,'' replied Jacky, with intense 
 gravity, being deeply serious. - 
 
 Billy laughed; but as the two friends at that 
 moment emerged from the pass and came in sight 
 of the White House, the laugh was suddenly 
 checked, and was followed by a sound that was 
 not unlike choking. Jacky looked up in alarm, 
 and was surprised to see tears hopping over his 
 companion's brown cheeks. To find a lad who 
 could put a giant to flight was wonderful enough, 
 but to find one who could cry without any reason 
 at all was beyond belief. Jacky looked per- 
 plexed and said, "I say, what's the matter?" 
 
 " Oh ! nothing ; only this is my old home, and 
 my scrimmage with that villain has made me 
 come plump on it without thinkin'. I was born 
 here. I know every stone and bush. I — I — 
 there's the old " 
 
 He choked again at this point, and Jacky, 
 
Three Months' Bustication, 257 
 
 wliose mind was only opening, stood looking on 
 in silent wonder. 
 
 '' My old granny lives here ; old Moggy '* 
 
 The expression of Jacky^s face caused Billy to 
 stop. 
 
 '^ ^Yliy, what's wrong, boy ? '' 
 
 '^^Is — is — o — old Moggy your graimj?" 
 cried Jacky, eagerly, stumbling over his words 
 as if he had come upon stepping-stones in tho 
 dark. 
 
 '^Ay; what then?'' 
 
 '^Eh! I know her." 
 
 '^ Do you, my boy ? " 
 
 ^' Ye — ^yes ; sh — she's dyin' ! " 
 
 The result of this remark was that the sailor- 
 boy turned deadly pale, and stared at his little 
 friend without being able to utter a word. Mere 
 human nature taught Jacky that he had made a 
 mistake in being so precipitate : but home edu- 
 cation had not taught him to consider the feed- 
 ings of others. He felt inclined to comfort his 
 new friend, but knew not how to do it. At last 
 a happy thought occurred to him, and he ex- 
 claimed eagerly — 
 
 s 
 
2j8 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 ^^B — but sL. — slie's not dead yet ! " 
 
 '^ Does slie live in tlie same cottage ? ^' asked 
 the boy, in a low, husky voice, not considering 
 that his companion could not know what cottage 
 she had occupied in former days. Jacky, also 
 ignoring this fact, nodded his head violently, 
 being past speech with excitement, and pointed 
 in the direction of the hut. 
 
 Without another word, Billy (more correctly 
 speaking, Willie) at once took to his heels, and 
 was followed by Jacky as fast as his short leg& 
 could carry him. 
 
 Flora Macdonald was administering a glass of 
 hot wine and water to her patient when the door 
 was quickly, yet gently, opened, and a sailor-lad 
 sprang into the room, fell on his knees beside 
 the lowly couch, seized the old woman^s hand, 
 gazed for a few seconds into her withered face,, 
 and then murmuring, ^^ Granny, it^s me,^^ laid 
 his head on her shoulder and burst into tears. 
 
 Flora gently drew the boy away. 
 
 ^^ Willie, is it possible ; can it be you ? " 
 
 '^ Is she djin' ? '' said Willie, looking up in 
 Florals face with an expression of agony. 
 
Three Months' Bustication, 259. 
 
 ''1 trust not, dear boy; but the doctor says 
 she is very ill, and must be kept quiet/^ 
 
 '^ Hoot, awa^ wi^ the doctor ! He's wrang/^ 
 cried old Moggy, suddenly raising herself with 
 great energy on one elbow; ^^ don't I see my 
 ain Willie there, as IVe seen him in my dreams 
 mony and mony a night ? '' (Flora grasped 
 Willie's arm to prevent his running towards her, . 
 and pointed to Jacky, who had at that moment 
 entered the room, and was at once recognised 
 by Moggy.) "Ay, Httle did I think when I said 
 yestreen ' Thy wull be done,' that He wad send, 
 my ain laddie back again ! " 
 
 She folded Jacky, who had gone to the bedside,- 
 in her arms, and was with difl&culty prevailed on 
 to let him go. It was quite evident that her 
 mind was wandering. 
 
 The effect of this little episode on Willie was ■ 
 powerful and two-fold. A pang of jealousy at 
 first shot through his heart hke a flash of Hght- - 
 ning; but when he perceived that the loving 
 embrace was meant for his old self he broke 
 down, and the tears once more tumbled over his 
 brown cheeks. 
 
 s 2 
 
26c Frealis on the Fells; or, 
 
 '^ She cannot recognise you just now_, dear 
 Willie/^ said Flora, deeply touched by the 
 sorrow of the lad; "and, even if she could, I 
 fear it would do her harm by exciting her too 
 much. Come, my poor fellow (leading him 
 softly to the door), I am just going up to visit a 
 kind English family, where they will be only too 
 glad to put you up until it is safe to let her 
 know that you have returned/^ 
 
 '^ But she may die, and never know that I 
 have returned,^' said Willie, almost passionately, 
 as he hung back. 
 
 " She is in God's loving hands, Willie.'^ 
 
 " Can I not stay and help you to nurse her ?'' 
 asked the boy, in pitiful tones. 
 
 Flora shook her head, and Willie meekly 
 suffered himself to be led out of the hut. 
 
 This, then, was the home-coming that he had 
 longed for so intensely ; that he had dreamed of 
 so often when far away upon the sea ! No 
 sooner was he in the open air than he burst 
 away from Flora without a word, and ran off at 
 full speed in the direction of the pass. At first 
 he simply sought to obtain relief to his feelings 
 
Three Months^ Rustication. 26 1 
 
 by means of violent muscular exercise. The 
 burning brain and throbbing heart were unbear- 
 able. He would have given the world for the 
 tears that flowed so easily a short time before ; 
 but they would not now come. Kunning, 
 leaping, bounding madly over the rough hill- 
 side — that gave him some relief; so he held on, 
 through bush and brake, over heathery knoll and 
 peat swamp, until the hut was far behind him. 
 
 Suddenly his encounter with the gipsy oc- 
 curred to him. The thought that he was the 
 original cause of all this misery roused a torrent 
 of indignation within him, and he resolved that 
 the man should not escape. His wild race 
 was no longer without purpose now. He no 
 longer sprang into the air and bounded from 
 rock to rock like a wild goat ; but, coursing 
 down the bed of a mountain torrent, came out 
 upon the road, and did not halt until he was in 
 front of the constabulary station. 
 
 '^ Hallo ! laddie, what's wrang ? " inquired a 
 blue- coated official, whose' language betokened 
 him a Lowland Scot. 
 
 " IVe seen him ; come with me — quick ! 
 
.a62 Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 FU take you to his wliereabouts/^ gasped 
 WilHe. 
 
 " Seen wliae ? " inquired tlie man_, witli slow 
 deliberation. 
 
 '^ The gipsy. Growler, who stole me, and 
 would have murdered me this morning if he 
 could have caught me ; but quick, please ! 
 He^ll get off if you don't look alive ! '' 
 
 The earnestness and fervour of the lad 
 had the effect of exciting even the con- 
 stable's phlegmatic nature; so, after a short 
 conversation, he summoned a comrade, and 
 ;set off for the pass at a round trot, led by 
 WilHe. 
 
 " D'ye think it's likely he'll ken ye've come 
 here to tell on him ? " inquired the constable, as 
 they ran. 
 
 '^ I said I would have him nabbed," replied 
 the boy. 
 
 ^^ Hoot ! mon ; that was na wise-like. But 
 after a' ye're ony a bairn. Here, Tam, ye'd 
 better gang up by the Stank burn an' keep a 
 look oot ower the hills, an' I'll start him." 
 
 Thus advised, the second constable diverged 
 
TJiree Months' Rustication, 263 
 
 to tlie riglit_, and, plunging into tlie copsewood, 
 was instantly out of sight. 
 
 Soon afterwards, Willie came to the place 
 wliere lie liad met tlie gipsy. Here a consul- 
 tation was lield as to where the booth might 
 probably be. 
 
 " He jumped over the wall here/^ said Willie, 
 '^ and I^m sure he took the hill in this direction 
 at first.'' 
 
 " Ay, laddie ; but chiels o' his stamp never 
 gang straight to their mark. We'll follow him 
 up this way. Hoo long is't sin' ye perted wi* 
 him, said ee ? '' examining the place where the 
 gipsy had entered the copse. 
 
 Willie returned no answer. The unusual 
 amount of fatigue and the terrible mental ex- 
 citement which he had undergone that day 
 were too much for him. A feeling of deadly 
 sickness came suddenly on him, and when the 
 constable looked round he was lying on the road 
 in a swoon. 
 
 This unexpected incident compelled the man 
 to abandon further pursuit for the time. Giving 
 utterance to a ^^puir laddie," he raised the 
 
264 Frealcs on tJie Fells; or, 
 
 Loy in his arms and carried him to the nearest 
 hut^ which happened to be that of old Moggy ! 
 No one was there but the young woman who 
 acted as nurse to the invalid. It chanced that 
 Moggy had had a sleep^ and she awoke with her 
 mental faculties much cleared when the constable 
 entered and laid Willie on a mat not far from 
 her bed. 
 
 The old woman gazed long and earnestly in 
 the boy^s face^ and seemed much troubled and 
 perplexed while the nurse applied water to his 
 temples. At last Willie opened his eyes. 
 Moggy at once recognised him. She strove 
 eagerly to reach her long-lost child^ and Willie, 
 jumping up, sprang to her side; but ere they 
 met she raised both arms in the air, and, 
 uttering a long piercing cry, fell back insensible 
 upon the bed. 
 
Three Months' Bustication, 265 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Bain, rain^ rain ; continual^ pertinacious^ unmi- 
 tigated rain ! The White House was no longer 
 white, it was grey. Things were no longer damp, 
 they were totally flooded. Mr. McAUister^s 
 principal hayfield was a pond — every ditch was a 
 rivulet ; " the burn '^ was a destructive cataract ; 
 the white torrents that raged down the mountains 
 everywhere, far and near, looked like veins of 
 quartz, and the river had become a lake with a 
 strong current in the middle of it. There was no 
 sunshine now in the Highlrnds, — not a gleam ! 
 
 Nevertheless there was sunshine in the hearts 
 of some who sojourned there. Mr. Sudberry had 
 found out that he could fish just as well in wet 
 weather as in dry, and that the fish were more 
 eager to be caught. That was sunshine enough 
 for him ! Lucy found a new and engrossing 
 
266 FreaJiS on the Fc 
 
 or 
 
 amusement, of a semi- scientific kind, in laying 
 down and pressing her botanical specimens, and 
 writing Latin names under tlie same, being 
 advised thereto and superintended by Hector 
 Macdonald. That was sunshine enough for her, 
 and for him too apparently, for he came every 
 day to help her (and she declared she could not 
 get on without help), and it was quite wonderful 
 to observe how very slowly the laying down pro- 
 gressed_, although both of the semi-philosophers 
 were intensely interested in their work. Flora 
 was so sunny by nature that she lightened up 
 the place around her wherever she went; she 
 was thus in some measure independent of the 
 sun. George was heard to say more than once 
 that her face was as good as a sunbeam any day ! 
 Mrs. Sudberry, poor woman, was so rampantly 
 triumphant in the total discomfiture of her hus- 
 band touching the weather, that she resigned 
 herself to Highland miseries in a species of happy 
 contentment, and thus lived in what may be 
 likened to a species of mild moonshine of her 
 own. Tilly, poor, delicate, unobtrusive Tilly, 
 was at all times satisfied to bask in the moonlight 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 26 j 
 
 of lier motlier^s countenance. As for Jacky — 
 that arch-imp discovered tliat wet weather usually 
 brought his victims within doors, and therefore 
 kept them constantly within reach of his dreadful 
 influence. He was supremely happy — " darling 
 child.-'^ Fred finished up his sketches — ^need we 
 say that that was sunshine to him ? The servants 
 too shared in the general felicity. Indeed they 
 may, in a sense, be said to have been happier 
 than those they served, for, having been trans- 
 ported to that region to worlc, they found the little 
 bits of fun and amusement that fell to their lot 
 all the more pleasant and enjoyable that they 
 were unexpected, and formed a piquant contrast 
 to the monotonous routine of daily duty. 
 
 But the brightest blaze of internal sunshine — 
 the most effulgent and dazzhng beams of light 
 were shed forth in the lowly hut of Jacky^s par- 
 ticular friend. Old Moggy did not die after all ! 
 To the total discomfiture of the parish doctor, 
 and to the reflected discredit of the medical pro- 
 fession generally, that obstinate old creature got 
 well in spite of the emphatic assurances of her 
 medical adviser that recovery was impossible. 
 
268 Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 Tiie doctor happened to bo a misantlirope. He 
 was not aware tliat in tte Materia Medica of 
 Nature^s laboratory there is a substance called 
 ''^ joy,'' which sometimes effects a cure when all 
 else fails — or, if he did know of this medicine, 
 he probably regarded it as a quack nostrum. 
 
 At all events this substance cured old Moggy, 
 as Willie said, '^in less than no time.'' She 
 took such deep draughts of it, that she quite sur- 
 prised her old friends . So did Willie himself. In 
 fact, these two absolutely took to tippling together 
 on this medicine. More than that, Jacky joined 
 them and seemed to imbibe a good deal — chiefly 
 through his eyes, which were always very wide 
 open and watchful when he was in the old hut. 
 He drank to them only with his eyes and ears, 
 and could not be induced to enter into conversa- 
 tion much farther than to the extent of yes and no. 
 Not that he was shy — by oio means ! The truth 
 was that Jacky was being opened up — mentally. 
 The new medicine was exercising an unconscious 
 but powerful influence on his sagacious spirit. 
 In addition to that he was fascinated by Wilhe 
 — for the matter of that so was old Moggy — 
 
Three Months' Bustication. 269 
 
 for, did not tliat small sailor boy sing, and 
 laugh, and talk to them for hours about sights 
 and scenes of foreign travel of which neither of 
 them had dreamed before? Of course he did, 
 and caused both of them to stare with eyes and 
 mouths quite motionless for half-hours at a time, 
 and then roused them up with a joke that made 
 Jacky laugh till he cried, and made Moggy, 
 who was always crying more or less, laugh till 
 she couldn't cry ! Yes, there was very brilhant 
 sunshine in the hut during that dismal season of 
 rain — there was the sunshine of human love and 
 sympathy, and Flora was the means of intro- 
 ducing and mingling with it sunshine of a still 
 brighter and a holier nature, which, while it 
 intensified the other, rendered it also permanent. 
 
 At last the end of the Sudberrys' rustication 
 arrived ; the last day of their sojourn dawned. 
 It happened to be bright and beautiful — so 
 bright and lovely that it made one feel as if 
 there never had been a bad day since the world 
 began, and never would be another bad one to 
 the end of time. It was the fourth fine day of 
 the six dreary weeks — the third, which occurred 
 
270 FrealhS on the Fells; or, 
 
 some days before^ was only half-and-lialf, and, 
 therefore^ unworthy of special notice. Never- 
 theless,, the Sudberrys felt sad. They were 
 going aivay ! The mental sunshine of the rainy 
 season was beclouded^ and the physical sunshine 
 was of no avail to dispel such clouds. 
 
 " My dear^^^ said Mr. Sudberry at breakfast 
 that mornings in a very sad tone, '^ have you 
 any farther use for me ? '' 
 
 '^ My dear^ no/^ replied his partner, sorrow- 
 fully. 
 
 From the nature of these remarks and the 
 tone in which they were uttered, an ignorant 
 spectator might have imagined that Mr. Sud- 
 berry, having suspected his wife of growing 
 indifference, and having had his worst fears 
 confirmed from her own lips, meant to go quietly 
 away to the river and drown him in a deep pool 
 with a strong eddy, so that he might run no 
 chance of being prematurely washed upon a 
 shallow. But the good man merely referred to 
 '^ the packing,^-* in connection with which he 
 had been his wife^s right hand during the last 
 three or four days. 
 
Th^ee Months' Rustication, 271 
 
 '^Wellj theji, my love^ as tlie heavy baggage- 
 has gone on before^ and we are ready to start 
 witli the coach, which does not pass until the 
 afternoon, I will go and take a last cast in tha 
 riyer/^ 
 
 Mrs. Sudberry made no objection ; so Mr. Sud- 
 bery_, accompanied by George and Fred, went 
 down to the '^ dear old river,^^ as they styled it,, 
 for the last time. 
 
 Now it must be known that, some weeks- 
 previous to this time, Hobbs had been allowed 
 by his master to go out for a day^s trout fishing,, 
 and Hobbs, failing to raise a single fin, put on a 
 salmon fly in reckless desperation. 
 
 He happened, by the merest chance, to cast 
 over a deep pool in which salmon were (and still 
 are) wont to lie. To his amazement, a ^^ whale '^ 
 as he styled it, instantly rose, sent its silvery 
 body half out of the water, and fell over with a 
 tremendous splash, but missed the fly. Hobbs 
 was instantly afiected with temporary insanity. 
 He cast in violent haste over the same spot, as if 
 he hoped to hook the fish by the tail before it 
 should get to the bottom. Again ! again ! and 
 
27^ Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 over again^ but witliout result. Tlien, dancing 
 on tlie bank with, excitement^ lie changed the 
 fly ; tried every fly in the book ; the insanity 
 increasing, tried two flies at once, back to back ; 
 put on a bunch of trout-flies in addition ; wound 
 several worms round all ; failed in every attempt 
 to cast with, care ; and finished off by breaking 
 the top of the rod, entangling the line round his 
 legs, and fixing the hooks in his coat-tails ; after 
 which he rushed wildly up to the White House, 
 to tell what he had seen and show what he had 
 done ! 
 
 From that day forward Mr. Sudberry always 
 commenced his day^s sport at the ^^ Salmon 
 Pool.'^ As usual, on this his last day, he went 
 down to the salmon pool, but he had so often 
 fished there in vain, that hope was well nigh 
 extinguished. In addition to this, his spirits 
 were depressed, so he gave the rod to Fred. 
 
 Fred was not naturally a fisher, and he only 
 agreed to take the rod because he saw that his 
 father was indifferent about it. 
 
 " Fred, my boy, cast a little farther over, just 
 below yon curl in the water near the willow 
 
Three Months^ Rustication. 2JJ 
 
 TdusIi — all ! that's about tlie place. Hobbs' 
 declares that he raised a salmon there; but I 
 can't say Tve ever seen one myself, though I 
 have fished here every other morning for many 
 weeks/' 
 
 Mr. Sudberry had not quite finished speaking 
 when Fred's rod was bent into the form of a 
 large hoop. 
 
 " Hallo ! here_, father, take it — I don't know 
 what to do." 
 
 What a blaze of excitement beamed on the- 
 father's countenance ! 
 
 ^^ Hurrah ! hold on, Fred, — no, no, oio ! ease 
 ofi" — ^he'll break all away." 
 
 The caution was just in time. Fred was- 
 holding on Hke a true Briton. He suddenly let 
 the rod down and allowed the line to run out, 
 which it did like lightning. 
 
 '' What now, father ? Oh. \ do take it—I shall 
 certainly lose the fish." 
 
 '^ No, no, boy ; it is your fish ; try to play it 
 out." 
 
 No one but the good man himself knew what 
 a tremendous efibrt of self-denial Mr. Sudberry 
 
 T 
 
-274 Freaks on the Fells; or, 
 
 made on this occasion. But Fred felt certain 
 that the fish would get ofi". He also knew that 
 his father would give fifty pounds down on the 
 spot to land a salmon, so he said firmly, 
 *' Father, if you don't take the rod, Fll throw it 
 down ! '^ 
 
 This settled the question. Father took the 
 rod under protest, and, having had considerable 
 experience in trout-fishing, began to play the 
 salmon with really creditable skill, considering 
 the difficulty of the operation, and the fact that 
 it was his first '' big fish.'' 
 
 What varied expression flitted across the 
 countenance of the enthusiastic sportsman on 
 this great occasion ! He totally forgot himself 
 •and his sons ; he forgot even that this was his 
 last day in the Highlands. It is an open question 
 whether he did not forget altogether that he 
 was in the Highlands, so absorbed, so intensely 
 •concentrated, was his mind on that salmon. 
 'Greorge and Fred also became so excited that 
 they lost all command of themselves, and kept 
 ' leapiug about, cheering, giving useless advice in 
 •eager tones, tripping over stones and uneven 
 
Three Months' Rustication. S75 
 
 places on the banks, and following their father 
 closely, as the fish led him up and down the 
 river for full two hours. They, too, forgot 
 themselves ; they did not know what extraordi- 
 nary faces they went on making during the 
 greater part of the time ! 
 
 Mr. Sudberry began the battle by winding up 
 the line, the salmon having begun to push 
 slowly up stream after its first wild burst. In 
 a moment it made a dart towards the opposite 
 bank, so sudden and swift that the rod was 
 pulled straight, and the line ran out with a 
 whizz of the most violent description. Almost 
 simultaneously with the whizz the salmon leaped 
 its entire length out of the water, gave a 
 tremendous fling in the air, and came down with 
 a heavy splash ! 
 
 Fred gasped ; George cheered, and Mr. Sud- 
 berry uttered a roar of astonishment, mingled 
 with alarm, for the line was slack, and he 
 thought the fish had broken off. It was still on, 
 however, as a wild dash down stream, followed 
 by a spurt up and across, with another fling 
 into the air, proved beyond a doubt. The fish 
 T 2 
 
2/6 FrealiS on the Fells; or, 
 
 was very wild — fortunately it was well hooked, 
 and tlie tackle was strong. What with excite- 
 ment and the violent action that ensued at each 
 rush, Mr. Sudberry was so dreadfully blown in 
 the first minutes, that he trembled from head to 
 foot, and could scarce wind up the line. For 
 one moment the thought occurred that he was 
 too old to become a salmon-fisher, and that he 
 would not be able to fight the battle out. He 
 was quite mistaken. Every minute after this he 
 seemed to gain fresh strength. The salmon 
 happily took it into its head to cease its antics 
 for half a minute, just when the fisher was at 
 his worst. That half minute of breathing-space 
 was all that was wanted. 
 
 '' Geo'ge — ^hah ! — cut — wata ! " 
 
 George could not make out what his agitated 
 parent wanted. 
 
 ^' Water ! water ! — chokin' ! '' reiterated his 
 father. 
 
 '^ Oh, all right ! '^ George scooped up a 
 quantity of water in a leathern cup, and ran with 
 it to his choking sire, who, holding the rod tight 
 with both hands, turned his head aside and 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 2>y'f 
 
 stretclied over his left arm, still, however, keep- 
 ing his eyes fixed on the line. 
 
 "Here, up with't lips/' 
 
 The lips were projected, and George raised 
 the cup to them, but the salmon moved at the 
 moment, and the draught was postponed. The 
 fish came to another pause soon after. 
 
 " Now, George, try 'gain/' 
 
 Once more the lips were projected, once again 
 the cup was raised, but that salmon seemed to 
 know what was going on, for, just as the cup 
 and the lips met, it went ofi" in an unusually 
 fierce run down the river. The cup and its 
 contents were knocked into George's face, and 
 George himself was knocked over by his father 
 as he sprang down the bank, and ran along a 
 dry patch of gravel, which extended to the tail 
 of the pool. 
 
 Hitherto the battle had been fought within 
 the limits of one large pool, which the fish 
 seemed to have an objection to quit. It now 
 changed its tactics, and began to descend the 
 river tail foremost, slowly, but steadily. The 
 round face of the fisher, which had all this time 
 
27^ Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 been blazing red with eager hope^ was uow 
 beclouded witli a shade of anxiety. 
 
 ^' Don't let him go down the rapids, father/* 
 said George; "you^U never get past the thick 
 bushes that overhang the bank/' 
 
 Mr. Sudberry stopped_, and held on till the 
 rod bent like a giant hoop and the line became 
 rigid ; but the fish was not to be checked. Its 
 retrograde movement was slow_, but steady and 
 irresistible. 
 
 ^^ You'll smash everything ! " cried Fred. Mr» 
 Sudberry was constrained to follow, step by 
 step. The head of the rapid was gained, and 
 he had to increase the pace to a quick walk; 
 still farther down, and the walk became a smart 
 run. The ground here was more rugged, and 
 the fisher's actions became quite acrobatic. 
 George and Fred kept higher up the bank, and 
 ran along, gazing in unspeakable amazement 
 at the bounds and leaps which their fat little 
 sire made with the agility of a roe deer. 
 
 '' Hold on ! the bushes ! let it break off! " 
 
 Mr. Sudberry scorned the advice. The part 
 of the bank before him was impassable ; not so 
 
Three Months' Rustication, 279 
 
 the rivei% wliicli ruslied past Mm like a mill- 
 race. He tried once more to stop the fish ; failed,, 
 of course^ and deliberately walked into the water. 
 It was waist deep^ so he was carried down like a 
 cork^ with his toes touching the ground so lightly- 
 that, for the first time in his life, he rejoiced in 
 those sensations, which he had hitherto believed 
 belonged exclusively to harlequins and colum- 
 bines, namely, swift motion without efibrt ! 
 Fifty yards at the rate of ten miles an hour 
 brought him to an eddy, into which the salmon 
 had dashed just before him. Mr. Sudberry gave- 
 vent to another roar as he beheld the fish almost 
 under his nose. The startled creature at once 
 flashed out of his sight, and swept up, down, 
 and across the stream several times, besides 
 throwing one or two somersaults in the air, 
 before it recovered its equanimity. After this 
 it bolted into a deep, dark pool, and remained 
 there quite motionless. 
 
 Mr. Sudberry was much puzzled at this point.. 
 To let out hne when the fish ran up or across 
 stream, to wind in when the fish stopped, and. 
 to follow when the fish went down stream — 
 
%So Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 these principles lie liad been taught by experience 
 in trout-fisMng ; but how to act when a fish would 
 not move and could not be made to move was a 
 lesson which he had yet to learn. 
 
 "What's to be done ?'' said he^ with a look of 
 exasperation (and no wonder ; he had experienced 
 an hour and a quarter of very rough treatment, 
 and was getting fagged) . 
 
 " Pull him out of that hole/' suggested George. 
 
 " I can't.'' 
 
 " Try." 
 
 Mr. Sudberry tried and failed. Having failed 
 he sat down on a stone, still holding the rod very 
 tight, and wiped his heated brow. Then, start- 
 ing up, he tried for the next ten minutes to pull 
 the fish out of the hole by main force, of course 
 never venturing to pull so hard as to break the 
 line. He went up the stream and pulled, down 
 the stream and pulled, he even waded across the 
 stream at a shallow part and pulled, but all in 
 vain. The fish was in that condition which fishers 
 term " the sulks." 
 
 At last Fred recollected to have heard Hector 
 Macdonald say that in such cases a stone thrown 
 
Three Months' Rustication. 281 
 
 into the pool sometimes had the effect of starting 
 the sulky one. Accordingly a stone was thrown 
 in, and the result was that the fish came out at 
 full speed in a horrible fright, and went down 
 stream, not tail, but head foremost. Now, when 
 a salmon does this, he knows by instinct that if 
 he does not go d.own faster than the stream the 
 water will force itself into his gills and drown 
 him; therefore when he goes down head first 
 (which he seldom does, except when on his way 
 to the sea), he goes at full speed, and the fisher's 
 only chance of saving his fish is to run after him 
 as fast as he can, in the hope that he may pause 
 of his own accord in some opportune eddy. 
 
 A fine open space of bank enabled Mr. Sud- 
 berry to run like a deer after his fish for nigh a 
 quarter of a mile, but, at the end of this burst, 
 he drew near to " the falls '' — a succession 
 of small cataracts and rapids which it seemed 
 impossible for any fisher to go down without 
 breaking his neck and losing his fish. George 
 and Fred roared, " Hold on ! '' Mr. Sudberry 
 glanced at the falls, frowned, and compressed 
 his lips. He felt that he was '^in for it;" he 
 
282 Freaiks on the Fells; or, 
 
 resolved not to be beat,, so on lie went ! Tlie fisb 
 went right down tlie first fall ; tlie fisher leaped 
 over a ledge of rock three feet high, scrambled 
 across some rough ground, and pulled up at an 
 eddy where the fish seemed disposed to rest. 
 He was gratified here, bj seeing the fish turn up 
 the white of his side — thus showing symptoms of 
 exhaustion. But he recovered and went over 
 another fall. Here he stopped again, and George 
 and Fred, feeling convinced that their father 
 had gone mad, threw ofi" their coats and ran to 
 the foot of the fall, ready to plunge into the 
 stream and rescue him from the fate which they 
 thought • they saw impending. No such fate 
 awaited the daring man. He succeeded in draw- 
 ing the fish close to a gravelly shallow, where it 
 gave an exhausted wallop or two, and lay over 
 on its side. George came up, and leaping into 
 the water tried to kick it out. He missed his 
 kick and fell. Fred dashed in, and also missed. 
 Mr. Sudberry rushed forward and gave the 
 salmon such a kick that ho sent it high and 
 dry on the bank ! But in doing so he fell 
 over George and tripped up Fred, so that al] 
 
TlircG Months' Rustication. 283 
 
 three were instantly soaked to tlie skin^ and 
 returned to the bank without their hats. Mr. 
 Sudberry flung himself on the conquered fish 
 and held it fast_, while George and Fred cheered 
 and danced round him in triumphant joy. 
 
 Thus Mr. Sudberry landed his first and last 
 salmon — a ten-pounder — and thus, brilliantly,, 
 terminated his three months^ rustication in the 
 Highlands. 
 
 But this was not the end of the whole affair — 
 by no means. Mr. Sudberry and family re- 
 turned to London, and they took that salmon 
 with them. A dinner-party of choice friends 
 was hastily got up to do honour to the superb 
 fish, and on that occasion Fred and his father 
 well-nigh quarrelled on the point of " who- 
 caught the salmon ^^ ! Mr. Sudberry insisting 
 that the man who hooked the fish was the 
 real catcher of it, and Fred scouting the ridi- 
 culous notion, and asserting that he who played 
 and landed it was entitled to all the honour. 
 The point was settled, however, in some in- 
 
284 Frealcs on the Fells; or, 
 
 compreliensible way^ witliout the self-denying 
 disputants coming to blows^ and every one 
 agreed tliat it was, out of sights tlie best salmon 
 that had ever been eaten in London. Cer- 
 tainly, it was one of the merriest parties that 
 ever ate a salmon, for Mr. Sudberry's choice 
 friends were of an uncommonly genial stamp. 
 Jones, the head clerk (the man with the red 
 nose and humble aspect), was there, and so 
 brilliant was Mr. Sudberry that Jones was ob- 
 served to smile ! — the first instance on record 
 of his having given way to levity of demeanour. 
 Lady Knownothing was there too, and before 
 the evening was over she knew a few things 
 that surprised but did not in the least con- 
 vince her. Oh, no ! she knew everything so 
 thoroughly that there was no possibility on earth 
 of increasing her stock of knowledge ! Truly it 
 was a happy party, and Mr. Sudberry enjoyed 
 himself so much that he volunteered the 
 Highland fling in the drawing-room — George 
 whistling the music — on which occasion he 
 (Mr. S.) swept nearly half the tea-service oif 
 the table with his coat-tails, and Mrs. S. was 
 
Tliree Months' Rustication, 285 
 
 so happy that she didn^t care a button — and 
 said so ! 
 
 But this was not the end of it yet, by any 
 means. That winter Hector and Flora Mac- 
 donald visited London and were received by the 
 Sudberrys with open arms. The result was that 
 Lucy became intensely botanical in her tastes, 
 and routed out the old plants. Of course 
 Hector could not do less than assist her, and 
 the finale was, that these two scientific indi- 
 viduals were married, and dwelt for many 
 years thereafter in the Highlands. Strange to 
 
 say, George and Flora fell in love with each 
 
 But why say more ? "We do not mean to write 
 the history of these two families. It is enough 
 to say, that every summer for many years after 
 that, the Sudberrys spent two or three months in 
 the Highlands with the Macdonalds, and evevj 
 winter the Macdonalds spent a similar period 
 with the Sudberrys. On the former of these 
 occasions Fred renewed his intercourse with 
 Mr. McAllister, and these two became so pro- 
 foundly, inconceivably, deep and metaphysical, 
 besides theological, in their converse, that they 
 
286 Frealcs on the Fells. 
 
 were utterly incompreliensible to every one 
 except themselves. 
 
 Best of all, Jacky became a good boy ! Yes ; 
 tliat day on tlie liills with. Peter was tlie begin- 
 ning of it — old Moggy, Willie, and Flora, were 
 tbe continuation of it — and Jacky became good, 
 to tlie unspeakable joy of his mother. 
 
 Old Moggy' lived to a fabulous age, and 
 became at last as wrinkled as a red herring. 
 For all we know to the contrary, she may be 
 :alive yet. Willie lived with her and became a 
 cultivator of the soil. But why go on ? Enough 
 has been said to show that no ill befell any 
 individual mentioned in our tale. Even Mrs. 
 Brown lived to a good old age, and was a female 
 dragon to the last. Enough has also been said 
 to prove that, as the old song has it — ^' we little 
 know what great things from little things may 
 
 END OF FEEAKS ON THE FELLS. 
 
WHY I DID NOT BECOME A SAILOR 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 There is mystery connected with tlie incidents 
 whicli I am about to relate. Looked at from 
 one point of view, the whole affair is mysterious 
 — eminently so ; yet, regarded from another point 
 of view, it is not so mysterious as it seems. 
 Whatever my reader may think about it as he 
 goes along, I entreat him to suspend his judg- 
 ment until he has reached the conclusion of my 
 narrative. My only reason for bringing this 
 mysterious matter before the public is, that, in 
 addition to filHng me with unutterable surprise, 
 it had the effect of quenching one of my strongest 
 desires, and effectually prevented my becoming 
 a sailor. 
 
 This, I freely admit, is not in itself a sufficient 
 reason to justify my rushing into print. But 
 when I regard the matter from what may be 
 
288 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 termed a negative point of view, I do feel that 
 it is not absolutely presumptuous in me to claim 
 public attention. Suppose tbat Sir Jolin Franklin 
 liad never gone to sea ; wbat a life of adventure 
 and discovery would bave been lost to tbe world ! 
 what deeds of heroism undone, and, therefore, 
 untold ! I venture to think, that if that great 
 navigator had not gone to sea, it would have been 
 a matter of interest (knowing what we now know) 
 to have been told that such was the case. In this 
 view of the matter I repeat it, as being of possible 
 future interest, that the incident I am about to 
 relate prevented my becoming a sailor. 
 
 I am said to be a soft boy — that is to say, I 
 was said to be soft. Pm a man now, but, of course, 
 I was a boy once. I merely mention this to 
 prove that I make no pretension whatever to 
 unusual wisdom ; quite the reverse. I hate sail- 
 ing under false colours — not that I ever did sail 
 under any colours, never having become a sailor 
 — and yet I shouldn't say that, either, for that's 
 the very point round which all the mystery 
 hangs. I did go to sea ! I'm rather apt to 
 wander, I find, from my point, and to confuse 
 my own mind (I trust not the reader's) . Perhaps 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 2,?j^ 
 
 the shortest way to let you understand how it was 
 is to tell you all about it. ^ 
 
 My name is Robert Smith — not an unusual 
 name^ I am given to understand. It was of little 
 use to me during the period of my boyhood,, for I 
 never got any other name than Bob — sometimes 
 soft was added. I had a father. He loved me. 
 As a natural consequence^ I loved him. He was 
 oldj partially bald, silver-haired, kind, affectionate, 
 good, five feet six, and wore spectacles. I, at the 
 time I write of, was young, stout, well-grown, 
 active, and had a long nose — much too long a 
 nose : it was the only point in regard to which 
 I was sensitive. It was owing to the length of 
 this member, I believe, that I once went by 
 the name of Mozambique. You see, I conceal 
 nothing. The remarkable — the mysterious — the 
 every way astonishing incidents I am about to 
 relate, require that I should be more than usually 
 careful and particular in stating things precisely 
 as I saw them and understood them at the time. 
 
 In this view of the matter I should remark 
 that the softness with which I was charged did 
 not refer to my muscles — they were hard and 
 well developed — ^but to my intellect. I take this 
 
290 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 opportunity of stating tliat I think tlie charge 
 unjust. Butj to conclude my description of my- 
 self, I am romantic. One of my dearest com- 
 panions used to say tliat my nose was tlie same, 
 minus the tic ! What he meant by that I never 
 could make out. I doubt if he himself knew. 
 
 My chief delight in my leisure hours was to 
 retire to my bed-room and immerse myself in 
 books of travel and adventure. This was my 
 mania. No one can conceive the delight I ex- 
 perienced in following heroes of every name 
 over the pathless deep and through the trackless 
 forests of every clime. My heart swelled within 
 me, and the blood rushed through my veins like 
 liquid fire, as I read of chasing lions, tigers, ele- 
 phants, in Africa ; white bears and walrus in the 
 Polar regions ; and deer and bisons on the Ame- 
 rican prairies. I struggled long to suppress the 
 flame that consumed me, but I could not. It 
 grew hotter and hotter. At last, it burst forth — 
 and this brings me to the point. 
 
 I thought — one dark, dismal night in the 
 middle of November, — ^I thought (mind, I don^t 
 say I determined ; no, but I thought) of running 
 aw5ay from home and going to sea ! 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 291 
 
 I confess it with sliame. Tlie image of my 
 dear father rose before me with a kind and sor- 
 rowful look. I repented; started to my feet, and 
 seized the book I was reading with the intention 
 of tossing it into the fire. In doing so, I acci- 
 dentalty turned over a leaf. There was an 
 ilkistration on the jDage. I looked at it. An 
 African savage firing the whole contents of a 
 six-barrelled revolver down the throat of a Bengal 
 tiger without, apparently, doing it sury harm ! 
 I thought not of the incongruous combination. 
 My soul was fired anew. Once again I thought 
 of running away from home and going to sea — 
 not by any means with the intention of remaining 
 at sea, but for the purpose of reaching foreign — 
 if possible — ^unknown lands. 
 
 Having conceived the thought, I rose calmly, 
 shut the book carefully, but with decision, thrust 
 my hands firmly into my pockets, knitted my 
 brows, and went out in search of my bosom 
 friend John Brown — also a commonplace name, 
 I believe — at least, so it is said. 
 
 Jack, as I used to call him, had a mother, but 
 no father — ^his father died when Jack was an 
 infant. I've often fancied that there was a 
 u 2 
 
39^ ^Vli^y I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 delicate bond of union between us here. He 
 had a mother, but no father. I had a father, but 
 no mother. Strange coincidence. I think the 
 fact helped to draw us together. I may be 
 wrong, but I think so. Jack was on a visit to 
 us at the time, so I had only to cross the passage 
 to reach his room. 
 
 " Come in,^^ he cried, as I knocked. 
 
 '^ Jack, come to my room. IVs more com- 
 fortable than yours. I want your advice. ^^ 
 
 He rose, in some surprise, and followed me. 
 
 If John Brown's name was commonplace his 
 person was certainly not so. He looked like a 
 young lord. He was a noble fellow, by nature if 
 not by birth. A clear, sunny face, masculine 
 chin and nose, sweet, firm mouth, the eye of an 
 eagle, and the soft, curly, golden hair of a child. 
 Tall, broad-shouldered, elegant, bold as a lion, 
 gentle and kind as a lamb — such was my best, 
 my dearest friend. Jack. 
 
 '^ Jack,'^ said I, '' Vm. going to run away ! " 
 
 My friend fell into a chair, put both legs^ 
 straight out, and looked at me in speechless 
 amazement for a second ; then he burst into an 
 uncontrollable fit of laughter. 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 293 
 
 •^^ Jack/^ I repeated^ " Pm going to run away.'^ 
 
 " You'll do nothing of tlie sort/^ said lie. 
 
 " And/' I continued,, regardless of Ms remark, 
 ■^' I mean tliat you shall run away with me/' 
 
 '^ ril do nothing of the sort," he replied. 
 ^' But come. Bob, my boy, you're joking. Surely 
 this is not the object for which you called me 
 out of my room." 
 
 '^ Indeed it is. Listen to me. Jack." (I 
 looked at him impressively. He returned the 
 look, for Jack was earnest as well as gay.) 
 ^'You know that my dear father positively 
 refused to let me go abroad, although I have 
 entreated him to do so again and again. Now 
 I think that's hard, you know. I love my dear 
 father very much, but " 
 
 " You love yourself better. Is that it ?" 
 
 " Well, put it so if you choose. I don't care. 
 I'm going to run away, and if you won't go with 
 me you can stay at home — that's all." 
 
 '^ Come, come. Bob, don't be cross," said 
 Jack, kindly ; " you know you don't mean it." 
 
 " But I do ; and I'm sure I don't see what it 
 is that prevents you from going too," said I, 
 testily. 
 
294 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 " H^m ! well, tliere is a small matter, a sort of 
 moral idea, so to speak, that prevents/' 
 
 " And what is that V 
 
 " Respect for my mother ! Bob, my boy, 
 IVe been too deeply imbued with that in my 
 babyhood to shake it off now, even if I wished 
 to do so ; but I don't. Bob, I don't. I'm proud 
 of my mother, and, moreover, I remember her 
 teachings. There's one little verso I used to 
 repeat to her every Sunday night, along with 
 the rest of the ten commandments, ^ Honour 
 thy father and thy mother,' &c. It seems to 
 me that running away is rather flying in the face 
 of that. Doesn't it strike you in that light,. 
 Bob?" 
 
 I was silent. I felt that I had no argument 
 against such reasoning. Jack rose. 
 
 " It's late. Bob ; we are to start on our 
 fishing expedition to-morrow morning at six, so 
 it behoves us to get into bed. Good night ! and 
 think over it ! " 
 
 I seized his hand and pressed it warmly. 
 
 " Good night. Jack, I will ! " 
 
Wliy I did not heco-ine a Sailcn\ 295 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 My bedroom was a small one, with little furni- 
 ture in it. A small iron stove in tlie fireplace 
 acted instead of a grate, and as I was accustomed 
 to read late my father allowed me to light it in 
 cold weather. It was blazing cheerfully when 
 Jack left me, and the bright gleams of ruddy 
 light that darted through the chinks of the 
 door and fell on the opposite wall, threw the 
 light of my soHtary candle quite into the shade. 
 I have already remarked that the night was 
 dark and dismal. In addition to that, it was 
 stormy. The wind moaned drearily among the 
 venerable elms that surrounded our quiet country 
 residence, and ever and anon came in sharp 
 fitful gusts that caused the window-frames to 
 rattle and even shook the house, at times, to its 
 foundation. Heavy drops of rain fell occasionally 
 on the window-panes, and in a few minutes the 
 storm broke forth in full violence. 
 
2^6 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 As tlie old house had stood many such in years 
 gone by, I did not give myself much concern 
 about the gale ; but pulled down the blind, 
 placed my little table and books near the stove, 
 and, drawing in my chair, sat down to think. 
 How long I remained iu this condition I cannot 
 tell ; but my reveries were broken by the large 
 clock on the stairs striking twelve. 
 
 I started up, and clenching my hands ex- 
 claimed aloud, ^' No ! IVe made up my mind, 
 I wonH run away ! '' Under the impulse of the 
 feeliug I threw open the door of the stove and 
 heaped on fresh coals, mutteriug to Inyself, as I 
 •did so, "No, I won^t run away, I won't run 
 away ; no, no, no, I won't run a eh ! " 
 
 I was checked suddenly by my eye falHng a 
 second time on that terrific African savage send- 
 ing from his revolver a charge down the throat 
 of that magnificent Bengal tiger that would have 
 blown the inside entirely out of any living 
 creature smaller than an elephant. I sat do\wi. 
 I gazed at the picture. I read the account. I 
 followed up the adventurous savage. My head 
 reeled with excitement. A strange terrible heat 
 seemed to dart like lightning through my veins. 
 
Wliy I did not become a Sailor. 297 
 
 and the book began to flicker before my eyes. 
 I became alarmed. ^^ Surely some terrible fever 
 is seizing on me ! '^ I exclaimed, and in the 
 terror of the thought I started up and paced my 
 room rapidly. But the fire increased, and my 
 "head swaip. I meditated ringing the bell and 
 alarming the household ; but the thought of this 
 quieted me, and gradually I became calmer. 
 
 It was at this moment that my former re- 
 solution returned upon me with tenfold violence. 
 ^' I'll submit to this no longer,^' I growled be- 
 tween my teeth ; " I will run away ! " 
 
 The instant I said that, I felt as if I were 
 imbued with a determination that nothing could 
 shake. Jack's reasoning never once came into 
 my mind. I took down the knapsack that hung 
 •on a nail ready packed for the intended fishing 
 expedition of the morrow. I buckled it on ; put 
 . on my thickest shoes, and, seizing a stout cudgel, 
 issued softly from my apartment, and tapped 
 gently at Jack's door. — " Come?fti ! '' 
 
 I entered, and was overwhelmed with surprise 
 at finding my friend standing in the middle of 
 'the room accoutred for the road just like myself. 
 He put his finger to his lips. 
 
298 Why I did not hecomo a Sailor. 
 
 *^ Hush. ! Bob. I was on tlie point of going- 
 to your room to say that I^^e made up my mind 
 to run away with you.^' 
 
 I was staggered. I did not relish this un- 
 accountable change. If I had persuaded him to 
 gOj it would have been all right ; but to find him 
 thus ready and eager was unnatural. I felt as 
 if I were accountable for this change in his 
 opinions and actions^ and immediately^ strange 
 to say, experienced a tendency to dissuade him. 
 
 *' But_, Jack_, you forget what you said to me 
 some hours ago.'^ 
 
 " No, I don^t/^ he answered, gloomily. 
 
 ^^ Perhaps we'd better think over it again.'^ 
 
 ^' No, we won't. Come, Bob, don't show the 
 white feather now. Don't waste time. It's 
 about dawn. It's too late to reason. You 
 have tempted me, and I have given in." 
 
 Saying this, he seized me by the collar and 
 pushed me before him. 
 
 And now the mysterious events which I am 
 about to relate began. The conduct of my 
 friend Jack on this occasion was in itself a 
 mystery. He was by nature the gentlest and 
 most inoJBFensive of human beings, except when 
 
Why I did not hecomo a Sailor, 299 
 
 circumstances required him to act vigorously: 
 tlien he was a Hon — irresistible. Since the com- 
 mencement of our acquaintance, which was of 
 many years' standing, he had never by word or 
 look given me the shghtest cause for anger; 
 and yet here he was grasping me violently by 
 the collar and pushing me forcibly before him. 
 
 I did not get angry. My conscience smote 
 me. I said to myself, '^ Ah ! this is the result 
 of evil conduct. I have tempted Jack to act 
 against his judgment ; he is no longer what he 
 was.'' 
 
 Instead of melting under this feeling, I became 
 hardened. I stepped out, and so dragged my 
 friend after me, down the back stairs which led 
 to the lower part of the house, where the servants 
 slept. Jack whispered " All right," and let go 
 his hold. 
 
 " Now we must be cautious," I said, in a low 
 tone, as we proceeded to traverse the passage, 
 on each side of which were the rooms occupied 
 by the servants. We took off our shoes and 
 advanced on tiptoe. At the far end of the 
 passage we heard a sound like a trombone. 
 That was the butler ; we knew of his snoring- 
 
300 Why I did not become a Sailor, t 
 
 propensities, and so were not alarmed. His 
 door was open ; so was his moutli — I could see 
 that plainly, as I passed, by the dim light of a 
 candle which he always burned at night. The 
 butler was excessively fat. I merely mention 
 this because it accounts for the fact of his not 
 awaking when we unlocked the street door. Fat 
 people are not easily wakened. 
 
 The lock of the door was an old-fashioned large 
 one. It grated sHghtly as Jack turned the key, 
 4)hen at a certain point the key lost control over 
 it, and it shot back with a report like a pistol- 
 shot ! My heart flew to my mouth, and almost 
 choked me. The butler gave a double snort and 
 turned in his bed as Jack and I darted round an 
 angle of the wall and hid in a dark corner. The 
 butler soon gave unquestionable evidence that he 
 had not been thoroughly aroused, and we were 
 -about to issue from our place of concealment, 
 when the door of our man-servant^s room opened, 
 and he peeped out. Edwards — that was his 
 name — was a stout young fellow, and we felt 
 -certain that he would not rest satisfied until he 
 had found out the cause of the noise. 
 
 We were right. He stepped cautiously into 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 303^ 
 
 tlie passage with, a poker in his hand. My heart 
 sank within me. Just at that moment a cat 
 darted across the passage, with its back and 
 tail up and its eyes glaring. Edwards flung 
 the poker at it, missed the cat, and knocked 
 over an old tin umbrella stand, with wMch the 
 poker made a hideous clatter on the stone floor 
 of the passage. 
 
 '^ Ha ! you brute ! Wot ? it^s you as is makin' 
 all that row, is it?" 
 
 '^ dear, Edwards, what's happened ? " cried 
 a shrill voice from the other end of the passage — 
 it was cook. 
 
 " O nothin', only the cat," replied the man as 
 he sauntered into the butler's room. The butler 
 seemed at that moment to have been smitten 
 with a fit of apoplexy — we could see him from 
 our dark corner; — ^he grew purple in the face,, 
 gasped once or twice, choked awfully, and theik 
 sat up in bed staring like a maniac. 
 
 '' Oh ! Jack," I whispered in horror. 
 
 '^ Don't be alarmed ; it's only his usual way of 
 waking up. I've seen him do it often." 
 
 " What noise is that ? What's going on down 
 there ?" cried a deep bass voice in the distance^ 
 
3oa Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 It was my father. No one replied. Presently 
 my father's bedroom bell rang with extreme 
 violence. Edwards rushed out of the butler's 
 room. The butler fell back, opened his mouth_, 
 and pretended to be asleep — snoring moderately. 
 This of itself would have undeceived any one, 
 for when the old hypocrite was really asleep he 
 never snored moderately. The cook and house- 
 maid uttered two httle shrieks and slammed 
 their respective doors, while the .bell rang vio- 
 lently a second time. 
 
 "Now for it," whispered Jack. He opened 
 the back door softly, and we darted out. A 
 streak of pale light on the horizon indicated the 
 approach of da}^ We tried to close the door 
 behind us, but vre heard the butler choke, gasp, 
 and shout at the top of his voice, '^'^Hi ! hallo !" 
 At the same instant the old dinner-gong sent a 
 peal of horrible sound through the house, and- 
 we took to flight filled with unutterable terror. 
 
 Oh, how we did run ! We had scarcely cleared 
 the offices and got fairly into the avenue when we 
 heard Edwards shout as he started in pursuit. 
 
 We were both good runners, but Jack soon 
 took the lead, and kept it by about five yards. 
 
WJiy I did not hecome a Sailor. 303 
 
 Our feet scarcely toucliecl the ground. I felt as 
 if I had wings, so great was my terror. We 
 reached the end of the avenue. The gate was 
 full five feet high. To my inexpressible amaze- 
 ment. Jack went clear over it with one bound ! 
 
 I have never been able to analyze my feelings 
 and impulses on that occasion. I am and 
 always was rather a poor jumper, yet, without 
 hesitation, without even a doubt as to my ability 
 to clear it, I went at that gate like an Irish 
 hunter at a stone wall, and leaped fairly over 
 it ! The leaj) did not even check my pace for 
 an instant. I remember, in the whirl and con- 
 fusion of the moment, that I attributed my 
 ahnost superhuman powers to terror, but the 
 feeling that we were pursued again absorbed all 
 my faculties. 
 
 We dashed on at a killing pace, and, strange 
 to say, without feeling the slightest fatigue. 
 Having cleared the avenue, we mounted the high 
 ground in the neighbourhood, passed the church, 
 entered the village, and went through it like a 
 railway train ; came out upon the road beyond, 
 and reached a wooded part of the country where 
 several roads and by-paths diverged from the 
 
304 WJiy I did not become a Sailor, 
 
 highway. All tliis time Edwards kept close 011. 
 our heels. He did not gain on us^ but we felt, 
 that we did not distance him. ''Down here I" 
 cried Jack_, doubling suddenly into a lane. 
 
 We passed a small bridge that crossed a mill- 
 lake. Beyond, there was a farmyard. The 
 pathway was high, and we could look down on- 
 the tops of the stacks. One of these, a hay-^ 
 stack, stood about ten feet from the low wall 
 that skirted the road. It had been half pulled 
 down, and the hay was loose. Without a word 
 or warning Jack sprang completely across this- 
 space, turned right over, and plunged head first 
 into the hay. I followed instantly and disap- 
 peared. We lay for a few seconds perfectly still,, 
 and heard Edwards pass at full speed. Then, 
 we struggled out and watched him out of sight. 
 
 Sliding down, we regained the lane, returned 
 to the high-road, and continued our flight. 
 
 We saw no more of Edwards. 
 
 About eight miles from my father's house there- 
 was a, small seaport town. We made for this, and 
 reached it just as the sun rose in all his golden. 
 glory on the distant edge of the sleeping sea. 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 305 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 On entering the village we found it in a state of 
 unusual bustle. I had often been there before, 
 and had thought it rather a quiet place for a 
 seaport. But now there was a sort of bustling 
 activity and an air of mystery about it that I 
 could not understand. I mentioned my feelings 
 to Jack, but he did not answer me, which was a 
 piece of rudeness so unusual that I could only 
 suppose that his mind was so deeply affected 
 with the circumstances in which we had placed 
 ourselves as to render him somewhat absent. 
 
 On arriving at the chief, indeed the only inn 
 of the place, we discovered the reason of all the 
 j bustle. A strange ship had arrived the night 
 before — a large ship, fitted out for an expedition 
 to some distant part of the world. She had 
 come to complete her supply of provisions and 
 to engage a few extra hands. 
 
 HeKe then was a fortunate opportunity ! We 
 
 X 
 
3o5 Why I did not hecome a Sailor, 
 
 asked at once where we could find tlie captain. 
 He was in tlie bar-room of tlie inn. We entered 
 it and found Mm tliere_, standing witli Ms back 
 to tbe fire and a coat-tail under each arm. He 
 was a big fat man/ with a savage expression of 
 countenance^ and ragged head and beard,, and a 
 red nose. 
 
 *' Sir/^ said Jack^ ^^ we wish to ship with you/' 
 
 llie captain stared^ took a pencil-case out of 
 Ms pockety picked his teeth therewith^ and 
 surveyed us from head to foot. 
 
 '' Ohy you doj do you ? You wish to ship 
 with me ? " 
 
 ''Yes.'' 
 
 '' Suppose I don't want you." 
 
 '' Then we shall have to try elsewhere. '' 
 
 The captain smiled grimly^ shut up the pencil- 
 case, and said — 
 
 "What can ye do?" 
 
 '' We can read, and write, and count," said I, 
 taking the words out of Jack's mouth; for I 
 felt that his brusque manner of replying was not 
 calculated to commend us to the captain. 
 
 " Oh, you can read, and write, and count, can 
 ye ? " repeated the captain, with deep sarcasm. 
 
He was a bi^ fat man, with a savage expression of countenance, 
 and ragged head and beard, and a red nose."— p. 306 
 
Wlnj I did not hecome a Sailor. 307 
 
 ''If ye had said ye could feed, and fight, and^ 
 shout, it would have bin more to the purpose.'^ 
 
 '^ Perhaps we can do a little of that sort of 
 thing, too,^"* suggested Jack, with a broad griuo. 
 
 " Hah ? '' ejaculated the captain. '' Wot olse^ 
 can ye do ? '' 
 
 *' Oh, anything,^^ said Jack. 
 
 " I gin^rally find,^-* observed the captain, " that 
 w'en a boy says he can do anything, he very 
 soon proves that he caai do nothing.^^ 
 
 "Well, I don't mean that exactly,"'^ rejoined 
 Jack ; "I mean we can try any thing.'' 
 
 " Ha ! that's more to the pint. Where did 
 ye come from ? " 
 
 We looked at each other. "That," said I, 
 '' is a matter of no importance to any one but. 
 ourselves. We have run away from home, and 
 we want to go to sea as fast as possible. If yoix 
 are willing to take us we are willing to go^ 
 What say you ? " 
 
 " Run away ! ho ! ho ! — ^run away ! " said the* 
 captain, chuckling; "you're just the lads I 
 want. Nothing like runaway boys for me. I 
 wouldn't give a pinch of snuff for your good 
 boys that do wot they're bid. Commend mc tc 
 X 2 
 
308 Why I did not become a Sailor, 
 
 tlie Hgh-spirited fellers that runs away, and that 
 folk are so wicked as to call bad boys. That's 
 the sort o' stuff that suits our service/' 
 
 I did not by any means reHsh the manner and 
 tone in which all this was said, so I asked him 
 what particular service he belonged to. 
 
 " You'll know that time enough/' he replied, 
 laughing; "but after all, why shouldn't I tell 
 ye ? there's nothing to conceal. We're a dis- 
 covery ship; we're goin' to look for Sir John 
 Franklin's expedition, and after we've found it 
 we're going to try the North Pole, and then go 
 right through the Nor'-west passage, down by 
 Behring's Straits, across the Pacific, touchin' at 
 the Cannibal Islands in passin', and so on to 
 China. Havin' re-victualled there, we'll bear 
 away for Japan, Haustralia, Cape o' Good Hope, 
 and the West Indies, and come tearin' across 
 the Atlantic with the Gulf- stream to England ! 
 WiU that suit ye?" 
 
 It may seem strange, and the reader will 
 hardly believe me when I say that, transparently 
 absurd though this statement was, nevertheless I 
 believed every word of it — and so did Jack. I 
 saw that by his glowing eye and heightened colour. 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 309 
 
 *' And wlien do you sail ? '■* I inquired joyfully. 
 
 " In half-an-hour ; so get aboard, boys_, and 
 ^on^t give so much, tongue. Pve other matters 
 to mind just now. Come, be off? ^' 
 
 We retreated precipitately to the door. 
 
 " What's her name ? '' inquired Jack, looking 
 back. 
 
 " ^ The Ring-tailed Smasher,' " cried the cap- 
 tain, fiercely. 
 
 ^^The what?" 
 
 '''The Ring-tailed Smasher,''' roared the 
 captain, seizing the poker. 
 
 We vanished. In five minutes we were on 
 board the ship. To this hour I have no remem- 
 brance of how we got on board. My brain 
 swam with intense excitement. I felt as if I 
 were flying — not walking, as I ran about the 
 deck and clambered up the rigging. 
 
 Shortly after the captain came aboard. The 
 rope that attached the vessel to the quay was 
 cast off, the sails flew out as if by magic, and 
 the shore began to fall rapidly astern. 
 
 It was now, for the first time, that a full sense 
 of what I had done came over me. I leaned 
 over the stern of the ship and gazed at my 
 
3IO Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 native shore as it grew fainter in the distance, 
 a:iitil tlie familiar Mils became a mere line of 
 hlxiQ on the horizon, and were finally blotted 
 irom my view by the blinding tears that sprang 
 ■suddenly to my eyes. Oh ! the agony of that 
 3noment I shall never forget. The words that 
 *Iack had quoted to me the night before — 
 '^^ Honour thy father and thy mother '^ — seemed 
 lo be stamped in letters of fire within my brain. 
 1 felt keenly that, in a moment of passionate 
 «elf-will, I had done that which would cause me 
 ;the deepest sorrow all my life. 
 
 In that dark hour I forgot all my romantic 
 notions of travel in foreign lands ; I cared not 
 -a straw for hunting, or fighting, or wild adven- 
 tures. I would have cheerfully given worlds, 
 3iad I possessed them, to be permitted to undo 
 the past — to hasten to my dear father's feet, and 
 implore forgiveness of the evil that I had done. 
 But regret was now unavailing. The land soon 
 tsank below the horizon, and, ere many hours 
 iiad passed, our ship was scudding before a stiff 
 breeze and leaping wildly over the waves of the 
 Atlantic Ocean. 
 
Wliy I did not become a Sailor. 311 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 *^ Ho ! tumble up there, tumble up ! All hands, 
 ahoy ! tumble up ! Look alive, lads ; there^s 
 work to do, my hearties ! '' 
 
 Such were the words, uttered in the most ter- 
 rifically violent bass tones, that awoke me on the 
 first morning after I went to sea. Instantly all 
 the men around me leaped out of their ham- 
 mocks. They were all half-dressed, and I 
 noticed that the greater part of them completed 
 their toilette in the short interval between 
 quitting their hammocks and gaining the deck. 
 Jack and I had lain down in our clothes, so we 
 were on deck almost as soon as the others. 
 
 Here the most unexpected sights assailed us. 
 It seemed to me as if a miraculous change had 
 taken place on everybody and everything dui^ing 
 the night. The ship when she had set sail was 
 as untidy and lumbered about the decks as a 
 merchantman usually is on quitting port. Now 
 
312 Whif I did not become a Sailor, 
 
 everything was clean^ in its place, snuglv- 
 fastened, and in order. The sails appeared to 
 have undergone some modification. I fancied, 
 too, that the masts raked aft a good deal more 
 than they had done^ and round the foot of them 
 were ranged muskets, pistols, cutlasses, and 
 boarding-pikes, where masses of cordage and 
 handspikes had been before. The hencoops had 
 vanished, and in their place were rows of brass 
 carronades, while in the centre of the deck an 
 enormous swivel gun occupied the place on 
 which the long-boat had formerly rested. Even 
 the captain seemed to have changed. His 
 costume was somewhat Eastern in its character, 
 and his whole aspect was much more ferocious, 
 than when I first saw him. 
 
 Yague and terrible suspicions crossed my 
 mind as I viewed these wonderful transforma.- 
 tions ; but I had no time to indulge them, for 
 the men had hastened with the promptitude of 
 men-of-war^s men to their stations, leaving Jack 
 and me alone in the middle of the deck. 
 
 '^ Hallo ! boys,^^ shouted the captain, '^ no 
 idlers allowed aboard this ship. Here, stand by 
 this gun, and lend a hand with the ropes when 
 
WTiy I did not become a Sailor. 313 
 
 you're told to. Obey orders, — that's the only 
 duty IVe got to lay on you/-' 
 
 We hastened to the gun pointed out, and 
 while I was standing there waiting for orders, I 
 looked over the side, and, for the first time, 
 became aware of the cause of these proceedings. 
 
 About two miles to leeward of us, just off our 
 larboard bow, I saw a large ship running under 
 a press of canvass. She was a huge clumsy- 
 looking merchantman , and I heard our first mate- 
 say she was an East-Indiaman. 
 
 "Then why chase her?" thought I, "and; 
 why these warlike preparations ? " 
 
 It struck me at the time, I remember, that 
 the captain must have guessed my thoughts, for 
 he glanced at me quickly, and then turning ta^ 
 the mate, with a sarcastic smile, said, — 
 
 " I thought you had better sight than you 
 
 ; seem to have. In my judgment that's a Russian 
 
 merchantman, and as we happen to be at war 
 
 with Russia just now I'll take the liberty of 
 
 overhauling her." 
 
 Instead of replying to this the mate burst into- 
 a loud laugh, in which, strangely enough, he 
 was joined by the captain and all the men who 
 
314 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 were witliin hearing. I felt uneasy at tliis^ and 
 expressed my feelings in a whisper to Jack, who 
 shook his head and looked at me mysteriously, 
 but said nothing. 
 
 I felt that, even though wo were at war with 
 Russia, we, as a discovery-ship, had no right 
 ^vhatever to interfere in the capacity of a 
 war-ship, and I was about to remonstrate with 
 the captain at all hazards, when my thoughts 
 were suddenly changed by the order being 
 given to fire a shot across the stranger's 
 bows. The gun at which I was stationed was 
 run out. — " Stand by ! '' cried the captain. 
 
 '^Fire!'' 
 
 In the excitement of the moment, and without 
 knowing what I had to do, though deeply 
 impressed with the feeling that something ought 
 to be done when an order was given, I pulled 
 violently at the rope which I had in my hand; 
 the eflPect of which was to move the gun very 
 slightly just as it exploded. The result was that 
 the ball, instead of passing well ahead of the 
 strange vessel, passed closed to its bow and 
 <jarried away half of the bowsprit. 
 
 Tho captain turned on me a face absolutely 
 
Why I did 'not become a Sailor. 315 
 
 "blazing with wratH. He seized a handspike, and 
 I thought he was about to dash out my brains on 
 the spot. He hissed at me between his clenched 
 teeth; then, suddenly bursting into a shout of 
 fiendish laughter, he cried,— 
 
 " Well, well, after all there's no harm done. It 
 ^11 make them understand that we don't mean to 
 trifle with 'em. Clear the boarding-pikes there. 
 Are the grappling-irons ready?" — "Ay, ay, sir." 
 
 By this time the stranger had hove-to, and we 
 were bearing down on her so rapidly that a few 
 minutes more would bring us alongside. Our 
 men stood ready for action. They were the 
 worst-looking set of scoundrels I ever behold. 
 
 " Ship ahoy ! " shouted our captain as we drew 
 near, ''what ship's that?" 
 
 A smart young officer leaped on the bulwarks, 
 and cried, " Come alongside and I'll tell you. 
 Show your colours." 
 
 At the word our colours went up, as colours 
 are usually hoisted, rolled up like a ball. I 
 watched with intense interest, for I felt that now 
 at last I should know our true character. The ball 
 of what seemed to be dark-blue bunting reached 
 -the mast-Lead and hung for one instant— then its 
 
3i6 Why I did not hecome a Saila}\ 
 
 folds fell lieavily_, and were swept out by the' 
 breeze. The flag was black, and in the centre 
 were a white skull and crossbones ! 
 
 I almost fainted at the sight. I looked at 
 Jack_, who stood beside me. He was as white as- 
 a sheet; but his lips were firmly compressed, and 
 his brows knitted. " Do we deserve what w© 
 have got V he muttered in a deep, sad voice. 
 
 I did not reply ; but my conscience answered,. 
 " We do— at least I do.'' 
 
 We were now hove-to about a pistol-shot to 
 leeward of the ship, and our captain, leaping 
 on the bulwark, cried, with a dreadful oath, 
 '^ Send your gig alongside instantly with your 
 captain and papers. If you donH look sharp PU 
 blow you out of the water .•*' 
 
 He had scarcely finished speaking, when a 
 loud shout rent the air, and the bulwarks c^ 
 the strange vessel swarmed with soldiers. At 
 the same moment, twenty concealed ports flew 
 open and twenty heavy guns were run out. 
 
 Our captain gave the word, *^^Fire!'' as he 
 leaped on the deck and rushed to the wheeL 
 The word must have been given at the same 
 moment on boatd the chase, for both broadsides 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 317 
 
 ^burst simultaneously from the vessels^ sides with 
 -a deafening crash that sounded ten times louder 
 cand more terrible than the loudest thunder I ever 
 heard. We were so near that the combined 
 volumes of smoke completely blinded and almost 
 suffocated me. I fancied, for a moment, that 
 our powder-magazine had blown up. 
 
 The thunder of the broadsides was followed 
 by the most appalling shrieks I ever heard, and 
 by the ceaseless rattle of musketry as the soldiers 
 opened on us with deadly precision. Through 
 the smoke I saw men falling around me, and the 
 ^ecks were immediately covered with blood, while 
 bullets and splinters of wood whistled round my 
 head like hail. 
 
 I was stunned. I felt like one in a horrid 
 "dream. Gradually the smoke cleared away, and 
 then I saw that our captain had put down the 
 helm and our vessel was sheering off to leeward 
 under full sail. The rapidity with which every - 
 thing was done quite took away my breath. 
 Before we were out of gun-shot the decks had 
 been cleared, the dead thrown into the sea, the 
 wounded carried below, and the decks washed 
 with buckets of water. 
 
31 8 Why I did not hccome a Sailor. 
 
 Just tiien I thouglit of Jack, and looked 
 round in haste. He was not there ! I rushed 
 below ! he was not in his hammock. In an 
 agony of anxiety I went down into the horrible 
 den of blood where our surgeon was attending 
 to the wounded. Here amid groaning and 
 dying men I found my friend stretched in a 
 cot with a blanket over him. His handsome face 
 was very pale, and his eyes were closed when I 
 approached. Going down on my knees beside 
 him, while my heart fluttered with an inexpres- 
 sible feeling of dread, I whispered his name. 
 
 He opened his large eyes slowly, and a sweet 
 sad smile lit up his face for one moment, as ho 
 took me by the hand. "Oh, Jack, Jack, my 
 friend — my brother — are you wounded "}" 1 asked. 
 
 "Yes,^^ he replied, in a faint voice; "Tm 
 badly hurt, I fear.^^ 
 
 " Has the doctor dressed your wound ?'^ 
 
 "He finished the the operation just 
 
 before you came down.'^ 
 
 " Operation ! " I whispered, while a feeling of 
 deadly sickness came over me. "Where — 
 what — V I could not go further. 
 
 Poor Jack knew what I wished to ask. Ho 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 319^ 
 
 gently lifted part of tlie blanket^ and I felt as if 
 I liad been stunned by an electric shock on 
 observing that his right leg had been amputated- 
 above the knee. For some moments I could not 
 speak. I could not move. It was with difficulty 
 that I could draw my labouring breath. Sud- 
 denly I clasped my hands, — 
 
 " Oh, Jack, my beloved ! my '' 
 
 I gasped. My throat was parched. For one 
 moment I thought I was dying. Suddenly I 
 started up, uttered a great agonizing cry, and 
 fell down on the deck. Then a flood of tears 
 sprang into my burning eyes, and I sobbed as if 
 my heart would burst asunder. I did not try to 
 check this. It was too precious a relief to my 
 insupportable agony. I crept close to my friend^s 
 cot, took his hand gently, and, laying my cheek 
 upon it, wept there as I had never wept before. 
 Jack^s former advice now came back to me 
 vividly, and his words of caution, ^' Honour thy 
 father and thy mother,^' burned deep into my 
 throbbing brain, while my accusing conscience 
 whispered unceasingly, " You brought him to- 
 this — you brought him to this !" My sorrow- 
 was broken in upon rudely by the first mate. 
 
320 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 '^ Wliat are you doin' here, you young black- 
 guard ?^^ he cried, seizing me by the collar, and 
 dragging me to the foot of the ladder that led 
 out of this bloody den. " Skulking, eh ! Pll 
 teach you to skulk ; Pll cure you o' that, my 
 lad ! I'll tan your skin for you," and at each 
 emphatic word he gave me a blow with a rope's 
 end that raised a bar of livid flesh across my back. 
 ^^ There,'' he cried, giving me a final cut, and 
 hurling me up the first few steps of the ladder, 
 *' on deck with you ! " 
 
 I did not hesitate to comply. I gained the 
 deck with unusual rapidity, smarting with pain 
 and burning with indignation. But what I saw 
 going on there made me almost forget my pain. 
 The great swivel gun amidships was being cleared 
 for action, and our captain was giving orders 
 beside it as coolly and quietly as if nothing un- 
 usual had occurred that day. 
 
 I was deeply impressed for a few minutes with 
 4:his cool, calm indifierence, which characterized the 
 men as well as the captain ; but when I had con- 
 sidered a little, I came to understand that they 
 wore used to battle and bloodshed, and that 
 therefore it was quite natural. After that I 
 
Why I did not heco7ne a Sailor, 321 
 
 ceased to wonder at anytMng. Indeed^ tlie 
 power to be astonished seemed to leave my 
 breast altogether, and from that moment I re- 
 garded everything that happened on board the 
 pirate vessel as being quite what might be ex- 
 pected — mere matter of course. 
 
 I now observed that we had not yet done with 
 the supposed Russian. We had merely run 
 astern out of range of her guns, but not beyond 
 the range of our large swivel. In a few minutes 
 it was ready. The captain sighted the gun, and 
 gave the word " Fire ! ^' 
 
 The ship quivered with the shock, and so large 
 was the ball that I could distinctly trace its flight. 
 It fell short a few yards. ''So, so,^-* muttered 
 the captain. '' The next will do its work.^' 
 
 He was right. The next ball struck the rails 
 that ran round the poop, carried away the bin- 
 nacle, and raked the upper deck from stern to 
 stem. I could see it quite plainly with the glass. 
 
 '' Hurrah V' shouted some of the crew. 
 
 " Silence, you babies,^^ growled the captain ; 
 " time enough to crow when our work's done." 
 
 The men who had cheered fell back abashed 
 I noticed that they were chiefly the younger men 
 
 Y 
 
332 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 of tlie crew, wliose countenances were not yet 
 utterly unhumanized by crime. — " Load.''^ 
 
 " Ready /^-~" Fire!'' 
 
 Again tlie huge iron mass sprang from the can- 
 non's mouth, and rushed along its deadly track. It 
 struck the top of a wave, and bounding up passed 
 through the sails and cordage of the Russian, 
 cutting one or two of the lighter spars, and also 
 the main top-sail halyards, which caused the yard 
 to come rattling down, and rendered the sail use- 
 less. Seeing this, the pirate captain ordered sail 
 to . be reduced in order to keep at a sufficient 
 distance astern to render the guns of the chase 
 useless. Every shot from our gun now told with 
 terrible effect. We could see the spHnters fly 
 as every ball entered the ship's stern, or swept 
 her deck, or crashed through her rigging. Pre- 
 sently she turned her broadside to us. 
 
 ^'^ She don't mean to waste her ammunition, 
 : surely," remarked the captain, with a sneer. 
 
 She did not mean to do so. She evidently meant 
 
 to turn the tables by bearing suddenly down on 
 
 lis, and, if possible, give us a broadside before we 
 
 'Could get out of range. The captain saw the 
 
 dntention instantly, and thwarted it. 
 
Why I did not become a 8ailor, 323 
 
 " Up your helm ! Square tlie yards ! Look 
 alive there ! ^' 
 
 We fell off, and were soon running before the 
 wind, with the swivel gun thundering over our 
 stern, as it had formerly thundered over our 
 bows. The Russian fired a broadside, and lay-to. 
 Every ball fell short of us. We also lay-to, and 
 now the fire was kept up steadily. The ship^s fate 
 was sealed. Those on board evidently thought 
 so, for the colours which had hitherto been flying 
 from the mast were presently lowered. Upon 
 this we ceased firing, and ranged up alongside. 
 
 '^ Oh ! youVe had enough, have you ? " cried 
 our captain. " Perhaps you^ll condescend to let 
 your captain and papers come aboard now," 
 
 The Eussian did not reply, but a boat was 
 lowered. It was evident they meant to obey. 
 
 ^^ Here, you boy,'' cried our captain, as he 
 paced the deck, awaiting their arrival. " Here's 
 a letter for you." 
 
 " A letter, sir ! " I exclaimed, stepping 
 forward, and touching my cap. 
 
 " Ay, your father gave it to me just afore we 
 set sail. He told me not to give it to you until 
 you'd seen a little rough work. You've seea 
 Y 2 
 
3^4 TVJty I did not become a Sailor, 
 
 some now, I think (he accompanied this remark 
 with a horrible leer), so there^s the letter. Go 
 below and read it. I'll want you in half an hour 
 for some still rougher work." 
 
 There seemed to me something very unac- 
 countable and mysterious in this. I knew that 
 the captain did not know my father. I had not 
 even told him that I had a father. It seemed to 
 me impossible that in the course of the short 
 half-hour that intervened between the time of 
 my engaging to serve in the Ring-tailed 
 Smasher, and the time of my setting sail, my 
 father could have found out where I had run to, 
 have met and conversed with the captain, and 
 have written a letter to me. Yet it seemed that 
 such was the case. I recognized the handwriting. 
 
 " Whom did you get the letter from ? Did 
 you see my father ? '^ 
 
 ^^ Come, youngster, don't you go for to ques- 
 tion me. Go below d'rectly, an' stop there til) 
 ye'r wanted." 
 
 The captain seized the end of a rope as he 
 spoke, so I retreated at once to the bedside of 
 my poor friend Jack, only too glad to escape 
 from the presence of men whom I now abhorred 
 
WJiy I did not become a Sailor. ^2^ 
 
 with all my heart. " Jack,^' said I, eagerly, 
 '' here's a letter from my father ! '' 
 
 He evinced no surprise, but, looking up 
 solemnly, said, in a faint voice, '^ Read it." 
 
 Breaking the seal, I read as follows : — 
 
 " My beloved Son, — I forgive you. You havo 
 sinned deeply in thus leaving me ; but I know 
 that you have repented. I know that your own 
 conscience has rebuked you more sternly than 
 any earthly parent could do. You cannot now 
 recall the past — you cannot undo what you have 
 done ; you must now continue your voyage, and, 
 in order to relieve your oppressed heart, I give 
 you my blessing. I commend you, my dear boy, 
 to Him who is the Saviour of sinners. 
 
 " Beware of the captain. Obey him in all 
 that is right, but do not serve him. Again; I 
 say, beware of him. There are secrets con- 
 cerning him which I cannot unfold. I have just 
 been to see Jack's mother. She sends her 
 forgiveness and blessing to her son. God bless 
 you, boy. — ^Your loving father, 
 
 '' John Smith.'' 
 
 My father understood human nature. Ko 
 
326 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 ' reproaches tliat he could have heaped upon me 
 ^ would have cut half so deeply into my heart as 
 did this kind_, forgiving letter. My heart was 
 full. Yet I felt a deep undercurrent of joy at 
 knowing that my father loved me still. I looked 
 at Jack. He seemed to be asleep, but he was 
 not. A single tear coursed over his pale cheek 
 as he looked up and whispered, — 
 
 '' We don't deserve this, Bob.'' 
 
 Before I could reply, the ship was shaken by 
 a tremendous explosion, and immediately after I 
 heard the most appalling shrieks and yells on 
 deck, accompanied by the clashing of swords and 
 the scuffling of men in deadly conflict. I looked 
 at Jack ; he lay motionless, with his eyes closed. 
 For a moment I feared that he was dead. 
 
 " Bob Smith ! Hallo ! tumble up there, you 
 skulker ! " shouted a voice down the hatchway. 
 At the same moment two wounded men were 
 carried into the place, and the surgeon appeared 
 with his horrible instruments glittering, cold 
 and sharp, on a wooden tray. 
 
 Seizing my cutlass, and thrusting a brace of 
 pistols in my belt, I rushed on deck. 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 337^ 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 On reacHng tlie deck I saw at once how matters 
 stood. The Russian had allowed us to come 
 alongside, and then, throwing out grappling- 
 irons, had fired a broadside into us and at- 
 tempted to board. They were soon overcome, 
 however, by the pirates, and driven back into 
 their ship, whither they were immediately 
 followed. 
 
 I resolved, come what might, that I would 
 take no part in the fray ; but I was carried, in 
 spite of myself, on board the strange vessel in 
 the rush that our men made when they drove 
 their opponents back. There was a short, sharp 
 skirmish on the deck of the Russian, and then 
 the crew were driven below, and the hatches put 
 on. I remembered having seen a number of 
 soldiers on board when we first came up with 
 this vessel. There were none now. Their 
 mysterious disappearance struck me at first. 
 
^28 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 but I, soon forgot it in tlie thrilling scenes tliat 
 followed. 
 
 In the middle of the vesseFs main-deck there 
 was a cage of wild beasts. How they had got 
 there of course I knew not, but I at once con- 
 cluded the ship must have been in southern 
 climes, and these animals were being brought 
 home to be presented to some menagerie or 
 zoological garden. There were several fine 
 specimens of Hons and tigers, and the sight of 
 blood which flowed plentifully on the decks had 
 so excited these creatures that they were now 
 filling the air with deafening roars, bounding 
 against the sides of their cage (which I expected 
 every moment to see broken to pieces by their 
 united strength), and glaring at us with the 
 most awful expressions of ferocity I ever beheld. 
 
 Our captain, who looked almost as fierce as 
 the wild brutes, could not make his voice heard 
 for their roaring. In savage fury he rushed at 
 the cage, and made a desperate cut with his 
 sword at the lion nearest the bars. The blood 
 flowed from the wound freely, and the savage 
 animal, being unable to wreak its vengeance on 
 its cowardly assailant, attacked one of its com- 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 329 
 
 rades. This and the blood now flowing in the 
 cage quite maddened them all. An indiscrimi- 
 nate fight ensued. The wooden partition that 
 separated the tigers from, the lions was smashed 
 in, and the strong cage shook as if it were made 
 of cardboard. 
 
 " Turn a gun in-board/' yelled the captain, 
 who seemed to have actually gone mad with 
 passion. 
 
 The order was instantly obeyed. 
 
 '' Load to the muzzle — grape — cannister — 
 chain shot. In with it.^^ 
 
 He assisted in the operation ; rammed home 
 the extraordinary charge, pointed the gun at 
 the cage, and applied the match. Instantly the 
 gun leaped backwards as if it had been a living 
 thing, broke down the bulwarks of the ship, and 
 plunged overboard. 
 
 The effect of the shot was terrific. The ca^o 
 ,vas blown to atoms, and the mangled remains 
 of the wild beasts were strewn about the deck. 
 One animal, however, a magnificent Bengal 
 tiger, had apparently escaped unhurt. It sprang 
 at the captain with a hideous roar. He pointed 
 a pistol at its open throat ! 
 
330 WJiy I did not become a Sailor, 
 
 At that moment tlie wpodcut in my book of 
 travels flashed vividly before me. But I bad not 
 time to think. The pistol exploded^ sending its 
 contents down the creature^s throat. The tiger 
 fell short in its leap ; blood poured from its 
 mouth and nose. With another bound it cleared 
 the bulwarks^ and fell into the sea. 
 
 The calm that succeeded this thrilling incident 
 was like a sudden lull in the midst of a furious 
 storm. Even the pirates seemed to be solem- 
 nized by what had passed. 
 
 ^' Now to work/^ cried the captain, wiping his 
 sword and laying it, with- a brace of loaded 
 pistols, on the capstan. '^ What are you staring 
 at, you fools ? — have you lost your senses ? Open 
 the after hatch, and bring them up, one at a time. 
 Get the plank ready.^^ 
 
 The first who was led bound before the captain 
 was the steward of the ship. He was deadly 
 pale, and trembled very much. 
 
 ^' Now, my man,^^ said the captain, " answer 
 
 my questions. The truth mind, else ^' he 
 
 touched the butt of a pistol significantly. 
 
 " WTiere did you last sail from ? '' 
 
 To my amazement, the man gave the name of 
 
TVJiy I did not become a Sailor. 331 
 
 tlie port from wMcb. we ourselves liad sailed. I 
 felt certain that this was a falsehood, and that the 
 poor man's life would be forfeited. Judge, then, 
 my surprise when the captain said, — 
 
 '^ I know that as well as you. I saw you sneak 
 out" just the day before we did. But you didn't 
 escape me, ha ! ha ! You are too good to live, 
 my man. Stand aside here till I call some ona 
 who's not quite so frightened. Here, hold him,, 
 one of you ! Bring another ! " 
 
 I started. My heart almost ceased to beat 
 when the next man was led forward. He was 
 my father's man-servant, Edwards. In the con- 
 fusion and horror of that hour I could not 
 reason; but a vague sense of some mysterious 
 impossibility having actually taken place op- 
 pressed me in a way that I cannot explain. The 
 ship had sailed the day before ours did! I left 
 Edwards behind me in the race from home ! 
 How, then, did I see him before me ? Then the 
 C9;ge of wild beasts. How was it possible that a 
 vessel leaving an English port could have such 
 creatures on board.? Then, my father's letter; 
 it seemed more than ever mysterious how that 
 letter could reach me, and through such a 
 
33 2 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 channel, and without a word of reference to 
 Edwards. 
 
 He did not observe me as lie passed. I tried 
 to utter his name ; but my tongue was tied. I 
 could not speak. I could not move. 
 
 '*■ Where did you last sail from?^^ began the 
 captain. 
 
 '^You^ll get nothing out of me/^ replied 
 Edwards^ stoutly. '^ Do your most. Torture me 
 if you like. I defy you to your teeth.^' 
 
 '^ Do you^ my fine fellow ? '^ said the captain, 
 with a bitter sneer. '^ Then Pll just send you 
 overboard at once. IVe no time to torture 
 youj and as I shall find plenty of your com- 
 rades willing enough to tell me all they know, 
 Pll not trouble you any farther. Ho ! run out 
 the plank there ! '^ 
 
 I knew what that meant, and a cold shiver 
 passed through my frame as the men obeyed, 
 and blindfolded Edwards, preparatory to making 
 him walk the plank. I could restrain myself 
 no longer. Darting up to the captain, I shouted 
 in a voice of indignation, — 
 
 " Do you mean to murder an innocent man, 
 you dastardly villain V 
 
Wliy I did not become a Sailor. 333 
 
 He looked at me for a moment in surprise ; 
 tlien, snatcliing a pistol, felled me with it to the 
 deck. I was not rendered quite insensible. I 
 heard the shriek of agony uttered by poor 
 Edwards, as he fell off the end of the plank into 
 the sea ; then I fainted. 
 
 How long I lay, I know not; probably not 
 long, for I was restored to a state of conscious- 
 ness by being plunged into the sea. I had no 
 doubt that the captain liad ordered me to be 
 thrown overboard ju§t after I fell under his bi'utal 
 blow. 
 
 Being a good swimmer, I struck out at onco 
 and made for the side of the pirate vessel, where 
 I caught the end of a rope, and soon clambered 
 on board. I was much exhausted, and sat down 
 on the breech of a carronade to rest and recover 
 my stunned and scattered faculties. 
 
 The crew of the pirate were so busily engaged 
 with the captured ship that I found myself quite 
 alone on the deck. Not a man remained in the 
 ship. An idea suddenly occurred to me just 
 then. I glanced up at the sails. They were all 
 flapping in the wind except the fore-topsail. 
 That sail had slewed round, and was drawing 
 
334 Why I did not become a Sailor, 
 
 so tliat tlie vessel strained the ropes and grap- 
 pling irons that lield her to the captured ship. 
 
 I sprang up burning with eager excitement. 
 I heard the shrieks of the ill-fated victims, as 
 one by one they walked the plank, which, for- 
 tunately for the success of my design, was thrust 
 out on the other side of the ship. A crowbar 
 enabled me to wrench off the grappling-irons. 
 Two cuts of a large axe severed the cable that had 
 been fastened to the bow, and the vessePs head 
 fell slowly off. As it did so, all the sails filled 
 with a sudden clap. This was observed : I heard 
 a shout, and saw the pirates spring on the bul- 
 warks of the prize. I flew rather than ran to 
 the stern, where the cable that held the vessel 
 was rigid as a bar of iron. One blow cut it, 
 and the rope recoiled violently in the faces of the 
 men who laid hold of it. Next moment the 
 pirate ship was heading away before a stiff 
 breeze which was quickly freshening to a gale. 
 As I sprang to the helm, a shower of musket 
 and pistol bullets tore up the deck round me, 
 and I heard the captain^s voice give the order to 
 load the guns. 
 
 It was a few minutes before the vis inertice of 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. '^'^^ 
 
 the sMp was overcome^ so tliat I was within 
 close range when a whole broadside was fired at 
 me. But not a shot struck. They tore up the 
 water all round, and ricochetted over me. Before 
 they could re-load I was almost beyond range, 
 for the gale was freshening every moment, and 
 the canvas spread was enough almost to tear 
 the masts out of the ship. The water hissed as 
 she flew over the heaving waves, and in a few 
 minutes I felt that I was free. 
 
 Oh ! the feeling of wild delight that filled me 
 when I realized this. I lashed the helm amid- 
 ships, and ran down below to tell Jack what 
 I had done. He was asleep. By. a powerful 
 effort I restrained myself, and did not disturb 
 him. Then I rushed on deck. My brain seemed 
 on fire. I shouted, laughed, and sang, and wept, 
 until I began to feel a terrible sensation of dread 
 lest I should go mad. But this, instead of calm- 
 ing me, caused me to dance and sing and shout 
 the more. A burning thirst came upon me. I 
 ran to the water- cask and drank till I could 
 drink no more. I was refreshed ; but soon the 
 fever returned fiercer than ever. I was mad ! 
 I knew it ; I felt it , but I did not care. I saw 
 
o^^6 Why I did not hecome a Sailor. 
 
 that tlie storm increased; this caused me to 
 shout again with joy at the thought that I was 
 so quickly borne away from the scene of butchery^ 
 and from the fiends in human form with whom I 
 had so lately associated. 
 
 The gale burst in all its fury upon us. The 
 sails were new and strong; the ship plunged 
 into the waves,, a green billow swept inboard and 
 burst in fury on the deck, carrying away boats 
 and loose spars. I yelled with delight, and 
 plunged into the brine that lashed the deck from 
 stem to stern. I heard a noise overhead; but 
 was so confused that I could not understand 
 what it was. As I gazed, there came a terrific 
 blast. The mainsail split from top to bottom. 
 The topsails burst and were blown to ribbons. 
 At the same moment^ I received a violent blow 
 on the head. 
 
 After that^ all was darkness and oblivion ! 
 
WJiy I did not become a Sailm\ ^^y 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 When consciousness returned to me I found 
 myself lying on my back on the deck of a vessel^ 
 surrounded and propped up by pillows; and 
 Jack Brown sitting beside me reading a book. 
 
 I felt a curious sensation of weakness and 
 emptiness in my head — as if it were hollow, and 
 a strange disinclination, almost inability, to 
 speak or think. Suddenly this passed away, 
 and the events which I have related in the 
 previous chapters rushed back upon my memory 
 with vivid power. 
 
 '^ It must have been a dream,^^ I thought, 
 " or I must have been ill and dehrious, and these 
 things have passed through my fevered brain .^' 
 
 At that moment the thought of Jack's ampu- 
 tated leg came into my head : '^ that will prove 
 it,'^ thought I, and turned quickly to look at my 
 friend. One glance was sufficient — a wooden 
 stump occupied the place of his right leg. I 
 
33^ Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 groaned aloud and burst into tears. " Come, 
 Bob_,^^ said Jack in a soft, kind tone, laying down 
 liis book and bending over me. '^Come, my 
 poor fellow, keep quiet. It^s about time you had 
 your dinner. Lie still and 1^11 fetcb it to you.^^ 
 
 I laid my band on bis arm and detained bim. 
 
 " Tben it's all true,'' said I in a tone of the 
 deepest despondency. 
 
 ^as what aU true?" 
 
 " Tbis — tbis borrible — ^your leg ; your leg — '^ 
 
 Jack suddenly stooped and gazed earnestly 
 into my face. 
 
 '^ Do you know me. Bob ? " He trembled as 
 be spoke. 
 
 " Know you. Jack ! why should I not know 
 you ? When did I ever forget you ? '' 
 
 '^ Thank God ! " he exclaimed fervently, 
 taking my hand and pressing it to his breast. 
 ^^ You're all right again. Oh, how I have 
 longed and prayed for this." 
 
 '^All right. Jack. Have I been wrong, 
 then?" 
 
 "That you have just," said Jack, smiling 
 sadly. " You've just been as mad as a March 
 >iare, that's all ! " 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 339, 
 
 I fell flat down and gazed at Mm. In a 
 minute more I raised myself on one elbow, and, 
 looking at him earnestly, said, "How long, 
 Jack?^^ 
 
 " Just three weeks to-day .^^ 
 
 I feU flat down again, in wMcli position Jack 
 left me to go and fetch me some dinner. He 
 returned quickly with a plate of soup. Before 
 commencing to eat it I pressed my hand on my 
 forehead, and said — 
 
 " Jack, I am surrounded by mysteries. How 
 got you so soon well? Where got you that 
 wooden leg ? How are we here alone ? Where- 
 are we going? Clear up my faculties. Jack, 
 while I eat this soup — do, like a good fellow.^^ 
 
 " I can easily do that. Bob. First, I got well 
 because you took care of me.^^ 
 
 "What! 1?'^ 
 
 " Yes, you ! At the commencement of your 
 madness you tended me and cared for me as if 
 you had been my mother. When you got to 
 lose all *^ method in your madness^ I was well 
 enough to take care of myself and you too. 
 Secondly, I found this wooden leg in the 
 carpenter's berth, and gladly availed myself of 
 
340 WJiy I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 its services^ tliough it is three inches too short, 
 and causes me to hobble in a most undignified 
 manner. Thirdly, we are here alone because 
 there's no one else with us. You took good 
 care of that by cutting the ropes before any of 
 our crew could get aboard — so you told me just 
 before you went mad.'' 
 
 '' Oh ! I remember now ! I recollect it all. 
 Go on." 
 
 " Fourthly, as to where we are going, I don't 
 know. Our compass was smashed to pieces in 
 the fight, and I've been running for the last 
 three weeks right before the wind. So now you 
 know all, and as you've finished your soup I'll 
 go and get you a lump of boiled junk." 
 
 " Don't," said I, rising and shaking myself. 
 ^' I've dined. I feel quite strong. I don't feel a 
 bit as if I had been ill. Hallo ! what land is that ? " 
 
 Jack started and gazed at it with surprise. 
 He had evidently not known that we were in the 
 neighbourhood of land. A dense fog-bank had 
 concealed it from us. Now that it cleared away 
 it revealed to our gaze a stretch of yellow sand, 
 backed by the lofty blue hills of the interior, 
 and from the palm-trees that I could make out 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 341 
 
 distinctly I judged that we must have been 
 making for the tropical regions during the last 
 three weeks. 
 
 Yet here again mystery surrounded me. 
 How was it possible that we should have reached 
 the tropics in so short a time. While I was 
 puzzling over this question the greatest mystery 
 of all occurred to us. If I were not con- 
 scientiously relating events exactly as they 
 occurred I should expect my readers to doubt 
 my veracity here. 
 
 As we were sailing smoothly along, our ship, 
 without any apparent cause, began to sink. She 
 went down gradually, but quickly — inch by inch 
 — until the water was on a level with the 
 decks. We struck no rock ! we did not cease 
 to advance towards the shore ! I fancied that 
 we must certainly have sprung a leak; but 
 there had been no sound of a plank starting, 
 and there was no noise of water rushing into 
 the hold. I could not imagine what had oc- 
 curred, but I had not much time for thought. 
 We could do nothing to avert the catastrophe. 
 It occurred so suddenly that we were both ren- 
 dered mute and helpless. We stood gazing at the 
 
342 WJcy I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 water as it crept over tlie deck without making 
 tlie slightest effort to save ourselves. 
 
 At length the water reached the hatchway 
 and poured in a roaring cataract into the hold. 
 The vessel fiUed_, gave a heavy lurch to port^ a 
 species of tremor passed through her frame as if 
 she was a living thing and knew that her hour 
 had come, then she went down in a whirlpool,, 
 leaving Jack and me struggling in the sea. 
 
 We were both good swimmers, so that we did 
 not experience much alarm, especially when we 
 felt that the sea was comparatively warm; we 
 struck out for the shore, and, being the better 
 swimmer of the two, I took the lead. 
 
 But now to our horror we found that vf e were 
 followed by sharks ! 
 
 No sooner did we observe this than we struck 
 out with all the energy of terror. We never 
 swam as we did on that occasion. It seemed to 
 me quite miraculous. The water burst from our 
 breasts in foam, and we left long white tracts 
 behind us as we clove our way through the 
 water like two boats. It was awful. I shall 
 never forget my feehngs on that occasion, they 
 were indescribable — ^inconceivable ! 
 
"At length the water reached the hatchway."- p. 343 
 
Why' I did not become a Sailor, 343 
 
 We were about a quarter of a mile from a 
 point of rocks wlieii our ship sank. In an 
 incredibly short space of time we were close on 
 the rocks. Being several yards ahead of Jack, 
 I was the first to clamber up^ my heart fluttering 
 with fear^ yet filled with deep gratitude for my 
 deliverance. I turned to help Jack. He was 
 yet six yards from shore,, when a dreadful shark 
 made a rush at him. 
 
 '^ Oh ! quick ! quick ! " I screamed. 
 
 He was panting and straining hke a lion. 
 Another moment and his hand would have been 
 in mine^ but at that moment I beheld the double 
 rows of horrid teeth close upon him. He 
 littered a piercing shriek, and there was an 
 indescribably horrible scrunch as he went down. 
 ^ In a moment after he reappeared, and making 
 a last frightful efibrt to gain the rocks, caught 
 my hand. I dragged him out of danger in- 
 stantly, and then I found, to my unutterable joy, 
 that the shark had only bitten ofi" the half of his 
 wooden leg ! 
 
 Embracing each other fervently, we sat down 
 on the rocks to rest and collect our thoughts. 
 
344 Why I did not hecome a Sailor, 
 
 CHAPTER YII. 
 
 I HAVE often founds from experience^ tliat the 
 more one tries to collect one's tliouglits,, the more 
 one's thoughts pertinaciously scatter themselves 
 abroad^ almost beyond the possibility of disco- 
 very. Such was the case with me^ after escaping 
 from the sea and the sharks^ as related circum- 
 stantially in the last chapter. Perhaps the truth 
 • of this may best be illustrated by laying before 
 my readers the dialogue that ensued between me 
 and Jack on the momentous occasion referred 
 to_, as follows : — 
 
 Jach. ^^ I say. Bob, where in all the world have- 
 we got to ? " 
 
 Boh. '^ Upon my word_, I don't know." 
 , Jaclc. " It's very mysterious." 
 i Bob. " What's very mysterious ?" 
 
 Jack. "Where we've got to. Can't you guess ?" 
 Boh. " Certainly. Suppose I say Lapland ?'* 
 Jadv. (Shaking his head) "Won't do." 
 
WJiy I did not become a Sailor. 345 
 
 Boh. ''Why?'' 
 
 Jack. " ^Cause there are no palm-trees in Lap. 
 land.^^ 
 
 Boh. '^Dear me, that's true. How confused 
 my head is. Til tell you what it is_, Jack, I can't 
 think. That's it — that's the cause of the mystery 
 that seems to beset me, I can't tell how; and 
 then I've been ill — that's it too." 
 
 Jach. ^' How can there be two causes for one 
 effect. Bob ? You're talking stuff, man. If I 
 couldn't talk better sense than that, I'd not talk 
 at all." 
 
 Boh. Then why don't you hold your tongue ? 
 I tell you what it is. Jack, we're bewitched. You 
 said I was mad some time ago. You were right — 
 so I am ; so are you. There are too many mysteries 
 here for any two sane men. (Here Jack mur- 
 mured we weren't men, but boys.) There's the 
 running away and not being caught — the ship 
 ready to sail the moment we arrive ; there's your 
 joining me after all your good advice; there's 
 that horrible fight, and the lions, and Edwards, 
 and the sinking of our ship, and the — ^the — in 
 short, I feel that I'm mad still. I'm not recovered 
 yet. Here, Jack, take care of me !" 
 
34^ Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 Instead of replying to titis^ Jack busied himself 
 in fitting a piece of wood lie had picked up to his 
 wooden leg, and lashing it firmly to the old 
 stump. When he had accomplished his task,, he 
 turned gravely to me and said, — 
 
 ^' Bob, your faculties are wandering pretty 
 wildly to-day, but youVe not yet hit upon the 
 cause of all our misfortunes. The true cause is 
 that you have disobeyed your father, and I my 
 mother." 
 
 I hung my head. I had now no longer diffi- 
 culty in collecting my thoughts — they circled 
 round that point until I thought that remorse 
 would have killed me. Then suddenly I turned 
 with a look of gladness to my friend. 
 
 "But you forget the letter! We are for- 
 given ! " 
 
 " True,^^ cried Jack, with a cheerful expression ; 
 we can face our fate with that assurance. Come, 
 let us strike into the country and discover where 
 we are. Pll manage to hop along pretty well 
 with my wooden leg. We'll get home as soon 
 as we can, by land if not by water, and then we'll 
 remain at home — ^won't we. Bob ? " 
 
 " Remain at home ! " I cried ; "^ ay, that will 
 
Wliy I did not become a iSailor. 347 
 
 we. Vyq liad more tlian enougli of foreign expe- 
 riences already. Oh. ! Jack, Jack, iVs little I care 
 for tlie sufferings I have endured — but your leg. 
 Jack ! Willingly, most willingly, my dear frieu d, 
 would I part with my own if by so doing, I could 
 replace yours.^^ 
 
 Jack took my hand and squeezed it. "It's 
 gone now. Bob,'' he said sadly. " I must just 
 make the most of the one that's left. 'Tis a 
 pity that the one that's left is only the left 
 one." 
 
 So saying he turned his back to th.e sea, and 
 still retaining my hand in his, led me into the 
 forest. 
 
 But here unthought-of trouble awaited us at 
 the very outset of our wanderings. The ground 
 which we first encountered was soft and swampy, 
 so that I sank above the ankles at every step. 
 In these circumstances, as might have been ex- 
 pected, poor Jack's wooden leg was totally useless. 
 The first step he took after entering the jungle, his 
 leg penetrated the soft ground to the depth of 
 nine or ten inches, and at the second step it 
 disappeared altogether — ^insomuch that he could 
 laj no means pull it out. 
 
348 WJiy I did not become a Sailor, 
 
 " I say, Bob,^^ said lie, with a rueful expression 
 of countenance, " Vm in a real fix now, and no 
 mistake. Come to anchor prematurely. I re- 
 solved to stick at nothing, and here I have stuck 
 at the first step. What is to be done ?^^ 
 
 Jack^s right leg being deep down in the 
 ground, it followed, as a physical consequence, 
 that his left leg was bent as if he were in a 
 sitting posture. Observing this fact, just as he 
 made the above remark, he placed both his 
 hands on his left knee, rested his chin on his 
 hands, and gazed meditatively at the ground. 
 The action tickled me so much that I gave a 
 short laugh. Jack looked up and laughed too, 
 whereupon we both burst incontinently into an 
 uproarious fit of laughter, which might have 
 continued ever so long had not Jack, in the 
 fulness of his mirth, given his fixed leg a twist 
 that caused it to crack. 
 
 " Hallo ! Bob,'^ he cried, becoming suddenly 
 very grave, " I say, this won't do, you know ; 
 if I break it short off you'll have to carry me, 
 my boy : so it behoves me to be careful. What 
 is to be done ? '' 
 
 " Come, rU help you to puU it out.'' 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 349 
 
 " Oh ! that's not what troubles me. But 
 after we get it out what's to be done ? " 
 
 ^^ Jack/' said I, seriously, "one thing at a 
 time. When we get you out, then it will be 
 time enough to inquire what to do next." 
 
 "That's sound philosophy, Bob; where did 
 you pick it up ? I suspect you must have been 
 studying Shakespeare of late, on the sly. But 
 come, get behind me, and put your hands under 
 my arms and heave ; I'll shove with my sound 
 limb. Now let us act together. Stay ! Bob, 
 we've been long enough aboard ship to know 
 the value of a song in producing unity of action. 
 Take the tune from me." 
 
 Suiting the action to the word. Jack gave 
 forth, at the top of his voice, one or two of those 
 peculiarly nautical howls wherewith seamen are 
 wont to constrain windlasses and capstans to 
 creak, and anchors to let go their hold. 
 
 " Now then, heave away, my hearties ; yo- 
 heave-o-/ioi/ / " 
 
 At the last word we both strained with all our 
 might. I heard Jack's braces burst with the 
 effort. We both became purple in the face, but 
 the leg remained immovable ! With a loud 
 
35^ ^VJiy I did not become a 8ailm\ 
 
 simultaneous sigli we relaxed, and looking at 
 each other groaned slightly. 
 
 " Come, come. Bob, never say die ; one trial 
 more j it was the braces that spoiled it that time. 
 Now then, cheerily ho ! my hearties, heave-yo- 
 hee-o-HOY!^^ 
 
 The united force applied this time was so 
 great that we tore asunder all the fastenings 
 of the leg at one wrench, and Jack and I suddenly 
 shot straight up as if we had been discharged 
 from a hole in the ground. Losing our balance 
 we fell over each other on our backs — the wooden 
 leg remaining hard and fast in the ground. 
 
 ^^ Ah ! Jack,^^ said I sorrowfully, as I rubbed 
 the mud off my garments, ^' if we had remained 
 at home this would not have happened.''^ 
 
 " If we had remained at home,^^ returned Jack, 
 rather gruffly, as he hopped towards his leg, 
 "nothing would have happened. Come, Bob, 
 lay hold of it. Out it shall come, if the inside 
 of the world should come along with it. There 
 now — Jieave ! " 
 
 This time we gave vent to no shout, but we 
 hove with such a will, that Jack split his jacket 
 from the waist to the neck, and the leg came 
 
Why I did not hecome a Sailor. 351 
 
 out with a crack that resembled the drawing of 
 the largest possible cork out of the biggest con- 
 ceivable bottle. 
 
 Having accomplished this feat we congratulated 
 each other,, and then sat down to repair damages. 
 This was not an easy matter. It cost us no- 
 little thought to invent some contrivance that 
 would prevent the leg from sinking ; but at last 
 we thought of a plan. We cut a square piece 
 of bark off a tree^ the outer rind of which was 
 peculiarly tough and thick. In the centre of 
 this we scooped a hole and inserted therein tho 
 end of the leg, fastening it thereto with pieces 
 of twine that we chanced to have in our pockets. 
 Thus we made, as it were, an artificial foot, 
 which when Jack tried it served its purpose 
 admirably — ^indeed, it acted too well, for being 
 a broad base it did not permit the wooden leg to 
 sink at all, while the natural leg did sink mora 
 or less, and, as the wooden limb had no knee, 
 it was stiff from hip to heel, and could not bend, 
 so that I had to walk behind my poor comrade, 
 and when I observed him get somewhat into the 
 position of the leaning tower of Pisa I sprang 
 forward and supported him. 
 
^^2 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 Thus we proceeded slowly through the forest, 
 stumbling frequently, tumbling occasionally, 
 and staggering oft; but strange to say, without 
 either of us having any very definite idea of 
 where we were going, or what we expected to 
 find, or why we went in one direction more 
 than another. In fact, we proceeded on that 
 •eminently simple principle which is couched 
 in^ the well-known and time-honoured phrase, 
 " follow your nose/' 
 
 True, once I ventured to ask my companion 
 where he thought we were going, to which he 
 replied, much to my surprise, that he didn't 
 know and didn't care ; that it was quite certain 
 if we did not go forward we could not expect to 
 get on, and that in the ordinary course of things 
 if we proceeded we should undoubtedly come to 
 something. To this I replied, in a meditative 
 tone, that there was much truth in the obser- 
 ^'ation, and that, at any rate, if we did not come 
 to something, something would certainly come 
 to us. 
 
 But we did not pursue the subject. In fact, 
 we were too much taken up with the interesting 
 and amusing sights that met our gaze in that 
 
^Vhy I did not become a Sailor. ^^^ 
 
 singular forest; insomucli that on several oc- 
 casions I neglected my peculiar duty of watching 
 Jack_, and was only made aware of my careless- 
 ness by hearing him shout, " Hallo ! Bob, look 
 ahve ! — Pm over ! '^ when I would suddenly 
 drop my eyes from the contemplation of the 
 plumage of a parrot or the antics of a monkey, 
 to behold my friend leaning over at an angle of 
 *' forty-five/^ To leap forward and catch him in 
 my arms was the work of an instant. On each 
 of these occasions, after setting him upright, I 
 used to give him a tender hug, to indicate my 
 regret at having been so inattentive, and my 
 sympathy with him in his calamitous circum- 
 stances. 
 
 Poor Jack was very gentle and uncomplaining. 
 He even made light of his misfortune and laughed 
 a good deal at himself; but I could see, never- 
 theless, that his spirits were at times deeply 
 affected, in spite of his brave efforts to bear up 
 and appear gay and cheerful. 
 
 2 A 
 
^54 ^Vhy I did not hecome a Sailor, 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 It was evening when we were cast ashore in this 
 new country, so that we had not advanced far 
 into the forest before night closed in and com- 
 pelled us to halt; for, had we continued our 
 journey in the dark, we should certainly have 
 been drowned in one of the many deep morasses 
 which abounded there, and which we had found 
 it dijfficult to steer clear of, even in daylight. 
 
 As the moon arose and the stars began to 
 glimmer in the sky, I observed, to my dismay, 
 that all kinds of noxious creatures and creeping 
 things began to move about, and strange hissing 
 sounds and low dismal hootings and wails were 
 heard at times indistinctly, as if the place were 
 the abode of evil spirits, who were about to wake 
 up to indulge in their midnight orgies. 
 
 " Oh ! Jack,^^ said I, shuddering violently, as 
 I stopped and seized my companion by the arm. 
 *^I can't tell what it is that fills me with an 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor, ^^^ 
 
 unaccountable sensation of dread. I — I feel as 
 if we should never more get out of this horrible 
 swamp, or see again the blessed hght of day. 
 See ! see ! what horrid creature is that ? '' 
 
 '' Pooh ! man/^ interrupted Jack, with a 
 degree of levity in his tone which sm-prised me 
 much. ^^ It's only a serpent. AU these kind o' 
 things are regular cowards. Only let them alone 
 and they're sure to let you alone. I should like 
 above all things to tickle up one o' these brutes, 
 and let him have a bite at my wooden toe ! It 
 would be rare fun, wouldn't it. Bob, eh ? Come, 
 let us push on, and see that you keep me straight, 
 old feUow ! " 
 
 I made no reply for some time. I was horri- 
 fied at my comrade's levity in such circumstances. 
 Then, as I heard him continue to chuckle and 
 remark in an undertone on the surprise the 
 serpent would get on discovering the exceeding 
 toughness of his toe, it for the first time flashed 
 across my mind that his sufferings had deranged 
 my dear companion's intellect. 
 
 The bare probability of such a dreadful calamity 
 was sufficient to put to flight all my previous 
 terrors. I now cared nothing whatever for the 
 2 A 2 
 
^^6 Why I did not become a Sailor-. 
 
 loathsome reptiles tliat wallowed in tlie swampa 
 around me, and tlie quiet glidings and swelter- 
 ings of whose hideous forms were distinctly 
 audible in tlie stillness of approacMng night. 
 My whole anxiety was centred on Jack. I 
 tliough.t that if I could prevail on him to rest he 
 might recover,, and proposed that we should 
 encamp ; but he would not hear of this. He 
 kept plunging on, staggering through brake and 
 swamp, reedy pond and quaking morass, until 
 I felt myself utterly unable to follow him a step 
 further. 
 
 Just at this point. Jack stopped abruptly and 
 said, — " Bob, my boy, we^ll camp here."" 
 
 It was a fearful spot. Dark, dismal, and not 
 a square foot of dry ground. 
 
 '' Here, Jack ? ''—" Ay, here.'' 
 
 " But it's — it's all wet. Excuse me, my dear 
 comrade, I've not yet acquired the habit of sleep- 
 ing in water." 
 
 '' No more have I, Bob ; we shall sleep on a 
 fallen tree, my boy. Did you never hear of men 
 sleeping in a swamp on the top of a log ? It's 
 often done, I assure you, and I mean to do it to- 
 night. See, here is a good large one, three feet 
 
WJty I did not become a Sailor. 357 
 
 broad by twenty feet long, with lots of stumps 
 of broken branches to keep us from rolling off. 
 Come, let's begin/' 
 
 We immediately began to make our arrange- 
 ments for the night. With the aid of our clasp- 
 knives we cut a quantity of leafy branches, and 
 spread them on the trunk of a huge prostrated 
 tree, the half of which was sunk in the swamp, 
 but the other half was sufficiently elevated to 
 raise us well out of the water. The bed was 
 more comfortable than one would suppose ; and, 
 being very tired, we lay down on it as soon as it 
 was made and tried to sleep : having nothing to 
 eat, we thought it well to endeavour to obtain all 
 the refreshment we could out of sleep. 
 
 We had not lain long, when I started up in a 
 fright, and cried, — '^ Hallo ! Jack, what's that ? 
 See, through the reeds; it creeps slowly. Oh, 
 horror ! it comes towards us ! " 
 
 Jack looked at it sleepily. " It's an alligator," 
 said he. " If it approaches too close, just wake 
 me; but, pray, don't keep howling at every- 
 thing that comes to peep at us." 
 
 Just at that moment, the hideous reptile 
 drew near, and, opening its jaws, let them come 
 
<^^^S Why I did not hecome a Sailor. 
 
 together witli a snap ! Even Jack was nob 
 proof against this. He started np, and looked 
 
 ' about for a defensive weapon. We had nothing 
 but our clasp-knives. The alligator wallowed 
 towards us. 
 
 '' Oh for an axe ! '' gasped Jack. 
 The brute was within a few yards of us now. 
 I was transjfixed with horror. Suddenly an idea 
 occurred to me. '^ Your leg, Jack_, your leg ! " 
 
 He understood me. One sweep of his clasp- 
 knife cut all the fastenings — the next moment 
 he grasped the toe in both hands,, and, swaying 
 
 . the heavy butt of the limb in the air, brought it 
 down with all his force on the skull of the 
 alligator. It rang hke the sound of a blow on 
 an empty cask. Again the limb was swayed 
 aloft, and descended with extraordinary violence 
 on the extreme point of the alligator's snout. 
 There was a loud crash, as if of small bones 
 
 ■ being driven in. The animal paused, put its 
 
 , head on one side, and turning slowly round 
 waddled away into the noisome recesses of its 
 native swamp. 
 
 Scarcely had we recovered from the effects of 
 this, when we heard in the distance shouts and 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 359 
 
 yells and tlie barking of dogs. Crouching in 
 our nest we listened intently. The sounds 
 approachedj but while those who made them 
 were yet at some distance we were startled by 
 the sudden approach of a dark object, running 
 at foil speed. It seemed like a man, or rather a 
 huge ape, for it was black, and as it came tearing 
 towards us, running on its hind legs, we could 
 see its eyes glaring in the moonlight, and could 
 hear its labouring breath. It was evidently hard 
 pressed by its pursuers, for it did not see what 
 lay before it, and had well-nigh run over our 
 couch ere it observed Jack standing on one leg 
 with the other limb raised in a threatening 
 attitude above his head. It was too late to turn 
 to avoid the blow. 
 
 Uttering a terrible cry the creature feU on its 
 knees, and, trembling violently, cried — 
 
 " Oh, massa ! oh, massa, spare me ! Me no 
 run away agin. Mercy, massa ! mercy ! '' 
 
 " Silence, you noisy villain," cried Jack, 
 seizing the negro by the hair of the head. 
 
 ^^Yis, massa," gasped the man, while his 
 teeth chattered and the whites of his eyes rolled 
 fearfully. 
 
:j6o Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 " What are you ? Where d'ye come from ? 
 Who's after ye ? '' 
 
 To these abrupt questions^ the poor negro 
 replied as briefly that he was a runaway slave, and 
 that his master and bloodhounds were after him. 
 
 We had guessed as much, and the deep bay- 
 ing of the hounds convinced us of the truth of 
 his statement. 
 
 "Quick/' cried Jack, dragging the black to 
 the edge of our log, " get under there ; lie flat ; 
 keep still ;" so saying he thrust the negro under 
 the branches that formed our couch. We 
 covered him weU up and then sat down on him. 
 Before we had well finished our task the fore- 
 most of the bloodhounds came bounding towards 
 us, with its eyeballs glaring and its white fangs 
 ghttering in the dim light like glowworms in a 
 blood-red cavern. It made straight for the spot 
 where the negro was concealed and would have 
 seized him in another instant, had not Jack, 
 with one. blow of his leg, beat in its skull, 
 
 " Shove him out of sight. Bob.'' 
 
 I seized the dead hound and obeyed, while my 
 comrade prepared to receive the second dog. But 
 that animal seemed more timid. It swerved as 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 361 
 
 the blow was delivered, received on its haunclies, 
 and fled away howling in another direction. 
 
 Jack at once laid down his leg and sat down 
 on the negro, motioning me to do the same. 
 Then pulling an old tobacco-pipe out of his 
 pocket, he affected to be calmly employed in 
 filling it when the pursuers came up. There 
 were two of them, in straw hats and nankeen pan- 
 taloons, armed with cudgels, and a more rulB&anly 
 pair of villains I never saw before or since. 
 
 '' Hallo ! strangers,^^ cried one, as they halted 
 for a few moments on observing us. ^' Queer place 
 to camp. Fond o' water and dirt, I guess ? " 
 
 '' You seem fond o' dirt and not o' water, to 
 judge from your faces,'^ replied Jack, calmly, 
 attempting to light his pipe, which was rather 
 a difficult operation, seeing that it was empty 
 and he had no fire. " Ah ! my light's out. 
 Could you lend us a match, friend ? '' 
 
 " No, we can't. No time. Han't got none. 
 Did you see a nigger pass this way ? '' 
 
 '^ Ha ! you're after him, are you ? " cried 
 Jack, indignantly. '^Do you suppose I'd tell 
 you if I did. Go and find him for yourselves." 
 
 The two men frowned fiercely at this, and 
 
3^2 Why I did not become a Sailor, 
 
 appeared about to attack us. But they clianged 
 their minds^ and said, ^^ Mayhap you'll tell us if 
 ye saw two hounds, then ? '' 
 
 ^^ Yes, I did/' 
 
 ^' Which way did they pass ? " 
 
 "They haven't passed yet/' replied Jack, 
 with deep sarcasm, at the same time quietty 
 lifting his leg and swaying it gently to and fro ; 
 '^ whether they'll pass without a licking remains 
 to be seen." 
 
 " Look'ee, lads, we'll pay you for this," shouted 
 the men as they turned away. ""^ We've not 
 time to waste now, fiut vje'll come hach.'^ 
 
 I remonstrated with my friend. " You're too 
 rash. Jack." 
 
 " Why ? We don't need to fear two men ! " 
 
 ^*^ Ay, but there may be more in the woods." 
 
 My surmise was correct. Half an hour after 
 the hound was heard returning. It came 
 straight at us, followed by at least a dozen men. 
 Jack killed the dog with one blow, and felled 
 the first man that came up, but we were over- 
 whelmed by numbers, and, in a much shorter 
 time than it takes to tell it, both of us were 
 knocked into the mud and rendered insensible. 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 363. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 On recoverino^ from the stunnino^ effects of tlie 
 blow tliat had felled me^ I found myself lying 
 on a liard earthen floor^ surrounded by deep, 
 impenetrable darkness. 
 
 " Are you there, Jack ? ^^ I sighed faintly. 
 
 ^^ Aj, Bob_, I^m here — at least, all o^ me that's 
 left. I confess to you that I do feel a queer 
 sensation, as if the one half of my head wer& 
 absent and the other half awanting, while the 
 brain lies exposed to the atmosphere. But I 
 suppose that's impossible."'' 
 
 '*" Where are we. Jack ? " 
 
 " We're in an outhouse, in the hands of 
 planters ; so I made out by what I heard them 
 say when I got my senses back; but I've no 
 notion of what part o' the world we're ^n. 
 Moreover, I don't care. A man with only one 
 leg, no head, and an exposed brain, isn't worth 
 caring about. J don't care for him — not a button." 
 
;-j64 WJiy I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 '^ Oh, Jack, dear, don't speak like tkat — I 
 can^t stand it/' 
 
 ^^ You're lying down, a'nt you?'^ inquired Jack. 
 
 ''^ Yes.-" — ^'^Then how d'you know wkether 
 you can stand it or not ? '' 
 
 I was so overcome, and, to say tlie truth, 
 surprised, at my companion's recklessness, that 
 I could not reply. I lay motionless on the hard 
 ground, meditating on our forlorn situation, 
 when my thoughts were interrupted by the 
 grating sound of a key turning in a lock. The 
 door of the hut opened, and four men entered, 
 each bearing a torch, which cast a brilliant 
 glare over the hovel in which we were confined. 
 There was almost nothing to be seen in the 
 place. It was quite empty. The only peculiar 
 thing that I observed about it was a thick post, 
 with iron hooks fixed in it, which rose from the 
 centre of the floor to the rafters, against which 
 it was nailed. There were also a few strange- 
 looking implements hanging round the walls, 
 but I could not at first make out what these 
 were intended for. I now perceived that Jack 
 and I were chained to the wall. 
 
 Going to the four corners of the apartment. 
 
Wliy I did not hecorne a Sailor. ^6^ 
 
 tlie four men placed their four torclies in four 
 stands that seemed made for the purpose^ and 
 then_, approaching us_, ranged themselves in a row 
 before us. Two of them I recognised as being 
 the men we had first seen in the swamp ; the 
 other two were strangers. 
 
 " Soj my bucks/^ began one of the former — a 
 hideous-looking man_, whose personal appear- 
 ance was by no means improved by a closed 
 eye_, a flattened nose, and a swelled cheek, the 
 result of Jack's first flourish of his wooden leg, — 
 ^^ so, we've got you, have we ? The hounds 
 have got you, eh ? -" 
 
 " So it appears,'' replied Jack, in a tone of 
 quiet contempt, as he sat on the ground with 
 his back leaning against the wall, his hands 
 clasped ' above his solitary knee, and his thumbs 
 revolving round each other slowly. " I say," 
 continued Jack, as an expression of concern 
 crossed his handsome countenance, ^' I'm afraid 
 you're damaged, rather, about your head-piece. 
 Your eye seems a little out of order, and, 
 pardon me, but your nose is a little too flat — 
 just a little. My poor fellow, I'm quite sorry 
 for you ; I really am, though you are a dog." 
 
2f>6 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 The man opened his solitary eye and stared 
 with amazement at Jack^ who smiled^ and^ 
 putting his head a little to the other side^ re- 
 turned the stare with interest. 
 
 ^' You^re a bold fellow/^ said the man^ on 
 recovering a little from his surprise. 
 
 '^ Pm sorry/' retorted Jack^ '^ that I cannot 
 return you the compliment.'''' 
 
 I was horrified. I saw that my poor friend, 
 probably under the influence of madness, had 
 made up his mind to insult and defy our captors 
 to their teeth, regardless of consequences. I 
 tried to speak, but my lips refused their office. 
 The man grinned horribly and gnashed his 
 teeth, while the others made as though they 
 would rush upon us and tear us limb from limb. 
 But their chief, for such the spokesman seemed 
 to be, restrained them. 
 
 " Hah ! '' he gasped, looking fiercely at Jack, 
 and at the same time pointing to the imple- 
 ments on the wall, " d'ye see these things ? '' 
 
 "Not being quite so blind as you are, I do.'' 
 
 " D'ye know what they're for ? " 
 
 " Not being a demon, which you seem to he, 
 I don't." 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 367 
 
 " Hall ! these — are '' (he spoke very slowly, 
 and hissed the words out between his teeth) — 
 " torterers ! '^ 
 
 '' What ? ^' inquired Jack_, putting his head a 
 little more to one side and revolving his thumbs 
 in a contrary direction_, by way of variety. 
 
 '^ Torterers — man-torterers ! What d^ye twirl 
 your thumbs like that for^ eh?^^ 
 
 ^^ Because it reminds me how easily^ if I were 
 unchained and had on my wooden leg, I could 
 twirl you round your own neck, and cram your 
 heels into your own mouth, and ram you down 
 your own throat, until there was nothing of you 
 left but the extreme ends of your shirt-collar 
 sticking out of your two eyes/^ 
 
 The mention of this peculiarly complicated 
 operation seemed to be too much for the men : 
 setting up a loud yell, they rushed upon Jack 
 and seized him. 
 
 " Quick — the screws ! '^ cried the man with 
 the flattened noSe. 
 
 A small iron instrument was brought. Jack's 
 thumbs inserted therein, and the handle turned. 
 I heard a harsh, grating sound, and observed 
 my poor companion's face grow deadly pale 
 
368 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 and his lips turn blue. But lie uttered no cry, 
 and, to my surprise, lie did not even struggle. 
 
 " STOP ! " I shouted in a voice of thunder. 
 
 The men looked round in surprise. At that 
 moment a great idea seemed to fill my soul. 
 I cannot explain what it was. To this day I do 
 not know what it was. It was a mystery — an 
 indescribable mystery. I felt as one might be 
 supposed to feel whose spirit were capable of 
 eating material food, and had eaten too much. 
 It was awful ! Under the impulse of this sensa- 
 tion, I again shouted " Stop !''—'' "Why ? '' 
 
 " I cannot tell you why, until you unscrew 
 that machine. Quick ! it is of the deepest, the 
 most vital importance to yourselves." 
 
 The extreme earnestness of my voice and 
 manner induced the men to comply almost, I 
 might say, in spite of themselves. 
 
 " Now, lad, what is it ? Mind, your turn is 
 coming; so don^t trifle with us." 
 
 " Trifle with you ! " I said, in a voice so deep, 
 and slow, and solemn, — with a look so.preter- 
 naturally awful, — that the four men were visibly 
 impressed. 
 
 " Listen ! I have a secret to tell you, — a 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 369 
 
 secret that intimately concerns yourselves. It is 
 a fearful one. You would give all you possess — 
 your wealth, your very lives — rather than not 
 know it. I can tell it to you ; hut not now. AW 
 the tortures of the Inquisition could not drag 
 it out of me. Nay, you need not smile. If 
 you did torture me hefore I told you this secret, 
 that would have the effect of rendering my infor- 
 mation useless to you. Nothing could then save 
 3^ou. I must be left alone with my friend for an 
 hour. Go ! You may leave us chained ; you 
 may lock and bar your door; you may watch 
 and guard the house ; but go, leave us. Much 
 — too much — valuable time has been already 
 lost. Come back in one hour (here I pulled out 
 my watch) — ^in one hour and l^ree minutes and 
 five seconds, exactly ; not sooner. Go ! quick ! as 
 you value your lives, your families, your pro- 
 perty. And hark, in your ear " (here I glared at 
 them like a maniac, and sank my voice to a 
 deep hoarse whisper), ''^as you value the very 
 existence of your slaves, go, leave us instantly, 
 'and return at the hour named ! " 
 
 The men were evidently overawed by the 
 vehemence of my manner and the mysterious 
 2 B 
 
370 Why I did not become a Sailor, 
 
 nature of my remarks. Without uttering a word 
 they withdrew, and locked the door behind them. 
 Happily they left the torches. 
 
 As soon as they were gone I threw my arms 
 round my comrade^s neck_, and resting my head 
 on his shoulder bemoaned our sad lot. 
 
 " Dear, dear Jack, have they hurt you ? ^' 
 
 ^' Oh ! nothing to speak of. But I say. Bob, 
 my boy, what on earth can this monstrous secret 
 \e ? It must be something very tremendous ? ■" 
 
 '' My poor Jack,^^ said I, regardless of his ques- 
 tion, ^^your thumbs are bruised and bleeding. 
 Oh ! that I should have lived to bring you to this ! " 
 
 '^ Come, come. Bob, enough of that. They are 
 a little soreish, but nothing to what they would 
 have been had you not stopped them. But, I 
 say, what is this secret ? I^m dying to know. 
 My dear boy, youVe no idea how you looked 
 when you were spouting like that. You mado 
 my flesh creep, I assure you. Come, out with 
 it; what^s the secret?" * 
 
 ^ I felt, and no doubt looked, somewhat con- 
 fused. '* 
 
 '^ Do you know. Jack," said I, solemnly^ " I 
 have no secret whatever I" 
 
Why I dice not become a Sailor. 371 
 
 Jack gasped and stared^ — '^ No secret^ Bob ! '^ 
 
 " Not til© most distant shadow of one/^ 
 
 Jack pulled out Hs watch, and said in a low 
 voice, — 
 
 " Bob, my boy, we bave just got about tbree- 
 quarters of an hour to hve. When these villains. 
 come back, and find that youVe been humbug- 
 ging them, they^U brain us on the spot, as sure 
 as my name is John Brown and yours is Kobert 
 Smith — romantic names, both of ■'em j especially 
 when associated with the little romance in which 
 we are now involved. Ha ! ha ! ha !^^ 
 
 I shrank back from my friend with the terri- 
 ble dread, which had more than once crossed my 
 mind, that he was going mad. 
 
 *' Oh, Jack, don^t laugh, pray. Could we not 
 invent some secret to tell them t'' 
 
 " Not a bad idea,^^ returned my jfriend, gravely. 
 
 "Well, let us think; what could we say?-'^ 
 
 " Ay, thaVs the rub ! Suppose we tell them 
 seriously that my wooden leg is a ghost, and that 
 it haunts those who ill-treat its master, giving 
 them perpetual bangs on the nose, and other- 
 wise rendering their lives miserable ? '' 
 
 I shook my head. 
 
 2 B 2 
 
372 Wh/y I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 " Well, then^ suppose we say weVe been sent 
 by tlie Queen of England to treat witli tbem 
 about the liberation of tbe niggers at a thousand 
 pounds a-bead ; one hundred paid down in gold_, 
 the rest in American shin-plasters ? " 
 
 " That would be a lie^ you know, Jack/^ 
 
 '^ Come, that^s good ! You're wonderfully 
 particular about truth, for a man that has just told 
 such tremendous falsehoods about a secret that 
 doesn't exist.'' 
 
 " True, Jack," I replied, seriously, ^' I con- 
 fess that I have lied ; but I did not mean to. I 
 assure you I had no notion of what I was saying. 
 I think I was bewitched. All your nonsense 
 rolled out, as it were, without my will. Indeed, 
 I did not mean to tell lies. Yet I confess, to my 
 shame, that I did. There is some mystery here, 
 which I can by no means fathom." 
 
 " Fathom or not fathom," rejoined my friend, 
 looking at his watch again, " you got me into 
 this scrape, so I request you to get me out of it. 
 We have exactly twenty-five minutes and a half 
 before us now." 
 
 Jack and I now set to work in real earnest 
 to devise some plan of escape, or to invent some 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor, ^J^ 
 
 plausible secret. But we utterly failed. Minute 
 after minute passed ; and as tlie end of our time 
 drew near we felt less and less able to tbink of 
 any scheme^ until our brains became confused 
 with the terror of approaching and inevitable 
 death, aggravated by previous torture. I trem- 
 bled violently, and Jack became again uproarious 
 and sarcastic. Suddenly he grew quiet, and I 
 observed that he began to collect a quantity of 
 straw that was scattered about the place. Making 
 a large pile of it, he placed it before us, and 
 then loosened one of the torches in its stand. 
 
 ^^There,^' said he, with a sigh of satisfac- 
 tion, when all was arranged, '^ we shall give our 
 amiable friends a warm reception when they 
 come.^^ 
 
 " But they will escape by the door,'' said I, in 
 much anxiety, '^ and we only shall perish.-" 
 
 " Never mind that. Bob ; we can only die 
 once. Besides, they shan't escape ; trust me for 
 that." 
 
 As he spoke we heard approaching footsteps. 
 Presently the key turned in the lock^ and the 
 door opened. 
 
374 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Punctually^ to a minute, our jailors returned, 
 ■and once again drew up in a row before us. 
 '^ Now, lads, wot liave ye got to say V 
 " My friends,^^ began Jack, standing up and 
 balancing himself on his one leg as well he could, 
 at the same time speaking with the utmost 
 gravity and candour of expression, *^*^my com- 
 panion here in temporary distress — for I feel 
 that it will be but temporary — ^has devolved 
 upon me the interesting duty of making known 
 to you the secret which has burthened his own 
 mind for some time, and which has had so im- 
 pressive and appropriate an effect upon yours. 
 But first I must request you to lock the door, 
 and hang the key on this nail at my elbow. 
 You hesitate. Why ? I am in chains ; so is my 
 comrade. We are two; you are four. It is 
 merely a precaution to prevent the possibility of 
 any one entering by stealth, and overhearing 
 what I say.'' 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor, ^y^ 
 
 The man witli tlie battered face locked the 
 door_, and hung up the key as directed^ merely 
 remarking, with a laugh, that we were safe enough 
 anyhow, and that if we were humbugging him 
 it would be worse for us in the long run. 
 
 " Come, now, out with yer secret,^^ he added, 
 impatiently. 
 
 '' Certainly,'^ answered Jack, with increased 
 •urbanity, at the same time taking down the key 
 (which caused the four men to start), and gazing 
 at it in a pensive manner. " The secret ! Ah 1 
 yes. Well, it^s a wonderful one. D^ou know, 
 my lads, there would not be the most distant 
 chance of your guessing it, if you were to try 
 ever so much.'' 
 
 " Well, but what is it ?'' cried one of the men, 
 whose curiosity was now excited beyond en- 
 durance. '^ It is this,'' rejoined Jack, with slow 
 deliberation, " that you four men are " 
 
 " WeU," they whispered, leaning forward 
 eagerly. 
 
 " The most outrageous and unmitigated asses 
 we ever saw ! Ha ! I,thought it would surprise 
 you. Bob and I are quite agreed upon it. Pray 
 don't open your eyes too wide, in case you should 
 
37^ Why J did not become a Sailor, 
 
 find it "difficult to stut them again. Now, in 
 proof of this great, and to you important truth, 
 let me show you a thing. Do you see this torch 
 [taking it down] and that straw [lifting up a 
 handful] ? Well, you have no idea what an asto- 
 nishing result will folloAV the application of the 
 former to the latter — see \'' 
 
 To my horror, and evidently to the dismay of 
 the men, who did not seem to believe that he 
 was in earnest. Jack Brown thrust the blazing 
 torch into the centre of the heap of straw. 
 
 The men uttered a yell, and rushing forward, 
 threw themselves on the smoking heap in the 
 hope of smothering it at once. But Jack applied 
 the torch quickly to various parts. The flames 
 leaped up ! The men rolled off in agony. Jack, 
 who somehow had managed to break his chain, 
 hopped after them, showering the blazing straw 
 on their heads, and yelling as never mortal yelled 
 before. In two seconds the whole place was in 
 a blaze, and I beheld Jack actually throwing 
 summersets with his one leg over the fire and 
 through the smoke ; punching the heads of the 
 four men most unmercifully ; catching up blazing 
 handfuls of straw, and thrusting them into their 
 
"la two seconds the whole place was m a blaze."'— p. 376 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor. 377 
 
 eyes and mouths in a way that quite overpowered 
 me. I could restrain myself no longer. I began 
 to roar in abject terror ! In the midst of this 
 dreadful scene the roof fell, in with a hideous 
 crash, and Jack, bounding through the smoking 
 debri'Sj cleared the walls and vanished ! 
 
 At the same moment I received a dreadful 
 blow on the side, and awohe — to find myself 
 lying on the floor of my bedroom, and our 
 man-servant Edwards furiously beating the bed- 
 curtains, which I had set on fire by upsetting 
 the candle in my fall. 
 
 ***** 
 
 "Why, Master Robert,^^ gasped Edwards, 
 sitting down and panting vehemently, after 
 having extinguished the flames, '^ wot have you 
 been a-doin^ of ?^^ I was standing speechless in 
 the midst of my upset chair, table, and books, 
 glaring wildly, when the man said this. 
 
 "Edwards,^' I replied, with deep solemnity, 
 " the mystery^s cleared up at last. It has been 
 all a dream ! " 
 
 " Wot^s been all a dream ? You ha'nt bin a 
 bed all night, for the clo^se is never touched, an' 
 it's broad dayhght. Wot has bin up ? " 
 
^y8 Wliy I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 I migiit have replied that,, according to his 
 own statement^ I had been ^^ up/^ but I did not. 
 I began gradually to beheve that the dreadful 
 scenes I had witnessed were not reality ; and an 
 overpowering sense of joy kept filling my heart 
 as I continued to glare at the man until I thought 
 my chest would rend asunder. Suddenly^ and 
 without moving hand, foot_, or eje, I gave vent 
 to a loud^ sharp,, " Hurrah ! '' 
 
 Edwards started—" Eh ! " 
 
 " Hurrah ! hurrah ! it's a DEEAM ! " 
 
 ^^ Hallo ! I say, you know, come, this 
 won't ''— " Hurrah ! '' 
 
 " Bless my 'art. Master Ko '' 
 
 Again I interrupted him by seizing my cap, 
 swinging it round my head in an ecstacy of 
 delight, and uttering cheer upon cheer with 
 such outrageous vehemence, that Edwards, who 
 thought me raving mad, crept towards the door, 
 intending to bolt. 
 
 He was prevented from carrying out his inten- 
 tion, and violently overturned by the entrance 
 of my father in dishabille. I sprang forward, 
 plucked the spectacles off his nose, threw my arms 
 round his neck^ and kissed him on both eyes. 
 
Why I did not become a Sailor, 379 
 
 *' I won^t run away now^ fatlier_, no, no, no ! 
 it's all a dream — a horrid dream ! ha ! lia ! ha ! '' 
 
 '' Bob, my dear boy ! ^' 
 
 At this moment Jack, also in dishabille, rushed 
 in. '' Hallo ! Bob, whaVs aU the row ? '' 
 
 I experienced a different, but equally powerful 
 gush of feeling on seeing my friend. Leaving 
 my father, I rushed towards him, and falling on 
 his neck, burst into tears. Yes, I confess it 
 without shame. Eeader, if you had felt as I 
 did, you would have done the same. 
 
 Jack led me gently to my bed, and seating me 
 on the edge of it, sat down beside me. I at 
 once perceived from their looks that they all 
 thought me mad, and felt the necessity of calm- 
 ing me before taking more forcible measures. 
 This tickled me so much that I laughed again 
 heartily, insomuch that Jack could not help join- 
 ing me. Suddenly a thought flashed into my mind. 
 My heart leaped to my throat, and I glanced 
 downwards. It was there ! I seized Jack's right 
 leg, tumbled him back into the bed, and laying 
 the limb across my knee, grasped it violently. 
 
 '^All right!'' I shouted, ^^ straight, firm, 
 muscular, supple as ever." I squeezed harder. 
 
380 Why I did not become a Sailor. 
 
 Jack roared. " I say, Bob, gently " 
 
 " Hold your tongue/^ said I, pincMng tlie 
 tliigli. '' Do you feel that ? " 
 
 " Ho ! all ! don't I ! ''—" And that ? " 
 " Stop him ! I say, my dear boy, have 
 mercy ? '' Jack tried to raise himself, but I 
 tilted him back, and grasping the limb in both 
 arms, hugged it. 
 
 After breakfast Jack and I retired to my room, 
 where, the weather being unfavourable for our 
 fishing excursion, I went all over it again in 
 detail. After that I sent Jack off to amuse 
 himself as he chose, and seizing a quire of fools- 
 cap, mended a pen, squared my elbows, and 
 began to write this remarkable account of the 
 reason why I did not become a sailor. 
 
 I now present it to the juvenile British public, 
 in the hope that it may prove a warning to all 
 boys who venture to entertain the notion of 
 running away from home and going to sea. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 KYAi-S AMI aOS^, PKI.XTBhS, GUi.Ax QULKr 
 
 SXUtKT, I-O-NDO 
 
►©^ 
 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS' 
 
 CATALOGUE OF 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, 
 
 POETRY, 
 JUVENILE BOOKS, 
 
 Reward and Gift Books, 
 
 AND 
 
 CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS, 
 
 " No firm surpasses Messrs. Routledge in Sixpenny and Shilling Picture 
 Story Books. Could not be better drawn, printed, or coloured, if thfy fo^^ 
 twenty shillings instead of twelve 'ptncQ."— Standard, 
 
 <)- 
 
 LONDON : BROADWAY, LUDGATE HILL, E.G. 
 
 NEW YORK: 416, BROOME STREET. 
 
 1879. 
 
 No. 2. 
 
 >^ 
 
—m 
 
 CONTENTS, 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Illustrated Books, lOs. 6d. to 
 
 £2 2s 3, 4, 5 
 
 Boxes of Books ...... 5 
 
 Books at 7s. 6d 6 
 
 Books at 6s 6 
 
 Books at 5s. ....... . ^ 
 
 The Wide-Awake Series, 6s. . . 9 
 
 Reward Books, 3s. 6d. . . . . 9 
 
 Juveniles, 3s. 6d 10 
 
 The Fouque Fairy Library, 3s. 6d. 10 
 The Boy's Natural History 
 
 Library, 3s. 6d 10 
 
 The Young Ladies' Library, 
 
 3s. 6d II 
 
 Anne Bowman's Books, 3s. 6d. . 11 
 
 Mayne Reid's Books, 3s. 6d. . . 11 
 
 Album Series, 3s, 6d 12 
 
 Historical Series, 3s. 6d. ... 13 
 
 Biographical Library, 2s. 6d. . . 13 
 
 Juvenile Books, 2s. 6d. .... 14 
 
 Wide-World Series, 2s. 6d. . . 15 
 One-Syllable Books, 2s. 6d. . .16 
 
 Books for Young Readers, 2s. . 16 
 
 Excelsior Series, 2s. and Is. 6d. . 16 
 
 Juvenile Books, 2s 17 
 
 Juvenile Books, Is, 6d 18 
 
 Fairy Library, Is. 6d 19 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Juvenile Books, large size, Is, . 19 
 
 Juvenile Books, Poetry, Is. . . 19 
 
 Juvenile Books, Is •. 20 
 
 Juvenile Books, Elsie's Pets, Is. . 21 
 
 Hans Andersen Library, Is. . . 21 
 
 Grimm's Fairy Library, Is. . . 21 
 
 One-Syllable Books, Is 21 
 
 Master Jack Series, Is 22 
 
 Juvenile Books, 9d 22 
 
 Juvenile Books, 6d 23, 24 
 
 Little Ladders, 6d 24 
 
 Toy Books, 2d 25 
 
 Toy Books, 3d 25 
 
 Toy Books, 6d. (Linen, Is.) . . 26 
 
 Toy Books, Is. (Linen, 2s.) . . 27 
 
 Books of Poetry, 7s. 6d, ... 31 
 
 Books of Poetry, 5s 31 
 
 Books of Poetry, 3s. 6d. ... 31 
 
 Emerald Series of Poets, Is. . . 32 
 
 Longfellow in Pocket Volumes . 32 
 
 General List of Picture Books 29, 30 
 Children's Books, with large 
 
 Coloured Pictures, 5s. ... 8 
 Coloured Picture Books, 3s. 6d. 12, 13 
 Picture Books, Plain Plates, 3s. 6d. 13 
 
 Picture Books, 2s. 6d 15 
 
 Picture Books, 2s 16 
 
 Picture Book% 1& 6d. ... 18, 19 
 
 ■m 
 
m ^m 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE& SONS' CATALOGUE. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BOOKS. 
 
 Small 4to, square, &c., elegantly printed on tinted paper, with designs by the 
 First Artists, engraved by Dalziels, extra gilt and gilt edges. 
 
 £ s. d. 
 
 Routledge's Illustrated Shakespeat-e. Edited by Howard 
 Staunton. With 1260 Illustrations by John Gilbert, and a Steel 
 Portrait. 3 vols., super-royal, cloth, marbled edges 220 
 
 Routledges Illustrated Natural History. By the Rev. J. G. 
 Wood, M.A. With 1500 Illustrations by Coleman, Wolf, Harrison 
 Weir, Wood, Dalziel, and others. 3 vols., super-royal 8vo, cloth, 
 marbled edges 220 
 
 Routledges Illustrated Natural History of Man. With 500 
 
 Illustrations by Zwecker and others. 2 vols., cloth, marbled edges.. 180 
 
 Art Rambles in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. "With 
 
 150 Illustrations engraved by Dalziel Brothers i i o 
 
 Shakspere. Edited by Charles Knight. With 300 Illus- 
 trations by Sir John Gilbert. 2 vols., royal 8 vo, cloth .. ..100 
 
 Full gilt, gilt edges i 5 'o 
 
 Or I vol., gilt edges iio 
 
 Longfellow'' s Poetical Works (Author's Edition). Illustrated 
 by Sir John Gilbert, R. A. iio 
 
 The Book of British Ballads. Edited by S. C. Hall. With 
 Illustrations iio 
 
 Picttire Posies : Poems from Living Authors. With Drawings 
 by J. Watson, Birket Foster, F. Walker, and others, engraved 
 by Dalziel Brothers iio 
 
 The New Illustrated Natural History. By the Rev. J. G. 
 Wood. With 700 Illustrations, royal 8vo, gilt edges i z o 
 
 Birket Foster's Beauties of English Landscape. A Selection 
 of the finest Drawings of this eminent artist, large 4to i i o 
 
 Murillo and the Spanish School of Painting. By W. B. 
 J Scott, M.A, Illustrated by 15 Steel Plates, large 4to . . . . i i o 
 ^ ■ ^ 
 
-m 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE &- SONS' 
 
 Illustrated Books, continued, 
 
 £ s. d. 
 Pictures by Venetian Painters. By W. B. ScOTT, M.A. 
 With Steel Plates, royal 8 vo, cloth tio 
 
 Ncu)j7ti; or, The Last Days of Jerusalem. With i6 Photo- 
 graphs from Illustrations hy David Roberts, R. A I I o 
 
 Rogers' Poetical Works. With all the Original Steel Plates of 
 Turner and Stothard. An entirely New Edition, 4to .. .. i x o 
 
 Barnard's Landscape Painting. With Woodcuts and Plates 
 
 printed in Colours, royal 8vo, gilt edges iio 
 
 Drazuingfrom Nature. A Series of Progressive Instructions 
 In Sketching, by George Barnard. Illustrated by 26 Drawings and 
 Diagrams in Colours iio 
 
 Gems of English Art of the Nineteenth Century. By F. T. 
 Palgrave, M.A. With 24 Plates printed in Colours by Leighton 
 Brothers. 4to izo 
 
 Birket Foster' s Pictures of English Landscape. With 30 elabo- 
 rate Designs by Dalziels. Edited by ToM Taylor. Royal 4to, 
 gilt and gilt edges iio 
 
 Birthday Book of Flower and Song. With Selections from the 
 Poets, and page Illustrations printed in Colours by Edmund 
 Evans. 4to o 13 o 
 
 Rotitledge's Illustrated Natvral Histojy. By the Rev. J . G. 
 Wood, M.A. 
 
 The Volumes Separately : 
 
 Animals and Mammalia, 141. 
 
 Birds, 1 4 J. 
 
 Reptiles, Fishes, and Insects, 14J. 
 
 Man — Africa, 14J. 
 
 Man — America, Asia, Polynesia, <&-v. 
 
 li^S. 
 
 The Poems of Oliver Goldsmith. With Illustrations by 
 Birket Foster, printed in Colours by Edmund Evans .. .. o 12 6 
 
 English Sacred Poetry. Edited by the Rev. J. A, Willmott, 
 M.A. With Illustrations by H. S. Marks and others o 12 6 
 
 The Christian Year. Illustrated by Sir John Gilbert, 
 R. A., Robert Barnes, and others o 12 6 
 
 Home Affections Portrayed by the Poets. Edited by C.Mackay. 
 With Plates by Millais, Gilbert, Birket Foster, and others. 4to. o 12 C 
 
 Campbell's {Thomas) Poetical Works. With Illustrations 
 from Turner's Designs. Demy Svo, gilt and gilt edges , . . . o 12 6 
 
 Thi Picture Natural History. By the Rev. J, G. Wood, 
 M.A, With 700 Illustrations. A page for each subject, and a 
 description in large type o 10 6 
 
m ■ — — ^ 
 
 CATALOGUE OF ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, &^c. 5 ' 
 
 Illustrated Books, continued. 
 
 £ s. d. 
 Eodd's Beauties of Shakespeare. With Illustrations by Sir 
 John Gilbert. 410 o 10 6 
 
 , LaiJih's Tales from Shakspeare. With Illustrations by Sir 
 
 John Gilbert, R. A. 410 o 10 6 
 
 The Parables of Our Lord. With Illustrations by J. E. 
 Mjllais, R.A o 10 6 
 
 Rhymes and Roundelayes in Praise of a Country Life. 
 
 With Illustrations by Birkkt Foster. 4to, gilt edges . . . . o 10 6 
 
 The Hanging of the Crane: A Poem. By H. W. Long- 
 fellow. With Original Illustrations. 4to, gilt edges . . . . o 10 6 
 
 Common Wayside Flozvers. With Coloured Plates, from 
 Designs by Birket Foster. 4to, gilt edges o 10 6 
 
 Discoveries and Inventions of the Nineteenth Century. By 
 J. H, Pepper and Robert Routledgk. 400 Illustrations and 
 Coloured Plates.. .. - o 10 6 
 
 Tfu Adventures of Captain Hatteras. By Jules Verne. 
 With 250 Illustrations. Containing: The English at the North 
 Pole— The Field of Ice o 10 fi 
 
 CLOTH BOXES OF EOOKS. 
 
 The Andersen Library, 19 vols i i o 
 
 The Longfellow Library, II vols. 110 
 
 The Grimm Library, 10 vols. o 12 6 
 
 The FouQu6 Library, 6 vols. 150 
 
 Every Boy's Library, 12 vols 1 z o 
 
 In small 410, cloth gilt, price 8j. (td, ; gilt edges, 95. 6i/. 
 Every Boy's Book. A New Edition. Edited by Edmund Rout* 
 LEDGE. A Complete Cyclopaedia of Sport and Recreation, With 100 Illustra- 
 tions and 9 Coloured Plates. 
 
 
ROUTLEDGE'S SEVEN-AND-SIXPENNY 
 GIFT BOOKS. 
 
 Crown 8vo, or post 8vo. 
 
 Grimm^s Household Stories. 220 
 Plates. 
 
 Andersen's Stories for the Household. 
 With 220 Plates. Post 8vo, gilt 
 edges. 
 
 Jabez Hogg on the Microscope. 500 
 Illustrations. 
 
 Sheridan K7towles's Dramatic Works. 
 
 Naomi; or, The Last Days of Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 National Nursery Rhyiites, by J. \V. 
 Elliott. 
 
 Sheppard's Fall of Rome. 
 
 Christmas Carols (uniform with ^" Na- 
 tional Nursery Rhymes "). 
 
 Bonnechose's History of France. 
 
 Homes and Haunts of the British 
 Poets, by William Howitt. 
 
 Robinson Crusoe. With 100 Plates 
 by J. D. Watson; 
 
 The Pilgrim's Progress. With 100 
 Plates by J. D. Watson. 
 
 The Good Hour, by Auerbach. With 
 300 Illustrations. 
 
 The Popular Natural History, by 
 Rev. J. G. Wood, M.A. With 
 many Hundreds of Illustrations. 
 
 Great AJrican TravellerSt by W. H. 
 G. Kingston. 
 
 Language of Flowers. ColouredPlatep. 
 
 L' Allegro and U Penseroso. Illus> 
 trated by Birket Foster. 
 
 The Hamlet, by Thomas Warton. 
 Illustrated by Birket Foster. 
 
 Modern Magic, by Prof. Hoffman. 
 With 318 Illustrations. 
 
 Science in Sport made Philosophy in 
 Earnest, by Robert Routledgk, 
 Illustrated. 
 
 Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes and 
 Fairy Tales. With 600 Illustrations 
 and Coloured Plates. 
 
 The Young Lady's Book, by the Au- 
 thor of "A Trap to Catch a Sun- 
 beam." 400 Illustrations and 
 Coloured Plates. 
 
 Prince of the House of David. With 
 60 Illustrations. 
 
 Paul aftd Virginia. With many 
 Hundred Illustrations. 
 
 Picciola; or. The Prison Flower, by 
 X. B, Saintine. 
 
 The Sunlight of Song. Original Mu- 
 sic by Barney and others. 4to, cloth. 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S SIX-SHILLING GIFT BOOKS. 
 
 Post or Crown 8vo, with many 
 
 Pepper's Boy's Play Book of Science. 
 
 400 Plates. 
 D'Atdnoy's Fairy Tales, translated 
 
 by Planch6. 
 Plawhe's Fatty Tales, by Perrault, 
 
 &c. 
 Wood's Illustrated Natural History. 
 
 500 Engravings. 
 Pepper's Play Book of Mines, Mine- 
 rals, and Metals. 30Q Illustrations. 
 
 Post Svo, gilt. 
 Motley's Dtitch Republic. 
 Victoria History of England. 
 Shipavrecks and Disasters at Sea, by 
 
 W. H, G. Kingston. Illustrated. 
 
 Illustrations by the First Artists. 
 
 Travelling About, by Lady Barker. 
 The English at the North Pole, by 
 
 Jules Verne. 129 Illustrations 
 
 by Riou. 
 The Playfellow, by Harriet Mar- 
 
 TINEAU. 
 
 Adventures of Johnny Ironsides. 
 
 With IIS Plates. 
 Adventures of Robinson^ Playfellow : 
 
 A Young French Marine. With 24 
 
 Plates and many Woodcuts. 
 The Field of Ice, by Jules Vernb. 
 
 129 Illustrations; 
 A Voyage Round the WorldSoui-k 
 
 America, by Julhs Verne. 
 
CATALOGUE OF ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, B=c. 
 
 Six-Shilling Gift Books, 
 
 The Doctors Favdly, by J. GiRAR- 
 DiN. With IIS Plates, 
 
 A Voyage Rotmd tJte World— Aus- 
 tralia^ by Jules Verne. 
 
 A Voyage Roimd tJie World— New 
 Zealand, by Jules Verne. 
 
 Routledge's Every Boy''s Aftnualior 
 1879. 
 
 Drawing Room Ajnusements and 
 Evening Party Entertainments, by 
 Professor Hoffman. 
 
 continued. 
 
 Houdin's Secrets of Conjuring and 
 
 Magic. Notes by Prof. Hoffman. 
 Routledge'' s Every Girl's Annual, 
 
 Edited by A. A. Leith. 1879. 
 Uncle Chesterton's Heir, by Madame 
 
 CoLOMB. With 100 Illustrations. 
 Little Barefoot, by Auerbach. 75 
 
 Plates. 
 U7u:le Joe's Stories, by the Right 
 
 Hon. Knatchbull-Hugessen, 
 
 M.P. 
 
 ROTJTLEDaE'S FIVE-SHILLING GIFT BOOKS. 
 
 Foolscap 8vo and Post 8vo, Illustrated by Gilbert, Harvey, 
 Foster, and Zweckek, gilt. 
 
 MarryaVs 
 Forest. 
 
 Children of the New 
 
 Marryafs Little Savage. 
 Riclielieu, by William Robson. 
 Lilian's Golden Hours, by Silver- 
 pen. 
 Boy's Treasury of Sports and Pas- 
 times. Fcap., with Coloured Plates. 
 Queens of Society. Post 8vo. 
 Wits and Beaux of Society. Post 8 vo. 
 Wonderful Inventions, by J. Times. 
 Entertaining Knowledge, by Popular 
 
 Authors. 
 Pleasant Tales, by Popular Authors. 
 Msofs Falfks. With Plates by H. 
 
 Weir. 
 Extraordinary Men and Women, by 
 
 Russell. 
 Dora and her Papa, by the Author 
 
 of " Lilian's Golden Hours." 
 Tales upon Texts, by the Rev. H. C. 
 
 Adams, M.A. 
 Great Battles of the British Army. 
 
 With Coloured Plates. 
 The Prince of the House of David. 
 
 With Plates. 
 TJu Pillar of Fire. With Plates. 
 The Throne of David. With Plates. 
 Popular Astronomy and Orbs of 
 
 Heaven. 
 Stephen Sctidamore the Younger, by 
 
 Arthur Locker. 
 Tales of the Civil War, by Rev. H. 
 
 C. Adams. 
 Once npon a Time, by Charles 
 
 Knight. 
 
 Prairie Bird, by Hon. Charles 
 
 Murray. 
 Great Sieges of History. Coloured 
 
 Plates. 
 Celebrated Female Sovereigns, by 
 
 Mrs. Jameson. 
 Cooper's LeatJier-stocking Tales, 
 Andersen's Fairy Tales. With Col- 
 oured Plates. 
 What the Moon Saw, by Andersen. 
 
 With Coloured Plates. 
 Cri-at Battles of the British Navy^ 
 
 by Lieut. C. R. Low. With Col- 
 oured Plates. 
 Memoirs of Great Commanders, by 
 
 G. P. R. James. With Coloured 
 
 Plates by Kronheim, 
 The Family A rabiatt Nights. Edited 
 
 by the Hon. Mrs. Sugden. With 
 
 Coloured Plates by Kronheim. 
 Adventures of Robin Hood. With 
 
 Coloured Plates by Kronheim. 
 Holiday Stories for Boys and Girls, 
 
 by Lady Barker. 
 Characteristics of Women, by Mrs. 
 
 Jameson. 
 Grimm's Fairy Tales. Coloured 
 
 Plates. 
 What Men have said about Woman. 
 Knight's Half Hours with the Best 
 
 Letter Writers. 
 Wroxby College, by Rev. H. C. 
 
 Adams. 
 British Heroes in Foreign Wars, by 
 
 James Grant. Coloured Plates. 
 Sunday Evenings at Home, by Rev. 
 
 H. C. Adams, M.A. 1st series. 
 
 m- 
 
Five-Shilling Gift Books, continued. 
 
 Boys, by Lady Barker. 
 
 Nine Litile Goslings, by Susan Coo- 
 
 LiDGE, Author of "What Katy 
 
 Did." Wiih Ilhistrations. 
 Sunday Evenings at Home. Stories 
 
 from History for Every Sunday in 
 
 the Year, by tlie Rev. H. C. 
 
 Adams, and series. 12 Illustrations. 
 Memoirs of Celebrated Wavtcn, by 
 
 G. P. R. James. 
 Stories of the Fai> child Family, by 
 
 Mrs. Sherwood. 
 Illustrated Girl's Ozvn Treasury. 
 
 With many Ilhistrations. 
 From Cadet to Colonel, by Sir Thos. 
 
 Seaton, K.C.B. 
 HoTtsehold Tr:les and Fairy Stories. 
 
 With ;8o Illustrations. 
 Roger Kyffyn's Ward, by W. H. G. 
 
 Kingston. 
 The Man d" \Vat''s Bell, by Low. 
 MonarcJts of the Main, by Thorn- 
 
 BUKY. 
 
 Boys of Westonbury, by the Rev. H. 
 
 C. Adams. 
 The Arabian Nights, Selected and 
 
 Revised for Family Use. With 
 
 Illustrations and Coloured Plates, 
 Uncle Toms Cabin. With Illustr.itions 
 
 printed in Colours by Kronheim. 
 Leila in the liland, in En^Lind, and 
 
 at ffome, by Miss A. F. Tytler. 
 The Old Forest Ranger, by Major 
 
 Campbell. 
 The Pilgrim's Prrgress, large type 
 
 edition. 40 Plates by J. D. VVatsun. 
 Robins n Cmsre. With 50 Illustrations 
 
 by J. D.Wats >N, 6 Coloured Plates. 
 SwiiS Family Robinson (Kingston's 
 
 Edition). With many Illustrations 
 
 and Coloured Plates. 
 MacFarlane's History «f British 
 
 India down to the Afghan War, 
 
 1879. 
 The Arabian Wights Entertainments. 
 
 VVith 150 Illustrations. 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S FIVE-SHILLINa CHILDREN'S BOOKS. 
 Large 410, cloth gilt. 
 
 Rontledge's Picture Gift Book. Con- 
 taining Nursery Songs, Alphabet of 
 Trades, Nursery Tales, and This 
 Little Pig. 
 
 Rontledge's Scripture Gift Book. 
 Containing History of Moses, 
 Joseph, and Old and New Testa- 
 ment Alphabets. With Coloured 
 Plates, demy 4to. 
 
 Pictures from English History. 24 
 pp. of Coloured Plates. 
 
 Child's Picture Book of Domestic 
 Atiimals. 12 large Plates, printed m 
 Colours by Kronheim, large oblong 
 
 Our Nurse's Picture Book. Con- 
 taining Tom Thumb, Babes in the 
 Wood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and 
 Puss in Boots. With 24 pages of 
 Coloured Plates, demy 4to. ^. 
 
 My Mother's Picture Book, Con- 
 taining My Mother, Dogs' Dinner 
 Party, White Cat, and Dog Trusty, 
 With 24 pages of Coloured Plates. 
 Demy 4to. 
 
 Poll Parrot Picture Book. Contain- 
 ing Tittums and Fido, Ann and her 
 Mamma, Reynard the Fox, and 
 Cats' Tea Party. 
 
 Red Riding Hood Picture Book. 
 Containing Red Riding Hood, 
 Three Bears Three Kittens, and 
 Dash and the Ducklings. 24 pages 
 of Coloured Plales. Demy 4to, 
 
 Henny-Penny Pict'ure Book. Con- 
 taining Henny-Penny, Peacock at 
 Home, Baby, and Sleeping Beauty 
 in the Wood. 
 
 Robinson Crusoe Picture Book. Con- 
 taining Robinson Crusoe, Cock 
 Sparrow, Queer Characters, and 
 i^sop's Fables, 
 
 Pet Lamb's Picture Book. Contain- 
 ing Pet Lamb, Jack the Giant 
 Killer, Fair One with the Golden 
 Locks, and Toy Primer. 
 
 Goody Two Shoes' Picture Book. 
 Containing Goody Two Shoes, 
 Beauty and the Beast, Frpg 
 Prince, and A B C of Old Friends, 
 
 Aladdin's Picture Book. Containing 
 Aladdin, Yellow Dwarf, Princess 
 Belle Etoile, and Hind in the Wood. 
 
 Jack Homers Picture Book. Con- 
 taining Old Nursery Rhymes, 
 Gingerbread, Robin's Christmas 
 Song, Lion's Reception, 
 
 Tr 
 
CATALOGUE OF JUVENILE BOOKr,, ^c. 
 
 Fjvje-Shilling Children's 
 
 Buds and Flowers of Child Life. 
 
 With Col. Plates. Imp. i6mo. 
 Original Poems, by A. and J. 
 
 Taylor. Well Illustrated, 4to. 
 Baby's Opera. Words and Music. 
 
 Illustrated by Walter Crane. 
 
 Printed in Colours by Evans. 
 
 Books, continued. 
 
 I Baby's Bouquet. Words and Music. 
 
 Illustrated by Walter Crane. 
 
 Printed in Colours by Evans. ^ 
 I Dr. Watts' Songs for Children. 
 
 Illustrated. 4to. 
 Tlie Child's Picture Scrap Book. 
 
 1,000 Illustrations. Folio, cloth gilt. 
 
 THE WIDE-AWAKE SERIES. 
 
 Bound in cloth, elegantly gilt. 
 
 Little Wide- Awake, ist Volume for 
 1875. Lssued in a Volume in No- 
 vember, 1874. 
 
 This was not Issued in Monthly 
 Numbers. 
 
 — 2nd Volume, for 1876, contains 
 Nos. I to 12. Issued during 1875. 
 
 3rd Volume, for 1877, contains 
 
 Nos. 13 to 24. 400 lUusls. Issued 
 during 1876, 
 
 — 4th Volume, for 1878, contains 
 
 Nos. 25 to 36. 400 Illusts. Issued 
 during 1877. 
 
 5th Volume, for 1879, contains 
 
 Nos 37 to 48. 400 Illusts. Issued 
 during 1878. 
 
 Buttercups and Daisies. With Co- 
 loured Plates. Imp. i6mo. 
 
 Little Wide-A-uake Pictures. 
 Letterpress by Mrs. Salb Barker. 
 
 price IS. ; or fancy boards, •>,s. 
 Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes. 
 
 With 400 Illustrations and Coloured 
 
 Plates. 
 Mother Goose's Fairy Tales. With 
 
 200 Illustrations and Coloured 
 
 Plates. 
 Natural History Picture Book of 
 
 Animals. 
 Natural History Picture Book of 
 
 Birds. 
 Natural History Picture Book of 
 
 Fishes, Insects, &r>c. 
 Little Blu^ Bell's Picture Book. 
 
 With 500 Illustrations. 
 Little Lays for Little Folks. 
 
 These ta Books can be had also in fancy 
 I boards, y. each. 
 
 188 page Pictures, with 
 Cloth gilt 050 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S COLOURED THREE-AND-SIXPENNY 
 REWARD BOOKS. 
 
 With Coloured Illustrations, post 8vo. 
 
 Robinson Crusoe, Illustrated by J. D. 
 
 Watson. 
 Sandford and Merton. 
 Evenings at Home. 
 Swiss Family Robinson (Kingston's 
 
 Edition). 
 JLdge^uorth' s Popular Tales, 
 
 . Moral Tales. 
 
 . Parent's Assistant, 
 
 Early Lessons. 
 
 The Pilgrim's Progress. 
 The Wide, Wide World. 
 Queechy. 
 
 Gulliver s Travels. 
 Melbourne House, 
 
 The Lamplighter. 
 
 Andersen's Fairy Tales, 
 
 The Arabian Nights. 
 
 Grimm's Fairy Tales. 
 
 Two School Girls. 
 
 Ellen Montgomery's Bookshelf, 
 
 A dven tu res ofR obin Hood. 
 
 Don Quixote for Boys. 
 
 Captain Cook's Voyages, 
 
 Old Tales for the Young. 
 
 Uncle Tom's Cabin. 
 
 Heroines of History. 
 
 Heroines of Domestic Life. 
 
 Seven Champions of Christendom. 
 
 Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare. 
 
 ^ 
 
ROUTLEDGE'S THREE-AND-SIXPENNY JUVENILES- 
 
 Fcap. 8vo, with 
 
 Tales of Charlton School, by Rev. 
 
 H. C. Adams. 
 Schoolboy Honour, by ditto. 
 Red Eric, by R. M.. Ballantynk. 
 Louis' School Days, by E. J. May. 
 Wild Ma7t of the West, by R. M. 
 
 Ballantyne. 
 DashwoodTriory, by E, J. May. 
 Freaks on the Fells, by R. M. 
 
 Ballantyne. 
 Roh Roy, by James Grant. 
 Paul Gerrard, by Kingston. 
 Johnuy Jordan, by Mrs* EiLOART. 
 Ernie Elton at Home and at School. 
 Boys of Beechwood, by Mrs. Eiloart. 
 Papa's Wise Dogs. 
 Digby Heathcote, by Kingston. 
 The Wonder Book, by Nathaniel 
 
 Hawthorne. 
 Little Ladders to Learning, ist series. 
 
 2nd series. 
 
 Tom Dumtone's Troubles, by Mrs. 
 
 Eiloart. 
 Voting Marooners. 
 Jack of the Mill, by W. Howitt. 
 Dick R-odney, by James Grant. 
 Jack Manly, by James Grant. 
 Saxelford, by E. J. May. 
 Harry Hope's Holiday, by J. T. 
 
 Burgess. 
 Holloivdell Grange, by G. M. Fenn. 
 
 Engravings, gilt. 
 
 Boy Life among the Indians, by the 
 
 Author of "The Young Maroon* 
 
 ers," 
 Barford Bridge, by Rev. H. C. 
 
 Adams. 
 The White Brunswickers, by Rev. 
 
 H. C. Adams. 
 A Boy's Adventures in the Wilds of 
 
 A ustralia, by William Howitt. 
 Walter s Schooldays, by Rev. H. C. 
 
 Adams. 
 A Country Book, by W. Howitt. 
 Stories for Sjindays, by Rev. H. C. 
 
 Adams. 
 Life in the Red Brigade, by R. M. 
 
 Ballantyne. 
 Edgar CliftoJi. 
 With a Stout Heart, by Mrs. Sale 
 
 Barker. 
 Tales of NetJtercourt, by Rev. H. C. 
 
 Adams, 
 Every Little Boy's Book. 
 Holiday A Ibujn for Children. With 
 
 igo page Pictures. 
 Boys at Home, by C. Adams. 
 The Island Home; or. Six Young 
 
 Crusoes. 
 The Green Hand : A Book for Boys, 
 
 by George Cupples. 
 A Picture Boole for Laddies and 
 
 Lassies. 192 pages of Pictures. 
 Boy's Own Count?y Book, by Thomas 
 
 Miller. 
 
 THE F0UQUE3 FAIRY LIBRARY. 
 
 A Collection of De la Motte Fouqde's most Popular Fairy Tales. Illustrated 
 
 by Tenniel, Selous, and others. Post 8vo, cloth, 3^. 6d. each. 
 The Four Seasons. j Thiodolf the Icelander. 
 
 Romantic Fiction. I Minstrel Love. 
 
 The Magic Ring. \ Wild Love, and other Tales. 
 
 The Six Vols, in a cloth box, ^i 55. 
 
 BOYS' NATURAL HISTORY LIBRARY. 
 
 By the Rev J. G.Wood, M.A. With Illustrations. Fcap. 8vo, cloth, 31.6^. each. 
 
 Sketches and Anecdotes of Animal \ White's History of Selborne. 
 
 L^fe- 1 Boy's Oivn Book of Natural Hisiory. 
 
 Animal Traits and Characteristics. \ Q-^y Domestic Pets. 
 My Feathered Friends. ' 
 
 m 
 
m 
 
 CATALOGUE OF JUVENILE BOOKS, d-v. 
 
 THE YOUNG LADIES' LIBRARY. 
 
 By the Authors of "A Trap to Catch a Sunbeam," "The Four Sisters," &c. 
 With full-page Illustrations, post 8vo, gilt edges. 
 
 The Four Sisters. 
 
 The Golden Rule. 
 
 Lillieslca. 
 
 The Girl of the Family. 
 
 The Village Idol. 
 
 Children of Blessing. 
 
 The Doctor's Ward. 
 
 Injluence; or. The Evil Genius. 
 
 Old Saws Neza Set, by the Autlior of 
 
 " A Trap to Catch a Sunbeam." 
 Little Wotnett, and Little Women 
 
 Married. 
 SybiVs Friend, by Florence 
 
 Marryat. 
 Tell Ma7n?na. 
 Blanche and Beryl; or, The Two 
 
 Sides of Life. 
 Girl's Birthday Book. 
 Barriers Burned Away, by Rev. E, 
 
 P. Roe. 
 What Can She Do ? by Rev. E. P. 
 
 Roe. 
 Through Life and for Life, 
 
 Miss Roberts' Fortune, by Sophy 
 
 WlNTHROP. 
 
 Forget-me-Not, by the Author of 
 
 "The Basket of Flowers." 
 Sweet Flowers, by the Author of "A 
 
 Trap to Catch a Sunbeam." 
 Wild Rose, and other Tales, by the 
 
 Author of "A Trap to Catch a 
 
 Sunbeam." 
 Every Girl's Booh, by Louis Law- 
 ford. 
 Opening a Chestnut Burr, by Rev. 
 
 E. P. Roe. 
 Lily's Drawing-Room Book, With 
 
 300 Illustrations. 
 Helen Mo7dau7it, by the Author of 
 
 "Naomi." 
 Brave Little Heart. With 24 page 
 
 Illustrations. 
 Rosabella : The Story of a Doll. 
 Only a Cat, by Mrs. H. B. Paull. 
 More Dolls, by Aunty Bee. 
 Mixing in Society, a Manual of 
 
 Manners. 
 
 ANNE BOWMAlt'S JUVENILE BOOKS. 
 
 Well Illustrated, in clotk gilt, 3^. 6d. each. 
 
 Boy Voyageurs. 
 Castaways. 
 YouKg Nile Voyagers. 
 Boy Pilgritns. 
 Boy Foresters. 
 Tom and the Crocediles. 
 Esperanza. 
 Yaung Exiles. 
 
 Bear Hunters. 
 
 Kangaroo Hunters. 
 
 Young Yachtstnen. 
 
 Clarissa. 
 
 How to Make the Best of it 
 
 Advent7ires of Rolando. 
 
 Rector's Daughter. 
 
 MAYNE REID'S THREE-AND- SIXPENNY JUVENILES. 
 
 With Illustrations. Fcap. 8vo. 
 j Young Yagers. 
 
 Busk Boys. 
 Boy Tar. 
 Desert Home. 
 Bruin. 
 Odd People. 
 Forest Exiles. 
 
 YoH7tg VoyageJirs, 
 Pla7tt Hunters. 
 Boy Hunters. 
 Ra7i Away to Sea. 
 
 as 
 
^- 
 
 12 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE 6- SONS' 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S ALBUM SERIES. 
 
 In cloth gilt, price 3J. dd., beautifully printed on toned paper. 
 
 E'.outledges Sunday Album for Chil- 
 dren. With 80 Plates by J. D, 
 Watson, Sir John Gilbert, and 
 others. 
 
 Boys' and Girls' Illusircted Gift 
 Book. With many Illustrations by 
 McCoNNELL, Weir, and others. 
 
 Child's Picture Fable Book. With 60 
 Plates by Harrison Weir. 
 
 Coloured A Ibum for Children. With 
 72 pages of Coloured Plates. Con- 
 tains Nos. 5 to 16 of the 3(J?. Toy 
 Books on page 25. 
 
 Nursejy Aibunt. With 72 pages of 
 Coloured Plates. Contains Nos. 17 
 to 28 of the id. Toy Books. 
 
 Golden Harp Album. With 400 Il- 
 lustrations. 
 
 Playroom Album for Children. With 
 72 pages of Coloured Plates. Con- 
 tains Nos. 29 to 40 of the id. Toy 
 Books on page 25. 
 
 Picture Book of the Sagacity of 
 Animals. With 60 Plates by 
 Harrison Weir. 
 
 Child's Coloured Gift Book. With 
 72 Coloured Plates. 
 
 Child's Coloured Scripture Book, 
 With 72 Coloured Plates. 
 
 Happy Child Life. With 24 pages of 
 Coloured Plates. 
 
 Album for Children. With 180 page 
 Plates by Millais, Sir John Gil- 
 bert, and others. Imp. i6mo, cl. 
 
 Popular Nursery Tales. With 180 
 Illustrations by J. D. Watson and 
 others. Imp. i6mo, cloth. 
 
 Child's Picture Story Book. With 
 180 Plates. Imp. i6mo, cloth. 
 
 A Picture Story Book. Containing 
 "King Nutcracker," and other 
 Tales. 300 Illust. Imp. i6nio, cloth. 
 
 Book of Trades. With 600 Illustra- 
 tions of Tools by Thomas Archer, 
 
 Boy's Own Story Book. Selected by 
 Charles Knight. Illustrated by 
 William Harvey. 
 
 Child's Country Book. By Thomas 
 Miller. With Coloured Plates. 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S COLOURED PICTURE BOOKS. 
 
 With the Contents of each. Bound in cloth, with picture cover, 3J. (>d. each. 
 
 Song of Sixpence Book, by Walter 
 Crane, containing Sing a Song of 
 Sixpence, Gaping Frog. Old Cour- 
 tier, Multiplication Table. 
 
 Chattering Jack's Picture Book, by 
 Walter Crane, containing Chat- 
 tering Jack, How Jessie was Lost, 
 Grammar in Rhyme, Annie and Jack. 
 
 King Luckieboy' s Picture Book, by 
 Walter Crane, containing King 
 Luckseboy's Party, One, Two, 
 Buckle my Shoe, The Fairy Ship, 
 This Little Pig, 
 
 Three Bears Picture Book, by 
 Walter Cranh, containing Three 
 Bears, Adventures of Puffy, Cin- 
 derella, Valentine and Orson. 
 
 Marquis of Carabas' Picture Book. 
 by Walter Crane, containing 
 Puss in Boots, My Mother, Old 
 Mother Hubbard, Forty Thieves. 
 
 Blue Beard Picture i5^<»5r,by Walter 
 Crane, containing Blue Beard, Red 
 Riding Hood, Jack and the Bean- 
 Stalk, Sleeping Beauty in the Wood. 
 
 Our Pet's Picture Book, containing 
 Nursery Rhymes, Aladdin, Child's 
 Fancy Ball, Children's Evening 
 Party. 
 
 Book of Alphabets, containing Good 
 Boys' and Girls' Alphabet, Railroad 
 Alphabet. Seaside Alphabet, Farm- 
 yard Alphabet. 
 
 Animals and Birds, containing Wild 
 Animals, Domestic Pets, British 
 Animals, Horses. 
 
 Animal Picture Book. With Coloured 
 Plates by Kronheim. 
 
 Bird Picture Book. With Coloured 
 Plates by Kronheim. 
 
 King Grisly Beard's Picture Book, 
 containing King Grisly Beard, 
 Rumpelstiltskin, Enraged Miller, 
 Little Hunchback. 
 
 Parrots' Picture Book, containing 
 Parrots, Singing Birds, Dogs, Birds. 
 
 Old Dame Trot's Picture Book, con- 
 taining Old Dame Trot, Babes in 
 the Wood, Prince with the Long 
 Nose, Old King Cole. 
 
^■ 
 
 CATALOGUE OF JUVENILE BOOI'CS, ^c. 
 
 -^. 
 
 13 
 
 HISTORICAL SERIES OF JUVENILE BOOKS. 
 
 Well Illustrated. Post 8vo, cloth, 35. 6J. each. 
 
 Percy's Tales cf the Kings and 
 
 Queens of England. 
 His'ory for Boys, by J. G. Edgar. 
 Boyhood of Great Men, by ditto. 
 Footprints of Famous Me?i, by ditto. 
 Great Cities of the Ancient Wor.d. 
 
 Seven Wonders of the World. 
 Great Cities of the Middle Ages. 
 Peasatit Boy Phi losoj>her, hy Mayhew. 
 Wonders of Science, by ditto. 
 Celebrated Children. 
 D awnings of Genius, 
 
 EOUTLEDGE'S 3s. 6d. PICTURE BOOKS. 
 
 Large 4to, cloth, with Chromo on side: 
 
 For a Good Child, containing Cin- 
 derella, Puss in Boots, Jack and 
 the Beanstalk. 
 
 A Present for My Darling, contain- 
 ing This Little Fig, Nursery Tales, 
 Dogs' Dinner Party. 
 
 Good Child's Album, containing Red 
 Riding Hood, Old Mother Hub- 
 bard, Babes in the Wood. 
 
 Routledge's Picture Book, containing 
 Alphabet of Flowers, White Cat, 
 Tittums and Fido. 
 
 Sunday Picture Book, containing Old 
 'Jestament Alphabet, New Testa- 
 ment Alphabet, Joseph. 
 
 Nursery Picture Book, containing 
 Nursery Rhymes, Nursery Songs, 
 Pet Lamb. 
 
 PICTURE BOOKS, 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 Our Little Sunbeam's Picture Book. 
 
 Printed in large type for Young 
 
 Children. With about 150 Illusts. 
 
 Cloth, 35. dd. ; also boards, 2s. 6d. 
 Child's Picture Scrap Book. With 
 
 1,000 Illustrations. Folio, boards, 
 
 3J. tiL ; also cloth, 5^. 
 Picture History of England for the 
 
 Young. With 80 Plates by Bayes. 
 
 Cloth, -^s. 6d. ; also boards, 2s. 6d. 
 Happy Day Stories for the Young. 
 
 With full-page Pictures. 4to, cloth, 
 
 3^. dd. ; also boards, 2J. dd. 
 
 Child's Delight. A large type Pic- 
 ture Book. With many Illustra- 
 tions. Crown 4to, cloth, 3^, 6d. ; 
 also boards, 2s. 6d. 
 
 Golden Light: Scripture Histories 
 f«r the Young. By H.W. Dulckkn, 
 Ph.D. With 80 Plates by Bavrs. 
 Cloth, 3.9. td. ; also beards, 2s. 6d. 
 
 Aunt Effie''s Nursery Rhyrnes, set to 
 Music. With Illustrations by H. 
 K. Browne. Cloth, 3*. 6^. ; also 
 boards, -is, td. 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S HALF-CROWN 
 LIBRARY. 
 
 Well Illustrated, post 8vo, 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL 
 
 Wellington, by Mac Farlane. 
 Napo'eon, by Mac Farlane. 
 Nelson, by Allen. 
 Marlborough, by Mac Farlanb. 
 Cervantes, by Amelia B. Edwards. 
 Julius Casar, by Archdeacon WiL- 
 
 i,lAM£. 
 
 Exmouth, by Osler. 
 Dundotiald, by Allen. 
 Richelieu, by William Robson. 
 Heroes of the Workshop. 
 Extraordinary Men, by W. Rltssell. 
 Extraordinary Women, by W. 
 Russell. 
 
14 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE 6- SONS' 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S HALF-CROWN JUVENILES. 
 
 Fcap. and post 8vo, gilt. Illustrated by the Best Artists. 
 
 Arhell 
 
 Eda Morton and her Cousins, by 
 
 M. M. Bell. 
 TheL ucky Penny, and other Tales, by 
 
 Mrs. S. C. Hall. 
 Minna Rayviond. Illustrated by B. 
 
 Foster. 
 Helena Bertram, by the Author of 
 
 "The Four Sisters." 
 Sunshine and Clouds, by Miss Bow- 
 man. 
 The Maze of Life, by the Author of 
 
 " The Four Sisters." 
 Sisterly Love. 
 
 Deeds, Not Words, by M. M. Bell. 
 Secret of a Life, by M. M, Bell. 
 First Lieutenant's Story, by Lady C. 
 
 Long. 
 Sir IVilfrid's Seven Flights, by 
 
 Madame de Chatelain. 
 Boy Cavalier, by Rev. H. C. Adams. 
 Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare. 
 Stories of Old Daniel. 
 Popular Astronomy. 
 Orbs of Heaven, 
 Pilgrijii's Progress, by Offor. 
 Friend or Foe : A Tale of Sedgtnoor, 
 
 by Rev. H. C. Adams. 
 Boy's Book about Indians. 
 Christian Melville. 
 The Letter of Marqu£, by Lieut.Low. 
 Swiss Family Robinson (Kingston's 
 
 Edition). 
 Evenings at Home. 
 Sandford and Merton. 
 Kaloolah, by W. S. Mayo. 
 Gulliver's Travels. Coloured Plates. 
 Robinson Crusoe. Illustrated by J. 
 
 D. Watson. 
 Andersen's Fairy Tales. 
 Tlie A rabian Nights. 
 Grimm's Home Stories. 
 Arctic Regions, by P. L. SiMMONDS. 
 Captain Cook's Voyages. Coloured 
 
 Plates. 
 Do7i Quixote for Boys. Cold. Plates. 
 
 Adventures of Rolmi Hood. With 
 
 Coloured Plates. 
 Adventures of Captain Hatteras, by 
 
 Jules Verne. 
 Jourtiey to the Centre of the Earth, 
 
 and Five Weeks in a Balloon, by 
 
 Jules Verne. 
 20,000 Leagues Under tlte Sea, by 
 
 Jules Verne. 
 Old Tales for the Young. 
 Out of the Heart, by Andersen, 
 Handy History of England for the 
 
 Young. 
 Child's Bible Book. loo Illustrations. 
 Child's Poetry Book. 70 Illustrations. 
 Edgeworth's Early Lessotis, 
 Edgeworth's Parent's Assistant, 
 Edgeworth's Moral Tales. 
 Edgeworth's Popular Tales. 
 Robert and Frederick, by Mrs. Sher- 
 wood. 
 Helejt's Babies, and Other People's 
 
 Children. 
 Being a Boy, by C. D. Warner. 
 Pilgrim's Progress (Allen's Edit.). 
 Seven Champicris of Christendom. 
 Budge and Toddie. 
 His Own Master, by J. T. Trow- 
 bridge. 
 Hildred the Daughter, by Miss 
 
 Crossland. 
 Valentift, by Henry Kingsley. 
 Dogs and their Ways, by Rev. C. 
 
 Williams. 
 The Holiday Camp, by St. John 
 
 Corbet. 
 Romance of Adventure. 
 Play Hours and Half Holidays, by 
 
 Rev. C. Williams. 
 Gjiizot's Moral Tales. 
 Wild sports in the Far West. 
 Voyage atid Ventjtre. 
 Faery Gold for Children. 
 Uncle Tom's Cabittfor Children. 
 Tlte Ftcr Country, by Jules Veene. 
 
 Complete Edition. 
 
CATALOGUE OF JUVENILE BOOKS, &-c. 
 
 15 
 
 ROUTLEDaE'S HALF-CROWN WIDE WORLD SERIES. 
 
 In small post 8vo, 
 IVtde, Wide World. 
 Lamplighter. 
 Old Helmet. 
 Queechy. 
 
 Ellen Montgomery's Book-shelf. 
 Two School Girls. 
 Melbourne House. 
 The Word: or. Walks from Eden. 
 Glen Luna; or, Speculation. 
 Mabel Vaugltan. 
 Patience Strong. 
 Prince of the House of David. 
 
 cloth gilt, well Illustrated. 
 
 Throne of David. 
 
 Hope's Little Hand; or, The Hills of 
 
 the Shatemuc. 
 Sceptres and Crowns, and TJte Flag 
 
 of Truce, by the Author of "The 
 
 Wide, Wide World." 
 Pillar of Fire. 
 Uncle Tom's Cabin. 
 Stepping Heavenward, and Aunt 
 
 jane's Hero. 
 Th? Gayworthys, by the Author of 
 
 " Faith Gartney." 
 Footprints on Life's Pathway. 
 
 PICTURE BOOKS, TWO -AND- SIX PENCE EACH. 
 
 Elegantly bound in cloth. 
 
 Little Golden Locks' Picture Book. 
 
 200 Pictures, -zs. 6d. 
 Little Bright Eyes' Picture Book. 
 
 200 Pictures. 2J. 6d. 
 Little Curly Pate's Story Book. With 
 
 ISO Pictures. 7.s. 6d. 
 
 Little Rosy Cheeks' Story Book. 
 
 With 150 Pictures, zs. td. 
 Mother Goose's Melodies. With 150 
 
 Pictures. 2j. 6^. 
 Mother Goose's Jingles. With 150 
 
 Pictures, -zs. 6d. 
 
 These are also kept in boards, 2s. each. 
 
 HALF-CROWN PICTURE BOOKS. 
 
 Our Little Sunbeam's Picture Book, 
 printed in large type for Young 
 Children, with about 150 Illustra- 
 tions, boards, 2^. 6d. (also cloth, 
 2s. 6d.) 
 
 The Child's Delight. A large- type 
 Picture Book, with many Illustra- 
 tions, crown 4to, boards, zs. 6d. 
 (also cloth, 3 J. 6d.) 
 
 HapPy Day Stories for the Young. 
 With full-page pictures, 4to, boards, 
 IS. 6d. (also cloth, 3^. 6d.) 
 
 Golden Light. Being Scripture 
 Histories for the Young, by H. W. 
 DuLCKEN, Ph.D., with 80 Plates 
 by Bayes. Boards, 2s. 6d. (also 
 cloth, 35. 6d.) 
 
 Picture History of England for the 
 Young. With 80 PI ites by Bayes. 
 Boards, 2j. dd. (also cloth, 35. td.) 
 
 Aunt Effie's Nursery' Rhymes. Set 
 
 to Music. With Illustrations by 
 
 H. K. Brownk. Boards, 2s. 6d. 
 
 (also cloth, 3^. 6d.) 
 Animal Picture Book. 8 Coloured 
 
 Plates. Boards, zs. 6d. (also cloth, 
 
 3.y. 6d.) 
 Bird Picture Book. xo Coloured 
 
 Plates. Boards, 2^. 6d, (also cloth, 
 
 3 J. 6d.) 
 Chimes and Rhymes. With 48 pages 
 
 of Coloured Plates. Cloth gilt, 2s. 6d. 
 Schnick Schnack. With 48 pages of 
 
 Coloured Plates. Cloth gilt, 2^. 6d. 
 Sing Song, by Miss Rossetti. With 
 
 Coloured Plates by D. Hughes. 
 
 Cloth gilt, 2S. 6d. (also in paper 
 
 covers, is.) 
 Griset's Grotesques'. 4to, boards, ay. 6^, 
 
 m 
 
i6 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE &> SOAPS' 
 
 m 
 
 ROUTLEDaE'S HALF-CROWN ONE-SYLLABLE 
 
 JUVENILE BOOKS. 
 
 In square i6mo, cloth gilt, with Coloured Plates, by Mary Godolpiiim 
 and others. 
 
 Rohinson Crusoe. I Bunyan's Pilgrim'' s Progress. 
 
 Swiss Family Robinson. Child's First Book of Lessons. 
 
 Evenings at Home. ' 
 
 ROUTLEDaE'S TWO-SHILLING BOOKS FOR 
 
 YOUNG READERS. 
 
 Square royal. 
 
 Amusing Tales. 
 
 The Do7ikey Show. 
 
 The Broken Pitcher. 
 
 The Little Lychetts. 
 
 Historical Tales. 
 
 Great Wonders of the World. 
 
 Zoological Gardens. 
 
 Richmond s Tour in Europe. 
 
 My First Picture Book. With 36 pages 
 
 of Coloured Plates. 
 Aunt Bessie' s Picture Book. With 96 
 
 pages of Plates. 
 Little Lily's Picture Book. With 96 
 
 pages of Plates. 
 Story of a Nutcracker. 234 Pictures. 
 
 Old Mother Hubbard's Picture Book. 
 With 36 pages of Coloured Plates. 
 
 Cock Robins Picture Book. With 36 
 pages of Coloured Plates. 
 
 Aunt Mary's Sunday Picture Book. 
 
 Sunday Reading for Good Children. 
 
 Punch and Judy's Picture Book. With 
 36 pages of Coloured Plates. 
 
 Ptissy's Picture Book. 36 pages ditto. 
 
 Little Tottie's Picture Book. With 36 
 pages of Coloured Plates. 
 
 Story of a Poodle. With 64 Illustra- 
 tions. 
 
 Tom Thumb's Picture Book. With 36 
 pages of Coloured Plates. 
 
 TWO-SHILLING PICTURE BOOKS. 
 
 Little Golden Locks' Picture Book. 
 
 200 Pictures. Boards, 2f. (or in 
 
 cloth, IS. 6d.) 
 Little Bright-Eyes' Picture Book. 
 
 2O0 Pictures. Boards, 2J. (or in 
 
 cloth, IS. 6d.) 
 Little Curly-Pate's Story Book. 150 
 
 Pictures. Boards, zs. (or in cloth, 
 
 2^. 6d.) 
 
 Little Rosy-C/teeks' Story Book. 150 
 
 Pictures. Boards, zr. (or in cloth, 
 
 2J. td.) 
 Mother Gooses Melodies. 200 Pictures 
 
 (some Coloured). Boards, zs, (or in 
 
 cloth, ■2S. 6d.) 
 Mother Goose's Jingles. ~ 200 Pictures 
 
 (some Coloured). Boards, zs. (or in 
 
 cloth, 2J. (id.) 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S EXCELSIOR SERIES. 
 
 Post 8vo, cloth, 2j. 
 
 The Wide, Wide World. Miss 
 
 Wetherell. 
 Melbourne House, Miss Wetherell. 
 The Lamplighter. Miss Cummixs. 
 Stepping Heavenward, and Aunt 
 
 Jane's Hero. E. Prentiss. 
 Queechy. Miss Wetherell; 
 Ellen Montgomtry's Bookshelf. Miss 
 
 Wetherbll, 
 
 n 
 
 Two School Girls. Miss Wetherell. 
 Helen. Maria Edgeworth. 
 Old Helmet. Miss Wetherell. 
 Mabel Vaugh»n. Miss Cummiks. 
 Glen Luna Family. Miss Wetherell. 
 The Word: or. Walks from Eden. 
 Miss Wetherell. 
 
 The Volumes of this Series can also be had 
 in Paper Covers, price is. 6d. 
 
 m 
 
ROUTLEDGE'S TWO-SHILLING GIFT BOOKS. 
 
 With Illustrations, fcap. 8vo. 
 
 Ten Moral Tales. 
 
 Juvenile Tales for all Seasons (M'In- 
 
 tosh). 
 Gertrude and Eulalie, 
 Amy Car lion. 
 Laura Tetnple. 
 The Solitary Hunter. 
 Bundle of Sticks; or. Love and Hate, 
 
 by J, and E. Kirby. 
 Hester and I ; or, Beware of Worfdli- 
 
 ness, by Mrs. Manners. 
 T/ie Cherry Stones, by Rev. H. C. 
 
 Adams, M.A. 
 The First of June, by ditto. 
 May Dundas; or, The Force of 
 
 Example, by Mrs. Geldart. 
 Glimpses of our Island Home, by ditto. 
 Standard Poetry Book for Schools. 
 Try and Trust, by Author of 
 
 "Arthur Morland." 
 Evenings at Home. 
 Jack of All Trades, by Thomas 
 
 Miller. 
 The Wonder Book, by Hawthorne. 
 Tangle^vood Tales, by Hawthorne. 
 Inez and Emmeline. 
 Orphan of Waterloo. 
 Maum Guinea. 
 Todd's Lectures to Children, ist and 
 
 2iid series. 
 Marooner's Island. 
 Tfie Mayflower. By Mrs. Stowe. 
 Mr. Rutherford's Children (Com- 
 
 plete). 
 Play-Lfay Book, by Fanny Ff.rn, 
 
 with Coloured Plates. 
 Stories for Sundays, ist series, by 
 
 Rev. H. C. Adams, M.A. 
 ' and series. 
 
 Adr<entures among the Indians. 
 The Doctors Birthday, by Rev. H. C 
 
 Adams, M.A. 
 Walter's Friend, by ditto. 
 Chief of the School, by ditto. 
 Sweet Vio'ets, by the Author of "A 
 
 Trap to Catch a Sunbeam." 
 The School Friends, by W. H. G. 
 
 Kingston. 
 
 the Author of "A Trap to Catch 
 
 a Sunbeam." 
 Sunday Evenings at Home, by Rev. 
 
 H. C. Adams, M.A. ist series. 
 2nd series. 
 
 Wild Rose, by the Author of "A 
 Trap to Catch a Sunbeam." 
 
 Snowdrop, by ditto, 
 
 T/ie Ocean Child, by Mrs. Myrtle. 
 
 Gulliver's Travels, with Coloure<i 
 Plates. 
 
 Waits' s Divine and Moral Songt. 
 With 600 Illustrations. 
 
 Captain Cook's Voyages, with Coloured 
 Plates. 
 
 Old Tales for the Young, with Co- 
 loured Plates. 
 
 Holiday Album for Boys. 
 
 Girls. 
 
 Sunday Evenings at Home, by Rev. 
 H. C. Adams, M.A. 3rd series. 
 
 4th series. 
 
 5th series. 
 
 Andersen's Fairy Tales. 
 
 Grimm's Fairy Tales. 
 
 Edgeworth's Moral Tales. 
 
 Edge-worth's Popular Tales. 
 
 FouquS's Undine, and The Two Cap- 
 tains. 
 
 Foufjui's Sintram, and Aslauga's 
 Knight. 
 
 Saftdford and Merton. 
 
 Story of a Wooden Horse. 
 
 The Original Robinson Crusoe, by 
 Rev. H. C. Adams. 
 
 Narrative Poetry for the Young. 
 With 80 Illustrations. 
 
 Kidnapping In the Pacific, by W. H. 
 G. Kingston. 
 
 Little Laddie's Picture Book, 96 Pic- 
 tures. 
 
 L a tie L assie's Picture Book. 96 Pic- 
 tures. 
 
 Little Speckly's Adventures. 50 Pic- 
 tures. 
 
 Lamb's Tales front Shakespeare. 
 With 30 Illustrations by Sir John 
 
 Gilbert, R.A. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ETi 
 
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE ^ SONS' 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S EIGHTEENPENNY JUVENILES. 
 
 Square i6mo. With Illustrations by Gilbert, Absolon, &c., 
 bevelled boards, gilt edges. 
 
 Peasant and Prince, by Harriet 
 
 Martineau. 
 Crofton Boys, by Harriet Marti- 
 
 NEAU. 
 
 Feats on the Fiord, by Harriet 
 
 MARTirmAU. 
 Settlers at Home, by Harriet 
 
 Marti NEAU. 
 Holiday Rambles; or. The School 
 
 Vacation. 
 Little Drummer. A Tale of the Rus- 
 sian War. 
 Frafik, by Maria Edgeworth. 
 Rosamond, by Maria Edgeworth. 
 Harry and Lucy, Little Dog Trusty, 
 
 The Cherry Orchard, &c. 
 A Hero; or, Philip's Book, by the 
 
 Author of "John Halifax." 
 Laura and Ellen : or, Time Works 
 
 Wonders. 
 Emigratifs Lost Son, by G. H. Wall. 
 Daddy Dacres' School, by Mrs. S. C. 
 
 Hall. 
 Bow of Faith; or. Old Testament 
 
 Lessons, by Maria Wright. 
 Anchor of H of e ; or. New Testament 
 
 Lessons, by Maria Wright. 
 Mrs. Loudon* s Voting Naturalist. 
 Accidents of Childhood ; or, Stories 
 
 for Heedless Children. 
 Daily Thoughts for a Child, by Mrs. 
 
 Geldart. 
 
 Emilie the Peacemaker, by Mrs. 
 
 Geldart. 
 Truth is Everything, by Mrs. 
 
 Geldart. 
 Rainbows in SJiringtide. 
 
 Rose and Kate; or. The Little 
 
 Howards. 
 Max Frere : or. Return Good for 
 
 Evil. 
 Child's First Book ofNa turalHis tory, 
 
 by A. L. Bond. 
 The Castle and Cottage, by Perring 
 Mrs. Barbauld 's Lessons. 
 Holidays at Limewood. 
 Traditions of Palestine, by Marti- 
 
 NEAU. 
 
 Gjtmes and Sports, 
 
 Young Angler. 
 
 Games of Skill. 
 
 Scientific Amusements. 
 
 Picture Book of Animals and Birds. 
 
 150 Plates. 
 Original Poems, by Anne and Jane 
 
 Taylor, complete. 
 Home and Foreign Birds. 150 Plates. 
 Wild and Dojnestic Animals. With 
 
 150 Plates, 
 Billow and the Rock, by Miss 
 
 Martineau. 
 Honour and Glory^ by Jeanie 
 
 Hering. 
 Taylor s Rhymes for the Nursery. 
 
 With Illustrations. 
 Lily's Scrap Book, by Mrs. Sale 
 
 Barker. With 120 Illustrations. 
 Lily at her Grandma7ni7ta s , by Mrs. 
 
 Sale Barker. With 120 Illustra- 
 tions. 
 Lilfs Home, by Mrs. Sale Barker. 
 
 With 120 Illustrations. 
 Lily's Screen, by Mrs. Sale Barker. 
 
 With 120 Illustrations. 
 
 EIGHTEENPENNY PICTURE BOOKS. 
 
 Beautifully bound in cloth, 96 large Pictures, plain Woodcuts in each, 
 
 Little Blossom's Picture Book. is. 6d. 
 Little Maybud's Picture Book. is. 6d. 
 Little Forget-me-Not's Picture Book. 
 
 is. 6d, 
 
 These are also to be 
 
 Little Violet's Picture Bjok. is. 6d. 
 Little Snowdrop's Picittre Book. 
 
 IS. 6d. 
 Little Primrose's Picture Book, is. 6d. 
 had in boards, is. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
m- 
 
 CATALOGUE OF JUVENILE BOOKS, &-r. 
 
 19 
 
 ROTJTLEDGE'S FAIRY LIBRARY, 
 
 Each IS. 6d. Each containing about 320 pages, with many Illustrations and a 
 Coloured Frontispiece. 
 
 The Three Brothers, and The Don- 
 key Cabbages, by Grimm. 
 Clever Alice, and The Golden Bttd, 
 
 by Grimm. 
 The Old Woman i?t the Wood, and 
 
 TJie Goose Girl, by Grimm. 
 The Almond Tree, and The Soaring 
 
 Lark, by Grimm. 
 S7tow White, and The House in the 
 
 Wood, by Grimm. 
 The Red Shoes, and The Silver 
 
 Shilling, by Andersen. 
 The Little Match Girl, and The 
 
 Darning Needle, by Andersen. 
 
 The Tinder Box, and The Golos/ies 
 
 0/ Fortune, by Andersen. 
 The Marsh King's Daughter, and 
 
 The Hardy Tin Soldier, by An- 
 
 dersen. 
 The Wild Swans, and Under the 
 
 Willow Tree, by Andersen. 
 The Old Church Bell, and The Ice 
 
 Maiden, by Andersen. 
 The Will o' the Wisp, and Poultry 
 
 Meg, by Andersen. 
 Put Off, and The Showman, by ditto. 
 In Sweden, and The Snow Queen, 
 
 by Andersen. 
 
 EIGHTEENPENNY PICTURE BOOKS. 
 
 In fancy paper boards, with 36 Coloured Plates in each. 
 Cock Rob itis Picture Book. is. 6d, 1 Punch and Judy Picture Book. is. 6d. 
 Pussy's Picture Book. is. 6d. Old Mother Hubbard's Picture Book. 
 
 My First Picture Book. is. 6d. I i^- ^^- 
 
 I These can also be had in cloth gilt, price ar. 
 
 THE LARGE SIZE SHILLING- JUVENILE BOOKS. 
 
 Post 8vo, cloth gilt, with Coloured Frontispiece. 
 
 The Little Woodman and his Dog 
 
 CcEsar, by Mrs. Sherwood. With 
 
 45 Illustrations. 
 Anna Ross ; or, The Orphan of 
 
 Waterloo. With 45 Illustrations. 
 Lamb's Tales, ist Series. With 10 
 
 Illustrations by Sir John Gilbert, 
 
 R.A. 
 
 Story of tJie Robins, by Mrs. Trim- 
 mer. 
 
 Rhymes for the Nursery, by Jane 
 and Anne Taylor. 
 
 Latnb's Tales, and Series. With 10 
 Illustrations by Sir John Gilbert, 
 R.A. 
 
 THE POETRY SERIES OP SHILLING JUVENILE 
 BOOKS. 
 
 Easy Poetry for Children. 
 Child 's Illustrated Poetry Book. 
 Watts' Divifie and Moral Songs. 
 The Sacred Harp: A Book of Sun- 
 day Poetry. 
 Little Poems for Little Readers. 
 
 Language and Poetry of Flowers. 
 
 By Anne and Jane Taylor. 
 Origi7ial Poems. Complete. 
 Hymns for Infant Minds. 
 
^- 
 
 ■^ 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE 6- SONS' 
 
 ROUTLEDaE'S ONE-SHILLING JUVENILES. 
 
 Well printed, with Coloured Illustrations, i8mo, cloth, gilt edges. 
 
 Grace Greenwood's Stories for her 
 
 Nephews and Nieces. 
 Helen's Fault, by the Author of 
 
 " Adelaide Lindsay." 
 The Cousins, by Miss M'Intosh. 
 Ben Howard ; or, Truth and Honesty, 
 
 by C. Adams. 
 Bessie and Tom : A Book for Boys 
 
 and Girls. 
 Beechnut : A Franconian Story, by 
 
 Abbott. 
 Wallace: A Franconian Story, by 
 
 Abbott. 
 Madeline, by Jacob Abbott. 
 Mary Bell, by Jacob Abbott. 
 Visit to my Birthj^lace^ by Miss 
 
 BUNBURY. 
 
 Carl Krinken; or, The Christmas 
 Stocking, by Miss Wetherell. 
 
 Mr. Rutherford's Children, by Miss 
 Wetherell. 
 
 Emily Herbert, by Miss M'Intosh. 
 
 Maggie and E»tma, by ditto. 
 
 Rose and Lillie Stanhope, by ditto. 
 
 Mr. Rutherford's Children, 2nd 
 series, by Miss Wetherell. 
 
 Casper, by Miss Wetherell. 
 
 The Brave Boy ; or. Filial Love. 
 
 Magdalene and Raphael. 
 
 Our Charlie, by Mrs. Stowe. 
 
 Story of a Mouse, by Mrs. Peering. 
 
 TJie Village School, by ditto. 
 
 Stories for Week Days and Sun- 
 days. 
 
 Charlie and Georgy ; or. The Chil- 
 dren at Gibraltar. 
 
 Story ef a Penny, by Mrs. Peering. 
 
 Aitnt Maddy's Diamonds, by 
 Harriet Myrtle. 
 
 Two School Girls, Miss Wetherell. 
 
 The Widow and her Daughter, by 
 Miss Wetherell. 
 
 Gertrude and her Bible, by ditto. 
 
 The Rose in tht Desert, by ditto. 
 
 Little Black Hen, by ditto. 
 
 Martha and Rachel, by ditto. 
 
 The Birthday Visit, by ditto. 
 
 The Carpenter" s Daughter, by ditto. 
 
 Prince in Disguise. 
 
 Story of a Cat, by Mrs. Perring. 
 Basket 0/ Flowers. 
 Ashgrove Farm, by C. E. Bowen. 
 Story of a Dog, by Mrs. Perring. 
 Anzelof the Iceberg, \y Rev. John 
 
 Todd. 
 Rills from the Fountain. 
 Todd's Lectures to Children. (First 
 
 Series.) 
 
 (Second Series.) 
 
 Minnie's Legacy. 
 
 Neighbourly Love. 
 
 Kitty's Victory. 
 
 Elise and her Rabbits. 
 
 Happy Charlie. 
 
 Annie Price. 
 
 The Little Oxleys, by Mrs. W. 
 
 Dinzey Burton. 
 Uncle Tom's Cabin for Children. 
 Aunt Margaret's Visit. 
 Keeper's Travels in Search of his 
 
 Master. 
 Richmond' s Annals of the Poor. 
 Blanche and Agnes. 
 Lost Chamois Hunter, 
 The Gates Ajar. 
 
 Mrs. Sedgwick's Pleasant Tales. 
 Uncle Frank's Home Stories. 
 Tales in Short Words. 
 yEsop's Fables. 
 
 Stuyvesant, by Jacob Abbott. 
 Susan Gray, by Mrs. Sherwood. 
 Ba^es in the Basket. 
 Three Sisters, by Mrs. Peering. 
 Oitr Poor Neighbours, by ditto; 
 Marian Ellis, by a Clergyman's Wife. 
 A Kiss for a Blow. 
 Robert Dawson. 
 Lily's Home, by Mrs. Sale Barker. 
 
 With 120 Illustrations. 
 Ellen and Frank, by Mrs. Pbreing. 
 Lily's Screen, by Mrs. Sale Baeker. 
 
 With 120 Illustrations. 
 The Twin Brothers, by Mrs.PsEEiNG. 
 Sybil Grey, by Mrs. Peering. 
 Little Davy's New Hat, by Robert 
 
 Bloomfield. 
 Lilian Seacroft, by Mrs. Peeeing. 
 
 m- 
 
THE "ELSIE'S PETS" SERIES OF SHILLING 
 JUVENILE BOOKS. 
 
 80 pages, with 40 full-page Pictures in each book, fcap. 8vo. 
 
 Elsie's Pets. 
 Fred in a Fix, 
 The Old Ruin. 
 Prince Chert. 
 
 Little Valentine. 
 Caught at Last. 
 Eva's Locket. 
 Found in the Snow. 
 
 THE HANS ANDERSEN LIBRARY. 
 For the Young. lu Fcap. Svo, cloih gilt, is. each Volume. 
 
 The Red Slioes. 
 
 T/te Silver Shilling. 
 
 TIu Little Match-Girl. 
 
 The Daming-Needle. 
 
 Tfie Tinder Box. 
 
 The GolosJtes of Fortune. 
 
 The Marsh-King's Daughter. 
 
 Everything in its Right Place, 
 
 T/u Wild Swans. *"^ 
 
 Under tJie Willow Tree. 
 
 The Old Church Bell. 
 The Ice Maiden. 
 The Willo' the Wis^. 
 Poidtry Meg's Family, 
 Put Off is Not Done with. 
 The Snow Man. 
 In Sweden. 
 The Snow Queen. 
 The Hardy Tin Soldier, 
 9 
 
 Each Voliiine contains a variety of Stories, a Frontispiece in Colours, and an 
 average of 16 other Pictures, engraved by the Brothers Dalziel. 
 
 GRIMM'S FAIRY LIBRARY. 
 
 Post Svo, 128 pp. in each volume, well Illustrated, with Coloured Frontispiece, 
 cloth gilt, IS. each volume. 
 
 The Three BrotJiers. 
 
 The Donkey CabbageSm 
 
 Clever Alice. 
 
 The Golden Bird. 
 
 Snow White and Rose Red, 
 
 The House in the Wood. 
 
 TJu Old Woman in the Wood. 
 
 The Goose Girl, 
 
 The Almond Tree, 
 
 The Soaring Lark, 
 
 Also in a handsome cloth box, 12^. dd. 
 
 THE SHILLING ONE SYLLABLE SERIES OF BOOKS. 
 
 With 
 
 The Book 0/ One Syllable. With 
 Coloured Plates. 
 
 New Book of One Syllable. With 
 1 Coloured Plates. 
 
 Little Helpsfor Little Readers. With 
 I Coloured I'lates. 
 
 Sunday Book of One Syllable. 
 
 Plates. 
 Susy's Teachers, by the Author of 
 
 " Stepping Heavenward." 
 Susy's Servants, by ditto. 
 
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE &- SONS' 
 
 THE MASTER JACK SERIES. 
 
 In small 4to, fancy covers, with 48 pages of Plates, is. each. 
 Master Jack. 
 
 Mammals Return. 
 
 Nellie and Bertha. 
 
 The Cousins. 
 
 Tales of the Genii. 
 
 Sindbad the Sailor. 
 
 Robin Hood. 
 
 Prince Hempseed. 
 
 The Enchanted Horse. 
 
 Datne Mitchell and her Cat. 
 
 Nursery Rhymes. 
 
 The Tiger Lily. 
 
 The Lent Jewels. 
 
 Bible Stories. 
 
 My Best Frock. 
 
 Three Enviotis Men. 
 
 Two Neighbours. 
 
 For Want of a Nail. 
 
 The Canary Bird. 
 
 * Little Blossom'' s Picture Book. 
 With 96 large Pictures, 
 
 * Little Mayhid's Picture Book. 
 With 96 large Pictures. 
 
 Atmt Effie's Rhymes ior Little Chil- 
 dren. With Illustrations by H. K. 
 Beowne. 
 
 * Little Primrose'' s Pictjire Book. 
 With 100 large Pictures. 
 
 * Little Forget-me-Nofs Picture 
 Book. With 100 large Pictures. 
 
 Otto Speckters Picture Fables. With 
 
 Illustrations. 
 Hooky-Beak, the Raven, and other 
 
 Tales. With Illustrations. 
 
 * Little Violefs Picture Book. With 
 
 100 page Pictures. 
 
 * Little Snowdrop'' s Picture Book. 
 With 100 large Pictures; 
 
 Those marked thus (*) are kept in doth, price \s. 6a. See page 18. 
 
 With Coloured Plates, fancy boards. 
 
 My A B C Book. 
 
 Nicrsery Rhymes and Songs. 
 
 Old Testament ABC. 
 
 Little Stories for Good Children. 
 
 History of Moses. 
 
 History of fospph. 
 Farmyard A B C. 
 Child's Book of Trades. 
 Animals and Birds. 
 
 ROUTLEDaE'S NINEPENNY JUVENILES. 
 
 (Rosebud Series), iSmo, Coloured Plates by Kronheim, cloth, gilt edges. 
 
 A Child's First Book about Birds. 
 Stories of English History. 
 Watts s Divine and Moral Songs. 
 Cobwebs to Catch Flies. 
 Barbauld's Hymns in Prose. 
 Prince Arthur I or. The Four Trials. 
 Twelve Links in the Golden Chain, 
 Easy Talks for Little Folk. 
 Siisan and the Doll. 
 
 I Juvenile Tales. 
 Six Short Stories. 
 The Captive Skylark. 
 Taylor's Original Poems (ist series). 
 
 (2nd series). 
 
 Bread and Honey, by Mrs. Semple 
 
 Garrett. With 90 Illustrations. 
 A Picture-Book of Birds, go Illust. 
 Anitnals. 90 Illustrations. 
 
 aSS 
 
^ 
 
 CATALOGUE OF JUVENILE BOOKS, <S^r. 
 
 23 
 
 ROUTLEDCJE'S SIXPENNY JUVENILES. 
 
 Royal 32010. With Illustrations, gilt edges. 
 
 History of My Pets. 
 
 Hubert Lee. 
 
 Ellen Lestie. 
 
 yessie Graham. 
 
 Florence Arnott. 
 
 Blind Alice. 
 
 Grace and Clara, 
 
 Recollections of my Childhood. 
 
 Egerton. Roscoc. 
 
 Flora Mortimer. 
 
 Story of a Drop of Water. 
 
 Waste Not, Want Not. 
 
 Tarlton, and Forgive and Forget. 
 
 Lazy Lawrence, and The White 
 
 Pigeon. 
 The Barring Out. 
 The Orphans, and Old Poz, 
 The Mimic. 
 Simple Susan. 
 The Little Merchants. 
 Robert Dawson, 
 Kate Campbell. 
 Basket of Flowers. 
 Babes ifi the Basket. 
 Jewish Twins. 
 Children on the Plains. 
 Little Henry and his Bearer. 
 Learning Better than Houses and 
 
 Lands. 
 Maud's First Visit to her Aunt, in 
 
 words of One Syllable. 
 Easy Poems (plain edges). 
 The Boy Captive. By Peter Parley. 
 Stories of Child Life. 
 The Dairyman's Daughter. 
 Arthur'' s Tales for the Young, 
 Hawthortie's Gentle Boy. 
 
 Parley's Poetry and Prose. 
 Arthur's Stories for Little Girls. 
 The Young Cottager, and TJie Negro 
 
 Servant. 
 Parley's Thomas Titmouse. 
 Arthur's Christmas Story. 
 The Lost Lamb. 
 Book about Boys. 
 Arthur's Organ Boy. 
 Margaret Jones. 
 Two School Girls. 
 Widow and her Daughter. 
 The Rose in the Desert, 
 The Little Black Hen. 
 Martha and Rachel. 
 The Carpenter's Daughter, 
 The Prince in Disguise. 
 Gertrude and her Bible. 
 The Contrast, by Miss Edgeworth. 
 The Grateful Negro, dilto. 
 A Kiss for a Blow. 
 Lina and her Cousins. 
 Bright-eyed Bessie. 
 Gates Ajar (plain edges). 
 Sunday School Reader. 
 Hearty Staves. 
 
 Contentment Better than Wealth. 
 Robinson Crusoe. 
 Patient Waiting No Loss. 
 No Such Word as Fail. 
 Edward Hozvard. 
 Songs of Grace. 
 Sacred Songster. 
 Devout Songster. 
 Songs for tJte Righteous. 
 Susan Gray, by Mrs. Sherwood. 
 
 These books can also be had in fancy paper covers, 4^?. each. 
 
 ^^mim 
 
m 
 
 24 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE &> SONS' 
 
 LITTLE LADDERS TO LEARNING. 
 
 Each Illustrated with 125 Woodcuts by John Gilbert, Harkisom Weir, and 
 others. Crown 8vo, sewed, in fancy wrappers, 6d. each. 
 
 Things In-doors. 
 What we Eat and Drink. 
 Aniviah and their Uses. 
 Bi rds and Birds' Nests. 
 Fishes, Butierjiies, Frogs. 
 Trees, Shrubs, and Flowers. 
 City Scenes. 
 
 Rural Scenes, 
 Country Employments. 
 How Things are Made. 
 Soldiers and Sailors. 
 Science and Art. 
 Geography and Costume. 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S SIXPENNY JUVENILE BOOTTS. 
 
 Fcap. 8vo. With Coloured Plates, cloth, with Chromo-lithograph on side. 
 By Mrs. Mackarness, Author of " A Trap to Catch a Sunbeam." 
 
 Sweet Violets. 
 
 White Daisy. 
 
 Only a Ptimrose. 
 
 Forget Me Not. 
 
 Columbine. 
 
 Ragged Robin. 
 
 Old Speedwell. 
 
 Wild Rose and Poppies. 
 
 Tulip and Holly. 
 
 Orange Blossoms, and Eglantine. 
 
 Heart's Ease, and Lily of the Vally. 
 
 Snowdrop, and other Tales. 
 
 Broom, and other Tales. 
 
 Blue Bell, and other Tales. 
 
 Travellers Joy, and other Tales. 
 
 The School Friends. 
 Alone on an Island. 
 
 By W. H. G. Kingston. 
 
 I The Ivory Traders. 
 
 These 18 volumes can be had in paper covers, yi. each. 
 
 ^ 
 
CATALOGUE OF TOY BOOKS, ^'c. 25 
 
 TOY BOOKS. 
 
 TWOPENNY TOY BOOKS. 
 
 With Coloured Pictures by Leighton Brothers, in covers. 
 
 My Mother. 
 
 Nursery Rhymes, 
 
 OurPets. 
 
 Baby. 
 
 Mother Hubbard. 
 
 Jack the Giant Killer. 
 Railway ABC. 
 Punch and Judy. 
 Red Riding Hood. 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S THREEPENY TOY BOOKS. 
 
 Piinled in Colours by Kronheim and others ; or on linen, td. 
 
 23 A, Apple Pie. 
 
 24 Railroad ABC. 
 
 25 Nursery Son^s. 
 
 5 My First Alphabet. 
 
 6 on Moth r Goose. 
 
 7 Babes in the Wood. 
 
 8 This Little Pig luent to Market. 
 
 9 The Old WainaH who Lived in a 
 
 Shoe. 
 
 10 Little Bo-peep. 
 
 11 Nursery Rhymes. 
 
 12 Farmyard Alphabet. 
 
 13 Jack and the Beanstalk. 
 
 14 Jahn Gilpin. 
 
 15 Old Mother Hubbard. 
 
 16 Three Bears. 
 
 17 House that Jack Built. 
 
 18 Dogs' Dinner Party. 
 
 19 My MotJter. 
 
 20 Ca i Tea Party. 
 
 21 More Nursery Rbymes. 
 
 22 Robin Redbreast. 
 
 26 Nursery Ditties. 
 
 27 Puttch and Judy. 
 
 28 OurPets. 
 
 29 Cindc7-ella. 
 
 30 Puss in Boots. 
 
 31 Little Red Riding Hood. 
 
 32 Wild Animals. 
 
 33 Tajue A7iimals, 
 
 34 Birds. 
 
 35 Jack the Giant Killer. 
 
 36 Blue Beard. 
 
 37 Aladdin. 
 
 38 Forfy Thieves. 
 
 39 Totn Thumb. 
 
 40 Sle/'ping Beauty in the Wood. 
 
 Zi 
 
26 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE cr- SONS' 
 
 AUNT MAYOR'S SIXPENNY TOY BOOKS. 
 
 Or Mounted on linen, i^., with greatly 
 
 Bible Alphabet. 
 
 Three Bears. 
 
 Nursery Alphabet. 
 
 Little Totty. 
 
 Dogs' Ditmer Party. 
 
 Whittington and his Cat. 
 
 Tom Thumb. 
 
 Punch and Judy. 
 
 John Gilpin. 
 
 Si.ndbad the Sailor. 
 
 House that Jack Built. 
 
 Old Woman and her Pig. 
 
 A, Apple Pie. 
 
 Tom Thumb's Alphabet. 
 
 Baron Munchausen. 
 
 Picture A Iphabet. 
 
 White Cat. 
 
 Arthur'' s Alphabet, 
 
 Singing Birds. 
 
 Parrots. 
 
 Dogs. 
 
 Birds. 
 
 Cock Robin. 
 
 A iphabet for Good Boys and Girls. 
 
 Sea-Side A Iphabet. 
 
 Hop o' My Thumb. 
 
 improved Illustrations, in Wrappers. 
 yack the Giant Killer. 
 Beauty and the Beast. 
 Little Dog Trusty. 
 Cats' Tea-Pariy. 
 Babes in the Wood, 
 Wild Aftimals. 
 British Animals. 
 The Frog who would a- Wooing Go. 
 Horses. 
 
 Old Dame Trot. 
 King Gole. 
 Prince Long Nose. 
 TJte Enraged Miller. 
 TJie Little Hunchback. 
 A Child's Fancy Dress Ball. 
 A Child 's Evening Party. 
 King Grisly Beard. 
 Rumpelstiltshin. 
 Aladdin. 
 Domestic Pets. 
 Nursery Rhymes. 
 My New Alphabet. 
 Aunt Mavor's ABC, 
 Sunday Alphabet. 
 Plain Letter Alphabet. 
 
 The following are from 
 Railroad ABC. 
 Farm Yard ABC. 
 Sing a Song of Sixpence, 
 The Waddling Frog. 
 The Old Courtier. 
 Multiplication in Verse, 
 Chattering Jack. 
 How Jessie was Lost. 
 Grammar in Rhyme. 
 Annie and Jack in London. 
 One, Two, Buckle my Shoe. 
 The Fairy Ship. 
 Adventures of Puffy. 
 This Little Pig went to Market. 
 King Luckieboy's Party. 
 
 designs by Walter Crane : 
 
 Noah 's Ark Alphabet. 
 
 My Mother. 
 
 The Forty Thieves. 
 
 The Three Bears. 
 
 Cinderella. 
 
 Valentine and Orson. 
 
 Puss in Boots. 
 
 Old Mother Hubbard. 
 
 The Absurd A B C. 
 
 Red Riding Hood. 
 
 yack afid the Bean Stalk. 
 
 Bbie Beard. 
 
 Baby's Own Alphabet. 
 
 Sleeping Beauty in the Woed. 
 
 W 
 
^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 CATALOGUE OF TOY BOOKS, c^v. 
 
 27 
 
 Aunt Mayor's Sixpenny Toy Books, contimkd. 
 
 These are kept only at td. each. 
 Baby's Birthday. When the Cat^s Away. 
 
 Pictures from the Streets. Naughty Puppy. 
 
 Lost on the Sea Shore. Children's Favourites. 
 
 A nimals and Birds. The Faithless Parrot, 
 
 Mary' a New Doll. 
 
 EQUTLEDGE'S NEW SERIES OF SHILLINa 
 
 TOY BOOKS. 
 
 With large Illustrations by H. S. Marks, J. D. Watson, H. Weir, and Keyl, 
 
 printed in Colours by Kronheim and others. 
 
 |In demy 4to, stiff wrapper. All may be had mounted on linen, 25, each. 
 
 Nursery Rhymes (Marks). 
 Alphabet oj Trades. 
 Old Testament Alphabet. 
 Three Little Kittetis. 
 Tom Thumb's Alphabet. 
 Nursery Songs (Marks). 
 New Testament A Iphabet. 
 Our Farmyard Alphabet. 
 History of Moses. 
 History of Joseph. 
 Alphabet of Flowers-\ 
 Life of our Lord. 
 Three Bears. 
 Red Riding Hood. 
 Nursery Tales. 
 Old Mother Hubbard. 
 Pictures from English History, ist 
 Period. 
 
 2nd Period. 
 
 3rd Period. 
 
 4th Period. 
 
 Puss in Boots. 
 Tom Thumb. 
 Babes in the Wood. 
 Jack and the Bean-Stalk. 
 The Laughable ABC. 
 
 My Mother. 
 
 Dogs' Dinner-Party, 
 
 Little Dog Trusty. 
 
 The White Cat. 
 
 Dash and the Duckliiigs, 
 
 Reynard the Fox. 
 
 Tit turns and Fido. 
 
 A nn and her Mamma,. 
 
 Cats' Tea-Party. 
 
 Baby. 
 
 Henny-Penny. 
 
 Peacock at Home. 
 
 Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, 
 
 Toy-Primer. 
 
 Pet-Lamb. 
 
 Fair One with the Golden Locks, 
 
 Jack the Giant Killer. 
 
 Robinson Crusoe. 
 
 Cock Sparrow. 
 
 Queer Characters. 
 
 Msop's Fables. 
 
 Robin's Christmas Song. 
 
 The Lion^s Reception. 
 
 Gingerbread. 
 
 Old Nursery Rhymes with Tunes. 
 
 The Frog Prince. 
 Goody Two Shoes. 
 Beauty and the Beast. 
 A B C of Old Friends 
 
 The following are from Designs by Walter Crane : 
 Yellow Dwarf. 
 A laddin. 
 Hind in the Wood. 
 
 Princess Belle Etoile. 
 
 ■^ 
 
m 
 
 m 
 
 28 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE &- SONS* 
 
 Shilling Toy Books, continued. 
 
 These are to be had only on paper, \s. each. 
 
 Cinderella, by H. S. Marks. 
 This Little Pig went to Market, &c. 
 A New Tale of a Tub, by Bayley. 
 House that Jack Built (designs by 
 Caldecott). 
 
 Joh^t Gilpin (designs by CauJKCOTt). 
 Horse, Cow, Sheep. 
 Donkey, Pet Dog, Goat. 
 Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Dog. 
 Pig, Pony, Cat, 
 
 M 
 
m 
 
 CATALOGUE OF JUVENILE BOOKS, &-c. 29 
 
 GENERAL LIST OP PICTURE BOOKS. 
 
 Bound in Cloth or Boards. 
 Cloth. Boards. 
 
 s. d. s. d. 
 
 50.. Picture Gift Book — 
 
 so .. Scripture Gift Book — 
 
 50 .. Pictures from English History .. .. .. — 
 
 50 .. Picture Book of Domestic Animals .. .. — 
 
 50.. Our Nurse's Picture Book — 
 
 50.. My Mother's Picture Book — 
 
 50.. Red Riding Hood Picture Book — 
 
 50.. Poll Parrot Picture Book — 
 
 SO .. Henny-Penny Picture Book — 
 
 50 . . Robinson Crusoe Picture Book . . . . . . — 
 
 50 .. Pet Lamb Picture Book — 
 
 50 .. Goody Two Shoes' Picture Book — 
 
 50 . . Aladdin's Picture Book — 
 
 50 . . Jack Horner's Picture Book — 
 
 50 . . Buds and Flowers of Child Life — 
 
 50 .. Buttercups and Daisies 30.. 
 
 SO .. Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes .. .. 30.. 
 
 50 . . Mother Goose's Fairy Tales 30.. 
 
 SO . . Natural History Picture Book of Animals . . 3 o . . 
 SO.. „ „ „ Birds .. ..30.. 
 
 SO.. ,, ,, Fishes, Insects, &c. .. 3 o .. 
 
 50 . . Little Blue Bell's Picture Book 30.. 
 
 50 .. Little Wide-Awake Pictures — 
 
 SO .. Original Poenfs — 
 
 50 . . Dr. Watts' Songs for Children — 
 
 SO.. Little Lays for Little Folks 30 .. 
 
 50 .. The Child's Picture Scrap Book 36.. 
 
 36 .. The Song of Sixpence Book — 
 
 36 .. Chattering Jack's Picture Book — 
 
 36 . . King Luckieboy's Picture Book — 
 
 36 . . Three Bears Picture Book — 
 
 36 . . Marquis of Carabas' Picture Book . . . . — 
 
 36.. Blue Beard Picture Book.. — 
 
 36.. Our Pet's Picture Book — 
 
 36 . . Book of Alphabets — 
 
 36 .. Animals and Birds — 
 
 .,6 .. The Animal Picture Book 26.. 
 
 36.. The Bird Picture Book z 6 . . 
 
 36 .. King Grisly Beard's Picture Book .. .. — 
 
 36.. The Parrots' Picture Book — 
 
 36 .. Old Dame Trot's Picture Book — 
 
 36.. For a Good Child — 
 
 36.. A Present for My Darling — 
 
 36.. The Good Child's Album — .. 
 
30 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE &- SONS' 
 
 -m 
 
 General List of Picture Books, contimicd. 
 
 Bound in Cloth or Boards. 
 
 Cloth. Boards. 
 
 s. d. _ s. d. 
 
 36 .. Routledge's Picture Book — 
 
 36 , . Sunday Picture Book — 
 
 36.. Nursery Picture Book — 
 
 36 .. Our Little Sunbeam's Picture Book .. ..26 
 
 36., The Child's Delight 26 
 
 36 .. Golden Light 26 
 
 36 . . Picture History of England 26 
 
 36 .. Aunt Effie's Nursery Rhymes 26 
 
 36 .. Happy-Day Stories.. 26 
 
 26 .. Chimes and Rhymes — 
 
 26 . . Schnick Schnack . . , . , , . , . . — 
 
 26.. Sing-Song 10 (paper) 
 
 — . . Griset's Grotesques 26 
 
 26 . . Little Golden Locks' Picture Book . . ..20 
 
 26 .. Little Bright Eyes' Picture Book 20 
 
 26.. Little Curly Pate's Story Book 20 
 
 26 . . Little Rosy Cheeks' Story Book 20 
 
 26 .. Mother Goose's Melodies 20 
 
 26 .. Mother Goose's Jingles 20 
 
 20 .. Punch and Judy Picture Book 16 
 
 20 .. My First Picture Book 16 
 
 20 . . Old Mother Hubbard's Picture Book . . ..16 
 
 2 o .. Cock Robin's Picture Book 16 
 
 20 .. Pussy's Picture Book 16 
 
 20 .. Aunt Bessie's Picture Book — 
 
 20 . . Little Lily's Picture Book . . . . * . , — 
 
 20 .. Little Tottie's Picture Book — 
 
 20 . . Tom Thumb's Picture Book — 
 
 16 . . Little Blossom's Picture Book 10 
 
 16 . . Little Maybud's Picture Book 10 
 
 16 .. Little Primrose's Picture Book ..- ,, .. i o 
 
 16 . . Little Forget-me-Not's Picture Book . . . , 10 
 
 16.. Little Violet's Picture Book 10 
 
 16 . . Little Snowdrop's Picture Book . . . . »., x o 
 
 See 
 
 Page 
 IJ 
 13 
 13 
 13 
 13 
 13 
 13 
 13 
 13 
 15 
 15 
 15 
 15 
 15 
 15 
 15 
 15 
 15 
 IS 
 19 
 19 
 19 
 19 
 19 
 16 
 16 
 16 
 16 
 18 
 18 
 18 
 
 n- 
 
ROUTLEDGE'S PRESENTATION POETS. 
 
 Complete Editions, with Illustrations and Portraits. Edited by W. B. ScOTT, 
 M.A. Cloth, gilt edges, 7^. 6d. each. 
 
 Sheridan Knowles' Dramatic Works. 
 
 Byron's Poems (red line edition) . 
 
 Longfellow's Poejns (Author's edition) . 
 
 Shakspere's Works. Edited by Chas. 
 Knight (red line edition). 
 
 A Thousand and One Gems of Poetry. 
 Edited by Charles Mackay. 
 
 The Bab Ballads, by W. S. Gilbert. 
 Complete Edition. With lUusts, 
 
 V Allegro and II Penseroso. Illus- 
 trated with Steel Plates by Birket 
 Foster. 
 
 The Hamlet, by Thomas Warton. 
 
 Illustrated with Etchings by Birket 
 
 Foster. 
 Sir Walter Scotfs Poems, (red line 
 
 edition). 
 Poets' Corner. With Biographical 
 
 Sketches of the Authors (red line 
 
 edition). 
 Bums' Poems (red line edition). 
 
 ROUTLEDGE'S BRITISH POETS. 
 
 Edited by Rev. R. A. Willmott. Illustrated by Birket Foster, Sir John 
 Gilbert, W. Harvey, Corbould, &c., 55. each. 
 
 Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Illus- 1 Campbell's Poetical Works. IIIus« 
 
 trated by Corbould. 
 Kirke White. Illustrated by Birket 
 
 Foster. 
 Soutliey's foan of Arc, and Minor 
 
 Poems. 
 Herbert. With Life and Notes by 
 
 Rev. R. A. Willmott. 
 Longfellow's Complete Poetical 
 
 Works. Fcap. 8vo. With Illust. 
 Crabbe. Illust. by Birket Foster. 
 
 trated by W. Harvey. 
 Lovers Poetical Works. With a 
 
 Portrait. 
 Rogers' Poetical Works. With a 
 
 Portrait. 
 Drydens Poetical Works. With a 
 
 Portrait, &c. 
 Lord Lyt ton's King Arthur. Illust. 
 
 by Edward Hughes. 
 
 ROUTLEDGE' 
 
 3^. €)d. Red Line Edition. Crown i 
 
 Longfellow's Complete Poetical 
 Works. With Illustrations. 
 
 Cowper. Illustrated by Birket Fos- 
 ter. Edited by Willmott. 
 
 Milton's Poetical Works. Illustrated 
 by Harvey. 
 
 Wordsworth' s Poetical Works, Illus- 
 trated by Birket Foster. 
 
 Southey's Joan of Arc, and Minor 
 Poems. Illustrated by Gilbert. 
 
 Goldsmith, Johnson, Shenstone, and 
 Smollett. Illustrated by Gilbert. 
 
 Bums. Illustrated by Gilbert. 
 
 Moore's {Thomas) Poems. Illustrated 
 by Corbould. 
 
 Byron's Poems, Illustrated by Gil- 
 bert, Wolf, &c. 
 
 Popes Poetical Works. 
 
 S POETS, &c. 
 
 ivo, gilt edges. With Illustrations. 
 Scott's Poetical Works. With Illust. 
 Herbert's Works. With Illustrations. 
 Cam^beWs (Thos.) Poetical Works. 
 
 With Illustrations by Gilbert. 
 Shakspere's Complete Works, 
 Chaucer's Poetical Works. 
 Willis. 
 
 Sacred Poems. 
 
 Book of Familiar Quotations. 
 Mrs. Hemans, 
 Shelley. 
 Coleridge. 
 Thomas Hood, 
 
 Comic Poetry of the igtA Century, 
 Book of Ballads, 
 Lord Lytton's Dramas, 
 Lord Lytton's Poems, 
 
m 
 
 32 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE &- SOA'S' CATALOGUE. 
 
 Three-and-Sixpenny Poets, continued. 
 
 The following volumes are without Red Lines:—' 
 
 Kirke White, by Southey. Illus- 
 trated by BiRKET Foster. 
 yames 3Tontgomery. 
 Choice Poems and Lyrics. 
 Shakespeare Gems. 
 Book of Wit and Humour. 
 Wise Sayings 0/ the Great and Good. 
 Longfellow'' s Dante — Paradise, 
 
 Purgatorio. 
 
 Lever's Poems. 
 Bret Harte. 
 Leigh Hunt, 
 Dry den. 
 
 AinsivorlJi s Ballads, 
 
 Spenser. 
 
 Rogers, 
 
 Keats. 
 
 L. E. L. 
 
 Percy's RcUgues. 
 
 D odd's Beauties of Shakespeare, 
 
 The Christian Year. 
 
 E. Allan Poe. 
 
 Longfellow'' s Tales of a Wayside Inn. 
 
 Complete Edition. 
 Longfelloiv s Prose Works, 
 TJie Mind of Shakespeare. 
 
 cloth, I J. td. 
 Rfjected A ddresses, 
 Dibdins Sea Songs, 
 
 THE EMERALD SERIES O^ POETS. 
 
 24010, cloth, red edges. One Shilling each. 
 
 Dibdin's Sea Ballads. 
 
 Favourite Poems, by Longfellow. 
 
 Evangeline, by Longfellow. 
 
 Sonnets, by Shakspeare. 
 
 Miles Standish, by Longfellow. 
 
 Moore's Melodies. 
 Moore's Lalla Rookh, 
 Byron's Don Juan. Boards, 
 
 THE POCKET VOLUME EDITION 
 MR. LONGFELLOW'S WORKS. 
 In II volumes, paper covers, u. each; cloth gilt, xs. Qd. 
 
 Voices of the Night, 
 
 Evangeline, and Miles Standish. 
 
 Hiawatha. 
 
 The Spanish Student. 
 
 Translations and Songs and Sonnets 
 
 Tales of a Wayside Inn, 
 
 OF 
 
 The Divine Tragedy. 
 
 Tfie Golden Legend. 
 
 Ne2u England Tragedies. 
 
 Birds of Passage, 
 
 Flower de Luce, Masque of Paitdot a, 
 
 Morituri,Keramos, and Index to all 
 
 the volumes. 
 
 The Set of 11 Volumes, bound in cloth in a cloth box, £i is. od. 
 Ditto ditto roan ditto £1 xis. 6d. 
 
 J. OGREN AND CO., PRINTERS, 172, ST, JOHN STREET, B.C. 
 
 m 
 
^B 7P742 
 
 ivil37472 
 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CAUFORNIA UBRARY