TWO HOURS A IN ÅBO, AND THE BANGWHANGERS.
In the captain's gig was Dr. Winstock, with whom Captain Lincoln always
delighted to walk or ride on shore, and whom he always invited to
take a seat in the stern-sheets of his boat. The doctor had inherited
a considerable fortune, which placed him above the necessity of
practising in his profession, and he had travelled all over Europe.
He had not been an idle wanderer abroad, going from place to place in
search of mere amusement; but he had been a diligent inquirer into the
system of government, the history, the agricultural and manufacturing
interest, and the manners and customs of the countries he visited.
He was, therefore, as he was often called, a walking encyclopædia of
information; and for this reason Lincoln sought his company.
"Of course you have been in Finland before, Dr. Winstock," said
Lincoln, as soon as the gig took her place in the line.
"I have," replied the surgeon. "Several years ago I went from
Copenhagen to Christiania, rode across the country in a cariole to
Bergen, and from there made the trip by steamer to the North Cape,
where I saw the sun at midnight. I came by steamer along the coast to
Frederiksværn, and from there to Gottenburg, and through Sweden. At
Stockholm I embarked in the steamer Aura, which starts at two o'clock
in the morning now, as she did then."
"I went on board of a steamer of the same line in Stockholm--I forget
her name."
"Perhaps the Grefve Berg, which is the best one. The other two are
the Dagmar and the Wyborg. The trip in one of these vessels to St.
Petersburg is a very delightful one. She arrives at this place the
first day, and spends the night here; the second day she goes to
Helsingfors, and the third to Wyborg, arriving at St. Petersburg in the
forenoon of the fourth day. Nearly the whole voyage is made among the
islands, which, almost without an exception, are as silent and still as
those we have visited. She stays long enough at these Finnish towns to
enable one to see them. The steamers are Finnish, the captains of them
speak English, and the table on board is very good. The fare is twenty
rubles--meals extra."
"Did you go into the interior?"
"Yes; I went as far as the group of lakes in the centre of the country,
and had some capital fishing there. I rode in a cariole, like those in
use in Norway. But some people use a _kabitka_, which is a cart, very
long and narrow, with a leather covering over about one half of its
length. In the bottom of the vehicle, which has no springs, there is
a quantity of hay or straw, or a feather bed, on which the traveller
stretches himself; but it is very hard riding, for the roads are rough,
and the hills are full of sharp pitches. All expenses are about six
cents a _verst_."
"How much is a verst?" asked the captain.
"Two thirds of a mile; or, more exactly, .6626 of a mile. Three versts
are two miles. Travelling in Finland is rather exciting at times, for
the horses rush at full gallop down the hills and over sharp pitches.
But the roads are pretty good, and an average speed of ten miles an
hour may be attained."
"How could you get along without the language?"
"I picked, up a few words, which I have forgotten, and had no trouble
at all. I went to Tavastehus, which is on one of the vast chain of
lakes in the interior of Finland. Small steamers ply upon them; and a
trip by water in this region is very pleasant. There is now a railroad
from this town to Helsingfors."
"There seems to be some business even in this out-of-the-way part of
the world," said Lincoln, as the squadron of boats passed a series of
buildings.
"Those are government works--founderies and machine shops."
The river rapidly diminished in size, until at the town it was a small
stream, over which was a bridge, connecting the two parts of the place.
The boats went up to the quay just below this bridge, and the students
landed. Dividing into parties, they went where they pleased. Some
crossed the bridge, and others went in the direction of the cathedral,
which is on the left bank of the river. Dr. Winstock and Lincoln were
of the latter.
"They have wide streets here," said the young captain.
"Yes; land is cheap, and they can have them as wide as they please. In
all modern-built Russian cities you will find broad avenues."
"The buildings are all but one story high."
"Nearly all; and the houses are very much scattered, so that the people
do not appear to be very neighborly. Large as the town seems to be, it
contains only thirteen thousand inhabitants."
"The houses look very neat and nice."
"Only a few of them can be very old, for in 1827 nearly the whole city
was destroyed by fire, including the university with its library, and
many other public edifices. When the town was rebuilt, the people
placed the houses at a considerable distance from each other, and built
them but one story, because they had not the means to erect larger
ones."
Passing along the street next to the river, the tourists reached an
extensive square, in which there was a statue of Professor Porthan, a
learned Finlander. Just beyond it was the cathedral, which is of brick,
and far from elegant or imposing in its external appearance.
"This is the cradle of Christianity in Finland," said the doctor.
"As Mr. Mapps told you, this town was founded by Eric of Sweden, who
introduced Christianity into this region. The first bishop was located
here; and in this church, for centuries, the first families were
buried; and you will not only see their tombs, but also some of their
bodies, if you desire."
"I should not think that would be permitted," replied Lincoln.
"Nor I; but it is. The great fire burned out the interior of this
church, destroying the altar and organ, and even melting the bells. The
building was repaired by subscription. A baker, who had accumulated
about twelve thousand dollars in his business, having no near
relatives, gave his little fortune for the purchase of another organ,
and his wishes were carried out after his death."
A man with a bundle of keys presented himself at this time, bowed, and
solemnly opened the door of the cathedral. As the visitors ascended the
steps, the man pointed to a rusty ring.
"What's that?" asked Lincoln.
"In ancient times offenders used to be fastened to that ring, and were
compelled to do penance there," replied the doctor.
"There's nothing very fine about this," said the captain, as they
entered the church.
"Certainly not. I hope you did not expect to find a cathedral like St.
Peter's, or those at Antwerp and Cologne. This structure has been built
upon, increased in size, and improved, several times. There is the
organ which the baker gave. It has five thousand pipes--for a dollar
would buy more organ pipes years ago than now. Whatever there is here
in the way of ornament, including the frescoes, is the work of native
artists," continued the doctor, as they walked up to the altar. "In the
crypt under this altar lie the remains of Queen Christina of Sweden."
"Mr. Mapps said she was buried in St. Peter's, at Rome," interposed the
captain.
"Not the celebrated Queen Christina, but the wife of St. Eric, whose
remains are intombed in the cathedral of Upsala. Here is an epitaph to
Katrina Mänsdotter," said the doctor, as they passed to the side of the
church.
"I never heard of her before, which is not very strange," replied
Lincoln.
"Do you remember who was the son and successor of Gustavus Vasa?"
"Eric XIV. He was deposed by the Swedish parliament, kept a prisoner
nine years, and then poisoned."
"Good! That is more than I could have told about him. Eric's father
proposed to marry him to Queen Elizabeth of England; and Eric, while
the negotiations were still pending, proposed to Mary, Queen of Scots,
and to two other princesses. He was actually flirting with four ladies
of royal blood at the same time. The accepting of either, he felt,
would make trouble; and he relieved himself of any difficulty by
marrying Miss Mänsdotter. She was a very pretty girl, the daughter of
a petty officer of the Guards, who had attracted his attention while
she was selling fruit in the market of Stockholm. She was sincerely
attached to him, tyrant and oppressor as he was, and clung to him
through his misfortunes. After his imprisonment she retired to Finland,
and passed the remainder of her days in obscurity."
"That's a good story for a novelist to work upon," suggested Lincoln.
"Very likely the incidents of the career of Katrina have been used by
the Swedish novelists; but I am not as familiar as I intend to be with
them. I see that the works of Madame Schwartz, a celebrated Swedish
writer, are now in process of translation in the United States. Several
volumes have been published, and they are having a large circulation.
This lady locates some of her stories, or parts of them, in Finland."
Many of the tombs in which the Finland worthies were buried are half
above and half below the pavement of the church. The conductor of the
little party opened the door of one of them, and the captain looked
into the gloomy space. Within it several coffins were crumbling to
decay. The man raised one of them, exhibiting the body of the occupant.
The features of the face were well preserved, though the person had
been dead three hundred years. They were of a brownish color, not
unlike guano. Following the example of the conductor, the visitors
touched the face, which was hard and rather spongy.
"I should think this body would decay," said the captain.
"No; there is something in the atmosphere which has changed it to
adipocere. Sometimes bodies buried in the ground are petrified, or
turned into stone. In Italy, and in some other countries, you will see
the bodies of saints in the churches, though I remember none as perfect
as this, for they are very black, and much shrivelled. In the vaults at
Palermo vast numbers of the dead are preserved by the conditions of the
vault in which they are buried."
Other monuments were examined, and the party left the church, giving
the solemn man--who had not yet spoken a single word--a mark for his
services, at which he solemnly bowed as he put the money in his pocket.
Crossing the river, Dr. Winstock and Lincoln walked over the rest of
the town, which, however, contained nothing worthy of note. There was
nothing in the costume of the people to distinguish them, and the shops
and houses were hardly different from those in England or America. The
streets are paved with cobble stones, and a few droskies may be seen;
but the people, who are more intensely Swedish than in the eastern
provinces of Finland, do not take kindly to Russian customs and
institutions. After the destruction of the university by fire, it was
removed to Helsingfors, and the hostility of the province to their new
ruler caused the transfer of the seat of government to the same place.
The town wears an aspect of desolation in its streets, for very few
people are seen in them; and, except on the wharf at the arrival of a
steamer there, nothing of the bustle of business is seen. The place has
lost much of its former importance.
The students wandered idly through the deserted streets, and it
was noticeable that but few of them paid any attention to their
surroundings. A group of the seamen sat on the quay above the bridge,
apparently engaged in an animated discussion. Though the Finnish women
were pulling about in boats on the narrow river, the boys were not
interested in their movements. Their conversation did not relate to
Finland or the Finns. Scott, the joker, was in the centre of the ring,
and did the greater part of the talking, and of course the subject was
that which had been introduced at the picnic on the island. Without
having any distinct plan in the beginning, Scott had become a leader
among the democratic element of the ship. His crude ideas, which had
formed themselves into objections to the De Forrest scheme, were now
seeking recognition as a plan. He had been laboring very earnestly to
defeat the wishes of the cabin "nobs," as he persisted in calling them.
"We can't go for such a fellow as Cantwell," said one of the students.
"He is a conceited and overbearing fellow."
"I don't care a fig for Cantwell, personally," replied Scott. "It
is the principle of the thing that I'm looking after. I know that
Cantwell is unpopular in the steerage as well as in the cabin. But
there's a conspiracy against him. Just as soon as he had earned his
rank, the fellows in the cabin put their heads together to cheat him
out of it. I was appointed on the committee, and they called a meeting
in the cabin, where I was not allowed to go, to prevent me from
attending. Was that fair?"
"No, no!" responded the seamen.
"Right! Besides, I want those swells in the cabin to know that we are a
power."
"But they came to us before the meeting on the island," suggested one
of the group.
"Yes; just so. But what did they come for? To know if we approved the
plan? Not a bit of it. The plan was cooked up in the cabin. They came
to us just as the politicians go to the dear people--for votes. They
argued, talked, and begged for our votes at the meeting. By and by
they will get up a plan by which no fellow shall be promoted from the
steerage to the cabin. Cantwell and Victory! That's my motto."
"I say, Scott, don't you think it is absurd for us to vote for the most
unpopular fellow in the ship?" asked Wainwright.
"No, I don't. He's the only fellow in the cabin that is not in the
ring, and therefore the only one we can vote for. Don't you see it?"
"I don't want to vote against Captain Lincoln," another objected. "He
is a first-rate fellow, and a good sailor."
"But Lincoln went in for this plan, was present at the meeting, and
voted in favor of it," replied Scott. "I like Lincoln as well as any
fellow, but I don't like this trying to keep any one out of the place
he has fairly earned."
"That's so," said a dozen of the boys.
This was only a specimen of the electioneering which was going on in
a dozen different places in Åbo at the same time. Only a few of the
students entered the cathedral, and not many of them could tell, when
they returned to the squadron, whether the streets of the town were
broad or narrow, or whether the houses were one or two stories high.
While the seamen were at work for Cantwell, the officers were speaking
a good word for Captain Lincoln, whom they desired to reëlect to his
present position.
At six o'clock most of the students were in the vicinity of the bridge,
ready to repair to the boats when the boatswains gave the signal. Dr.
Winstock and Lincoln were at the hotel on the quay called the Society's
House, which is said to be the most northern one in the world. Students
were arriving in the droskies, which many of them had employed for the
sake of a ride; and when they came to pay their fare there were many
amusing scenes, for neither party understood a word of the language of
the other. Most of the students, too, had changed their Swedish money
into Russian in Stockholm, and were unprovided with Finnish currency,
for they supposed that Russian money was current in Finland. The
drivers would not take the rubles and copecks, and some very cheerful
rows ensued. But the principal, with Professor Badois--who spoke
Swedish--at his elbow, interfered, and paid the fares. The students
embarked, the line of boats was formed, and the squadron moved down the
river, with half of Åbo on the quay, gazing in solemn silence at the
departure of the strange visitors, for as such they certainly regarded
them. In less than an hour the boats were alongside the vessels to
which they belonged, and were soon hoisted up to the davits.
The signal for sailing was shown on board of the Young America, and a
lively scene followed. Anchors were hove short, sails shaken out, and
the Finnish pilots were at their stations. As the breeze was fresh
and fair, the principal desired to take advantage of it; and, after
a stay of only five hours at Åbo, the squadron was under way again,
threading its course through the channels among the numerous islands.
In the watch on deck, and that below, the business of electioneering
was continued with the utmost vigor. Scott and his friends were busy
everywhere, and even the stale expedient of a secret society among the
"anti-De Forresters" was proposed, and enthusiastically adopted. Scott
and Jones were intrusted with the task of furnishing a constitution,
and inventing the necessary dark-lantern machinery for the organization.
Boys have a decided taste for secret associations, though, as the
experience of the present time shows, not more than adults, male
and female. The number of these "orders" among full-grown men is on
the increase, and the boys, in all parts of the United States, have
manifested a strong desire to keep up with the times, and follow the
example of their elders. Secret societies had several times been
formed on board of the Young America, but generally for purposes of
mischief, such as running away, or capturing one of the vessels. The
present association appeared to be for political purposes--to influence
the election of officers. Scott was, in the main, a very sensible
fellow; and his only idea of a secret society was to make some fun out
of it, though he was quite willing to have it used for accomplishing
his purpose, which, in its turn, was little more than a gigantic joke,
so far as he was concerned.
The wind, which had been fresh all day, diminished in force after
the squadron sailed, and at half past eight, while the sun was still
above the horizon, there was a dead calm, and the vessels were obliged
to anchor for the night, for the pilots declined to run during the
darkness in the intricate navigation of these seas. The squadron
anchored near a rocky island, the top of which was covered with trees.
The same "eternal silence" seemed to pervade the region as among the
Aland Islands. When everything was made snug on board, a portion of the
students asked permission to go on shore, which was readily granted to
all who desired to do so. This number was found to include the entire
crew of the ship.
"The Bangwhangers will meet at the farther side of the island,"
whispered Scott. "Pass it along."
"The what?" asked Laybold.
"The Bangwhangers. Don't you belong to the night-bloomers?"
"I don't understand you," replied Laybold.
"You don't? Well, your head is thicker than a quart of molasses.
Didn't you fellows ask me to get up a secret society?"
"Yes."
"Well, I have done it; but you popsquizzles don't seem to know your own
chickens. The new institution is to be called the Bangwhangers, of whom
you are which. Now, don't tell any one who isn't a Bangwhanger anything
at all about it."
"I see."
"I should think you might, if your ears were only half as long as a
donkey's."
The students tumbled into the boats; and, as most of the officers were
busy preparing ballots for the election on the following day, none of
them went on shore, the boats being in charge of the several coxswains.
Ordinarily the seamen would not have been permitted to visit the shore
without at least one officer in each boat; but as it did not seem
possible that any mischief could be done on this uninhabited island,
the rule was waived. The students landed; and in a few moments several
boats from the Josephine and Tritonia brought a majority of the crews
of these vessels. Scott and several of his most intimate friends went
to the highest part of the island.
"Every Cantwell man may join our society; no one else," said Scott,
after he had told them the name.
"All right."
"And we will give them the first degree at once."
"What's that?"
"The first degree is next to nothing; only to get the fellows together
to organize," said Scott, as he leaped upon a rock. "Come up here,
Jones; I'll give you the first degree."
Jones joined the joker on the rock.
"Do you agree to vote for Cantwell, to say nothing to nobody, and never
to eat soup with a darning-needle?" asked Scott, in a low tone.
"Of course I do," laughed Jones.
"Answer in these words:--
"To all these three
I do agree."
Jones repeated the words in due form.
"All right. I appoint you R. P. F. _pro tem._"
"R. P. F.! What does that mean?"
"I can't tell you till you have taken your second degree; only remember
the letters. Now, bring the fellows to me, one at a time."
Wainwright was the next one, who was obligated in the same manner, and
Jones was instructed to tell the candidates what to say in token of
their assent.
"To all these three,
I do agree,"
replied Wainwright.
"I declare you a Bangwhanger, and appoint you L. P. F."
"What does that mean?" demanded the initiate.
"We can't tell you till you take your second degree," replied Jones.
In half an hour fifty had joined the association. The third one was
appointed I. L. M., and the fourth; O. L. M. Thus far only those who
were known to be ready to vote for Cantwell were invited to join;
and those who were admitted formed a ring to keep the outsiders at a
reasonable distance.
But there were plenty of applicants, and the number increased as those
outside of the circle heard the laughter of those on the rock. If Scott
was at the bottom of the affair, it was fun. One after another the R.
P. F. and the L. P. F. continued to bring in the candidates.
"Do you agree to vote for Cantwell, to--"
"No; I don't agree to that," interposed one of them.
"Turn him out!" added Scott. "R. P. F., do your duty."
This duty was a very simple one, and consisted only in leading the
refractory applicant outside of the ring. A dozen more that followed,
and had before refused to commit themselves, promptly agreed to all the
conditions. All on the island had joined except about twenty, who had
been turned out; but so great was the curiosity of some of these, that
they promised to accept the conditions, if admitted.
"Bangwhangers, I congratulate you on your admission to this honorable
and most respectable order," said Scott, when all who wished to join
had been admitted. "But there may be some black sheep among you, and
the obligation will be repeated;" and he repeated again, loud enough
for all to hear him, "All that agree will repeat the couplet in due
form, and sit down on the ground. Officers, turn out every fellow that
don't sit down."
"All down!" shouted the students, and all of them suited the action to
the word.
"All good men and true; but you must prove yourselves to be such. Do as
I do;" and the joker put the forefinger of his right hand on the end of
his nose.
All the members did the same.
"When I meet a Bangwhanger, I put my finger to my nose, and say,
'Bang.' In reply, he puts his finger to his nose, and answers,
'Whang.' Now I will do it with the R. P. F. Bang!"
"Whang!" replied Jones: putting his finger to his nose.
"Right. You can try it on with the brother nearest to you."
While the fraternity were practising this important part of the work,
Scott instructed Jones still further in the mysterious art. When the R.
P. F. fully understood his part, the joker called the members to order
again, and told them to learn the dialogue which he would rehearse with
Jones, for it was the form by which a Bangwhanger was to know a brother
of the order.
"Bang!" said Scott, putting his finger to his nose.
"Whang!" replied Jones, doing the same.
"Who knows?"
"Eye, nose," answered Jones, drawing his finger over his right eye, and
then placing it on the end of his nose, as he mentioned the name of
each organ.
"Who knows?"
"Eighty noes."
"Right, Brother Bangwhanger; come to my arms," added Scott. "But the
number is to be modified so as always to show the exact strength of
this honorable and most respectable order."
The joker and his companion went through the dialogue several times,
till every member was familiar with it, and then they practised it
among themselves, amid peals of laughter.
"Now, Brother Bangwhangers, we are to elect officers. The first and
highest is the C. B.," continued Scott.
"What does it mean?" asked half a dozen or more.
"I can't tell you till you take the second degree," replied the joker.
"Please to nominate."
"Scott!" shouted the members.
"Brother R. P. F., spare my modesty, and put the question," said the
joker.
Jones put the question, and of course Scott was unanimously elected.
"The next office, is the D. C. B. Please to nominate."
"Wainwright."
He was elected.
"Now for the Q. D."
"Hobbs." And he was chosen.
"The Y. D. K."
"Edson." And no one objected.
"The I. L. M."
"Merrill." And the vote was unanimous.
"The O. L. M."
"Hall." And he went in.
"The R. P. F."
"Jones." And the nomination was confirmed.
"The L. P. F."
"Brown." And he was the choice of the members.
"Eight officers, and they are all chosen. They will constitute the
original second degree men, and, after they have been instructed, we
shall be ready to admit you all to that enviable distinction. Now, the
Q. D. and the Y. D. K. will count the members."
The number reported was eighty-two, which was nearly a majority of the
students in the squadron.
"Who knows?" called the C. B.
"Eighty-two knows," replied several.
"That's enough to put a veto on the De Forresters. Now, remember the
solemn pledge you have taken, to vote for Cantwell, to say nothing to
nobody, and never to eat soup with a darning-needle."
"To all these three
I do agree,"
responded the members, laughing.
"Although the last is the most important, the first is not to be
neglected; and any member _who knows_, and don't do, shall be headed up
in a mackerel kit and thrown overboard by the R. P. F., before he takes
the second degree, in which the sublime mysteries of the order will be
fully elucidated. Who knows?"
Scott coined jokes and puns for a few moments, to the intense enjoyment
of the members; and by this time four of the outsiders desired to
become members. They were immediately admitted.
"Who knows?"
"Eighty-six noes."
"Good! All hands to the boats."
The coxswains called their crews, and the students returned to their
vessels.