And, truly, the scene which met their gaze was of a nature calculated to
arouse enthusiasm in a much less ardent bosom than that of Captain
Trench. A wide undulating country, studded with lakelets and rich with
verdure, stretched away from their feet to the horizon, where a range of
purple hills seemed to melt and mingle with cloudland, so that the eye
was carried, as it were, by imperceptible gradations from the rugged
earth up into the soft blue sky; indeed, it was difficult to distinguish
where the former ended and the latter began. The lakes and ponds were
gay with yellow water-lilies, and the air was musical with the sweet
cries of wildfowl; while the noon-tide sun bathed the whole in a golden
glory.
The effect of such a sight on our wanderers was at first too powerful
for words, and when words did burst forth they served to show how
wonderfully diverse are the spirits of men. Captain Trench, as we have
seen, was moved by this vision of beauty to shout, almost to dance, with
delight, while in thought he bounded over the length and breadth of the
new land, taking bearings, and making notes and charts with the view of
extending the geographical knowledge of mankind! His son Oliver, on the
other hand, allowed his imagination to revel freely through the forests
and over the hills and across lakes and savannahs in powerful sympathy
with the aspirations which must have animated Nimrod; while to Paul
Burns, whose temperament was sedate and earnest, as well as cheerful and
hearty, the glorious vision at once suggested thoughts of that tranquil
home in which man's lot was originally cast by the loving heart of God.
"Now it is quite plain," said Trench, as they slowly descended into this
beautiful scene, "that this land is no collection of small islands, as
we have been led to suppose, but a great land full of all that is
needful to make it the happy abode of man."
"Just so, daddy!" exclaimed the enthusiastic Oliver, "and _we_ have been
sent to explore it and carry home the news--perhaps to bring out the
first settlers and show them the way!"
"Why, Olly, you carry too much sail for so small a craft; you look out
rather too far ahead. And what mean ye by saying we are sent? Nobody
sent us on this journey that I know of, unless you mean that Swinton--
the big scoundrel!--sent us."
"Whatever Olly meant by the expression," interposed Paul, "I think he is
right; for all men are sent by the Almighty, no matter where they go."
"What! d'ye mean that men are sent by the Almighty whether they go to do
good or evil?"
"Ay, Master Trench, that is what I mean; they _are_ sent by Him, though
not sent to _do evil_. Look here, don't you admit that God created all
men and _sent_ them into this world?"
"Of course I do."
"And that He made you an Englishman, and so _sent_ you to England; and
that He made you a sea-captain, and among other places _sent_ you to
Newfoundland."
"Well--I--I suppose He did," returned the captain, with that puzzled
expression of countenance which was wont to indicate that his mind was
grappling difficulties.
"Well, then," continued Paul, "_being_ good, of course the Almighty sent
us to _do_ good; but He also gave us free wills, which just means
permission to do as we please; so it remains to be seen whether we will
use our free wills in working with Him, or in _trying_ to work against
Him, for, strange to say, we cannot really work against God, we can only
_try_ to do it, and in so trying we establish the fact of our own
wickedness; but His grand and good purposes shall be carried out in
spite of us notwithstanding, for he can bring good out of evil."
"Now, Paul, I've lost soundings altogether, and it's my opinion that you
are foolishly talking about things that you, don't understand."
"I never heard, Master Trench, that it was foolish to talk about what
one does not understand! On the contrary, it is by talking of things
that we don't understand that we manage at last to understand them. You
had a deal of talking about navigation, had you not, before you
understood it?"
"Look 'ee here, lad," said Trench, stopping suddenly, with his legs
planted firmly apart as though on the quarter-deck of his ship in a
cross sea, while he drove his right fist into the palm of his left hand
argumentatively. "Look 'ee here. How can it be possible that--that--
pooh! Come along, we'll never get on with our survey of the land if we
dispute at this rate."
The stout mariner turned away with an air of exasperation, and resumed
his walk at a rapid pace, closely followed by his amused friend and son.
This irreverent mode of dismissing a grave and difficult subject was not
peculiar to Captain Trench. It has probably been adopted by those who
shrink from mental effort ever since the days of Adam and Eve. Minds
great and small have exercised themselves since the beginning of time on
this perplexing subject--God's sovereignty and man's free will--with
benefit, probably, to themselves. We recommend it in passing, good
reader, to your attention, and we will claim to be guiltless of
presumption in thus advising, so long as the writing stands, "Prove all
things, and hold fast that which is good."
Before the sun went down that night our explorers had plunged into the
very heart of the beautiful country which we have described--now pushing
through tangled underwood, or following the innumerable deer-tracks with
which the country was seamed, or breasting the hill-sides, or making
detours to get round small lakes, being guided, in a westerly direction,
by a small pocket-compass which Captain Trench was fortunately in the
habit of carrying with him wherever he went. No large lakes or broad
rivers had yet been met with, so that up to this point the divergencies
from the direct line had not been great.
Thus they advanced for several days, subsisting on game and fish,
chiefly the last, however; for their shooting powers were very
defective, and Oliver was an ardent--too ardent--fisher. Their
inability to shoot became at last a serious matter, for many arrows and
bolts were lost, as well as much game.
"Look, now, there's _another_ chance," whispered Paul, pointing to a
plump willow-grouse that sat in a bush in front of them. "You try
first, Master Trench."
"An' _don't_ miss, daddy," said Oliver entreatingly; "there's only the
bones of a rabbit left from this morning's breakfast."
The captain took a fervently careful aim, but went far wide of the mark,
to his intense chagrin. Paul then bent his bow, but without success,
though his arrows stuck in a branch close under the bird, which, being
very tame, only glanced down inquiringly. Oliver's arrow went over it,
and the stone which he afterwards slang made such a rattling in the bush
that the puzzled creature finally retired.
"This is becoming serious," remarked the captain, with a face so solemn
that Paul burst into a fit of laughter.
"Ha! you may laugh, lad," continued Trench, "but if you were as hungry
as I am you'd be more inclined to cry. D'ye think a stout man like me
can sup heartily on rabbit bones?"
"You've forgot, daddy, the four big trout I caught to-day."
"So I have, Olly; well, come and let's have 'em cooked at once."
The fish, which were really more than sufficient without the rabbit
bones, were soon grilling over a huge fire under the canopy of a
spreading birch-tree.
When the skipper had disposed of enough to allay the pangs of hunger, he
turned and said to his comrades, in a tone of marked decision--
"Now, mess-mates, I've been rummagin' my brains a bit, and the outcome
of it is as follows:--`Whatever is worth doin' is worth doin' well,' as
the old proverb puts it. If we are to explore this country, we must set
about learning to shoot, for if we don't, we are likely to starve in the
midst of plenty, and leave our bones to bleach in this beautiful
wilderness."
"True, Master Trench," remarked Paul, for the seaman had paused at this
point; "thus far you and I think alike. What more have you to say?"
"This I have to say, that I am resolved not to explore another fathom o'
this land until I can make sure of hittin' the crown o' my cap with a
cross-bow bolt at a reasonable distance; and I would advise you both to
make the same resolution, for if you don't you will have to do your
exploring without me."
"Just so, captain," said Paul, putting the last morsel of fish into his
mouth, with a sigh of contentment; "you are commander of this
expedition. I will obey orders."
"But what do you call a `reasonable' distance, daddy?" asked Oliver,
with that pert cock of the head peculiar to insolent youths; "a yard, or
a fathom?"
"Well, now," continued Trench, ignoring the question, "we will set about
it to-morrow morning, first thing after breakfast; stick up a target,
retire to a _reasonable_ distance, and work away from morning till
night, and every day till we become perfect."
"Agreed, captain," said Paul; "but what about food?"
"We will give Olly leave of absence for an hour or two daily to go and
fish," said the captain; "that will keep us alive, coupled with what
birds or beasts may come accidentally in front of our arrows."
This plan, although proposed at first half in jest, was carried into
operation next day, during the whole of which they practised shooting at
a mark most diligently. At supper-time, over a couple of fine trout, it
was admitted sadly by each that the progress made was very slight--
indeed, scarcely perceptible. Next night, however, the report was more
favourable, and the third night it was felt that the prospect ahead was
becoming hopeful; for, besides the improvement in shooting, two rabbits
graced their supper, one having been arrested by an almost miraculous
bolt when bolting; the other having been caught, unintentionally, by a
stone similar to that which brought down the giant of Gath. The fact
that skill had nothing to do with the procuring of either did not in the
least detract from the enjoyment with which they consumed both.
"Nothing is denied," they say, "to well-directed labour, and nothing can
be done without it." Like most of the world's maxims, this is a
partially erroneous statement; for many things are denied to
well-directed labour, and sometimes amazing success is accorded to
ill-directed and blundering efforts. Still, what truth does exist in
the saying was verified by our three friends; for, after two weeks of
unremitting, unwearied, persistent labour, each labourer succeeded in
raising enormous blisters on two fingers of his right hand, and in
hitting objects the size of a swan six times out of ten, at a
"reasonable distance!"
Having arrived at this state of proficiency with their weapons, they
resumed their journey, fortified with a hearty breakfast, the foundation
of which was fish, the superstructure willow-grouse interspersed with
rabbit, and the apex plover.