WRECKED AGAIN.
I was almost stunned at the news the carpenter brought, but I knew of the
only thing to do, of course.
"Rig the pumps and get to work at them," I squeaked faintly, fearing to
try to talk loud.
"Ay, ay, sir," he answered, "but it will do no good. Lord Harry! she's
opened up like a sieve, sir!"
Soon we had the water from below pouring on to the deck and running into
the scuppers and mingling with that that came on board of us over the
rail. But the wind increased in strength until it seemed that it would
take the aged masts out of the brig, and it actually threatened to blow
the clothes from off our backs.
Chips had gone below again to sound the well, and I was holding on to a
belaying-pin, and trying not to show how weak and sick I was. I noticed
that one of the men, a narrow-headed fellow with an ugly gash of a
mouth, was not putting all of the beef he might into his stroke on the
pump handles. So I slid over to him and laid hold myself; but the man
endeavored to push me to one side.
"Hands off, Captain Jonah," he said, "it might stop working! We had
plenty of good luck until you came aboard of us. Hands off, I say!" he
cried, "or we'll feed you to the whales."
I could have struck the man for his insolence, as his words had been
heard by two of the men opposite; but I saw that the result might be bad
for me, so I replied nothing, but taking a firmer hold of the beam, I
wedged him out of his position, ready at any moment to fell him if he
attempted violence. I was the stronger, and at last I broke his hold.
Where the force I now felt command of came from I cannot tell. The man
would have slid over against the bulwarks if I had not caught him by the
shoulder.
"Go over on the other side and work, you shirker," I cried, and, to my
surprise, my voice roared out the words in tones like those of a bull.
I gave the man a push up the slope of the deck, and began heaving up and
down with all my might and main, but I had made a discovery.
It was only my lower tones, my demi-voix, that were gone. For three days
afterwards this phenomenon continued. If I wished to talk, I had to use
the full lung-power that I possessed, and the result was a sound that
would do credit to a boatswain's mate in a typhoon. It was as unlike my
former voice as a broadside to a pistol-shot. But I am wandering.
The effect of my treatment of the insolent sailor had been marvellous.
Not a disrespectful glance was cast at me thereafter. Soon the carpenter
came up from below.
"We may have gained some three or four inches, Captain, but no more," he
panted, laying hold alongside of me. "I think the water is getting in
forward too, sir," he added.
"Get out four of the prisoners and man the forecastle pump," I roared at
him.
He jumped at the odd sound of my voice, but made no remarks, and
scrambled to the hatch in a jiffy.
"Four of you up out of that!" he cried through the hole, at the same
time battering away at the fastenings with a belaying-pin. The hatch was
flung open, and instead of four, all ten of the Britishers came rushing
to the deck. They probably had been dying of terror down below, and one
glance at us working away for dear life told them the condition of
affairs.
Without a word they set to work, under the direction of their own
officers, to get the spare gear out of the way and start the forecastle
pump going.
The carpenter soon reported from the hold that we had gained some four
inches, and were now holding our own. This was at the end of an hour's
work by all hands.
I perceived, however, that it would be foolishness to work all the men
to death at the outset, and that the sensible way would be to divide
them into relays, even if the water gained a little on us.
So I told off my own men into two divisions, and sent half of them into
the galley to get rest and a bite to eat. But the prisoners I drove at
it, as we had fully two hours' start of them. They needed no
encouragement yet, and one of them even replied, "Ay, ay, sir," to my
orders to hit up the stroke.
There is no use of prolonging this description. All night we worked
away, and the gray dawn found us still at it.
Fisher, the wounded man, I had mounted guard over the prisoners, arming
him with a cutlass and a brass blunderbuss that I had found in the
mate's room. I hated to goad men the way I had to, but I think my own
people worked almost as hard, and needed less urging; but the Englishmen
had begun to fag.
By noon the sea had gone down, and, probably owing to the swelling of
the timbers, the leak had apparently decreased. We had gained a foot and
more on the water in the hold, and the carpenter found out that it was
as he suspected, the water had been entering through a started seam, and
he said that if we could get to anchor, he thought might be able to
locate where it was. So I ordered all but four of the prisoners below.
At first one of the mates demurred; but I would admit of no talking, and
at the sight of the pistols he obeyed me.
Now the great question was to find out where we were. By two o'clock I
made sail, and seeing that the old tub did better with the wind astern,
I ordered the helmsman to steer the same course we had been holding, and
I started to go below to rest.
I slept like a top, and it was six o'clock when Dugan ran in and
awakened me, telling me that land was in sight off the starboard bow,
distant about twelve miles.
But where were we? That was more than I could tell.
I had some idea of our position when we struck the storm, or, better,
the latter had struck us, and I presumed that we must either, from the
course we were steering, have entered the Irish Channel or gone up the
west coast of Ireland itself; but it mattered little; we had to find
some place to anchor and, if possible, to repair our damage, and
besides, I intended to land the prisoners at the first chance, as they
were a constant source of menace to us, and so many more mouths to feed.
Coming on deck, I took the glass and climbed into the foremast shrouds.
What an odd circumstance it was! Here I was a full-fledged Captain, and
had never been aloft on a vessel but once before in my life, and that
was when I had covered myself with tar and glory by climbing to the
cross-trees of one of the ships at the wharfs of Baltimore. But I went
up as far as the topsail-yard, hanging on harder than was necessary,
perhaps, and from there I took a sight at the distant land. I made it
out to be a collection of islands, with what might be the mainland
farther on to the north. After I descended to the deck I changed the
course a few points to the east, and in a little over two hours we had
brought a high, rocky shore close to on the port beam. It was an island,
as I had surmised.
The sky had now cleared to a glorious red sunset, and I could discern
the conformation of the shore. Two arms ran out to the eastward, and--a
remarkable sight!--I saw that the island was split in two by a narrow
crevice, and that on the southern point it dwindled down into a narrow
spit, at the end of which rose a sheer rock like a tremendous castle.
The carpenter had started the lead, with the result of finding no bottom
until we were well within the water embraced by the extending arms. At
last he reported suddenly fifteen fathoms; at the next heave, thirteen:
and seeing that it was shoaling so rapidly, I feared to go in nearer,
and we hove to and let go our anchor.
The water was as smooth as a carpet, and with the stopping of the strain
and working of the hull, the leak ceased pouring in, the carpenter
reporting, after a trip to the hold with the lantern, that she was only
weeping a little along her inner skin. I had kept four of the prisoners
at the pumps, however, and now I called every one, and in an hour's time
we had her nearly dry.
Ordering the Englishmen back to where they belonged, Caldwell and I took
the first anchor watch, and the rest turned in to sleep.
The huge shadow of the rocky cliff enshrouded us, and in rear of the
black silhouette of the island I could see the pale greenish-blue of the
sky in the west, with a few stars twinkling through it, and myriads of
them gleaming in the deeper blue overhead. It was so peaceful and calm,
and in such contrast to the scenes that we had been through, that were
it not for the pain I still suffered, I could have felt almost joyous.
But nature asserted herself, and lying there sprawled on the deck, I
fell asleep.
I awakened with a start, to find it was daylight. I noticed that
Caldwell must have staid awake after I did, for he had rolled up his
jacket and placed it as a pillow beneath my head. But the honest fellow
had given in at last, and there he was, snoring away on the top of the
forward hatch, with his arms and legs straggled out like a jumping-jack
on the floor of a play-room.
Now if what had happened before this calmly dawning day appears strange
or improbable to any one who may read, and if they are tired of the
relation of these facts, which, I can say without boasting, are unusual
to have happened to any one being, let them lay aside for good and all
the reading of what is to follow. For what has previously happened is
nothing to what I am going to tell, in my opinion, as I am a truthful
man.
I awakened Caldwell gently, and told him to go down and stir out the man
who was doing the cooking for us, and have him brew some coffee and
prepare breakfast. We had some fresh vegetables still left, for the
_Duchess of Sutherland_ had not been long from port when we had taken
her.
Then, all alone, I gazed at the island in whose little bay we were
resting.
A narrow stretch of beach ran from the foot of the cliff to the water's
edge. The top was verdure-clad, and to the north some stunted underbrush
grew along the crest. The strange crevice that I had noticed ran from
the green slope, sheer and straight, to within twenty feet of the
water's level. It looked as if it might have been made by the stroke of
a giant's sword. The high rock at the end of the tongue of land to the
southward resembled more closely than ever a moss-grown ruin; but all at
once I jumped for the glass. A thin, twirling column of smoke arose from
a little hollow a quarter of a mile up the shore, and by the aid of a
telescope I could make out two or three huts, and some gray objects on
the slope of the hill that resolved themselves into grazing sheep. I
made up my mind, before I landed the prisoners and set to work stopping
the seams, to row ashore and find out where we were. But hunger asserted
itself, and the smell of cooking coming from the galley reminded me that
with the exception of some sopped biscuit and a bit of fat meat that I
had managed to worry down the night past, nothing solid had passed my
lips since my struggle with the man in the passageway.
Running below, I asked the carpenter in to breakfast with me in the
cabin. He was my First Lieutenant, as I have said, and of course I knew,
without his saying so, that he had saved my life--with my own pistol,
too, I surmise.
"Well, Captain Hurdiss," Chips said, "a busy day's before us. I think if
we can careen the old hooker and get that opened strake so we can handle
it from the outside, we can take her across, bar another such storm as
we had last night."
"We'll make a try for it, Mr. Chips," said I, roaring out the answer
after two or three futile attempts to speak quietly.
"You won't need a trumpet this voyage," was the carpenter's rejoinder to
this, at which I laughed, for the hot coffee and food were restoring my
spirits.
The men, too, were in an even frame of mind, and when I ordered out the
boat they went about it like good ones. I saw that the prisoners were
fed before I left the deck, and then going over the side, I gave the
orders, man-of-war fashion, to "Shove off!" "Let fall!" etc., and after
a pull of a few minutes the carpenter and I landed on the beach near the
hollow in which the huts were, and finding a path, we ascended to them.
As we approached the door of the largest hovel, that was built of sods
and stones, a nondescript figure, with just enough rags on to save it
from appearing savage, emerged. The man appeared a little frightened at
first, and was truly startled at the sound of my voice. His reply I
could not translate, although I had merely asked him what island this
was, and what was the name of the coast that we could discern to the
eastward.
At last, by dint of signs and repeating the question, I made out
something that sounded like "Innishkea," and when I pointed to the
island to the north the same answer came. When the land to the eastward
was designated he said Muhllet a Blackshod over and over. I gave him a
bit of silver, and the meaning of that he understood quite well, for he
grinned and closed his fist tight upon it, at the same time giving a
pull to his long front lock. I never heard such outlandish lingo in my
life as the man spoke, but I remembered the sounds of some of the words,
and when I got back to the ship I went into the cabin, and the carpenter
and I got out the map that showed the coast of Ireland, for Chips
insisted that the man was talking Gaelic, and that it was either Ireland
or Scotland whose shore lay off to the eastward.
"Hurrah! hurrah!" I cried suddenly, my attention arrested by a name.
"Here we are, Mr. Chips. The island of Inniskea--and off here is the
peninsula of Mullet that encloses the waters of Blacksod Bay."
So I knew where I was at last!
But there was lots to be done. Arming the crew, we took the fastenings
off the hatch, and ordered the prisoners into the boat. We left them on
shore with a barrel of ship's bread and a half-barrel of salt meat. And
then we rowed back, and prepared to do some impromptu calking, and fit
the old hulk in a better condition for putting to sea.
The _Duchess of Sutherland_ was loaded with machinery for some sort of
crushing business, and the rest of her cargo was cheap cloths and
print-stuffs, probably for the East Indian market. According to her
papers, she was bound for Calcutta.
The seam that had done most of the leaking was hardly a foot beneath the
surface of the water as she lay on even keel, we discovered. It had
opened up badly forward, and again amidships. So we set about lightening
her first before we hove her down.
Rigging a block and tackle, we jettisoned some heavy bits of machinery,
and found that the cargo had been very badly and loosely stowed.
The brig--she had been outfitted in a hurry--carried four guns, short
carronades of heavy weight, on her deck, and we shifted these to
starboard side, and then we rigged out an anchor at the end of a spar;
and I was surprised to see what a purchase we got on her, and how well
all this answered for our ends. As soon as they could, the carpenter and
the crew set about calking her with hemp from an old cable, whistling
and humming away merrily.
They progressed finely with the job, and as there was nothing for me to
do, I went aloft. I could smell the tar that they were boiling in the
galley, and was hoping that we could finish our work in time to get
under way that evening, when all at once I felt a jar, as if the vessel
had struck something below, and it appeared to me that we heeled a
little more to port.
In fact our list was very evident now, and the masts had quite an angle
on them. I saw that the carpenter, who was standing in a boat
alongside, had stopped work, and was looking curiously up at me. The
seam at which he had been tapping was now two feet above the surface of
the water, and the ripped green copper of the brig's bottom was plain to
view.
The carpenter laid his head against the side, and then shouted up, in a
frightened voice:
"For heaven's sake, Captain Hurdiss," he cried, "there's water entering
somehow! I can hear the sound of it from here."
He and the men in the boat hastily scrambled up the side.
Just then there came another jarring sound. It was the cargo shifting.
I was hastening to descend, when I cast a glance toward the shore, and
there I saw one of the prisoners, whom I had noticed standing on the top
of the hill, suddenly wave his arms about his head, and come tearing
down the slope toward where the others were grouped about a fire.
But this was not all. Through the cleft in the hill-side I could see the
waters on the other side of the island. And in this narrow space, framed
by the walls of the cliff, I saw a vessel just coming about into the
wind. Another instant and she was gone, hidden by the dark mass of land.
But so firmly impressed was this quick vision upon my mind that I can
see it to this day, as firmly fixed as were it a painting that I had
studied in its every detail.
As I reached the deck the brig gave another lurch, and our bulwarks were
almost in the water.
"The cargo all adrift, Captain Hurdiss," shouted the carpenter, coming
up the ladder. "And we must have a bad leak in our top sides. The old
thing is rotten to her heart," he added.
The men, without orders, were tumbling into the boats, and even with my
small experience I could see that nothing could save the _Duchess_ from
sinking where she lay. I looked toward the shore, and saw the prisoners
in a body running up the beach toward the north. Just as I caught sight
of them, they rounded a point of rock and disappeared.
But a strange shifting motion in the brig warned me to hasten. What
impelled me, I do not know, but seeing the glass wedged in the shrouds
where I had planted it, I made for it, and picking it up, jumped into
the boat.
[Illustration: SHE WENT DOWN LIKE A LITTLE "ROYAL GEORGE."]
We had rowed but a few dozen strokes when, with a lurch, and a dull
explosion as the forward deck blew out from the pressure of air, down
went the _Duchess of Sutherland_, like a little _Royal George_. But the
only living things she took with her were a few half-drowned chickens in
a coop near the galley.
Even the carpenter now showed signs of despondency, and what I told him
about the vessel that looked like a great lugger with one mast, that I
had seen on the other side of the land, did not cheer him.
"We're in for it now," he grumbled. "There's no prize-money in this
affair. She's one of their revenue-cutters, and she'll scoop us surely."
"That's what the prisoners were scampering for," spoke up Dugan, who was
pulling stroke oar. "They've gone around to fetch her."
"Well, that's all they'll find," said Chips, pointing over the stern of
the boat.
I looked back. Only a few feet of the _Duchess_'s masts were visible,
but there was a lot of debris floating on the water near them.
[TO BE CONTINUED.]
[Illustration: INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORT]
Next Saturday will occur the eighth annual in-door interscholastic
championship games of the Boston schools at Mechanics' Hall, held under
the auspices of the Boston Athletic Association. The events are all
scratch, and include the 40-yard dash, 300-yard run, 600-yard run,
1000-yard run, half-mile walk, running high jump, putting 16-lb. shot,
pole vault, and 45-yard hurdles (3 flights, 2 ft. 6 in. high). Besides,
there will be special team-races arranged. This meeting is open to the
members (under twenty-one years of age) of all schools in the vicinity
of Boston. Each school will be allowed to enter three men in each event,
except in the 1000-yard run, when only two are entered and but one may
compete.
Ever since 1889 the schools have competed annually, and it has been the
winter athletic event of the school world. In 1890 the Boston A.A.
offered a large silver shield to run for nine years to be contended for
by the different schools, the one winning it the greatest number of
times to become the final possessor, and this generous action has had a
stimulating effect in making every school anxious to have its name
engraved on the blank spaces made for that purpose. Consequently, as the
occasion comes around each winter, speculation is rife as to the
probable champion school.
The outcome next Saturday, while based on relative comparisons, is more
or less a matter of conjecture, as youthful athletic competition is an
uncertain quantity. Not a first-prize winner, with the exception of
E. W. Mills, of last year's meet, appears in the list again, and this
fact should be encouraging to those who would otherwise have to struggle
against established champions.
[Illustration: E. W. MILLS, CHAUNCY HALL.]
The New England Interscholastic records are about as low as it is
possible to get them, and while no record-breaking is looked for, yet in
one or two instances there may be some change of marks. In the 1000-yard
run E. W. Mills, of Chauncy Hall, who now holds the record of 2 min. 33
sec., will be able to better that time if anybody can. It is traditional
custom that the two winning schools of the year previous shall meet in a
team-race, and this year English High and Worcester Academy will clash.
The Worcester boys are bitterly aggrieved over losing the in-door
championship of '96 by one point to English High, and will make
strenuous efforts to regain some of their laurels by winning this event.
[Illustration: H. J. KANE, E.H.-S.]
To prophesy correctly the winner of the first event on the programme,
the 40-yard dash, would be impossible under existing circumstances. The
string of foremost dash-runners that the schools will furnish are very
evenly matched, and most of them are doing the distance in 4-4/5
sec.--record time--so that it will be less than a yard that separates
the leaders in the final heat. English High is sure to have more than
one of its runners in the final round, with H. J. Kane, H. C.
Kennington, and A. F. Duffy wearing the colors. Kane was third in the
100 and 220 yard runs at the out-of-door championships, and ever since
he has shown improvement. All three of these athletes are capable of
doing 4-4/5 sec. H. C. Jones, of Phillips Exeter, who won the novice
40-yard at the B.A.A. games, February 6th, is predicted to keep pace
with the swiftest, and will be a dangerous competitor.
Newton High has H. W. Owens, another dash-runner, who in several
instances has done 4-4/5 sec. His inconsistency in running is his worst
fault. The Worcester schools are likely to bring down a set of good
sprinters. The high-school has in A. M. Butler a slashing sprinter, who
won a handicap dash in his city a few weeks ago.
The Worcester Academy athletes, with the benefit of a fine out-door
track of 150 yards in length, built on scientific principles, and also a
well-known professional coach in attendance, should exhibit some
redeeming strength at the meet. George Hersey won third in the 40-yard
dash in '96, and ought to better that now. He circled the school track
in the 300-yard dash considerably under the record, and if the corners
at Mechanics' Hall do not bother him, he can justify the confidence
imposed in him by his school.
[Illustration: G. H. HUNTRESS, HOPKINSON'S.]
Captain G. H. Huntress, of Hopkinson's, will be that school's best entry
for the 40 and 300 yard runs. He has good staying powers coupled with
plenty of speed. Noble's School will contribute to the 40-yard dash
A. T. Baker, who lately won prominence by taking the 40-yard handicap
prize away from over a hundred entries at the B.A.A. games. J. W. Sever,
of Brown and Nichol's School in Cambridge, is in the front rank of
scholastic sprinters, and is running in trim form this year.
[Illustration: J. H. CONVERSE, E.H.-S.]
There have been rumors that Phillips Andover would not send a team, but
this will not prevent individuals from entering, and in that case the
appearance of J. J. Peters may be counted on. With the prestige obtained
by his appropriating the hurdles at the big B.A.A. meet, he is given
precedence over everybody in the hurdle contest. His elegant physique is
a factor that will stand by him well if he is hard pressed. J. H.
Converse, the national champion, who defeated A. H. Beers last June, is
in this fight, and his reputation hangs in the balance on the result.
Hopkinson's School has a trio of clever timber-toppers in J. Hallowell,
E. Cole, and E. Whitman. They are evenly matched, and finish on a line
in practice, but Hallowell's past experience on the track would make him
the favorite in a race. Worcester Academy will furnish a star in Hall,
whose smooth movement over the sticks is bound to make him conspicuous.
Last year's calculations in the 600-yard run were all upset by the two
probable winners failing to qualify, and by an unknown stepping into the
breach. This contingency may have a repetition, for those thought to
have the best chances are not to be depended upon. M. M. Marks, of
English High, who recently won his heat at the B.A.A. games in 1 min.
20-3/5 sec. from 30 yards, is entitled to recognition. Those who have
watched his running have great faith in his progress, and he certainly
creates a favorable impression by his length of stride, which is
wonderful, considering his slight body. Whether he can repeat is the
doubtful question, and remains to be seen. C. I. Porter, of Hopkinson's,
is going to make a strong bid for something in the 600. His practice
trials have convinced his school that he is a valuable member of the
athletic team. A. W. Lincoln, captain of Boston Latin's team, will be
the grittiest runner in the bunch. He is game through and through, and
if his speed stays with him he may catch a prize.
There is not a shadow of doubt in the minds of the prophets that E. W.
Mills will capture the 1000-yard run. He is too much of a veteran to be
jockeyed, and has speed and endurance enough to make him a winner. He
will give the record most of his attention, and place it where future
runners will never touch it. The only one now in view who is able to
keep him company is D. T. Sullivan, of Worcester High, who is the
national interscholastic mile-runner. E. W. Crawford, of Boston Latin,
may win a place, as he is practising this distance daily, and has a
beautiful stride. English High is relying upon F. A. Ferguson to keep
its name from being tarnished at this distance. Hopkinson's has a couple
of fair runners in Cunningham and Ladd, and they are expected to give a
good account of themselves.
From present indications it seems as if Worcester Academy would make the
most points in the field events, as some excellent marks have been made
in practice. C. H. R. Howe has jumped as high as 5 ft. 8 in., which
insures him a prominent place. He is credited with a height greater than
this, but not in competition. H. B. Kendall, a schoolmate, is close
behind Howe in jumping, but his specialty is pole-vaulting. From
different sources comes the report that he will approach the record. As
it is, he can go higher than 10 feet, and has done it repeatedly. J. H.
Converse, of English High, has branched out as a high jumper, and his 5
ft. 6 in. in rubber-soled shoes means more when he gets on the floor at
the interscholastic tournament. C. M. Rotch, of Hopkinson's, can reach 5
ft. 7 in., and is being carefully coached, so that this, together with
his perfect style, will have a telling effect.
The shot-putters will be a stocky set of athletes, as no giants are in
sight, and the list of foremost putters have muscle bred on the football
field. W. W. Coe, of Noble's School, has the call for first honors, and
he is deserving of whatever should befall him, as he has industriously
kept at his endeavors to increase his distance. His stout arm, with a
well-trained composition back of it, has sent the 16-lb. weight 38 ft.,
and this would win for him. Eaton of English High and Boyce of Brookline
High are about in the same class, with the advantage on the latter's
side. Worcester anticipates placing a "dark horse" in the shot.
The half-mile walk will have a scant gathering, as efficient walkers are
scarce. Mohan, an English High pedestrian, with a point at the out-door
interscholastic games last summer, is a reliable man in keeping his
feet.
The championship of the ice-polo league of the schools in and about
Boston has been won by the Arlington High-School. Space prevents any
detailed comment upon this result in the present issue, but the ice-polo
season will be reviewed in these columns at an early date.
It is announced that a track-athletic league, to be known as the
Interscholastic Track Association, has been formed among St. Paul's
School, Garden City; Lawrenceville School, of Lawrenceville; and the
Hill School, of Pottstown. No meet will be held this year, but the first
will take place in 1898 at Lawrenceville. The next in 1899 at St.
Paul's, and in 1900 at the Hill School. The events agreed upon are the
100 and 220 yard dashes, 440 and 880 yard and mile run, 120-yard hurdle,
1-mile bicycle, pole vault, throwing 12-pound hammer, and high jump. A
dual meet for this spring has been arranged between Lawrenceville and
the Hill, the events to be those adopted by the triple league.
Although it is now somewhat late in the season for ice sports, the
formation of a hockey league among the New York schools is nevertheless
to be commended. The membership consists of Berkeley, Cutler, De La
Salle, St. Austin's, and Montclair High-School. Of these schools
Montclair High has probably done the most work at the sport this year,
although Berkeley has developed a very fair team.
The banner at the Long Island A.A. in-door games, held in Brooklyn,
February 20, was taken by Berkeley, with St. Paul's second, the scores
of the competing teams, by points, being as follows: Berkeley, 25; St.
Paul, 17; Barnard, 14; Pingry, 8; Adelphi, 7; Latin, 5; Dwight, Poly.
Prep., and Collegiate, 3 each; High-School, 2; Columbia Grammar,
Trinity, and Harvard, 1 each.
The in-door pole-vaulting record was broken by Paulding of Berkeley. He
raised the figures from 9 ft. 10-1/2 in. to 10 ft. 4 in. At the
Knickerbocker A.C. games last year Paulding cleared 10 ft. This year,
therefore, he will doubtless do much better, and should again win the
event.
The 50-yard dash, as was expected, went to Robinson of St. Paul's. He
lost his heat to Sulzer of Pingry, but took first place easily in the
finals. Kinney of St. Paul's put the 12-pound shot 43 ft. 1 in., and the
high jump was taken by Serviss, B.L.S., with 5 ft. 6-1/2 in.
The entries for the big games at the Madison Square Garden, under the
auspices of the Knickerbocker Athletic Club, close March 20. It is to be
hoped that by that time all of the schools in this part of the country
will be represented on the lists.
"TRACK ATHLETICS IN DETAIL."--ILLUSTRATED.--8VO, CLOTH, ORNAMENTAL,
$1.25.
THE GRADUATE.
* * * * *
DR. NANSEN AND THIRTEEN.
The safe return of the _Fram_ is regarded as a knock-down blow to the
thirteen superstition. There were thirteen men in her crew, of whom the
thirteenth joined at the last moment. All returned safe and well, and
none of them was ill at any time, or a cause of anxiety. Then, too, it
was on the 13th of August that Nansen reached home, and on the same day
the _Fram_ got quit of the ice, seven months to a day after (on January
13) she had struck a southerly current. To these coincidences it is
added that three litters of thirteen pups were born in Nansen's pack of
Eskimo dogs (though a greater number than six to a litter is unusual),
and that just thirteen publishers bid for his book after his return.
[Illustration: THE CAMERA CLUB]
Any questions in regard to photograph matters will be willingly
answered by the Editor of this column, and we should be glad to
hear from any of our club who can make helpful suggestions.
DEFECTS IN NEGATIVES, AND THE REMEDY.
The most common defect in negatives, and one which it is easy to avoid,
is the small transparent spots which appear on the negative after
developing and fixing. These spots are called pinholes, and are caused
by small specks of dust which cling to the film, and which do not wash
off when the developer is turned over the plate. When a print is made
from a negative in which there are pinholes, small black spots appear in
the finished print wherever there were pinholes in the film. These holes
can be filled up by retouching, but they may be avoided altogether, and
prevention is much better than cure. After the sensitive plate is in the
holder, dust it over carefully with a small wad of surgeon's cotton
before putting in the slide. If plates remain in the holder some time
before they are used, it is a wise plan to dust them again before they
are put into the developer. Pinholes are sometimes caused by using old
developer which has not been filtered, and the tiny specks which are in
the solution settle on the plate during development. Always filter
developer after once using, and it saves time if it is filtered at once
when through developing.
Larger spots with sharp dark edges are caused by air-bubbles forming on
the plate when the developer is poured over it. If the tray is slanted a
little when the solution is turned on the plate, air-bubbles are seldom
formed. A piece of clean surgeon's cotton passed quickly over the plate
will break the bubbles.
Where there are large irregular spots on the plate which are not fully
developed, it shows that the developer did not cover all the plate
immediately, and therefore acted longer on one part than on the other.
There is no remedy for this; but such markings can be prevented by
pouring the developer quickly over the plate and rocking the tray for a
few seconds.
If the negative, after fixing, is covered with fine markings, the print
looking as if the negative from which it was made was crackled, it shows
that the tray was not rocked sufficiently during the process of
development. The tray should be gently rocked in all directions, so that
fresh developer is constantly passing over the sensitive film. (Not long
ago one of the members of the club sent two prints to the editor, one of
which was covered with fine markings. The letter stated that the
negatives were made and developed one after the other; and while the
first was all right, the second had the crackled appearance. An
explanation of the cause was asked and received.)
If the negative after developing and fixing turns yellow it indicates
that the plate was not left long enough in the fixing-bath. As explained
in one of the papers on the chemistry of photography, when the negative
is placed in the fixing-bath a new compound is formed of the unchanged
chloride of silver and the hyposulphite of soda. They unite and form a
double salts, called silver sodium hyposulphite or thisulphate. This
double salt is soluble in a solution of hypo, and the fixing-bath must
be strong enough not only to form this double salt, but also to dissolve
it. When it is thoroughly dissolved it is quickly washed out of the
film. If the fixing-bath is too weak, or if the plate is taken from the
bath too soon, the plate will soon turn yellow, and in time the image
will be destroyed. To prevent this the plate should be left in the
fixing-bath for five minutes after the plate is cleared from the silver
bromide.
When a negative after drying has a whitish appearance with a rough
surface, it is because the plate was not washed long enough after
removing from the hypo bath. Wash plates an hour in running water, or in
eight or ten changes of water, changing at intervals of five minutes.
ARTHUR NILSEN asks if portraits can be made better with snap-shots
than with time exposures; and if with time exposures, the length of
the exposure. Snap-shots for portraits give too harsh contrasts.
For a time exposure with good light simply taking off and replacing
the cap quickly will be long enough; or if a hand-camera with drop
shutter, open and close the shutter as rapidly as possible without
making the exposure instantaneous. One must learn to regulate the
exposure according to the light, and the rapidity of the lens and
plate used. With a little careful practice one can learn to expose
the plate correctly.
D. SAYLOR WILSON asks how to tell when a plate is fully developed.
Examine the plate by looking through it toward the red light. If
the detail is well out, and the negative looks as if it would be
dense enough for a good print, return the negative to the
developer, and rock it till the image is fading rapidly, then
remove and wash and fix. With some kinds of developer the image
must be allowed to fade entirely, but with hydrochinon developer
the plate is developed far enough when the plate looks dense when
examined by looking through it toward the light.
[Illustration]
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Use only
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[Illustration]
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=Waltham Gold Watch and Chain=; 25 lbs for a =Silver Watch and Chain=; 10
lbs. for a =Gold Ring=; 50 lbs. for a =Decorated Dinner Set=; 75 lbs. for
a =Bicycle=. Write for a Catalog and order Blank to Dept. I
W. G. BAKER,
Springfield Mass.
Hold their place in the front rank of the publications to which they
belong.--_Boston Journal_, Feb. 19, 1896.
HARPER'S
PERIODICALS
MAGAZINE, $4.00 a Year
WEEKLY, $4.00 a Year
BAZAR, $4.00 a Year
ROUND TABLE, $2.00 a Year
JOSEPH GILLOTT'S
STEEL PENS.
GOLD MEDAL, PARIS EXPOSITION, 1889,
AND THE CHICAGO EXPOSITION AWARD.
THE MOST PERFECT OF PENS.
[Illustration: PISO'S CURE FOR CONSUMPTION]
CURES WHERE ALL ELSE FAILS.
Best Cough Syrup. Tastes Good. Use
in time. Sold by druggists.
QUESTIONS FOR YOUNG MEN.
There was, a few years ago, a law in Connecticut and Massachusetts--and
I think it is still extant in Connecticut--that no man shall kiss his
wife in public. Both States have laws, as have many others, that no man
shall swear; and they both had laws, if they do not still have them,
that no one shall smoke on the street.
It has always been considered an immoral act for a Christian to swear,
but there is unquestionably a distinction to be made which is of just as
much interest to the average boy as to any full-grown man. The use of
sacred names in common every-day language--that is, the colloquial use
of terms that represent what we reverence, what are the property of each
man for himself, and his deepest thoughts--is undoubtedly a wrong. The
name of God and what it represents to you and to me in our lives belongs
to us, and does not concern any one else. No one, therefore, has any
right to vulgarize it in our presence, and if he does so, he is
infringing on sacred personal rights, and is therefore committing a
wrong. That is self-evident.
There is, however, a difference between committing this actual wrong,
between breaking the sturdy old New England Puritan law, and using
exaggerated terms which are just as much swearing as the use of sacred
names is. There are many terms which in themselves have to-day no
significance--though they may have in derivation--except as exaggerated
expression. One says, "Good gracious!" "Oh dear!" "Oh my!" a dozen times
an hour, and is never criticised for swearing. Yet these expressions in
their original forms were swearing of the most exaggerated kind, and in
principle are so to-day. They all originally had the name of the Deity
attached to them, the second one being probably a corruption of French
"Oh Dieu!"
The important point is that although they no longer infringe on sacred
things and personal rights, they are really just as much swearing to-day
as they originally were. They are signs of weakness, of a desire for
something stronger in the form of expression than the ordinary English
phrase which precedes or follows them. The speaker feels the need of
some exaggeration, and these inoffensive terms are just as unnecessary
as are the offensive ones--indeed, they are only weak subterfuges which
try to get the same effect without using the sacred terms.
That means a vicious, because growing, tendency to constant increase and
exaggeration, which is the real principle of too much drinking that
makes a drunkard, too much smoking that makes a nervous invalid, too
much idleness that makes an unsuccessful life. If you will listen to the
greatest orators or read their speeches, if you will read the works of
the greatest authors, you will find no exaggeration of language to speak
of even at most important moments, and the very temperateness of these
orations and writings has a wonderful effect. Read, if you have not done
so, the little speech of Mr. Lincoln's at Gettysburg, and see how
simple, how temperate it is, and yet it is said by all students and
judges, by any one who really studies it, to not only cover the whole
subject Mr. Lincoln had in hand, but to be one of the most stirring
speeches that have been made to the American public.
On the other hand, go some day and listen to a cheap stump-speaker, and
in the course of half an hour you will hear that this and that is the
"most magnificent," the "most frightful," the "greatest crime that cries
to Heaven," and abundant other phrases out of all proportion to the
subjects, which do not carry the weight of one of Lincoln's simple
sentences in his address. These unnecessary superlatives are, in their
way, swearing, which in principle are as bad, and as evil in their
results on the user and the listener, as is the use of sacred names.
They are the beginning of which the latter is the end. The feeling which
makes a boy or man want to use exaggerated terms is the real evil. It
grows like any other weakness, until his talk is puerile and of no
value. And if he would avoid swearing, or cure himself of it, he must
begin there, and not at the particular words he has discovered himself
to be using, and which may have called forth criticism because they were
sacred to those who heard them.
* * * * *
FAMOUS FREQUENTERS OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
A London newspaper says of the late Mr. Robert Harrison, formerly
secretary and librarian to the London Library, whose death occurred a
short time ago, that he had an extensive acquaintance with famous men of
letters. In a Presidential address at the Librarians' Conference at
Nottingham in September, 1891, he gave some interesting reminiscences of
some of the eminent frequenters of the library:
"The most conspicuously original man among them was Carlyle. He often
visited the library. His conversation was most amusing, full of
extravagant and exaggerated statements, and always ending with a loud
laugh, apparently at himself. He used the library books extensively for
his later works, and was guilty of the reprehensible practice of writing
on the margins of their books. He must admit that his remarks were never
meaningless, but chiefly consisted of corrections of dates or errors in
the text."
Of Thackeray, another eminent member of the London Library, Mr. Harrison
had also an anecdote to tell:
"When writing _The Virginians_ he came to him (the speaker) for a life
of General Wolfe. 'I don't want,' he said, 'an historical account of his
career--Lord Mahon's book gives me that--but I want something that will
tell me the color of his breeches.'"
Mr. Harrison had the pleasure also of helping Charles Reade to find
materials for his story of _The Cloister and the Hearth_. The late Lord
Lytton was a frequent visitor and inquirer, as also was the author of
_Westward, Ho!_ and George Eliot. Mr. Harrison was quite astonished at
first to see what pains and research were applied to the production of
books so easy to read as were their best novels.
Concerning Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Harrison had likewise something to say.
The G. O. M. has always taken an interest in the prosperity of the
library:
"He (Mr. Gladstone) made use chiefly of their works of reference. The
speaker remembered with pleasure a small incident that occurred when
_Javentus Mundi_ was going to press. Mr. Gladstone called to verify a
line in Propertius, or Ausonius--he forgot which. He told his need to
one of the Eton masters, who happened to be present. The line was found,
and it differed slightly from that which Mr. Gladstone had quoted.
'But,' said the Eton master to him afterwards, 'his line was much finer
than the one which we found in print.'"
* * * * *
HIS PROPOSITION.
There is a little suburban town out in New Jersey, and its inhabitants
are very proud of their fire department, claiming that it can meet every
possible exigency. As for the truth of this statement, it is not
advisable to meditate upon, and there is one thing positive, and that is
the inability of its members to prevent fires. Unfortunately such
occurrences were growing to be a chronic affliction, and in desperation
the leading officials of the fire department and the town officials met
to devise ways and means of stopping them.
"It's carelessness, rank carelessness!" exclaimed one portly gentleman.
"Such things should rarely happen in well-regulated communities."
Thus it went on for over an hour, growing no nearer to a solution of the
difficulty. Finally one of the fire department members arose.
"Gentlemen," he cried, "I have a resolution to propose which I think, if
adopted by the honorable members of this board, will entirely do away
with fires in our town."
"Hear! hear!" cried the members of the board. "What is it? Propose it,"
etc.
"Gentlemen, I propose that three days before each fire some one should
go to the house and ascertain if it has been caused by the inmates'
carelessness, and if so enforce a payment of money to meet the expenses
of running the engines to the scene."
[Illustration: STAMPS]
This Department is conducted in the interest of stamp and coin
collectors, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question
on these subjects so far as possible. Correspondents should address
Editor Stamp Department.
I know several subscribers to the ROUND TABLE who have exchanged stamps
with other readers of this column, to the advantage of all concerned.
For the first time in two years I have received a complaint that stamps
were sent to one of the ROUND TABLE readers, without receiving any
return or even acknowledgment of the stamps. Possibly the first letter
accompanying the stamps, or the reply acknowledging the same, went
astray or was lost in the mails. The complaint is being investigated;
but I hope all subscribers to the ROUND TABLE will be prompt and
businesslike in replying to correspondents on receipt of letters.
One of the best methods of exchange is through the books of one or the
other of the local societies or national philatelic associations. These
exchanges are conducted on a cash basis. Each member pays the manager of
the exchange department for all stamps taken from the books, and the
manager in turn pays the members for their stamps sold from the books,
and returns the unsold stamps.
L. T. BRODSTONE, Superior, Neb.--Previous to 1890 all U.S. stamps
were made by private bank-note companies under contract with the
government. Since then the Bureau of Printing and Engraving at
Washington has made all the stamps. The envelopes and post-cards
are still made by private concerns under contract with the U.S.
government. There are several monumental collections in the U.S.
Probably the best is owned by a gentleman in one of the New England
States. The above-named wishes to exchange stamps.
J. D. WATERMAN.--The difference between the Hartford and the
Philadelphia dies of the Centennial (1876) envelope is this: the
word "Postage" is in a label; in the Hartford die the lower line of
the label is single, in the Philadelphia die it is double. U.S.
stamps are printed in large sheets, and afterwards cut apart into
sheets of 100. The guide-lines are made to call attention to the
proper place for cutting. As nearly 10,000,000 of the 1c. and 2c.
stamps are used every day in the year, it is not likely that these
stamps will become rare even in a hundred years.
H. C. BRANCH.--Just one cent.
C. H. WILLISTON.--The 1809 half-dollar can be bought for 75c.
S. S. LANGLEY.--The star in heraldry is five-pointed, as a rule.
The use of the six-pointed star by the U.S. Mint was probably an
accident in the beginning, but has now become fully established as
the custom.
GEORGE BRIGHT.--About 10c. each.
PHILATUS.
ADVERTISEMENTS.
MR. POULTNEY BIGELOW
contributes a short story,
HOW TOM RODMAN
JOINED THE
GERMAN ARMY,
to the next number of
HARPER'S ROUND TABLE
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Life In the Regular Army.
Most people who see members of the National Guard in showy uniforms
and on dress parade, and some people who see United States regular
troops on pleasant Sunday afternoons, sitting on the banks at Fort
Wadsworth, and enjoying the exquisite views of New York upper and
lower bays, get the notion that a soldier's life is a jolly and a
lazy one. I can speak from experience when I state that the life of
an enlisted man in a heavy battery of the United States artillery
is not always jolly, and not as lazy as it sometimes appears.
One needs good references and a better body to get into the regular
army. Many American young men who have the inclination to enter the
army have not the physique, and so it happens that the American
service has, one might almost say, every nationality in it except
Americans.
I belong to Battery D, First Artillery, which was stationed at Fort
Wadsworth when I enlisted, but has since been transferred to
Jackson Barracks, a few miles out of New Orleans. Although much
under thirty, I have seen service in a foreign country's armed
forces, and have been in many parts of the world. Like most other
Americans who enter the army, I enlisted in small part because I
thought I might like the service, and in great part because I could
not, just then, find anything else to do. The physical examinations
to get into the service are most rigid, and there is much of what
people call "red tape," but I suppose all of the latter is
necessary.
Recruits in the United States Army are called "Rookies"--why, I
don't know. You can readily tell a rookie from a veteran. A
rookie's earliest interest concerns his "kit," which is his
personal property, although issued to him by the quarter-master.
The kit comprises a great number of articles, including
under-clothing, shoes, collars, white cotton and fur gloves, half a
dozen styles of caps, a dress-coat, and a brown canvas suit for
"fatigue" duty. Each man is allowed $60 the first year, $28 the
second, and $30 the third to spend for clothing. The government
loans to him a bedstead, mattress, sheets, pillow, clothes box and
bag, besides gun, canteen, knife, fork, and some other odd things.
Barrack life is not one which every man can take a liking to at
first. The enlisted man, in scores of cases, is a rover, to begin
with. But a company of such men thrown together presently find
their "bunkies." They pair off by a sort of natural selection. The
accidents of the mess, or of walking post, or guard duty lead to a
rough-and-ready friendship.
A trying period for the recruit is while he is in the sergeant's
training, getting his first lessons in drill. This he begins
without gun--or arms, as the gun is called in the army. It is not
till he has had these private lessons for three months that he is
turned over for duty, walks his first post, and comes to be
regarded by his fellows as a full-fledged soldier.
[Illustration: THE YARD, JACKSON BARRACKS.]
In the morning no one comes and tells a fellow that breakfast is
ready. At Fort Wadsworth the bugle sounded at 5.30 in summer, and 6
in winter. Ten minutes later reveille sounds, a gun is fired, the
flag is raised on the post staff--a large flag for a pleasant day,
and a smaller one for a stormy day--and the fort is swarming with
men running here and there, and going down stairs three steps at a
bound. Assembly for roll-call is only five minutes after
reveille--not a long time to wash and dress. But a fellow in the
service has to do as he is commanded. You have heard of the captain
who told the recruit that there were three things to do to make a
good soldier. The first was to obey orders; the second, to obey
orders; and the third, to obey orders. There are mess-call for
breakfast, sick-call for hospital, and fatigue-call for men who are
to do extra duty, like mowing weeds, moving guns, or maybe milking
the colonel's cow, should he keep one. Then those remaining in
barracks spend half an hour swinging clubs, running, jumping, or
other exercise to develop the muscles. Each post commander fixes
the hours for drills within certain limits, but guard-mount comes
early in the fore-noon, is usually performed in full-dress uniform,
and executed the same in all military posts. A new guard goes on
and relieves the old one. There is quiet in the post, save for the
bugle that marks the hours, till half past eleven, when recall is
sounded. At twelve dinner is ready. At one work begins again, if
there is work to do, and lasts till half past four. Supper is at
five, and at sunset there is dress parade. The work done is,
cleaning up the reservation, mounting or moving guns, digging
ditches, and doing a lot of things that don't appear in accounts of
military manoeuvres and show parades.
In winter school is kept, usually by one of the commissioned
officers, when there are classes in range-finding, knotting and
splicing ropes, gunnery, and the like.
Sunset parade is what the soldier's lady friends always come to
see. It is ceremonious. Let me tell you about it. All are obliged
to answer the call for it, and fall in on their respective
parade-grounds, neatly dressed, shoes polished, white gloves on,
and arms bright. The first sergeant calls the roll, and brings the
company or battery to parade rest. The adjutant, or officer of the
day, now takes charge, and by a wave of the hand notifies the chief
trumpeter to sound off retreat. At the last sound of the bugle the
corporal of the guard fires the evening gun, and another member of
the guard hauls down the flag. The first sergeants report the
presence or absence of the men, and the corporal of the guard locks
up the colors, to remain so till reveille next morning.
This ends the day's routine of a regular army enlisted man in
barracks, and he may go where he pleases until eleven, when taps is
sounded. At taps the lights must go out. A check-roll is taken to
see if any men are absent. This is done by a sergeant or corporal,
who takes a list of names of the men, and, with a lantern for
light, goes through the rooms to see if each man is in bed.
Special permission is granted to men of good character to absent
themselves from retreat, check-roll call, and reveille every day
when not on special duty. At Fort Wadsworth, which, with Fort
Hamilton, guards the entrance to New York harbor, most men have the
afternoons off, and not a few of them put them in in sleep. There
is a fascination about the soldier's life. And yet most men in it
wish themselves out of it, and are always looking forward to the
end of their enlistments, or speculating whether it will pay them
to buy their releases. Sometimes we have entertainments in the post
hall, and on Sundays the reservation swarms with sight-seers, who
ask innumerable questions, some sensible, others otherwise. Do I
like a soldier's life? Yes, though I often, as do others in the
service, I fancy, build air-castles about what I would do if out of
it.
FREDERIC WILKENS.
JACKSON BARRACKS, NEW ORLEANS.
* * * * *
Questions and Answers.
James F. Rodgers: The best researches in the line you indicate have been
made by the national government, which has explored, measured, and dug
over a great part of the ruins of the homes of former cliff dwellers and
Aztec Indians. The Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum,
Washington, contain many pictures, surveys, etc., of these ruins. We
know of no society engaged in such study, or, at least, none that makes
excavations.--Ethel R. Betts: Greek is now required for entrance to
Barnard, but some changes are to be made in the requirements. See the
answer of the Registrar published in this column, No. 902.--Bessie H.
asks how she can get foreign postage-stamps. In several ways. She can
buy them from a dealer; she can trade with friends for them; she can
send the money to some post-office in the country the stamps of which
she desires; or she can write to correspondents in foreign countries
whose names she finds in the ROUND TABLE or other publication.
Marian E. P. Greene, Jamacha, Cal., writes: "A Swiss friend, much
interested in autograph-collecting, has sent me one of her 'traders'--an
autograph of Emile Zola--with the request that I exchange it for some
well-known American or English writer. I also have the autograph of
Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, generally known as Princess
Christian. This I will be glad to trade for an American autograph, or
will send it with Zola's in exchange for a very good one. I would much
like to have the ROUND TABLE dated December 25, 1895, and will send ten
cents in stamps to any Knight or Lady who can procure it for me. If a
Lady of the Round Table has passed her eighteenth birthday, can she
still write to the TABLE from time to time, and send questions to be
answered, or must she give up this privilege?" She need not give up the
privilege. The TABLE is glad to receive morsels descriptive of
interesting places, people, and things.
An Orange subscriber asks where he can see pictures of the different
ships of our navy. In HARPER'S WEEKLY, files of which you will find in
your local library. If you wish to possess them, you can procure back
numbers of the WEEKLY. Consult the file to see what numbers you desire.
In the WEEKLY you will find not only pictures of all our naval ships,
but pictures of some of the larger ones in several positions.--"A. H. S."
asks: "If a picture takes a prize in your Camera Club Competition and is
printed in your paper, are you the holder of a copyright on said
picture? And also if it may be submitted for printing in another journal
at some future time?" Each issue of most periodicals is copyrighted.
That copyright covers everything in the issue. Where a photograph has
been reproduced in a periodical, whether HARPER'S ROUND TABLE or some
other, it is best to ask the publishers' permission about using it
again. That permission can generally be obtained, or at least a plate
purchased. Of course one would hardly enter a prize-picture in another
prize competition. That might be fair, but one cannot afford to appear
over-greedy.
Richard Stark, Jun., sends us the following:
"Where can I get setting-boards for setting butterflies and moths? Is a
microscope costing from $3 to $5 powerful enough to properly examine
plants and insects? Is there any Chapter or society of young naturalists
for exchanging specimens of natural history? If so, I would like to hear
from it." Make the setting-boards yourself. The ROUND TABLE published
directions for using them only a short time since. A low-priced
microscope will answer very well for examining plants, but a more
powerful one is needed for insects. You say "properly" examining. Much
depends on how important you regard the word "properly." As a general
rule, it is poor economy to purchase cheap scientific instruments. If
you can afford a microscope costing $8 to $20, you will find it much
more satisfactory. Might you not secure one on approval?--A New York
member asks for a proof of a prize-story which the ROUND TABLE desires
to have illustrated. We regret to say we have no such story at present,
and no plans have been made to have our prize-stories illustrated this
year.
* * * * *
Woman's Bicycle Distance Record.
Here is an interesting query. "A. M." asks the woman's bicycle distance
record. She says hers, ridden during one year, is 5700 miles. She asks
if she holds the record. Let us hear from members on this interesting
point.
* * * * *
THAT WONDERFUL SAIL.
HARPER'S ROUND TABLE has rarely published a puzzle that so exercised the
minds of its young friends and led to so much instructive research. A
curious thing about the contest was the fact that questions thought in
advance to be difficult were answered readily, while some quite easy
questions were missed by almost every solver. Such an outcome has never
before been known in all of these many contests. For example, the sign
at the boat-landing, and the three riddles 21, 22, and 23, were put into
the puzzle as "stickers." Yet more than half the solvers answered all
three of the riddles, and every one of them, save perhaps a half-dozen,
discovered the keys to the landing sign, much to the astonishment of the
puzzle's author. Of the riddles, the one that proved the most difficult
was 22. On the other hand, the "Mad Yankee" and the "Bad Lands of the
Say It," both quite easy, were missed by almost everybody. Such a fact
is no less astonishing than that all should guess the hard questions.
The question was asked by one solver, if an answer fitting the question
perfectly is thrown out or counted wrong, provided it does not chance to
have been the propounder's answer to the question. The answer is an
emphatic no. All answers that fit the questions are accepted, of course,
and in case of doubt the solver is given the benefit. In the correct
answers herewith given, those put down first are the propounder's
answers; succeeding ones, if any, those found by the solvers, and
accepted because they answer the questions. Solvers are asked to read
them, and immediately afterward the explanation which follows:
1. Ba(Lear)ic--Prospero. 2. Edu(Cato)r. 3. Mis (Solon)ghi--Socrates. 4.
Better leave bad company behind. 5. Noah Webster. 6. Elisha Kent Kane.
7. S(cave)nger. 8. Gras(shop)per--Para(a city in Brazil) site. 9.
I(magi)nation--pre(sage). 10. Cor(rug)ation--(fur)row--s(cowl). 11.
A(string)ent--(cord)ial--por(twine). 12. G(litter)ing--b(rig)ht. 13.
Es(cap)ade--dis(turban)ce--false(hood). 14. Re(quire)ment. 15. S(corn)er.
16. Se(map)hore. 17. Ser(vice)able. 18. H(alb)erd. 19. B(ranch)ie. 20.
In(scrip)tion--prescription. 21. Cheese. 22. A clay pipe. 23. Rabbit's
foot. 24. Ce(rum)en--whiskey in ear of corn. 25. Re(cup)eration. 26.
B(rake)man. 27. S(crib)e--S(cot)t--Al(cot)t--Pres(cot)t. 28.
Hot(tent)ot--A(shanti). 29. S(heath)ing. 30. S(hut)ter. 31. Quad(rill)e.
32. Ro(pew)alk. 33. Sal(a man)der. 34. Sy(nag)ogue. 35. The Land of
Steady Habits (Connecticut).
In 1 and 3 a doubt honestly arose whether hidden names or facts were
intended. Hence both were allowed. In 6, "Mad" Anthony Wayne was not the
mad Yankee, because he was born in Pennsylvania, of Irish parents. In 9,
many gave "mage" in "image" for "magi," which was, of course, not
allowed, and others gave "judge" in "judgement," meaning perhaps
"judgment," as if it were expected solvers would misspell words. In 21,
"milk" is not allowable because it is not subjected to great pressure.
In 22, "iron" would not do for several reasons--see conditions. In 23,
"horseshoe" does not fit, because not a serious loss to its owner, as is
the rabbit's foot. That which is used by masons is the hair--in plaster.
The last question, which almost everybody missed, is a simple anagram,
not nearly so difficult to rearrange as the alphabetical cipher in 4.
The highest honor and a substantial prize of $20 were won by Bryant K.
Hussey, who lives in Chicago and is 16 years of age. He gave correct
answers to all save 6 and 35. The second honors, with prize of $5 to
each, go to sisters who live in a pretty Virginia town. Their names are
Amy Ralston and Katherine B. Rogers. The other prize-winners are Francis
C. Péquignot, of Philadelphia, $4, and the following six, to each of
whom $1 is awarded: Lewis P. Churchill, of Nova Scotia; Eunice K. Jones,
of Ohio; Robert H. Mead, Raymond Tilley, and Joseph B. Eastman, of
Pennsylvania; and Pierre W. Saxton, of Otsego County, New York.
In these awards an honor list is made--an unusual concession--and
deservedly at the head of this list is placed the name of Master M. L.
Hamlin, aged nine, who lives in Yonkers, New York. The others, whose
names follow, correctly answered thirty of the thirty-five questions:
Maddie C. Marshall, South Carolina; Roy Culbertson, Kentucky; Bayard B.
Rodman, Long Island; Alice B. Tobey, Ohio; Harold F. Gaston and Bessie
Jones, Pennsylvania; Maude G. Corcoran, Maryland; Kathryn A. Fisher,
Michigan; Paul F. Case and Claude S. Smith, Monroe County, New York;
Anna W. James, New Jersey; and L. J. Martin, Kansas.
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* * * * *
AN INGENIOUS DEFENCE.
An old darky was brought before a Southern magistrate, not long ago,
accused of stealing a neighbor's chickens when the nights were dark and
no one stirred abroad. The old man put up a long but weak argument,
seizing upon every possible straw to support his defence. The evidence
was too strong, however, and matters were rapidly approaching a climax
that meant a month of idleness in the town jail. The thought of this and
the attendant ignominy stirred the old darky to a point where he did
nothing but splutter out,
"'Pon my honor, jedge, Ise--er--Ise didn't done take 'em."
At last the judge grew tired, and was about to sentence him, when a
broad smile illuminated the darky's face as he cried out,
"I's got it, jedge; Ise can prove an alibi 'bout dem chickens."
"Well, what is it?" exclaimed the judge.
"You see, jedge, no poor colored man could take dem chickens at
night-time."
"How's that?--what do you mean?"
"'Cause, jedge, dey's nothin' but roosters at night, and de charge am dat
I took chickens."
The ingenuity of the defence won the day.
* * * * *
NO DUPLICITY HERE.
The story is told of an English and an Irish trooper who were scouting
against the Matabele in South Africa recently. A band of savages
suddenly burst from behind some rocks and started for the men. They
jumped upon their horses and fled over the rough country, but the
Irishman kept falling to the rear of his companion.
"Confound you, Mike!" exclaimed the Englishman; "ride, ride for your
life! You'll be caught!"
"Go 'long wid you!" replied the Irish trooper, who was doing his best;
"do you think I'm throwin' the race?"
* * * * *
ONE OF THE FAMILY.
It may interest some of our readers to glance through this short
characteristic sketch of James Seymour, born in London in 1702, which is
more strongly impressive than many longer memoirs. The fact that he
displayed a fondness for drawing and painting in boyhood, and
subsequently gained celebrity by his skill in designing horses, is too
well known to comment upon. Once the proud Duke of Somerset employed
Seymour to paint a room at his seat in Sussex with the portraits of his
running-horses. Having admitted the artist to his table, he one day
drank to him, saying,
"Cousin Seymour, your health."
The painter replied, "My lord, I really believe that I have the honor of
being of your Grace's family."
This hurt the pride of the Duke so much that he rose from the table and
ordered his Steward to pay Seymour and dismiss him. Finding, however,
that no one in England could complete the pictures begun, he
condescended to send for his cousin. The painter responded to the
message in these words:
"My lord, I will now prove that I am of your Grace's family, for I won't
come."
* * * * *
ENOUGH FOR HIM.
The approach of St. Patrick's day reminds one of a little incident,
laughable enough, that took place during last year's parade in New York.
The gallant sons of Ireland had turned out resplendent in their green
regalias, marching with proud step to the music of the band. Those on
horses cantered along as best as the legs of their weak-spirited nags
would permit. One jovial son had considerable trouble with his horse,
which seemed possessed with the insane idea that he was the whole
procession, much to the annoyance and at the same time amusement of the
other paraders. At last the animal, during one of its erratic movements,
caught a hoof in one of the stirrups. That settled it. With a look of
infinite disgust the rider exclaimed,
"Faith, if yez are going to git up, me boy, thin it's toime for me to
git down." And he thereupon dismounted.
* * * * *
EXPERIENCE.
"My daddy's awful good to me," said Jennie, "treats me just like I was
his sister."
"Pulls your hair, does he?" asked Flossie, who has a brother.
* * * * *
BOBBIE'S BILL.
Bobbie has been learning business methods recently, which may account
for a bill which his father found recently upon the breakfast table,
reading as follows:
NEW YORK, _January_ 15, 1897.
MR. PAPA TO BOBBIE, _Dr._
For not paying him his allowance for three weeks,
at 25 cents a week .75
Interest at 6% .05
---
.80
Please pay up!
* * * * *
AN ACCOMPLISHMENT.
"I can run faster than you can, Hal," bragged Jimmie.
"That's all right," returned Harry; "but I can stand faster than you
can, and when war breaks out they'll think more of me than they will of
you."
End of Project Gutenberg's Harper's Round Table, March 2, 1897, by Various