I have been all my life a sort of amphibious animal, having, like many
an old Roman, learned to swim long before I had learned to read. The
bounding backs of the billows were my only rocking-horse when I was a
child, and dearly I loved to ride them when a fresh breeze was
blowing. I rarely tired in the water, where I often amused myself for
hours together. I grew up with such a liking for the exercise, that I
have never been able to forego the opportunity for a swim when it
offered; and a daily bath has been for a long course of years as
necessary to me as my daily food. The exercise of swimming has been
through life my chief pleasure and my only medicine--a never-failing
restorative from weakness and weariness, and, what may appear strange
to some readers, from the effects of irritation, anxiety, and
mortification as well.
This accomplishment, however, once led me into a strange adventure. I
was engaged in a rather extensive commercial tour through the central
kingdoms of Europe. I had crossed the Hungarian frontier about the
middle of the day, after being much annoyed and chafed by a
multiplicity of delays and extortions; and at length, hot and wearied,
arrived at B---- late in the evening. As soon as I caught sight of the
Danube in the distance, I resolved that the first thing I would do
after getting housed and refreshed by a few hours' sleep, should be to
enjoy the luxury of a leisurely swim in that noble river. With this
view, passing through the town, I put up at a small but decent
_gasthof_ which stood upon a patch of rising ground close upon the
margin of the stream; and having first seen to the comfort of my
horse, which was well-nigh knocked up with the day's journey, and next
attended to my own, I retired to rest at an early hour, without
descending to the common room and joining in the beery orgies of the
evening. I rose next morning, as was my custom, a full half hour
before the sun; and finding no one stirring in the house, proceeded to
the stables, the back of which overlooked the water. Here I found a
middle-aged tatterdemalion, whose flesh and costume were all of one
colour, and that the precise hue of the dungheap from which he had
just arisen, and from which one might have imagined him to have been
engendered. He was in the act of cleaning out the stable, as well as
the task could be accomplished, with his bare feet and a shovel, the
blade of which was not much bigger than his hand. With some trouble,
and with the aid of a small coin, I contrived to make him understand
my purpose; and he led me up stairs to a loft, in which I might
undress and deposit my clothes, and pointed to a rude flight of wooden
steps, leading from the window to the water's edge, and from which I
might plunge in from any height I chose.
In a few minutes, I had left my clothes upon a truss of odorous
clover, and plunging in head-foremost from the top of the ladder, I
rose to the surface at a few yards' distance from the bank, and struck
out vigorously to enjoy my swim. The sensation was deliciously cool
and pleasant. Keeping my eyes fixed upon the opposite shore, I made
towards it, feeling all the while as light as a cork and as strong as
a colt. How long I revelled in the first exquisite sense of enjoyment
I have not, nor had I then, any very distinct idea. Turning, however,
upon my back, just to vary my position, my head, of course, faced the
shore I had left, from which, to my great surprise, the good town I
had left had vanished entirely, and I became aware that the rapid
current of the river, upon which, in my eagerness for a bath, I had
not bestowed a single thought, had already carried me some mile or two
in its progress towards the Black Sea. Not being victualled for so
long a voyage, I began to look around me, and to curse the headlong
haste which had brought me into such a dilemma. I found that I was as
nearly as possible in the centre of the stream, and immediately put
all my vigour in requisition to regain the shore I had left. This, to
my no small dismay, I soon discovered was not to be accomplished, the
current setting strong towards the opposite side. I made an experiment
of my strength by means of a small chip of wood which floated by: I
could judge what prospect I had of regaining the northern bank of the
river by the distance at which I could leave the chip behind me, while
swimming in a contrary direction; but it was of no use: in a quarter
of an hour's hard struggling I had not gained twenty yards, while I
had floated more than a mile further down the stream. Nothing remained
for it but to make for the shore, towards which I was drifting at any
rate, and that must be done as fast as possible; for being now really
alarmed, I felt, or fancied that I felt my strength deserting me.
Under this impression, I struck out more furiously, and thus fatigued
myself the more; and it was with no small difficulty I at last reached
the opposite bank, up which I climbed, with sensations almost as
forlorn and hopeless as those of the shipwrecked mariner whom the
tempest casts ashore.
In fact, I would have given a round sum for the rags of the
shipwrecked mariner to cover me. Here I was in the condition of a
primeval savage, on a desert spot, without a dwelling in sight, and
prevented, by the want of clothing, from seeking out the habitations
of men. I ran to the highest ground in the neighbourhood, and that was
close to the water's edge, and looked around me in every direction. On
the shore which I had left, I could see what appeared the dim outline
of buildings at a great distance; but on the side of the river on
which I was standing, nothing but a vast tract of low land was
visible, which, from its swampy condition, it was plain was overflowed
by the river in times of flood. I hallooed for some minutes with all
the strength of my lungs; but the only response was the rising of a
few moorfowl from the marsh, which wheeled cackling above my head, as
though wondering what my business might be, and then settled down
again in the reedy pool from whence they had arisen at my cry. I sat
down upon a stone, and feeling that I was fast going into a state of
distraction, tried to collect my faculties, and to consider what was
best to be done, or, indeed, if anything could be done. With the sense
of my desperate condition came also a horrible sense of the ludicrous.
What would my principals in London think of their continental agent
shivering, without a rag on, upon the desolate banks of the Danube?
Here was I, a man well known upon 'Change, with four thousand pounds
in the three-and-a-half per cents, the idea of which had been a
comfort to me for many a long year, ready to forfeit the whole sum in
exchange for the raggedest pair of pantaloons that ever dangled from a
scarecrow, and ready, too, to go down upon my bare knees to any
ministering angel of an old Jew who would propose the bargain. I
grinned a despairing laugh at the thought of such an absurd compact,
and then groaned aloud as the conviction overcame me, that in my
present circumstances it would be a prudent one.
Relapsing into grim and savage silence, I glared gloomily at a sharp
jagged stone which lay at my feet, and at length, taking it in my
hand, walked mechanically into a stagnant pool, where a group of
willow sprigs were growing on a few old stumps barely emerging from
the water. I contrived to sever a dozen or two of the twigs by hacking
at them with the flint--and, carrying them to dry ground, was soon
busy in rehearsing over again the toilet of Adam in Paradise. Tying
their ends together, I crossed a couple of them over my shoulders in
the manner of a shooting-belt, and from these I managed to suspend a
kind of frock of green leaves, which effectually transformed my
appearance from that of the rude savage of the wild to the civilised
Jack-in-the-Green of May-day in London. I may declare without reserve,
that I never felt more proud or pleased with any exploit of my whole
life than I now did at the completion of my toilet. My spirits, which
had before been villainously depressed, rose all at once, and I no
longer despaired of restoration to society. I walked majestically up
and down, keeping a careful look-out both upon the water and the land.
A boat passed at the distance of half a mile from the shore, but I
tried in vain to attract the notice of the crew. My voice could not be
heard so far, and if by accident they saw me, they must have mistaken
me for a bush. I now turned my back to the river in disgust, and
commenced a severe and careful scrutiny upon the land-side, to see if
I could possibly in any direction make out any signs of life. Five or
six hours must have elapsed since the moment when I plunged headlong
from the ladder; the sun was now nearly at his meridian; the blue mist
which had covered everything, and veiled the distance from my view in
the morning when I emerged from the water and crawled up the muddy
bank, had now entirely rolled away, and the vast level tract of
marsh-land was open to my inspection to a distance at least of some
five or six English miles, at the extremity of which it was bounded by
a rising ground sparsely wooded. I imagined that I could distinguish
tho mud-walls of a row of small cottages, partly concealed by a group
of trees, though I was by no means sure that it was not a bank of
earth or the face of a rock. I looked anxiously round for other
indications of life; and after a close and protracted scrutiny, had
the satisfaction of distinctly perceiving a thin column of white smoke
winding up the dark background of the distant hill. I resolved now, in
case no means of escape should turn up on the river, to attempt the
passage of the marsh in another hour at latest--though, from former
experience, I well knew the difficulty of the attempt, and the little
probability there was that a perfect stranger would succeed in getting
across. I saw, too, that if I would make the attempt at all, I must
not defer it much longer, since to be overtaken by darkness in the
midst of the bog would be certain destruction.
I passed another half-hour in surveying the river, in which, about
four miles below the point on which I stood, I now for the first time
discovered several small islands, overgrown with reeds or underwood;
but they manifested no signs of any human inhabitants, so far as I
could distinguish, and I adhered to my resolution of crossing the
marsh. Delaying no longer, I descended from my post of observation,
intending to travel in a straight line to the point where I could
still see the smoke ascending. I had not, however, proceeded 100
yards, before I found that my idea of journeying in a straight line
was utterly impracticable. I could walk over the firm soil, and I
could swim the pools; but through the deep masses of soft bog I could
neither walk nor swim; and after a narrow escape from smothering in
one of them, I came to a stand-still. I found, too, that now I was
down in the swamp, I could not see the distant hill which was the
object of my journey, though it was plain, that from any part of the
marsh I might see the little mound on the river's brink which I had
just left. I returned to the mound, and, by the aid of a number of
loose stones which were lying about, contrived to erect a couple of
small fagots of willow-branches, at a distance of about ten feet from
each other, to serve as direction-posts, arranging them so that while
I could see but one of them, I might know that I was in the right
track. Thus I was left at liberty to take a sinuous course in search
of firm ground, as, by making an observation by my telegraph, I could
at any time regain the right path.
It is my decided opinion, that had I been left alone, and suffered to
continue my journey, I should have accomplished the undertaking,
arduous as it was. I had already walked and waded, and swum and
staggered, and floundered along for more than a mile, when I suddenly
caught sight of a ragged, bare-headed figure about half a mile in
advance of me, who was stooping over a stagnant pool, and groping in
the water for something, perhaps leeches, of which he was in search.
Without reflecting for a moment what might be the effect of my sudden
apparition upon the mind of an ignorant boor alone in such a solitude,
and too much overjoyed to think of anything but the overwhelming
delight of securing a 'guide, philosopher, and friend,' I hastened
towards him with all the speed of which I was capable--now clearing a
route among reeds and rushes, and now sinking up to my neck in a pool.
In less than half an hour, I had arrived, panting for breath, to
within a few yards of the pond over the margin of which he was still
bending, with his eyes fixed in the water. Pausing for one moment to
recover my wind, I raised myself to my full height, and hailed him at
the top of my voice with a 'Hola! Mein Herr,' which, like an electric
shock, brought him to his feet in an instant. I saw in a moment that I
had committed a fatal blunder. The poor wretch stood aghast, horrified
beyond the power of description; his white hair stood on end; his
bloodshot eyes were bursting from their sockets; his mouth yawned like
a cavern, and emitted a faint, gurgling sound, and every limb shook
with the agony of fear. I saw that it was necessary to reassure him;
and seeing no other way of approaching him than by swimming the pond,
I entered the water, and, staff in hand, made towards him. Before I
had lessened the distance between us one-half, he had so far recovered
himself as to be able to give utterance to one wild yell of terror,
and to take madly to his heels. When I had swum the pool, and ascended
to the spot which he had left, I saw him running at the top of his
speed, and following a winding route, with which he was evidently
familiar, as he avoided the water and the bogs, and kept on firm
ground. I made an attempt to come up with him; but in my haste trod
upon a piece of loose shale, which, sliding beneath me, threw me upon
the ground, and badly wounded my right foot, so that for the moment I
could proceed no further.
As I sat upon the ground, endeavouring to stanch the fast-flowing
blood from my instep by winding round it some long flags from the
marsh, I watched the poor fellow till he was no longer in sight, and
marked that he never relaxed his pace till he disappeared under the
cluster of trees above which I had first noticed the white smoke
ascending. To cross the marsh without a guide, was now out of the
question; and choosing a dry and mossy spot, I lay down and rested
till the afternoon was far advanced, having made up my mind, if no
succour came from the hamlet, which I now felt assured was not far
from the edge of the marsh, that I would return to the river before it
was dark, and make a last and vigorous attempt to swim to the group of
islands which I had observed in the distance, in one or other of which
I might hope to find human inhabitants. I kept my telegraph in sight,
and, the sun being now low in the horizon, was thinking of retracing
my steps towards it, when, in the act of rising to do so, I saw a
party of men, of whom I distinctly counted fourteen, threading their
well-known way through the marsh, and rapidly advancing towards the
spot where I lay. They had already measured half the distance, and I
might have seen them long before had I happened to look in that
direction. I now congratulated myself that my troubles were over, and
was pondering how I could best shew my gratitude to my deliverers,
when the doubt was suggested to my mind whether they would prove
deliverers or not. I kept my eye steadfastly fixed upon their
movements, and, as they drew nearer, beheld with dismay that they were
all armed, two of them, who led the van, with old muskets, and the
rest with staves, scythes, and bludgeons. It was plain that the old
fool I had frightened away had described me to his countrymen as some
savage monster, and this valiant band had come out against me, to hunt
me to the death. I resolved at once to be sure of their object before
they came to a disagreeable proximity; and with this view, started
suddenly to my feet, and shouted as loud as I could.
My fears were but too well founded. At the first sound of my voice,
the leaders recoiled a few steps upon the main body, who stood still
for a few minutes, apparently in consultation, the result of which
was, that the firearms changed owners, and two bold fellows stepped to
the front, and, levelling their pieces, kept my naked body covered
with their muzzles, and only refrained from pulling triggers until
they should have arrived within killing distance. It was plain I had
no time to lose if I would once more try the river, the only chance
now remaining to me. I turned and hobbled away as fast as my wounded
limb would let me, plunged into the nearest pool, sprawled through the
next bog, crashed through the rushes, hopped along the dry ground upon
one foot, and scrambled helter-skelter towards the river, expecting
every moment to hear the report of the firearms, and to feel a handful
of slugs in my body. Never shall I forget the horrors of that chase. I
distanced my pursuers, however, and arrived at the margin of the
stream without having once presented a fair target to their aim. I did
not pause long upon the brink of the flood. They were now yelling like
blood-hounds, and their cries rung in my ears as I gained the very
spot where I had landed in the morning, and where I again took to the
water like a hunted deer, or rather like a hunted duck, for I dived
under, with as gentle a splash as possible, and keeping beneath the
surface as long as I could hold breath, rose at length a good fifty
yards from the shore, and full two hundred yards lower down.
I had no great cause for congratulation at my escape. The sun was
setting, night coming on, and here was I in the middle of the broad
stream of the Danube, sweeping on at the rate of five or six miles an
hour, with no other prospect in view than that of becoming food for
fishes in a very few hours at furthest, unless I could succeed in
making one of the islands I had seen in the morning. It was a strange
thing that I felt no fatigue, even after swimming an hour. I had
passed several small islands, but the rapid stream which they breasted
broke away so furiously from their sides, that I had not strength to
get near them. In their wake, I could see that the water was calm and
tranquil enough, but that tranquil water I could not reach. By and by,
as the darkness fell, I passed several islands much larger, and was
about attempting to land upon one, when I caught sight of a glimmering
light at a distance in the centre of the stream. I directed my course
towards this in preference; and I perceived as I approached that it
proceeded from a raft, moored off one of the islands, upon which the
crew were probably cooking their evening meal. I knew that if I
approached this raft in front, I should inevitably be sucked under,
and never see the light again; at the same time, if I gave it too wide
a berth, I should as surely be carried past it, in which case I felt
pretty certain that my last chance would be gone. I made a desperate
effort at the very nick of time, and happily succeeded in laying hold
of a rope, which was hanging in the water, by means of which I was
swung round to the stern of the raft, upon which, in a small
timber-hut, I could see the crew discussing their supper.
Now that the struggle was over, and my safety secure, all my courage
and strength too vanished at once: I felt as weak as a child, and as
pusillanimous as a woman, and the hot tears ran down my cheeks like
rain. It was as much as I could do to hail the men, who sat laughing
and chatting over their porridge not three yards from me, as I
clutched the rope with the energy of a drowning man. They started up
at the sound of my cry, and in an instant lifted me on board. They
were Germans, fortunately; and I gave them to understand in a few
words, that I had been bathing, and having been carried away by the
stream, had narrowly escaped drowning. I was in no humour to put them
in possession of my whole miserable adventure, which it is more than
probable they would not have credited if I had. Having rubbed myself
dry, one of them lent me a blouse, and offered me food, which, plain
as it was, I was but too glad to accept; but before I had eaten a
mouthful, an old man made his appearance, bearing slippers, cloak, and
cap, and invited me to follow him to his house upon the island, where
I might pass the night, and cross over to the mainland in the morning.
I followed him across a plank, and beneath the shadow of some
willow-trees, to his humble dwelling. He told me that he and his
family were the sole inhabitants of the island, and that he united the
three professions of fisherman, innkeeper, and rope-maker, and thus
managed to make a livelihood. His guests were almost exclusively the
navigators on the river, who frequently moored for the night off his
island, and partook of such entertainment as he could supply. He sent
his fish to market when he caught more than he could consume, and he
and his children made ropes and cordage, for which also he had a ready
sale on the river. Pending this communication, he prepared me a
substantial supper, to which I did ample justice, and then shewed me,
at my request, to a small, neat chamber, where I sought and found the
repose I so much needed.
I sank into a profound slumber, heavy and dreamless, within a minute
after I lay down--the result, no doubt, of the utter exhaustion of
every faculty, both of body and mind. Possessing a vigorous
constitution, and a perfectly healthy frame, I escaped the reaction of
nervous excitement, which most persons in similar circumstances would
have undergone, and which in many would have terminated in fever and
delirium, and perhaps death. But I did not escape altogether. After I
had lain in total forgetfulness for some hours, my imagination woke up
and plagued me with dreams of indescribable terror and alarm. I was
swimming for whole days and nights together in a shoreless sea, tossed
by storms, and swarming with monsters, one or other of which was
continually seizing me by the foot, and dragging me down; while over
my head foul birds of prey, each and all with the terrified face of
the poor wretch whom I had frightened in the marsh, and clutching
firearms in their semi-human claws, were firing at my head, and
swooping to devour me. To avoid their beaks, I dived madly into the
depths below, where I had to do battle in the dark with the grim and
shapeless monsters of the deep. Then, bursting with the retention of
my breath, I rose again to the surface, and enjoyed a moment's pause,
until the screaming harpies again gathered around me, and, convulsed
with fear, I dived again as the vivid flash from their firearms
dazzled my eyes. While performing one of these violent feats,
occasioned by a flash which appeared to blaze over the whole sky, I
woke suddenly. My landlord, the old fisherman, was standing by my
bedside; he had drawn aside the curtains of my bed, and let the
sunshine in upon my face, the hot gleam of which was doubtless the
blazing flash of my dream. I laughed aloud when I found myself snug in
bed, and proceeded to dress in the old man's best holiday suit, which
he placed at my service. My wounded foot had well-nigh healed in the
night, and I could walk comfortably. During breakfast, I gave the old
man and his daughter the real history of my case, to their unspeakable
astonishment, and consulted them as to my future operations. The
fisherman volunteered to land me at a small village a few miles below,
from whence he would proceed with me to K----, where, upon
representing my case to the magistrates, I should be furnished with
the means of getting back to B----, and recovering my property.
This, in fact, was the only thing I could do. I engaged the fisherman
to accompany me through the whole route; and as he had naturally no
desire to lose sight of me, he made no objection. I had slept thirteen
hours; and it was ten o'clock in the day, when the old man and I, and
his two lads, embarked in the boat for the nearest village. We arrived
there before noon, and he hired a conveyance in which we both
proceeded to the place he had mentioned, a distance of some twenty
miles, which we reached about three in the afternoon. But my companion
had no more of either money or credit, and I was compelled to apply to
the chief magistrate of the town, whom, by good-fortune, we found at
his private residence. He proved a good-natured but rather fussy old
gentleman; and when he had heard my story, which he interrupted with a
thousand demonstrations of horror, alarm, and sympathy, insisted upon
my sharing the hospitality of his house for the night, assuring me
that it would be impossible to proceed that day. I gave a reluctant
consent, upon his promising that he would put me in a condition to
start at an early hour in the morning. Hereupon, consigning my
companion to the charge of a servant, he ushered me into a saloon
adjoining his study, and introduced me to his family, consisting of
two grown-up sons, three daughters, and their mother, to whom I had to
tell my luckless adventures over again. That, however, was not the
worst of it. As the hour of dinner drew near, the house began to fill
with visitors: it was plain that my arrival, and the circumstances
connected with it, had been regularly advertised through the town, and
all the world was flocking to see the new 'lion' which the river had
turned up. And certainly a lion I was, as the play-bills have it, 'for
that night only.' I had to tell my story ten times over, and to submit
to questionings and cross-questionings without number. All this,
perhaps, was but natural enough, considering the circumstances; but it
occasioned me no small annoyance; and feigning excessive fatigue, for
which I had but too good excuse, I retired early to rest, leaving the
assembled guests to pump the old fisherman, which they did to their
hearts' content, and to talk over my adventures at leisure.
A servant awoke me before dawn. A carriage and post-horses stood at
the door, and after I had made a hearty breakfast, my worthy host put
into my hand a letter of introduction to his brother magistrate at
B----. I bade him farewell with many sincere and hearty thanks,
entered the carriage with my companion, and drove off. The distance we
had to go may have been about fifty English miles; but the roads were
in such wretched condition, and the cattle, which we changed seven
times, of such an abominable breed, that night had fallen upon the
town of B---- before we entered it. I drove at once to the little
_gasthof_, where, three days before, at the same hour, I had put up
upon my arrival. The landlord bustled out to receive me as the
carriage stopped at the door; but though I identified him immediately,
he shewed not the slightest symptom of recognising me. I told the
driver to wait, and beckoning the old fisherman to follow, demanded to
be shewn into a private room, and to be favoured with the landlord's
company. He obeyed with the utmost alacrity, and taking a lamp from
the hand of an attendant, led the way to a small room on the first
floor.
'Well, Herr Bernstein,' I said, 'are you not glad to see me back
again?'
'Most happy to see you, gracious sir,' said he; 'but have not the
honour to recollect your gracious person.'
'Indeed! An Englishman, on a black horse, put up here three days ago
at this hour--surely you recollect that?'
'Ah, too well I recollect that. Poor English gentleman--a countryman
of yours, perhaps a friend--ah! dear God! drowned--unhappy
man--carried away by the river in the morning before any of us were
up.' Here he wrung his hands in evident sorrow: 'Ah, that stupid
Grute! why did he let the gentleman bathe in the Danube?'
'Stop!' said I; 'let me put an end to your regret--_I_ am that
Englishman!'
'You--you!' cried he, as he staggered back into a seat. 'But it cannot
be--it is impossible. I do not recollect you: you are deceiving me!
Sir, it is a cruel jest.'
'It is no jest,' said I; 'Heaven be praised. Where is Grute, as you
call him? He will tell you whether it is a jest.'
Grute was the filthy stableman; and the landlord, half-dreaming, ran
off to fetch him--a most unfortunate circumstance, as it put the rogue
upon his guard, and prepared him for the part which it was necessary
for his safety that he should play. The landlord returned in two
minutes, dragging Grute in with him. I saw by the sudden pallor of the
fellow's countenance, and the quivering of his lip, that he recognised
me on the instant; but he looked doggedly around him, without
manifesting any surprise; and when his master pointed me out as the
Englishman supposed to have been drowned, the fellow laughed brutally,
and said the attempt wouldn't do, as I was too tall by half a head. I
perceived the truth at once. He had made free with the contents of my
pockets, in which I had left a few gold pieces, and for his
character's sake he could not afford to admit my identity. The
landlord plainly mistrusted my tale, now that he had heard the
evidence of the stableman, and began to assume a very different tone,
and to talk cavalierly of a reference to a magistrate. This reminded
me of the letter in my pocket, and I insisted that he should
immediately accompany me to the house of the chief-magistrate, who
should judge between us. He shewed himself provokingly willing to
comply with my demand, and, following me down stairs, entered the
carriage. As we drove along, I inquired as to the fate of my valise,
my clothes, and my horse; which latter, especially, I described in a
way that appeared to stagger him. They were all, he said, in the
magistrate's custody, and I should hear more of them, and doubtless
recover them, if they _were_ mine, when my claim was decided on. We
found the important functionary at supper. I requested a private
interview, which was granted, when I presented the letter of my host
at K----, and waited to see the effect of its perusal. I had to wait a
long while, for my hospitable friend had indulged in a long-winded
account of the whole adventure, which it took a good half-hour to get
through. The effect of the narrative was, however, all that I could
have desired: the worthy magistrate asked me a few questions, as he
was pleased to observe, for form's sake, relative to the contents of
the valise, which he had himself inspected, and I replied
satisfactorily. He shook me heartily by the hand, congratulated me on
my miraculous and providential escape, not forgetting my marvellous
prowess as a swimmer; and, calling in the landlord of the inn and the
old fisherman, wrote out in their presence an order for the
restoration of my property, and a warrant for the apprehension of
Grute, who, it appeared, had helped himself to all my loose cash, with
the exception of a single dollar.
There was racing and chasing after Grute during the whole night, but
he had had the wit to take himself out of the way. My valise had
luckily not been tampered with; the contents were all as I left them;
and I had the happiness of rewarding the honest fisherman for the
pains he had taken in my behalf, and the confidence he had reposed in
me. My poor horse had not been treated so well. In accordance with
some old statute, of which I know nothing, he had been claimed by the
commandant of a small military force stationed in the place, and had
been compelled to commence a course of training, under a heavy
dragoon, for the military service. As he had received but one or two
lessons, which consisted almost exclusively of an unlimited allowance
of whip, he had not profited much by instruction. In fact, he had lost
his temper without gaining anything in discipline, and I was
eventually obliged to part with him, from the impossibility of bearing
with his strange antics. He had cost me fifty guineas in London, and I
sold him for fewer thalers to a German dealer, who, no doubt, speedily
found him a berth in some barrack, where he completed his education
for the army. Altogether, my extraordinary swim, taking expenses out
of pocket and loss of time into account, cost me something over a
hundred guineas, and all I got in exchange for them, was the
reputation of a Munchausen whenever I dared to open my mouth on the
subject, and a perennial liability to nightmare, with the repetition
and aggravation of all the worst horrors of that miserable day.[1]