Chapter XIII: Part 13

They accordingly sailed for[5] St. Helena in August 1871, and on the 6th of November left St. Helena for Tristan in an American whaler bound on a cruise[6] in the South Atlantic. The captain of the whaler, who had been often at Tristan d’Acunha, had some doubt of the reception which the young men would get[7] if they went as permanent settlers[8] there, and he spoke so strongly of the advantages of Inaccessible Island, on account of the greater productiveness of the soil, and of its being the centre[9] of the seal-fishing, that they changed their plans and were landed on the west side of Inaccessible Island on the 27th of November 1871,—early in summer. A quarter of an hour after, the whaler departed, leaving them the only inhabitants of one of the most remote spots on the face of the earth. They do not seem, however, to have been in the least depressed by their isolation.

The same day the younger brother clambered up to the plateau with the help of the tussock grass[10], in search of goats or pigs, and remained there all night, and on the following day the two set to work to build themselves a hut for shelter. They had reached the end of their voyage by no means unprovided, and the inventory of their belongings[11] is curious.

[1] +in der Gegend der Inseln.+

[2] = he persuaded (+gewinnen+, str. v. tr.) his brother for his plan.

[3] +überein´kommen+; to join — to Tristan = to undertake the adventurous voyage to Tristan.

[4] = earn.

[5] = to.

[6] The vessel is bound on a cruise in the Atlantic, +das Schiff ist dazu bestimmt, im atlantischen Ozean umherzukreuzen+.

[7] had — get = doubted (+zweifelte daran+) that the young men would be kindly (+freundlich+) received (+aufnehmen+). Use the active voice with ‘+man+’.

[8] He went there as a permanent settler, +er ließ sich dort dauernd nieder+.

[9] = and of its central (+zentral+) position for seal-fishing.

[10] +das Tussockgras.+

[11] here +Habseligkeiten+, Nom. Pl.

_Section 237._

A CURIOUS STORY.

V.

They had an old whale-boat[1] which they had bought at St. Helena, with mast, sails, and oars, three spars for a roof, a door, and a glazed window; a wheel-barrow, two spades and a shovel, two pickaxes, a saw, a hammer, two chisels, two or three gimlets, and some nails; a kettle, a frying-pan, two sauce-pans, knives and forks, and some crockery; two blankets each, and empty covers[2] which they afterwards filled with sea-birds’ down. They had a lamp, a bottle of oil, and six dozen boxes of Bryant and May’s matches.

For internal use[3] they had two hundred pounds _of_ flour, two hundred pounds _of_ rice, one hundred pounds _of_ biscuits, twenty pounds _of_ coffee, ten pounds _of_ tea, thirty pounds _of_ sugar, three pounds _of_ table-salt, a little pepper, eight pounds _of_ tobacco, five bottles _of_ gin, six bottles _of_ Cape wine[4], six bottles _of_ vinegar, and some Epsom salts. A barrel _of_ coarse salt was provided for curing seal-skins, and forty empty casks were intended for oil. Their arms and ammunition consisted of a short English rifle, an old German fowling-piece, two and a half pounds _of_ powder, two hundred bullets, and four sheath-knives[5]. The captain of the whaler gave them some seed potatoes, and they had a collection of the ordinary garden seeds.

When they had been four days on the island, they had a visit from a party of men from Tristan, who had come on their annual sealing excursion. They were ten days on Inaccessible, and were very friendly in their intercourse with the new comers.

[1] the whale-boat, +das beim Wallfischfang gebräuchliche Boot+. We have not a compound noun to render the English term. Say ‘They had an old boat, which had been used (+benutzt+) for whale-fishing and which they had bought in (S. 46, N. 6) the Island _of_ St. Helena.

[2] here +Überzug+, m., pl. +Überzüge+.

[3] +Für ihre körperlichen Bedürfnisse.+

[4] +Kapwein+, m.

[5] +Jagdmesser+, m.

_Section 238._

A CURIOUS STORY.

VI.

They told them that the north side of the island was better suited for a settlement, and transported all their goods (S. 236, N. 11) thither in one of their boats. Being familiar with the place, they showed them generally their way about and the different passes by which the plateau might be reached, and they taught them how to build[1] to withstand the violent winds, and how to thatch with tussock-grass. Immediately after they left, the brothers set about building a house and clearing some ground[2] for potatoes and other vegetables. They killed nineteen seals, and prepared the skins, but they were unable to make any[3] quantity of oil. Towards the end of the sealing season their boat got damaged in the surf, and they were obliged to cut it in two[4], patch up the best half of it, and use it as best they could[5] in smooth weather, close to shore.

They went from time to time to the upper plateau and shot goats and pigs. When they first arrived, they counted a flock of twenty-three goats; three of these were killed during the summer of 1871-1872 by the Tristan people (S. 157, N. 4), and six by themselves; the remaining fourteen remained over the winter of 1872. The flesh of the goats they found extremely delicate. Pigs were much more numerous, but their flesh was not so palatable, from their feeding[6] principally on sea-birds; that of the boars was especially rank. They found the pigs very valuable, however, in yielding an abundant supply of lard[7], which they used for frying their potatoes.

[1] = how they must (Imp. Subj.) build.

[2] to clear the ground (= land), +eine Strecke Landes urbar machen+.

[3] here +erzielen+; any = a large.

[4] to cut in two, +entzwei´schneiden+, sep. comp. irr. v.

[5] = as well as possible.

[6] from their feeding = as they lived; on, +von+.

[7] in — lard = on account of their lard (+Schmalz+, n.).

_Section 239._

A CURIOUS STORY.

VII.

In the month of April 1872, a singular misfortune befell them. While burning some of the brushwood below to make a clearing, the tussock-grass in the gully[1], by which they had been in the habit[2] of ascending the cliff, caught fire, and as it had been only by its assistance that they had been able to scramble up to the plateau, their only hunting-ground was now inaccessible from the strip of beach on which their hut and garden stood, which was closed in on either side by a headland jutting into the sea. While their half-boat remained seaworthy, they were able to paddle round in fine weather to the west side of the island, where there was an access to the top; but the “sea-cart,” as they called it, was washed off the beach and broken up in June, and after that the only way they had of reaching the plateau was by swimming round the headland—a risky feat, even in the finest weather, in these wild regions.

In winter it was found to be impossible to reach the terrace, and as their supply of food was low, they experienced considerable privations during their first winter. Their daily allowance of food was reduced to a quantity just sufficient to maintain life, and in August they were little better than skeletons[3].

Help was, however, near. Early in August a multitude of penguins landed[4] hard by their hut,—stupid[5] animals, which will scarcely get out of one’s way, and are easily knocked down with a stick[6], and with fleshy breasts, wholesome enough, though with a rather fishy taste; and in the end of August the females began to lay large blue eggs, sufficiently delicate in flavour.

[1] +Vertiefung+, f.

[2] I was in the habit of ascending the mountain every day, +ich pflegte täglich den Berg zu ersteigen+.

[3] = +und im August waren sie fast zu Skeletten geworden.+

[4] = settled, +sich niederlassen+.

[5] Begin a new period here and say: ‘These are stupid animals’, etc.

[6] and — stick, +sich leicht mit einem Stock niederschlagen lassen+; and with — taste = and have a fleshy breast, which (supply +zwar+ here) yields (+bieten+) a wholesome food, but (+jedoch+) possesses a rather (+etwas+) fishy taste.—The whole period is difficult to translate into good German; the author considers it therefore necessary to assist the student.

_Section 240._

A CURIOUS STORY.

VIII.

A French barque hove-to off the beach[1] in the middle of September, and in her they shipped their seal-skins, and bartered penguins’ eggs with her for biscuits and tobacco. Had the bark arrived a week earlier, the brothers would have left the island; but the eggs had set them up again[2], and they determined to remain a little longer. In October, a schooner, which proved[3] to be “The Themis,” a whaler from the cape of Good Hope, was seen standing towards the island. A gale _of wind_ blew[4] her off for a couple of days, but she returned and landed some men from Tristan, who had crossed[5] to see what the hermits were about[6]. Their guests remained a day and a half, and then returned to Tristan.

Early in November, that is, early in the second summer, the brothers thus swam round the eastern headland:—Frederick with their blankets, the rifle, and a spare suit of clothes[7]—Gustav with powder, matches, and the kettle in an oil-cask. They mounted by the help of the tussock-grass to the top of the cliff, went over to the west side of the plateau, and there built a small hut, where they remained a month, living on goats’ flesh and fresh pork.

On the 10th of December they returned home, mended their thatch, dug[8] the early potatoes, and put the garden in order.

On the 19th of December the Tristan men made their second sealing expedition. They remained nine days on the island, and killed forty seals, one sea-elephant, and eight of the remaining[9] twelve goats. They left some flour in exchange for an oil-cask, and this was the last communication between the brothers and the outer world until the “Challenger” called eight months later.

[1] +legte sich ... unweit der Insel vor Anker.+

[2] = had strengthened them again.

[3] +sich erweisen als.+

[4] = drove.

[5] = who had come over.

[6] = doing.

[7] a spare suit of clothes, +ein Reserveanzug+, m.

[8] here +auf´nehmen+; early potatoes, +frühzeitige Kartoffeln+.

[9] +noch übrig.+

_Section 241._

A CURIOUS STORY.

IX.

In January Frederick swam round the point[1] again, and mounted the cliff. He shot four pigs, ran[2] the fat into buckets, and threw the hams down to his brother on the beach below. He saw the four last goats, but spared[3] them to increase their number. In February a boat came to the west side from Tristan, and its crew killed the four goats, and departed without communicating with the Stoltenhoffs[4].

The relations between the Tristan people and the brothers does not appear to have been so cordial latterly as it was at first, and the Stoltenhoffs believe that[5] the intention of their neighbours in killing the goats, and in delaying from time to time to bring them some live stock, which they had promised them, was to force them to leave the island. It may have been so, for the Tristan men had been in the habit of making a yearly sealing expedition to Inaccessible Island, and no doubt the presence of the energetic strangers lessened their chance of success.

In March the brothers once more swam round the point, and ascended the cliff. After staying on the plateau together for a few days, it was settled that Frederick should remain above to procure (S. 58, N. 8) a stock of lard for the winter, Gustav returning to the hut and storing it[6]. When a pig was killed, the hide, with the fat in it, was rolled up, secured with thongs of skin, and thrown over the cliff, where Gustav then ran the lard into a cask.

[1] +Landspitze+, f.

[2] +laufen lassen.+

[3] +verschonen.+

[4] = without having seen the Stoltenhoffs.

[5] = that their neighbours killed the goats and delayed, etc., ... in order to force them, etc.

[6] +um es zuzubereiten.+

_Section 242._

A CURIOUS STORY.

X.

During the second winter, the privations of the brothers do not seem to have been great. They were getting accustomed to their mode of life, and had always sufficient food, such as it was[1]. They were remarkably well educated. Both could speak and read English fluently, and the elder had a good knowledge of French. Their library consisted of eight volumes: Schoedler’s Natural History, a German Atlas, Charles O’Malley, Captain Morrell’s Voyages, two old volumes of a monthly magazine[2], Hamlet and Coriolanus with French notes, and Schiller’s poems. These books they came to know almost by heart[3], but they had considerable resources in themselves, in the intelligent interest they took in the ever-changing appearances of nature.

When the “Challenger” arrived, they were preparing for another summer; but the peculiar food, and the want of variety in it, were beginning to tell upon them, for all their original stores were exhausted, with the exception of the Epsom salts, which were untouched, neither of them having had an hour’s illness during their sojourn; and they were heartily glad of a passage to the Cape.

Frederick came to the ship before we left for the South in December. He was then comfortably settled in a situation in a merchant’s office in Cape Town, and Gustav was on his way home to see his people[4] before resuming the thread of his roving sailor’s life.—W. J. J. SPRY, “THE CRUISE OF THE CHALLENGER.”

[1] and — was = and the food at their disposal (+und die ihnen zu Gebote stehende Nahrung+) was at least always sufficient (+ausreichend+).

[2] a monthly magazine, +eine Monatsschrift+.

[3] = they knew at last almost by heart.

[4] = friends or relations.

_Section 243._

HOW THE BANK OF ENGLAND WAS HUMBLED.

I.

Once, many years ago, a bill of exchange for a large amount was drawn[1] by Anselm Rothschild, of Frankfort, on Nathan Rothschild, of London. When the gentleman who held it arrived in London, Nathan was away, and he took the bit of paper to the Bank of England and asked them to discount it.

The managers were very stiff. With haughty assurance they informed the holder that they discounted only their own bills; they said they had nothing to do with the bills of private persons. They did not stop to reflect with whom they had to deal. Those shrewd old gentlemen in charge of the bank of the realm should have known and remembered that that bit of paper bore the signature of a man more powerful than they—more powerful, because independent of a thousand-and-one hampers that rested upon them. “Umph,” exclaimed Nathan Rothschild, when the answer of the Bank was repeated to him. “Private persons! I will let these important gentlemen know with what sort of private persons they have to deal.”

And then Nathan Rothschild went to work. He had an object in view[2]—to humble the Bank of England—and he meant to do it[3]. He sent agents to the Continent and through the United Kingdom, and three weeks were spent in gathering up notes of the smaller denominations of the Bank’s own issue[4].

One morning, bright and early, Nathan Rothschild presented himself at the Bank, and drew forth from his pocket-book a five-pound note, which he desired to have cashed. Five sovereigns were counted out to him, the officers looking with astonishment upon seeing Baron Rothschild troubling himself personally about so trivial a matter. The baron examined the coins one by one, and, having satisfied himself of their good quality, slipped them into a canvas bag, and then drew out and presented another five-pound note. The same operation was repeated, save that the baron took the trouble to take a small pair of scales from his pocket to weigh one of the pieces, for the law gave him that right.

[1] to draw a bill of exchange, +einen Wechsel ziehen+.

[2] +Er hatte sich das Ziel gesteckt.+

[3] +und er wollte alles daran setzen, dies Ziel zu erreichen.+

[4] in gathering — issue, +die auf kleinere Summen lautenden, von der englischen Bank in Umlauf gesetzten Banknoten aufzukaufen+.

_Section 244._

HOW THE BANK OF ENGLAND WAS HUMBLED.

II.

Two—three—ten—twenty—a hundred—five hundred five-pound notes were presented and cashed. When one pocket-book was emptied, another was brought forth; and when a canvas bag had been filled with gold, it was passed to a servant who was in waiting. And so he went on until the hour arrived for closing the Bank; at the same time he had nine of the employés of his house engaged in the same work. So it resulted that ten men of the house of Rothschild had kept every teller[1] of the Bank busy for seven hours, and exchanged _somewhere_ about £22,000. Not another customer had been able to get his wants attended to. The English like oddity. Let a man do anything original, and they will generally applaud. So the people of the Bank contrived to smile[2] at the eccentricity of Baron Rothschild, and when the time came for closing the Bank, they were not a tenth part so much annoyed as were[3] the customers from abroad[4] whose business had not been attended to. The bank officials smiled that evening, but—

On the following morning, when the bank opened[5], Nathan Rothschild appeared again, accompanied by his nine faithful helpers, this time bringing with him, as far as the street entrance, four heavy two-horse drays, for the purpose of carting away the gold, for to-day the baron had bills of a larger amount. Ah! the officers of the Bank smiled no more, and a trembling seized them when the banker monarch said, with stern simplicity and directness:

“Ah! these gentlemen refuse to take my bills! Be it so. I am resolved that I will not keep one of theirs. It is the House of Rothschild against the Bank of England[6].” The Bank of England opened its eyes very wide. Within a week, the House of Rothschild could be demanding gold which it did not possess. The gentlemen at the head of affairs saw very plainly that in a determined tilt[7] the Bank must go to the wall[8]. There was but one way out of the dilemma, and they took it. Notice was at once publicly given[9] that thenceforth the Bank of England would cash the bills of Rothschild _the same_ as its own.—TIT-BITS.

[1] = cashier, +Kassierer+.

[2] contrived to smile = smiled.

[3] they — were, +ärgerten sie sich nicht halb so sehr, wie+.

[4] ‘the customers from abroad’ seems to be used here in the sense of ‘the numerous customers’.

[5] = was opened.

[6] +Es handelt sich darum, ob das Haus Rothschild oder die englische Bank den Sieg davon tragen wird!+

[7] = struggle, +Kampf+, m.

[8] to go to the wall, +den kürzeren ziehen+.

[9] +Es wurde öffentlich angezeigt.+

_Section 245._

MORGAN PRUSSIA[1].

I.

Morgan, the gay and handsome son of a low Irish farmer, tired of home, went to take the chances of the world, and seek his fortune. By what means he traversed England, or made his way to France, is not told. But he at length crossed France, and, probably without much knowledge or much care whether he was moving to the north or the south pole, found himself in the Prussian territory. This was in the day of Frederick William I. (1713-1740), famous for his tall regiment of guards. He had but one ambition, that of inspecting twice a day a regiment of a thousand grenadiers, not one of whom was less than six feet and a half high. Morgan was an Irish giant, and was instantly seized by the Prussian recruiting sergeants, who forced him to “volunteer” into the tall battalion. This turn of fate was totally out of the Irishman’s calculation; and the prospect of carrying a musket till his dying day on the Potsdam parade[2], after having made up his mind to live by his wits and rove the world, more than once tempted him to think of leaving his musket and honour behind him, and fairly trying his chance for escape. But the attempt was always found impracticable; the frontier was too closely watched, and Morgan still marched up and down the Potsdam parade with a disconsolate heart, when one evening a Turkish recruit was brought in; for the king looked to nothing but the thews and sinews of a man, and the Turk was full seven feet high.

“How much did his majesty give for catching that heathen?” said Morgan to his corporal. “Four hundred dollars[3],” was the answer. Morgan burst out into an exclamation of astonishment at this waste of royal treasure upon a Turk. “Why, they cannot be got for less,” replied the corporal. “What a pity my five brothers cannot hear of it!” said Morgan, “I am a dwarf to any one of them, and the sound of half the money would bring them all over immediately.” As the discovery of a tall recruit was the well-known road to favoritism, five were worth at least a pair of colours to the corporal[4]. The conversation was immediately carried to the sergeant, and from him, through the gradation of officers, to the colonel, who took the first opportunity of mentioning it to the king. The colonel was instantly ordered to question Morgan; but he at once lost all recollection of the subject. “He had no brothers; he had made the regiment his father, and mother, and relations, and there he hoped to live and die.” But he was urged still more strongly, and at length confessed that he had brothers, even above the regimental standard, but that nothing on earth could stir them from their spades.

[1] +Morgan der Preuße.+

[2] +auf dem Paradeplatz zu Potsdam.+

[3] +Thaler.+

[4] five — corporal, +so würden fünf derselben dem Korporal wenigstens eine Fähnrichsstelle eintragen+.

_Section 246._

MORGAN PRUSSIA.

II.

After some time the king inquired for the five recruits, and was indignant when he was told of the impossibility of enlisting them. “Send the fellow himself,” he exclaimed, “and let him bring them back.” The order was given; but Morgan was broken-hearted “at the idea of so long an absence from the regiment.” He applied to the colonel to have the order revoked, or at least given to some one else. But this was out of the question, for the king’s word was always irrevocable; and Morgan, with a disconsolate face, prepared to set out upon his mission. But a new difficulty struck him. “How was he to make his brothers come, unless he showed them the recruiting money?” This objection was at last obviated by the advance of a sum equal to about three hundred pounds sterling, as a first instalment for the purchase of his family. Like a loyal grenadier the Irishman was now ready to attempt anything for his colonel or his king, and Morgan began his journey. But, as he was stepping out of the gates of Potsdam, another difficulty occurred; and he returned to tell the colonel that of all people existing the Irish were the most apt to doubt a traveller’s story, they being in the habit of a good deal of exercise in that style themselves[1]; and that when he should go back to his own country, and tell them of the capital treatment and sure promotion that a soldier met with in the guards, the probability was, that they would laugh in his face. As to the money, “there were some who would not scruple to say that he stole it, or tricked some one out of it. But, undoubtedly, when they saw him walking back only as a common soldier, he was sure they would not believe a syllable, let him say what he would about rising in the service.”

The objection was intelligible enough, and the colonel represented it to the king, who, doubly outrageous at the delay, swore a grenadier’s oath, ordered Morgan to be made a sub-lieutenant, and, with sword and epaulets, sent him instantly across the Rhine to convince his five brothers of the rapidity of Prussian promotion. Morgan flew to his home in the county _of_ Carlow, delighted the firesides for many a mile round with his having outwitted a king and a whole battalion of grenadiers, laid out his recruiting money on land, and became a man of estate at the expense of the Prussian treasury.

One ceremony remains to be recorded. Once a year, on the anniversary of the day on which he left Potsdam and its giants behind, he climbed a hill within a short distance of his house, turned himself in the direction of Prussia, and, with the most contemptuous gesture which he could contrive, bade good-bye to his majesty. The ruse was long a great source of amusement, and its hero, like other heroes, bore through life the name earned by his exploit—Morgan Prussia.—KING GEORGE THE FOURTH.

[1] they being — themselves, +da auch sie im Erzählen von dergleichen Geschichten eine große Fertigkeit besäßen+.

_Section 247._

THE TERRIBLE WINTER OF 1784.

About the middle of the month of April, in the year 1784, three hundred thousand miserable beings, dying from cold and hunger, groaned in Paris alone—in that Paris where, in spite of the boast that scarcely another city contained so many rich people, nothing had been prepared to prevent the poor from perishing of cold and wretchedness.

For the last four months, the same leaden sky had driven the poor from the villages into the town, as it sent the wolves from the woods into the villages.

No more bread. No more wood.

No more bread for those who felt this cold—and no more wood to bake it. All the provisions which had been collected, Paris had devoured in a month. The Provost, short-sighted and incapable, did not know how to procure for Paris, which was under his care, the wood which might have been collected in the neighbourhood. When it froze, he said the frost prevented the horses from bringing it; when it thawed, he pleaded want of horses and conveyances. Louis XVI., ever good and humane, always ready to attend to the physical wants of his people, although he overlooked their social ones, began by contributing a sum of 200,000 francs for horses and carts, and insisting on their immediate use. Still the demand continued greater than the supply.

At first no one was allowed to carry away from the public timber-yard more than a cart-load of wood; then that was limited to half the quantity. Soon long strings of people might be seen waiting outside the timber-yards, as they were afterwards seen at the bakers’ shops. The king gave away the whole of his private income in charity. He procured 3,000,000 francs by a grant and applied it to the relief of the sufferers, declaring that every other need must give way before that of cold and famine. The queen, on her part, gave 500 louis from her purse. The convents, the hospitals, and the public buildings were thrown open as places of asylum for the poor, who came in crowds for the sake of the fires that were kept there.

They kept hoping for a thaw, but heaven seemed inflexible. Every evening the same copper-coloured sky disappointed their hopes; and the stars shone bright and clear as funeral torches through the long, cold nights, which hardened again and again the snow that fell during the day. All day long, thousands of workmen, with spades and shovels, cleared away the snow from before the houses, so that on each side of the streets, already too narrow for the traffic, rose a high, thick wall, blocking up the way. Soon these masses of snow and ice became so large that the shops were obscured by them, and they were obliged to allow it to remain where it fell.

Paris could do no more. She gave in, and allowed the winter to do its worst. December, January, February, and March passed thus, although now and then a few days’ thaw changed the streets, whose sewers were blocked up, into running streams. Horses were drowned, and carriages destroyed, in the streets, some of which could only be traversed in boats. People went to the markets to see the fisherwomen serving their customers with immense leathern boots on, inside which their trousers were pushed, and with their petticoats tucked round their waists, all laughing, gesticulating, and splashing each other as they stood in the water.

These thaws, however, were but transitory; the frost returned, harder and more obstinate than ever, and recourse was had to sledges, pushed along by skaters, or drawn by roughshod horses along the causeways, which were like polished mirrors. The Seine, frozen many feet deep, had become the place of rendezvous for all idlers, who assembled there to skate or slide, until, warmed by exercise, they ran to the nearest fire, lest the perspiration should freeze upon them. All trembled for the time when, the water communications being stopped, and the roads impassable, provisions could no longer be sent in, and began to fear that Paris would perish from want.

The king, in this extremity, called a council. They decided to implore all bishops, abbés, and monks to leave Paris and retire to their dioceses or convents; and all those magistrates and officials who, preferring the opera to their duties, had crowded to Paris, to return to their homes; for all these people used large quantities of wood in their hotels, and consumed no small amount of food. There were still the country gentlemen, who were also to be entreated to leave. But M. Lenoir, lieutenant of police, observed to the king that, as none of these people were criminals, and could not therefore be compelled to leave Paris in a day, they would probably be so long thinking about it, that the thaw would come before their departure, which would then be more hurtful than useful.

All this care and pity of the king and queen, however, excited the ingenious gratitude of the people, who raised monuments to them, as ephemeral as the feelings which prompted them. Obelisks and pillars of snow and ice, engraved with their names, were to be seen all over Paris.

At the end of March the thaw began, but by fits and starts, constant returns of frost prolonging the miseries of the people. Indeed, in the beginning of April it appeared to set in harder than ever, and the half-thawed streets, frozen again, became so slippery and dangerous, that nothing was seen but broken limbs and accidents of all kinds. The snow prevented the carriages from being heard, and the police had enough to do, through the reckless driving of the aristocracy, to preserve from the wheels those who were spared by cold and hunger.—AFTER ALEXANDER DUMAS, “THE QUEEN’S NECKLACE.”

_Section 248._

A STORY WORTH READING.

I.

Soon after the promulgation of Methodism[1] in England it spread with great rapidity over the counties of Devon and Cornwall, and especially among the miners and lower orders. For a long period after its introduction the clergy and higher classes of society in the west of England manifested a dislike to the new doctrines which can scarcely be imagined in these days of modern toleration. It was thought by many young gentlemen good sport to break the windows and nail up the doors of a Methodist chapel[2]. The robbery of a Wesleyan preacher[3], as a spree, by two young gentlemen, became the subject of an investigation, and the frolicsome young men had to pay very dearly for their practical joke.

Among the uninstructed local preachers was one known by the name of “The Old Gardener.” This old man was no common character—indeed he was quite original, and by far the most popular preacher among the disciples of John Wesley in the vicinity.

He kept a small nursery garden about two miles from the town of St. A——, working hard at his occupation of gardener by day, and praying and preaching to his fellow-sinners, as he called them, in the evening. He lived in the poorest manner, giving away all the surplus of his earnings in charity, distributing Bibles, and promoting to the utmost of his ability the extension of Methodism. His complexion was a sort of dirty, dark, iron grey, and his whole appearance lean and grotesque. Although extremely ignorant, he possessed no small degree of cunning; of this the following incident affords ample evidence:—

“The Old Gardener” was once subjected to a burglary and attempt at robbery. He lived with his wife in a small and somewhat dilapidated cottage, not far from the high road. Three young “squires,” who all despised and hated Methodism, having heard that the old man had been recently making a collection to build a Methodist chapel, thought it would be a good frolic to rob him temporarily of the proceeds of this collection. The result of the frolic is best related in the words of one of the actors:—

“We set out,” said he, “upon our expedition with blackened faces, upon a dark night, a little before twelve o’clock. We had dined late, and all of us had Dutch as well as Cornish courage; yet I confess, when it came to the point[4], I felt myself a coward. I began to reflect that it was but a dastardly frolic to frighten the poor old man and his wife in the dead of night.”

“The clock struck twelve. ‘Now comes the watching time of the night,’ exclaimed Tom.”

“‘Don’t let us frighten the poor couple out of their wits,’ said I.”

“‘No,’ said Ryder, ‘we will be gentle robbers—gentle as Robin Hood and Little John.’”

“I said that I would rather return than proceed. ‘Recollect,’ said I, ‘the old fellow is an old soldier, as well as a saint, and fears nothing human.’”

“‘Nonsense,’ exclaimed Ryder, ‘here goes[5].’ He pressed the feeble door of the cottage in which the old man resided; it immediately gave way and flew open. We entered and found ourselves in a sort of kitchen. To our great surprise there was a light shining from an inner room. This made us all hesitate.”

[1] Nom. +die Lehre der Methodisten+.

[2] of a — chapel, +einer den Methodisten gehörenden Kapelle+.

[3] +eines wesleyischen Predigers.+

[4] +als es wirklich ernst wurde.+

[5] +komm nur!+

_Section 249._

A STORY WORTH READING.

II.

“‘Who is out there at this time of the night?’ exclaimed a hoarse voice from within. I knew it to be the unmistakable voice of ‘The Old Gardener.’”

“‘Give us your money, and no harm shall befal you,’ said Tom, ‘but we must have your money.’”

“‘The Lord will be my defence,’ rejoined ‘The Old Gardener.’ ‘You shall have no money from me; all in the house is the Lord’s—take it if you dare.’”

“‘We must and will have it,’ said we, as we entered the inner room, after taking the precaution of fastening the chamber-door as we entered.”

“We soon wished we had suffered it to remain open, as you will see.”

“Now, consider us face to face with ‘The Old Gardener,’ and a pretty sight was presented. Three ruffians (ourselves) with white waggoners’ frocks and blackened faces; before us ‘The Old Gardener,’ sitting on the side of his bed. He wore a red worsted nightcap, a checked shirt, and a flannel jacket; his iron grey face, fringed with a grizzly beard, looking as cool and undismayed as if he had been in the pulpit preaching.”

“A table was by the side of the bed, and immediately in front of him, on a large deal table, was an open Bible, close to which we observed, to our horror, a heap of gunpowder, large enough to blow up a castle. A candle was burning on the table, and the old fellow had a steel in one hand and a large flint in the other. We were all three paralysed. The wild, iron-faced, determined look of ‘The Old Gardener,’ the candle, flint and steel, and the great heap of powder, absolutely froze our blood, and made cowards of us all. The gardener saw the impression he had made.”

“‘What! do you want to rob and murder?’ exclaimed he; ‘I think you had better join with me in prayer, miserable sinners that you all are! Repent, and you may be saved. You will soon be in another world.’”

“Ryder first recovered his speech.”

“‘Please to hear me, Mr. Gardener. I feel that we have been wrong, and if we may depart we will make reparation, and give you all the money we have in our pockets.’”

“We laid our purses on the table before him.”

“‘The Lord has delivered you into my hands. It was so revealed to me in a dream. We shall all soon be in another world. Pray, let us pray.’”

“And down he fell upon his knees, close to the table, with the candle burning, and the ugly flint and steel in his hand. He prayed and prayed. At last he appeared exhausted. He stopped and eyed the purses, and then emptied one of them out on the table. He appeared surprised, and, I thought, gratified at the largeness of its contents.”

“We now thought we should have leave to retire; but, to our dismay, ‘The Old Gardener’ said:

“‘Now, we will praise God by singing the 100th Psalm.’”

“This was agony to us all. After the Psalm, the old man took up the second purse, and while he was examining its contents, Ryder, who was close behind Tom and myself, whispered softly:

“‘I have unfastened the door, and when you hear me move, make a rush.’”

“‘The Old Gardener,’ then, pouring out the contents of the second purse, exclaimed:

“‘Why, there is almost enough to build our new house of God. Let me see what the third contains.’”

“He took up the third purse.”

“‘Now,’ whispered Ryder, ‘make a rush.’”

“We did so; and at the same moment heard the old fellow hammering away at his flint and steel. We expected to be instantly blown into fragments. The front door, however, flew open before us: and the next moment we found ourselves in the garden. The night was pitchy dark. We rushed blindly through brambles and prickly shrubs, ran our heads against trees, and then forced our way through a thick hedge. At last, with scratched faces, torn hands, and tattered clothes, we tumbled over a bank into the high road.

_Section 250._

A STORY WORTH READING.

III.

“Our horses we soon found, and we galloped to Ryder’s residence. Lights were produced, and we sat down. We were black, ragged, and dirty. We looked at each other, and, in spite of our miserable adventure, roared with laughter.”

“‘We may laugh,’ exclaimed Tom, ‘but if this adventure becomes known, and we are found out, Cornwall will be too hot for us the next seven years. We have made a pretty night of it. We have lost our money, been obliged to pretend to pray for two long hours, before a great heap of gunpowder, while that grim-faced, ugly, red-capped brute threatened us with an immediate passage into eternity. And our money forsooth must go to build a meeting-house! Bah! It is truly horrible. The old fellow has played the old soldier on us with a vengeance, and we shall be the laughing-stock of the whole country.’”

“The affair was not yet ended. Reports were spread that three men disguised as black demons, with horns and tails, had entered the cottage of ‘The Old Gardener,’ who had not only terrified them, but had frightened them out of a good sum of money, which he intended to devote to the building of a new Methodist meeting-house. It was given out that on the following Sunday ‘The Old Gardener’ intended to preach a sermon, and afterwards solicit subscriptions for the meeting-house, when he would relate the remarkable manner in which he had been providentially assisted with funds for the building. Our mortification was complete. Tom, whose hatred of Methodism was intense, declared he would blow up the meeting-house as soon as it was built. Our curiosity, however, was excited, and we all three determined to hear our adventure of the night related by ‘The Old Gardener,’ if we could contrive to be present without being suspected.”

“Sunday evening arrived. The meeting-house was crammed to suffocation; and with the dull lights then burning in the chapel, we had no difficulty in concealing ourselves. The sermon was short, but the statement of our adventure was related most minutely and circumstantially in the old man’s quaint, homely, and humorous phraseology. This evening he seemed to excel himself, and was exultingly humorous.”

“‘I never,’ said he, ‘saw black faces pray with greater devotion. I have some doubt, however,’ he slily observed, ‘if their prayers were quite heavenward. They sometimes turned their faces towards the door, but a lifting of the flint and steel kept them quiet.’”

“He then added, with a shake of the head and an exulting laugh: ‘But they had not smelt powder like the old soldier they came to rob. No, no; it was a large heap—ay, large enough to frighten old General Clive himself. The candle was lighted, the flint and steel were ready. You may ask, my friends, if I myself was not afraid. No, no, my dear friends,’ shouted he, ‘this large stock of apparent gunpowder was—it was my whole year’s stock of leek (onion) seed!’”

“The whole congregation somewhat irreverently laughed; even the saints almost shouted; many clapped their hands. I was for a moment stupefied by the announcement, but at last could hardly suppress my own laughter.”

“We subscribed to the fund to avoid suspicion, and left the meeting. After the sermon we joined each other, but could not speak. We could hardly chuckle ‘leek-seed,’ and then roared with laughter.”

“It was a good joke, though not exactly to our taste. It has, however, more than once served for subsequent amusement.”

“The chapel was built with the money collected by the gardener. Time and circumstances now induce me to think that there has been no detriment to morality or religion by the erection of the meeting-house, which was afterwards known as ‘The Leek-seed Chapel.’”—ST. JAMES’S MAGAZINE.

APPENDIX.

A. ESSENTIALS OF CONSTRUCTION.

I. PRINCIPAL AND CO-ORDINATE CLAUSES.

(See § 24.)

§ 1. =Infinitives, Participles, and that form of the Infinitive preceded by +zu+ which is called Supine, stand at the end of the clause=; as—

+Er war ärmlich, aber doch sauber ~gekleidet~.+

He was poorly, but yet neatly dressed.

+Sein zürnender Oheim hatte ihn zu sich ~gerufen~.+

His angry uncle had bid him come to him.

+Seine Tante wird morgen zu uns ~kommen~.+

His aunt will come to us to-morrow.

+Sie hat uns ~versprochen~, morgen zu ~kommen~.+

She has promised us to come to-morrow.

§ 2. In a clause containing _both_ an infinitive and a participle, =the infinitive stands last=; as—

+Der Diener würde es ~nicht gethan haben~, wenn er ihn nicht
freundlich darum gebeten hätte.+

The servant would not have done it, if he had not kindly asked
him to do it.

+Der Brief muß gut ~geschrieben werden~, denn er enthält
wichtige Mitteilungen.+

The letter must be well written, for it contains important
communications.

§ 3. In a clause containing =two infinitives, the one governing the other stands last=; as—

+Er mag mit einem solchen Menschen nichts ~zu thun haben~.+

He does not like to have anything to do with such a man.

§ 4. =Separable prefixes= of compound verbs =are placed at the end= of the clause when the verb is used in a _simple tense_; as—

+Der König ~ging~ jeden Morgen um elf Uhr ~aus~ und ~kam~ gegen
zwölf Uhr ~zurück~.+

The king went out every morning at eleven o’clock and returned
towards twelve o’clock.

§ 5. In a clause containing =two objects=, both =expressed by nouns=, that of the =person= stands =before= that of the =thing=; as—

+Am nächsten Abend gab er ~dem Manne~ das ~Geld~ zurück.+

The next evening he returned the money to the man.

§ 6. When _both_ objects represent _persons_, the =accusative generally stands first=; as—

+Man hat ~den~ Verbrecher ~dem~ Richter überliefert.+

They have delivered the criminal to the judge.

§ 7. In clauses containing _two_ objects, one being _a personal pronoun_ and the other _a noun_, =the pronoun stands first=; as—

+Der fremde Herr gab ~mir einige Äpfel~ und Birnen.+

The stranger gave me some apples and pears.

§ 8. When =both objects are personal pronouns=, the =accusative= _generally stands_ =first=; as—

+Sie hat ~es mir~ gesagt.+

She has said it to me.

+Man hat ~sie ihm~ genommen.+

They have taken her away from him.

§ 9. _A._ Adverbial expressions of =time= generally stand =before the object= (except it is a pronoun) and =always before= adverbial expressions of =manner= and =place=; as—

+Wir haben ~gestern drei~ Briefe erhalten.+

Yesterday we received three letters.

+Er ist ~heute plötzlich~ nach ~London~ abgereist.+

He has suddenly left for London to-day.

But we must say—

+Wir haben ~Sie heute~ mit Ungeduld erwartet.+ (+~Sie~+ pers.
pron.)

We have been expecting you to-day with impatience.

_B._ Adverbial expressions of =manner= and =place= generally stand before the Infinitive or Participle when the verb is in a compound tense, but take the last place in the clause when the verb is in a simple tense; as—

+Die Schüler haben ihre Aufgaben ~sehr gut~ gemacht.+

The pupils have done their lessons _very well_.

+Sie machen ihre Aufgaben ~immer sehr gut~.+

They do their lessons always very well.

+Sind Sie ~gestern im Theater~ gewesen?+

Were you _at the theatre yesterday_?

+Ich gehe ~nie ins Theater~.+

I _never_ go _to the theatre_.

=When the subject, which may be preceded by its attributes, occupies the first place in a principal clause, either the copula or the verb must follow immediately.=

§ 10. The negation +=nicht=+ stands =after= the =accusative=; as—

+Er schreibt den Brief ~nicht~, sondern sein Bruder.+

He is not writing the letter, but his brother is.

+Er hat den Brief ~nicht~ geschrieben.+

He has not written the letter.

§ 11. In questions +=nicht=+ sometimes stands =before= the =accusative=; as—

+Haben Sie ~nicht~ meinen Brief erhalten?+

Have you not received my letter?

§ 12. In general the negation +=nicht=+ stands before that part of the sentence which it affects; as—

+Ich bin ~nicht~ krank gewesen.+

I have not been ill.

+Wir sprechen ~nicht~ von ihm, sondern von seinem Vetter.+

We do not speak of him, but of his cousin.

+Die Natur hatte sie ~nicht~ mit Schönheit ausgestattet.+

Nature had not endowed her with beauty.

II. INVERTED CONSTRUCTION.

§ 13. The _ordinary_ way of arranging the words is to place the =subject= and its adjuncts =first=, and the =predicate= with its adjuncts =after=; as—

+Der gute Vater+ (subj.) +ist heute Morgen mit seinen drei
Töchtern nach London abgereist+ (predicate with adjuncts).

The good father has left this morning for London with his three
daughters.

=But this construction is sometimes inverted, so as to place the predicate, or a part of the predicate, before the subject.= This is the case:

(_a_) =In interrogative clauses=; as—

+~Kommt~ der Mann heute?+

Does the man come to-day?

+~Ist~ der Vater nach London abgereist?+

Has the father left for London?

+~Hat~ er kein Geld bei sich?+

Has he no money about him?

(_b_) =In imperative clauses=; as—

+Senden Sie diesen Brief zur Post!+

Send this letter to the post-office!

(_c_) =In exclamatory clauses=; as—

+~Hätte~ er auf mich gehört!+

Would he had listened to me!

(_d_) =In subordinate clauses beginning with an adverbial conjunction.= (See § 124 of Lange’s German Grammar.)

§ 14. The _ordinary_ way of arranging the words is often departed from for the sake of =emphasizing a part of the predicate=. In this case the part to be emphasized is placed at the _beginning_ of the sentence, and the =construction must be inverted=, that is to say the =subject= must be placed =after the verb=; as—

+~Die letzten Worte hatte~ der junge Mensch mit gehobener
Stimme gesprochen.+

The last words the young man had spoken with an elevated tone
of voice.

+~Heute kann~ er nicht abreisen, sondern morgen.+

He cannot depart to-day, but to-morrow.

+~Mit dem zwölf Uhr Zuge kann~ er nicht mehr fahren, denn es
ist zu spät.+

He cannot go by the twelve o’clock train, for it is too late.

These sentences would read in the _ordinary_ construction: +Der junge Mensch hatte die letzten Worte mit gehobener Stimme gesprochen. Er kann nicht heute abreisen, sondern morgen. Er kann nicht mehr mit dem zwölf Uhr Zuge fahren, denn es ist zu spät.+ The words »+Die letzten Worte+,« »+heute+,« »+mit dem zwölf Uhr Zuge+,« have been made _emphatic_ by being placed at the _beginning_ of the sentence, which required the _verb_ and the _subject_ to interchange places.

§ 15. Sometimes =a subordinate clause= (that is to say a clause dependent on another clause, without which it would not be understood) =is made emphatic by being placed before the principal clause=. Then also the =subject= of the _principal clause_ must be placed =after= the =verb=; as—

+Als er in die Stube kam, ~fand er~ mich am Schreibtische.+

When he came into the room, he found me at the desk.

In this example the _principal_ clause is »+er fand mich am Schreibtische+,« and the _subordinate_ clause is contained in the words »+Als er in die Stube kam+;« this latter clause has been emphasized by being placed before the principal clause, but it required the _principal_ clause to be _inverted_, so as to place the _subject_ (+er+) after the _verb_ (+fand+).

Here are some more examples of the same class:

+Weil er ein guter Junge ist, ~will~ ich ihm seine Bitte
gewähren.+

Because he is a good fellow, I will grant his request.

+Nachdem er gegessen und getrunken hatte, ~ging er~ nach Hause.+

After having eaten and drunk, he went home.

III. SUBORDINATE CLAUSES.

(See § 24.)

§ 16. In subordinate clauses beginning with a relative pronoun, a relative conjunction, or a subordinative conjunction, =the verb= stands =at the end=; as—

+Man zeigte mir ein Buch, ~das~ viele schöne Bilder ~enthielt~.+

They showed me a book which contained many beautiful pictures.

+Wir waren im Zimmer, ~als~ er ~eintrat~.+

We were in the room when he entered.

§ 17. When the =verb= is in a =compound tense=, the =auxiliary= verb stands =last=; as—

+Nachdem sie ihn ~begrüßt hatte~, kam sie schnell auf mich zu.+

After she had welcomed him, she approached me quickly.

§ 18. When there are _two_ verbs, one of which is a verb of mood, =the verb of mood stands last=; as—

+Er sagte, daß er nicht ~kommen könne~.+

He said that he could not come.

§ 19. When there are _two_ verbs, the one being an infinitive, and the other an inflected verb, =the inflected verb stands last=; as—

+Der Sohn starb gerade zu der Stunde, in welcher sein Vater ihn
~wiederzusehen hoffte~.+

The son died the very hour his father hoped to see him again.

§ 20. When there are _two infinitives_ and _an auxiliary verb_, the =auxiliary= verb has the =first= place, whilst the =governing infinitive= stands =last=; as—

+Er überlegte, wie er es ~werde vermeiden können~.+ (+können+
is the governing verb.)

He considered how he might be able to avoid it.

+Er sagte, daß er es nicht ~habe thun mögen~.+ (+mögen+ is the
governing verb.)

He said that he did not like to do it.

§ 21. Sometimes the =conjunction=, which generally connects the subordinate clause with the principal clause, _is_ =omitted= _and understood_. In this case the construction is like that of a _principal clause_; as—

+Er fürchtete, ~ich könne~ mich erkälten.+ (+Er fürchtete, daß
ich mich ~erkälten könne~.+)

He was afraid I might catch cold.

§ 22. Sometimes the =auxiliary= verb is =omitted= _and understood_; as—

+Daß er mir ~genommen~ (wurde), ist mein größtes Leid.+

That he was taken from me is my greatest sorrow.

§ 23. =In subordinate clauses the prefixes of separable compound verbs are not separated from the verb=; as—

+Er war so beschäftigt, daß er in vierzehn Tagen nicht
~ausging~.+

He was so busy that he did not go out for a fortnight.

§ 24. _A._ The co-ordinative conjunctions—+~aber~+, +~allein~+, +~denn~+, +~nämlich~+, +~oder~+, +~sondern~+, +~sowohl — als~+, and +~und~+—serve to connect two or more independent statements with each other, which have either one common subject or predicate, or have each a subject and predicate of their own (co-ordinate clauses). =Co-ordinative conjunctions do not affect the regular order of construction explained in= §§ 1-12, and generally stand at the beginning of the co-ordinate clauses which they introduce; but +~aber~+ and +~nämlich~+ are often placed after the verb, and sometimes even stand in the middle of the clause; as—

+Die Frau war dem Manne früh gestorben; dieser ließ dem
hinterlassenen Kinde ~aber~ jede mögliche Sorgfalt angedeihen.+

A subordinate clause, i.e. a clause dependent on another clause, without which it would not be understood, is joined to a principal clause by means of a relative pronoun, or a conjunction, which latter may be either a relative, a subordinative, or an adverbial conjunction. (See § 124 of Lange’s German Grammar.) The effect produced upon the construction by relative pronouns, relative conjunctions, and subordinative conjunctions has been explained in §§ 16-23.

_B._ =Adverbial conjunctions, like all other adverbial expressions commencing a clause, require the verb to stand before the subject=, as has been pointed out in § 124 of Lange’s German Grammar.

B. THE INDICATIVE MOOD.