第5章

perchainsidepushedout。Thesemuchdiminishthevalueofthecable，astheymustallbecutout，thegutta—perchamadegood，andthecablespliced。Theyarisefromthecablehavingbeenbadlylaiddownsothatitformsfoldsandtailsatthebottomofthesea。Thesekinkshaveanotherdisadvantage：theyweakenthecableverymuch。—Ataboutsixo’clock[P。M。]wehadsometwelvemileslifted，whenIwenttothebows;thekinkswereexceedinglytightandweregivingwayinamostalarmingmanner。Igotacageriggeduptopreventtheend（ifitbroke）fromhurtinganyone，andsatdownonthebowsprit，thinkingIshoulddescribekinkstoAnnie：—

suddenlyIsawagreatmanycoilsandkinksaltogetheratthesurface。Ijumpedtothegutta—perchapipe，byblowingthroughwhichthesignalisgiventostoptheengine。Iblow，buttheenginedoesnotstop;again—noanswer：thecoilsandkinksjaminthebowsandIrushaftshoutingstop。Toolate：thecablehadpartedandmustlieinpeaceatthebottom。Someonehadpulledthegutta—perchatubeacrossabarepartofthesteampipeandmeltedit。Ithadbeenusedhundredsoftimesinthelastfewdaysandgavenosymptomsoffailing。Ibelievethecablemusthavegoneatanyrate;however，sinceitwentinmywatchandsinceImighthavesecuredthetubingmorestrongly，Ifeelrathersad……

’June28。

’SinceIcouldnotgotoAnnieItookdownShakespeare，andbythetimeIhadfinishedANTONYANDCLEOPATRA，readthesecondhalfofTROILUSandgotsomewayinCORIOLANUS，Ifeltitwaschildishtoregrettheaccidenthadhappenedinmywatch，andmoreoverIfeltmyselfnotmuchtoblameinthetubingmatter—ithadbeentorndown，ithadnotfallendown;soIwenttobed，andsleptwithoutfretting，andwokethismorninginthesamegoodmood—forwhichthankyouandourfriendShakespeare。IamhappytosayMr。

Liddellsaidthelossofthecabledidnotmuchmatter;thoughthiswouldhavebeennoconsolationhadIfeltmyselftoblame。—ThismorningwehavegrappledforandfoundanotherlengthofsmallcablewhichMr。—droppedin100fathomsofwater。Ifthisalsogetsfullofkinks，weshallprobablyhavetocutitafter10milesorso，ormoreprobablystillitwillpartofitsownfreewillorweight。

’10P。M。—Thissecondlengthofthree—wirecablesoongotintothesameconditionasitsfellow—i。e。cameuptwentykinksanhour—

andaftersevenmileswerein，partedonthepulleyoverthebowsatoneofthesaidkinks;duringmywatchagain，butthistimenoearthlypowercouldhavesavedit。Ihadtakenallmannerofprecautionstopreventtheenddoinganydamagewhenthesmashcame，forcomeIknewitmust。Wenowreturntothesix—wirecable。AsIsatwatchingthecableto—night，largephosphorescentglobeskeptrollingfromitandfadingintheblackwater。

’29th。

’To—daywereturnedtothebuoywehadleftattheendofthesix—

wirecable，andaftermuchtroublefromaseriesoftangles，gotafairstartatnoon。Youwilleasilybelieveatangleofironropeinchandahalfdiameterisnoteasytounravel，especiallywithatonorsohangingtotheends。Itisnoweighto’clockandwehaveaboutsixandahalfmilessafe：itbecomesveryexciting，however，forthekinksarecomingfastandfurious。

’July2。

’Twenty—eightmilessafeinthehold。Theshipisnowsodeep，thatthemenaretobeturnedoutoftheirafthold，andtheremaindercoiledthere;sothegoodELBA’Snoseneednotburrowtoofarintothewaves。Therecanonlybeabout10or12milesmore，buttheseweigh80or100tons。

’July5。

’Ourfirstmatewasmuchhurtinsecuringabuoyontheeveningofthe2nd。Asinterpreter[withtheItalians]Iamusefulinallthesecases;butfornofortunewouldIbeadoctortowitnessthesescenescontinually。Painisaterriblething。—Ourworkisdone：thewholeofthesix—wirecablehasbeenrecovered;onlyasmallpartofthethree—wire，butthatwirewasbadand，owingtoitstwistedstate，thevaluesmall。Wemaythereforebesaidtohavebeenverysuccessful。’

II。

Ihavegiventhiscruisenearlyinfull。Fromthenotes，unhappilyimperfect，oftwoothers，Iwilltakeonlyspecimens;forinalltherearefeaturesofsimilarityanditispossibletohavetoomuchevenofsubmarinetelegraphyandtheromanceofengineering。

Andfirstfromthecruiseof1859intheGreekIslandsandtoAlexandria，takeafewtraits，incidentsandpictures。

’May10，1859。

’Wehadafairwindandwedidverywell，seeingalittlebitofCerigorCythera，andlotsofturtle—doveswanderingaboutovertheseaandperching，tiredandtimid，intheriggingofourlittlecraft。ThenFalconera，Antimilo，andMilo，toppedwithhugewhiteclouds，barren，deserted，risingboldandmysteriousfromtheblue，chafingsea;—Argentiera，Siphano，Scapho，Paros，Antiparos，andlateatnightSyraitself。ADAMBEDEinonehand，asketch—bookintheother，lyingonrugsunderanawning，Ienjoyedaverypleasantday。

’May14。

’Syraissemi—eastern。Thepavement，hugeshapelessblocksslopingtoacentralgutter;fromthisbaretwo—storiedhouses，sometimesplastermanycoloured，sometimesrough—hewnmarble，rise，dirtyandill—finishedtostraight，plain，flatroofs;shopsguiltlessofwindows，withsignsinGreekletters;dogs，Greeksinblue，baggy，Zouavebreechesandafez，afewnarghilehsandasprinklingoftheordinarycontinentalshopboys。—IntheeveningItriedonemorewalkinSyrawithA—，butinvainendeavouredtoamusemyselfortospendmoney;thefirsteffortresultinginsingingDOODAHtoapassingGreekortwo，thesecondinspending，no，inmakingA—

spend，threepenceoncoffeeforthree。

’May16。

’Oncomingondeck，IfoundwewereatanchorinCaneabay，andsawoneofthemostlovelysightsmancouldwitness。Faroneitherhandstretchboldmountaincapes，SpadaandMaleka，tenderincolour，boldinoutline;richsunnylevelsliebeneaththem，framedbytheazuresea。Rightinfront，adarkbrownfortressgirdleswhitemosquesandminarets。Richandgreen，ourmountaincapesherejointoformasettingforthetown，inwhosedarkwalls—

stilldarker—openadozenhigh—archedcavesinwhichthehugeVenetiangalleysusedtolieinwait。Highaboveall，higherandhigheryet，upintothefirmament，rangeafterrangeofblueandsnow—cappedmountains。Iwasbewilderedandamazed，havingheardnothingofthisgreatbeauty。Thetownwhenenteredisquiteeastern。Thestreetsareformedofopenstallsunderthefirststory，inwhichsquattailors，cooks，sherbetvendorsandthelike，busyattheirworkorsmokingnarghilehs。Clothsstretchedfromhousetohousekeepoutthesun。Mulesrattlethroughthecrowd;

cursyelpbetweenyourlegs;negroesareashideousandbrightclothedasusual;graveTurkswithlongchibouquescontinuetomarchsolemnlywithoutbreakingthem;alittleArabinonedirtyragpokesfunattwosplendidlittleTurkswithbrilliantfezzes;

wirymountaineersindirty，full，whitekilts，shoulderinglonggunsandonehandontheirpistols，stalkuntamedpastadozenTurkishsoldiers，wholooksheepishandbrutalinwornclothjacketandcottontrousers。Aheadless，winglesslionofSt。Markstillstandsuponagate，andhasleftthemarkofhisstrongclutch。OfancienttimeswhenCretewasCrete，notatraceremains;saveperhapsinthefull，well—cutnostrilandfirmtreadofthatmountaineer，andIsuspectthatevenhissireswereAlbanians，mereouterbarbarians。

’May17。

Ispentthedayatthelittlestationwherethecablewaslanded，whichhasapparentlybeenfirstaVenetianmonasteryandthenaTurkishmosque。Atanyratethebigdomeisverycool，andthelittleoneshold[ourelectric]batteriescapitally。AhandsomeyoungBashibazoukguardsit，andastillhandsomermountaineeristheservant;soIdrawthemandthemonasteryandthehill，tillI’mblackinthefacewithheatandcomeonboardtoheartheCaneacableisstillbad。

’May23。

’WearrivedinthemorningattheeastendofCandia，andhadagloriousscrambleoverthemountainswhichseembuiltofadamant。

Timehaswornawaythesofterportionsoftherock，onlyleavingsharpjaggededgesofsteel。Seaeaglessoaringaboveourheads;

oldtanks，ruins，anddesolationatourfeet。TheancientArsinoestoodhere;afewblocksofmarblewiththecrossattestthepresenceofVenetianChristians;butnow—thedesolationofdesolations。Mr。LiddellandIseparatedfromtherest，andwhenwehadfoundasurebayforthecable，hadatremendouslivelyscramblebacktotheboat。ThesearethebitsofourlifewhichI

enjoy，whichhavesomepoetry，somegrandeurinthem。

’May29（？）。

’Yesterdayweranroundtothenewharbour[ofAlexandria]，landedtheshoreendofthecableclosetoCleopatra’sbath，andmadeaverysatisfactorystartaboutoneintheafternoon。Wehadscarcelygone200yardswhenInoticedthatthecableceasedtorunout，andIwonderedwhytheshiphadstopped。Peopleranafttotellmenottoputsuchastrainonthecable;Iansweredindignantlythattherewasnostrain;andsuddenlyitbrokeoneveryoneintheshipatoncethatwewereaground。Herewasanicemess。Aviolentsciroccoblewfromtheland;makingone’sskinfeelasifitbelongedtosomeoneelseanddidn’tfit，makingthehorizondimandyellowwithfinesand，oppressingeverysenseandraisingthethermometer20degreesinanhour，butmakingcalmwaterrounduswhichenabledtheshiptolieforthetimeinsafety。Thewindmightchangeatanymoment，sincethesciroccowasonlyaccidental;andatthefirstwavefromseawardbumpwouldgothepoorship，andtherewould[might]beanendofourvoyage。

Thecaptain，withoutwaitingtosound，begantomakeanefforttoputtheshipoverwhatwassupposedtobeasandbank;butbythetimesoundingsweremade，thiswasfoundtobeimpossible，andhehadonlybeenjammingthepoorELBAfasteronarock。Noweveryeffortwasmadetogetherastern，ananchortakenout，aropebroughttoawinchIhadforthecable，andtheenginesbacked;butallinvain。AsmallTurkishGovernmentsteamer，whichistobeourconsort，cametoourassistance，butofcourseveryslowly，andmuchtimewasoccupiedbeforewecouldgetahawsertoher。I

coulddonogoodafterhavingmadeachartofthesoundingsroundtheship，andwentatlastontothebridgetosketchthescene。

ButatthatmomentthestrainfromthewinchandajerkfromtheTurkishsteamergotofftheboat，afterwehadbeensomehoursaground。Thecarpenterreportedthatshehadmadeonlytwoinchesofwaterinonecompartment;thecablewasstilluninjuredastern，andourspiritsrose;when，willyoubelieveit？aftergoingashortdistanceastern，thepilotranusoncemorefastagroundonwhatseemedtomenearlythesamespot。Theverysamescenewasgonethroughasonthefirstoccasion，anddarkcameonwhilstthewindshifted，andwewerestillaground。Dinnerwasservedup，butpoorMr。Liddellcouldeatverylittle;andbump，bump，grind，grind，wenttheshipfifteenorsixteentimesaswesatatdinner。

Theslightsea，however，didenableustobumpoff。Thismorningweappearnottohavesufferedinanyway;butaseaisrollingin，whichafewhoursagowouldhavesettledthepooroldELBA。

’June—。

’TheAlexandriacablehasagainfailed;afterpayingouttwo—thirdsofthedistancesuccessfully，anunluckytouchindeepwatersnappedtheline。LuckilytheaccidentoccurredinMr。Liddell’swatch。Thoughpersonallyitmaynotreallyconcernme，theaccidentweighslikeapersonalmisfortune。StillIamgladIwaspresent：afailureisprobablymoreinstructivethanasuccess;

andthisexperiencemayenableustoavoidmisfortuneinstillgreaterundertakings。

’June—。

’WeleftSyrathemorningafterourarrivalonSaturdaythe4th。

Thiswedid（first）becausewewereinahurrytodosomethingand（second）because，comingfromAlexandria，wehadfourdays’

quarantinetoperform。Wewereallmusteredalongthesidewhilethedoctorcountedus;theletterswerepoppedintoalittletinboxandtakenawaytobesmoked;theguardiansputonboardtoseethatweheldnocommunicationwiththeshore—withoutthemweshouldstillhavehadfourmoredays’quarantine;andwithtwelveGreeksailorsbesides，westartedmerrilyenoughpickinguptheCaneacable……Toourutterdismay，theyarncoveringbegantocomeupquitedecayed，andthecable，whichwhenlaidshouldhavebornehalfaton，wasnowindangerofsnappingwithatenthpartofthatstrain。Wewentasslowaspossibleinfearofabreakateveryinstant。Mywatchwasfromeighttotwelveinthemorning，andduringthattimewehadbarelysecuredthreemilesofcable。

Onceitbrokeinsidetheship，butIseizedholdofitintime—

theweightbeinghardlyanything—andthelineforthenoncewassaved。Regularnooseswerethenplantedinboardwithmentodrawthemtaut，shouldthecablebreakinboard。A—，whoshouldhaverelievedme，wasunwell，soIhadtocontinuemylook—out;andaboutoneo’clockthelineagainparted，butwasagaincaughtinthelastnoose，withaboutfourinchestospare。Fiveminutesafterwardsitagainpartedandwasyetoncemorecaught。Mr。

Liddell（whomIhadcalled）couldstandthisnolonger;sowebuoyedthelineandranintoabayinSiphano，waitingforcalmweather，thoughIwasbynomeansofopinionthattheslightseaandwindhadbeenthecauseofourfailures。—Allnextday（Monday）welayoffSiphano，amusingourselvesonshorewithfowlingpiecesandnavyrevolvers。Ineednotsaywekillednothing;andluckilywedidnotwoundanyofourselves。A

guardianoaccompaniedus，hisfunctionsbeinglimitedtopreventingactualcontactwiththenatives，fortheymightcomeasnearandtalkasmuchastheypleased。TheseislesofGreecearesad，interestingplaces。Theyarenotreallybarrenallover，buttheyarequitedestituteofverdure;andtuftsofthyme，wildmasticormint，thoughtheysoundwell，arenotnearlysoprettyasgrass。

Manylittlechurches，glitteringwhite，dottheislands;mostofthem，Ibelieve，abandonedduringthewholeyearwiththeexceptionofonedaysacredtotheirpatronsaint。Thevillagesaremean，buttheinhabitantsdonotlookwretchedandthemenaregoodsailors。ThereissomethinginthisGreekraceyet;theywillbecomeapowerfulLevantinenationinthecourseoftime。—Whatalovelymoonlighteveningthatwas！thebarrenislandcuttingtheclearskywithfantasticoutline，marblecliffsoneitherhandfairlygleamingoverthecalmsea。Nextday，thewindstillcontinuing，IproposedaboatingexcursionanddecoyedA—，L—，andS—intoaccompanyingme。Wetookthelittlegig，andsailedawaymerrilyenoughroundapointtoabeautifulwhitebay，flankedwithtwoglisteninglittlechurches，frontedbybeautifuldistantislands;whensuddenly，tomyhorror，IdiscoveredtheELBA

steamingfullspeedoutfromtheisland。Ofcoursewesteeredafterher;butthewindthatinstantceased，andwewereleftinadeadcalm。Therewasnothingforitbuttounshipthemast，getouttheoarsandpull。Theshipwasnearlycertaintostopatthebuoy;andIwantedtolearnhowtotakeanoar，soherewasachancewithavengeance！L—steered，andwethreepulled—abroilingpullitwasabouthalfwayacrosstoPalikandro—stillwedidcomein，pullinganuncommongoodstroke，andIhadlearnedtohangonmyoar。L—hadpressedmetolethimtakemyplace;butthoughIwasverytiredattheendofthefirstquarterofanhour，andtheneverysuccessivehalfhour，Iwouldnotgivein。Inearlypaiddearformyobstinacy，however;forintheeveningIhadalternatefitsofshiveringandburning。’

III。

Thenextextracts，andIamsorrytosaythelast，arefromFleeming’slettersof1860，whenhewasbackatBonaandSpartiventoandforthefirsttimeattheheadofanexpedition。

Unhappilytheselettersarenotonlythelast，buttheseriesisquiteimperfect;andthisisthemoretobelamentedashehadnowbeguntouseapenmoreskilfully，andinthefollowingnotesthereisattimesatouchofrealdistinctioninthemanner。

’Cagliari：October5，1860。

’AllTuesdayIspentexaminingwhatwasonboardtheELBA，andtryingtostarttherepairsoftheSpartiventolandline，whichhasbeenentirelyneglected，andnowonder，fornoonehasbeenpaidforthreemonths，no，noteventhepoorguardswhohavetokeepthemselves，theirhorsesandtheirfamilies，ontheirpay。

Wednesdaymorning，IstartedforSpartiventoandgotthereintimetotryagoodmanyexperiments。Spartiventolooksmorewildandsavagethanever，butisnotwithoutastrangedeadlybeauty：thehillscoveredwithbushesofametallicgreenwithcopperypatchesofsoilinbetween;thevalleysfilledwithdrysaltmudandalittlestagnantwater;wherethatverymorningthedeerhaddrunk，whereherons，curlews，andotherfowlabound，andwhere，alas！

malariaisbreedingwiththisrain。（Nofearforthosewhodonotsleeponshore。）Alittleironhuthadbeenplacedtheresince1858;butthewindowshadbeencarriedoff，thedoorbrokendown，theroofpiercedallover。Init，wesattomakeexperiments;andhowitrecalledBirkenhead！TherewasThomson，therewasmytestingboard，thestringsofgutta—percha;HarryP—even，batteringwiththebatteries;butwherewasmydarlingAnnie？

WhilstIsatfeetinsand，withHarryaloneinsidethehut—mats，coats，andwoodtodarkenthewindow—theothersvisitedthemurderousoldfriar，whoisoftheorderofScaloppi，andforwhomIbroughtaletterfromhissuperior，orderinghimtopayusattention;buthewasawayfromhome，gonetoCagliariinaboatwiththeproduceofthefarmbelongingtohisconvent。ThentheyvisitedthetowerofChia，butcouldnotgetinbecausethedooristhirtyfeetofftheground;sotheycamebackandpitchedamagnificenttentwhichIbroughtfromtheBAHIANAalongtimeago—

andwheretheywilllive（ifImistakenot）inpreferencetothefriar’s，ortheowl—andbat—hauntedtower。MM。T—andS—willbeleftthere：T—，anintelligent，hard—workingFrenchman，withwhomIamwellpleased;hecanspeakEnglishandItalianwell，andhasbeentwoyearsatGenoa。S—isaFrenchGermanwithafacelikeanancientGaul，whohasbeensergeant—majorintheFrenchlineandwhois，Isee，agreat，big，muscularFAINEANT。Weleftthetentpitchedandsomestoresinchargeofaguide，andranbacktoCagliari。

’Certainly，beingattheheadofthingsispleasanterthanbeingsubordinate。Weallagreeverywell;andIhavemadethetestingofficeintoakindofprivateroomwhereIcancomeandwritetoyouundisturbed，surroundedbymydear，brightbrassthingswhichallofthemremindmeofournightsatBirkenhead。ThenIcanworkhere，too，andtrylotsofexperiments;youknowhowIlikethat！

andnowandthenIread—Shakespeareprincipally。Thankyousomuchformakingmebringhim：IthinkImustgetapocketeditionofHamletandHenrytheFifth，soasnevertobewithoutthem。

’Cagliari：October7。

’[Thetownwasfull？]……ofred—shirtedEnglishGaribaldini。A

veryfinelookingsetoffellowstheyare，too：theofficersratherraffish，butwithmedalsCrimeanandIndian;themenaverysturdyset，withmanyladsofgoodbirthIshouldsay。TheystillwaittheirconsorttheEmperorandwill，Ifear，betoolatetodoanything。Imeanttohavecalledonthem，buttheyareallgoneintobarrackssomewayfromthetown，andIhavebeenmuchtoobusytogofar。

’Theviewfromtherampartswasverystrangeandbeautiful。

Cagliaririsesonaverysteeprock，atthemouthofawideplaincircledbylargehillsandthree—quartersfilledwithlagoons;itlooks，therefore，likeanoldislandcitadel。Largeheapsofsaltmarktheborderbetweentheseaandthelagoons;thousandsofflamingoeswhitenthecentreofthehugeshallowmarsh;hawkshoverandscreamamongthetreesunderthehighmoulderingbattlements。—

Alittlelowerdown，thebandplayed。Menandladiesbowedandpranced，thecostumesposed，churchbellstinkled，processionsprocessed，thesunsetbehindthickcloudscappingthehills;I

ponderedonyouandenjoyeditall。

’DecidedlyIpreferbeingmastertobeingman：boatsatallhours，stewardsflyingformarmalade，captainenquiringwhenshipistosail，clerkstocopymywriting，theboattosteerwhenwegoout—

Ihaverunhernoseonseveraltimes;decidedly，Ibegintofeelquitealittleking。Confoundthecable，though！Ishallneverbeabletorepairit。

’Bona：October14。

’WeleftCagliariat4。30onthe9thandsoongottoSpartivento。

Irepeatedsomeofmyexperiments，butfoundThomson，whowastohavebeenmygrandstand—by，wouldnotworkonthatdayinthewretchedlittlehut。Evenifthewindowsanddoorhadbeenputin，thewindwhichwasveryhighmadethelampflickeraboutandblewitout;soIsentonboardandgotoldsails，andfairlywrappedthehutupinthem;andthenwewereassnugascouldbe，andI

leftthehutingloriousconditionwithanicelittlestoveinit。

Thetentwhichshouldhavebeenforthcomingfromthecure’sfortheguards，hadgonetoCagliari;butIfoundanother，[a]green，Turkishtent，intheELBAandsoonhadhimup。Thesquaretentleftonthelastoccasionwasstandingallrightandtightinspiteofwindandrain。Welandedprovisions，twobeds，plates，knives，forks，candles，cookingutensils，andwerereadyforastartat6

P。M。;butthewindmeanwhilehadcomeontoblowatsucharatethatIthoughtbetterofit，andwestopped。T—andS—sleptashore，however，toseehowtheylikedit，atleasttheytriedtosleep，forS—theancientsergeant—majorhadatoothache，andT—

thoughtthetentwascomingdowneveryminute。Nextmorningtheycouldonlycomplainofsandandaleakycoffee—pot，soIleavethemwithagoodconscience。Thelittleencampmentlookedquitepicturesque：thegreenroundtent，thesquarewhitetentandthehutallwrappedupinsails，onasandhill，lookingontheseaandmaskingthoseconfoundedmarshesattheback。OnewouldhavethoughttheCagliaritanswereinaconspiracytofrightenthetwopoorfellows，who（Ibelieve）willbesafeenoughiftheydonotgointothemarshesafternightfall。S—broughtalittledogtoamusethem，suchajolly，uglylittlecurwithoutatail，butfulloffun;hewillbebetterthanquinine。

’Thewinddroveabarque，whichhadanchorednearusforshelter，outtosea。Westarted，however，at2P。M。，andhadaquickpassagebutaveryroughone，gettingtoBonabydaylight[onthe11th]。Suchaplaceasthisisforgettinganythingdone！Thehealthboatwentawayfromusat7。30withW—onboard;andweheardnothingofthemtill9。30，whenW—camebackwithtwofatFrenchmenwhoaretolookononthepartoftheGovernment。Theyareexactlyalike：onlyonehasfourbandsandtheotherthreeroundhiscap，andsoIknowthem。ThenIsentaboatroundtoFortGenois[FortGenovaof1858]，wherethecableislanded，withallsortsofthingsanddirections，whilstIwentashoretoseeaboutcoalsandaroomatthefort。Wehuntedpeopleinthelittlesquareintheirshopsandoffices，butonlyfoundthemincafes。

Oneamiablegentlemanwasn’tupat9。30，wasoutat10，andassoonashecamebacktheservantsaidhewouldgotobedandnotgetuptill3：hecame，however，tofindusatacafe，andsaidthat，onthecontrary，twodaysintheweekhedidnotdoso！Thenmytwofatfriendsmusthavetheirbreakfastaftertheir\"something\"atacafe;andalltheshopsshutfrom10to2;andthepostdoesnotopentill12;andtherewasaroadtoFortGenois，onlyabridgehadbeencarriedaway，&c。AtlastIgotoff，andwerowedroundtoFortGenois，wheremymenhadputupacapitalgipsytentwithsails，andtherewasmybigboardandThomson’snumber5ingreatglory。Isooncametotheconclusiontherewasabreak。TwoofmyfaithfulCagliaritanssleptallnightinthelittletent，toguarditandmypreciousinstruments;andthesea，whichwasratherrough，silencedmyFrenchmen。

’NextdayIwentonwithmyexperiments，whilstaboatgrappledforthecablealittlewayfromshoreandbuoyeditwheretheELBA

couldgethold。IbroughtallbacktotheELBA，triedmymachineryandwasallreadyforastartnextmorning。Butthewretchedcoalhadnotcomeyet;GovernmentpermissionfromAlgierstobegot;

lighters，men，baskets，andIknownotwhatformstobegotorgotthrough—andeverybodyasleep！Coalsornocoals，Iwasdeterminedtostartnextmorning;andstartwedidatfourinthemorning，pickedupthebuoywithourdeckengine，poppedthecableacrossaboat，testedthewirestomakesurethefaultwasnotbehindus，andstartedpickingupat11。Everythingworkedadmirably，andabout2P。M。，incamethefault。Thereisnodoubtthecablewasbrokenbycoralfishers;twicetheyhavehadituptotheirownknowledge。

’Manymenhavebeenashoreto—dayandhavecomebacktipsy，andthewholeshipisinastateofquarrelfromtoptobottom，andtheywillgossipjustwithinmyhearing。Andwehavehad，moreover，threeFrenchgentlemenandaFrenchladytodinner，andIhadtoacthostandtrytomanagethemixturestotheirtaste。Thegood—

naturedlittleFrenchwomanwasmostamusing;whenIaskedherifshewouldhavesomeappletart—\"MONDIEU，\"withheroicresignation，\"JEVEUXBIEN\";oralittlePLOMBODDING—\"MAISCEQUE

VOUSVOUDREZ，MONSIEUR！\"

’S。S。ELBA，somewherenotfarfromBona：Oct。19。

’Yesterday[afterthreepreviousdaysofuselessgrappling]wasdestinedtobeveryeventful。Webegandredgingatdaybreakandhookedatonceeverytimeinrocks;butbycapitalluck，justasweweredecidingitwasnousetocontinueinthatplace，wehookedthecable：upitcame，wastested，andlo！anothercompletebreak，aquarterofamileoff。Iwasamazedatmyowntranquillityunderthesedisappointments，butIwasnotreallyhalfsofussyasaboutgettingacab。Well，therewasnothingforitbutgrapplingagain，and，asyoumayimagine，weweregettingaboutsixmilesfromshore。Butthewaterdidnotdeepenrapidly;weseemedtobeonthecrestofakindofsubmarinemountaininprolongationofCapedeGonde，andprettyhavocwemusthavemadewiththecrags。Whatrockswedidhook！Nosoonerwasthegrapneldownthantheshipwasanchored;andthencamesuchabusiness：ship’senginesgoing，deckenginethundering，beltslipping，fearofbreakingropes：

actuallybreakinggrapnels。Itwasalwaysanhourormorebeforewecouldgetthegrapneldownagain。Atlastwehadtogiveuptheplace，thoughweknewwewereclosetothecable，andgofurthertoseainmuchdeeperwater;tomygreatfear，asIknewthecablewasmucheatenawayandwouldstandbutlittlestrain。Well，wehookedthecablefirstdredgethistime，andpulleditslowlyandgentlytothetop，withmuchtrepidation。Wasitthecable？wasthereanyweighton？itwasevidentlytoosmall。Imaginemydismaywhenthecabledidcomeup，buthangingloosely，thus[Picture]

insteadoftaut，thus[Picture]

showingcertainsignsofabreakcloseby。ForamomentIfeltprovoked，asIthought，\"Hereweareindeepwater，andthecablewillnotstandlifting！\"Itestedatonce，andbytheveryfirstwirefoundithadbrokentowardsshoreandwasgoodtowardssea。

Thiswasofcourseverypleasant;butfromthattimetothis，thoughthewirestestverywell，notasignalhascomefromSpartivento。Igotthecableintoaboat，andagutta—perchalinefromtheshiptotheboat，andwesignalledawayatagreatrate—

butnosignsoflife。Thetests，however，makemeprettysureonewireatleastisgood;soIdeterminedtolaydowncablefromwhereweweretotheshore，andgotoSpartiventotoseewhathadhappenedthere。Ifearmymenareill。Thenightwaslovely，perfectlycalm;sowelayclosetotheboatandsignalswerecontinuallysent，butwithnoresult。ThismorningIlaidthecabledowntoFortGenoisinstyle;andnowwearepickingupoddsandendsofcablebetweenthedifferentbreaks，andgettingourbuoysonboard，&c。To—morrowIexpecttoleaveforSpartivento。’

IV。

AndnowIamquiteatanendofjournalkeeping;diariesanddiarylettersbeingthingsofyouthwhichFleeminghadatlengthoutgrown。Butoneortwomorefragmentsfromhiscorrespondencemaybetaken，andfirstthisbriefsketchofthelayingoftheNorderneycable;mainlyinterestingasshowingunderwhatdefectsofstrengthandinwhatextremitiesofpain，thischeerfulmanmustattimescontinuetogoabouthiswork。

’Isleptonboard29thSeptemberhavingarrangedeverythingtostartbydaybreakfromwherewelayintheroads：butatdaybreakaheavymisthungoverussothatnothingoflandorwatercouldbeseen。Atmiddayitliftedsuddenlyandawaywewentwithperfectweather，butcouldnotfindthebuoysFordeleft，thatevening。I

sawthecaptainwasnotstronginnavigation，andtookmattersnextdaymuchmoreintomyownhandsandbeforenineo’clockfoundthebuoys;（theweatherhadbeensofinewehadanchoredintheopenseanearTexel）。Ittookustilltheeveningtoreachthebuoys，getthecableonboard，testthefirsthalf，speaktoLowestoft，makethesplice，andstart。H—hadnotfinishedhisworkatNorderney，soIwasaloneonboardforReuter。Moreoverthebuoystoguideusinourcoursewerenotplaced，andthecaptainhadveryvagueideasaboutkeepinghiscourse;soIhadtodoagooddeal，andonlylaydownasIwasfortwohoursinthenight。Imanagedtorunthecourseperfectly。Everythingwentwell，andwefoundNorderneyjustwherewewanteditnextafternoon，andiftheshoreendhadbeenlaid，couldhavefinishedthereandthen，October1st。

ButwhenwegottoNorderney，wefoundtheCAROLINEwithshoreendlyingapparentlyaground，andcouldnotunderstandhersignals;sowehadtoanchorsuddenlyandIwentoffinasmallboatwiththecaptaintotheCAROLINE。Itwascoldbythistime，andmyarmwasratherstiffandIwastired;IhauledmyselfuponboardtheCAROLINEbyaropeandfoundH—andtwomenonboard。Alltherestweretryingtogettheshoreendonshore，buthadfailedandapparentlyhadstuckonshore，andthewavesweregettingup。Wehadanchoredintherightplaceandnextmorningwehopedtheshoreendwouldbelaid，sowehadonlytogoback。Itwasofcoursestillcolderandquitenight。Iwenttobedandhopedtosleep，but，alas，therheumatismgotintothejointsandcausedmeterriblepainsothatIcouldnotsleep。IboreitaslongasI

couldinordertodisturbnoone，forallweretired;butatlastI

couldbearitnolongerandmanagedtowakethestewardandgotamustardpoulticewhichtookthepainfromtheshoulder;butthentheelbowgotverybad，andIhadtocallthesecondstewardandgetasecondpoultice，andthenitwasdaylight，andIfeltveryillandfeverish。Theseawasnowratherrough—tooroughratherforsmallboats，butluckilyasortofthingcalledascootcameout，andwegotonboardherwithsometrouble，andgotonshoreafteragoodtossingaboutwhichmadeusallsea—sick。ThecablesentfromtheCAROLINEwasjust60yardstooshortanddidnotreachtheshore，soalthoughtheCAROLINEdidmakethesplicelatethatnight，wecouldneithertestnorspeak。ReuterwasatNorderney，andIhadtodothebestIcould，whichwasnotmuch，andwenttobedearly;IthoughtIshouldneversleepagain，butinsheerdesperationgotupinthemiddleofthenightandgulpedalotofrawwhiskeyandsleptatlast。Butnotlong。AMr。F—

washedmyfaceandhandsanddressedme：andwehauledthecableoutofthesea，andgotitjoinedtothetelegraphstation，andonOctober3rdtelegraphedtoLowestoftfirstandthentoLondon。

MissClaraVolkman，anieceofMr。Reuter’s，sentthefirstmessagetoMrs。Reuter，whowaswaiting（VarleyusedMissClara’shandasakindofkey），andIsentoneofthefirstmessagestoOdden。I

thoughtamessageaddressedtohimwouldnotfrightenyou，andthathewouldenjoyamessagethroughPapa’scable。Ihopehedid。

Theywereallverymerry，butIhadbeensoloweredbypainthatI

couldnotenjoymyselfinspiteofthesuccess。’

V。

Ofthe1869cruiseintheGREATEASTERN，IgivewhatIamable;

onlysorryitisnomore，forthesakeoftheshipitself，alreadyalmostalegendeventothegenerationthatsawitlaunched。

’JUNE17，1869。—HerearethenamesofourstaffinwhomIexpectyoutobeinterested，asfutureGREATEASTERNstoriesmaybefullofthem：TheophilusSmith，amanofLatimerClark’s;LeslieC。

Hill，myprizemanatUniversityCollege;LordSackvilleCecil;

King，oneoftheThomsonianKings;Laws，goesforWilloughbySmith，whowillalsobeonboard;Varley，Clark，andSirJamesAndersonmakeupthesumofallyouknowanythingof。ACaptainHalpincommandsthebigship。Therearefoursmallervessels。TheWM。

CORY，whichlaidtheNorderneycable，hasalreadygonetoSt。

Pierretolaytheshoreends。TheHAWKandCHILTERNhavegonetoBresttolayshoreends。TheHAWKandSCANDERIAgowithusacrosstheAtlanticandweshallatSt。Pierrebetranshippedintooneortheother。

’JUNE18。SOMEWHEREINLONDON。—Theshoreendislaid，asyoumayhaveseen，andweareallunderpressingorderstomarch，sowestartfromLondonto—nightat5。10。

’June20。OFFUSHANT。—Iamgettingquitefondofthebigship。

Yesterdaymorninginthequietsunlight，sheturnedsoslowlyandlazilyinthegreatharbouratPortland，andbyeandbyeslippedoutpastthelongpierwithsolittlestir，thatIcouldhardlybelievewewerereallyoff。Nomendrunk，nowomencrying，nosingingorswearing，noconfusionorbustleondeck—nobodyapparentlyawarethattheyhadanythingtodo。Thelookofthethingwasthattheshiphadbeenspokentocivillyandhadkindlyundertakentodoeverythingthatwasnecessarywithoutanyfurtherinterference。Ihaveanicecabinwithplentyofroomformylegsinmyberthandhaveslepttwonightslikeatop。Thenwehavetheladies’cabinsetapartasanengineer’soffice，andIthinkthisdecidedlythenicestplaceintheship：35ft。x20ft。broad—

fourtables，threegreatmirrors，plentyofairandnoheatfromthefunnelswhichspoilthegreatdining—room。Isawawholelibraryofbooksonthewallswhenherelast，andthismademelessanxioustoprovidelightliterature;butalas，to—dayIfindthattheyareeveryonebiblesorprayer—books。Nowonecannotreadmanyhundredbibles……Asforthemotionoftheshipitisnotverymuch，but’twillsuffice。Thomsonshookhandsandwishedmewell。IDOlikeThomson……TellAustinthattheGREATEASTERN

hassixmastsandfourfunnels。WhenIgetbackIwillmakealittlemodelofherforallthechicksandpayoutcottonreels……Hereweareat4。20atBrest。Weleaveprobablyto—morrowmorning。

’JULY12。GREATEASTERN。—HereasIwritewerunourlastcourseforthebuoyattheSt。Pierreshoreend。Itblowsandlightens，andourgoodshiprolls，andbuoysarehardtofind;butwemustsoonnowfinishourwork，andthenthisletterwillstartforhome……Yesterdayweweremournfullygropingourwaythroughthewetgreyfog，notatallsurewherewewere，withoneconsortlostandtheotherfaintlyansweringtheroarofourgreatwhistlethroughthemist。Astotheshipwhichwastomeetus，andpioneerusupthedeepchannel，wedidnotknowifweshouldcomewithintwentymilesofher;whensuddenlyupwentthefog，outcamethesun，andthere，straightahead，wastheWM。CORY，ourpioneer，andalittledancingboat，theGULNARE，sendingsignalsofwelcomewithmany—

colouredflags。Sincethenwehavebeensteaminginagrandprocession;butnowat2A。M。thefoghasfallen，andthegreatroaringwhistlecallsupthedistantansweringnotesallaroundus。

Shallwe，orshallwenotfindthebuoy？

’JULY13。—Allyesterdaywelayinthedampdrippingfog，withwhistlesallroundandgunsfiringsothatwemightnotbumpupagainstoneanother。Thislittledelayhasletusgetourreportsintotolerableorder。Wearenowat7o’clockgettingthecableendagain，withthemaincablebuoyclosetous。’

ATELEGRAMOFJULY20：’Ihavereceivedyourfourwelcomeletters。

TheAmericansarecharmingpeople。’

VI。

AndheretomakeanendareafewrandombitsaboutthecruisetoPernambuco：—

’PLYMOUTH，JUNE21，1873。—Ihavebeendowntothesea—shoreandsmeltthesaltseaandlikeit;andIhaveseentheHOOPERpointinghergreatbowsea—ward，whilelightsmokerisesfromherfunnelstellingthatthefiresarebeinglighted;andsorryasIamtobewithoutyou，somethinginsidemeanswerstothecalltobeoffanddoing。

’LALLAROOKH。PLYMOUTH，JUNE22。—WehavebeenalittlecruiseintheyachtovertotheEddystonelighthouse，andmysea—legsseemverywellon。Strangehowalikeallthesestartsare—firstonshore，steaminghotdayswithasmellofbone—dustandtarandsaltwater;thenthelittlepuffing，pantingsteam—launchthatbustlesoutacrossaportwithgreenwoodysides，littleyachtsslidingabout，men—of—wartraining—ships，andthenagreatbigblackhulkofathingwithamassofsmallervesselsstickingtoitlikeparasites;andthatisone’shomebeingcoaled。ThencomestheChampagnelunchwhereeveryonesaysallthatispolitetoeveryoneelse，andthentheuncertaintywhentostart。SofarasweknowNOW，wearetostartto—morrowmorningatdaybreak;lettersthatcomelateraretobesenttoPernambucobyfirstmail……MyfatherhassentmetheheartiestsortofJackTar’scheer。

’S。S。HOOPER。OFFFUNCHAL，JUNE29。—HereweareoffMadeiraatseveno’clockinthemorning。Thomsonhasbeensoundingwithhisspecialtoyeversincehalf—pastthree（1087fathomsofwater）。I

havebeenwatchingthedaybreak，andlongjaggedislandsstartintobeingoutofthedullnight。Wearestillsomemilesfromland;buttheseaiscalmerthanLochEiloftenwas，andthebigHOOPERrestsverycontentedlyafterapleasantvoyageandfavourablebreezes。Ihavenotbeenabletodoanyrealworkexceptthetesting[ofthecable]，forthoughnotsea—sick，IgetalittlegiddywhenItrytothinkonboard……Theduckshavejusthadtheirdailysouseandarequackingandgabblinginamightywayoutsidethedoorofthecaptain’sdeckcabinwhereI

write。Thecocksarecrowing，andnew—laideggsaresaidtobefoundinthecoops。Fourmildoxenhavebeenuntetheredandallowedtowalkalongthebroadirondecks—awholedroveofsheepseemquitecontentwhilelickingbiglumpsofbaysalt。Twoexceedinglyimpertinentgoatsleadthecookaperfectlifeofmisery。TheystealroundthegalleyandWILLnibblethecarrotsorturnipsifhisbackisturnedforoneminute;andthenhethrowssomethingatthemandmissesthem;andtheyscuttleofflaughingimpudently，andflickoneearathimfromasafedistance。ThisisthemostimpudentgestureIeversaw。Winkingisnothingtoit。