From a] [Photograph.A SALT-PLOUGH AT WORK.
The interesting history of the salt industry in California is largely associated with the name of Plummer Brothers, who in 1864, in the person of the late Mr. J. A. Plummer, made the first genuine attempt to produce a first-class domestic salt. The extensive and striking premises of this noted firm in Centreville, California, are shown in the two illustrations on the next page. Situated as the district is close to the bay, the industry is dependent to a certain extent upon the tides. The early spring tides have little effect in drawing away the impurities which the river-floods bring into the bay; but the tides of June and July, rising as they do to a height of 6ft. or 7ft., fill the marshes with a water fairly pure. The salt-makers have prepared for this influx of water by making reservoirs in large clay-bottomed tracts of marsh land, and have cleared them of weeds and grass. The water flows in and fills the reservoirs to a depth of from 15in. to 18in., and the gates are then closed.
From a Photo. by] [Mr. C. A. Plummer.TRANSPORTING SALT IN WHEEL-BARROWS.
From a Photo. by] [Mr. C. A. Plummer.SALT CRYSTALLIZING PONDS.
Photo. from] [Rev. Henry Lansdell, D.D., Blackheath.SALT-MAKING IN RAJPUTANA.
Like a large family, descending in size from father to youngest son, the six or seven evaporating ponds of a salt works appear. The large reservoir, being the father of this series of ponds, contains the gross amount of brine, the last two or three being called lime-ponds, owing to the amount of gypsum, lime, etc., precipitated at this stage of evaporation. Not to go too deeply into chemistry, it may be said that the brine lingers in the last of these ponds until a density of 106 degrees is obtained. The surface of the liquid is now dotted by small patches of white whichaccumulate into streaks of drift-salt. This interesting development is shown in the illustration above, the streaks of salt looking like patches of surf on the sands of the sea-shore. The liquid is now run into crystallizing vats, where it remains until the salt crystals have formed at the bottom. It sometimes takes two months for a crop of salt to develop. In harvesting, the workman, donning large, flat sandals of wood, enters the vat with a galvanizedshovel, and marks off on the surface of the salt a series of parallel lines. This process enables the labourers to toss the lumps into uniform piles. A strict examination is made of every shovelful, in order that impurities may be eliminated. Our illustrations show these conical mounds of salt, and the transfer of the salt by means of barrels to large platforms, where the crystal product is thrown into huge pyramids, sometimes 25ft. high. Here it remains, bleaching and solidifying for a year. It is, indeed, a picturesque sight to see these ghost-like pyramids grow in their might from day to day.
Photo. from] [Rev. Henry Lansdell, D.D., Blackheath.MEASURING SALT-HEAPS IN RAJPUTANA.
Into the processes by which these massive mounds of hardened salt are crushed and distributed to the markets, we need not enter; nor need we name the varieties of salt which are so distributed. We find something more interesting in turning from California to Central India, where in Rajputana a tremendous industry in salt is carried on, and where we may see the same little piles of salt that we have noted in the previous illustrations.
In the background of the large full-page picture, which we have just passed, may be seen colossal heaps of salt, and in the foreground scores of men, women, and children wading in the vat of sluggish brine, from which, by dint of constant effort, emerge the little cones of white. The overseers stand by to direct, and the scene is one of tremendous interest and activity, punctuated by babble of voices. We get a closer view of these cones in our last illustration, in which we find the coolies measuring the height of the cones. One thing we miss in these vistas of barren whiteness—the sight of the labour-saving machinery so noticeable in our early illustrations. Is it an object-lesson in the differences between East and West?
By J. Holt Schooling.
[The Proprietors of "Punch" have given special permission to reproduce the accompanying illustrations. This is the first occasion when a periodical has been enabled to present a selection from Mr. Punch's famous pages.]
Some while ago, in the pantomime "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," Ali Baba's brother, who had found his way into the secret cave, ran about in a most ludicrous manner eagerly picking from the floor diamonds, rubies, and emeralds as big as ostrich-eggs: as fast as he picked up another gem he let one fall from his already loaded arms. I laughed at Ali Baba's brother, but did not feel sympathetic.
1.—THIS INITIAL LETTER "L" IS SIR JOHN TENNIEL'S FIRST "PUNCH" DRAWING; NOVEMBER 30, 1850.
Now, I do not laugh, and I do feel sympathetic with A. B.'s brother—for in choosing these pictures fromPunch, one no sooner picks out a gem, with an "I'll haveyou," than on the turn of a page a better picture comes, and the other has to be dropped. It goes as much against my grain to leave such a host of good things hidden inPunchas it went against the covetous desires of Ali Baba's wicked brother to leave so many fine big gems behind him in the richly-stored cave. However, Mr. Punch's whole store of riches is, after all, accessible to anyone whose Open Sesame! is a little cheque, and so one has some consolation for being able to show here only a very small selection from Mr. Punch's famous gallery of wit and art which that discerning connoisseur has been collecting during the last sixty years.
The year 1850 was a notable one forPunch, for then John Tenniel joined the famous band of Punchites. His first contribution is shown in No. 1, the beautiful initial letterLwith the accompanying sketch, which, although it is nearly fifty years old, and is here in a reduced size, yet distinctly shows even to the non-expert eye the touch of that same wonderful hand which in this week'sPunch(November 26th, 1898) drew the cartoon showing Britannia and the United States as two blue-jackets in jovial comradeship under the sign of the "Two Cross Flags," with jolly old landlordPunchsaying to them, "Fill up, my hearties! It looks like 'dirty weather' ahead, but you two—John and Johnathan—will see it through—together!"
2.—JUSTIFIABLE HESITATION. 1850.
Glancing at Nos. 2 and 3—Leech's sketch in No. 3 is, by the way, a truthfully graphic reminder to the writer of the first timehe[unexpecting] heard and saw a strong Cornish cock-pheasant get up close at his feet—we come to No. 4, which represents the British Lion (as taxpayer) looking askance at the Prince of Wales, aged nine, on whose behalf application had just been made for the purchase of Marlborough House as a residence for the Prince. The portly man in the picture on the wall is a former Prince of Wales, the Regent who became George IV. in 1820, and who is here seen walking by the Pavilion at Brighton, built in 1784-87 as a residence for this Prince of Wales.
3.—BY LEECH. 1850.
No. 5 is very funny, and it is one of the manyPunchjokes which are periodically served up afresh in other periodicals. I have read this joke somewhere quite lately, although it came out inPunchnearly fifty years ago.
On this score, does anyone know if the following is aPunchjoke? It was lately told to me as a new joke, but I was afraid to send it to Mr. Punch:—
Two London street-Arabs. One is eating an apple, the other gazes enviously, and says, "Gi'e us a bite, Bill." "Sha'n't," says the apple-eater. "Gi'e us the core, then," entreats the non-apple-eater. "There ain't goin' to be no core!" stolidly replies the other, out of his stolidly munching jaws.
4.—THE PRINCE OF WALES AT AGE NINE. BY LEECH, 1850.
The very clever drawing No. 6 is by Richard Doyle; it was published in 1850, and at the close of that year Doyle leftPunchowing toPunch'svigorous attack on "Popery"—the Popery scare got hold of the public mind in 1849, and for some whilePunchpublished scathing cartoons against Roman Catholicism. Doyle being of that faith resigned his position and a good income through purely conscientious motives. Although Doyle left in 1850 his work was seen inPunchas lately as 1864, for when he resigned some of his work was then unpublished.This funny illustration of "A meeting to discuss the principles of Protection and Free Trade" was an outcome of the intensely bitter feeling between the partisans of both sides which marked the carrying-on by Lord John Russell of the system established by Sir Robert Peel in 1846 for throwing open our market-doors to free trade with foreign nations.
5.—A CLEAR CASE OF LIBEL. 1851.
6.—BY RICHARD DOYLE. 1850.
No. 7 is one of the minor hits at "Papal Aggression" made byPunchfifty years ago, and it is irresistibly funny.
7.—THE APPARITION. 1850.
8.—THIS IS SIR JOHN TENNIEL'S FIRST CARTOON; FEBRUARY 8, 1851.
Sir John Tenniel's first cartoon is shown in No. 8. It represents Lord John Russell as David, backed by Mr. Punch and by John Bull, attacking Cardinal Wiseman as Goliath, who is at the head of a host of Roman Catholic archbishops and bishops. A very interesting mention is made by Mr. Spielmann, in his "History of Punch," of the circumstances which caused Tenniel to joinPunch, and to become the greatest cartoonist the world has produced:—
Had the Pope not "aggressed" by appointing archbishops and bishops to English sees [This caused all the exaggerated pother and flutter of 1849.—J. H. S.], and so raised the scare of which Lord John Russell and Mr. Punch really seem to have been the leaders, Doyle would not have resigned, and no opening would have been made for Tenniel.Sir John, indeed, was by no means enamoured of the prospect of being aPunchartist, when Mark Lemon [the editor in 1850.—J. H. S.] made his overtures to him. He was rather indignant than otherwise, as his line was high art, and his severe drawing above "fooling." "Do they suppose," he asked a friend, "that there is anything funny aboutme?" He meant, of course, in his art, for privately he was well recognised as a humorist; and little did he know, in the moment of hesitation before he accepted the offer, that he was struggling against a kindly destiny.
Had the Pope not "aggressed" by appointing archbishops and bishops to English sees [This caused all the exaggerated pother and flutter of 1849.—J. H. S.], and so raised the scare of which Lord John Russell and Mr. Punch really seem to have been the leaders, Doyle would not have resigned, and no opening would have been made for Tenniel.
Sir John, indeed, was by no means enamoured of the prospect of being aPunchartist, when Mark Lemon [the editor in 1850.—J. H. S.] made his overtures to him. He was rather indignant than otherwise, as his line was high art, and his severe drawing above "fooling." "Do they suppose," he asked a friend, "that there is anything funny aboutme?" He meant, of course, in his art, for privately he was well recognised as a humorist; and little did he know, in the moment of hesitation before he accepted the offer, that he was struggling against a kindly destiny.
Thus we may say that the "Popish Scare" of fifty years ago was a main cause of the Tenniel cartoons in thePunchof to-day.
9.—ILLUSTRATING THE CONNECTION BY ELECTRIC CABLE BETWEEN ENGLAND AND FRANCE. BY LEECH, 1851.
The picture in No. 9,"The New Siamese Twins," celebrates the successful laying of the submarine cable between Dover and Calais, November 13, 1851: the closing prices of the Paris Bourse were known within business hours of the same day on the London Stock Exchange. The use by Leech of the words in the title, "Siamese Twins," refers to the visit to this country of a Barnum-like natural monstrosity—a pair of twins whose bodies were joined—a freak that was also the origin of a toy sold in later years with the same title. In the year 1851Punchsecured another of its most famous artists—Charles Keene—whose first contribution is shown in No. 10.
10.—THIS IS CHARLES KEENE'S FIRST "PUNCH" DRAWING; DECEMBER 20, 1851.
11.—BY LEECH. 1851.
12.—BY LEECH. 1851.
13.—AN INCIDENT OF THE 1851 CENSUS.
This sketch has little of a joke in it—the shakiness of drawing is intentional [see the description given in No. 10], and the following account of this poor little picture, so interesting as the first by Keene, is given by Mr. G. S. Layard in his "Life and Letters of Charles Samuel Keene":—
In 1848, Louis Napoleon had been elected to the French Presidency ...; 1849 witnessed the commencement of those violent political struggles which were the forerunners of internal conspiracies; and 1851 saw this practical anarchy suddenly put a stop to by the famous, or infamous,coup d'étatof December 2nd.Towards the end of that month a very modest wood-cut, bearing thelegend "Sketch of the Patent Street-sweeping Machines lately introduced at Paris" appeared on p. 264 of "Mr. Punch's" journal. It represented a couple of cannon drawn with the waviest of outlines, and the letter "A" marked upon the ground directly in their line of fire [see No. 10.—J. H. S.]....This was the first appearance of Keene's pencil in the pages which he was destined to adorn with increasing frequency as time went on for nearly forty years. The sketch is unsigned. Indeed, it was only at the urgent request of his friend, Mr. Silver, in whose brain the notion had originated, that the drawing was made, the artist bluntly expressing his opinion that the joke was a mighty poor one.
In 1848, Louis Napoleon had been elected to the French Presidency ...; 1849 witnessed the commencement of those violent political struggles which were the forerunners of internal conspiracies; and 1851 saw this practical anarchy suddenly put a stop to by the famous, or infamous,coup d'étatof December 2nd.
Towards the end of that month a very modest wood-cut, bearing thelegend "Sketch of the Patent Street-sweeping Machines lately introduced at Paris" appeared on p. 264 of "Mr. Punch's" journal. It represented a couple of cannon drawn with the waviest of outlines, and the letter "A" marked upon the ground directly in their line of fire [see No. 10.—J. H. S.]....
This was the first appearance of Keene's pencil in the pages which he was destined to adorn with increasing frequency as time went on for nearly forty years. The sketch is unsigned. Indeed, it was only at the urgent request of his friend, Mr. Silver, in whose brain the notion had originated, that the drawing was made, the artist bluntly expressing his opinion that the joke was a mighty poor one.
14.—MR. PUNCH'S "WARDROBE OF OLD COATS." BEING THE SIX DESIGNS FOR THE FRONT PAGE OF THE WRAPPER OF "PUNCH" WHICH PRECEDED THE DESIGN NOW IN USE.
Pictures 11 to 13 bring us to No. 14, which contains small facsimile reproductions of the six designs on the front of thePunch-wrapper, which preceded the well-known design by Richard Doyle, now used every week. These little pictures have been made direct from the originalPunch-wrappers in my possession, as it was found impossible to get satisfactory prints in so small a size as these from the much larger blocks that Messrs. Cassell and Companyvery kindly lent to me, impressions from which can be seen by readers who may like to study the detail of these designs in Mr. Spielmann's "History of Punch," which contains a full account of them. Incidentally, it is interesting to note that when these designs were made it would have been impossible to obtain from them the excellent reduced facsimiles now shown, which, by the way, have only now been obtained after several attempts—as each of these pretty little pictures has been reduced from the full size of the ordinaryPunch-page.
15.—BY LEECH. 1852.
The first design was made in 1841 by A. S. Henning, Mr. Punch's first cartoonist. In the early years ofPunchthe design for the wrapper was changed for each half-yearly volume, and early in 1842 the second design was adopted: this was drawn by Hablot K. Browne ("Phiz"), who worked forPunchduring 1842-1844, leavingPunchin 1844, because the paper could not at that time stand the financial strain of the two big guns, Leech and "Phiz". H. K. Browne went back to Mr. Punch in later years, and Mr. Spielmann has recorded that this "brave worker, who would not admit his stroke of paralysis, but called it rheumatism, could still draw when the pencil was tied to his fingers and answered the swaying of his body."
The third wrapper is by William Harvey, and was used for Vol. III. ofPunchin the latter part of 1842. The artist "spread consternation in the office by sending in a charge of twelve guineas" for this third wrapper—twelve guineas being, by the way, nearly one-half of the total capital with whichPunchwas started in 1841.
The fourth wrapper was designed by Sir John Gilbert, whose work forPunch, although greatly intermittent, and small in quantity, was spread over a longer period than that of any otherPunchartist—save Sir John Tenniel. This wrapper covered the first part of 1843, and it was used until recent years as the pink cover ofPunch'smonthly parts.
The fifth wrapper is by Kenny Meadows—you can just see his signature on the lower rim of the drum—and it was used in the latter part of 1843. Then, in January, 1844, Richard Doyle, Mr. Punch's latest recruit, was employed to design the new wrapper—the sixth of our illustration No. 14. This design was used until January, 1849, and then Doyle made the alterations which distinguish this sixth wrapper from the one now in use and which has been used ever since.
16.—TO TERRIFY THE ENEMY. 1852.
A little boy's advice to his grandfather is illustrated by Leech in No. 15, and No. 16 suggests an added horror of war. The humorous prospectus in No. 17 concludes with the words:—
Something turns up every day to justify the most sanguine expectation that an El Dorado has really been discovered. In the meantime, the motto of the Company is "Otium Sine Dig." [Ease without dignity]. Applications for Shares to be made immediately to the above addresses, as a preference will be shown to respectable people.
Something turns up every day to justify the most sanguine expectation that an El Dorado has really been discovered. In the meantime, the motto of the Company is "Otium Sine Dig." [Ease without dignity]. Applications for Shares to be made immediately to the above addresses, as a preference will be shown to respectable people.
By the way, when Mr. Punch wrote this skit about "Gold in England," he and his public werealike unaware that gold is really in this country—gold ore worth £15,000 was dug up in 1894 out of this country: 1894 being the most recent year for which I have the official return of mining.
17.—MR. PUNCH'S ACCOUNT OF A COMPANY-PROMOTING SWINDLE. 1852.
No. 18 depicts a moment of half-delightful, half-awe-stricken, anticipation by the amateur clown, pantaloon, and columbine of the exact result that will follow the application of the (real) red-hot poker to the old gentleman's legs.
18.—BY LEECH. 1853.
No. 19 is Mr. Punch's tribute to the Duke of Wellington which, a week later (October 2nd, 1852), was followed by a cartoon by Tenniel containing in a mournful pose one of Tenniel's splendid British lions that have intermittently during so many years been a prominent feature of his cartoons.
19.—THE OBITUARY NOTICE IN "PUNCH" ON THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. SEPTEMBER 25, 1852.
20.—THE COMING OF PHOTOGRAPHY [AND OF THE BULL BY "CUTHBERT BEDE," 1853.]
No. 20 is by "Cuthbert Bede" [the Reverend Edward Bradley], the author of"Verdant Green," and this is one of four caricature illustrations of the then novel art of photography, which Mr. Bradley did forPunchin the year 1853. We read just now how we are indirectly indebted to a Pope [Pius IX.] for Sir John Tenniel's cartoons, and in connection with the Rev. Edward Bradley's picture in No. 20, it may be noted that six clergymen, at the least, have contributed to Mr. Punch's pages.
21.—SUGGESTED BY THE MILITARY AND NAVAL REVIEWS HELD BY THE QUEEN IN 1853.
22.—MR. PUNCH'S HIT AT JOHN BRIGHT AND THE PEACE SOCIETY. 1853.
No. 21 showsPunch's"Medal for a Peace Assurance Society," a pictorialization in 1853 of the still true old saying: "To secure peace be prepared for war." An unhappy necessity, as some people think, but without doubt the only practical way to assure peace, and, as usual, Mr. Punch puts the thing in a nutshell with his two mottoes on the medal: "Attention" and "Ready, aye Ready." Our "attention" and "readiness" of 1853 did not, however, keep us out of the Crimean War, which began in the spring of 1854, despite the efforts of the Peace Society and of John Bright, who are caricatured in No. 22. But modern authorities generally believe that the Crimean War might have been prevented by a more vigorous policy than that of Lord Aberdeen, whose Administration is chiefly remembered by what is now thought to have been a gross blunder. ThisNo. 22 is also interesting as a forerunner of Mr. E. T. Reed's remarkably witty modern designs, "Ready-made coats (-of-arms); or, giving 'em fits."
23.—A SINISTER INVITATION. 1854.
"I wish the British Lion were dead outright," said John Bright, at Edinburgh, in 1853, and Mr. Punch's comment on these words was the funny "Improvement" of the Royal Arms depicted in No. 22.
24.—A REFERENCE TO THE CRIMEAN WAR. BY LEECH, 1854.
With a glance of sympathy at the belated traveller in No. 23, we pass to No. 24, which shows the "Bursting of the Russian Bubble." This was published inPunch, October 14th, 1854, after the Battle of the Alma had been fought and badly lost by Russia and part of the Russian fleet sunk at Sebastopol. Leech here shows very graphically the shattering of the "irresistible power" and of the "unlimited means" which were to have led the Emperor Nicholas I. of Russia to an easy victory over the British and French allied forces.
25.—IN THE EARLY DAYS OF PHOTOGRAPHY; BY "CUTHBERT BEDE," 1853.
No. 25 is another of the caricatures of photography in its early days by "Cuthbert Bede," and very funny it is.
The next picture, No. 26, is one ofPunch'sclassics. It is that well-known joke illustrating manners in the mining districts in the early fifties:—
First Polite Native: "Who's 'im, Bill?"Second ditto: "A stranger!"First ditto: "'Eave 'arf a brick at 'im."
First Polite Native: "Who's 'im, Bill?"
Second ditto: "A stranger!"
First ditto: "'Eave 'arf a brick at 'im."
By the way, speaking of Mr. Punch's jokes which have become classic, the one which is the best known is the following:—
Worthy of Attention.Advice to persons about to marry—Don't!
Worthy of Attention.
Advice to persons about to marry—
Don't!
26.—MINERS' MANNERS, 1854.
This famousmotappeared inPunch'sAlmanac for 1845, and Mr. Spielmann states that it was "based upon the ingenious wording of an advertisement widely put forth by Eamonson & Co., well-known house furnishers of the day."
27.—PLEASANT FOR THE YOUTH. BY LEECH, 1853.
28.—A SUPPOSITITIOUS RUSSIAN ACCOUNT OF OUR DISTRESS DURING THE CRIMEAN WAR, 1854.
As regards the source of this famous joke, Mr. Spielmann, with characteristic thoroughness, gives a long account of the many claims to its paternity, and finally makes this statement:—
... chance has placed in my possession the authoritative information; and so far from any outsider, anonymous or declared, paid or unpaid, being concerned in it at all, the line simply came in the ordinary way from one of the Staff—from the man who, with Landells, had conceivedPunchand shaped it from the beginning, and had invented that first Almanac which had saved the paper's life—Henry Mayhew.
... chance has placed in my possession the authoritative information; and so far from any outsider, anonymous or declared, paid or unpaid, being concerned in it at all, the line simply came in the ordinary way from one of the Staff—from the man who, with Landells, had conceivedPunchand shaped it from the beginning, and had invented that first Almanac which had saved the paper's life—Henry Mayhew.
29.—A STREET-ARAB OF 1854.
No. 27 is a very clever drawing by Leech—they are all clever of course, but this seemsspecially good. The youth [on Westminster Bridge—time, two on a foggy morning] white with fear walks on perfectly straight without taking any notice of the rough who asks: "Did you want to buy a good razor?"—but heistaking a lot of notice though. The youth walks exactly like one does walk when a beggar pesters as he slouches alongside just behind one, but here the frightened youth has good cause indeed for the shaking fear that Leech has by some magic put into these strokes of his pencil. The "Reduced Tradesman" too is exactly good—but let the picture speak for itself, it wants no words of mine.
30.—OUT OF THE RAIN. 1854.
There is an amusing "Russian" account, in No. 28, of our troubles at home during the Crimean War; and No. 29 shows a street-Arab asking the Queen's coachman, "I say, Coachy, are you engaged?"
31.—BY LEECH, 1854.
Glancing at Nos. 30 and 31, we see in No. 32 Leech's picture of the heroic charge at the Battle of Balaclava, on October 25, 1854, with Lord Cardigan leading his famous Light Brigade of Cavalry. Here are Mr. Punch's lines on this gallant charge, which was subsequently immortalized by Tennyson in his "Charge of the Light Brigade":—
THE BATTLE OF BALAKLAVA.
[Nine verses, on the battle generally, precede the lines below, which refer to the charge of the Light Brigade, illustrated by Leech, in No. 32.—J. H. S.]
But who is there, with patient tongue the sorry tale to tell,How our Light Brigade, true martyrs to the point of honour, fell!"'Twas sublime, but 'twas not warfare," that charge of woe and wrack,That led six hundred to the guns, and brought two hundred back!Enough! the order came to charge, and charge they did—like men:While shot and shell and rifle-ball played on them down the glen.Though thirty guns were ranged in front, not one drew bated breath,Unfaltering, unquestioning, they rode upon their death!Nor by five times their number of all arms could they be stayed;And with two lives for one of ours, e'en then, the Russians paid;Till torn with shot and rent with shell, a spent and bleeding few,—Life was against those fearful odds,—from the grapple they withdrew.But still like wounded lions, their faces to the foe,More conquerors than conquered, they fell back stern and slow;With dinted arms and weary steeds—all bruised and soiled and worn—Is this the wreck of all that rode so bravely out this morn?Where thirty answered muster at dawn now answer ten,Oh, woe's me for such officers!—Oh, woe's me for such men!Whose was the blame? Name not his name, but rather seek to hide.If he live, leave him to conscience—to God, if he have died:But you, true band of heroes, you have done your duty well:Your country asks not, to what end; it knows but how you fell!
But who is there, with patient tongue the sorry tale to tell,How our Light Brigade, true martyrs to the point of honour, fell!"'Twas sublime, but 'twas not warfare," that charge of woe and wrack,That led six hundred to the guns, and brought two hundred back!
Enough! the order came to charge, and charge they did—like men:While shot and shell and rifle-ball played on them down the glen.Though thirty guns were ranged in front, not one drew bated breath,Unfaltering, unquestioning, they rode upon their death!
Nor by five times their number of all arms could they be stayed;And with two lives for one of ours, e'en then, the Russians paid;Till torn with shot and rent with shell, a spent and bleeding few,—Life was against those fearful odds,—from the grapple they withdrew.
But still like wounded lions, their faces to the foe,More conquerors than conquered, they fell back stern and slow;With dinted arms and weary steeds—all bruised and soiled and worn—Is this the wreck of all that rode so bravely out this morn?Where thirty answered muster at dawn now answer ten,Oh, woe's me for such officers!—Oh, woe's me for such men!
Whose was the blame? Name not his name, but rather seek to hide.If he live, leave him to conscience—to God, if he have died:But you, true band of heroes, you have done your duty well:Your country asks not, to what end; it knows but how you fell!
32.—THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE. BY LEECH, NOVEMBER 25, 1854.
Note.—In Part 1. of this article, the "Portrait of the Railway Panic," illustration No. 17, was erroneously ascribed to Doyle; the artist was William Newman, one of Mr. Punch's first recruits.
Note.—In Part 1. of this article, the "Portrait of the Railway Panic," illustration No. 17, was erroneously ascribed to Doyle; the artist was William Newman, one of Mr. Punch's first recruits.
(To be continued.)
By Grant Allen.
"Is Lady Georgina at home?"
The discreet man-servant in sober black clothes eyed me suspiciously. "No, miss," he answered. "That is to say—no, ma'am. Her ladyship is still at Mr. Marmaduke Ashurst's—the late Mr. Marmaduke Ashurst's, I mean—in Park Lane North. You know the number, ma'am?"
"Yes, I know it," I replied, with a gasp; for this was indeed a triumph. My one fear had been lest Lord Southminster should already have taken possession—why, you will see hereafter; and it relieved me to learn that Lady Georgina was still at hand to guard my husband's interests. She had been living at the house, practically, since her brother's death. I drove round with all speed, and flung myself into my dear old lady's arms.
"I'VE HELD THE FORT BY MAIN FORCE."
"Kiss me," I cried, flushed. "I am your niece!" But she knew it already, for our movements had been fully reported by this time (with picturesque additions) in the morning papers. Imagination, ill-developed in the English race, seems to concentrate itself in the lower order of journalists.
She kissed me on both cheeks with unwonted tenderness. "Lois," she cried, with tears in her eyes, "you're a brick!" It was not exactly poetical at such a moment, but from her it meant more than much gushing phraseology.
"And you're here in possession!" I murmured.
The Cantankerous Old Lady nodded. She was in her element, I must admit. She dearly loved a row—above all, a family row; but to be in the thick of a family row, and to feel herself in the right, with the law against her—that was joy such as Lady Georgina had seldom before experienced. "Yes, dear," she burst out volubly, "I'm in possession, thank Heaven. And what's more, they won't oust me without a legal process. I've been here, off and on, you know, ever since poor dear Marmy died, looking after things for Harold; and I shall look after them still, till Bertie Southminster succeeds in ejecting me, which won't be easy. Oh, I've held the fort by main force, I can tell you; held it like a Trojan. Bertie's in a precious great hurry to move in, I can see; but I won't allow him. He's beendown here this morning, fatuously blustering, and trying to carry the post by storm, with a couple of policemen."
"Policemen!" I cried. "To turn you out?"
"Yes, my dear, policemen: but (the Lord be praised) I was too much for him. There are legal formalities to fulfil yet; and I won't budge an inch, Lois, not one inch, my dear, till he's fulfilled every one of them. Mark my words, child, that boy's up to some devilry."
"He is," I answered.
"Yes, he wouldn't be in such a rampaging hurry to get in—being as lazy as he's empty-headed—takes after Gwendoline in that—if he hadn't some excellent reason for wishing to take possession: and depend upon it, the reason is that he wants to get hold of something or other that's Harold's. But he sha'n't if I can help it; and thank my stars, I'm a dour woman to reckon with. If he comes, he comes over my old bones, child. I've been overhauling everything of Marmy's, I can tell you, to checkmate the boy if I can; but I've found nothing yet, and till I've satisfied myself on that point, I'll hold the fort still, if I have to barricade that pasty-faced scoundrel of a nephew of mine out by piling the furniture against the front door—I will as sure as my name's Georgina Fawley!"
"I know you will, dear," I assented, kissing her, "and so I shall venture to leave you, while I go out to institute another little inquiry."
"What inquiry?"
I shook my head. "It's only a surmise," I said, hesitating, "I'll tell you about it later. I've had time to think while I've been coming back in the train, and I've thought of many things. Mount guard till I return, and mind you don't let Lord Southminster have access to anything."
"I'll shoot him first, dear." And I believe she meant it.
I drove on in the same cab to Harold's solicitor. There I laid my fresh doubts at once before him. He rubbed his bony hands. "You've hit it!" he cried, charmed. "My dear madam, you've hit it! I never did like that will. I never did like the signatures, the witnesses, the look of it. But what could I do? Mr. Tillington propounded it. Of course it wasn't my business to go dead against my own client."
"Then you doubted Harold's honour, Mr. Hayes?" I cried, flushing.
"'NEVER!' HE ANSWERED. 'NEVER!'"
"Never!" he answered. "Never! I felt sure there must be some mistake somewhere, but not any trickery on—your husband's part. Now,yousupply the right clue. We must look into this, immediately."
He hurried round with me at once in the same cab to the court. The incriminated will had been "impounded," as they call it; but, under certain restrictions, and subject to the closest surveillance, I was allowed to examine it with my husband's solicitor, before the eyes of the authorities. I looked at it long with the naked eye and also with a small pocket lens. The paper, as I had noted before, was the same kind of foolscap as that which I had been in the habit of using at my office in Florence; and the typewriting—was it mine? The longer I looked at it, the more I doubted it.
After a careful examination I turned round to our solicitor. "Mr. Hayes," I said, firmly, having arrived at my conclusion, "this isnotthe document I type-wrote at Florence."
"How do you know?" he asked. "A different machine? Some small peculiarity in the shape of the letters?"
"No, the rogue who typed this will was too cunning for that. He didn't allow himself to be foiled by such a scholar's mate. It is written with a Spread Eagle, the same sort of machine precisely as my own. I know the type perfectly. But——" I hesitated.
"But what?"
"Well, it is difficult to explain. There is character in typewriting, just as there is in handwriting, only, of course, not quite so much of it. Every operator is liable to his own peculiar tricks and blunders. If I had some of my own typewritten manuscript here to show you, I could soon make that evident."
"I can easily believe it. Individuality runs through all we do, however seemingly mechanical. But are the points of a sort that you could make clear in court to the satisfaction of a jury?"
"I think so. Look here, for example. Certain letters get habitually mixed up in typewriting;candvstand next one another on the keyboard of the machine, and the person who typed this draft sometimes strikes acinstead of av, orvice versâ. I never do that. The letters I tend to confuse aresandw, or elseeandr, which also come very near one another in the arbitrary arrangement. Besides, when I type-wrote the original of this will, I made no errors at all; I took such very great pains about it."
"And this person did make errors?"
"Yes; struck the wrong letter first, and then corrected it often by striking another rather hard on top of it. See, this was avto begin with, and he turned it into ac. Besides, the hand that wrote this will is heavier than mine: it comes downthump, thump, thump, while mine glides lightly. And the hyphens are used with a space between them, and the character of the punctuation is not exactly as I make it."
"Still," Mr. Hayes objected, "we have nothing but your word. I'm afraid, in such a case, we could never induce a jury to accept your unsupported evidence."
"I don't want them to accept it," I answered. "I am looking this up for my own satisfaction. I want to know, first, who wrote this will. And of one thing I am quite clear: it isnotthe document I drew up for Mr. Ashurst. Just look at thatx. Thexalone is conclusive. My typewriter had the upper right-hand stroke of the smallxbadly formed, or broken, while this one is perfect. I remember it well, because I used always to improve all my lower-casex's with a pen when I re-read and corrected. I see their dodge clearly now. It is a most diabolical conspiracy. Instead of forging a will in Lord Southminster's favour, they have substituted a forgery for the real will, and then managed to make my poor Harold prove it."
"In that case, no doubt, they have destroyed the real one, the original," Mr. Hayes put in.
"I don't think so," I answered, after a moment's deliberation. "From what I know of Mr. Ashurst, I don't believe it is likely he would have left his will about carelessly anywhere. He was a secretive man, fond of mysteries and mystifications. He would be sure to conceal it. Besides, Lady Georgina and Harold have been taking care of everything in the house ever since he died."
"But," Mr. Hayes objected, "the forger of this document, supposing it to be forged, must have had access to the original, since you say the terms of the two are identical; only the signatures are forgeries. And if he saw and copied it, why might he not also have destroyed it?"
A light flashed across me all at once. "The forgerdidsee the original," I cried, "but not the fair copy. I have it all now! I detect their trick! It comes back to me vividly! When I had finished typing the copy at Florence from my first rough draft, which I had taken down on the machine before Mr. Ashurst's eyes, I remember now that I threw the original into the waste-paper basket. It must have been there that evening when Higginson called and asked for thewill to take it back to Mr. Ashurst. He called for it, no doubt, hoping to open the packet before he delivered it and make a copy of the document for this very purpose. But I refused to let him have it. Before he saw me, however, he had been left by himself for ten minutes in the office; for I remember coming out to him and finding him there alone: and during that ten minutes, being what he is, you may be sure he fished out the rough draft and appropriated it!"
"That is more than likely," my solicitor nodded. "You are tracking him to his lair. We shall have him in our power."