memoir of fleeming jenkin-第31章

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'FEB。　18TH；　1877。　…　We　all　feel　very　lonely　without　you。　　Frewen　

had　to　come　up　and　sit　in　my　room　for　company　last　night　and　I　

actually　kissed　him；　a　thing　that　has　not　occurred　for　years。　　

Jack；　poor　fellow；　bears　it　as　well　as　he　can；　and　has　taken　the　

opportunity　of　having　a　fester　on　his　foot；　so　he　is　lame　and　has　

it　bathed；　and　this　occupies　his　thoughts　a　good　deal。'



'FEB。　19TH。　…　As　to　Mill；　Austin　has　not　got　the　list　yet。　　I　think　

it　will　prejudice　him　very　much　against　Mill　…　but　that　is　not　my　

affair。　　Education　of　that　kind！　。　。　。　I　would　as　soon　cram　my　boys　

with　food　and　boast　of　the　pounds　they　had　eaten；　as　cram　them　with　

literature。'



But　if　Fleeming　was　an　anxious　father；　he　did　not　suffer　his　

anxiety　to　prevent　the　boys　from　any　manly　or　even　dangerous　

pursuit。　　Whatever　it　might　occur　to　them　to　try；　he　would　

carefully　show　them　how　to　do　it；　explain　the　risks；　and　then　

either　share　the　danger　himself　or；　if　that　were　not　possible；　

stand　aside　and　wait　the　event　with　that　unhappy　courage　of　the　

looker…on。　　He　was　a　good　swimmer；　and　taught　them　to　swim。　　He　

thoroughly　loved　all　manly　exercises；　and　during　their　holidays；　

and　principally　in　the　Highlands；　helped　and　encouraged　them　to　

excel　in　as　many　as　possible：　　to　shoot；　to　fish；　to　walk；　to　pull　

an　oar；　to　hand；　reef　and　steer；　and　to　run　a　steam　launch。　　In　all　

of　these；　and　in　all　parts　of　Highland　life；　he　shared　delightedly。　　

He　was　well　onto　forty　when　he　took　once　more　to　shooting；　he　was　

forty…three　when　he　killed　his　first　salmon；　but　no　boy　could　have　

more　single…mindedly　rejoiced　in　these　pursuits。　　His　growing　love　

for　the　Highland　character；　perhaps　also　a　sense　of　the　difficulty　

of　the　task；　led　him　to　take　up　at　forty…one　the　study　of　Gaelic；　

in　which　he　made　some　shadow　of　progress；　but　not　much：　　the　

fastnesses　of　that　elusive　speech　retaining　to　the　last　their　

independence。　　At　the　house　of　his　friend　Mrs。　Blackburn；　who　plays　

the　part　of　a　Highland　lady　as　to　the　manner　born；　he　learned　the　

delightful　custom　of　kitchen　dances；　which　became　the　rule　at　his　

own　house　and　brought　him　into　yet　nearer　contact　with　his　

neighbours。　　And　thus　at　forty…two；　he　began　to　learn　the　reel；　a　

study；　to　which　he　brought　his　usual　smiling　earnestness；　and　the　

steps；　diagrammatically　represented　by　his　own　hand；　are　before　me　

as　I　write。



It　was　in　1879　that　a　new　feature　was　added　to　the　Highland　life：　　

a　steam　launch；　called　the　PURGLE；　the　Styrian　corruption　of　

Walpurga；　after　a　friend　to　be　hereafter　mentioned。　　'The　steam　

launch　goes；'　Fleeming　wrote。　　'I　wish　you　had　been　present　to　

describe　two　scenes　of　which　she　has　been　the　occasion　already：　　

one　during　which　the　population　of　Ullapool；　to　a　baby；　was　

harnessed　to　her　hurrahing　…　and　the　other　in　which　the　same　

population　sat　with　its　legs　over　a　little　pier；　watching　Frewen　

and　Bernie　getting　up　steam　for　the　first　time。'　　The　PURGLE　was　

got　with　educational　intent；　and　it　served　its　purpose　so　well；　and　

the　boys　knew　their　business　so　practically；　that　when　the　summer　

was　at　an　end；　Fleeming；　Mrs。　Jenkin；　Frewen　the　engineer；　Bernard　

the　stoker；　and　Kenneth　Robertson　a　Highland　seaman；　set　forth　in　

her　to　make　the　passage　south。　　The　first　morning　they　got　from　

Loch　Broom　into　Gruinard　bay；　where　they　lunched　upon　an　island；　

but　the　wind　blowing　up　in　the　afternoon；　with　sheets　of　rain；　it　

was　found　impossible　to　beat　to　sea；　and　very　much　in　the　situation　

of　castaways　upon　an　unknown　coast；　the　party　landed　at　the　mouth　

of　Gruinard　river。　　A　shooting　lodge　was　spied　among　the　trees；　

there　Fleeming　went；　and　though　the　master；　Mr。　Murray；　was　from　

home；　though　the　two　Jenkin　boys　were　of　course　as　black　as　

colliers；　and　all　the　castaways　so　wetted　through　that；　as　they　

stood　in　the　passage；　pools　formed　about　their　feet　and　ran　before　

them　into　the　house；　yet　Mrs。　Murray　kindly　entertained　them　for　

the　night。　　On　the　morrow；　however；　visitors　were　to　arrive；　there　

would　be　no　room　and；　in　so　out…of…the…way　a　spot；　most　probably　no　

food　for　the　crew　of　the　PURGLE；　and　on　the　morrow　about　noon；　with　

the　bay　white　with　spindrift　and　the　wind　so　strong　that　one　could　

scarcely　stand　against　it；　they　got　up　steam　and　skulked　under　the　

land　as　far　as　Sanda　Bay。　　Here　they　crept　into　a　seaside　cave；　and　

cooked　some　food；　but　the　weather　now　freshening　to　a　gale；　it　was　

plain　they　must　moor　the　launch　where　she　was；　and　find　their　way　

overland　to　some　place　of　shelter。　　Even　to　get　their　baggage　from　

on　board　was　no　light　business；　for　the　dingy　was　blown　so　far　to　

leeward　every　trip；　that　they　must　carry　her　back　by　hand　along　the　

beach。　　But　this　once　managed；　and　a　cart　procured　in　the　

neighbourhood；　they　were　able　to　spend　the　night　in　a　pot…house　on　

Ault　Bea。　　Next　day；　the　sea　was　unapproachable；　but　the　next　they　

had　a　pleasant　passage　to　Poolewe；　hugging　the　cliffs；　the　falling　

swell　bursting　close　by　them　in　the　gullies；　and　the　black　scarts　

that　sat　like　ornaments　on　the　top　of　every　stack　and　pinnacle；　

looking　down　into　the　PURGLE　as　she　passed。　　The　climate　of　

Scotland　had　not　done　with　them　yet：　　for　three　days　they　lay　

storm…stayed　in　Poolewe；　and　when　they　put　to　sea　on　the　morning　of　

the　fourth；　the　sailors　prayed　them　for　God's　sake　not　to　attempt　

the　passage。　　Their　setting　out　was　indeed　merely　tentative；　but　

presently　they　had　gone　too　far　to　return；　and　found　themselves　

committed　to　double　Rhu　Reay　with　a　foul　wind　and　a　cross　sea。　　

From　half…past　eleven　in　the　morning　until　half…past　five　at　night；　

they　were　in　immediate　and　unceasing　danger。　　Upon　the　least　

mishap；　the　PURGLE　must　either　have　been　swamped　by　the　seas　or　

bulged　upon　the　cliffs　of　that　rude　headland。　　Fleeming　and　

Robertson　took　turns　baling　and　steering；　Mrs。　Jenkin；　so　violent　

was　the　commotion　of　the　boat；　held　on　with　both　hands；　Frewen；　by　

Robertson's　direction；　ran　the　engine；　slacking　and　pressing　her　to　

meet　the　seas；　and　Bernard；　only　twelve　years　old；　deadly　sea…sick；　

and　continually　thrown　against　the　boiler；　so　that　he　was　found　

next　day　to　be　covered　with　burns；　yet　kept　an　even　fire。　　It　was　a　

very　thankful　party　that　sat　down　that　evening　to　meat　in　the　Hotel　

at　Gairloch。　　And　perhaps；　although　the　thing　was　new　in　the　

family；　no　one　was　much　surprised　when　Fleeming　said　grace　over　

that　meal。　　Thenceforward　he　continued　to　observe　the　form；　so　that　

there　was　kept　alive　in　his　house　a　grateful　memory　of　peril　and　

deliverance。　　But　there　was　nothing　of　the　muff　in　Fleeming；　he　

thought　it　a　good　thing　to　escape　death；　but　a　becoming　and　a　

healthful　thing　to　run　the　risk　of　it；　and　what　is　rarer；　that　

which　he　thought　for　himself；　he　thought　for　his　family　also。　　In　

spite　of　the　terrors　of　Rhu　Reay；　the　cruise　was　persevered　in　and　

brought　to　an　end　under　happier　conditions。



One　year；　instead　of　the　Highlands；　Alt　Aussee；　in　the　Steiermark；　

was　chosen　for　the　holidays；　and　the　place；　the　people；　and　the　

life　delighted　Fleeming。　　He　worked　hard　at　German；　which　he　had　

much　forgotten　since　he　was　a　boy；　and　what　is　highly　

characteristic；　equally　hard　at　the　patois；　in　which　he　learned　to　

excel。　　He　won　a　prize　at　a　Schutzen…fest；　and　though　he　hunted　

chamois　without　much　success；　brought　down　more　interesting　game　in　

the　shape　of　the　Styrian　peasants；　and　in　particular　of　his　gillie；　

Joseph。　　This　Joseph　was　much　of　a　character；　and　his　appreciations　

of　Fleeming　have　a　fine　note　of　their　own。　　The　bringing　up　of　the　

boys　he　deigned　to　approve　of：　　'FAST　SO　GUT　WIE　EIN　BAUER；'　was　

his　trenchant　criticism。　　The　attention　and　courtly　respect　with　

which　Fleeming　surrounded　his　wife；　was　something　of　a　puzzle　to　

the　philosophic　gillie；　he　announced　in　the　village　that　Mrs。　

Jenkin　…　DIE　SILBERNE　FRAU；　as　the　folk　had　prettily