English essays -- 19th century; Great Britain -- Social life and customs; London (England) -- Description and travel
How I kept up my courage through these dangers shall now be narrated.
The excellent landlord of the “Saint Charles Hotel,” when I was going
away, begged me to accept two bottles of the very finest Cognac, with
his compliments; and I found them in my state-room with my luggage.
Lochlomond came to see me off, and as he squeezed my hand at parting,
“Roundabout,” says he, “the wine mayn't be very good on board, so I
have brought a dozen-case of the Medoc which you liked;” and we grasped
together the hands of friendship and farewell. Whose boat is this
pulling up to the ship? It is our friend Glenlivat, who gave us the
dinner on Lake Pontchartrain. “Roundabout,” says he, “we have tried to
do what we could for you, my boy; and it has been done de bon coeur” (I
detect a kind tremulousness in the good fellow's voice as he speaks). “I
say--hem!--the a--the wine isn't too good on board, so I've brought you
a dozen of Medoc for your voyage, you know. And God bless you; and when
I come to London in May I shall come and see you. Hallo! here's Johnson
come to see you off, too!”
As I am a miserable sinner, when Johnson grasped my hand, he said, “Mr.
Roundabout, you can't be sure of the wine on board these steamers, so I
thought I would bring you a little case of that light claret which you
liked at my house.” Et de trois! No wonder I could face the Mississippi
with so much courage supplied to me! Where are you, honest friends, who
gave me of your kindness and your cheer? May I be considerably boiled,
blown up, and snagged, if I speak hard words of you. May claret turn
sour ere I do!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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