When the World Shook: Being an Account of the Great Adventure of Bastin, Bickley and ArbuthnotHaggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
Science
When the World Shook: Being an Account of the Great Adventure of Bastin, Bickley and Arbuthnot
Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
Adventure stories; Science fiction
I forgot to add that she had another passenger, the little spaniel,
Tommy. I had intended to leave him behind, but while I was packing up
he followed me about with such evident understanding of my purpose that
my heart was touched. When I entered the motor to drive to the station
he escaped from the hands of the servant, whimpering, and took refuge
on my knee. After this I felt that Destiny intended him to be our
companion. Moreover, was he not linked with my dead past, and, had I
but known it, with my living future also?
CHAPTER V.
The Cyclone
We enjoyed our voyage exceedingly. In Egypt, a land I was glad to
revisit, we only stopped a week while the _Star of the South_, which we
rejoined at Suez, coaled and went through the Canal. This, however,
gave us time to spend a few days in Cairo, visit the Pyramids and
Sakkara which Bastin and Bickley had never seen before, and inspect the
great Museum. The journey up the Nile was postponed until our return.
It was a pleasant break and gave Bickley, a most omnivorous reader who
was well acquainted with Egyptian history and theology, the opportunity
of trying to prove to Bastin that Christianity was a mere development
of the ancient Egyptian faith. The arguments that ensued may be
imagined. It never seemed to occur to either of them that all faiths
may be and indeed probably are progressive; in short, different rays of
light thrown from the various facets of the same crystal, as in turn
these are shone upon by the sun of Truth.
Our passage down the Red Sea was cool and agreeable. Thence we shaped
our course for Ceylon. Here again we stopped a little while to run up
to Kandy and to visit the ruined city of Anarajapura with its great
Buddhist topes that once again gave rise to religious argument between
my two friends. Leaving Ceylon we struck across the Indian Ocean for
Perth in Western Australia.
It was a long voyage, since to save our coal we made most of it under
canvas. However, we were not dull as Captain Astley was a good
companion, and even out of the melancholy Dane, Jacobsen, we had
entertainment. He insisted on holding seances in the cabin, at which
the usual phenomena occurred. The table twisted about, voices were
heard and Jacobsen’s accordion wailed out tunes above our heads. These
happenings drove Bickley to a kind of madness, for here were events
which he could not explain. He was convinced that someone was playing
tricks upon him, and devised the most elaborate snares to detect the
rogue, entirely without result.
First he accused Jacobsen, who was very indignant, and then me, who
laughed. In the end Jacobsen and I left the “circle” and the cabin,
which was locked behind us; only Bastin and Bickley remaining there in
the dark. Presently we heard sounds of altercation, and Bickley emerged
looking very red in the face, followed by Bastin, who was saying:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account