VI.] START OF THE BAGGAGE-TRAIN. 43 



As the first day's journey was two-and-thirty miles, and 

 would probably necessitate his being twelve or thirteen hours 

 in the saddle, I began to be really alarmed for my poor chef; 

 but rinding on inquiry that these gloomy prognostics were 

 entirely voluntary on the part of Mr. Wilson, that the officer 

 in question was full of zeal, and only too anxious to add 

 horsemanship to his other accomplishments, I did not inter- 

 fere. As for Wilson himself, it is not a marvel if he should 

 see things a little askew; for some unaccountable reason, he 

 chose to sleep last night in the open air, on the top of a hen- 

 coop, and naturally awoke this morning with a crick in his 

 neck, and his face so immovably fixed over his left shoulder, 

 that the efforts of all the ship's company have not been able 

 to twist it back : with the help of a tackle, however, I think 

 we shall eventually brace it square again. 



At two we went to lunch with the Rector. The enter- 

 tainment bore a strong family likeness to our last night's 

 dinner ; but as I wanted afterwards to exhibit my magic 

 lantern to his little daughter Raghnilder, and a select party 

 of her young friends, we contrived to elude doing full justice 

 to it. During the remainder of the evening, like Job's chil- 

 dren, we went about feasting from house to house, taking 

 leave of friends who could not have been kinder had they 

 known us all our lives, and interchanging little gifts and 

 souvenirs. With the Governor I have left a print from the 

 Princess Royal's drawing of the dead soldier in the Crimea. 

 From the Rector of the cathedral church I have received 

 some very curious books — almost the first printed in the 

 island ; I have been very anxious to obtain some specimens 

 of ancient Icelandic manuscripts, but the island has long 

 since been ransacked of its literary treasures ; and to the 

 kindness of the French consul I am indebted for a charming 

 little white fox, the drollest and prettiest little beast I ever saw. 

 Having dined on board the " Artemise? we adjourned at 

 eleven o'clock to the beach to witness the departure of the 

 baggage. The ponies were all drawn up in one long file, 

 the head of each being tied to the tail of the one immediately 



