RECREATION. 



95 



waves us adieu from the end of the 

 dock. 



Our trip back varied a little from the 

 up one. Just after we left United States 

 territory we landed at the British port of 

 Simpson, when, going ashore, we en- 

 countered more Totems and more curi- 

 osities for sale. Being persuaded, of 

 course, by the ladies, to enter a curios- 

 ity shop, close by a church, we were 

 entertained in the most charming way 

 by a man, who for our amusement 

 decked himself out in all sorts of 

 Indian finery, and as we were about to 

 leave, produced a subscription book 



INDIAN TOTEM — THE WHALE. 



stating that in it were recorded the 

 names of all those kind enough to give 

 something to help pay off the debt of 

 the church. I beat a hasty retreat at 

 once, but my good friend, Mr. F., less 

 accustomed, perhaps, to that warlike 

 manoeuvre, fell a victim to the fact that 

 he was more financier than soldier. Be- 

 ing imprudent enough to take out his 

 pocketbook he discovered, when too 

 late, that he had nothing in it but large 

 bills. He realized that it was then too 

 late to retreat, and bestowed upon the 

 indebted church a much larger sum than 

 it would ever have received from him 

 had I remained to act as rear guard. 

 As we cast loose our lines from the 

 dock we were serenaded by a band of 



native musicians, who did not fail to 

 make a collection before the gang plank 

 was drawn in. During the remainder 

 of the trip Mr. F. was continually being 

 assured that at Fort Simpson he paid 

 more dearly for his music than any one 

 else in the party. 



Touching at Victoria on our way 

 back we visited Admiral H., on board 

 the English ship, " Warspite," then, for- 

 tunately for us, in the dry-dock, for it 

 gave us an opportunity of seeing a great 

 war ship out of water, and a great dry- 

 dock occupied. 



Seated in the admiral's cabin, quietly 

 smoking, while the rest of the party in- 

 spected the ship under the escort of its 

 captain, Mr. F. and I were more than 

 pleased to hear this English admiral pay 

 a tribute to the energy and zeal of the 

 newspaper press of the United States 

 which had struck him as especially sig- 

 nificant. It appears that three of the 

 best young officers of the Warspite — 

 (midshipmen) had, a short time before, 

 gone away on a fishing trip and had 

 never been seen since. The admiral 

 had sent several boat parties in search of 

 them, but until their fate was definitely 

 determined, hesitated to alarm their 

 friends in England by telegraphing the 

 facts. While the search was going on 

 he was waited upon by a man who an- 

 nounced himself as a correspondent of 

 the New York Herald. To the admir- 

 al's amazement this correspondent 

 showed him a cablegram from London 

 giving not only the full name of each of 

 the missing officers, but all the details of 

 their disappearance, so far as known. He 

 also informed the admiral that he had 

 telegraphic orders from the Herald to 

 charter a steamboat at once and go in 

 search of the missing officers ! 



Our trip commenced in a heavy rain 

 and ended with one. All the interme- 

 diate weather, however, was bright, clear 

 and beautiful just when we most needed 

 clear weather; and on August 18th we 

 landed at Seattle, having been absent 

 just twelve days, though it did not seem 

 nearly so long, for every hour of it was 

 filled with pleasure of some kind. Ex- 

 pressions of satisfaction were heard 

 on every hand, at the success of the 

 trip, and even the old Polar bear was 

 not forgotten. 



