720 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant: Boyd Alexander 
their horror, through a crack in the boards they could see 
him lying with his head in a pool of blood. Fortunately 
they sighted a labourer who was working in a neighbouring 
field, and at length with his help the door was broken 
open and poor Boyd was brought out and laid upon a heap 
of straw. Water was fetched from a well near by, and 
after a little while he revived. It was then seen that in 
falling he had struck the rafters with his jaw and that 
three of his teeth were broken off. It was close on lunch¬ 
time and they were about half a mile from home. His 
brothers urged him to let one of them run back and bring 
the pony cart, but he would not hear of it, fearing that if 
his mishap became known to the elders, a stop would be put 
to their independence and all their fun spoilt for the future. 
So he struggled home in his shaken and crippled state 
and actually made the attempt to endure his pains through 
lunch as if nothing had happened. But his dazed condition 
and battered face at length attracted notice, though not 
before he had won the day for his brothers and himself, for 
the serious nature of his accident was never realised by his 
parents, their chief fear being lest his appearance should be 
permanently damaged. So this was by no means the last of 
the adventures the boys had in the pursuit of their pet hobby. 
Side by side with his taste for natural history another 
excellent boyish characteristic was developed in the form of 
a steadfast hero-worship, the objects of which were never 
dethroned from his regard, but remained his pattern heroes 
to the end of his life. These were Napoleon and General 
Gordon. In viewing the record of Alexander’s achieve¬ 
ments, so remarkable for so young a man and one that has 
placed him among the great explorers of history, and 
remembering this early hero-worship of his, it is interesting 
to observe how “ the child was father to the man.” For 
this was the inspiration which largely helped him in after 
years to overcome well-nigh insurmountable difficulties. 
When alone in the midst of dangers, and fighting the leagued 
forces that Fate arrayed against him, of savage men, and 
