The Poor People Are In Sad Anxiety For
Their Son, Of Whom They Have Not Heard For Four Months, And That
From An Old Letter.
Henry will thus have a part of all the
blessings which were solemnly invoked on me by poor old
Abdool, who
is getting very infirm, but toddled up and cracked his old fingers
over my head, and invoked the protection of Allah with all form;
besides that Betsy sent me twelve dozen oranges and lemons. Abdool
Rachman is about twenty-six, a Malay of Capetown, speaks Dutch and
English, and is supposed to be studying theology at Cairo. The
letter is written by the prettiest Malay girl in Capetown.
I won't enter upon my longings to be home again, and to see you
all. I must now see to my last commissions and things, and send
this to go by next mail.
God bless you all, and kiss my darlings, all three.
LETTER XVI
Friday, May 16th.
On board the good ship Camperdown, 500 miles North-west of Table-
Bay.
I embarked this day week, and found a good airy cabin, and all very
comfortable. Next day I got the carpenter's services, by being on
board before all the rest, and relashed and cleeted everything,
which the 'Timmerman', of course, had left so as to get adrift the
first breeze. At two o'clock the Attorney-General, Mr. Porter,
came on board, escorted by bands of music and all the volunteers of
Capetown, quorum pars maxima fuit; i.e. Colonel. It was quite what
the Yankees call an 'ovation'. The ship was all decked with flags,
and altogether there was le diable a quatre. The consequence was,
that three signals went adrift in the scuffle; and when a Frenchman
signalled us, we had to pass for brutaux Anglais, because we could
not reply. I found means to supply the deficiency by the lining of
that very ancient anonymous cloak, which did the red, while a
bandanna handkerchief of the Captain's furnished the yellow, to the
sailmaker's immense amusement. On him I bestowed the blue outside
of the cloak for a pair of dungaree trowsers, and in signalling now
it is, 'up go 2.41, and my lady's cloak, which is 7.'
We have had lovely weather, and on Sunday such a glorious farewell
sight of Table Mountain and my dear old Hottentot Hills, and of
Kaap Goed Hoop itself. There was little enough wind till
yesterday, when a fair southerly breeze sprang up, and we are
rolling along merrily; and the fat old Camperdown DOES roll like an
honest old 'wholesome' tub as she is. It is quite a bonne fortune
for me to have been forced to wait for her, for we have had a
wonderful spell of fine weather, and the ship is the ne plus ultra
of comfort. We are only twelve first-class upper-deck passengers.
The captain is a delightful fellow, with a very charming young
wife. There is only one child (a great comfort), a capital cook,
and universal civility and quietness.
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