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Lesson1Apumaatlarge

Pumasarelarge,portscameintoLondon

Zoothatawildpumahadbeenspottedforty-fivemilessouthofLondon,theywerenottaken

r,astheevidencebegantoaccumulate,expertsfromtheZoofeltobligedto

investigate,forthedescriptionsgivenbypeoplewhoclaimedtohaveenthepumawere

extraordinarilysimilar.

Thehuntforthepumabeganinasmallvillagewhereawomanpickingblackberriessaw'a

largecat'diatelyranawaywhenshesawit,andexperts

confirmedthatapumawillnotattackahumanbeingunlessitiscornered（adj.被困得走投无路

的）.Thearchproveddifficult,forthepumawasoftenobrvedatoneplaceinthemorningand

eritwent,itleftbehinditatrailof

ntswereeninanumberofplacesandpumafur

lpeoplecomplainedof'cat-likenois'atnightanda

ertswerenowfullyconvincedthat

theanimalwasapuma,butwherehaditcomefrom?Asnopumashadbeenreportedmissing

fromanyzoointhecountry,thisonemusthavebeenintheposssionofaprivatecollectorand

twentonforveralweeks,

isdisturbingtothinkthatadangerouswildanimalisstillatlargeinthequietcountryside.

Lesson2Thirteenequalsone

Ourvicarisalwaysraisingmoneyforonecauoranother,buthehasnevermanagedtoget

clockwhichudtostrikethehoursday

andnightwasdamagedmanyyearsagoandhasbeensilenteversince.

'Onenight,however,ourvicarwokeupwithastart:theclockwasstrikingthehours!Looking

athiswatch,hesawthatitwasoneo'clock,butthebellstruckthirteentimesbeforeitstopped.

Armedwithatorch,

torchlight,hecaughtsightofafigurewhomheimmediatelyrecognizedasBillWilkins,ourlocal

grocer.'WhateverareyoudoinguphereBill?'askedthevicarinsurpri.

'I'mtryingtorepairthebell,'answeredBill.'I'vebeencomingupherenightafternightfor

,Iwashopingtogiveyouasurpri.'

'Youcertainlydidgivemeasurpri!'saidthevicar.'You'veprobablywokenupeveryoneinthe

,I'mgladthebellisworkingagain.'

'That'sthetrouble,vicar,'answeredBill.'It'sworkingallright,butI'mafraidthatatoneo'clock

itwillstrikethirteentimesandthere'snothingIcandoaboutit.'

'We'llgetudtothatBill,'saidthevicar.'Thirteenisnotasgoodasonebutit'sbetterthan

'sgodownstairsandhaveacupoftea.'

Lesson3Anunknowngoddess

Sometimeago，aninterestingdiscoverywasmadebyarchaeologistsontheAegean（adj.爱琴

海的；n.）islandofKea．AnAmericanteamexploredatemplewhichstandsinanancientcityon

thepromontoryofAyiaIrini．Thecityatonetimemusthavebeenprosperous，foritenjoyedahigh

levelofcivilization．Hous--oftenthreestoreyshigh--werebuiltofstone．Theyhadlargerooms

withbeautifullydecoratedwalls．Thecitywavenequippedwithadrainagesystem，foragreat

manyclaypipeswerefoundbeneaththenarrowstreets．

Thetemplewhichthearchaeologistxploredwasudasaplaceofworshipfromthefifteenth

ostsacredroomofthetemple,clayfragmentsoffifteen

thereprentedagoddessandhad,atonetime,

bosing

admusthavebeenfoundin

e

archaeologistsreconstructedthefragments,theywereamazedtofindthatthegoddessturnedout

odthreefeethighandherhandsrestedonherhip.

ehergreatage,shewasvery

gracefulindeed,but,sofar,thearchaeologistshavebeenunabletodiscoverheridentity.

Lesson4ThedoublelifeofAlfredBloggs

Thedays,peoplewhodomanualworkoftenreceivefarmoremoneythanclerkswhoworkin

whoworkinofficesarefrequentlyreferredtoas'whitecollarworkers'forthe

humannature,thata

greatmanypeopleareoftenwillingtosacrificehigherpayfortheprivilegeofbecomingwhite

ngiveritocurioussituations,asitdidinthecaofAlfredBloggswho

workedasadustmanfortheEllesmereCorporation.

Whenhegotmarried,

orning,helefthomedresdina

changedintooveralls(n.工作服)andspentthenexteighthoursasa

returninghomeatnight,

'swifehasneverdiscovered

thatshemarriedadustmanandsheneverwill,soon

beearningonlyhalfasmuchasheudto,but

won,hewillwearasuitall

dayandotherswillcallhim'',not'Alf'.

Lesson5Thefacts

Editorsofnewspapersandmagazinesoftengotoextremestoprovidetheirreaderswith

arajournalisthadbeeninstructedbyawell-known

magazinetowriteanarticleonthepresident'earticle

arrived,iclebegan:

'Hundredsofstepsleadtothehighwallwhichsurroundsthepresident'spalace.'Theeditoratonce

ntthejournalistafaxinstructinghimtofindouttheexactnumberofstepsandtheheightof

thewall.

Thejournalistimmediatelytouttoobtaintheimportantfacts,buthetookalongtimeto

ile,theeditorwasgettingimpatient,forthemagazinewouldsoongotopress.

Hentthejournalisttwourgenttelegrams,yetanothertelegram

ejournalistagain

failedtoreply,thee

later,yhadthepoormanbeen

arrested,r,hehadatlastbeenallowedtonda

cableinwhichheinformedtheeditorthathehadbeenarrestedwhilecountingthe1084steps

leadingtothe15-footwallwhichsurroundedthepresident'spalace.

Lesson6Smash-and-grab

timeofthemorning,or,theownerofa

isassistantshadbeen

workingbusilysince8o'dnecklacesand

azingat

thedisplayforveralminutes,MrTaylorwentbackintohisshop.

Thesilencewassuddenlybrokenwhenalargecar,withitsheadlightsonandits

hornblaring,toastopoutsidethejeweler'

stayedatthewheelwhiletwootherswithblackstockingsovertheirfacesjumpedout

hiswasgoingon,Mr

isstaffbeganthrowingfurnitureoutofthewindow.

hethieveswasstruckbya

heavystatue,

raidwasalloverinthreeminutes,forthemenscrambledbackintothecarandit

itwasleaving,MrTaylorrushedoutandran

afteritthrowingashtraysandvas,

hadgotawaywiththousandsofpoundsworthofdiamonds.

Lesson7Mutilatedladies

mpletruthwas

demonstratedratherdramaticallyduringacivildefenceexerciinasmalltownin

theinhabitantswereaskedtotakepartintheexerciduringwhich

-raidwarningsweresounded

sandnurs

remainedabovegroundwhilePolicepatrolledthestreetsincaanyonetriedtoleave

theshelterstoosoon.

Thepolicedidnothavemuchtodobecauthecitizenstooktheexerciriously.

Theystayedundergroundfortwentyminutesandwaitedforthesirentosoundagain.

Onleavingtheair-raidshelters,

icalmake-upandartificial

Peoplewerelying

'dead'inghelpedtocarrythedeadandwoundedtospecial

ldwassuppodtobe

eatricalmake-uponhisface,

r,thechild

ldlooked

aroundforamomentandsaid,'Ithinkthey'reallcrazy!'

Lesson8Afamousmonastery

2470metres,itisthe

ousmonasteryofStBernard,whichwas

foundedintheeleventhcentury,dredsofyears,St

B

friendlydogs,whichwerefirstbroughtfromAsia,wereudaswatch-dogvenin

tatunnelhasbeenbuiltthroughthemountains,thePassisless

dangerous,buteachyear,thedogsarestillntoutintothesnowwheneveratraveller

ethenewtunnel,therearestillafewpeoplewhorashly

attempttocrossthePassonfoot.

Duringthesummermonths,themonasteryisverybusy,foritisvisitedby

thousandsofpeoplewhocrossthePassincars,Astherearesomanypeopleabout,

er,however,lifeatthe

peraturedropsto-30andveryfewpeople

ksPreferwintertosummerfortheyhavemore

shavegreaterfreedom,too,fortheyareallowedtowanderoutside

yregularvisitorstothemonasteryinwinterarepartiesof

oungpeople,wholovethepeace

ofthemountains,alwaysreceiveawarm.

WelcomeatStBernard'smonastery.

Lesson9

Bynow,arocketwillhavetoffonits35millionmiletriptoMarsandscientists

ketwillbetravellingforsixmonths

beforeitreachestheplanet.

Itcontainsanumberofscientificinstruments,

picturesthataretakenwillhavetotravelforthreeminutesbeforetheyreachtheearth.

Ifthepicturesaresuccessful,theymaysolveanumberofproblemsaboutMarsand

provideinformationaboutthemarkingsonitssurfacewhich,nearly100yearsago,

theastronomer,Schiaparelli,thoughttobecanals.

llonly

bepossiblewhenscientistshavelearntalotmoreabouttheatmospherethatsurrounds

ellitecanonedaybeputintoorbitroundMars,scientistswillbe

restingsuggestionformeasuringtheatmosphere

rballcontainingaradiotransmittercould

bedro

radiowouldsignaltheratewhichtheballwassloweddownandscientistswouldbe

venbepossibletodropa

capsulecontainingscientificinstrumentsontotheplanet'enagreat

dealmoreinformationhasbeenobtained,willitbepossibletoplanamannedtripto

Mars.

Lesson10ThelossofTitanic

Thegreatship,Titanic,sailedforNewYorkfromSouthamptononApril10th,

modernstandards,

the46,time,however,shewasnotonlythe

largestshipthathadeverbeenbuilt,butwasregardedasunsinkable,forshehad

twoofthewereflooded,shewouldstill

gicsinkingofthisgreatlinerwillalwaysberemembered,for

shewentdownonherfirstvoyagewithheavylossoflife.

Fourdaysafterttingout,whiletheTitanicwassailingacrosstheicywatersofthe

NorthAtlantic,healarm

hadbeengiven,anic

turnedjustintime,narrowlymissingtheimmenwalloficewhichroover100

ly,therewasaslighttremblingsoundfrom

below,hadbeenso

,thecaptainrealized

tohishorrorthattheTitanicwassinkingrapidly,forfiveofhersixteenwater-

tightcompartmentshadalreadybeenflooded!Theordertoabandonshipwas

ewerenotenough

life-boatsforeverybody,1500liveswerelost.

Lesson11Notguilty

angestthingaboutitis

denedprofessional

smuggler,ontheotherhand,isnevertroubledbysuchfeelings,evenifhehasfive

eturnedfromabroadrecently,a

particularlyofficiousyoungCustomsOfficerclearlyregardedmeasasmuggler.

'Haveyouanythingtodeclare?'heasked,lookingmeintheeye.

'No,'Iansweredconfidently.

'Wouldyoumindunlockingthissuitcaplea?'

'Notatall,'Ianswered.

thingsIhadpackedso

ureIwouldneverbeabletoclothe

ly,IsawtheOfficer'pottedatinybottleat

thebottomofmycaandhepouncedonitwithdelight.

'Perfume,eh?'heaskedsarcastically.'Youshouldhavedeclaredthat.'Perfumeis

notexemptfromimportduty.'

'Butitisn'tperfume,'Isaid.'It'shair-oil.'ThenIaddedwithasmile,'It'sastrange

mixtureImakemylf.'AsIexpected,hedidnotbelieveme.

'Tryit!'Isaidencouragingly.

reetedby

nutes

later,Iwasabletohurryawaywithpreciouschalk-marksonmybaggage.

Lesson12Lifeonadertisland

sometimesimagineadertislandtobeasortofparadiwherethesunalways

ereissimpleandgood.

ersideofthe

herstarveto

deathorlivelikeRobinsonCrusoe,s

thereisanelementoftruthinboththepictures,butfewofushavehadthe

opportunitytofindout.

Twomenwhorecentlyspentfivedaysonacoralislandwishedtheyhadstayed

retakingabadlydamagedboatfromtheVirginIslandsto

thejourney,ickly

loadedasmallrubberdinghywithfood,matches,andtinsofbeerandrowedforafew

erehardly

anytreesontheislandandtherewasnowater,butthisdidnotprovetobeaproblem.

hadbroughtaspeargun

withthem,ughtlobsterandfisheveryday,and,asone

ofthemputit'atelikekings'.Whenapassingtankerrescuedthemfivedayslater,

bothmenweregenuinelysorrythattheyhadtoleave.

Lesson13It’sonlyme

Afterherhusbandhadgonetowork,MrsRichardsntherchildrentoschooland

tooexcitedtodoanyhouworkthatmorning,

intendedtodressupasaghostandasshehadmadehercostumethenightbefore,she

thecostumeconsistedonlyofasheet,itwasvery

uttingiton,tedtofindout

whetheritwouldbecomfortabletowear.

JustasMrsRichardswanteringthedining-room,therewasaknockonthefront

toldhimtocomestraightinifever

tingto

frightenthepoorman,MrsRichardsquicklyhidinthesmallstore-roomunderthe

lythe

hardsrealizedthatit

ed

toexplainthesituation,saying'It'sonlyme',letoutacry

sRichardswalkedtowardshim,hefled,

slammingthedoorbehindhim.

Lesson14Anoblegangster

TherewasatimewhentheownersofshopandbusinessinChicagohadtopay

largesumsofmoneytogangstersinreturnfor'protection'Ifthemoneywasnotpaid

promptly,thegangsterswouldquicklyputamanoutofbusinessbydestroyinghis

ing'protechonmoney'agoasthe

fourteenthcentury,anEnglishman,SirJohnHawkwood,madetheremarkable

discoverythatpeoplewouldratherpaylargesumsofmoneythanhavetheirlifework

destroyedbygangsters.

Sixhundredyearsago,SirJohnHawkwoodarrivedinItalywithabandofsoldiers

madeanameforhimlfandcametobeknownto

ertheItaliancity-stateswereatwarwitheach

other,Hawkwoodudtohirehissoldierstoprinceswhowerewillingtopaythehigh

sofpeace,whenbusinesswasbad,Hawkwoodandhis

menwouldmarchintoacity-stateand,afterburningdownafewfarms,wouldoffer

odmadelargesumsof

eofthis,

hediedattheageofeighty,theFlorentinesgavehimastatefuneralandhadapicture

paintedwhichwasdedicatedtothememoryof'themostvaliantsoldierandmost

notableleader,SignorGiovanniHaukodue'.

Lesson15Fiftypenceworthoftrouble

,ofcour,providesa

regularsupplyofpocket-money,butunclesandauntsarealwaysasourceofextra

mechildren,encesarenot

exchangedforsweets,rythrifty

tofthem,sixpenceisasmallpriceto

payforasatisfyingbarofchocolate.

Mynephew,George,wofthe

imsixpenceyesterday

d,

hiswaytothesweetshop,hedroppedhissixpenceanditrolledalongthepavement

tookoff

hisjacket,rolleduphissleevesandpushedhisrightarmthroughthedraincover.

Hecouldnotfindhissixpenceanywhere,andwhatismore,hecouldnotgethisarm

ofpeoplegatheredroundhimandaladyrubbedhisarmwithsoapand

butter,e-brigadewascalledandtwofiremen

wasnottoouptbyhis

experiencebecautheladywhoownsthesweetshopheardabouthistroublesand

rewardedhimwithalargeboxofchocolates.

Lesson16Maryhadalittlelamb

MaryandherhusbandDimitrilivedinthetinyvillageofPerachorainsouthern

ary'sprizeposssionswasalittlewhitelambwhichherhusband

tittiedtoatreeinafieldduringthedayandwenttofetchit

ning,however,ehadbeencut,

mitricameinfromthefields,

iatoncetouttofindthethief.

ellingveralof

hisfriendsaboutthetheft,Dimitrifoundoutthathisneighbour,Aleko,hadsuddenly

iimmediatelywenttoAleko'shouandangrilyaccud

himhehadbetterreturnitorhewouldcallthe

ruethathe

hadjustboughtalamb,heexplained,dofhaving

actedsorashly,heywere

talkingitbegantorainandDimitristayedinAleko'shouuntiltherainstopped.

Whenhewentoutsidehalfanhourlater,hewasastonishedtofindthatthelittleblack

l,whichhadbeendyedblack,hadbeenwashedclean

bytherain!

Lesson17Thelongestsuspensionbridgeintheworld

Verrazano,anItalianaboutwhomlittleisknown,sailedintoNewYorkHarbourin

ribeditas'averyagreeablesituationlocated

withintwosmallhillsinthemidstofwhichflowedagreatriver.'ThoughVerrazano

isbynomeansconsideredtobeagreatexplorer,hisnamewillprobablyremain

immortal,foronNovember21st,1964,thegreatestbridgeintheworldwasnamed

afterhim.

TheVerrazanoBridge,whichwasdesignedbyOthmarAmmann,joinsBrooklynto

dgeissolongthattheshapeofthe

attowerssupportfourhuge

ersarebuiltonimmenunderwaterplatformsmadeofsteeland

lone

hesurfaceofthewater,thetowersritoa

pportthecablesfromwhichthebridgehasbeen

thefourcablescontains26,een

estimatedthatifthebridgewerepackedwithcars,itwouldstillonlybecarryinga

r,sizeandstrengtharenottheonlyimportantthings

eitsimmensity,itisbothsimpleandelegant,fulfillingits

designer'sdreamtocreate'anenormousobjectdrawnasfaintlyaspossible'.

Lesson18Electriccurrentsinmodernart

athatmodernartcanonly

oplewhotakenointerestinartcannothave

e

formsstandingardens,gotquiteudto

-called'modern'pieceshavebeenondisplayfornearlyfiftyyears.

Inspiteofthis,somepeople--includingmylf--weresurpridbyarecent

stthingIsawwhenIenteredtheartgallery

wasanoticewhichsaid:'themaredangerous!'The

hapedformsthatare

suspendedfromtheceilingandmoveinrespontoagustofwindarequitefamiliar

bjects,however,pagainstthewall,there

ereshadbeenmagnetizedand

entreofthehall,therewerea

ightsflickered

wereemittedfromsmall

atherlikeanexhibition

eculiarformsnotonlyemeddesigned

toshockpeopleemotionally,buttogivethemelectricshocksaswell!

Lesson19Averydearcat

KidnappersarerarelyinterestedinAnimals,buttheyrecentlytookconsiderable

interestinMrsEleanorRamsay'anorRamsay,averywealthyoldlady,

hassharedaflatwithhercat,Rastus,leadsanorderly

llytakesashortwalkintheeveningsandisalwayshomebyven

o'ning,however,

lookedeverywhereforhimbutcouldnotfindhim.

ThreedayafterRastus'disappearance,MrsRamsayreceivedananonymousletter.

ThewriterstatedthatRastuswasinsafehandsandwouldbereturnedimmediatelyif

MrsRamsaypaidaransomof&saywasinstructedtoplacethemoney

t,shedecidedtogotothe

police,butfearingthatshewouldnevereRastusagain--theletterhadmadethat

w&1000fromherbankandfollowedthe

kidnapper'tmorning,theboxhaddisappearedbutMrsRamsay

ough,Rastusarrived

punctuallyatveno'edverywell,thoughhewasrather

thirsty,icewereastoundedwhenMrs

Ramsaytoldthemwhatshehad

eringtheamountshe

paid,hewasdearinmorewaysthanone!

Lesson20Pioneerpilots

In1908LordNorthcliffeofferedaprizeof&1000tothefirstmanwhowouldfly

July19th,1909,intheearlymorning,HubertLathamtookofffromtheFrenchcoast

inhisplanethe'AntoinetteIV'.He

hadtravelledonlyvenmilesacrosstheChannelwhenhinginefailedandhe

'Antoinette'floatedonthewateruntilLathamwas

pickedupbyaship.

Twodayslater,LouisBleriotarrivednearCalaiswithaplanecalled''.

before,hehadcompletedasuccessfuloverlandflightduringwhichhecovered

,,too,arrivednearCalais

onthesamedaywithanew'Antonette'.Itlooksasiftherewouldbeanexcitingrace

anesweregoingtotakeoffonJuly25th,butLatham

akingashorttestflightat4.15a.m.,Bleriott

landed

nearDover,madeanother

attemptaweeklaterandgotwithinhalfamileofDover,buthewasunluckyagain.

Hinginefailedandhelandedontheaforthecondtime.

Lesson21DanielMendoza

edays,boxers

eofthis,theywereknownas'prize-fighters'.

However,boxingwasverycrude,fortherewerenorulesandaprize-fightercouldberiously

injuredorevenkilledduringamatch.

OneofthemostcolourfulfiguresinboxinghistorywasDanielMendozawhowasbornin1764.

Theuofgloveswasnotintroduceduntil1860whentheMarquisofQueensberrydrewupthe

hewastechnicallyaprize-fighter,Mendozadidmuchtochangecrude

prize-fightingintoasport,ay,Mendozaenjoyed

arotofameswiftlyafter

tractedtheattentionofRichard

redtotrainMendozaandhis

,MendozasoonbecamesosuccessfulthatHumphries

menquarrelledbitterlyanditwasclearthattheargumentcouldonly

lic

betagreatdealofmoneyonMendoza,ametHumphriesinthering

otuntilhisthirdmatchin1790thathe

ile,hefoundedahighly

edenormoussumsof

moneyandwaspaidasmuchasðis,hewassoextravagant

ewasdefeatedbyaboxercalledGentlemanJackson,hewas

enttoprisonforfailingtopayhisdebtsanddiedinpovertyin1836.

Lesson22Byheart

ways,thisisunfortunate

forthepoold

sisnotalwaysthe

ca.

Afamousactorinahighlysuccessfulplaywasoncecastintheroleofanaristocratwhohad

astact,agaolerwouldalwayscomeonto

oughthenoblewaxpected

toreadtheletterateachperformance,

night,thegaolerdecidedtoplayajokeonhiscolleaguetofindoutif,aftersomanyperformances,

tainwentuponthefinalactof

theen,thegaoler

redthecellandprentedthelettertothe

implya

lerlookedoneagerly,anxioustoeifhisfellow-actorhadatlast

,squintinghis

eyes,hesaid:'elettertome.'Andhepromptlyhandedthesheetofpaper

gthathecouldnotrememberawordofthelettereither,thegaolerreplied:

'Thelightisindeeddim,etmyglass.'Withthis,

thearistocrat'samument,thegaolerreturnedafewmomentslaterwithapairofglassandthe

usualcopyoftheletterwhichheproceededtoreadtotheprisoner.

Lesson23Oneman’smeatisanotherman’spoison

Peoplebecomequiteillogicalwhentheytrytodecidewhatcanbeeatenandwhatcannotbe

ivedintheMediterranean,forinstance,youwouldconsideroctopusagreatdelicacy.

therhand,your

stomachwouldturnattheideaoffryingpotatoesinanimalfat--thenormallyacceptedpracticein

truthisthatmostofushavebeenbroughtuptoeatcertainfoods

andwesticktothemallourlives.

inwine,

recountlesspeoplewho,eversince

theirearlyyears,nd,Robert,livesinacountry

latisinalargetown,rshe

anever

appealedtomeverymuch,butoneday,afteraheavyshower,Ihappenedtobewalkinginmy

gardenwh

onasuddenimpul,Icollectedveraldozen,puttheminapaperbag,andtookthemtoRobert.

hebaginthe

hallan

forgotwould,

ofcour,tfancytheideaandIreluctantlyfollowedRobertoutofthe

ismay,wesawthatthereweresnailverywhere:theyhadescapedfromthepaper

bagandhadtakencompleteposssionofthehall!Ihaveneverbeenabletolookatasnailsince

then.

Lesson24Askeletoninthecupboard

Weoftenreadinnovelshowaeminglyrespectablepersonorfamilyhassometerriblecret

lishlanguageposssavividsaying

riblecretiscalled'askeletoninthecupboard'.Atsome

dramaticmome

reader'shairstandsonendwhenhereadsinthefinalpagesofthenovelthattheheroine,adear

oldladywhohadalwaysbeensokindtoeverybody,had,inheryouth,poisonedeveryoneofher

fivehusbands.

ingdegrees,weallhavecrets

whichwedonotwantevenourclostfriendstolearn,butfewofushaveskeletonsinthe

ypersonIknowwhohasaskeletoninthecupboardisGeorgeCarlton,andheis

dofbecomingadoctor,

however,pentanuncomfortable

showedmetotheguestroomwhich,he

said,had

stackedmyshirtsandunderclothesintwoemptydrawers,Idecidedtohanginthecupboardone

dthecupboarddoorandthenstoodinfrontofit

denmovementofthedoormadeit

ngmysuit,

sworthan'aterriblecret';thiswasarealskeleton!

ButGeorgewasunsympathetic.'Oh,that,'hesaidwithasmileasifheweretalkingaboutanold

friend.'That'getthatIwasamedicalstudentonceuponatime.'

Lesson25TheCuttySark

Oneofthemostfamoussailingshipsofthenineteenthcentury,theCuttySark,canstillbeen

ves

theywerereplacedbysteam-ships,

sailingveslsliketheCuttySarkwereudtocarryteafromChinaandwoolfromAustralia.

yothershipto

eshipstoutfromShanghaionJune18th,1872onan

ce,whichwentonforexactlyfourmonths,wasthelastofitskind.

Itmarkedthst

ofthetwoshipstoreachJavaaftertheracehadbegunwastheThermopylae,butontheIndian

Ocean,edcertainthatshewouldbethefirstshiphome,but

st,shewasstruckbyaveryheavystormduring

tySarkrolledfromsidetosideanditbecameimpossible

raryrudderwasmadeonboardfromspareplanksanditwasfittedwithgreat

eatlyreducedthespeedoftheship,fortherewasdangerthatifshetravelledtoo

quickly,eofthis,

crossingtheequator,thecaptaincalledinataporttohaveanewrudderfitted,butbynowthe

thenewrudderwasfittedattremendous

speed,ivedinEnglandaweekafterthe

iswasremarkable,sno

doubtthatifshehadnotlostherruddershewouldhavewontheraceeasily.

Lesson26Wanted:alargebiscuittin

wemaypride

ourlvesonourgoodtaste,wearenolongerfreetochoothethingswewant,for

reffortstopersuadeustobuythisor

thatproduct,advertirshavemadeaclostudyofhumannatureandhaveclassified

irsdiscoveredyearsagothatallofuslovetoget

rtimentwhichbeginswiththe

ays,advertirsnotonlyofferfree

samplesbutfreecars,freehous,vi

nd

televisionhavemadeitpossibleforadvertirstocapturetheattentionofmillionsof

aradioprogramme,acompanyofbiscuitmanufacturers

feredto

pay$pontothis

long,biscuitsofallshapesandsizesbegan

hed

elater,amancamealongwithabiscuitwhichoccupiedthe

t

beforethecompetitionclod,alorryarrivedatthefactorywithatrulycolossal

eenbakedbyacollegestudentwhohad

udover1000poundsofflour,800poundsofsugar,200poundsoffat,and400

oheavythatacranehadtobeudto

ufacturershadtopaymoremoneythantheyhad

anticipated,fortheyboughtthebiscuitfromthestudentfor$4800.

Lesson27Nothingtollandnothingtobuy

ightofthis

statement,teacherslivebyllingknowledge,philosophersbyllingwisdomand

priestsbyllingspiritualcomfort.

Thoughitmaybepossibletomeasurethevalueofmaterialgoodsintermsof

money,itixtremelydifficulttoestimatethetruevalueoftherviceswhichpeople

retimeswhenwewouldwillinglygiveeverythingweposss

tosaveourlives,yetwemight

conditionsofsocietyaresuchthatskillshavetobepaidforinthesamewaythat

nehassomethingtoll.

salmostll

ltrampsarenot

ing

independence,mayaskyoufor

money,eliberatelychonto

leadthelifeheleadsandisfullyawareoftheconquencesHe,mayneverbesure

wherethenextmealiscomingfrom,butheisfreefromthethousandsofanxieties

materialposssionmakeitpossibleforhimto

movefromplacetoplacewithea-Byhavingtosleepintheopen,hegetsfarclor

unt,beg,orstealoccasionally

tokeephimlfalive;hemayevenintimesofrealneed,doalittlework;buthewill

nspeakoftrampswithcontemptandputthemin

thesameclassasbeggars,buthowmanyofuscanhonestlysaythatwehavenotfelta

littleenviousoftheirsimplewayoflifeandtheirfreedomfromcare?

Lesson28Fivepoundstoodear

Smallboatsloadedwithwaresspedtothegreatlinerasshewanteringthe

shehadanchored,themenfromtheboatshadclimbedonboardand

thedecksweresooncoveredwithcolourfulrugsfromPersia,silksfromIndia,copper

coffeepots,ifficultnottobetempted.

Manyofthetouristsonboardhadbegunbargainingwiththetradesmen,butIdecided

soonergotofftheshipthanI

intentionof

buyingone,butIcouldnotconcealthefactthatIwasimpresdbythesizeofthe

wenttogreatlengthsto

rewalkingpastashop,hehelda

meoverhalfanhourtogetridofhim.

ned

aofthegoldcap,the

words'madeintheU.S.A.'saidthatthepenwas

worth&10,butasaspecialfavour,hewouldletmehaveitfor&myhead

andheldupafingerindicatingthatIwaswillingto

ulatingwildly,themanactedasifhefoundmyoffer

outrageous,butheeventuallyreducedthepriceto&ingmyshoulders,I

begantowalkawaywhen,amomentlater,heranaftermeandthrustthepenintomy

hekeptthrowinguphisarmsindespair,hereadilyacceptedthepound

speciallypleadwithmywonderfulbargain--untilIgotbacktothe

erhowhardItried,itwasimpossibletofillthisbeautifulpenwithink

andtothisdayithasneverwrittenasingleword!

lesson29Funnyornot?

Whetherwefindajokefunnyornotlargelydependsonwherewehavebeen

ofhumourismysteriouslyboundupwithnational

hman,forinstance,mightfindithardtolaughataRussian

ameway,aRussianmightfailtoeanythingamusinginajokewhich

wouldmakeanEnglishmanlaughtotears.

eofnationaldifferences,

erwhereyoulive,youwould

finditdifficultnottolaughat,say,CharlieChaplin'r,anew

typeofhumour,whichstemslargelyfromAmerica,

iscal1ed'sickhumour'.Comediansbatheirjokesontragicsituationslikeviolent

followingexampleof'sickhumour'willenableyoutojudgeforyourlf.

Amanwhohadbrokenhisrightlegwastakentohospitalafewweeksbefore

emomenthearrivedthere,hekeptonpesteringhisdoctortotell

dedhavingtospendChristmasin

thedoctordidhisbest,thepatient'

Christmasday,t

lowingday,

however,thedoctorconsoledhimbytellinghimthathischancesofbeingableto

tookheartand,

sureenough,onNewYear'

compensateforhisunpleasantexperiencesinhospital,themandrankalittlemore

rocess,heenjoyedhimlfthoroughlyandkepttelling

tillmumblingsomethingabout

hospitalsattheendofthepartywhenheslippedonapieceoficeandbrokehisleft

leg.

Lesson30Thedeathofaghost

mwasownedby

twobrothers,ployedafewfarmhands,butnoonewas

imeaworkergaveuphisjob,hetoldthesame

bourerssaidthattheyalwayswokeuptofindtheworkhadbeendone

orker,who

stayedupallnight,claimedtohaveenafigurecuttingcorninthe

,itbecameanacceptedfactthattheCoxbrothermployeda

conscientiousghostthatdidmostoftheirworkforthem.

Noonesuspectedthattheremightbesomeoneelonthefarmwhohadneverbeen

timeago,villagerswereastonishedtolearn

newenttothefuneral,forthe'ghost'was

noneotherthanEricCox,athirdbrotherwhowassuppodtohavediedasayoung

hefuneral,JoeandBertrevealed

dbeentheeldestsonofthe

ted

learntthathewouldbent

abroad,hereturnedtothefarmandhisfartherhidhimuntiltheendofthewar.

Fearingtheauthorities,hertold

yotherpeoplewhoknewthe

eirfatherdied,

years,Erichadlivedasa

reclu（隐遁者,寂寞者）.Heudtosleepduringthedayandworkatnight,quite

died,however,

hisbrothersfounditimpossibletokeepthecretanylonger.

Lesson31Alovableeccentric

T

disregardsocialconventionswithoutbeingconsciousthattheyaredoinganything

variablywinsthemtheloveandrespectofothers,fortheyadd

colourtothedullroutineofeverydaylife.

Uptothetimeofhisdeath,RichardColsonwasoneofthemostnotablefiguresin

shrewdandwealthybusiness-man,buttheordinarytown-folk

nowntousallasDickieand

dislikedsnobs(势

利小人)heownedalargecar,hehardlyeverudit,preferring

enitwasrainingheavily,herefudtocarryan

,hewalkedintoanexpensiveshopafterhavingbeencaughtina

edtobuya&300furcoatforhiswife,buthe

left

xtremely

heavy,istantaskedhimtoleave,butDickiepaid

izingwhothecustomer

was,themanagerwasmostapologeticand'

Dickiewasgiventhefurcoat,

contained&stedontheassistant'scountingthemoneybefore

heleft72,000penniesinall!Onanotheroccasion,heinvitedanumberofimportant

hibitionreceiveda

greatdealofattentioninthepress,forthoughthepicturesweresuppodtobethe

workoffamousartists,himfouryears

tostagethilaboratejokesimplytoprovethatcriticsdonotalwaysknowwhatthey

aretalkingabout.

Lesson32Alostship

llship,Elkor,which

hadbeenarchingtheBarentsSeaforweeks,message

fromthemainlandhadbeenreceivedbytheship'scaptaininstructinghimtogiveup

tainknewthatanotherattemptwouldbemadelater,forthesunken

shiphewastryingtofindhadbeencarryingapreciouscargoofgoldbullion.

Despitethemessage,-bed

wasscouredwithpowerfulnetsandtherewastremendouxcitementonboardwhen

thecrewwereatfirstunderthe

impressionthatthelostshiphadbeenfound,thecontentsofthea-chestproved

eyhadinfactfoundwasashipwhichhadbeensunkmanyyears

stcontainedthepersonalbelongingsofaaman,AlanFielding.

Therewerebooks,clothingandphotographs,togetherwithletterswhichtheaman

tainoftheElkororderedhismentosalvage

gofvaluewasfound,butthenumerous

eavy

gunthatwasraid,

anothera-chest,whichcontainedthebelongingsofaship'sofficer,therewasan

unfinishedletterwhichhadbeenwrittenonMarch14th,tainlearnt

tvaluablefindof

allwastheship'slogbook,isthe

c

KarenhadbeensailinginaconvoytoRussiawhenshewastorpedoedbyanenemy

slaterconfirmedbyanavalofficialattheMinistryofDefence

itemsthatwerefoundwerenttotheWar

Muum.

Lesson33Adaytoremember

ybeginwell

enough,variablyhappens

is

uppothatyou

ephone

ringsandthismarksthepreludetoanunforeenriesof

ouareonthephone,thebabypullsthetable-clothoffthe

g

uphurriedlyandattendtobaby,crockery,ile,

thiswerenotenoughtoreduceyoutotears,yourhusbandarrives,unexpectedly

bringingthreegueststodinner.

Thingscangowrongonabigscaleasanumberofpeoplerecentlydiscoveredin

Parramatta,therushhouroneeveningtwocarscollided

animmediatelybehindthetwocars

ewassittingbesidehimholdinga

asthrownforward,thecakewentrightthroughthewindscreen

acakeflyingthroughtheair,alorry-driverwhowas

drawingupalongsidethecar,rywasloadedwith

emptybeerbottlesandhundredsofthemslidoffthebackofthevehicleandontothe

ile,thetrafficpiledupbehind.

eantime,

ostraydogs

benefitedfromallthisconfusion,fortheygreedilydevouredwhatwasleftofthecake.

Itwasjustoneofthodays!

Lesson34Ahappydiscovery

e

expensivekindofantiqueshopwhererareobjectsarebeautifullydisplayedinglass

nehasto

salwayshopethat

initslabyrinthofmusty,dark,disorderedroomsarealraritywillbefoundamongst

thepilesofassortedjunkthatlitterthefloors.

dedicatedarcherforarttreasures

musthavepatience,andaboveall,theabilitytorecognizetheworthofsomething

is,

scientistbentonmakingadiscovery,hemustcherishthehopethatonedayhewillbe

amplyrewarded.

Myoldfriend,FrankHalliday,ftendescribedtome

howhepickedupamasterpieceforamere&urdaymorning,Frankvisited

dneverbeentherebefore,hefounda

ningpasdrapidlyandFrankwasabouttoleave

lertoldhimthatit

hadjustcomein,eggedhimtodo

fromaninteresting-lookingcarveddagger,theboxwasfullofcrockery,muchofit

entlyliftedthecrockeryoutoftheboxandsuddenlynoticeda

ompositionandline

remindedhimofanItalianpaintingheknewwell,ngatit

briefly,thedealertoldhimthatitwasworth&ouldhardlyconcealhis

excitement,ypaintingproved

tobeanunknownmasterpiecebyCorreggioandwasworththousandsofpounds.

Lesson35Justicewasdone

tsaythatjustice

hasbeendonewhenaman'e

hoekit,undertakeanarduous

,howeverwioreminent,

arehumanandcanmakemistakes.

Therearerareinstanceswhenjusticealmostceastobeanabstractconception.

times,

uaphralikeitrveshimright,weare,

inpart,admittingthatacertaintofcircumstanceshanabledjusticetoactofits

ownaccord.

Whenathiefwascaughtonthepremisofalargefurstoreonemorning,theshop

assistantsmusthavefounditimpossibletoresistthetemptationtosay'itrveshim

right'.Theshopwasanold-fashionedonewithmanylarge,disudfireplacesandtall,

smidday,agirlheardamuffledcrycomingfrombehind

rywasrepeatedveraltimes,sherantotellthemanager

hadcertainlycomefromoneofthe

chimneys,butasthereweresomanyofthem,thefiremencouldnotbecertainwhich

catedtherightchimneybytappingatthewallsandlisteningfor

theman'hippingthroughawallwhichwaighteeninchesthick,they

xtremelynarrow,the

manwasunabletomove,butthefiremenwereeventuallyabletofreehimbycutting

ry-looking,blackenedfigurethatemerged,atonce

admittedthathehadtriedtobreakintotheshopduringthenightbuthadgotstuckin

ehadbeendoneeven

beforethemanwashandedovertothepolice.

Lesson36Achanceinamillion

WearelesscredulousthanweudtobeInthenineteenthcentury,anovelistwouldbringhis

storytoaconclusionbyprentinghisreaderswithariesofcoincidences--mostofthemwildly

shappilyacceptedthefactthatanobscuremaid-rvantwasreallythehero's

-lostbrother,whowaspresumeddead,wasreallyaliveallthetimeandwickedly

plottingtobringaboutthehero'readerswouldfindsuchnaive

,inreallife,circumstancesdosometimesconspiretobring

aboutcoincidenceswhichanyonebutanineteenthcenturynovelistwouldfindincredible.

AGermantaxi-driver,FranzBussman,recentlyfoundabrotherwhowasthoughttohavebeen

nawalkingtourwithhiswife,hestoppedtotalktoaworkman.

Aftertheyhadgoneon,MrsBussmancommentedontheworkman'scloremblancetoher

ouredscornontheidea,pointing

MrsBussmanwasfully

acquaintedwiththisstory,shethoughtthattherewasachanceinamillionthatshemightberight.

Afewdayslater,shentaboytotheworkmantoaskhimifhisnamewasHansBussman,

Needlesstosay,theman'snamewasHansBussmanandhereallywasFranz'slong-lostbrother.

Whenthebrotherswerere-united,

havingbeenwoundedtowardstheendofthewar,hehadbeennttohospitalandwasparated

pitalhadbeenbombedandHanshadmadehiswaybackintoWestern

ile,

returnedtohis

familyhome,butthehouhadbeenbombedandnooneintheneighbourhoodknewwhathad

ngthathisfamilyhadbeenkilledduringanair-raid,Hans

ttleddowninaVillagefiftymilesawaywherehehadremainedeversince.

Lesson37TheWesthavenExpress

earsofpre-conditioning,mostofus

aybedelayedbystorms;air

flightsmaybecancelledbecauofbadweather;

excltooeasyto

thisthatwhenmistakes

occur,theyaremorelikelytobeoursthantheirs.

Afterconsultingmyrailwaytime-table,Inotedwithsatisfactionthattherewasanexpresstrain

directfrommylocalstationandthejourneylastedamerehourand

oardedthetrain,Icouldnothelpnoticingthatagreatmanylocal

ime,ctedthattheremustbea

greatmanyper

wasIsurpridwhenthetrainstoppedatWidley,

nthetraindawdledatstationafterstation,

enlydawnedonmethatthixpresswasnotroaringdownthelineat

ninetymilesanhour,randventeenminutespasd

apasngerifthiswastheWesthaven

Express,minedtolodgeacomplaintassoonaswearrived.

Twohourslater,deniedthe

train'xistence,asanoteoftriumphinmyvoice

ngatitbriefly,hetoldmetolook

:'Thisrvice

hasbeensuspended.'

Lesson38Thefirstcalendar

Futurehistorianswillbeinauniquepositionwhentheycometorecordthehistoryofourown

llhardlyknowwhichfactstolectfromthegreatmassofevidencethatsteadily

,

gramophonerecords,andmagnetictapeswillprovidethemwithabewilderingamountof

llbeable,asitwere,historianattempting

odeducewhathecan

eminglyinsignificantremainscanshedinteresting

lightonthehistoryofearlyman.

Uptonow,historianshaveassumedthatcalendarscameintobeingwiththeadventof

agriculture,forthenmanwasfacedwitharealneedtounderstandsomethingabouttheasons.

Recenianshavelong

beenpuzzledbydots,linesandsymbolswhichhavebeenengravedonwalls,bones,andtheivory

adswhomadethemarkingslivedbyhuntingandfishingduringthe

lastIceAge,whichbeganabout35,edabout10,elating

markingsmadeinvariouspartsoftheworld,historianshavebeenabletoreadthisdifficultcode.

Theyhave,in

fact,a,ongbeenknownthatthehuntingscenesdepictedon

dadefinitemeaning,fortheywereas

ssiblethatthereisadefiniterelationbetweenthe

sthatmanwasmakingareal

efforttounderstandtheasons20,000yeararlierthanhasbeensuppod.

Lesson39Nothingtoworryabout

TheroughroadacrosstheplainsoonbecamesobadthatwetriedtogetBrucetodrivebackto

oughtheroadwaslitteredwithbouldersandpittedwith

holes,

ngathismap,heinformedusthatthenextvillage

erwhattheconditionswere,hebelievedthatacar

shouldbedrivenasfastasitcouldpossiblygo.

Aswebumpedoverthedustytrack,elsscooped

surethatsoonerorlaterastone

eofthis,wekeptlookingback,

eliefitwaswhenthe

boulderssuddenlydisappeared,givingwaytoastretchofplainwheretheonlyobstacleswere

respontorenewedpleadings,weallgotouttoexaminethefissure,he

rmedhimthatthefissureextendedforfiftyyardsandwastwofeet

ngagedlowgearanddroveataterrifying

speed,kwehad

timetoworryaboutwhatmighthappen,onsultedthe

tobstacle

hargedatit,butinthemiddle,thecar

wlightonthedash-boardflashedangrilyandBrucecheerfully

announcedthattherewasnooilintheengine!

Lesson40Who’swho

Ithasneverbeenexplainedwhyuniversitystudentsemtoenjoypracticaljokesmorethan

tsspecializeinaparticulartypeofpracticaljoke:ngthe

fire-brigadetoputoutanon-existentfireisacrudeformofdeceptionwhichnolf-respecting

studentwouldeverindulgein,Studentsoftencreateamusingsituationswhicharefunnyto

tudentrecentlysawtwoworkmenusingapneumaticdrill

outsidehisuniversity,heimmediatelytelephonedthepoliceandinformedthemthattwostudents

ashehadhungup,

hewentovertotheworkmenandtoldthemthatifapolicemanorderedthemtogoaway,they

dthatastudenthaddresdupasapolicemanandwas

epoliceandtheworkmenweregratefultothe

studentforthispieceofadvanceinformation.

Thestudenthidinanarchwaynearbywherehecouldwatchandheareverythingthatwenton.

Sureenough,

hereceivedaveryrudereplyfromoneoftheworkmen,hethreatenedtoremovethembyforce.

Ty

afterwards,enrefud

tostopworking,kmenstruggledfiercely

,thepolicepointedout

ironicadingto

speakriously,oneoftheworkmenaskedifhemightmakeatelephonecallbeforebeingtaken

whenhesawthatthemanwasactuallytelephoningthepolicedidherealizethattheyhadallbeen

41IllusionsofPastoralpeace

rnandcitybred,I

havealwaysregardedthecountryassomethingyoulookatthroughatrainwindow,

myfriendslivein

thecity,

theyextolthevirtuesofthepeacefullife,onlyoneofthemhavergonetoliveinthe

hestilllivesundertheillusionthatcountrylifeissomehowsuperiortotownlife.

Heisforevertalkingaboutthefriendlypeople,thecleanatmosphere,theclonessto

gcanbecompared,hemaintains,withthe

firstcockcrow,thetwitteringofbirdsatdawn,thesightoftherisingsunglintingon

yllicpastoralsceneis

ndfailstomentionthelongandfriendlesswinter

eveningswhichareinterruptedonlybyanoccasionalvisittothelocal

nothingaboutthepoor

lectionofgoodsintheshops,oraboutthounfortunatepeoplewhohavetotravel

plearepreparedto

tolerateafourhourjourneyeachdayforthedubiousprivilegeoflivinginthecountry

uldbesavedsomuchmiryandexpeniftheychoto

liveinthecitywheretheyrightlybelong.

Ifyoucandowithoutthefewpastoralpleasuresofthecountry,youwillfindthe

erhavetotravelmilesto

variablylivenearbyandarealwaysavailableforaninformal

chatoranevening'myacquaintancesinthecountrycomeup

mthisisa

laydrawstoitsclo,

ydwellernever

estexhibitions,films,orplaysareonlya

ng,too,ssomuchvarietythat

ypeoplerunwildwhentheygo

shoppinginthecityandstaggerhomeloadedwithasmanyofthenecessitiesoflifeas

ssomething

comfortingaboutthewarmglowshedbyadvertimentsoncoldwetwinternights.

Fewthingscouldbemoreimpressivethanthepeacethatdescendsondertedcity

streetsatweek-endswhenthethousandsthattraveltoworkevery

lwaysbeenamysteryto

mewhycitydwellers,whoappreciateallthethings,obstinatelypretendthatthey

wouldprefertoliveinthecountry.

Lesson42ModernCavemen

Caveexploration,orpotholing,asithascometobeknown,isarelativelynew

sitisthedesireforsolitudeorthechanceofmakinganunexpected

possibletogivea

satisfactoryexplanationforapot-holer',caveshavethesame

ouinstincts

ingreallydeepcavesisnotataskforthe

dertakingsrequirethepreciplanningand

akeaslongaightdaystorigupropeladders

andtoestablishsupplybasbeforeadescentcanbemadeintoaverydeepcave.

Precautionsofthissortarenecessary,foritisimpossibletoforetelltheexactnatureof

pestknowncaveintheworld

men

chasmhasbeenformedbyanundergroundstreamwhichhastunnelledacour

rancetothecaveisonaplateauintheDauphine

onlysixfeetacross,emightneverhave

beendiscoveredhadnottheentrancebeenspottedbythedistinguishedFrench

potholer,tsdiscovery,ithasbecomeasortofpotholers'Everest.

Thoughanumberofdescentshavebeenmade,muchofitstillremainstobeexplored.

nteringthe

narrowgapontheplateau,theyclimbeddownthesteepsidesofthecaveuntilthey

dtoedgetheirwayalongthis,sometimeswading

acrossshallowstreams,lytheycametoa

plungedintothelake,andafterloadingtheirgearonaninflatablerubberdinghy,let

ectthemlvesfromtheicywater,

arendofthelake,theycametohuge

partofthecave,they

couldhearaninsistentboomingsoundwhichtheyfoundwascaudbyasmall

ingthrougha

cleftintherocks,thepotholersarrivedatanenormouscavern,thesizeofahuge

witchingonpowerfularclights,theysawgreat

stalagmites—someofthemoverfortyfeethigh--risingupliketree-trunkstomeetthe

bout,pilesoflime-stoneglistenedinall

eriesilenceofthecavern,theonlysoundthatcould

beheardwasmadebywaterwhichdrippedcontinuouslyfromthehighdomeabove

them.

Lesson43Fullyinsured

ngpublicor

,however,you

wereholdinganopenairgardenpartyorafeteitwouldbeequallypossibletoinsure

sstosay,thebiggertheriskaninsurance

companytakes,tuncommonto

hearthataship-pingcompanyhasmadeaclaimforthecostofsalvagingasunken

claimmadebyalocalauthoritytorecoverthecostofsalvagingasunken

piedishmustsurelybeunique.

Admittedlyitwasanunusualpiedish,foritwaighteenfeetlongandsixfeet

eenpurchadbyalocalauthoritysothatanenormouspiecouldbe

committeedecidedthatthebestwaytotransportthe

dishwouldbebycanal,yafteritwaslaunched,

ametime,anumberof

dances

provedtobemorethanthediskcouldbear,forduringthepartyitcapsizedandsank

invenfeetofwater.

Thepiecommitteetelephonedalocalgarageownerwhoarrivedinarecoverytruck

ingintheirwetclothes,theteenagerslookedonwhile

dlittledifficulty

infindingit,es

ofthedishweresosmooththatitwasalmostimpossibletoattachhawrsandchains

allychainswerefixedtooneendofthedish

hrotothesurfaceandwas

agonizingmoment,thedishwas

perchedprecariouslyonthebankofthecanal,butitsuddenlyoverbalancedandslid

metheyfixed

hea

dishnowhadtobeliftedverticallybecauoneedgewasrestingagainstthesideof

chwasagainputintooperationandoneofthemenstartedupthe

lminuteslater,thedishwassuccessfullyhauledabovethesurfaceofthe

treamedintorrentsoveritssideswithsuchforcethatittupahuge

asdangerthatthewavewouldreboundofftheothersideof

ingattremendous

speed,themenmanagedtogetthedishontodrylandbeforethewavereturned.

Lesson44Speedandcomfort

Peopletravellinglongdistancesfrequentlyhavetodecidewhethertheywould

prefertogobyland,a,anyonecanpositivelyenjoysittinginatrain

gisonlyapartialsolution,

forthemonotonousrhythmofthewheelsclickingontherailssoonlullsyoutosleep.

Duringtheday,t,whenyoureallywishtogotosleep,

reluckyenoughtogetacouchette,youspendhalf

thenightstaringatthesmallbluelightintheceiling,orfumblingtofindyour

ablyyouarriveatyourdestinationalmost

rjourneysareevenlesspleasant,foritisquiteimpossibleevento

r-waysyoucan,atleast,travelfairlysafelyathighspeeds,butmore

oftenthannot,thegreaterpartofthejourneyisspentonnarrow,bumpyroadswhich

arison,tripsbyaofferagreatvarietyofcivilized

stretchyourlegsonthespaciousdecks,playgames,swim,meet

interestingpeopleandenjoygoodfood--alwaysassuming,ofcour,thattheais

not,andyouarelikelytogeta-sick,noformoftransportcouldbe

youtravelinidealweather,vely

fewpeoplearepreparedtosacrificeuptoathirdoftheirholidaysforthepleasureof

travellingonaship.

Aeroplaneshavethereputationofbeingdangerousandevenhardenedtravellersare

sohavethegravedisadvantageofbeingthemost

hingcanmatchthemforspeedandcomfort.

Travellingataheightof30,000feet,farabovetheclouds,andatover500milesan

othavetodevi

waysoftakingyourmindoffthejourney,foranaeroplanegetsyoutoyour

whours,youttlebackinadeeparmchairtoenjoythe

lescapistcanwatchafreefilmshowandsipchampagneonsome

nwhensuchrefinementsarenotavailable,thereisplentytokeep

planeoffersyouanunusualandbreathtakingviewoftheworld.

llyetheshape

andscapeishiddenfromview,youcanenjoytheextraordinary

sightofunbrokencloudplainsthatstretchoutformilesbeforeyou,whilethesun

rneyissosmooththatthereisnothingto

ryoudecidetospendyourtime,one

thingiscertain:lnot

havetospendthenextfewdaysrecoveringfromalongandarduousjourney.

Lesson45Thepowerofpress

Indemocraticcountriesanyeffortstorestrictthefreedomofthepressarerightly

r,saboutpeopleoften

wemayenjoyreading

aboutthelivesofothers,itixtremelydoubtfulwhetherwewouldequallyenjoy

onthecontentionthatfactsaresacred,reporterscan

cauuntoldsufferingtoindividualsbypublishingdetailsabouttheirprivatelives.

Newspaperxertsuchtremendousinfluencethattheycannotonlybringaboutmajor

changestothelivesofordinarypeoplebutcanevenoverthrowagovernment.

Thestoryofapoorfamilythatacquiredfameandfortuneovernight,dramatically

ilylivedinAberdeen,asmalltownof

23,arentshadfivechildren,lifewasa

reexpectingtheirsixthchildandfaced

hadonlyhadonemorechild,the

uldhavecontinuedtostruggleagainst

ysuddenlybecamethe

parentsofquintuplets,fourgirlsandaboy,aneventwhichradicallychangedtheir

afterthebirthofthefivechildren,anaeroplanearrivedinAberdeen

swasofnationalimportance,for

thepoorcouplehadbecometheparentsoftheonlyquintupletsinAmerica.

sioncamerasandnewspaperscarriedthenewstoeveryonein

persandmagazinesofferedthefamilyhugesumsfortheexclusiverightsto

ouredinnotonlyfromunknownpeople,butfrombaby

farmhouthe

familylivedinwastobereplacedbyanew$100,erskeptpressingfor

interviewssolawyershadtobeemployedtoactasspokesmenforthefamilyatpressconferences.

ereannouncedtobuildahugenew

highway,strectedonthe

outskirtsofthetowndirectedtouristsnottoAberdeen,butto'Quint-CityU.S.A.'Thelocal

authoritiesdiscusdthepossibilityoferectinga'quintmuum'tosatisfythecuriosityofthe

hefivebabieswerestillquietly

sleepinginoxygententsinahospitalnurry,

dbecomethevictimsof

commercialization,nitlfreceivedsomuch

attentionthatalmosteveryoneoftheinhabitantswasaffectedtoagreaterorlessdegree.

Lesson46Doityourlf

Sogreatisourpassionfordoingthingsforourlves,thatwearebecoming

anpleadignoranceofa

subjectanylonger,iththe

righttoolsandmaterials,newly-wedsgailyembarkonthetaskofdecoratingtheir

llagesspendhoursoftheirleisuretimeinstallingtheirown

fireplaces,laying-outtheirowngardens;buildinggaragesandmaking

allykeenenthusiastsgosofarastobuildtheirownrecord

aterforthedo-it-yourlfcrazenotonlyby

runningspecialadvisoryrvicesfornovices,butbyofferingconsumersbitsand

ingsprovideanexcellentoutletfor

pent-upcreativeenergy,butunfortunatelynotallofusarebornhandymen.

Wivestendtobelievethattheirhusbandsareinfinitelyresourcefulandversatile.

Evenhusbandswhocanhardlydriveanailinstraightaresuppodtobeborn

electricians,carpenters,ghtsfu,furnituregets

rickety,pipesgetclogged,orvacuumcleanersfailtooperate,wivesautomatically

assumethattheirhusbandswillsomehowputthingsright.

Theworstthingaboutthedo-it-yourlfgameisthatsometimeshusbandslive

underthedelusionthattheycandoanythingevenwhentheyhavebeenrepeatedly

ringmy

rokendownthe

previoussummer,andthoughIpromidtorepairit,Ihadnevergotroundtoit.I

urday

afternoon,sI

coulde,itonlyneededaminoradjustment:aturnofascrewhere,alittletightening

upthere,ablytherepairjobwas

erfirmlyrefudtomow,soIdecidedtodismantleit.

Thegardenwassoonlitteredwithchunksofmetalwhichhadoncemadeupa

xtremelypleadwithmylfIhadtracedthecauofthe

uying

anewchainIwasfacedwiththeinsurmountabletaskofputtingtheconfusingjigsaw

tsurpridtofindthatthemachinestillrefud

toworkafterIhadreasmbledit,forthesimplereasonthatIwasleftwithveral

pin

wifenaggedmetodo

somethingaboutit,ItoldherthateitherIwouldhavetobuyanewmowerorletthe

somewhereindeepgrassthereisarustinglawn-mowerwhichIhavepromidto

repaironeday.

Lesson47Throughtheearth’scrust

Satellitesorbitingroundtheearthhaveprovidedscientistswithavastamountof

arison,relativelylittleisknown

rovedeasiertogoupthantogodown.

Thedeepestholeevertobe

boredonlandwentdown25,340feet--considerablylessthantheheightofMount

deepestholeboredunderahasbeenabout20,ecently,scientists

havebeenunabletodeviadrillwhichwouldbecapableofcuttingthroughhard

istshavedevelopeda

illwhichisbeingtestedatLeona

ValleyRanchinTexasisdrivenbyaturbineenginewhichispropelledbyliquidmud

iamondtipofthedrillrevolves,itis

istshavebeenamazedtofindthatitcancutthroughthe

llhasbeendesignedtoborethroughtheearthtoa

depthof35,enablescientiststoobtainsamplesofthemysteriouslayer

whichliesimmediatelybelowtheearth'yerisknownasthe

MohorovicicDiscontinuity,butiscommonlyreferredtoas'theMoho'.

Beforeitispossibletodrillthisdeephole,scientistswillhavetoovercomea

icaltestswillbecarriedouttofindthepointatwhichthe

earth'eepossiblesiteswhicharebeingconsideredareallat

a:eyhavedeterminded

onasite,theywillhavetoerectadrillingveslwhichwill

lwillconsistofanimmen

besupportedbysixhollow

columnswhichwilldescendtoadepthof60feetbelowtheoceansurfacewherethey

teeltowerrisingtoaheightofnearly200feetwill

llwillbestoredinthetower

andwillhavetobeloweredthroughabout15,000feetofwaterbeforeoperations

thetower,therewillbealaboratory,livingaccommodationanda

gtheplatforminpositionatawillgiverito

is,scientistswillhavetodevimethodsusingradarand

,duringtheoperationsthedrillhastobewithdrawn,itmust

arewillthereforehavetobetakentokeepthe

rojectis

successful,scientistswillnotonlylearnagreatdealabouttheearth,butpossibly

aboutthenatureoftheuniveritlf.

Lesson48Thesilentvillage

Inthismuch-travelledworld,therearestillthousandsofplaceswhichare

ysassumethatvillagersinremoteplacesarefriendly

plewhoarecutoffnotonlyfromforeigntourists,buteven

toreallyremotevillages

areldomenjoyable--asmywifeandIdiscoveredduringatourthroughtheBalkans.

Wehadspentveraldaysinasmalltownandvisitedanumberofoldchurchesin

ttractedmanyvisitorsfortheywerenotonlyofgreatarchitectural

interest,butcontaineda

aybeforeour

departure,smorethanwe

couldbear,a

pathwhichledoutofthetown,wecrosdafewfieldsuntilwecametoaden

ctedthepathtoendabruptly,butwefoundthatittraceditsway

pedthroughthewoodforovertwohoursuntilwearrived

dethatthepathcontinuedontheotherside,butwehad

lymywifespottedaboatmoored

lywokehimupandasked

hewasreluctanttodosoatfirst,we

hledtoatinyvillageperchedonthe

ceconsistedofastragglingunmaderoadwhichwas

deraclearbluesky,thevillagelooked

forbidding,lageemed

derted,theonlysignoflifebeinganugly-lookingblackgoattiedtoatreeonashort

lengthof

gdownonadilapidatedwoodenfencenearthefield,

nce,Inoticed

gupIsawthatwewere

red

themfoodandspoketothemkindly,udedthat

laterwalkeddownthemainstreetofthe

village,lagewhichhad

emedderted,hirt

eninblackshawlspeered

tfrighteningthingofallwasthatnotasoundcouldbe

ednofurther

gbackdownthemainstreet,wequickenedourpaceandmadeour

wayrapidlytowardsthestreamwherewehopedtheboatmanwaswaiting.

Lesson49TheIdealServant

erealivetodayshewould

notbeabletoairherviewsonherfavouritetopicofconversation:domesticrvants.

AuntHarrietlivedinthat

ahuge,

ramblingcountryhoucalled'TheGables'.Shewasntimentallyattachedtothis

hou,foreventhoughitwasfar

toobigforherneeds,shepersistedinlivingtherelongafterherhusband'sdeath.

Beforeshegrewold,visitedTheGables

er

howmanyguestswereprent,

parquetfloorsshonelikemirrors;highlypolishedsilverwasdisplayedingleaming

glasscabinets;evenmyuncle'shugecollectionofbookswaskeptmiraculouslyfree

rrietpresidedoveraninvisiblearmyofrvantsthatcontinuously

scrubbed,cleaned,aysreferredtothemas'theshifting

population',fortheycameandwentwithsuchfrequencythatIneverevengota

chancetolearntheirnames,Thoughmyauntpursuedwhatwas,inthodays,an

enlightenedpolicyinthatsheneverallowedherdomesticstafftoworkmorethan

eighthoursaday,healwaysdecriedthe

ficklenessofhumannature,shecarriedonanunrelentingarchfortheidealrvant

totheendofherdays,

thattimeshesogainedmyaunt's

confidence,thatshewasputinchargeofthedomesticstaff.

AuntHarietcouldnotfindwordstopraiBessie'

additiontoallherotherqualifications,edtherole

oftheperfectrvantforthreeyearsbeforeauntHarrietdiscoveredher'little

weakness'.AfterbeingabntfromTheGablesforaweek,myauntunexpectedly

returnedoneafternoonwithapartyofguestsandinstructedBessietopreparedinner.

Notonlywasthemealwellbelowtheusualstandard,butBessieemedunableto

pedintothefurnitureandkeptmumblingabouttheguests.

Whenshecameinwiththelastcour—ahugepudding-shetrippedonthecarpetand

thepuddingwentflyingthroughtheair,narrowlymisdmyaunt,andcrashedonthe

thisoccasionedgreatmirthamongthe

guests,uctantlycametotheconclusionthatBessie

stshad,ofcour,realizedthisfromthemomentBessieopened

thedoorforthemand,longbeforethefinalcatastrophe,hadhadadifficulttimetrying

erdeparture,

auntHarrietdiscoveredthattherewerepilesofemptywinebottlesofallshapesand

sizesneatlystackedinwhathadoncebeenBessie'dmysteriously

foundtheirwaytherefromthewine-cellar!

Lesson50NewYearResolutions

ly,atleast,mostofuscouldcompile

formidablelistsof'do's'and'don'ts'.Thesameoldfavouritesrecuryearinyearout

lvetogetupearliereachmorning,eatless,find

moretimetoplaywiththechildren,doathousandandonejobsaboutthehou,be

nicetopeoplewedon'tlike,drivecarefully,andtakethedogforawalkeveryday.

Pastexp

weremaininveteratesmokers,itisonlybecauwehavesooftenexperiencedthe

usfailinoureffortsatlf-improvement

b

alsomakethefundamentalerrorofannouncingourresolutionstoeverybodysothat

fthe

pitfalls,edmylftotwo

modestambitions:todophysicalexerciverymorningandtoreadmoreofan

-nightpartyonNewYear'sEve,providedmewithagoodexcufor

notcarryingouteitherofthenewresolutionsonthefirstdayoftheyear,butonthe

cond,lyexercislastedonly

elevenminutesandIpropodtodothemearlyinthemorningbeforeanyonehadgot

f-disciplinerequiredtodragmylfoutofbedelevenminutearlierthan

heless,Imanagedtocreepdownintotheliving-room

umpingaboutonthecarpetand

twistingthehumanframeintouncomfortablepositions,Isatdownatthebreakfast

tmorningthe

sreallyunttlingbutI

fendedoffthetauntsandjibesofthefamilygood-humouredlyandsooneverybody

r,eIspentatexercis

ary10th,

dthatifIspentlesstimeexhausting

mylfatexercisinthemorningIwouldkeepmymindfreshforreadingwhenIgot

ingthehypnotizingeffectoftelevision,Isatinmyroomfora

feweveningswithmyeyesgluedtoabook,onenight,however,feelingcoldand

lonely,

provedtobemyundoing,forIsoongotbacktomyoldbadhabitofdozingoffin

haven',I

havejustboughtabookentitled'HowtoReadaThousandWordsaMinute'.Perhaps

itwillsolvemyproblem,butIjusthaven'thadtimetoreadit!

Lesson51Automation

Oneofthegreatestadvancesinmoderntechnologyhasbeentheinventionof

ealreadywidelyudinindustryandinuniversitiesandthetime

maycomewhenitwillbepossible

ersarecapableofdoingextremely

nsolvethemostcomplex

mathematicalproblemsorput

instance,theycanprovideinformationonthebestwaytopreventtrafficaccidents,or

theycancountthenumber

oftimestheword'and'etheyworkaccurately

andathighspeeds,ole

pr

thefuture,automationmayenablehumanbeingstoenjoyfarmoreleisurethanthey

ingofautomationisboundtohaveimportantsocialconquences.

Sometimeagoanexpert,onautomation,SirLeonBagrit,pointedoutthatitwasa

mistaketobelievethatthemachinescould'think'.Thereisnopossibilitythat

humanbeingswillbe'controlledbymachines'.Thoughcomputersarecapableof

learningfromtheirmistakesandimprovingontheirperformancetheyneeddetailed

nnever,asit

were,leadindependentlives,or'ruletheworld'bymakingdecisionsoftheirown.

SirLeonsaidthatinthefuture,computerswouldbedevelopedwhichwouldbe

rypeoplewouldthenbeabletouthem

erscouldbepluggedintoanationalnetwork

tance,peoplegoingonholidaycouldbeinformed

aboutweatherconditions;cardriverscouldbegivenalternativerouteswhenthereare

ll

enablepeoplewhodonotshareacommonlanguagetotalktoeachotherwithoutany

possibletoassstheimportanceofa

machineofthissort,formanyinternationalmisunderstandingsarecaudsimply

erswillalsobeudinhospitals.

Byprovidingamachinewithapatient'ssymptoms,adoctorwillbeabletodiagno

rly,machinescouldbeudtokeepacheckona

patient'swillthereforehaveimmediate

-keepersand

accountants,too,couldberelievedofdullclericalwork,for

thetedioustaskofcompilingandcheckinglistsoffigurescouldbedoneentirelyby

ersarethemostefficientrvantsmanhaverhadandthereisno

limittothewaytheycanbeudtoimproveourlives.

Lesson52Mudismud

Mycousin,Harry,keepsalargecuriouslyshapedbottleonpermanentdisplayin

ethefactthatthebottleistintedadelicateshadeofgreen,an

obrvantvisitorwouldsoonnoticethatitisfilledwithwhatlookslikeathick

eretoaskHarrywhatwasinthebottle,hewouldtellyou

xpresddoubtorsurpri,hewould

ief

tlereally

rycameintotheposssionofthisoutlandish

r-more,the

acquisitionofthisbottlecuredhimofabadhabithehadbeendevelopingforyears.

Harryudtoconsideritagreatjoketogointoexpensivecosmeticshopsandmake

dinventfancifulnameson

ringashop,hewouldaskforanewperfumecalled'ScentedShadow'

orfor'insolublebathcubes'.Ifashopgirltoldhimshehadnotheardofit,hewould

dtobetoldthatoneofhisimaginary

productswastemporarilyoutofstockandhewouldfaithfullypromitocallagainat

somefuturedate,rymanagedtokeepastraight

faceduringtheperformancesisquitebeyondme.

Harrydoesnotneedtobepromptedtoexplainhowheboughthispreciousbottleof

,hewenttoanexclusiveshopinLondonandaskedfor'Myrolite'.The

shopassistantlookedpuzzledandHarryrepeatedtheword,slowlystressingeach

egirlshookherheadinbewilderment,Harrywentontoexplainthat

'myrolite'wasahard,amber-likesubstancewhichcouldbeudtoremovefreckles.

Thixplanationevidentlyconveyedsomethingtothegirlwhoarchedshelfafter

ducedallsortsofweirdconcoctions,butnoneofthemmetwithHarry's

rryputonhisactofbeingmildlyannoyed,thegirlpromid

catedbyhissuccess,Harrythenaskedforperfumedmud.

r,itwashisturnto

besurprid,forthegirl'yesimmediatelylitupandshe'fetchedveralbotties

e,Harryhadtoadmit

edupwhatemedtobethesmallestbottleanddiscreetlyaskedthe

ladtogetawaywithamerefiveguineasandhebeatahastyretreat,

enon,Harrydecidedthatthis

iousbottlewhich

nowadornsthebookcainhisstudywashisfirstandlastpurchaofrarecosmetics.

Lesson53Inthepublicinterest

TheScandinaviancountriesaremuchadmiredallovertheworldfortheir

havolvedanexcellentsystemforprotectingthe

temhas

workedsowell,thatithasbeenadoptedinothercountrieslikeDenmark,Norway,

Finland,untrieswithlargepopulationslikeBritainandthe

UnitedStatesareriouslyconsideringimitatingtheSwedes.

TheSwedeswerethefirsttorecognizethatpublicofficialslikecivilrvants,

collectorscanmakemistakesoractover-zealouslyinthebeliefthattheyarerving

agoas1809,theSwedishParliamentintroducedaschemeto

amentarycommitteereprentingall

politicalpartiesappointsapersonwhoissuitablyqualifiedtoinvestigateprivate

icialtitleofthepersonis'Justiteombudsman',but

theSwedescommonlyrefertohimasthe'J.O.'or'Ombudsman'.TheOmbudsmanis

stigatescomplaintslargeandsmallthatcome

laintsmustbemadeinwriting,the

ightlawyerassistants

snothingcretive

abouttheOmbudsman'swork,

acitizen'scomplaintisjustified,ionhe

entlyreprimandan

lowingcaisa

typicalexampleoftheOmbudsman'swork.

AforeignerlivinginaSwedishvillagewrotetotheOmbudsmancomplainingthat

hehadbeenill-treatedbythepolice,

OmbudsmanimmediatelywrotetotheChiefofPoliceinthedistrictaskinghimto

asnothingintherecordtoshowthattheforeigner's

com

impossiblefortheOmbudsmantotakeaction,butwhenhereceivedasimilar

complaintfromanotherforeignerinthesamevillage,heimmediatelyntoneofhis

yerascertainedthatapolicemanhadindeed

tthatthepolicemanwas

nly

possiblefortheOmbudsmanto

iceman

inquestionwasverelyreprimandedandwasinformedthatifanyfurthercomplaints

werelodgedagainsthim,udsman'spromptactionat

onceputanendtoanunpleasantpracticewhichmighthavegoneunnoticed.

Lesson54Instinctorcleverness?

rdthemasunnecessarycreatures

tinuallywageswaronitem,forthey

contaminatehisfood,carrydias,ingorbitewithout

provocation;theyflyuninvitedintoourroomsonsummernights,orbeatagainstour

indreadnotonlyofunpleasantinctslikespidersorwasps,

gaboutthemincreasour

gthattheindustriousantlivesin

ahighly

organizedsocietydoesnothingtopreventusfrombeingfilledwithrevulsionwhen

er

howmuchwelikehoney,orhowmuchwehavereadabouttheuncannynof

directionwhichbeesposss,ourfearsare

unreasonable,ametime,however,inctsare

yreadingaboutthem,especiallywhenwefindthat,like

theprayingmantis,ystaringatthem

entrancedastheygoabouttheirbusiness,unaware(wehope)

hasnotstoodinaweatthesightofaspiderpouncingonafly,oracolumnofants

triumphantlybearinghomeanenormousdeadbeetle?

LastsummerIspentdaysinthegardenwatchingthousandsofantscrawlingupthe

ehasgrownagainstawarmwallonasheltered

eciallyproudofit,notonlybecauithassurvivedveral

verewinters,the

summer,rsoftiny

re

visitedbyalaopcolonyofantswhichobtainedasortofhoneyfromthem.I

immediatelyembarkedonanexperimentwhich,eventhoughitfailedtogetridofthe

ants,thebaofthetreewithsticky

tape,ewassosticky

ngtime,Iwatchedthemscurryingaroundthe

entoutatmidnightwithatorchandnoted

withsatisfaction(andsurpri)thattheantswerestillswarmingaroundthesticky

earlynextmorninghopingto

d,Isawthattheyhaddiscovereda

reclimbingupthewallofthehouandthenontotheleavesof

antshadbeenquicktofindananswertomythoroughlyunscientificmethods!

Lesson55Fromtheearth:greatings

telescopeshaveonebigadvantageoverconventionaltelescopesinthattheycan

operateinallweatherconditionsandcanpickupsignalscomingfromverydistant

ignalsareproducedbycollidingstarsornuclearreactionsinouterspace.

Themostpowerfulsignalsthathavebeenreceivedhavebeenemittedbywhatemto

betrulycolossalstarswhichscientistshavenamed'quasars'.

Abetterunderstandingofthephenomenamaycompletelyalterourconceptionof

iotelescopeatJodrellBankinEnglandwasfor

lescope,overtwicethesize,was

omersnolongerregardas

fancifultheideathattheymayonedaypickupsignalswhichhavebeenntby

ssibilitygivesritointeresting

advancedcivilizationsmayhaveexistedonotherplanetslong

ly,intelligentbeing

whicharejustbeginningtodeveloponremoteworldsmaybereadytopickupour

signalsinthousandsofyears'time,

speculationsnolongerbelongtotherealmofsciencefiction,forastronomersarenow

exploringthechancesofcommunicatingwithlivingcreatures(iftheyexist)ondistant

dertakingwhichhasbeennamedProjectOzmawasbegunin1960,

butitmaytakeagreatmanyyearsbeforeresultsareobtained.

Awareofthefactthatitwouldbeimpossibletowaitthousandsormillionsofyears

toreceiveananswerfromadistantplanet,scientistngagedinProjectOzmaare

hemostlikely

alsfromtheearthwere

receivedbyintelligentcreaturesonaplanetcirclingthis

star,enBank

telescopeinWestVirginiahasbeenspeciallydesignedtodistinguishbetweenrandom

contactwereeventually

established,astronomerswouldnotbeabletorelyonlanguagetocommunicatewith

uldumathematicsasthisisthe

s

reason,intelligentcreaturesinanypartoftheuniverwouldbeabletounderstanda

uldbeabletoreplytooursignalsusingsimilar

tstepwouldbetotrytodevelopmeansforndingtelevision

ewhen

anythingemstobepossible,itwouldbenarrow-mindedintheextremetoridicule

theattemptstofindoutifthereislifeinotherpartsoftheuniver.

Lesson56Theriverbesideourfarm

Theriverwhichformstheeasternboundaryofourfarmhasalwaysplayedanimportantpartin

sonlyenoughspringwatertosupplythe

needsofthehou,theriverallour

instinctively,justasbeekeeperswiththeirbees,thatmisfortunemightovertake

usiftheimportanteventsofourliveswerenotrelatedtoit.

meswegoup-streamtoafavourite

backwater,some-timeswehaveourpartyattheboathou,whichapredecessorofoursatthe

t-wavewe

ometheasonsby

theriver-side,crowningtheyoungestgirlwithflowersinthespring,holdingasummerfestivalon

MidsummerEve,givingthanksfortheharvestintheautumn,andthrowingahollywreathintothe

arare

uckyinthatonlythelowerfields,

whichmakeupaverysmallproportionofourfarm,areaffectedbyflooding,butotherfarmsare

lessfavourablysited,andfloodingcansometimesspelldisasterfortheirowners.

cattlehadbeen

,however,worriedaboutournearest

neighbours,loodshad

putthetelephoneoutoforder,attic

windowwecouldgetasweepingviewoftheriverwheretheirlandjoinedours,andatthemost

stsignofdisasterwasadeadsheep

meahor,swimmingbravely,butwewereafraidthatthestrengthofthe

lyaraftappeared,

lookingratherlikeNoah'sark,carryingthewholefamily,afewhens,thedogs,acat,andabirdin

izedthattheymusthavebecomeundulyfrightenedbytherisingflood,fortheir

hou,whichhadsoundfoundations,wouldhavestoodstoutlyevenifithadbeenalmost

ofourfamilywadeddownthroughourfloodedmeadowswithboathooks,in

thehopeofbeingabletograppleacorneroftheraftandpullitoutofthecurrenttowardsourbank.

Westillthinkitamiraclethattheywereabletodoso.

Lesson57Thereturnofthenative

pectedtobenearmyobjectiveby

now,lyfivewhenmyfatherhadtakenmeabroad,

motherhaddiedafteratragicaccident,hedidnot

hingaroundhimwasfullofherprence,

ewcountryhebecame

absorbedinmakinganewlifeforthetwoofus,ot

marryagainandIwasbroughtupwithoutawoman'scare;butIlackedfornothing,forhewas

tsand

antedtoetheoldfolkagain

andtovisitmymother'memortallyillafewmonthsbeforewehadplannedtogo

and,whenheknewthathewasdying,hemademepromitogoonmyown.

Ihiredacarthedayafterlandingandboughtacomprehensivebookofmaps,whichIfound

mosthelpfulonthecrosscountryjourney,butwhichIdidnotthinkIshouldneedonthelaststage.

atherhaddescribedoverandover

againwhatweshouldeateverymilestone,afterleavingthenearesttown,sothatIwaspositive

,Ihadbeenwrong,forIwasnowlost.

metenmilessinceleavingthetown,and

atthispoint,accordingtomyfather,Ishouldbelookingatfarmsandcottagesinavalley,withthe

enovalley,nofarms,no

edthatImusthavetakenawrongturning

vebacktothetownandbegantoretracetheroute,takingfrequentglancesat

iousthingwasthatthelakewasnotmarkedonthe

sifIhadstumbledintoanightmarecountry,,as

inanightmare,atelyforme,asIwaswonderingwhat

todonext,thereappearedonthehorizonamanonhorback,dtill

hecamenear,thattherewasnownovillage.I

mehepointedtothelake.

Thevillagenolongerexistedbecauithadbeensubmerged,ewas

notanaturalone,butamanmaderervoir.

Lesson58Alittlespotofbother

ppinghadtired

iftherthoughts

wereonlunchandagoodrest;butwhenshegotoutatherownfloor,bothwereforgotteninher

thinkingthatshemustreprimandher

dailymaidthenextmorningforsuchamonstrouspieceofnegligence,whensherememberedthat

shehadgoneshoppingafterthemaidhadleftandsheknewthatshehadturnedbothkeysintheir

kedslowlyintothehallandatoncenoticedthatalltheroomdoorswereopen,yet

gintothedrawingroom,

sclearasdaylightthenthat

stimpulwastogoroundalltherooms

lookingforthethieves,butthenshedecidedthatatherageitmightbemoreprudenttohave

someonewithher,timeherlegswere

beginningtotremble,soshesatdownandacceptedacupofverystrongtea,whilehetelephoned

,hercomposureregained,shewasreadytotoffwiththeporter'sassistanceto

archforanyintruderswhomightstillbelurkinginherflat.

Theywentthroughtherooms,beingcarefultotouchnothing,astheydidnotwanttohinderthe

livedintheflatfor

thirtyyearsandwasaveritablemagpieathoarding;anditemedasthougheverythingshe

tsortingoutthethingssheshould

oliceinspectorarrivedwith

pectorbegantolook

forfingerprints,whiletheconstablecheckedthatthefrontdoorlockshadnotbeenforced,thereby

provingas

notraceoffingerprints,buttheinspectorfoundadirtyredbundlethatcontainedjewellerywhich

rentryintothisflatwasapparentlynottheburglars'firstjob

pectorthenaskedtheoldladytotrytocheck

whatwasmissi

oldladythoughthewasafussycreature,butsincetheporteragreedwithhim,sherangupher

daughterandaskedforherhelpinwhatshedescribedasalittlespotofbother.

Lesson59Posssionamassingandcollecting

Peopletendtoamassposssions,theycan

haveadelightfulsurpriwhentheyfindsomethingufulwhichtheydidnotknowtheyowned.

Thowhoneverhavetochangehoubecomeindiscriminatecollectorsofwhatcanonlybe

aveun-wantedobjectsindrawers,cupboardsandatticsforyears,in

growold,peoplealso

accumulatebelongingsfortwootherreasons,lackofphysicalandmentalenergy,bothofwhich

areesntialinturningoutandthrowingaway,ownedforalongtimeare

fullofassociationswiththepast,perhapswithrelativeswhoaredead,andsotheygradually

ingsarecollecteddeliberatelyinthehomeinan

heIwouldliststringandbrownpaper,keptbythriftypeople

whenaparcelhasbeenopened,tingsmallitemscan

omeonewhoalwayscutsoutfromnewspaperssketchesofmodel

clothesthatshewouldliketobuy,snotrich,thechancesthatshe

willeverbeabletoaffordsuchpurchasareremote;butsheisneversufficientlystrongrminded

armlesshabit,butitlittersupherdesktosuchanextentthat

everytimesheopensit,loobitsofpaperfalloutineverydirection.

idesrelaxation

forleisurehours,asjustlookingatone'snothavetogooutside

foramument,eritconsistsof,stamps,records,

firsteditionsofbooks,china,glass,antiquefurniture,pictures,modelcars,stuffedbirds,toy

animals,

thereisalwayssomethingtodoinconnectionwithit,fromfindingtherightplaceforthelatest

bbyeducatesonenotonlyinthechon

subject,realsootherbenefits.

Onewantstomeetlike-mindedcollectors,togetadvice,tocomparenotes,toexchangearticles,to

'ehobbyleadstotravel,

perhapstoameetinginanothertown,possiblyatripabroadinarchofararespecimen,for

eyearsonemaywellbecomeanauthority

onone'shobbyandwillveryprobablybeaskedtogiveinformaltalkstolittlegatheringsandthen,

ifsuccessful,waylf-confidencegrows,firstfrommasteringasubject,

ting,byoccupyingsparetimesoconstructively,makes

apersoncontented,withnotimeforboredom.

Lesson60TheimportanceofPunctuality

Putit,nothing

couldeverbebroughttoaconclusion;asparly-

narylivingtherecanbesome

ellectual,whoisworkingonsomeabstruproblem,has

ereforeforgiven,iflatefora

pleareoftenreproachedforunpunctualitywhentheironlyfaultiscutting

rdforenergetic,quick-mindedpeopletowastetime,sotheyareoftentempted

cidentsoccurontheway,like

puncturedtyres,diversionsoftraffic,suddendescentoffog,eoften

moreindustrious,r-punctualcanbeasmuch

stwhoarriveshalfanhourtoosoonisthegreatest

ythingtodowasaskthemto

eyarrivedjustwhenwewantedthem.

Ifyouarecatchingatrain,itisalwaysbettertobecomfortablyearlythanevenafractionofa

ghbeingearlymaymeanwastingalittletime,thiswillbelessthanifyou

missthetrainandhavetowaitanhourormoreforthenextone;andyouavoidthefrustrationof

arrivingattheverymomentwhenthetrainisdrawingoutofthestationandbeingunabletogeton

hardersituationistobeontheplatformingoodtimeforatrainandstilltoeitgo

experiencebefellacertainyounggirlthefirsttimeshewastravelling

alone.

Sheenteredthestationtwentyminutesbeforethetrainwasdue,sinceherparentshadimpresd

uponherthatitwouldbeunforgivabletomissitandcauthefriendswithwhomshewasgoing

eherluggagetoaporterandshowedhimher

tinherhandbagforthepiece

ofpaperonwhichherfatherhadwrittendownallthedetailsofthejourneyandgiveittothe

edthatatraindidcomeintothestationatthetimeonthepaperandthatitdidstop,

butonlytotakeonwater,laskedtoeatimetable,feelingsurethather

terwenttofetchoneandarrivedbackwiththe

stationmaster,whoproduceditwithaflourishandpointedoutamicroscopic'o'besidethetimeof

thearrivalofthetrainathisstation;thislittle'o'indicatedthatthetrainonlystoppedforwater.

l,tearsstreamingdownherface,

beggedtobeallowedtoslipintotheguard'stationmasterwasadamant:rulescould

hadtowatchthattraindisappeartowardsherdestinationwhileshewasleft

behind.