[Illustration: JOHN WHOPPER IN CHINA, By the _Air-Line_ Route. ]

 [Illustration: JOHN WHOPPER AT THE NORTH POLE. ]

 JOHN WHOPPER

 THE NEWSBOY. 

 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. 

 BOSTON: ROBERTS BROTHERS. 1871. 

 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by

 ROBERTS BROTHERS, In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 

 Stereotyped and Printed by ALFRED MUDGE & SON, Boston, Mass. 

CHAPTER I. 

HOW JOHN WHOPPER DISCOVERED THE AIR-LINE TO CHINA. 

Two years ago last February, I think it was on a Tuesday morning, Istarted as usual very early to distribute my papers. I had a largebundle to dispose of that day, and thought that if I took a short cutacross the fields, instead of following the road from Roxbury to JamaicaPlain, I could go my rounds in much less time. I do not care to tellprecisely where it was that I jumped over the fence; but it is a rough, barren kind of spot, which nobody has ever done any thing to improve. 

After walking about a third of a mile, I began to think that I hadbetter have kept to the turnpike; for I found that I was obliged toclamber over an uneven, rocky place, among trees and bushes and shrubs, that grew just thick enough to bother me, so that I hardly knew where toput my feet. All at once I lost my balance, and felt that I was slidingdown the side of a smooth, steep rock; while underneath, to my horror, Isaw what looked like a circular cave, or well, some five or six feet indiameter. I tried to grasp the rock with my hands, and ground my heelsas hard as I could against the surface, but it was of no use; down Islipped, faster and faster, until at last I plunged, feet foremost, intothe dark hole below. For a moment I held my breath, expecting to bedashed to pieces; and oh, how many things I thought of in that shortminute! It seemed as if every thing that I had ever done came back tome, especially all the _bad_ things; and how I wished then that I hadlived a better life! I thought, too, of my poor mother and my littlebrother and sister at home, and how they would wait breakfast for methat morning; and how they would keep on waiting and waiting, hour afterhour and day after day; and how the neighbors would all turn out andsearch for me; and how I should never be found, and nobody would everknow what had become of me. And then I wondered whether Mr. Simpson, who employed me to distribute the papers, would suppose that I had runaway somewhere, to sell them on my own account; and so I went onthinking and wondering, until it seemed as if there was no end to thetime. And yet I didn't strike the bottom of the cave, but just went onfalling and falling, faster and faster, in the darkness, and sometimesjust grazing the sides, and still not so as to hurt me much. My greattrouble was to breathe; when it occurred to me to lay the sleeve of mycoat across my mouth: and then I found that I could breathe through thecloth with tolerable ease. After a while, I recovered my senses; andthough I continued to fall on still faster and faster, I experienced nogreat inconvenience. How long this continued, I cannot tell; itappeared to be an age; and I must have been falling for several hours, when I began to feel as though I was not sinking as fast as I had been;and after a while, it seemed as if I were rising up, rather thantumbling down. As I was now able to breathe much more freely than I haddone, I began to think calmly about my condition; and then the thoughtflashed across my mind, that perhaps I had passed the centre of theearth, and was gradually rising to the surface on the other side. Thisgave me hope; and when I found that I continued to move slower andslower, I tried to collect my faculties, so that I might know just whatit would be best to do, if I should be so fortunate as to reach theother end of the hole into which I had tumbled. At last, looking down, I saw a little speck of light, like a very faint star; and then, I tellyou, my heart bounded with joy. At this moment it suddenly occurred tome that it would not do to come out of the hole _feet foremost_; and, bya tremendous effort, I managed to turn a complete summersault, --what theboys always called a _somerset_, --which, of course, brought me into theright position. How thankful I felt that I had been taught to practisegymnastic exercises at the school in Roxbury! In my present attitude Icouldn't see the bright spot any longer: but, before long, I perceivedthat it was growing lighter around me; and I was confident that the timeof my release drew near. I had determined exactly what I would do whenI reached the surface of the earth again; and, accordingly, on theinstant that my head came out of the hole, I grasped the edge with allmy might, and, by another terrible effort, swung myself up into the air, and leaped upon the ground. 

It is impossible to describe the strange thrill that passed over me whenI thus found myself standing on what I knew must be the eastern side ofthe globe. As soon as I had fairly recovered the use of my reason, Ibegan to speculate as to the region of the country into which I emerged. If I had come directly through the centre of the earth, I knew, ofcourse, just where I ought to be; but this hardly seemed possible, considering how short a time it had required for my journey. It thenoccurred to me that I was really unable to form any accurate idea ofthe number of hours that had elapsed since I left the soil ofMassachusetts; for, before I had fallen a hundred feet, a whole ageappeared to have passed. I knew that it was about six o'clock in themorning when I started; and, on looking at my watch, I found that it hadstopped at 6. 45, owing, as I afterwards ascertained, to the influence ofmagnetic currents upon the hair-spring. 

The country around was in a high state of cultivation, except in theimmediate vicinity of the spot where I stood. This was rough and barren, and so situated that the small cavity in the earth from which I had justbeen released, would be very likely to escape observation. Thinking thatit might be important for me to be able hereafter to identify thelocality, I took a careful observation of its general bearings, andtwisted together a few of the twigs that grew near the hole, but in sucha manner as would not be likely to arrest attention. 

Striking off now at random, I soon found myself in a low, marshy region, covered with a species of grain unlike any thing I had ever seen before, but which I concluded must be rice; and then the thought came to me, that very probably I was in China. After walking for an hour or two, Ireached a rising ground, and saw in the distance an immense city on thewater's edge; which from its position, and resemblance to certainpictures that I had once seen in Boston, I believed to be Canton. Refreshing myself with some fruit that grew by the wayside, I startedoff in haste, in order, if possible, to reach the city before nightfall. Just as the sun was setting, I entered what appeared to be one of themain streets; when, tired and hungry and footsore, I began to thinkseriously what I should do to procure food and lodging. Here I was, --apoor boy in a strange land, unable to address a word to the peoplearound me, and with only a few cents and two or three bits of papercurrency in my pocket, that could be of no value in that country. _Whatwas I to do?_ Just then I came to a large and respectable-lookingbuilding; and over the door there was this sign, in good plaincharacters:--

 "ENGLISH AND AMERICAN COFFEE-HOUSE. "

Tears of joy filled my eyes. In an instant, I said to myself, "Yourfortune is made, old fellow! Here you have thirty or forty Bostonnewspapers, not twenty-four hours old, strapped around your neck; and Irather think they will be in some demand in Canton. "

With a light heart I now entered the office of the hotel, and threw downmy bundle, with a good, black-leather covering around the papers, sothat it looked like an ordinary piece of luggage, which gave me theappearance of a regular traveller; then called for a room, and orderedsupper. It was true that I had very little money in my possession, --notenough, certainly, to pay my bill at the hotel; but no questions wereasked, and I gave myself little concern as to the future. I had afirst-rate appetite, and ate voraciously. 

After supper was over, I took my bundle in my hand, and strolledleisurely into a pleasant and spacious room, where a number ofgentlemen--English and American--were sitting around in groups, somechatting together, and others reading the London and New York and Bostonpapers. Among them I recognized the face of a merchant whom I had seenseveral times in State Street; and slinging the strap over my shoulderin a careless, every-day sort of tone, just as any newsboy would havedone at home, I went up to him and said, "Have the morning papers, Mister?--'morning papers?'--'Advertiser, ' 'Journal, ' 'Post, ' 'Herald, 'last edition, --published this morning, _only five dollars_!" Everybodyin the room looked up, for I managed, as newsboys generally do, to speakloud enough to drown every other sound; but no one uttered a word. Itwas evident that they thought I was crazy, or something worse; and so Ijust cried out again, "Have the morning paper, sir?" at the same timethrusting a copy of "The Advertiser" into his hand. He looked like an"Advertiser" kind of man, --well dressed and highly respectable. 

Involuntarily his eye glanced at the date, --"Tuesday, Feb. 16, 1867";and then, in an excited, quivering tone, he said, "Let me look at yourother papers. " There was a long table in the centre of the room, which Iapproached; and, slowly unfolding my bundle, I laid a few of the paperswide open in front of the gentlemen, who crowded around in the higheststate of excitement. Still there was dead silence; when one of themsuddenly burst out with the exclamation, "Good heavens! Here is a noticeof the arrival of 'The Golconda' at New York, with a full account of thecargo, and every thing else correct. Why, this must be genuine!"

One after another followed with a cry of surprise at some news whichthey had found; until, in a few minutes, every gentleman in the room wasabsorbed in reading the papers, appearing to have entirely forgotten allabout me, and not caring to ask how it was that I had brought them toChina in less than twenty-four hours. After I had stood there whistlingcarelessly as long as I thought worth while, I spoke up in a loudvoice, and said, "Well, gentlemen, you seem to be enjoying the newspretty well. I hope you don't mean to forget to pay for thepapers, --_only five dollars a copy_!"

At this speech every one of them looked at me with a strange expression, as if they hardly knew whether I was a real human boy or something else;when the Boston gentleman said, "How on earth did you get these papershere?" To which I answered very carelessly, "I didn't get them here _on_earth. "

"What do you mean?"

"I will tell you what I mean, and answer your questions, after you havepaid me _five dollars each; and cheap at that, considering_. "

"Indeed it is, for me at least, " said one of the gentlemen. "What I havelearned from this paper is worth to me, in a business way, thousands ofdollars"; and with that he came forward and put a hundred into my hand, in the good, solid form of gold-pieces. His example had its effect uponthe others. Instead of the two hundred which I had hoped to receive formy forty newspapers, I was actually in possession of not lessthan--well, I don't care to tell exactly how much, on account of theincome-tax. 

"Come, now, " said the gentlemen, almost in one breath, "tell us howthese papers came to China. "

"I brought them myself. "

"When did you leave America?"

"The morning when these papers were printed: but how long ago that was, I really don't know, as my watch stopped while I was on my voyage; onlyI thought it was just as well to call out, as I always used to do athome, 'Morning paper!' although, perhaps, for all I can tell, they maybe two or perhaps three days old; anyhow, I guess you find them a gooddeal fresher than the rest you have got on hand. "

Having delivered myself of this somewhat protracted speech, I beganmoving towards the door with the air of one who had said every thingthat could reasonably be expected, in reply to the curious inquiries ofmy liberal patrons, when the Boston merchant motioned for me to stop, saying with some severity, "Did you not promise that you would informthe company how these papers came from America to China in such anincredibly short period of time, whenever you should have received yourpay for the same?"

"Yes, sir; and I just told you that I brought them over--not exactly_over_--but--in short, I brought them here. "

"You say, 'not exactly _over_'; do you mean by that phrase to beunderstood to say that you did not come over land?"

"Your honor has hit my meaning precisely. "

"You don't pretend to say that you came by water?"

"Far from it, sir. "

"How then, _under the heavens_, did you come?"

"I didn't come under the heavens at all. "

"I don't believe, " said the irritated gentleman, turning to hiscompanions, "that the fellow came at all; he must be lying. "

All the answer that he received was the rustling of forty newspapers, bearing the imprint, "February 16, 1867, Boston. " There was no gettingover this. 

After a pause of several minutes, during which a bright idea entered mymind, I came forward into the circle, and said, "Well, gentlemen, I wantto see if I can make a good bargain with you; and when that is settled, I will tell you how I came over--I mean, I will tell you how I got here;that is, I will tell you _the route_ that I took. If I can arrange forthe delivery in Canton of the New York and Boston daily papers, withinthirty-six hours of the time when they are issued in those cities, willyou all promise to give me your generous patronage?"

"Of course we will, " they cried all together. 

"Very well; then I pledge myself to appear again in this place one weekfrom this day, ready to carry out my part of the bargain. And now, inbidding you good-night, allow me to inform you that I came from Americato China by the _air-line_. "

With this I retired at once to my room, and was soon sleeping soundly. 

I knew that I should be watched so closely the next day as to make itimpossible for me to escape without detection; and accordingly I got upan hour or two before daylight; and, having laid upon the table in myroom an amount of money which I supposed would be considered a faircompensation for my supper and lodging, I tied the sheets together, andlowered myself down into the then silent and deserted street. It was notlong before I found myself once more in the open country; and lookingcarefully for the twisted twigs that I had tied together the afternoonbefore, I soon discovered the chasm through which I had made myremarkable trip to the eastern hemisphere. Taking the precaution to tiea handkerchief over my mouth in order that I might economize my breath, I summoned all my courage, and leaped into the hole. My experiences wereprecisely the same as they had been in the previous journey; and incourse of a few hours, I found myself standing once more in thefamiliar outskirts of Roxbury, and gazing tenderly upon the solemn domeof Boston State House. As fast as my legs would take me, I rushed to mypoor mother's humble abode, longing to relieve the bitter agony to whichI knew she and my brother and sister must have been subjected during myabsence. It is not worth while for me to describe at length the scenethat ensued when I stood once more in the family circle, with mymother's arms around my neck, and the young folks bellowing with joy. Tothe frantic inquiries that were showered upon me as to what hadhappened, --where I had been, --had I had any thing to eat? I coollyreplied that I had not had much to eat; and, if they would give me agood, substantial supper, I would endeavor to relieve their minds. 

"Supper, indeed!" cried my good mother; "why, it's just after sunrise!You haven't lost your senses, I hope. "

"I beg your pardon; but it was about sunrise hours and hours ago, whenI--when I"--and here I faltered, not caring just then to let the wholefamily into my secret. 

"When you what?" said my mother, looking very anxious. 

"Why, when I left Canton, " I now answered, very promptly. 

"You don't say that you have been to Canton?" she replied, but withoutany such show of astonishment as might have been expected. 

"Yes, I have, mother. It occurred to me that I could sell my papers tobetter advantage there than I could about here; and, indeed, I did, asyou may see. " Whereupon I laid in her good old hand such a sum of moneyas she had not clasped for many a day. 

"Did you get all this money by selling papers in Canton?"

"I did, and a great deal more; which I am going to deposit by and by inthe Savings Bank to your credit. "

"There must be an awful demand for papers in Canton. "

"There is, mother; and they pay such high prices there, that I amthinking of setting up a news establishment in the place. "

"And did you _walk_ all the way to Canton day before yesterday, myboy?"

"Then it was day before yesterday morning when I left home? I thought itwas longer ago than that. "

"Longer ago! Oh, dear, dear! you are not out of your head, my son?"

"My good mother, I am as sound as you are. Only you know that sometimes, when we are very much occupied, the time passes quickly; and I have beenquite busy since I left you. "

"And did you say that you walked to Canton?"

"No, mother, I didn't walk a step. "

"Then you took the Providence cars?"

"Well, mother, it was a kind of a providence car. "

[John's statement at once relieved the old lady's mind; but those of ourreaders who are not intimately acquainted with the geography ofMassachusetts, may be somewhat puzzled at this. For the information offoreigners and uneducated people in general, we must mention that thereis a thriving village on the Boston and Providence railroad, about tenmiles from Roxbury, which rejoices in the name of Canton. 

It may here be observed, that the young man's mind had got into a kindof chronological muddle, and the days and nights were mixed up togetherin the most miscellaneous manner. We, who are competent to solve anyordinary problem, furnish our young readers with this explanation. Johnleft our American soil on Tuesday morning, at or about six o'clock. Heis twelve hours--there or thereabouts--passing through the earth. Thisbrings him to China also in the morning, as every thing is topsy-turvyon the other side of the globe. His walk to Canton fills up most of theday, --_Tuesday night here_. He sleeps in Canton one night. _Wednesdayhere_; leaves Canton, _via_ Air-Line, the next morning, --_Wednesdaynight here_; and arrives at Jamaica Plain on Thursday morning. Absentfrom home forty-eight hours; twenty-four consumed in travelling _via_Air-Line; twelve in pedestrian excursion through the Kwangtung countryin China; and twelve in pecuniary negotiations and sleep at the Britishand American Coffee-House, Canton. This makes every thing clear andconsistent. We would simply remark, that, when John first told us hissingular tale of adventure, we remarked that he seemed to have had avery small allowance of food, as he ate but one good meal in the wholeforty-eight hours. To which he replied in a rather lofty manner, whichrepressed all further comment on our part, that, when the mind wasfilled with great thoughts, it didn't require much to sustain the body. We should like to take John as a boarder. But he is now on his feetagain, and we let him speak for himself. ]

"As soon as I found myself alone with my young brother Bob, --a brightfellow he was, and quick at a bargain, --I told him in strict confidencethe whole story of my adventures, and then laid before him my plans forthe future, in carrying out which plans I should need his co-operation. 

"I am now going, " said I, "to Mr. Simpson's office, and shall pay himhandsomely for the papers I have sold. I then propose to contract withhim for the New York and Boston daily papers, paying for six months inadvance, to be delivered to you every morning at half-past five o'clockprecisely. At six o'clock you will drop the bundle, carefully made upand nicely secured, as I shall direct Mr. Simpson, right through thecentre of the hole, to which I will direct you by and by, --always beingvery careful to let it fall from your hand at a height of four feetabove the surface of the earth; in which case it will, of course, risejust four feet _above_ the surface on the other side, and I shall beable to secure it without difficulty. I will pay you fifteen per cent onthe net profits of the enterprise for the first six months, which oughtto be regarded as a liberal compensation for the small amount of timethat you will be obliged to give to the work. 

"Now, Bob, listen to what I am about to say with strict attention. Onevery Saturday morning you must delay dropping your bundle for half anhour; and between six and half-past six o'clock, be on the carefullookout for a bundle _which I shall send to you_ from the other side. This will contain my remittance for the week, which I wish you todeposit to mother's credit in three places, the names of which I giveyou on paper. She can then draw from time to time such sums as she mayneed. 

"I shall remain at home for a few days and arrange to be in China nextMonday evening. On Tuesday morning you will forward the bundle ofpapers. "

"Are you going to tell mother and sister all about this?" said Bob. 

"No: it would only worry them. I shall merely say that I have a greatopening for making money, and shall be obliged to be absent from homefor several months. "

"I think, " said Bob, chuckling, --Bob labored under the delusion that hewas a wag, --"that it _is_ a great opening, or rather, I might say, a_lengthy_ opening. "

Every thing was duly arranged according to the programme; and, on thefollowing Monday, I bade adieu for a while to the sweet light of day, --Idon't mean that I said exactly these words as I stood on the edge of thehole--but that is the way in which it would be expressed in abook, --and jumped boldly into the dark abyss. In due time I arrivedsafely in China, and took lodgings in a small country inn about twomiles off, as I did not care to show myself at the Canton Coffee-Houseuntil I had the papers in my possession. 

It was with a somewhat anxious heart that I went to my Air-Line Station, as I had taken a fancy to call it, on Tuesday evening. 

CHAPTER II. 

HOW JOHN GOT INTO TROUBLE IN CHINA. 

It was Tuesday evening in good old Massachusetts, but not far from thebreak of day in China. In order that I might be more sure to catch thebundle of papers on its arrival, I had woven a net-work with my strongtwine, and securely fastened it to a stout wooden hoop. This I thenattached to a pole about six feet in length, and stood ready to swingthe net under the package as soon as it came within reach. The hour atwhich I had calculated that the bundle ought to come in sight, providedBob had been prompt to the time that I had prescribed, had now passed, and I began to feel excited and uneasy. "What if Bob had forgotten tohold the package high enough from the surface when he dropped it, and sothe momentum had not proved sufficient to drive it _clear through_ thehole? What if it had struck against the sides of the cavity, and so thefriction had stopped it on the way? What if the velocity with which itmust have fallen during the first few thousand miles had torn thepackage in pieces, and the papers had been left floating about in thecentre of the earth? What if Bob had been taken ill?"--just at thismoment my fears and speculations were arrested by the sight of a smallwhite object, looking like a flake of snow, away down the hole, hundreds of feet away, as it seemed to me. My heart almost ceased tobeat; the white object was coming nearer and nearer, and looking largerand larger every second. But it is moving slower and slower all thetime, as if it was nearly tired out! Perhaps it will not come _quite_within reach after all? What an awful disappointment that would be! No!it doesn't quite stop--_up_ it comes--ten feet more and I will have it;five feet more--hurra! underneath goes the stout net, and the preciousbundle is clasped safely in my arms. 

I was so exhausted by anxiety and excitement, that I had to sit down fora while, that I might recover my strength. I really do not think that Iwas half so much overcome when I first came out of the hole myself. 

And now for the city, to keep my appointment with the gentlemen at theCoffee-House. I had hired a pony to carry me to Canton, and had fastenedit to a tree near by; and very soon I was galloping off like lightning. About ten o'clock, I reached the hotel; and, after stopping for a glassof water at the office to clear my throat, I entered the room where Iknew my patrons would be assembled, and threw my bundle down upon thetable. 

Every man there started to his feet; but such was their surprise at myappearance, --for not a soul amongst them ever dreamed that I would keepmy appointment, --that for one or two minutes, as before, not a word wasspoken. While they all stood around staring at me as if I had justdropped from the clouds, I proceeded very leisurely to untie thestrings of the package; when, with a simultaneous movement, my eagercustomers rushed towards the table, reaching out their hands franticallyfor the papers. 

"Gentlemen, " said I, in a clear, collected voice, "before proceeding todistribute the mail, allow me to offer a few brief remarks. " I hadwritten out this speech, and committed it to memory. "It is very naturalthat you should have great curiosity to know by what means I havemanaged to redeem the pledge that I gave you a short time ago. In thepresence of gentlemen so enlightened as you are, I hardly need to saythat the speedy communication which I have been enabled to make with theWestern world is effected by no supernatural agency, but by a wonderfuldiscovery in the realms of nature, the precise character of which I donot at present consider it expedient to disclose. Let it suffice, that Iam able to furnish you, at reasonable rates, with the latestintelligence from the United States of America; and I wish it to bedistinctly understood, that if I ever have reason to suspect that mymovements are watched, or that any efforts are made to detect my secret, from that time my contract with you is at an end. I also desire tostipulate that no statement of my transactions with you shall be allowedto find its way into the public prints, either in China or America. Letthe whole matter remain a profound secret between us; your own interestwill be consulted by this as well as mine. If, indeed, it should sohappen that you should ever see any remarkable and novel movement inthe heavens, of course I cannot hinder you from forming your ownimpressions, and making your own deductions from the phenomena. 

"And now, gentlemen, every morning between ten and eleven o'clock, Ipropose to be here with the papers; _price one dollar per copy, cash ondelivery_. "

The bundle, containing one hundred papers, was immediately disposed of;some gentlemen taking two or three, and others half a dozen. 

The tongues of my patrons were now unloosed, and they all accededunhesitatingly to the terms which I had proposed. An elderly Englishman, with a very white waistcoat, and a very large watch-chain, came up tome, and, patting my shoulder, said, "Why, my son, you have done betterthan you promised; you have given us the newspapers in much less thanthirty-six hours after their issue at home. "

"Yes, sir, " I replied; "I intended to get them here in about _sixteen_hours; but I thought it more prudent to say thirty-six, because--because"--I hardly knew what reason to give, without betrayingmyself--"because, sir, I wasn't certain how the magnetic currents mightoperate. "

"Ah-hah-ah, I begin to see. Magnetic currents in the heavens, in theatmosphere. "

"Yes, sir, " I answered promptly, "in the _atmosphere_. "

This was true enough; but I could not say in the _heavens_, withouttelling an untruth; and this I always regarded as a great sin. 

"Don't you think, " continued my English friend, "that, when you bringthe American papers over, you could just stop on the way, and get a copyor two of 'The London Times'?"

"I do not go for the papers myself. "

"You don't mean to say that they come entirely by themselves?" hereplied, looking more perplexed and astounded than I can describe. 

"Of course not, " I said, breaking into a hearty laugh. "I have a partneron the other side, who will forward them to me every morning. "

"Then they do come of themselves, after they are once started?"

"Why, yes, " I said, feeling a little embarrassed, and very much afraidthat I might commit myself, "after the proper impulse and direction aregiven, they do come of themselves. "

"But how, in the name of all that is marvellous, after the package getsinto the right magnetic current, does it manage to alight in thisvicinity?"

"That is easily explained by the laws of gravity. "

The attention of all present was arrested by this conversation, and Ibegan to feel that I was getting upon dangerous ground. 

"Excuse me, gentlemen, " I said, taking hold of the handle of the door, "from answering any more questions at this time. My mind is getting alittle confused; and, what is more, I am very hungry. " Upon which Iretired to the dining-room. 

Every thing went on successfully during the remainder of the week; allthe packages arrived safely and in good order, and on Friday evening Iwas ready to remit several hundred dollars to my brother. At the sametime, I thought that it was proper for me to write a few lines to mygood mother; and accordingly I sat down and made out quite a longletter, which I enclosed in the same bundle with the money. 

On Saturday evening, the papers arrived half an hour later than usual, as I had arranged with Bob; and on the wrapper I was delighted to read, in great, scrawling letters, "_All right: money and letters received. _"

On Sunday, as I was lying in my hammock, and thinking of home, it cameto my mind that my dear mother had probably expected me to pass the daywith her; and then for the first time it flashed across me, that, when Iwrote her on Friday, I entirely forgot that she supposed me all thewhile to have been in the little town of Canton, on the Boston andProvidence Railroad. "What on earth, " I said to myself, "will sheimagine when she reads my letter? I certainly must have betrayed myself. I don't remember exactly what it was that I wrote; but there must havebeen some things in the letter that will lead the poor old lady tosuppose that I am crazy. Well, perhaps I shall know more about it whenthe next bundle comes; and I will try to be patient until then. "

The next morning I awaited the usual arrival with great anxiety; and, assoon as the package came into my hands, I tore off the outer covering, and, to my great relief, found a letter in my mother's handwriting, addressed, --

 "MASTER JOHN WHOPPER, CANTON, MASS. "

 It read as follows:--

 ROXBURY, March, 1867. 

 MY DEAREST JOHN, --I was very much disappointed that you did not come home to pass the Sabbath. I had a nice dinner all ready for you; and your little sister cried hard when she found that you were not to sit down with us. We were all very glad, however, to get your letter; and I am thankful that you have been so prospered in your business. I had no idea that you would be able to make so much money by selling papers in Canton: they must be a great reading community. I hope, my dear son, that all is made honestly. There are some things in your letter which have puzzled me a little, and I do not know that I exactly understand all that you say. You also speak of visiting the Joss-house once or twice. I never knew any family of that name: only I happen to remember, that, up in Manchester, there were quite a large number of people by the name of Josslyn; and sometimes the boys used to call them, in sport, "the Josses. " It is not a good habit to give nicknames to other persons, especially where you visit the family. You also speak of their burning a great deal of colored paper, and a great many scented sticks before an image. I asked Bob what he thought this meant: but he jumped right behind the closet-door, and made the most extraordinary noises with his mouth that I ever heard; and when he came out again his eyes were full of tears, and he looked as if he had had a fit. "Bob, " said I, "what is the matter?" "I have had a high-strike, "--he should have said high-sterick, --"I do have 'em sometimes. " "Robert, " I said very seriously, "what do you think your brother means?"

 "Well, " said he, "I shouldn't wonder if the Josses had a bust of Daniel Webster or Henry Clay in their parlor, and perhaps they burn things round it to keep off the flies. " Then he began to laugh again, and I could not tell whether he was in earnest or not. I am not very much pleased to hear you say that you go out in the afternoon to fly kites with a parcel of old mandarins. I think that you might find some better use for your time; and I am afraid from the way in which you speak of them, that these old mandarins are not very respectable characters. Your brother says that kite-flying means speculating, and that the mandarins are probably brokers. I trust, my dear boy, that you are not making any of your money in this way. Who is this Chim-jung-tsee, who is to be your teacher? It is a very strange name for a Christian to be called by, and I don't like the sound of it. And what do you mean, when you say you want to learn the language so that you may be able to talk with the natives? I never stopped in Canton but once, and that was when the axle-tree of the engine, or something else, broke down. There were a good many people from the village came up to the depot then; and I heard them talk for more than an hour, and I understood every word they said. I am almost afraid that your application to business, and selling your papers at such a profit, is turning your brain. You must not work too hard, and you must be careful about your diet. I shall try and send you a bundle of doughnuts next week, when I fry. There is something in your letter about eating rats and birds'-nests, and other horrible things. I suppose that you intend that for a joke. I wish that you would tell me where you pass your evenings, and what kind of books you are reading, and how many meeting-houses there are in Canton, and where you go to meeting. Whenever you have to stay there over the Sabbath, I would like to have you write out a full account of the sermons that you hear. We all hope that you will come to see us next Saturday night. Bob says that you are so busy that you will not be able to leave; and that you have to sit up all night, and then sleep in the day-time. Bob and Mamie send their best love. I will send a pair of socks with the doughnuts. Your little sister says, "Tell brother that I want him to bring me something pretty from Canton. " I don't know but she thinks you are away off in the great city of Canton, in China. Write as often as you can to

 Your very affectionate mother, DEBORAH WHOPPER. 

I did not know whether to laugh or cry when I had read the letter, andso I did a little of both. I could not bear to think that my mothershould be so deceived, and so bewildered; but it would distress hersadly if she really knew where I had gone, and how I got there. I hadsome doubts, too, whether she would be able to keep the secret long, forthey worm every thing out of her at the Dorcas Society. So I concludedthat I would write her another letter, at the end of the week, whichwouldn't give her any trouble. Week after week passed by without anyinterruption of my business; and I devoted three hours every day to thestudy of the Chinese language, under the direction of Chim-jung-tsee, ayoung Chinaman who spoke pigeon-English very well, and had been highlyrecommended by one of the waiters at the hotel. He was a very sleek, smooth-spoken fellow: the top of his shaved head shone like a billiardball, and his tail hung four feet and a half from his shoulders. Ididn't altogether like the expression of his eyes; for although theywere usually turned up at the outside corners, like other Chinese eyes, sometimes I would catch him with one of them turned down at the corner, and then he seemed to be looking at me with one eye, and looking out ofthe window with the other. His nails were longer than any I had seen inCanton; and he usually wore stout leather cots on the ends of hisfingers, to protect them from injury. I never knew him to lose histemper but once; and that was when, just for the fun of the thing, Imanaged to snip off an inch or two from one of his nails with mypen-knife. From that moment, I have reason to believe that he became mydeadly foe. He couldn't have made more of an outcry, had he lost hisarm. 

One day, as I entered my room, I found the young man carefully studyinga copy of "The New-York Times, " which, contrary to my custom, I hadthoughtlessly left exposed on the desk. After the hours of study wereover, he asked, in an off-hand kind of way, how far New York was fromCanton. I thought it likely that the fellow knew already, and thereforeI did not hesitate to tell him. He then took up the New York paperagain, and, looking with great care at the date, began to count hisfingers, mumbling something to himself in Chinese which I could notunderstand. Nothing more passed between us on the subject; but I feltfrom that day that I had a spy upon me. I did not like to discharge himfrom my service, because that would only excite him to greatermischief, and I never thought for a moment of taking him into myconfidence. 

One Friday morning, just as I had finished dressing, there was a loudknock at the door of my room; and three Chinese officials entered, who, having first tied my arms behind my back, and fastened a short chain tomy ankles, proceeded to search every nook and corner of the premises. 

The evening before, I had fortunately converted all the money that I hadon hand into a bill of exchange, and this was concealed about my person. The great object of their search appeared to be newspapers; and, afterrifling my boxes and desk of every thing in this form, I was marchedoff into the street, without a word being said by my captors. To all myremonstrances, the only reply that I got was the holding up before myface of a piece of yellow paper, with a huge green seal in the corner. Without being subjected to any form of trial, I was taken at once toprison. I found myself the occupant of a cell about ten feet square, with one window secured by an iron grating. The furniture of the cellconsisted of a bamboo chair, a small table, and a low bedstead. I wasglad to find that every thing looked neat and clean. I remained in thisplace for several days in utter solitude, except when my meals werebrought to me; and then all that I could get out of my attendant was, "Me no talkee. " I had not the slightest doubt who it was that hadcaused me to be imprisoned; and I determined, that, if Chim-jung-tseeever came within my reach again, I would cut off every one of hisatrocious finger-nails. As I lay there thinking over all my wonderfulexperiences, I could not but feel sad at what I knew must be Bob'sdisappointment, when, after waiting hour by hour for my package toarrive on Saturday morning, nothing appeared. Anticipating that I mighthave trouble in China, I had directed, in case my remittance did notreach him, that he should send no more papers through the hole, so thatno loss would occur on this score; and I knew that he was shrewd enoughto keep my mother and sister from having any undue anxiety. Then I fellto wondering whether my friends at the coffee-house had all forgottenme, and how they managed to get along without their papers. I soon foundout that they had _not_ quite forgotten me; although, for obviousreasons, it would not do for them to interfere with the authorities inmy behalf. 

One afternoon, as I stood looking out from my window upon an opensquare, where hundreds of people, young and old, high and low, wereamusing themselves by flying kites, I observed, among the monsters thatfilled the air, --dragons, griffins, cormorants, sharks, and numberlessother fantastic shapes, --one kite that arrested my eye and fixed myattention. It was in the form of an American eagle, with red and whitestripes on the wings, and brilliant stars all over the body. From thepeculiar movements of this kite, I was led to believe that it was anomen of hope for me, and that whoever held the string intended to do mea service. In the course of half an hour, the kite was floated directlyacross my window, and I saw that there was a paper pinned on the back. As soon as it came within reach, I thrust my hands through the bars, andin an instant tore the paper off. Unfolding it, I found in the insidethree steel-spring saws, and read these words: "As soon as you havesawed away the bars, tie a white rag on the grating. On the firstevening after this, when the wind is favorable, a kite will be flown tothe window. Pull in the string very carefully, and you will come to alarger cord. Keep pulling until a rope-ladder reaches you. Fasten thissecurely to the window, and follow the ladder down over the wall. Youwill there find your old pony fastened to a tree: jump on and be off. Strapped on his back you will see a can of condensed food and a jar ofwater, enough to supply you for some days. Success to you!" This paper Iat once tore into small pieces, and, as soon as it was dark, threw thefragments out of the window. I now went to work with a light heart tosaw away the iron bars, preserving the filings, which I moulded up witha bit of bread, to fill the gaps that I made with my saws in thegrating, in order to avoid detection in case the room should beexamined. In the course of about a week, I had cut through the iron sofar that I knew it would be easy with one good wrench to tear away thegrating; and then, with a throbbing pulse, in the afternoon I tied apiece of white cloth on the sash, as I had been directed. That nightthere was not a breath of wind, and I knew that I had no hope of rescueat present. I tried to sleep, but found myself constantly rising up andlistening for the breeze. The next day the kites were flying merrily;and among them I saw the good old eagle, with a large round white spoton his back, which I interpreted to mean that my signal had beendiscovered. It seemed to me that the sun would never set that evening, and I was in mortal fear that when it did the wind would also go down. At last, the shadows of night descended upon the earth, and still thebreeze blew finely. I waited at the window, and watched with all my eyesuntil near midnight, when, to my delight, I saw the shadow of a kitecoming between me and the stars. With one quick, strong pull I wrenchedthe grating out, and stood with my head projecting from the hole, readyto catch the kite. As soon as I got hold of it, I found that there weretwo strings attached; and I was careful to cut only one, as the otherwas probably intended to remove the kite, and pull it to the groundagain. After hauling in the twine and the stronger cords fastened to it, I found the rope-ladder in my grasp; and in a very short time it wasfastened to the iron bars below the grating that I had removed. At thesame moment, I felt that some one at the other end was hauling theladder in tight, and no doubt securing it below. Five minutes later andI was free! Not a human being was in sight as I stood once more on theearth: my confederate, whoever he was, --now that every thing wasaccomplished that he could do, --probably thinking it was safer for himto be out of the way. But there stood my beloved pony, who had carriedme so often from the Air-Line Station to Canton; and, before manyseconds had passed, he was making the sparks fly under his feet as weheaded for the old familiar spot in the country. It was not necessaryfor me to guide him; dark as it was, the pony knew the way well enough;and I soon reached the cavity, through which I hoped to visit "my own, my native land, " where people are not arrested without knowing what isthe crime with which they are charged. Removing the jar of water and thecan of food from my pony's back, without stopping to think why I did it, but following a sort of instinct which afterwards saved me fromperishing, I fastened these articles on my shoulders and around mywaist; then, sobbing, threw my arms around poor pony's neck, and with apang bade him good-by. He flew snorting away to his stable, where I haveno doubt he soon found comfort in a quart or two of rice and a peck ofoats. 

And now, strange to say, although I had accomplished the journey throughthe earth three times with entire safety, I shrank with dread from thethought of jumping once more in the dark hole beneath. I suppose thetrials which I had just endured had unstrung my nerves, and that thesolemn hour of the night made the leap seem all the more fearful. Andyet _through I must go_. China was not the place for me to remain in anylonger; and so I stepped down some two or three feet into the cavity, and stood upon a little projection of rock, feeling that it wouldrequire less effort to drop from this place downward than to leap fromthe surface. Seizing the projecting rock with my hands, I then let go, and down I went. It was a relief to find that I was now fairly underway; and when, after the lapse of a few hours, I began to see daylightbrightening around me, I thought that all my cares were about to end. Brighter and brighter it grew, and I had almost reached the edge of thehole, when, to my horror, I found that the motion of my body was ceasingaltogether. Could it be that I had made a fatal mistake in dropping fromthat inner ledge on the other side, instead of jumping boldly from thesurface? It must be so. Oh, what a fool I was! I might have known thatthe projectile power would not be sufficient to take me clear through!What will become of me? For, at this moment, I felt myself beginning tosink back again into the bowels of the earth. And there through thelong, long hours, I swung backwards and forwards like an enormouspendulum, --every time that I rose and fell, with a shorter and shorterrange, --until I stopped in equilibrium at the centre of the earth. Thesensation of absolute rest was more terrible than motion. There I wasalive, buried deeper than any other being ever was before. Was there anypossible way in which I could extricate myself? I now made a greateffort to collect my thoughts, and give to this question carefulconsideration. At last, a bright idea came into my mind. 

CHAPTER III. 

HOW JOHN WHOPPER GOT CAUGHT IN THE EARTH, AND THEN GOT OUT AGAIN. 

The idea that came to me was at first very vague and indefinite; neitherwas it at all certain that my plan could be carried out. It had beensuggested by a peculiar sound which fell upon my ear as soon as I becamestationary, and which had continued to reverberate through the darknessall the while. As I had been obliged, while in China, to be about somuch at night, I had provided myself with one of those compact lanterns, which can be folded up, and carried in the pocket, with a good supplyof best wax matches. The first thing to be done was to strike a light, and see what sort of a place I was floating in. The sensation offloating in equilibrium was delightful and soothing; and yet I felt thatit would be a relief to touch something solid. As soon as my candlelighted up the cavity, I saw that the walls of my strange abode wereperforated in various places by holes, some of which were large enoughto admit my body. Taking my cap from my head, I found that by waving itin the air I could readily waft my body in whatever direction I chose;and, in less than a minute, I found myself comfortably seated in thelargest and most convenient of these cavities. I now felt the need offood and drink; and, before proceeding to do any thing else, I openedone of the cans of concentrated meat, and with a glass of water from thejar which I had so fortunately brought with me, I made quite a nicemeal. With all the burden that weighed upon my mind, I could not helpsmiling when I thought that I was the only person that had ever dined inthat particular locality. After dinner, I stretched myself out, and tooka good long sleep. At last I awoke as bright as a lark, and began toexplore the surrounding region. The point that I wished particularly todetermine was this: What is the cause of the low, grinding sound that Icontinually hear? and from what locality does it proceed? Upon theanswer to these questions depended all my hopes of escape. Strappingthe jar and cans securely about me, I thought that I would try topenetrate the orifice which I had entered; but, as soon as I got upon myfeet, the slight muscular effort that I made in walking lifted me againinto the air, and I found myself once more in equilibrium. At first thisdiscouraged and perplexed me; but observing that I could propel myselfwith the greatest ease by just fanning the air, as before, with my cap, I concluded that this was a very easy as well as rapid mode oflocomotion. As I advanced farther and farther into the cavity, I foundthat the grating noise, to which I have alluded, grew louder and moredistinct; and after moving along, perhaps about two miles, I came insight of an immense cylinder, the size of which it was impossible forme to estimate, as I could see only a small section of the surface. Floating on, I laid myself alongside of the great tube, and, taking myknife from my pocket, tapped the cylinder several times, and found thatit was composed of some very hard and resonant metal, entirely unlikeany thing that I had ever seen before. It was of a bright vermilioncolor, highly polished in certain places, and somewhat rough andhoney-combed in others. From the vibration that came when I struck itwith my knife, I inferred that it must be hollow. I only needed to tryone further experiment, in order to be satisfied that my suspicions andhopes as to the nature of this cylinder, and the cause of the peculiarsound that I had heard, and which now reverberated loudly on everyside, were correct. Observing that, at a point not far off, the cylindercame almost in contact with the wall that surrounded it, I approachedthe spot, and stuck two red wafers, one on the cylinder, and the otherdirectly opposite to it on the wall, with a distance of not more than aninch between them. I would here observe, in explanation of my happeningto have these wafers about me, that they still continued to be used inChina, and I generally carried half a dozen or more about me in a stiffenvelope. Now came the crisis of my destiny! If the relative position ofthe wafers remained for an hour unchanged, there was no hope for poorJohn Whopper. With my watch--which, by the way, I had protected againstthe disturbance of the magnetic currents by a compensation balance--inmy hand, I gazed earnestly and anxiously upon the two wafers. Fifteenminutes passed. In this time, the earth had revolved one ninety-sixthpart of its daily course, and the inhabitants on the surface hadtravelled two hundred and fifty miles. If my hopes are well founded, itis hardly time yet for me to perceive any change in the two red spotsupon which my gaze is fixed. A half hour slowly passes. I do believethat the wafers are not directly opposite to each other! let me wait alittle while longer, that I may be certain. There is no mistake aboutit, --the right edge of one wafer just touches the left edge of theother. Eureka! Hurrah! I am right. I am right. This big cylinder is_the axis of the earth_, fixed and immovable; and these huge walls arerevolving round it. There's a discovery to make a man immortal! Whatfools the old geographers were that used to say, --"the axis is an_imaginary line_, running through, " etc. , etc. The name of Whopper willnow be heralded to all coming generations with the names of Bacon andNewton and La Place and Humboldt, and all the rest of them! Fame, withher great silver trumpet--

"Stop, my boy, " I imagine the impatient reader is now saying. "You hadbetter get out into daylight before you crow so loud; we don't see howyour great discovery is going to help you to do that. " I presume not;but you _will_ see, if you are only patient. 

I now reasoned thus with myself: "If the axis of the earth ishollow, --about which I have no doubt, --and open at both ends, --inasmuchas it is winter at the south pole when it is summer at the north, and_vice versa_, --there must always be a strong current of air passingthrough it, --the cold air of one extreme rushing into the warmer regionat the opposite pole. I have, then, only to find some way of introducingmy body into the interior of this axis; and, by taking advantage of thecurrent, I shall soon be able to see daylight again. "

The next thing, therefore, to be done was to find out whether it wouldbe possible for me to get inside the cylinder. I had observed, that insome places the metal of which it was composed, showed the appearanceof being honey-combed; and this gave me some encouragement. I nowcrawled, or rather swam, about the surface of this cylindrical mass ofmetal, and soon found an orifice large enough for me to thrust in myhand and arm up to the elbow. True enough, there _was_ a strong draughtin there, so strong that it seemed as if my arm would be wrenched fromthe socket. Every doubt and difficulty were now removed, if I could onlyfind a hole in the cylinder three feet in diameter; and after an hour'ssearch, I lighted upon just what I wanted, --a good smooth opening, andsomewhat larger than was actually needed to pass my body through. This, however, was fortunate, because I must have space enough to projectmyself with some force from the orifice, or I might strike the side ofthe cylinder, and be dashed into fragments. 

Every thing was now ready: nerving my whole system for the terribleeffort and the frightful risk, I sprang with all my might into the axisof the earth. After what I had experienced when I put my arm into thecylinder, I expected, of course, as soon as my whole body was thrown inthere, that I should undergo the terrible sensation of being whirledupward by a tornado. Instead of this, to my astonishment, the momentthat I had cleared the orifice through which I jumped I felt as though Iwere floating stationary in the air. Could it be that I was deceived inregard to the existence of the current? This could hardly be: it was notpossible that I was stationary, for the hole through which I leaped hadvanished in a flash. It then for the first time occurred to me, thatbeing in the current, and as it were _a part_ of the current, moving init and _with_ it without any resistance, it was impossible for me totell whether I was advancing or not; and then I remembered how men thatwent up in balloons, after they had lost sight of the earth, could notperceive whether they were in motion or at rest; and how our teacher atthe Roxbury school used to explain the fact that we were not consciousof the rotation of the globe on which we stood, upon the same principle. When I thought of all this, I broke into a loud laugh, and for a longtime I could hear the echoes thundering through the cylinder. 

I cannot say how glad I felt that my journey through the axis of theearth occurred at that period of the year when the current set from thesouth to the north. The prospect of safety if I were to be dischargedfrom the south pole, would be slight indeed; but familiarity with thewritings of various explorers in the Arctic regions gave me the verynatural feeling that I should be in a measure at home in that part ofthe world. 

The absence of any sense of motion, with the quietness and darkness thatsurrounded me, began to induce a feeling of weariness; and I thoughtthat I should like to see how it looked where I was; so I lighted mylantern, which I had extinguished when I leaped into the axis, when themost dazzling and marvellous sight burst upon my view. I found that Iwas not very far from the side of the cylinder, which waspolished--probably by the constant friction of the swift current passingthrough it--so that it glistened like a diamond, only it was of oneuniform vermilion hue. Reflected, as in a fiery mirror, I caught anoccasional glimpse of myself, magnified to a gigantic size by theconcave form of the cylinder, and elongated in the most remarkablemanner by the rapidity with which I shot by the surface; and, afterthis, I had no further doubts as to whether I was moving on or standingstill. I next amused myself by making all sorts of uproarious sounds, which were repeated up and down, and back and forth, from the metallicwalls, until I was somewhat frightened at the cries I made; for itseemed as if fifty wild demons were shouting and yelling around me. There are some of my readers who will remember the old chemical chimneyin Roxbury, and what strange sounds were heard there when the boys stoodbelow, laughing and talking. What I now heard recalled most vividly allthose experiences. To soothe my mind a little, I then took a jews-harpfrom my pocket and played the "Star-spangled Banner. " The effect wasbeautiful and almost magical, and I sank at once into a deliciousreverie. 

But, as the time drew near when I supposed that I might expect to emergefrom my present position, I began to feel anxious as to what wouldbecome of me when I came out. I anticipated, of course, that, moving atsuch a fearful rate, I must expect to shoot up rather high in the air;and the question was, where I should probably land. If, as is generallysupposed, it is a clear, open sea at the pole, I shall not _land_ atall, but come down into the water. In this case, I am inevitably lost:but still my faith was not shaken; after all that I had endured, it didnot seem likely that I should be left to perish in the sea. I could donothing but trust and wait. 

In process of time the light began to steal in upon the darkness, and Iknew that another crisis was approaching, --the most trying andformidable that I had been called to encounter. And, shortly, out Iwent, high up in the air, --higher--higher, --until I thought that Ishould never come down again. But, after a time, I felt that I wasdescending; and the fear came upon me that I might tumble back once moreinto the axis of the earth. If I had reflected a moment, I might haveperceived that this would be impossible; for, as soon as I had sunk frommy elevation down to a point not more than a hundred feet from the endof the pole, I met the swift current of air rushing out, and was oncemore hoisted up in the clouds. This was repeated several times over; andI found myself in the condition of a cork ball, sustained in the air bya stream of water from a fountain. It is a little odd, that at this timethere came to my mind a vivid recollection of such a cork ball that Iused to see tossing about in front of the hotel that formerly stood atthe corner of Tremont and Boylston streets, in Boston. At last itoccurred to me, that if at the time when I had nearly reached thehighest point of my ascent, and therefore must be moving very slowly, Ishould fan the air with my cap, as I did before, it might waft me out ofthe line of the north pole; and that I might as well come down into thesea and be drowned, as to keep on bobbing up and down in this wayforever. The experiment was successful; and the next time that Idescended, I came gently, not into the water, but into a soft yieldingdrift of snow, which entirely broke the force of my fall. 

I felt sure now that all was right; and, scrambling out of the snow, Ilooked about to see where I was. All around, in every direction, therewas an open sea extending to the horizon; and it was evident that I hadlighted upon an iceberg, which had floated northward from a moresouthern region. After I had refreshed myself with a little food, Iproceeded to explore the frozen island, of which I had so unexpectedlybecome the sole proprietor. 

I am afraid that some of my readers may think that there is a tone ofexaggeration in my story as I proceed to narrate what I found there. Thus far, it must be allowed by all that I have kept within range of_possibility_, if not of probability; I have been careful to explainminutely and scientifically just how every thing came about; and if itshould ever become as familiar a thing to travel _through_ the earth asit is now to shoot over its surface on railroads, and send messagesinstantaneously from one end of the world to the other, this narrativewill not sound so very strange after all. But in telling what I found onthe iceberg, and what happened to me there, I may have to tax somewhatthe credulity of my readers. 

CHAPTER IV. AND LAST. 

HOW JOHN WHOPPER GOT ALONG AT THE NORTH POLE. 

I shall now give the general result of an exploration of the iceberg, which occupied me for several days. I use the word _day_ in the ordinarysense, as indicating a period of twenty-four hours; although, during mystay in the arctic region, the daylight was perpetual. This frozenisland, which was to be for a time my habitation, extended, so far as Icould judge, over an area of about five hundred acres; but there werecertain marks about the surface and cleavages on the sides, whichindicated that it was originally of much greater size. It was also veryevident that it had assumed its form, and been detached from the shore, at some point on the coast many degrees remote from its presentposition, and had then been driven towards the pole by someextraordinary current into which it had happened to fall. At some formerperiod, this iceberg must have floated, or been stationary, in a regionwhere game abounded and birds were plenty; where vessels sailed, andwhere vessels were wrecked; and, when it was launched from the shore, itcarried off with it not less than an acre of good, rich loam, --theeffect, probably, of a land-slide in the vicinity. It will, I think, beseen that it is only upon this general supposition, that we can accountfor what I found there. I may here observe, before proceeding further, that, while on three sides the walls of the berg rose almostperpendicularly out of the sea, yet on the remaining side there wasquite an easy and gradual slope down to the water; and this may alsoserve to explain how some of the things that I found on the island werethrown or lifted there. 

The food that I had brought with me from Canton was soon exhausted; andthe first great want that I experienced was the means of keeping my soulin my body. In the deep crevices of the ice, I found places where Icould manage in a measure to shelter my body from the cold while Islept; but what reasonable prospect had I of finding food in thisforlorn spot? I now began to feel the pangs of hunger; but, instead ofyielding to despair, with a stout heart I determined to search theregion thoroughly, and see if a kind Providence had not made someprovision for my wants. After roaming about for a while, my foot struckupon a little keg, partially embedded in the ice; and, to my joy, I readthe mark on the top, "Bent's Hard Crackers, Milton, Mass. " It took mehardly a minute to kick it open; and there the crackers lay, as soundand sweet as when they were first packed. I do not know exactly how manyI ate, but I should say not much over fifteen. The keg was then put in asafe place, where I should be certain to find it by and by. In thecourse of the forenoon, I came upon a frozen bear; and I also found, inthe same vicinity, plenty of old barrel-staves, and broken hoops, andother pieces of wood, great and small, which I laid in a heap upon theearth. "Now, " said I, "we will have a bit of roast meat for dinner, witha few toasted crackers for dessert. " Before two o'clock, I had a brightfire burning, and a delicate slice of the bear roasting before it. 

The next thing to be done was to strip the bear of his skin; but this Ifound to be a difficult task. It had been a tough job to cut out with myjack-knife the frozen slice of meat upon which I had just dined; and itwas impossible to strip off the skin without tearing it in pieces. Abright thought now occurred to me, and I proceeded to kindle a fire allaround the animal; and when the heat had become strong enough just toloosen the hide from the carcass, I went to work, and, in an hour ortwo, had a nice warm robe to wrap myself in at night. At the same time Iextinguished the fire, as I did not care to cook the entire bear all atonce. 

My jar of water gave out the day that I was dropped upon the berg; andat first I thought that I could quench my thirst by eating small bits ofice, but I soon found that this only increased the difficulty. I thenremembered to have read in a magazine, that the amount of caloric takenout of the system in order to melt the ice in one's mouth was so greatas to only increase the feeling of thirst. All anxiety, however, on thispoint was soon at an end; for the sun was now hot enough, for an houror two at noon, to melt a sufficient quantity of the loose snow incertain localities to furnish all the water that I needed. 

With my bear-meat and Bent's crackers for food, and my bearskin for ablanket, I might now be considered for the present as above the reach ofabsolute want; and still it is not to be supposed that I was in a verycontented and happy frame of mind. I was very thankful for all themercies that I had received; and, when I looked back upon all thewonderful deliverances that I had experienced, I could not help feelingconfident that all would go well with me hereafter. [1]

But the great want that I felt was _a home_, or at leastsomething, --some hut or hovel, or hole in the ground, --to which I mightretire when my labor was over, where I could eat my frugal meals, andlie down to slumber at night. I longed for a place in which I could feelthat I was _localized_, around which domestic associations mightgradually entwine themselves, and where I might sing in the twilight thesongs of my childhood. [2]

The fifth day of my sojourn on the iceberg was the great day ofdiscovery. I determined, that morning, that I would now make a thoroughsurvey of the whole island. I knew that it would be rough work, andsomewhat dangerous; for, in some places, there were cavities fifty feetdeep, and I should have to climb over some very steep ice, where it wasas smooth as glass. Before starting, I pulled several nails out of thehoops that lay around, and drove them into the soles of my boots; and Iwas fortunate enough to find a good stout stick, into the end of which Ialso fastened one of the nails. Filling my pockets with crackers, andslinging a slice of cooked bear's meat over my shoulder, I started off, having been careful first to pile up several loose blocks of ice in theform of a pillar, so that I might be able to find the place again. Ithen struck--as it afterwards turned out most fortunately--for that sideof the berg where the surface shelved off gradually to the water. Abouteleven o'clock, I found myself standing on quite a lofty peak of ice;and, looking down, my eyes fell upon a sight that almost took away mybreath. Spread out before me on a level plain, there lay a large blackpatch, which looked as though it must be earth; and on the farther side, just where the berg began to slope towards the sea, I thought that Isaw something that looked like a building! Could it be that the islandwas inhabited? Running, sliding, slipping down, as fast as I could go, in a short time I found that I was not mistaken in supposing that itwas earth: for there lay, stretched out before me, an acre or so ofground, almost as smooth and level as a garden; and, at the fartherend of the plot, there stood, --not an ordinary house, not a barn, notan Esquimaux hut, not a country store, not a railroad depot, not ameeting-house, --but, what do you imagine? I will tell you as soon as Iget there. Rushing like mad across the ground, --oh, how pleasant it wasto feel the soft soil under my cold feet!--I came to what looked like adismasted ship, embedded clear up to the gunwale[3] in the ice. Therelay the whole deck of a three-masted vessel, unbroken and undisturbed;but, as I soon ascertained, there was no hull underneath, for the deckhad evidently been broken off from the lower parts of the ship, andthrown up the smooth, inclined plane of ice to the spot where I foundit, and then been frozen in there. What a discovery this was! I did notknow how to contain or how to express my delight; and, before beginningto explore the premises, the very first thing that I did was to rush upto the bell, that hung near the bows, and ring it with all my might. Youcan't tell how strange it sounded, up there in that solitary, silent, arctic sea, to hear the loud clang of the old bell sounding out over thewaters, as I tugged and tugged away at the rope. It would have done thehearts of "Hooper & Son, Boston, Mass. , "--whose name I saw printed onit, --it would have done the whole firm good, to have heard it. After Ihad ceased ringing, and slowly tolled the bell for a few minutes, sothat I might make it seem as if I were going to meeting in Roxbury, Isat down on the capstan to think matters over. Nothing had happened yetthat excited me like this. Jumping through the earth, and then gettingstuck in the centre; being blown through the axis, and lighting on aniceberg at the north pole, and all that sort of thing, --I looked backupon rather as a matter of course. But to find myself sitting here onthe deck of a three-master, with the cabins and offices at the stern allin good order, and the caboose-house in the centre, with the littlefunnel sticking out of the top, and a big boat close by it, covered withcanvas, and a huge anchor at the bows, and spare rigging and spare mastslying all along the sides, and a _real bell_ to ring, --this was alittle too much, even for John Whopper. 

What was I to find in the cabins, and the offices, and the pantries, andthe caboose-house? The caboose-house reminded me that I was gettinghungry, and that it was near dinner-time. I had expected to make my mealof dry crackers and cold bear-meat; but it occurred to me, that, on suchan occasion as the present, a luxurious repast would be moreappropriate, as well as more agreeable, and that very possibly I mightfind in the caboose-house the materials for gratifying my appetite. Idid not as yet feel quite prepared to visit the cabins at the stern, forI knew that I must become very much excited at what would be foundthere, and a good dinner would serve to strengthen my nerves, and set meup. I went, therefore, at once to the caboose, and slid back the door, which required considerable effort; and, sure enough, there was everything at hand that I expected, and a great deal more. The accident whichlifted the deck from the hull of the ship must have happened about themiddle of the forenoon; for there was the fire all ready to be lightedin the cooking-stove, --shavings, kindlings, and coal in place; and therelay the cooking utensils quite convenient. This was not all; thematerials for the dinner had been brought up, --a great deal more than Icould consume in a week. Immediately I took a match from mypocket, --there was a box of matches hanging on the wall, but I did notfeel sure that they would be in working order, --and lighted the fire. The next thing that I did was to go and select a lump of clean, clearice, to be melted in the kettle, that I might be ready to wash up mydishes properly after dinner. I tell you that I gave a big shout when Isaw the smoke curling out of the funnel. I now proceeded, verydeliberately, to select from the cans and bottles and jars, that werepiled up in the corner, the various items of which I would make mydinner. The first thing that I settled upon was a dish of "_Parker'sox-tail soup_, " which I remembered to have eaten some time ago at thehouse of a benevolent gentleman in Washington Street, when he gave thenewsboys a lunch. My second course should consist of a pottedpartridge, with tomato sauce, desiccated turnips (I didn't know what_desiccated_ meant, but I took it for granted that it was all right), and one or two of Lewis's pickles. I would then close with part of a jarof preserved peaches. I did not need to do much cooking in getting upthis dinner; but I had hot soup, hot tomatoes, and warm turnips, whichgot a little smoked, and didn't taste very good, --perhaps, however, thatwas because it was desiccated. I enjoyed the dinner tremendously; andafter it was over, and my dishes were all washed and put away, my eyelighted upon a box, half full of cigars, on the shelf. My first thoughtwas, "Now I will have a cigar, as the gentlemen do that you see at thesteps of the Tremont House in the afternoon, and that will make it seemmore like home. " But, upon second thought, it occurred to me that thiswould probably make me so sick for the remainder of the day, that Ishould be unable to do any thing, and that I couldn't spare the time. SoI decided not to smoke until I had leisure enough to be ill for a while. 

And now, with a throbbing heart, I turned my steps towards thecabin-door, and entered the gangway. There were two or three doors onthe sides of the narrow passage, which I did not care to open atpresent; and so I passed on to the central door that led into the mainroom. I had feared that I might be startled by the sight of dead bodiesor skeletons here; but there was nothing repulsive to be seen, nothingthat looked like disorder or confusion. There stood the centre-table, with a few books and pamphlets lying on it, and two or three chairsdrawn around, and a large lamp suspended above. There was the grate, containing a few half-consumed embers; there was the compass, swingingbetween the stern-windows. A nice Brussels carpet was under my feet; andthere were three doors on either side of the cabin, opening into thestaterooms. The vessel appeared to have been a first-class merchantman, fitted to carry half a dozen passengers; and how such a vessel as thisever found its way into these northern seas was a mystery. I justglanced for a moment into these rooms, and saw there trunks and valises, and all the usual articles of the toilet, mirrors, beds, and bedding, and all other things expected in a respectable apartment. Then I visitedthe captain's room and the mate's; the pantry, store-room, etc. ; and allthe supplies and utensils seemed to be abundant and of the best quality. I tried to find the log-book, but that was missing; and from this Iinferred that the captain had made his escape in safety, taking it withhim. This thought gave me pleasure. 

No danger now of my suffering for want of the comforts or luxuries oflife; I could dress elegantly, sleep magnificently, and faresumptuously. I selected the captain's room for my private apartment; andhaving no luggage to transport, it required but little time for me totake possession. 

The sun had now sunk as near the horizon as it ever did in that regionduring the month of July, and what we called evening at home drew near. I prepared my cup of tea in the cabin, and spread my supper on thecentre-table; then went out to take a little stroll on the deck. Iclosed the door of the caboose-house, and, for the sake of appearances, fastened it; then went up to the bell, and struck the hour, just togratify a sentimental feeling that I had. Then I retired to the cabinfor the night; and in order to make it seem snug and cosey, I droppedthe curtains over the windows, and lighted the hanging lamp. Kindling afire in the grate, I sat down at the table and tried to read. Butsituated as I was, I found it impossible to fix my mind upon the book;and so I threw myself down upon the lounge to think over what hadhappened, and speculate as to the probabilities of the future. It mayseem strange to some persons; but, with all my comforts about me, I feltmore homesick than I did when I was lying on the ice in my bearskin, orwhen I was poking about in the bowels of the earth, trying to see how Icould get out. There was nothing to occupy my body; and that, I suppose, was one reason why my mind worked as it did. At about ten o'clock, Iwent to bed, and, after tossing about uneasily for an hour or two, managed to fall asleep. 

When I awoke in the morning, it took me some time to remember where Iwas. I thought, at first, that I was at home, and could hear the birdssinging by the window; and I believe that I called out "Bob!" once ortwice before I was fairly roused. But soon the real state of the casecame back to me; and, going into the staterooms, I hunted round until Ifound a suit of good clean clothes that would fit me, and dressed myselffor the day. The clothes that I had worn were now so dirty and torn thatI was very glad to get rid of them. After breakfasting heartily, --and anexcellent cup of hot coffee I had that morning, --I began to think what Ishould do with myself during the day. I had no longer to go trampingabout in search of food; and so I thought that I would take a littlestroll over my farm, --as I called the acre of loam that lay by the sideof my abode, --and see how the crops were looking. I must confess thatthe vegetation was not much advanced; and yet I could see, here andthere, little green shoots springing out of the earth, indicating thatthe summer sun was beginning to have its effect upon the soil. It thenoccurred to me how pleasant it would be to look out upon a greensward inthat icy spot; and remembering to have seen in the store-room a canvasbag marked "grass-seed, " and a rake standing there, I went for them, andpassed the forenoon in agricultural pursuits. In a few hours, I hadquite a patch of ground nicely raked over, and sown for grass. In lessthan a fortnight, it had sprouted beautifully, and I began to be quiteproud of my arctic lawn. 

All the time, however, I was wondering how I should find my way back tothe abodes of man, and how soon I might expect to start for home. I hadpresumed, that, as the season advanced, I should begin to driftsouthward; and I hoped, that, before the winter closed in again, I mightreach those parts of the sea which are frequented by vessels, and sofind rescue. But whether I was moving or not, it was impossible as yetto tell, as there was no fixed object in sight by which a movement couldbe measured. I felt very certain that the iceberg was not grounded, because there would be, occasionally, a quivering of the whole mass, which showed that it was floating on the water. It was also growingwarmer and warmer every day, which was a favorable symptom. If I hadknown how to use the sextant or quadrant, I could have settled thematter at once. 

Before long, I was satisfied, from the change in the appearance of theocean and of the sun, that I was indeed moving rapidly away from thenorth pole; and the fact that I was afloat was settled conclusively by avery alarming circumstance. I had observed for a day or two, that thehanging-lamp did not appear to be entirely perpendicular; and, inwalking the deck, I had the sensation that I was not treading on aperfectly level surface. Searching the mate's room, I found aspirit-level, and laid it on the floor. There was no doubt of the fact:the berg was undoubtedly tilting on one side. I then remembered, that, not unfrequently, these mountains of ice rolled over, and made acomplete somerset. This was now, sooner or later, going to happen. Whatcould I do? I found that the ice, on the side that was beginning toincline towards the sea, was much higher than elsewhere, and that thissuperior weight was gradually destroying the equilibrium of the berg. Ialso observed, that, between this elevation and the more level region, there was a narrow, deep fissure, extending almost entirely across theline of the lofty projection of ice. 

A great thought now flashed upon me. I remembered to have seen on thedeck, the day after my arrival, two or three casks, labelled "Dangerous!Handle very carefully!! Nitro-glycerine!!!" These casks I at onceremoved to a safe distance, marking with an upright stick the placewhere they were deposited. Nitro-glycerine!--I said to myself. It wasthat that blew up the "The European" at Panama. I remember it because Isold three hundred and nine papers by crying "Great Explosion. " Anewsboy knows something. And nitro-glycerine will go off if you hit ithard enough. 

In the captain's room, there were several large, metallic flasks, madevery broad and flat, as I suppose for the purpose of better stowage inhis room. What they had formerly contained, I could only judge by thesmell; but they were empty now. This, then, was the experiment that Iwould try, --filling these flasks with nitro-glycerine, I would lowerthem into a crevice in the ice. Then, if I could, I must make a blockof ice fall on them. 

In two or three hours, my preparations were concluded. The flasks werejust large enough to fit snugly in the chasm. Above them, the precipicehung over a little. Half-hidden by the bulwarks of the ship, I firedthree bullets from the captain's gun into the projecting mass. Nothingfell. I loaded her again, --fired again, and a great block of ice keeledover and slid down. As fast did I leap down stairs into the cabin, as ifI should be safe there. As I landed, I felt the great iceberg tremble;then came a sharp, quick, terrible crash, as if forty thunders hadbroken all together right over my head, and the great hill of ice sankgrandly and slowly into the ocean below. For a minute or two, I couldhear the roar of the waters as they opened to receive the huge mass, andthe berg rocked as if in a great storm; then all was still again. Irushed back to my cabin, laid the spirit-level on the floor, and thelittle bubble stopped right in the middle of the tube. The danger wasover. 

Another week passed; and there was no longer any room to doubt that I_was_ moving, and in the right direction. At the pole, there was never abreath of wind; but now it blew quite strong. The compass began to showsigns of vitality; and, at midnight, I could see some of the brightestof the stars. The sun dropped nearer and nearer the horizon everyevening, and it was growing uncomfortably warm at mid-day. As I was nowgetting some information from the sun as to the points of the compass, I set up a vane on the deck, in order to find out, from day to day, thedirection of the wind. This put another idea into my head. Couldn't I dosomething to help the old berg along? Why couldn't the spare masts andsails, that lay along the sides of the deck, be put to some use? Theforemast of the ship was broken off about fifteen feet from the level ofthe deck, and I went to work to splice on a jury-mast. It was slow andpretty hard work. I had to arrange the blocks and tackles in the mostscientific manner, in order to lift the heavy timber to its place; andit required a great deal of strength to bring the ropes around the foreand jury-mast, so as to bind them securely together. I then managed torig a yard to the mast, and, in the course of another day, had quite arespectable sail set. The day after, I got up a jib, and then crownedthe whole by hoisting the American flag to the top of the mast. I didnot keep this flying all the time, but reserved it for great occasions. 

Here then, was a novel sight, --a great iceberg _under sail_, andprotected by the stars and stripes. Whether it helped us along or not, Iam unable to say: but it was a satisfaction for me to feel that I haddone what I could; and it gave me pleasure to go off a little distance, and look at the extraordinary spectacle. I could not help laughing tothink what the old salts would say, when I got down amongst the whalersand explorers, at the sight of _an iceberg under sail_!

I have nothing more to tell of my adventures in the arctic seas. Aboutthe middle of September, I had reached the more frequented parts of theocean, and every day was on the lookout for some friendly barque, toliberate me from my dreary solitude. For months I had not heard thesound of a human voice, and I began to long for the society of myfellow-men. Every morning I posted myself, with a spy-glass, on thehighest peak of the berg, searching the horizon for a sail. My situationon the deck was becoming every hour more and more precarious. Themelting of the ice underneath had already caused the stern to inclinevery decidedly towards the inclined plane that led down to the ocean;and I felt that the slightest jar might, at any time, precipitate thewhole concern, myself included, into the sea. I suppose, indeed, thatnothing but the counteracting influence of the sails, which filled inthe opposite direction, had prevented this catastrophe. 

At last, after many a long and weary watch, I descried, in the far-offdistance, a sail; but the vessel moved off towards the horizon, and wassoon lost to sight. It was a bitter disappointment; and still I thoughtthat wherever _one_ ship was sailing, others would be likely to come insight before long. I kept the flag flying now all the time, and hardlyventured to sleep at all, lest some vessel might pass by unnoticed. Onthe twenty-fifth of September, as I woke from a short and brokenslumber, I descried, not more than two miles off, a ship, headingdirectly for the berg. As soon as she was near enough for the signal tobe observed, I lowered and hoisted my flag five or six times in quicksuccession; and, to my joy, I saw the signal answered. It was all rightnow: the only question to be solved was, as to the manner in which Iwould get on board the vessel. I anticipated that they would not ventureto bring the ship alongside of the berg, but would probably put out along-boat for my rescue. As soon as that came within hailing distance, Iwould establish communication with the crew; and, between us all, I didnot doubt but some way would be found for me to escape. In a shorttime, as I had foreseen, the ship lay to; and the boat came off, and wasrowed to the foot of the inclined plane. I never saw a more astonishedset of men in my life. They were staring at me and my extraordinarycraft, as if their eyes would start from the sockets; and the coxswainrose and shouted, --

"Ahoy, up there! who are you?"

"John Whopper, " I replied, "eldest son of the Widow Whopper, nowresiding in Roxbury, Mass. , U. S. Of America. "

"Gracious me!" cried one of the men, "I know Widow Whopper. "

"I hope you left her well?"

"Much as usual, " the sailor replied. 

I was very glad to hear it. 

"Where are you from?" shouted the coxswain again; "and where did youget your rigging?"

"I will tell you when I get aboard. "

"Come aboard, then. "

"I don't exactly see how to manage it. "

"Come down the plane, and we will catch you. "

It was too steep and slippery for me to do that; but, on the instant, another bright thought arose. "Pull off a hundred feet or so, " I cried, "and I will be along. "

As soon as I saw that they had rowed to a safe distance, I went to themast, and suddenly let the sail go. In an instant, I felt the deckquiver; and it began to move, very slowly at first, and then with atremendous rush, right down the inclined plane. I grasped a rope withall my might, and steadied myself for the shock that must come when mycraft plunged into the sea. But there was no shock at all; gently as aship slides on her cradle, when launched into the water, the old deckglided off upon the waves, and in five minutes I found myself safely onboard the long-boat. No sooner, however, had I left the strange craft, than it began to sink slowly into the depths; and the last thing that Isaw was the American flag floating on the bosom of the deep. 

What was said to me when I reached the ship, and what I said, I have nottime to relate; only I didn't tell every thing. 

The vessel proved to be a whaler, bound for New Bedford; where Iarrived in good condition, and took the cars for Roxbury, via the Bostonand Providence Road, _passing through Canton_. 

I found all well at home, and very much relieved by my arrival. 

FOOTNOTES:

[1] It will probably occur to the reader, that some one of Johnny'sadult friends has touched up the style a little along here. J. W. Saysthat this is true. 

[2] John informs the editor that he never wrote a word of the lastlines, and that he thinks it about time for him to take the bellowsagain. 

[3] Pronounced _gunnell_: "The uppermost bend which finishes the upperworks of the hull, and from which the upper guns, if the vessel carryany, are pointed. "

 THE END. 

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