Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

8 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

CONSTANCE.

THE STRANGE CLAIMANT; OR,…

NEARLY AN ELOPEMENT.

[No title]

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

A POWER above all human responsibility ought to be above all human attainment. He that is un- willing may do harm, but he that is unable can't. PAT IN THE ORANGE FREE STATE. — At length I struck the trail of a waggon, which, following up, brought me first to a cattle kraal, then through an orchard, and afterwards to two houses, one inhabited, the other going through the course of construction. I went to the door of the former, and there met an old man; I asked for vater, and he shouted to someone within, vater J with stentorian lungs. At length an aged woman came out, looked at me, gave a grunt, and turned on her heel. My appearance, it was quite certain, did not please her. I was satisfied that I should have to go without a drink. I was about to give up the task as hopeless when she came again to the door, took a long stare and snorted, then retired into the interior of her dwelling. She was the most comical-looking old woman I had ever seen her height was equal to her breadth, and round her face hung a fringe of diminu- tiye white curls. For a quarter of an hour I waited, j still neither she nor the water came. In the adjoins Ing tenement I heard hammering, and an occasional | snatch of The Wearing of the Green," then a pause. Soon, in a deep, sonorous voice broke out: And I met with Napper Tandy, And he took by the hand, &c." U Tbat's the place for my money," I inwardly thought. There is no making a mistake. what country owns the possessor of that voice." So I took the pony by the bridle, and looked in through the door; there I saw a man nailing up laths quite after the orthodox pi aster t r fashion. Good morning to You, Pat," said I. Good morning to you kindly," said he. Can I get a drink of water ?" I enquired. Is it water you mane ? lashings and leavings about! here." So he jumped off his perch in search of the liquid I required. Soon he returned with an ample supply. Producing my flask, I took a mild drink— bis eyes were on me all the time. Would you! like a drop ?" I asked. Would a duck swim ?" Was the response. So I poured out a stiff I quantity, and handed it to him. With a Sulp he swallowed it;- then with a grin," That's the illigant stuff; lui thinking you fetched it from i the ould counthry." Of him I made enquiries as to my route, the m03t expeditious way of getting to it; to all of which he gave me satisfactory answers. When about to take my departure he threw down his hammer and nails, put on his coat, and exclaimed, Begorra! that's the last nail I'll drive this blessed day! If the naigurs (meaning the Boers) are in a hurry, they had better do it themselves."—Parker GUlmore's Side through Natal, the Orange Free State, fyc. WHALING IN PLOVER BAY.-—Although Plover Bay is almost in sighi of the Arctic Ocean, very little snow remained on the barren country roucd it, except on the distant mountains, or in deep ravines, where it has lain for ages. That there snow," said one of the sailors, pointing to such a Bpot, "is 300 years old if Its a day. Why, don't you see the wrinkles all over the face of it ?" Wrinkles and ridges are common enough in snow; but the idea of associating age j with them was original. The whalers are often yery successful in and outside Plover Bay in secur- I lng their prey. Each boat u known by its own private mark—a cross, red stripes, or what not—on I Its sail, so that at a distance they can be distinguished from their respective vessels. When the whale is harpooned, after a long and dangerous job, and is floating dead in the water, a small flag is planted In it. After the monster is towed alongside the Vessel, it is cut up into large rectangular chunks, and it is a curious and not altogether pleasant s'ght to winess the deck of a whaling ahip covered with blubber. This can be either bar- relled, or *.he oil "tryedout" on the spot. If the letter, the blubber is cut into mincemeat," and chop- Ping knives, and even mincing machines, are employed. The oil is boiled out on board, and the vessel when seen at a distance looks as if on fire. On these occasions the sailors have a feasi of dough-nuts, which are cooked in boiling whale-oil, frittars of whale brain, and other dishes. The writer has tasted whale in various shapes, but although it is eatable, it is by no means luxurious food. It was In these waters of Bering Sea and the Arctic that the Shenandoah played such havoc during the American war. In 1865 she burned thirty American whalers, taking off the officers and crews, > nd sending them down to San Francisco. The cap- tain of an English whaler, the Robert Tawns, of Sydney, had warned and saved some American vessels, and was in consequence threatened by the pirate captain. The writer was an eye-witness of the results of this wanton destruction of private property. The Coasta were strewed with the remains of the burned vessels, while the natives had boats, spars, &e., in numbers.- The Sea. AFFABILITY OF THE JAPANESE.-The prinoi- pal charm of travel in Japan is due to its human in- habitants, the most affaole and friendly race in the world, so far as I have yet seen. It is indeed a new sensation to the European in Asia, when he finds that his dress and complexion produce an attractive instead of a repellant effect, and that even the women and children neither hate nor fear him- Without being able to speak three words of the language, you cannot help feeling at home in a country where every one seems delignted to see you, where the very dogs are too well-mannered to bark ata stranger, and where you are Welcome with friendly salutations of Ohaio!" by all, from the village patriarch down to the smallest urchin. A ragged neglected child may be looked for vainly in city or in country; plump, rosy, and clean, with ample clothing, and their little heads carefully shaven in a variety of fantastic fashions, th* children afford a sure indication of prosperity among the lower orders in Japan. The rising generation, who in Ohina (and even nearer home) will ridicule and insult a foreigner, display towards him in Japan a dignified courtesy, which is at once ludicrous and charming. Babies, carrying still smaller babies on their backs. greet the passing stranger with a gracious bow, and if he seats himself, collect around, silently surveying him with an intelligent interest. Their gravity, how- ever, is merely on the surface, and if the aspa jt of the "red bristled barbarian" proves, as it occa-j sionally does, too much for the nerves of a girl more timid than the rest, and sends her clattering away in a panic on her wooden pattens, her night is the signal for a peal of derisive merriment from her compa- nions. As soon as they receive a little encourage- ment they become more demonstrative, and are almost equally gratified by a distribution Of small coins or by gestures of simulated wrath. In the latter case they disperse with shouts of laughter, only to collect again in large numbers, until some of the elder chil- dren, usually girls, venture to approach near enough to touch and examine the stranger's coat and buttons, or the contents of his travelling belt. All this ia done in the most gentle and confiding manner, as if certain that there can be no cause fQr fear, and perhaps their trust is seldom misplaced; but certainly their be- haviour towards a stranger is in marked contrast to that of rural youth in other parts of the world, and it is to be hoped that when they know foreigners better they may not like them less. Affection for their children is a distinct characteristic of the Japanese, and their hearts are easily touched by kind- ness shown to the little ones, whose long robes and elaborate coiffure render them the very images of their parents in miniature. It is not too much to say that in Japan the class known as "gamins, "larri- kins," or hoodlums," has no existence at present; even the street bov is a little gentleman, and long may he so continue. On the other hand, if the children resemble grown men and wo-men, these in their turn are eminently childlike in manners and disposition.- fortnightly tUvieWt

LADIES' COLUMN.

USEFUL HINTS.

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/VARIETIES.