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From Aquileia a steam-launch plies back and forth to Grado, a distance of some six or seven miles, at first along a canal with grassy banks plentifully besprinkled with giant snowdrops in the spring, then through wide stretches of lagoon along a channel, marked by piles, sometimes approaching the fishermen's huts, which occupy the summit of slight elevations rising but little above the surface of the water.
At the end of the passage was a door, which Buttons opened sharply, showing a sudden blue and silver picture of the moonlit river, that looked like a scene in a theatre. Close to the opening lay a dark, dwarfish steam-launch, like a baby dragon with one red eye. Almost in the act of stepping on board, Gabriel Syme turned to the gaping Gregory.
He has borrowed the Rao Sahib's steam launch, and comes to look for us. I have always said that there should have been a steam-launch on the bridge works for us." The territory of the Rao of Baraon lay within ten miles of the bridge; and Findlayson and Hitchcock had spent a fair portion of their scanty leisure in playing billiards and shooting black-buck with the young man.
Next came an officer from the United States' man-of-war 'Frolic, with polite messages and offers of service; and then a steam-launch belonging to the Pacific Company, and another from the Consul, Major Monro, with piles of letters and newspapers for us. Monte Video, as seen from the water, is not an imposing-looking place.
Along the sides of this garden on the gravel-walk loll go-to-sleep straw chairs, with little wicker tables within reach of your hand for B.& S., or tea and toast, or a pint in a mug, and down at the water's edge seafaring men like Fin and me find a boathouse with half a score of punts, skiffs, and rowboats, together with a steam-launch with fires banked ready for instant service.
Finally, after a last breakdown, we saw steam-launch Effuenta lying high and dry upon the beach at Sánmá. We had nothing to complain of the engineer, Mr. William George, a Sá Leonite, and of the helmsman, Kwámina Ekum, a Gold Coast man. Both did their best with the heavily laden trio of boats. Cameron established himself compass, log, lead, and dredge in the steamer stern.
Accompanied by Inche MAHOMET and with some Bisaya interpreters, I proceeded up the Limbang River, on the 21st October, in a steam-launch, towing the boats of Pangeran ISTRI NAGARA and of the Datu AHAMAT, who were deputed to accompany us and represent the Brunai Government. Several hundred of the natives assembled to meet us, and the Government conditions were read out and explained.
This treacherous action was successful in breaking up the meeting, and was not far from causing the massacre of at any rate the Brunai portion of our party, and the Pangeran and the Datu quickly betook themselves to their boats and scuttled off to Brunai not waiting for the steam-launch.
"I'm going to draw a picture of it for Mother," Gerda announced, and she sat still for a long time, making first one sketch and then another, a seal on a cake of ice, a lighthouse, a ship being dashed against the rocks, and a steam-launch cutting through the water, with a boy and girl on its deck. "Oh dear!" she sighed after a while, "I wish something enormous would happen.
The second trip to Sembulo had to be postponed until the return of the controleur of Sampit from an extended tour, when the steam-launch Selatan would again be placed at my service. During the weeks of waiting I made a trip to Kuala Kapuas, northwest of Bandjermasin.
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