ONE OF SPOFFORTH'S ADVENTURES.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume VI, Issue 290, 11 September 1886, Page 3

ONE OF SPOFFORTH'S ADVENTURES.

An item for cricketers is supplied by Mr C. Haddon Chambers in " Cassell's Saturday Journal." It occurs in an account of a voyage from Australia to England in the Orient Liner Garonne. He says :—We had Murdock's second team of Australian cricketers with us; and pleasant fellows they all were, from the typical cornstalk Bonnor to the wiry Alex. Bannerman. I was on good terms with them all, but more particularly with Spofforth, the " demon bowler," with whom I have had what the good smith in " Great Expectations" used to call " sich larks." In the Suez Canal the Garonne was detained on account of a ship ahead having gone aground, but as she might be got off at any moment our captain did not offer to take us on shore. Mr Spofforth and I, however, put our heads together. The ship was moored to the jetty by a thick, long, double hawser. " The demon " pointed this out to me, and declared his intention of making his way along it to the shore. I declared my intention of following him. First of all we rigged ourselves in old clothes. Then "the demon" started. He slipped quickly and easily down the fall of the hawser. I followed. Now it must be mentioned that I had enemies on board and when I was seen to start upon the adventurous journey, my enemies eagerly seized the opportuuity of venting their malice. Presenting a bottle of whiskey to three or four of the sailors, they expressed a desire to see me shaken into the water. In justice to them, I must hasten to state that they knew I was a swimmer. So was my companion. Ever ready for a ■"Wis" tho o ailors seized the hawser where it was taut, pulled it out to the uttermost and then suddenly let go. This pleasant manoeuvre they repeated at surprisingly short intervals. The result -was that my friend and I were flung about like clothes hung out in the wind, affording capital diversion to the whole ship's company. " This is nasty," quoth " the demon " I'm going in and, without more ado he dropped in the water and swam for land. I was loth to allow my enemies to succeed, in their malicious designs. Accordingly hanging on to the hawser like grim death. I continued to work my way to the jetty. It was desperate work. I reached it at last, and found unexpected assistance. It apppears that an old Italian who stood there smoking a cigarette had been my warm partisan all through, emphatically expressing, both orally and gesticulatorily, his strong disapproval of the proceedings of my enemies. When I had finished my uncomfortable journey, he stretched out both hands and helped me on to the jetty, where he proceeded to pour out his hearty, although to me unfortunately unintelligible, congratulations. Then he conducted me to his station-house, where we were soon joined by my brother adventurer. We were most hospitally entertained with light wine, dates, and sweet cakes, and in addition, presented with a quantity of exquisite cigarette tobacco. A couple of hours afterwards, much elated with our visit, and our tobacco safe from damp in our hats, we swam back to the ship, and mounted the saloon gangway, the envy, I have reason to believe, of all our fellow passengers.