Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 70, 11 March 1876, Page 4

J A worthy .employee in a coaoh manufacturer at Wellington- thinks' he ; wes porn under an unlucky- star,, jmd, ia quite sure that misfortunes^ never come alonei And' thie, "eayß the $ew Zea- r land Mail, is why he has the opinion; He is a working man, and like many other working men, planted himself on the wharf to assist in" doing honor to Sir Julius Yogel on his arrival. .Just as he was giving his loudest cheer ' a rocket was fired from on of the 'ships in the harbor. It was intended to send the rocket up id the air, but the. intention was not carried ont, and Owing to a mishap the rocket went down the wharf, add the stick stuck iv his leg. Remembering Casabianca's fortitude, he merely looked pleasant, and tried to persuade everyone he was still happy and enjoying himself. But he did not move out for two or three days afterwards. To the banquet he must go, and here he made himself conspicuous by his hilarity, but in the midst of his mirth a bottle of " flz " burst near him, and his hand was rather severely cut. The two accidents have convinced him thai he is out of place on these festive occasions, but he consoles himself by remembering thit auch welcome-; iand banquets are seldom given. A South Australian paper saya that whilst Mr. Lawson, at Green's Plains, " was playing * harmonium recently, a brown snake glided in, and coiled. Its musical taste did not save its life, poor reptile 1 . The old enmity prevailed, and 5 feet 2 inches of wickedness was despatched very expeditiously." The following anecdote of Sir Charles Napier is narrated in an Indian paper.: — Sir Charles and Lady Napier were riding one evening unattended, bn the summit of a range of hills in India. The sun had juet set — the pathway was narrow, bordered on one side by a jungle, and on the other by a deep precipice. Bye-aod-bye, " turning to his wife rather suddenly, but quietly, Sir Charles desired her to ride at full speed to the nearest village, and send some people back to the spot where she had left him, and he furthermore bade her not to ask bim tbe reason why he sent her. She obeyed in silence. Yet it was no slight trial of her courage, as well as of her obedience, for the way was lonely and beset with many perils; but she rode boldly and rapidly forward, and gained a village a few miles distant in safety. The party wham she then despatched and accompanied met Sir Charles, however, about a mile from the place, following in his lady's track, and he then explained the reason of his strange and unquestionable demand. He had seen as they slowly walked their horses, first a pair of fiery eyes gleam at them from tbe jungle, and then the head of a full grown tiger. He was sure, if they both rode on, tbat tbe terrible beast, following tbe instinct of its nature, would give chase; and he feared if Lady Napier knew the dreadful peril at hand, that she might be so startled as to be unable to make any effort at escape; or, at least, that she would not leave him alone with the danger. He remained himself with only his holster pistols, confronting and controlling the monster with the steady unflinching glance of his eagle eye, and after a short gaze and a muttered growl the tiger turned back into the jungle, leaving him free to follow his wife.