Polynesian., 1852-03-27

~ lNUt 4O
the present moment in London, and immediatelv
obtained her address. As she was at that time
lodging at friends house some distance from
town, meeting was appointed at his counting
house In the city. From Jerusalem to Crutched
Friars was certainly rather abrupt transition and
as pushed my way through the multifarious OBJ
structions Of our crowded streets to the place of
rendezvous, could not help specializing as to
what changes had been wrought by the interval Of
time and travel that had elapsed since our previous
meeting. 7
reached the house, hurried up two flight of
dirty stairs, tapped at the door of an office differing
In no respect from the thousand dark and dingy
ones in the city. "Come in," was the response
and on entering, in the shadow of the room and
looking strangely out of place in the midst of a
heap ofledgers and day books, ives sure enough,
the well remembered face of my old fellow travel
Ter, who rose and received me with the most lyely
expression of satisfaction. l. too, was rejoiced to
lind no change for the worse in the appearance of
my friend aAter so severe an ordeal as journey
around the world.
L remarked mmy previous paper that there was
little in the person or bearing of Madame Pfeiffer
tsuch Is the name of our adventurer) to mark her
out as the heroine of such remarkable exploit.
Her age may be for in such cases we may only
presume to guess verging, perhaps upon fifty; her
stature Is small, her figure slight, her features
plain, her dress homely, and her whole appearance
the very reverse of commanding. Her manner is
remarkably quiet, not to say even humble and it
Is only IN conversation with her, when her dark
eye kindles into admiration over the recital of
some passage in her travels, that one perceiyes
any outward manifestation of the courage and en-
thusiasm that SO remarkably distinguish her.
After exchanging our mutual congratulations,
the conversation (which was carried on in French,
Madame understanding English but imperfectly.
naturally turned upon the subject of her recent
journey. Reminding her of our original meeting
on the shores OF Palestine and of the indifference
with which she endured fatigue and hardship on
that occasion, playfully observed shat consid-
cred she had served her apprenticeship to myself,
and that L had always boasted Of a pupil who had
left her tutor so infinitely behindn She admitted
that it was even so, and that her power of bearing
prvation, tested in that journey, together with the
taste for travelling she then acquired had led her
to mediate still more extensive wanderings.
sit was after my journey to Iceland, which fol-
lowed that into PalestineS-
"Iceland? my dear madame ~ exclaimed; with
a sudden start. "Why, had not the slightest mo-
ton you had ever visited that country"
"Oh, yes, and publisheda book about it," was
her quiet reply; and she Immediately resumed.
"After this Iceland journey, then, l left Vienna
and embarked at Hamburg for Rio Janeiro, and,
after remaining some time the coasts of Brazil,
penetrated into the interior, visiting the savage
tribes, and crossing the continent Of South Ameri-
ca, reached Valparaiso, which, as you know, is on
the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Thence cross
ed the wide Pacific Ocean to Canton, with which
city | was much delighted"
"Of course" l remarked, 'syou do not mean the
interior of the Chinese quarter, into which Euro
peans are not allowed to penetrate"
"lndeed do" was her reply. 81 am, perhaps,
the only person that has ever gone through it.
must admit that the attempt was rash, but could
not overcome my curiosity. Madame Gutzlaf,
the missionary's wife, assured me she had never
ventured to think of such thing"
"But how did you contrive to accomplish it ?"
enquired.
Il hired two native Chinese to show me about"
was her reply. 'On reaching the prohibited en-
trance of the city it occurred to me that if paid
them there, they might go off and leave me. 1
was, therefore, obliged to resort to little strata
gem Making a sign that had no money, but
showing an order upon one of the English houses
of business, expressing in the same way my desire
to go through it to the English quarter, they con-
Such sight had never been seen in Canton be-
fore. The people gathered IN crowds, the women
held up their children passed along, the Curl
osity and amusement of the people were prodigi-
Gus, and your gracious Queen, on the opening Of
the Exhibition, could hardly be more run after
than was my poor insignificant SELF"
sAnd were you not horribly afraid" enquir-
ed
sNot in the least" was the reply.
"And did You meet with no INSULT"
"Not the slightest. Nothing could exceed the
civility fthe people. After traversing the city,
my Chinese guides brought me to the house of the
English merchant who could scarcely believe that
had come out scathless from so unprecedented
an enterprise. Well, from Canton visited sever
al Of the principal ports of China and thence
touching at Singapore, made my way to Ceylon,
where, not satisfied with remaining at Point de
Gale, visited the capital, Handy. Calcutta was
the next point of my journey. / ascended the
Ganges on the deck of bungalow, went far into
the interior, examined the antiquities, visited the
courts of some of the native princes, by whom l
was kindly received, and satisfied of my survey of
India returned to the coast embarked for the Per-
sian Gull, and then ascending the Tigris, looked
in upon DR.. Lsyard in the midst Of his excavations
at Nineyah."
Such narrative of adventure, and from the mootll
of female, might well take away ones breath.
/ really seemed to be dreaming as looked upon
the frail little body before me, and heard her des
cribe devious career like this, with far less ex-
citement of manner than the mistress of cockney
boarding-school would throw into her account of
the perils of journey to Boulogne. What next !"
/ inwardly exclaimed, as madame, renewing her
narrative, quietly went on.
81 entered next upon rsther dangerous jour
ney among the countries occupied by the wander
inc tribes of Kurdistan. Here more than once
fell into the hands of robbers
sYou surely were not alone on this occasion"
exclaimed.
:. Entirely so," she replied. " and TO that cause
/ probably owed my complete immunity from out
rage. What could they do? They saw before
them poor, unprotected woman, advanced IN
up in a small bundle. They would stop my horse,
gaze upon me with astonishment, ask few ques-
tons. and then suffer me to pass on unmolested.
On one occasion, being exhausted with thirst, 1
cegged for water from the leathern bottles they
BARRED it about in, and they gave it to me inme-
diately."
"Then there are many more Robin Hoods than
~va~ hoon tod there