The Mineral argus., 1884-10-02
A STORY OF STRANGE MEETINGS.
BY Gordon Stables, M. D., R. n.

~ NSANOA pN@DASoi A- ~ ~ We
''The world is not so very wide, after
ALL"
This exclamation, or somewhat akin
to it, we are constantly hearing in these
times of rapid travelling. For my own
part, 1 am never in the slightest degree
astonished at meeting an old friend
anywhere, for nowadays there seems but
little to prevent anybody from going
everywhere.
If space were not so valuable, I could
instance scores of cases of strange IN
expected meetings from the diary of
my own life, some of them amusing
enough.
When I first went from home to join
the service 1 left Geordie M-plough-
ing in one of my fathers fields, with an
OK and the "orra" beast. / specially
mention the OK and the "orra' beast, by
way of showing that Geordie was by no
means even a frst-class ploughman.
He was an ORA (of all work. man him
self, and couldn't be trusted with a
team of the best horses. He was slow
in his motions, and slow in his notions;
he wore a corduroy coat, his boots
weighed pounds, he never lifted his feet,
but trailed them; such was Geordie.
Just two years after this, 1 was one
day sitting forward in the sick bay, ex-
amining and taking the names of a
batch of marines, who had come to join
us from another ship. 1 was at Bonn
bay, and the weather was hot, and I
was drowsy, so I seldom looked twice
at my man, and was not in the best of
tempers; but there was n marine in
the lot, and a right smart clean-footed
fellow he was, who attracted my atten-
ton, because he laughed when I spoke
to him. He talked in the broadcast of
Scotch, and the very sound of his voice
recalled to my memory Highland hills
clad in blooming heather. I rubbed
my eyes and looked at him again. AS
sure as l live it was Geordie!
I babe goodbye to a medical friend
of mine once in Soho Square. He was
going away to the country to get mar
ried and settle down in a mining district
among the Welsh hills. Years few by.
l was out On the eastern shores of Africa.
We were hunting slavers. One rascally
old dhow gave us much trouble and a
long chase. We ran her at last down to
shooting distance, and as she would not
stop we brought our big guns to bear on
her; still she few on and on, fair and
square before the wind, till a lucky shot
knocked the main mast out of her. When
we boarded her the very first person
seen on deck was the medical friend I
had hidden a final adieu to-as 1 thought
in Soho Square. There was not much
mystery about the matter after all. He
had not got married. He had not settled
down among the Welsh mountains. He
was on his way to ZANZIBAR to Join O mis-
sion, and had taken passage in this dhow
for ~cheapness sake.
Peter Middleton-this is not his real
name-was a blacksmith's apprentice in
my village. He was clever-too clever,
for he often got into trouble for requisi-
tioning hares, rabbits and such small
cattle of the hills. When he took ut
last to paying midnight visits to the
farmers fowl runs the farmers waxed
wroth, and Peter had to run himself,
and no more was heard of him in that
place. My ship was lying some time
after at a town in South Australia, and
/ received a polite but badly spelled
note from a resident medical man, re-
questing me to come on shore for con
s~ultation on a difficult case. The house
was a smart one and we'll finished, but
Judge of my surprise to find that the
doctor himself was no other than
Peter Middleton, ~ex-poacher and poul-
try fancier. 1t is a strange world!
But to my tale. L seldom travel any
where, by land or sea. without taking
as a companion a well-trained and hand
some dog. 1t is nearly always a pure
black Newfoundland, a breed for which
I have attained some celebrity. These
animals are of such extreme beauty and
so prepossessing in manners, and so
noble withal, that they never fail to
make friends wherever they go. 1t
NAV seem a curious thing to say, but it
is strickly true nevertheless, that my
dogs have introduced me to many of
those whom, at the present moment l
rank among my most valued acquaint-
ances.
About two years before the tremen-
dous war broke out between Germany