Page:Early Reminiscences.djvu/375

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3*3 understand it, and she will take you so as to go to England and be cured there." " No, she shan't," said I, and put the box at the bottom of my travelling bag. The sheep-disease, as they call it, is really produced by the drinking of water into which the egg of the tape-worm has been dropped by dogs, not actually by sheep. The egg when taken into the human system develops into an animalcule with a boring instrument, and it works its way into the joints and produces hideous, disfiguring sores, that are constantly discharging. I returned to England in the little creaking Arcturus. Instead of making for Grangemouth she was laden with a cargo of Icelandic ponies for the coal mines of Lancashire, and I brought back with me a little favourite on which I had ridden. I am a very bad sailor, and during the eight days of the voyage I lay the whole time in my berth. Now my berth was in the lower story, and the light illumined the upper. I had a copy of Rob Roy to read. The print was very small, and the consequent strain on my eyesight so great that I have been ever since extremely shortsighted. Previously I never needed glasses, but now I am obliged to use them to see any distant object, be that distance only that between myself and the person on the other side of the table. The boat went to Liverpool instead of Grangemouth. I arrived in a very ragged condition. My first visit was to a Turkish bath, where, whilst I was bathing, I had my threadbare garments baked, to destroy the animal life in them. Then I travelled to town in the pen with my horse, and arrived in London on Saturday. On the Sunday I was in too shabby a condition to go to any church save one of the very poor, so I found my way in the morning to S. Mary's, Crown St., then a building like a Dissenting chapel, that had served as a Greek church. I did not suppose that it was possible for anyone I knew to be there, as it was quite in the slums of Seven Dials ; however, to my dismay, behind me sat the family of the Rev. Alexander Watson, who had been rector of Bridestowe. He had got deeply into debt, the living had been sequestrated, and he and his were in lodgings in London. When service was over, they pounced on me, and insisted on my going back with them and sharing their midday meal. On reaching Hurstpierpoint I rode " Bottlethrush " from the station to the college, but on reaching the first tree he stood still,