Robert Louis Stevenson

An Inland Voyage Robert Louis Stevenson

But I cannot pause till I have lamented the fate of our two ships. That, sir, was not a fortunateday when we projected the possession of a canal barge; it was not a fortunate day when weshared our day-dream with the most hopeful of day-dreamers. For a while, indeed, the worldlooked smilingly. The barge was procured and christened, and as the 'Eleven ThousandVirgins of Cologne, ' lay for some months, the admired of all admirers, in a pleasant river andunder the walls of an ancient town. M. Mattras, the accomplished carpenter of Moret, hadmade her a centre of emulous labour; and you will not have forgotten the amount of sweetchampagne consumed in the inn at the bridge end, to give zeal to the workmen and speed tothe work. On the financial aspect, I would not willingly dwell. The 'Eleven Thousand Virginsof Cologne' rotted in the stream where she was beautified. She felt not the impulse of thebreeze; she was never harnessed to the patient track-horse. And when at length she was sold, by the indignant carpenter of Moret, there were sold along with her the 'Arethusa' and the'Cigarette, ' she of cedar, she, as we knew so keenly on a portage, of solid-hearted Englishoak. Now these historic vessels fly the tricolor and are known by new and alien names