adventures and letters-第1节

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Adventures　and　Letters

by　Richard　Harding　Davis



EDITED　BY
CHARLES　BELMONT　DAVIS


CONTENTS

CHAPTER　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
I。　　　　　　THE　EARLY　DAYS
II。　　　　　COLLEGE　DAYS
III。　　　　FIRST　NEWSPAPER　EXPERIENCES
IV。　　　　　NEW　YORK
V。　　　　　　FIRST　TRAVEL　ARTICLES
VI。　　　　　THE　MEDITERRANEAN　AND　PARIS
VII。　　　　FIRST　PLAYS
VIII。　　　CENTRAL　AND　SOUTH　AMERICA
IX。　　　　　MOSCOW；　BUDAPEST；　LONDON
X。　　　　　　CAMPAIGNING　IN　CUBA；　AND　GREECE
XI。　　　　　THE　SPANISH…AMERICAN　WAR
XII。　　　　THE　BOER　WAR
XIII。　　　THE　SPANISH　AND　ENGLISH　CORONATIONS
XIV。　　　　THE　JAPANESE…RUSSIAN　WAR
XV。　　　　　MOUNT　KISCO
XVI。　　　　THE　CONGO
XVII。　　　A　LONDON　WINTER
XVIII。　　MILITARY　MANOEUVRES
XIX。　　　　VERA　CRUZ　AND　THE　GREAT　WAR
XX。　　　　　THE　LAST　DAYS


CHAPTER　I

THE　EARLY　DAYS

Richard　Harding　Davis　was　born　in　Philadelphia　on　April　18；　1864；　but；　so　far　as　memory　serves　me；　his　life　and　mine　began　together　several　years　later　in　the　three…story　brick　house　on　South　Twenty…first　Street；　to　which　we　had　just　moved。　　For　more　than　forty　years　this　was　our　home　in　all　that　the　word　implies；　and　I　do　not　believe　that　there　was

ever　a　moment　when　it　was　not　the　predominating　influence　in　Richard's　life　and　in　his　work。　　As　I　learned　in　later　years；　the　house　had　come　into　the　possession　of　my　father　and　mother　after　a　period　on　their　part　of　hard　endeavor　and　unusual　sacrifice。　　It　was　their　ambition　to　add　to　this　home　not　only　the　comforts　and　the　beautiful　inanimate　things　of　life；　but　to　create　an　atmosphere　which　would　prove　a　constant　help　to　those　who　lived　under　its　roofan　inspiration　to　their　children　that　should　endure　so　long　as　they　lived。　　At　the　time　of　my　brother's　death　the　fact　was　frequently　commented　upon　that；　unlike　most　literary　folk；　he　had　never　known　what　it　was　to　be　poor　and　to　suffer　the　pangs　of　hunger　and　failure。　　That　he　never　suffered　from　the　lack　of　a　home　was　certainly　as　true　as　that　in　his　work　he　knew　but　little　of　failure；　for　the　first　stories　he　wrote　for　the　magazines　brought　him　into　a　prominence　and　popularity　that　lasted　until　the　end。　　But　if　Richard　gained　his　success　early　in　life　and　was　blessed　with　a　very　lovely　home　to　which　he　could　always　return；　he　was　not　brought　up　in　a　manner　which　in　any　way　could　be　called　lavish。　　Lavish　he　may　have　been　in　later　years；　but　if　he　was　it　was　with　the　money　for　which　those　who　knew　him　best　knew　how　very　hard　he　had　worked。

In　a　general　way；　I　cannot　remember　that　our　life　as　boys　differed　in　any　essential　from　that　of　other　boys。　　My　brother　went　to　the　Episcopal　Academy　and　his　weekly　report　never　failed　to　fill　the　whole　house　with　an　impenetrable　gloom　and　ever…increasing　fears　as　to　the　possibilities　of　his　future。　　At　school　and　at　college　Richard　was；　to　say　the　least；　an　indifferent　student。　　And　what　made　this　undeniable　fact　so　annoying；　particularly　to　his　teachers；　was　that　morally　he　stood　so　very　high。　　To　〃crib；〃　to　lie；　or　in　any　way　to　cheat　or　to　do　any　unworthy　act　was；　I　believe；　quite　beyond　his　understanding。　　Therefore；　while　his　constant　lack　of　interest　in　his　studies　goaded　his　teachers　to　despair；　when　it　came　to　a　question　of　stamping　out　wrongdoing　on　the　part　of　the　student　body　he　was　invariably　found　aligned　on　the　side　of　the　faculty。　　Not　that　Richard　in　any　way　resembled　a　prig　or　was　even；　so　far　as　I　know；　ever　so　considered　by　the　most　reprehensible　of　his　fellow　students。　　He　was　altogether　too　red…blooded　for　that；　and　I　believe　the　students　whom　he　antagonized　rather　admired　his　chivalric　point　of　honor　even　if　they　failed　to　imitate　it。　　As　a　schoolboy　he　was　aggressive；　radical；　outspoken；　fearless；　usually　of　the　opposition　and；　indeed；　often　the　sole　member　of　his　own　party。　　Among　the　students　at　the　several　schools　he　attended　he　had　but　few　intimate　friends；　but　of　the　various　little　groups　of　which　he　happened　to　be　a　member　his　aggressiveness　and　his　imagination　usually　made　him　the　leader。　　As　far　back　as　I　can　remember；　Richard　was　always　starting　somethingusually　a　new　club　or　a　violent　reform　movement。　　And　in　school　or　college；　as　in　all　the　other　walks　of　life；　the　reformer　must；　of　necessity；　lead　a　somewhat　tempestuous；　if　happy；　existence。　　The　following　letter；　written　to　his　father　when　Richard　was　a　student　at　Swarthmore；　and　about　fifteen；　will　give　an　idea　of　his　conception　of　the　ethics　in　the　case：


SWARTHMORE1880。　DEAR　PAPA：


I　am　quite　on　the　Potomac。　　I　with　all　the　boys　at　our　table　were　called　up；　there　is　seven　of　us；　before　Prex。　for　stealing　sugar…bowls　and　things　off　the　table。　　All　the　youths　said；　〃O　President；　I　didn't　do　it。〃　　When　it　came　my　turn　I　merely　smiled　gravely；　and　he　passed　on　to　the　last。　　Then　he　said；　〃The　only　boy　that　doesn't　deny　it　is　Davis。　　Davis；　you　are　excused。　　I　wish　to　talk　to　the　rest　of　them。〃　　That　all　goes　to　show　he　can　be　a　gentleman　if　he　would　only　try。　　I　am　a　natural　born　philosopher　so　I　thought　this　idea　is　too　idiotic　for　me　to　converse　about　so　I　recommend　silence　and　I　also　argued　that　to　deny　you　must　necessarily　be　accused　and　to　be　accused　of　stealing　would　of　course　cause　me　to　bid　Prex。　good…by；　so　the　only　way　was；　taking　these　two　considerations　with　each　other；　to　deny　nothing　but　let　the　good…natured　old　duffer　see　how　silly　it　was　by　retaining　a　placid　silence　and　so　crushing　his　base　but　thoughtless　behavior　and　machinations。

DICK。


In　the　early　days　at　homethat　is；　when　the　sun　shonewe　played　cricket　and　baseball　and　football　in　our　very　spacious　back　yard；　and　the　programme　of　our　sports　was　always　subject　to　Richard's　change　without　notice。　　When　it　rained　we　adjourned　to　the　third…story　front；　where　we　played　melodrama　of　simple　plot　but　many　thrills；　and　it　was　always　Richard　who　wrote　the　plays；　produced　them；　and　played　the　principal　part。　　As　I　recall　these　dramas　of　my　early　youth；　the　action　was　almost　endless　and；　although　the　company　comprised　two　charming　misses　（at　least　I　know　that　they　eventually　grew　into　two　very　lovely　women）；　there　was　no　time　wasted　over　anything　so　sentimental　or　futile　as　love…scenes。　　But　whatever　else　the　play　contained　in　the　way　of　great　scenes；　there　was　always　a　mountain　passthe　mountains　being　composed　of　a　chair　and　two　tablesand　Richard　was　forever　leading　his　little　band　over　the　pass　while　the　band；　wholly　indifferent　as　to　whether　the　road　led　to　honor；　glory；　or　total　annihilation；　meekly　followed　its　leader。　　For　some　reason；　probably　on　account　of　my　early　admiration　for　Richard　and　being　only　too　willing　to　obey　his　command；　I　was　invariably　cast　for　the　villain　in　these　early　dramas；　and　the　end　of　the　play　always　ended　in　a　hand…to…hand　conflict　between　the　hero　and　myself。　　As　Richard；　naturally；　was　the　hero　and　incidentally　the　stronger　of　the　two；　it　can　readily　be　imagined　that　the　fight　always　ended　in　my　complete　undoing。　　Strangulation　was　the　method　usually　employed　to　finish　me；　and；　whatever　else　Richard　was　at　that　tender　age；　I　can　testify　to　his　extraordinary　ability　as　a　choker。

But　these　early　days　in　the　city　were　not　at　all　the　happiest　days　of　that　period　in　Richard's　life。　　He　took　but　little　interest　even　in　the　social　or　the　athletic　side　of　his　school　life；　and　his　failures　in　his　studies　troubled　him　sorely；　only　I　fear；　however；　because　it　troubled　his　mother　and　father。　　The　great　day　of　the　year　to　us　was　the　day　our　schools　closed　and　we　started　for　our　summer　vacation。　　When　Richard　was　less　than　a　year　old　my　mother　and　father；　who　at　the　time　was　convalescing　from　a　long　illness；　had　left　Philadelphia　on　a　search　for　a　complete　rest　in　the　country。　　Their　travels；　which　it　seems　were　undertaken　in　the　spirit　of　a　voyage　of　discovery　and　adventure；　finally　led　them　to　the　old　Curtis　House　at　Point　Pleasant　on　the　New　Jersey　coast。　　But　the　Point　Pleasant　of　that　time　had　very　little　in　common　with　the　present　well…known　summer　resort。　　In　those　days　the　place　was　reached　after　a　long　journey　by　rail　followed　by　a　three　hours'　drive　in　a　rickety　stagecoach　over　deep　sandy　roads；　albeit　the　roads　did　lead　through　silent；　sweet…smelling　pine　forests。　　Point　Pleasant　itself　was　then　a　collection　of　half　a　dozen　big　farms　which　stretched　from　the　Manasquan　River　to　the　ocean　half　a　mile　distant。　　Nothing　could　have　been　more　primitive　or　as　I　remember　it　in　its　pastoral　loveliness　much　more　beautiful。　　Just　beyond　our　cottage　the　river　ran　its　silent；　lazy　course　to　the　sea。　　With　the　exception　of　several　farmhouses；　its　banks　were　then　unsullied　by　human　habitation　of　any　sort；　and　on　either　side　beyond　the　low　green　banks　lay　fields　of　wheat　and　corn；　and　dense　groves　of　pine　and　oak　and　chestnut　trees。　　Between　us　and　the　ocean　were　more　waving　fields　of　corn；　broken　by　little　clumps　of　trees；　and　beyond　these　damp　Nile…green　pasture　meadows；　and　then　salty　marshes　that　led　to　the　glistening；　white　sand…dunes；　and　the　great　silver　semi…　circle　of　foaming　breakers；　and　the　broad；　blue　sea。　　On　all　the　land　that　lay　between　us　and　the　ocean；　where　the　town　of　Point　Pleasant　now　stands；　I　think　there　were　but　four　farmhouses；　and　these　in　no　way　interfered　with　the　landscape　or　the　life　of　the　primitive　world　in　which