Blissful Unconsciousness

Only a few pleasant hours had passed on my rail voyage to the Duke's estate. Thus far the trip had been quite ordinary; only one incident had marred an otherwise delightful morning - one of the aquanauts had been found dead, in the Caliban's furnace chamber with a metal stake through his heart. According to the turban topped, be-plumed attendants, this was just an accident as the unfortunate gentleman had probably stumbled in the dark en route to the lavatory.

"It were summ-it 'bout the darkness and 'im being not used ter walking about on land and all yer see yer lordship" explained the scuffy porter.

"But the furnace chamber is usually ..." I interrupted.

He continued "Aye, yes, 'less o' course yer werkin on the furnace and it were open - he coulda fell right in and onto that there stake .. Like I was sayin', jes an accident yer lordship, I wouldna give it another thought."

"Still it seems rather strange, but then you know this route best young man, now fetch another lemon squash!" I replied and returned to reading my copy of Aggasiz' Monographie des poissons fossiles du Vieux Gres Rouge, ou Systeme Devonien des Iles Britanniques et de Russie.

I must add this is a really smashing work for the Devonian Fish Enthusiast! I am not sure I completely agree with his notion of thick sheets of ice completely covering our dear old England. This seems a bit farfetched - I continue to subscribe to Lyell's theory that the large boulders strewn about our alpine meadows were propelled there via gigantic cannon operated by air pressure. This seems much more likely.

However, I digress .. for soon the remaining two aquanauts were talking amongst themselves about their "brushes with greatness" including one in which the senior aquanaut, Lt. Pitchfork, encountered that mountebank, the Governor General of Canada whilst on a Chimera hunting expedition in Spitzbergen. Both continued a great length with their tedious tales until I passed into blissful unconsciousness.