



Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England




The Perils and Adventures of Harry Skipwith, by W.H.G. Kingston.

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THE PERILS AND ADVENTURES OF HARRY SKIPWITH, BY W.H.G. KINGSTON.



CHAPTER ONE.

MY FIRST ADVENTURE--PROGRAMME OF TRAVEL--OFF ACROSS THE ATLANTIC--THE
MISSISSIPPI--HOW WE GOT SNAGGED--I SAVE PETER ROBERTS--THE CAYMAN'S
COMPANY--THE ISLAND REFUGE.

The love of travel was a family instinct, and was born with me.  My
maternal grandfather went to Central Africa--at least, he left us
intending to do so, but never came back again.  I had a great uncle who
voyaged three times round the world, and one sailor uncle who, half a
century ago, spent a winter at the North Pole along with Parry and
Franklin.  Then I had a cousin who was very ambitious of reaching the
moon, and spent his life in studying its maps and making preparations
for the journey, which, however, he never accomplished.  When asked when
he was going to start, he always replied that he had deferred his
journey for six months--circumstances requiring his longer sojourn on
this planet Tellus; but he never expressed the slightest doubt about his
being able ultimately to accomplish his proposed journey.  I held him in
great respect (which was more than any of the rest of the family did);
but as my ambition never soared beyond an expedition round this
sublunary globe, I resolved as soon as possible to commence my travels
in the hopes of having the start of him.

My voluntary studies were of a character to feed my taste.  The travels
of the famed Baron Munchausen, "Gulliver's Travels," those of