2
Jack bade the Doctor good night and drove to The Spread Eagle where,before he went to bed, he wrote to his parents and a long letter to_The Pennsylvania Gazette_, describing his voyage and his arrivalsubstantially as the facts are here recorded. Next morning he orderedevery detail in his "uniforms" for morning and evening wear andreturning again to the inn found Solomon waiting in the lobby.
"Here I be," said the scout and trapper.
"What happened to you?"
"S'arched an' shoved me into a dark hole in the wall. Ye know, Jack,with you an' me, it allus 'pears to be workin'."
"What?"
"Good luck. Cur'us thing the papers was on you 'stid of me--ayes, sir,'twas. Did ye hand 'em over safe?"
"Last night I put 'em in Franklin's hands."
"Hunkidory! I'm ready fer to go hum."
"Not yet I hope. I want you to help me see the place."
"Wall, sir, I'll be p'intin' fer hum soon es I kin hop on a ship.Couldn't stan' it here, too much noise an' deviltry. This 'ere city islike a twenty-mile bush full o' drunk Injuns--Maumees, hostyle as thedevil. I went out fer a walk an' a crowd follered me eround which Idon't like it. 'Look at the North American,' they kep' a-sayin'. Assoon as I touched shore the tommyhawk landed on me. But fer Cap.Preston I'd be in that 'ere dark hole now. He see the Jedge an' theJedge called fer Slops an' Slops had slopped over. He were layin'under a tree dead drunk. The Jedge let me go an' Preston come on withme. Now 'twere funny he turned up jest as he done; funny I gotapp'inted cook o' _The Snow_ so as I had to give that 'ere paper toyou. I tell ye it's workin'--allus workin'."
"Doctor Franklin wants to see you," said Jack. "Put on your Sundayclothes an' we'll go over to his house. I think I can lead you there.If we get lost we'll jump into a cab."
When they set out Solomon was dressed in fine shoes and brown woolstockings and drab trousers, a butternut jacket and blue coat, and abig, black three-cornered hat. His slouching gait and large body andweathered face and the variety of colors in his costume began at onceto attract the attention of the crowd. A half-drunk harridan surveyedhim, from top to toe, and made a profound bow as he passed. A numberof small boys scurried along with them, curiously staring into the faceof Solomon.
"Ain't this like comin' into a savage tribe that ain't seen nocivilized human bein' fer years?"
"Wot is it?" a voice shouted.
"'E's a blarsted bush w'acker from North Hamerica, 'e is," anotheranswered.
Jack stopped a cab and they got into it.
"Show us some of the great buildings and land us in an hour at 10Bloomsbury Square, East," he said.
With a sense of relief they were whisked away in the stream of traffic.
They passed the King's palace and the great town houses of the Duke ofBedford and Lord Balcarras, each of which was pointed out by thedriver. Suddenly every vehicle near them stopped, while their maleoccupants sat with bared heads. Jack observed a curious procession onthe sidewalk passing between two lines of halted people.
"Hit's their Majesties!" the driver whispered under his breath.
The King--a stout, red-nosed, blue-jowled man, with big, gray, staringeyes--was in a sedan chair surmounted by a crown. He was dressed inlight cloth with silver buttons. Queen Charlotte, also in a chair, wasdressed in lemon colored silk ornamented with brocaded flowers. Thetwo were smiling and bowing as they passed. In a moment the processionentered a great gate. Then there was a crack of whips and the trafficresumed its hurried pace.
"Hit's their Majesties, sir, goin' to a drawin'-room at Lord Rawdon's,sir," the driver explained as he drove on.
"Did you see the unnatural look in his gray eyes?" said Jack, turningto Solomon.
"Ayes! Kind o' skeered like! 'Twere a han'some yoke o' men totin'him--well broke, too, I guess. Pulled even an' nobody yellin' gee erhaw er whoa hush."
"You know it isn't proper for kings and queens to walk in public," Jackanswered.
Again Solomon had on his shooting face. With his left eye closed, hetook deliberate aim with the other at the subject before them and thusdischarged his impressions.
"Uh huh! I suppose 'twouldn't do fer 'em to be like other folks sothey have to have some extry pairs o' legs to kind o' put 'on when theygo ou'doors. I wonder if they ain't obleeged to have an extry set o'brains fer public use."
"They have quantities of 'em all made and furnished to order and storedin the court," said Jack. "His own mind is only for use in the privaterooms."
"I should think 'twould git out o' order," Solomon remarked.
"It does. They say he's been as crazy as a loon."
Soon the two observers became interested in a band of sooty-facedchimney sweeps decorated with ribbands and gilt paper. They weremaking musical sounds with their brushes and scrapers and solicitinggifts from the passing crowd and, now and then, scrambling for tossedcoins.
In the Ave Mary Lane they saw a procession of milk men and maidscarrying wreaths of flowers on wheelbarrows, the first of which held alarge white pyramid which seemed to be a symbol of their calling. Theywere also begging.
"It's a lickpenny place," said Jack.
"Somebody's got to do some 'arnin' to pay fer all the foolin' eround,"Solomon answered. "If I was to stay here I'd git myself ragged up likethese 'ere savages and jine the tribe er else I'd lose the use o' mylegs an' spend all my money bein' toted. I ain't used to settin' downwhen I move, you hear to me."
"I'll take you to Doctor Franklin's tailor," Jack proposed.
"Major Washington tol' me whar to go. I got the name an' the streetall writ down plain in my wallet but I got t' go hum."
They had stopped at the door of the famous American. Jack and Solomonwent in and sat down with a dozen others to await their turn.
When they had been conducted to the presence of the great man he tookSolomon's hand and said:
"Mr. Binkus, I am glad to bid you welcome."
He looked down at the sinewy, big-boned, right hand of the scout, stillholding it.
"Will you step over to the window a moment and give me a look at yourhands?" he asked.
They went to the window and the Doctor put on his spectacles andexamined them closely.
"I have never seen such an able, Samsonian fist," he went on. "I thinkthe look of those hands would let you into Paradise. What a record ofhuman service is writ upon them! Hands like that have laid thefoundations of America. They have been generous hands. They tell meall I need to know of your spirit, your lungs, your heart and yourstomach."
"They're purty heavy--that's why I genially carry 'em in my pocketswhen I ain't busy," said Solomon.
"Over here a pair of hands like that are thought to be a disgrace.They are like the bloody hands of Macbeth. Certain people would lookat them and say: 'My God, man, you are guilty of hard work. You haveproduced food for the hungry and fuel for the cold. You are not anidler. You have refused to waste your time with Vice and Folly.Avaunt and quit my sight.' In America every one works--even the horse,the ass and the ox. Only the hog is a gentleman. There are manymischievous opinions in Europe but the worst is that useful labor isdishonorable. Do you like London?"
Solomon put his face in shape for a long shot. Jack has written thathe seemed to be looking for hostile "Injuns" some distance away and tobe waiting for another stir in the bushes. Suddenly he pulled histrigger.
"London an' I is kind o' skeered o' one 'nother. It 'minds me o' thefust time I run into ol' Thorny Tree. They was a young brave with himan' both on 'em had guns. They knowed me an' I knowed them. Looked asif there'd have to be some killin' done. We both made the sign o'friendship an' kep' edgin' erway f'm one 'nother careless like butkeepin' close watch. Sudden as scat they run like hell in onedirection an' I in t'other. I guess I look bad to London an' Londonlooks bad to me, but I'll have to do all the runnin' this time."
The Doctor laughed. "It ha' never seen a man just like you before," heobserved. "I saw Sir Jeffrey Amhe
rst this morning and told him youwere in London. He is fond of you and paid you many compliments andmade me promise to bring you to his home."
"I'd like to smoke a pipe with ol' Jeff," Solomon answered. "Theyain't no nonsense 'bout him. I learnt him how to talk Injun an' readrapids an' build a fire with tinder an' elbow grease. He knows meplenty. He staked his life on me a dozen times in the Injun war."
"How is Major Washington?" the Doctor asked.
"Stout as a pot o' ginger," Solomon answered. "I rassled with him oneevenin' down in Virginny an' I'll never tackle him ag'in, you hear tome. His right flipper is as big as mine an' when it takes holt ye'dthink it were goin' to strip the shuck off yer soul."
"He's in every way a big man," said the Doctor. "On the whole, he'sabout our biggest man. An officer who came out of the ambuscade atFort Duquesne with thirty living men out of three companies and fourshot holes in his coat must have an engagement with Destiny. Evidentlyhis work was not finished. You have traveled about some. What is thefeeling over there toward England?"
"They're like a b'ilin' pot everywhere. England has got to stepcareful now."
"Tell Sir Jeffrey that, if you see him, just that. Don't mincematters. Jack, I'll send my man with you and Mr. Binkus to show youthe new lodgings. We found them this morning."