The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 141: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

100 so PHE STEAM PACKET. and the little gentleman absolutely Hes with rage, while the Lumim- aries stood by, enjoying the scene.’ — asi ‘“Yes—I’m a goin’,’” said Mr. Gibbins, aol “cos I’m wery much afeard as how you’ll catch hold o’ me, put a label on my buz- zim, stick me upright in a glass case, and swear I’m the Hemperor 0” China, the King.o’ the Cannibal Islands, or some such feller. But as for that there statty, I say that it never come from Pompey atall, but was made in Leather Lane, Ho’born; and blowed if there ain’t the name too!”’ | O utah As he uttered these last words, Tom very coolly turned the i image’ in such a way that the name and address of the maker, which were scrawled in the inner side of the hollow pedestal upon which the Her- cules stood, were exposed to view. Captain Pentonville, Mr: Buck- ram, and the Luminaries generally, could restrain themselves no longer; they burst out into a loud and hearty shout of laughter. ' The virtuoso’s rage now knew no bounds. He seized the club which had killed Captain Cook, and darted upon Tom Gibbins with the fury of an incensed tiger; but as that prudent young man slipt nimbly out of the way, the violence of the club fell upon the head of the devoted Hercules, which’ it instantly smashed to atoms. The foot of Mr. Smiggs slipped at the same moment; and he rolled upon the floor, amongst the wrecks of Hercules, who, in all probability, was never so discomfited before. The Luminaries took advantage of the fall of the virtuoso to escape from the apartment; and as they rushed down ~ stairs one after the other, like a troop of wild horses, Mr. Thomas Gibbins bawled out a kind and consolatory recommendation to Mr: Terence Smiggs “to pick up the pieces!” AQ {Rs The squadron, or rather detachment of Luminaries, having seen as much of Mount Cassel as they chose, resolved upon proceeding to’ Saint Omers—a distance of only fifteen miles,—passing the night there,’ and returning tc Dunkirk upon the following day. ‘The horses were’ ordered, the bills were paid, and the cavalcade once more set out,’ each gentleman having previously inscribed his name in a book kept’ for the purpose at the Hotel d’Angleterre, and which said book is duly paraded before every visitor to that hostel, in order to convince him of the successful rivalry which it sustains with the Hotel de Belle Vue on the opposite side of the market-place. The book was accordingly enriched with the nomenclatures of Captain Pentonville, Lord Noodle- ton, Thomas Gibbins, and others; and the landlord and lady were highly delighted with this Bees accession of testimonials in favour of their house. The road from Mount Cassel to Saint Omers is by no ‘means sO Gomichbooks (EO)