Page:Colymbia (1873).djvu/258

252 Precursor, they admitted the probability of its having perished in a storm; and if so, young Smith had undoubtedly perished with it. They prophesied that nothing would ever be heard of either, and advised my parents to turn me out of doors as a rank impostor and lying rogue.

Of course, all the above had no effect upon the minds of my parents and intimate friends, who still remained convinced of my identity, as I had neither grown enormously fat nor forgotten my mother tongue since my departure from England; but it caused many of my less familiar acquaintances to look rather coldly on me; and some of them even cut me entirely. I bore up against these disagreeables as well as I could, conscious of my own integrity, and quite confident that time would prove the truth of my assertions. I was supported under these trials by the increased display of affection towards me of my very excellent parents, who never for an instant doubted that I was their son—that being impossible—or of the truthfulness of my statements—which was quite possible.

As my outfit and other expenses had been a considerable pull on my father's limited means—though I must do him the justice to say that he never alluded to the subject, far less made it a matter of reproach, as many fathers might have done—I was very unwilling to make any further demands on his generosity. So I gave up the idea of emigrating altogether, and looked about for some suitable employment at home.

The faculty I had acquired in Colymbia of talking their language of signs and taps suggested to me a post in the telegraphs, which had recently been transferred to the Post-Office authorities. After a few lessons I acquired complete command over the technicalities of telegraphy; and, backed by the influence