. Little journeys to homes of great scientists ... s urged become repellant—and Charles wasgroping around for an excuse when a letter came fromProfessor Henslow saying, among other things, thatthe Government was about to send a ship around thew^orld on a scientific surveying tour, especially to mapthe coast of Patagonia, & other parts of South Amer-ica and Australia. A volunteer naturalist w^as wanted—board and passage free, but the volunteer was tosupply his own clothes and proposition gave Charles a great thrill: he gave agulp and a gasp and went in search of his father. Thef
. Little journeys to homes of great scientists ... s urged become repellant—and Charles wasgroping around for an excuse when a letter came fromProfessor Henslow saying, among other things, thatthe Government was about to send a ship around thew^orld on a scientific surveying tour, especially to mapthe coast of Patagonia, & other parts of South Amer-ica and Australia. A volunteer naturalist w^as wanted—board and passage free, but the volunteer was tosupply his own clothes and proposition gave Charles a great thrill: he gave agulp and a gasp and went in search of his father. Thefather saw nothing in the plan beyond the fact that theGovernment w^as going to get several years w^ork outof some foolish young man, for nothing—gadzooks!Charles insisted—he wanted to go! He urged that onthis trip he would be to but very little expense. *You sayI have cost you much, but the fellow who can spendmoney on board ship must be very clever.* But you are a very clever young man, they say, thefather replied. 165 LITTLEJOURNEYS. LITTLEJOURNEYS That night Charles again insisted on discussing thematter. The father was exasperated and exclaimed,* Go and find me one sane man who will endorse yourwild-goose chase and I w^ill give my said no more—he would find that sane he knew perfectly well that if any average personendorsed the plan his father would declare the manwas insane and the proof of it lay in the fact that heendorsed the w^ild-goose chase. In the morning Charles started of his own accord tosee Henslow. Henslo-w w^ould endorse the trip, butboth parties knew that Dr. Darwin would not accepta mere college professor as sane. Charles w^ent homeand tramped thirty miles across the country to thehome of his uncle, Josiah Wedgwood the he knew he had an advocate for anything hemight wish in the person of his fair cousin, tw^o laid their heads together, made a plan andstalked their prey. They cornered Josiah the Second
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Keywords: ., bookauthorhubbarde, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1905
