The Departure of the “Duncan”

           WehavesaidalreadythatLadyHelenawasabrave,generouswoman,andwhatshehadjustdoneproveditin-disputably.Herhusbandhadgoodreasontobeproudofsuchawife,onewhocouldunderstandandenterintoallhisviews.TheideaofgoingtoCaptainGrant’srescuehadoccurredtohiminLondonwhenhisrequestwasrefused,andhewouldhaveanticipatedLadyHelena,onlyhecouldnotbearthethoughtofpartingfromher.Butnowthatsheherselfproposedtogo,allhesitationwasatanend.TheservantsoftheCastlehadhailedtheprojectwithloudacclamations—foritwastosavetheirbrothers—Scotchmen,likethemselves—andLordGlenarvancordiallyjoinedhischeerswiththeirs,fortheLadyofLuss.

           Thedepartureonceresolvedupon,therewasnotanhourtobelost.AtelegramwasdispatchedtoJohnManglestheverysameday,conveyingLordGlenarvan’sorderstotaketheDuncanimmediatelytoGlasgow,andtomakepreparationsforavoyagetotheSouthernSeas,andpossiblyroundtheworld,forLadyHelenawasrightinheropinionthattheyachtmightsafelyattemptthecircumnavigationoftheglobe,ifnecessary.

           TheDuncanwasasteamyachtofthefinestdescription.Shewas210tonsburden—muchlargerthananyofthefirstvesselsthattouchedtheshoresoftheNewWorld,forthelargestofthefourshipsthatsailedwithColumbuswasonly70tons.Shehadtwomastsandallthesailsandriggingofanordinaryclipper,whichwouldenablehertotakeadvantageofeveryfavorablewind,thoughherchiefreliancewasonhermechanicalpower.Theengine,whichwasconstructedonanewsystem,wasahigh-pressureone,of160-horsepower,andputinmotionadoublescrew.ThisgavetheyachtsuchswiftnessthatduringhertrialtripintheFirthofClyde,shemadeseventeenmilesanhour,ahigherspeedthananyvesselhadyetattained.NoalterationswereconsequentlyneededintheDuncanherself;JohnMangleshadonlytoattendtoherinteriorarrangements.