This short but touching announcement was somewhat enigmatical, so far as the brothers Goodall were concerned, so the squire hurriedly gave them an account of the startling events which had been happening during the last few days.
The news of the return of the aeronauts had evidently rapidly circulated, for considerable excitement was apparent among the household servants and the tenantry.
“Hark!” exclaimed the doctor, “don’t you hear the band playing ‘The Conquering Hero comes?’”
“Who is the hero?” asked the Sydney merchant.
“Why, your son, Harry Goodall, of course,” replied the squire, “though no doubt your own heroic deeds equally deserve this ovation.”
“Nonsense, squire, you flatter me too greatly.”
The meeting which took place in front of the Hall can be better imagined than described, for when Edith Dove and the squire embraced, as did Goodall, senior, with his son Harry, there arose such cheering that the village bells could scarcely be heard pealing, nor the Babel of congratulations which filled the air, so glad were folk to welcome them all back to Wedwell Park. Presently a move was made to the tents, where a cold collation had been provided. After the viands had been done justice to, and numerous toasts had been drunk, everyone seemed as anxious to give information of their various adventures as the rest were desirous of hearing them.
Henry Goodall was the first called on to narrate the episodes of his voyage, during which he was supposed to have been drowned.
“Really, Squire Dove,” said the Sydney merchant, “I am so rejoiced to see you once more, together with your daughter and my son, that as I wish to hear about their more thrilling adventures, I will make short work of my own miraculous escape from a watery grave. So I will briefly mention that, instead of being washed over the side of the Neptune by a heavy sea off the Cape of Good Hope, as my brother and even Captain Link believed, I was, in point of fact, cast overboard by Falcon and Croft, who were passengers in the ship, and who expected to get hold of my will, which I had made greatly in favour of Falcon. And I may tell you that these wretches were foiled in rather a curious way, for the steward of the ship, who was an ingenious man, had invented and made a cork cap and belt, which he kindly supplied me with, as I was a great deal on deck owing to an asthmatic affection, but had no idea, though the steward had, that my life would be attempted while on board of my own vessel by a man I had befriended. However, I had been warned by the steward not to place much confidence in those two men, so that I had taken my will and some bank-notes and placed them inside the steward’s waterproof life-belt, which I wore then, when I was carried, or, in fact, hurled overboard at night on our shipping a very heavy sea, I was providentially not drowned. Floating, unseen by those on deck, I drifted in the direction of a vessel, and, being taken on board, was able to reach Cape Town. Here I was immensely astonished to find the steward in hospital, and he told me that, instead of being washed down the companion ladder by the same wave that carried me over the ship’s side, he was deliberately wounded by blows struck by Falcon and Croft. Little did they think that he would recover after they had gone on to London in the Neptune, and that I should soon tread on their heels and bring back with me a witness against them in the person of the steward himself. I had also left a second legacy to Falcon—believing him at that time to be a true friend—provided he induced my son Harry to relinquish ballooning and to seek the hand of a young lady who at the present moment shall be nameless, though she is not at this moment a hundred miles away.”
After these incidents had been more fully discussed, Harry Goodall and the ladies respectively related the astonishing devices to which Falcon and Croft had for so long past employed against them all, as are already known to us.