"
And--
That Admiral Buzza intended a Picnic.
To measure the importance of this last item, you must know that a
Trojan picnic is no ordinary function. To begin with, it is
essentially patriotic--devoted, in fact, to the cult of the Troy
river, in honour of which it forms a kind of solemn procession.
Undeviating tradition has fixed its goal at a sacred rock, haunted of
heron and kingfisher, and wrapped around with woodland, beside a
creek so tortuous as to simulate a series of enchanted lakes.
Here the self-respecting Trojan, as his boat cleaves the solitude,
will ask his fellows earnestly and at regular intervals whether they
ever beheld anything more lovely; and they, in duty bound and
absolute truthfulness, will answer that they never did.
It follows that a Trojan picnic depends for its success to quite a
peculiar degree upon the weather. But on the day of the Admiral's
merry-making, this was, beyond cavil, kind. Four boats started from
the Town Quay; four boats--alas!--could by this time contain the
_cumeelfo_ of Troy; for everybody who was anybody had been invited,
and nobody (with the exception of the Honourable Frederic, who could
not leave his telescope) had refused. Sam Buzza did not start with
the rest, but was to follow later; and in his absence Mr.
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