As I imagine
his life, from what I have seen and heard of it, he must have been in
every sea, and yet almost never on land. He must have known, in a
formal way, more officers in our service than any man living knows. He
told me once, with a grave smile, that no man in the world lived so
methodical a life as he. "You know the boys say I am the Iron Mask,
and you know how busy he was." He said it did not do for anyone to try
to read all the time, more than to do anything else all the time; and
that he used to read just five hours a day. "Then," he said, "I keep
up my note-books, writing in them at such and such hours from what I
have been reading; and I include in these my scrap-books." These were
very curious indeed. He had six or eight, of different subjects. There
was one of History, one of Natural Science, one which he called "Odds
and Ends." But they were not merely books of extracts from newspapers.
They had bits of plants and ribbons, shells tied on, and carved scraps
of bone and wood, which he had taught the men to cut for him, and they
were beautifully illustrated. He drew admirably. He had some of the
funniest drawings there, and some of the most pathetic, that I have
ever seen in my life. I wonder who will have Nolan's scrap-books.
Well, he said his reading and his notes were his profession, and that
they took five hours and two hours respectively of each day. "Then,"
said he, "every man should have a diversion as well as a profession.
Pages:
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233