With no small measure of help from the blacksmith the ship’s boiler is running perfectly good. The Captain gratefully gave the man the local equivalent of ten Pounds, which is more then twice what he asked for his troubles, but a quarter of what a good boiler manufacturer would have charged. With little fanfare steam was built up and we resumed our belated travels.
My host of the night before, Lord Wulfbach’s castle was slightly down river of our impromptu landing spot so with some interest I wished to view it’s magnificence from this side.
Our dinner had been quite fulfilling both from a culinary standpoint, and from an educational stand point. The Lord was quite knowledgeable about the history and local customs of his realm, including tidbits of folk lore gleaned from gypsy stories. His table liberally groaned under the plethora of foods and drinks, some from distant lands. It was with some reluctance that we parted his company, and promises of further correspondence and invitations for future visits flowed on both sides.
This morning as we rounded the bend of the river, expecting to see his manor I was greeted with ruins. While still glorious they were clearly uninhabitable for all but the most beastly. Parts of one wall had clearly been removed for building material of a tiny peasant’s cottage nearby. When queried about the ruins and the local of the Lord’s manor, a fellow traveler replied with his thick accent.
“But Herr Hamell, dat ist Lord Wulfbach’s castle. Er hast been deceased for unhundred yars.”
This Steamboat has been making quite good time until the boiler sprung a major leak during the night. The Captain and Mates were able to move the boat somewhat closer to shore in preparation of disembarkment of the Women and Children. Unlike an Sea going vessel we are woefully short of any emergency means of connivance.
The head boiler man was able to turn a release valve at some considerable risk to himself. The resulting steam pressure badly scalded some of the crew, leaving one blind. The boats doctor who also doubled as cook, myself and another passenger with some medical training were able to relieve some small amount of the poor devils suffering by ordering regular swabbing with river water. A few of the female passengers have gladly taken on this duty in their gratitude.
The steam boat remains on shore this morning after being pulled there by another. Word has spread throughout the locality and we have become some what of a tourist attraction. The boiler men have been able to secure the services of a qualified black smith to make the necessary repairs with the Captain’s permission.
The remainder of the passengers and crew are on land exploring a village and some ruins that I am told date back to the sixteenth century. There are some rumors that the nobles daughter fell off the ramparts in distress of news of her lover’s demise in the war. The rumors diverge from here. Some state that the father followed her to his own death. Others state that he lived to an old age but fell upon hard times and could not afford to pay his liengeld.
This village has exceptionally good cheeses which pair nicely with a slightly spicy ham also made locally. Again I have secured some of both for my own pantry. At this rate of culinary discovery I fear I shall be destitute before sampling these wares in my own home.
A Lord Wulfbach has invited the Captain and myself to dine with him tonight. His home is over the hill some distance but easily attainable on horse back. The beasts are not as good shape as some fine English horses would be, but they seem more suited and hearty in the rugged terrain this area affords.
Took passage upon the Rhine River in a steam powered paddle wheeled boat. Of American design this boat is not particularly well suited to the River. I believe the draft to be a bit short, but perhaps that helps increase the speed. I’m told by the purser that the boat’s top speed is 10 knots. That comes out to eighteen and half kilometers per an hour or eleven and a half miles in the same time. It’s normal speed is between six and eight knots so as to have time to dodge river debris and stay in the deeper part of the river. 
At this rate I shall be at Schaffhausen within a fortnight. Hopefully I shall have time to view the Rheinfall and the mechanism the boat shall use to get around the falls which are twenty-three meters tall. Dinner has been served with wines grown from the very vineyards that line the river. Occasionally we put in to shore to load more passengers and cargo, including several cases of these very fine wines. I’ve arranged to have ten cases of Heise shipped to England immediately and another thirty-six to be delivered after the next harvest along with ten of the Chasselas Blanc.
I believe there will be time tomorrow to explore one of the ruined forts on this great river as the boat will be loading a large amount of goods for future destinations.
Made it safely into Berlin in the Deutsches Reich. We English refer to it as the German Empire but do not let any natives in the Capital hear it pronounced such. With the founding of the great Empire so new they still feel an immense pride in their achievements. The population is growing steadily and I fear there is a general movement to give up farming and find employment and recreation in the cities that are springing up like bramble.
It soon shall be that the German country side around the large cities will become much like London in the summer. The populace that can afford to do so will make their way to the scenic vacation spots, while the poor will be forced to stay in the cities.
The German ingenuity for industry knows no bounds. I fear that their insatiable appetite for coal will soon put our two Empires at odds. In the meantime I shall continue to enjoy the country and the refreshing country air here.
The passage across the Channel was quite calm and quick for this time of the year. Should the tunnel ever be finished, it would be wonderful to experience traveling via train from London to France. Possibly even directly to Paris itself! Having the two great nations connected such would no doubt go a long ways towards healing our historic differences.
At the terminal I happened upon a newspaper article covering the possible Treaty that has been proposed by the Russian Ambassador, Count Nikolai Pavlovich Ignatiev. My English passport should be enough to get me through the lines to Romania, but this current peace will make that much easier.
On the same page was another piece about that scoundrel, Spring Heeled Jack. Speculation still abounds about his true identity, although the common folk still think of him as the Devil himself and take such precautions as the local superstitions suggest.
I had the luck of being able to interview a Miss Abigail White of Portsmouth some years ago. She had been accosted by the man himself sometime in August of 1874. His metal claws raked her skin through the torn fabric of her attire leaving her feeling quite vulnerable. Her screams brought the local Constable brandishing his club and yelling at the fiend to stop. Jack then jumped at the Constable and proceeded to slap the poor man to the ground with one blow. His powerful leap took him to the top of a nearby building by which means he escaped confinement once again.
I dare say that such a man who does this must be mad. One can only hope that his reign of terror is soon over as by my count he has been taunting the populace and soldiers of our Island for two score years.
Tomorrow shall see me on the train to Deutsches Reich and on into the Turkish Empire within a fortnight. Tonight is Supper at a club around the corner – at least I hope it is nearby. My French is not quite as I remember it and the devil of a doorman seemed to take some pride in attempting to confuse directions with his dialect. No doubt he is a former soldier who suffered defeat at the hands of our Army.
