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| Contents | vii
Styles of Delivery 158 ● Active Case Study: Applying HRD Principles to the
– The instructor 158 Cosmetics Industry: Case Study from Oriflame’s
– The facilitator 159 Research and Development Subsidiary 189
Motivation to Learn 160 Summary 191
What makes an HRD Intervention Effective? 161 Chapter Review Questions 191
● HRD in the News: Is the Lecture Dead? 162 Further Reading 191
– Managing participants’ engagement 162 Useful Websites 191
– Communication skills 163 Bibliography 192
– Questioning 164
– Feedback 164
– Icebreakers 165 Contemporary Challenges 195
– Rapport 165 Chapter 11 Managing Talented Employees 197
– HRD activity environment and room layout 165
– Environmental factors 167 Learning Outcomes 197
– Managing time and content 167 Introduction 198
– Managing expectations 167 Who are Talented Employees? 198
– Presentation skills 167 Why is it Important for an Organization’s
Delivery Costs 168 Performance and Success to Focus on Talented
Characteristics of Effective Trainers 168 Employees? 199
● Active Case Study: Training the Taxman! 168 Preparing a Talent Management Strategy 200
Summary 169 Methods for Identifying Talented Employees 200
Chapter Review Questions 169 Preparing a Talent Management Strategy 202
Further Reading 169 Developing Talent: What are the Options? 203
Useful Websites 170 Motivating Talented Employees 203
Bibliography 170 Choosing a Common or Differentiated Approach
to Talent Management 204
Chapter 10 Evaluating HRD Programmes 171 – Talent management in SMEs 204
Managing Talent in a Recessionary Environment 205
Learning Outcomes 171 ● HRD in the News: Husain Makes History
Introduction 172 on Radio 4 Flagship 205
Explaining the Concept of Evaluation How do we know whether Talent Management
(Where, What and Why) 172 has Succeeded? 206
● Spotlight on Skills 173 – Return on stakeholder expectations 207
– Purpose of evaluation 173 ● Spotlight on Skills 207
Establishing the Output of Evaluation What is the Role for HRD? 207
(When and Who) 174 – Making the business case 208
– Information: Type and timing 174 ● Active Case Study: O’Brien’s Homeware 208
– People: Interest and importance 175 Summary 210
Exploring the Models of Evaluation (How) 176 Chapter Review Questions 210
– Hierarchical models 176 Further Reading 210
– Contextual models 178 Useful Websites 210
Examining Measures of Evaluation (How) 179 Bibliography 211
– Measures for hierarchical models 180
● HRD in the News: Bringing Evaluation into Chapter 12 Leadership Development 212
Play in the Field of Football 184
– Measures for contextual models 185 Learning Outcomes 212
Enabling a Culture of Effective Evaluation (How) 186 Introduction 213
– Appreciate the existence of organizational – What is leader and leadership development? 213
blockages 187 Leadership Development and HRD 215
– Develop transfer of learning among key Leadership Competencies 215
stakeholders 187 ● Spotlight on Skills 218
x | Contents |
A Strategic Approach to Leadership Development 218 Graduate Employment in Small and Medium
Portfolio of Leadership Development Practices 222 Enterprises (SMEs) 246
● Active Case Study: Fosco Data Handling: The Summary 246
Leadership Challenges 223 Chapter Review Questions 247
Challenges for Leadership Development 224 Further Reading 247
● HRD in the News: Fashion Factories: Time for HRD Useful Websites 247
Education to Take a Stance 225 Bibliography 247
Evaluating Leadership Development Efforts 226
Leadership Development in SMEs 227 Chapter 14 Ethics, Corporate Social
Summary 228 Responsibility, Sustainability and HRD 250
Chapter Review Questions 228
Further Reading 228 Learning Outcomes 250
Useful Websites 228 Introduction 251
Bibliography 229 Guiding Principles of Ethics and CSR 251
HRD, Ethics and CSR 252
Chapter 13 Graduate Employability 231 The Drivers for Organizational Ethics and CSR 253
● Spotlight on Skills 254
Learning Outcomes 231 ● HRD in the News 255
Introduction 232 SMEs, Ethics and Corporate Social
New Forms of Organization, Labour Markets Responsibility 256
and Technology 232 The Role of CSR and Ethics Training
● Spotlight on Skills 233 Programmes 257
Graduate Identity and Graduate Employability 234 The Role of HRD in Shaping Organizational
– Graduate employability: What graduates want 236 Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility 258
Graduate Skills: Transferable, Soft and Hard Skills 236 – Organizational culture development 259
– Soft skills and hard skills 237 – Embedding organizational ethics 259
Global HRD and Graduate Employability 238 – Policy and practice development 260
● HRD in the News: €300 Million Investment ● Active Case Study: The Ethical HR
in Seven World-Class Research Centres 241 Value Chain 262
Graduate Work Experience, Placements, Summary 264
Internships and Extra-Curricular Activities 242 Chapter Review Questions 264
Graduate Recruitment and Selection 243 Further Reading 264
– Psychometric testing 244 Useful Websites 264
– Assessment centres 244 Bibliography 265
● Active Case Study: Enterprise Rent-a-Car Graduate
Training and Development Programme 245 Index 268
List of figures
1.1 Trend analysis of term usage in books: 7.1 Process of HRD cycle 121
1950–2008 4 7.2 Sample organizational chart 126
1.2 Trend analysis of web searches: 2005–2013 5 7.3 Organizational chart with ages and
1.3 Organizational chart 14 years to retirement 126
1.4 Process of HRD cycle 20 8.1 Process of HRD cycle 135
1.5 Layout of book 21 8.2 Stages of the HRD design process 138
3.1 Dimensions of learning strategy 53 8.3 HRD Program Design Cost 150
3.2 Managing and resourcing HRD 9.1 Process of HRD cycle 154
in organizations 54 9.2 The learning cube 155
4.1 Social learning theory processes 67 9.3 Linking training style to learning retention 159
4.2 Expectancy theory of motivation 70 9.4 Lecture-style room layout 166
4.3 Kolb’s learning cycle 71 9.5 Bistro-style room layout 166
4.4 Kort’s learning spiral model 72 9.6 U-shaped room layout 166
4.5 VARK sensory learning styles 73 10.1 Process of HRD cycle 172
4.6 Honey and Mumford’s learning styles 74 10.2 Example of a reactions level
4.7 Kolb’s learning cycle and Honey and post-programme questionnaire 181
Mumford’s learning styles 74 10.3 Aligning strategic objectives and HRD
5.1 Types of organizational learning 88 activities among collaborative constituents 189
6.1 The process of an OD intervention 108 12.1 Optimal leadership development matrix 222
xi
List of Tables
xii
Contributor biographies
Editors Contributors
Dr Ronan Carbery is Senior Dr Claire Armstrong (B.Comm,
Lecturer in Management in the PhD, MCIPD, FRAMI) is an
School of Management and associate lecturer in the Faculty
Marketing at the College of of Business and Law at the Open
Business, University College University and an adjunct lecturer
Cork, Ireland. Ronan is at the Kemmy Business School,
co-editor of the European University of Limerick. Prior to
Journal of Training and this, she held posts at DCU Business
Development. His research School, Limerick Institute of Technology and Shannon
interests include career College of Hotel Management. She also held a visiting
development, talent management and participation appointment at Aston University, UK. Claire’s main
in HRD activities. He was awarded the University of areas of expertise are in organizational behaviour, HRM,
Limerick Teaching Excellence award in 2013. He is research methods and health care management. She
co-editor of Human Resource Management: A Concise has published extensively on these topics in academic
Introduction (2013). journals, including Human Resource Management, The
International Journal for Human Resources Management,
Dr Christine Cross lectures in The International Journal for Quality in Healthcare and
Organizational Behaviour and Advances in Developing Human Resources. She has also
Human Resource Management published several practice-oriented reports on topics
at the Kemmy Business School, such as high-performance work systems, training and
University of Limerick. Prior development, and health care management. She is a
to joining UL she worked for reviewer for a number of HRM, organizational behaviour
a number of multinational and health care management journals and is an associate
organizations in both editor for Advances in Developing Human Resources.
management and human
resource management roles. This experience has led to Dr Paul Donovan is Principal Researcher
a wide range of research, consultancy and publication and Senior Lecturer at the School of
interests covering areas such as the workforce Business at the National University
experiences of immigrants; training and development in of Ireland, Maynooth. He served a
call centres; and investigating the glass ceiling. Christine one-year period as Head of School
is also a co-director of the Age in the Workplace and Director of Teaching and Learning
Research Network (AWR-net), which is located at immediately prior to this appointment.
the Kemmy Business School. This network focuses on He was previously Head of Management
researching multiple issues associated with age in the Development and Registrar at the Irish Management
workplace. Institute (IMI), specializing in Management Development.
xiii
xiv | Contributor biographies |
Before joining IMI he worked as a general operations Academic Development, HRD and Organizational
manager with Bord na Mona, the Irish Peat Development Behaviour at the University of Limerick. At a regional
Authority. He was also Training and Development level, she successfully led an inter-institutional project
Manager of the Bord na Mona group. His private sector on regional teaching enhancement within four higher
experience includes conducting major reviews of HRD educational institutions, establishing a wide range of
capability with hundreds of clients, including IBM, and a professional development initiatives to this end. She
comprehensive identification of training needs with Dell completed her PhD in the area of learning and inter-
and trainer capability upgrades with Boston Scientific. He organizational networks. Her research interests lie
has designed and delivered extensive programmes in the within learning and development, with a particular
public sector, most notably with the Department of Finance focus on the efficacy of professional development
and Enterprise, the Department of Trade and Employment, activities, the student experience in teaching and
and the Health Service Executive. He has written peer- learning, and the role of learning and development
reviewed articles on learning transfer and over ten books in at work. She is a chartered member of the CIPD
training and general management, and writes a column for and a senior fellow of SEDA. She has extensive HRD
HRD magazine, the journal of the Irish Institute of Training consultancy experience within both the private
and Development, of which he is a fellow. Paul holds a and the public sector.
master’s degree in organizational behaviour and another in
technology and learning (both from Trinity College Dublin) Prof. Thomas N. Garavan is
and a doctorate from Leicester University. Professor of Leadership at
Edinburgh Napier Business School.
Dr Linda Dowling-Hetherington He was formerly Professor and
has been with the School of Associate Dean in Postgraduate
Business at University College Studies and Executive
Dublin since 1996. She has Education, Kemmy Business
many years experience in the School, University of Limerick.
management and development He teaches HRD, training and development, and
of part-time, distance learning leadership development. He is author of more than
and off-campus programmes, 100 academic articles, co-editor of European Journal
and has been the Director of the School’s Centre for of Training and Development and a member of the
Distance Learning since its establishment in 2002. Board of Directors of the Academy of Human Resource
From UCD, she holds a Bachelor of Commerce (HRM), Development.
a Master of Business Studies (HRM) and a Certificate
in Adult Education, along with a Doctor of Education Dr T.J. McCabe is Lecturer in
(EdD) from the University of Bath. She has considerable HRM and Research Methods at
teaching experience in the human resource management the National College of Ireland.
and human resource development areas on UCD He leads a number of post-
programmes in Ireland, Hong Kong and Singapore. graduate and undergraduate
Her areas of research interest include human resource modules, including Research
development, transnational education, student-centred Methods, Strategic Human
approaches to the management of distance learning Resource Management, Employee
programmes, development of academic competencies, Relations and HRD. His research interests extend to
undergraduate research experiences, and the changing trust and commitment among nursing professionals,
higher education landscape and its impact on faculty. and human resource management issues in the
health sector. He has presented this work at national
Dr Mary Fitzpatrick (BBS and international conferences, and co-chaired the
with Spanish, GDE (Business), HRM track for the 14th Annual Conference of the
MBS, MCIPD, SFSEDA, PhD) Irish Academy of Management. He has published
is the Regional Teaching and papers in both academic and practitioner journals,
Learning Advocate in the and received the award for Best Paper, Healthcare
Centre for Teaching and and Public Sector Management Track, Irish Academy
Learning and lectures in of Management in 2011.
| Contributor biographies | xv
2
directly reporting to them and who have a higher level
to focus on strategic of responsibility than those employees are influ
s ▸ Chapter 2. It is the beli
specific issue, idea or perspective organizations use so many different titles? What
would you suggest?
1 Organizational missi
related to the chapter topic. Garavan (1991) suggested tha
level SHRD needs to be integr
Theoretical models of SHRD and that those involved in de
should illustrate how HRD ac
This part of the chapter explores two of the most corporate goals and mission o
influential theoretical models of SHRD. In 1991 Garavan this fit or integration is vital, b
Qu
Each chapter contains an example of coverage of its main topic in the media. requirement arising
from increasing
would also
impact on skills
1
the chapter to the management of people in the real world of the workplace. a part-time basis and still have
regular civilian jobs) to 30,000
about the restructuring, the UK
Defence Secretary noted that
soldiers while simultaneously the changes were designed to
A set of questions accompanies each feature to assist with this application to a reducing the size of the regular
full-time army (by around 20,000
reverse the decline of the Army
Reserve, which had been ‘run
practical situation.
Practicalities for the HRD chances of being cons
specialist: Performing to must continuously lin
a strategic level business results.
xvii
xviii | Tour of the book |
Further reading
There are numerous HRD
resources and other topics
that are also covered in this
textbook. The aim here is to
highlight a few specific texts and
journal articles we believe can
assist you in developing your
understanding and furthering
your knowledge of the many
areas introduced in this book.
Spotlight on skills:
Text and video feature
This feature aims to encourage you to develop your skills Companion website
in HRD by asking you to consider specific questions and
activities. This gives you the opportunity to identify and The book’s companion website at www.palgrave.com/
diagnose problems and develop possible solutions or carbery-hrd offers a number of resources for both
actions in relation to the chapter topic. Each of these lecturers and students. Lecturers can access PowerPoint
features is accompanied by a link to video interviews slides, a comprehensive testbank of multiple choice
with professionals on the book’s companion website. questions and solutions to the Active Case Study
The skills-related questions posed in the text feature are questions.
addressed by the practitioner in the video. To maximize
this resource, you should first attempt to answer the
questions in the book and then watch the video.
spotlight on skills
Working as an HRD manager, you have been asked
to justify your expenditure on HRD programmes
undertaken by the organization over the past
12 months. How can you demonstrate the value
of HRD? Will you focus on the value to the
organization, to employees, or both?
To help you answer the questions above, visit www.
palgrave.com/carbery-hrd and watch the video of
Jemma Carty talking about the value of HRD.
xix
Case Study Grid
xx
Mapping of the text to CIPD standards
The CIPD HR Profession Map captures what HR people Standard 4: Organization Development
do and deliver across every aspect and specialism of Standard 5: Resource and Talent Planning
the profession, and it looks at the underpinning skills, Standard 6: Learning and Talent Development
behaviour and knowledge that they need to be most
successful. The map identifies ten professional standards, We have mapped each chapter in the textbook to
and each standard comprises a range of performance these three standards. For a detailed description of each
behaviours that span four levels of competence. The standard, please see http://www.cipd.co.uk/cipd-hr-
standards we are most concerned with for this text are: profession/hr-profession-map/.
xxi
xxii | Mapping of the text to CIPD standards |
xxiii
xxiv | Skills development |
M
EANWHILE,—even while they were speaking,—every
moment drew them farther away from the shore. They
saw Tom and Phil standing on the beach, which they had
reached by this time, and waving their hands with frantic
gesticulations. They heard them, shout, “Come back! You’re adrift!”
and other words not intelligible. They shouted back again to
encourage them, though they, themselves had but little hope.
“We haven’t any anchor, boys,” said Bart; “but let’s put down what
we have. It may hold, or, at least, prevent our drifting so fast.”
“Well, there’s nothing else to be done,” said Bruce; “so I suppose
we may as well try it. Come along, boys. We must do what we can.”
Saying this, he led the way to the windlass, and the remnant of
the anchor was let go.
They waited a little while to see what effect this would have, but
in a few moments saw that very-little was produced.
“No go,” said Bruce. “Suppose we give her the whole chain.”
“Yes,” said Bart. “It may hold her if it is all out.”
“At any rate,” said Arthur, “it will prevent her drifting somewhat.”
“Down she goes, then,” said Bruce, as the chain ran out. Soon it
was out at its fullest extent, and they again watched to see what
effect would be produced. By this time they had gone very much
farther from the shore, and Tom and Phil were just discernible.
“It checks her a little,” said Bart, “yet very little. As to holding her,
that is out of the question.”
“And yet there can’t be much of a current here.”
“I don’t know as to that. It is difficult to tell anything about it.
There are currents in all sorts of places around the bay.”
“Perhaps, if we let it drag for a while,” said Bruce, “it may catch
somewhere and hold. I’ve heard, of such things.”
“There’s very little chance, I’m afraid,” said Bart, in a despondent
tone. “If we only had half a fluke I wouldn’t care; but as it is, we
have no fluke at all, and that’s why we can’t do anything.”
Waiting thus, and wondering what they could do next, the three
boys looked sadly toward the receding shore. The quilts which they
had thrown around them had been fastened at the waist with rope-
yarns, and these, in the exercise of letting go the anchor, had fallen
from their shoulders, leaving them exposed from their waists
upward. They looked ruefully at one another as they thought of this,
burst out laughing, and then drew the quilts, toga fashion, over their
shoulders again.
“It was bad enough this morning,” said Arthur, at last, “but it was
a joke to this. What can we do for something to eat?”
“There’s not a morsel on board.”
“The last mouthful of bread we ate before we waded ashore.”
“If we only had a fish-hook we might hope to catch something.”
“Fish-hook! Why, man, we haven’t any kind of bait.”
“Well, all we’ve got to do is to hope for some one to pick us up.”
“Is that all? No,” said Bart. “I, for one, am not going to sit down
and float away, goodness knows where. I move that we up sail and
go somewhere.”
“Up sail!”
“Of course. Why not?”
“But can we—can you—?”
“O, we can scrape along. I’d rather have a small accident than
drift off in this style, doing nothing. You all understand my
knowledge of sailing, for you’ve had a fair specimen of it, and if
you’re willing to risk my steering again, I’m ready to take hold; if
not, then you or Bruce take hold, and I’ll keep at the sails. It don’t
make any difference, though, which of us is captain, for I suppose
one knows just as much as another. But, at any rate, I’m bound to
have the sails up.”
“So am I,” cried Bruce, “whatever happens.”
“And I too!” cried Arthur.
“Bart, you be captain, old fellow. We won’t take your office from
you. You’ve had more experience than we have had, at any rate, for
you’ve steered her already. But we must get up the piece of an
anchor first.”
“Of course we must, and the sooner the better.”
Upon this they all went to work at the windlass. It was hard work,
but after some time it was successfully accomplished. By this time
they had drifted out several miles, and the beach still lay before
them, but it was faint in the distance. The headland was then
somewhat toward the right, and this served as an excellent guide.
The vessel’s head was still turned toward the shore, in the way in
which she had drifted out.
“My idea,” said Bart, “is, that we sail straight back again.”
“It’s a pity we hadn’t the other fellows on board,” said Bruce, “for
we might try some place where there might be houses.”
“Well, in that case, I’d give you the helm,” said Bart. “As long as
I’m here, I will only go where I know my ground. I don’t care to try
the Five Islands again, nor would I like to turn the schooner. It’s
lucky for us that she’s heading in shore. So come, boys, let’s hurry
up with the sails, or else she may turn off in some other direction;
and then how we can get her round again, will be more than I can
say.”
Hoisting the sails was arduous work, but they succeeded. The
wind had moderated, and the vessel glided slowly back toward the
beach. Bart was so anxious to rejoin Tom and Phil, that he did not
venture to try any experiments in sailing, but simply kept the
schooner’s head toward the place where he supposed they might be
standing. The wind was favorable, the vessel drew nearer and
nearer, and at last the beach again became distinctly visible.
A shout of joy escaped them as they recognized Phil and Tom
again.
“I wonder how they felt when they saw us drifting,” said Bruce.
“They must have given us up for lost.”
“1 wonder whether they expected that we would raise the sails.”
“I don’t believe they thought of that.”
“That’s not surprising, after all; especially as we didn’t think of it
ourselves till the last moment.”
“That’s odd, too. It seems now as though it ought to have been
the very first thing to think of.”
“Well, the fact is, we had such a tough time this morning off that
headland,” said Bart, pointing to the dark rocks which were full
before them on their right, “that it’s no wonder if we gave up all
ideas of ever hoisting sail again. However, it’s all right. And now
what ought we to do?”
“There’s only one thing that we can do.”
“What’s that?”
“What? Why, what else can we do but run ashore, just as we did
before.”
“I suppose we can’t do anything else; but it’s a pity, too. Still we
must take Tom and Phil. Though, if they were on board, we could at
least find a better part of the coast. This is so remote, and I haven’t
seen any houses near the place at all.”
Bad as it was, there was no help for it; and so Bart had to keep
the schooner straight on. On account of the currents, however, and
the loss of way, the Antelope could not come within a mile of her
former landing-place. Phil and Tom saw this, and ran down the
beach, carrying the bundles; and just as they came opposite to their
companions, the Antelope grounded about a hundred feet from the
beach. Without waiting another instant, Phil and Tom threw off their
clothes, and waded out. They got on board without any adventures,
and celebrated the restoration of their companions by dancing like
wild creatures about the deck. Long explanations followed from both
sides, after which they discussed their future prospects.
“Hallo!” said Arthur, as the schooner sank a little on one side.
“She’s aground. No farther drifting till next tide. And now what can
we do, or where can we fasten her?”
“We’ll have to try and use the chain and line, as we did before.”.
“I wonder if we are not too far out.”
“No; I think not,” said Phil.
“There’s a good stump up there to fasten a line to,” said Tom.
“I dare say we can get a line up. If not, we can bury the anchor in
the mud, and put stones over it.”
“And what can we do about exploring the country?”
“Some of us must stay by the schooner to attend to the
fastenings.”
“Two can stay, and three go.”
“No, three had better stay, and two go. It’s too hard work.”
“Pooh! two will be enough. But who will they be?”
“Well, we must toss up for it. That’s the only plan. We must do it
at once. There’s no time to lose.”
“Suppose, before we do anything more,” said Bart, “that we all slip
ashore and put our clothes on. For my part, I’m chilly; and though I
could easily get some more quilts, yet it seems unnecessary to do so
when I have my own clothes so near. Besides, here are Phil and
Tom, whose teeth are already chattering.”
A loud laugh followed; after which they all sprang, one after the
other, into the water, and hurried to the shore. There they dressed
themselves; and as the vessel was fairly aground, with the tide
rapidly going out past her, they threw themselves on the beach, and
prepared to decide on the ones that would stay behind.
“There!” cried Phil, suddenly springing to his feet. “I knew it was!”
“What? what?” exclaimed all the others.
“A sail!—out there by the headland!”
“So it is,” said Bart. “Phil, you’ve got a good pair of eyes in your
head.”
“It’s a sail-boat,” said Bruce.
“And heading this way,” said Bart.
“Hurrah!” cried Tom. “They’ve come for us at last.”
“Come, now, boys,” said Arthur, “don’t let us get excited again. I
tell you that boat is some fisherman, and it is passing by here. Those
on board won’t see us, and there’s no use doing anything. Let’s sit
down and finish the toss-up, and send Phil to the top of the bank to
watch, and make what signals he can.”
“Not a bit of it!” cried Bart; and springing forward, he dashed into
the water toward the schooner with his clothes on. The water had
fallen so far, however, that he did not get wet much above his knees.
Clambering on board, he lowered the flag of the “B. O. W. C.,”—
which had waved there through all their vicissitudes,—and tearing
off his red flannel shirt, he fastened it close beneath the flag. Then
he pulled it up and then kept lowering and hoisting, with the utmost
rapidity, the extraordinary signal. Nor was this all. He had not yet
lost confidence in his pistol, in spite of its signal failure in the case of
the schooner some time before, but drew it forth now with a certain
solemn decision. By this time all the others had come on board, and
were waving all sorts of quilts and blankets from the stern. In the
midst of all this agitation Bart fired his pistol. The smart pop! rang
out bravely enough; but as the sail-boat was at least three miles
away, it cannot be said to have produced any very extraordinary
result. Bart, however, was satisfied. He had already given charge of
the “ensign” to Tom, and, standing on the starboard quarter, he fired
again. After this he rested for a while, and waited for the boat to
come nearer.
Nearer she was certainly coming, in spite of the scepticism of
Arthur. To guard against the pain of disappointment, Arthur was
trying, with all his might, not to hope, and to prevent any of the
others from hoping. Yet he could not help being as sanguine as the
others, in spite of his efforts.
“Boys,” he cried, “be careful now. Remember this boat don’t see
us, and don’t intend to. She’s a fishing-boat, out after sturgeon.
She’s sailing straight across, past us, to—Hurrah! here she comes
straight down to us.”
“Ha, ha, ha! Hurrah! She sees us! Up and down with the flag,
Tom! Fire away, Bart! Bring up that fog-horn, somebody, and blow
till you burst. I’ll content myself with a sociable yell.”
Whereupon a yell, so loud, so harsh, so penetrating, burst forth
from Bruce, that it seemed to penetrate even to the boat. White
signals certainly were waving from those on board, and a tall figure
in black stood upright in the bows waving a hat.
“Ha, ha!” cried Bart, as he fired his pistol again, and danced
joyously about. “And you call that a fishing-boat, do you, Arthur? So
you think the fishermen here go out to throw their nets, dressed in
black broadcloth and silk hats, do you? Well, I call that good. A
fisherman! Who would think of Mr. Long being taken for a
fisherman!”
All was now the wildest joy. There was no more doubt, and no
longer any mistakes. The boat saw them, and had returned answer
to their signals. It was bearing swiftly down toward them. It was
filled with people. Who were they all?
The question was soon answered. Nearer came the boat, and
nearer, and still-nearer. At last it came close up, and grounded under
the vessel’s quarter. Mr. Long was first on board, wringing all the
boys’ hands, and pretending to scold them. After him came Mr.
Simmons, then Bogud, then Billymack, then the two captains. Hearty
was the greeting, and deep and fervent the joy, at finding that all
had turned out so well. The “B. O. W. C.” had to tell all about their
adventures. They concealed nothing whatever. Bart related, with the
utmost frankness, the story of his navigation experiments,
interrupted by the laughter of the other boys, and the criticisms of
Captain Corbet, who would insist on explaining what ought to have
been done. Then followed the story of the “shovel-mouth shark,”
which produced an immense sensation. Captain Corbet shook his
head solemnly at the sight of the jaws, which Phil had run ashore to
get. But their last adventure, when they were drifted away from
their clothes, was considered about the most singular of all.
“But how did you manage to find us?” asked Bart, as he ended his
story.
Mr. Long related all about his first discovery of their accident up to
the time that he had left with his party for the “pint.”
“When we got there,” continued he, “we saw a schooner sailing,
and made it out with the glass to be the Antelope. We watched you
as you sailed toward the Five Islands. You must have been on your
second tack then. We could not imagine where you were going.
Captain Corbet thought you didn’t know your way. I thought you
were letting the vessel go wherever the wind might take you. As it
happens, I was not very far wrong.
“At last we saw you turn, and the performance of the schooner
showed us all very plainly that you couldn’t sail her. It filled us with
the deepest anxiety. We could have got a boat, but your course was
so strange, that we delayed until we could see where you might
finally bring up. We didn’t expect any accident exactly, but hoped
that you would come nearer. At last you sailed so close to that
headland that we thought you were lost. Immediately afterward you
passed behind it from sight. We waited some time to see if you
would reappear, but you did not. So we at once put off in the boat
which belonged to a fisherman who lived near, and came here as
fast as possible. The last time that you drifted off we saw you; but
perhaps you were too excited to see us—or perhaps we were too far
off to be seen very easily.
“And now,” concluded Mr. Long, “I’ve found you again, and it’s my
fixed determination not to let any of you go out of my sight. You’re
all a set of Jonahs. The only comfort is, that you come out all right
at last.”
“I’m sure, Mr. Long,” remonstrated Bart, “you oughtn’t to blame
us. It wasn’t our fault. I’d much rather not drift away if I could help
it. I don’t enjoy going about in the fog, or among these tides. I’m
sure Bruce don’t. Neither does Arthur, nor Tom, nor Phil.”
“Blame you? Of course I don’t blame you,” said Mr. Long. “How
can I? It wasn’t your fault, of course. I only mean that your fortunes
have been very peculiar. I don’t know but, if I believed in omens, I’d
say that your black flag up there has brought us all this run of bad
luck. But come, we’ve been thoughtful about you. We knew you’d be
starving, and so we brought along with us something for you to eat.”
“Starving! Mr. Long, we’re in that condition that we could eat
horseshoes.”
With a good-natured laugh, Mr. Long turned away, and jumping
into the boat, handed up the eatables that he had brought for
them..
XVIII.
Wanderings about the Beach.—Science and Sport.—Back Home.—
Frightful Tale of Poison.—A Visit to the Afflicted.
T
HE eatables which Mr. Long had brought with him were not
such as would have been welcome to a fastidious taste or a
dainty appetite; but to these long-fasting, hard-working, and
half-starving, and altogether ravenous boys, anything that was
eatable was precious. The brown ship-bread and salt pork, which Mr.
Long handed up to them, were seized as eagerly as if they had been
roast beef and plum pudding, and soon disposed of. A knife drawn
from Phil’s belt served very quickly to cut the pork into slices, after
which the pork and the brown biscuit vanished.
“What a pity,” said Mr. Long, as he looked around, “that we didn’t
get here an hour earlier! The water’s going out fast; the schooner is
aground, and we’ll have to wait till the next tide before we can start
for the cove.”
“It’s a pity that we can’t do something while waiting, so as not to
throw our time away,” said Mr. Simmons.
“There don’t seem to be much prospect of doing anything just
here, but we can try.”
“Nor do I see that there are any people living about here.”
“No: Captain Corbet told me there were no inhabitants within
eight miles.”
“These banks are not very inviting to a mineralogist—are they?”
said Mr. Simmons, with a sigh, as he looked along the beach.
“No; we’ll have to lay out our strength on the mud flats. Perhaps
we may find some interesting footprints at low tide.”
“Well, we may as well go ashore now, I suppose. It’s rather
monotonous standing here on an inclined plane, with the vessel
aground on her side. I think I’ll climb the bank, and take a general
view of the country.”
“Very well; I’ll go with you,” said Mr. Long. “And now, boys,” he
continued, “remember this: don’t go out of sight. This beach is long,
and it will soon be wide, for the tide will leave it all uncovered. This
will give space enough for even such extensive and wide-spreading
desires as yours. Now, don’t go off the beach or the flats. Don’t go
up in the woods, and get lost; don’t go into the water, and get
drowned; don’t blow yourselves up with that pistol; don’t get into
any more fights with ‘shovel-mouth sharks,’ or, if you do, be sure to
call me; don’t get into air-holes if you can help it. As to going adrift
again, I don’t see how you can manage that, as there is nothing
afloat just yet; but, dear hoys, if you can possibly help it, don’t do it.
Try and see if you can’t manage’ to keep your clothes on. It’s much
better, as a general thing, to do so.”
All this the hoys greeted with loud laughter; after which they
sprang over the vessel’s side, and scattered themselves along the
beach.
Captain Corbet stood looking after them, with a beaming smile
irradiating his venerable countenance.
“Yes,” he ejaculated, standing near Mr. Long. “Yes, sir; I allus
knowed it, an’ I allus said it, that them there boys would turn up all
right. Lor’ bless your heart, you can’t wreck ’em, an’ you can’t drown
’em. The fish doesn’t swim that can tetch ’em. They’re allus bound
to turn up all straight. That’s the confidin’ belief that reigned in my
boosom, an’ sustained me when we watched, ’em in the Antelope,
up there at the pint. As to that there anchor, ef it had been a bran
new one, it would have been broken off jest the same, for that there
schooner was bound to lie on it an’ crack it, an’ them there boys was
bound to have that there adventoor.”
Mr. Long now landed with Mr. Simmons, and went up to the top of
the bank, where they sat down for some time, gazing upon the
wide-spread scenery of the Basin of Minas. After this they descended
and walked about the beach. At first, they hoped to obtain some
shells; but nothing of the kind could be found. In fact, there were
scarcely any pebbles; indeed, none but the most common kind. For
all the waters of the Bay of Fundy and its adjacent harbors are
singularly bare of the more delicate shell-fish. Lobsters abound, and
so do clams; so also do many kinds of seaweed; but as for the more
exquisite forms of sea life, such as we love to put in the aquarium,
they must be sought for elsewhere. Here are swift currents, fierce
rapids, strong tides, vast mud flats or sand flats, rivers that empty
and fill themselves with every ebb and flood; and it is not amid such
scenes that we may look for those graceful, yet fragile creatures,-
whose abode is amid stiller scenes.
As the tide went down, Messrs. Simmons and Long walked over
the flats, hoping to find something which would reward their trouble.
From the surface of the sea bottom thus uncovered, many
interesting things might be obtained. On these mud flats are found
many marks, which are the counterparts of others that have been
turned into stone, and buried in the adjacent earth. Here may be
seen the patter of rain-drops, and the footprints of birds or beasts
made on the very day of their discovery, while among the strata of
the neighboring shore there may lie traces of a similar kind made
many ages ago, which thus have been graven on the rock, and
treasured up for our eyes.
The boys dispersed themselves everywhere, extending their
wanderings as the tide left more and more of the shore exposed. Far
down they could see the weirs, placed there by the fishermen, and
they waited long for these to become uncovered, so that they might
visit them, and inspect their contents. But it grew later and later, and
finally it became too dark to do anything. Then the voice of Mr. Long
was heard summoning them to the shore.
Thus the remainder of the day passed without anything to reward
them except the general excitement which had been produced
among them. It would be many hours yet before they could get
afloat, and they amused themselves by making fires at the foot of
the bank. A modest and frugal repast of brown biscuit and pork,
washed down with cold water, concluded the day. For some time
longer they sat round the fire, until, at last, excessive weariness
overcame them. Then they went on board the schooner, and retired
to bed.
Some time after midnight the Antelope was afloat again. None of
her passengers waked. She moved away from the shore without
accident. Morning came, and she had not yet reached her
destination. The wind had been unfavorable, and she had lost that
tide. As she could not anchor, Captain Corbet had run her ashore.
They had to wait patiently, and get off at midday, with the rising
tide; after which they resumed their voyage, and in three hours
more they were in Captain Pratt’s house.
Of the five boys who had been left behind, one was not visible,
and the other four met them with pale, woe-begone faces. They
showed no joy at seeing the return of the wanderers; no curiosity to
learn what they had been doing; and even the sight of the jaw of
the “shovel-mouth shark” produced upon them no effect whatever.
It was seen that something had happened, and the unhappy four
were closely cross-questioned. At first they refused to answer. At
last, on being pressed, they confessed that they had all been
poisoned.
“Poisoned!” cried Bart, in horror. “How was that?”
“Clams!!!” said Jiggins.
“Yes, clams!” said all the others.
“Clams?” cried Bart. “What rubbish! How could clams poison you!
Pooh!”
“Ah, you don’t know,” said Jiggins. “You ask Mrs. Pratt. Haven’t
you heard the old saying,” he continued, with an air of peculiar
solemnity; “the old saying, that they have about these shores:”
“Never heard it,” said Bart; “and I don’t believe it. I’ve eaten lots
of oysters in May myself.”
Jiggins shook his head.
“Never do it again,” said he.
“Do you mean to say that it was clams that upset you so?”
“Clams, and clams alone,” said Jiggins. “We owe our lives to Mrs.
Pratt. She’s been a mother to us.”
“Why! What do you mean?”
“You see we had a stew. Pat ate them raw, and fell down in
horrible agonies. The torments which he suffered were so
excruciating that he had to be carried to the house, and went nearly
mad with pain. Mrs. Pratt attended him, and as soon as he was
easier she took us in hand. We had eaten after Pat, and our pains
had not yet begun. Mrs. Pratt got out all her medicines, and tried
them on us one after the other.”
“What! not all! not all her medicines!”
“Yes, all!” said Jiggins, in a dismal voice. “I can’t tell you all that
we took; but first there was opodeldoc, then ginger, then Crabb’s
cordial, then magnesia, then paregoric, then blue pills, then a
mustard plaster, after which there was rum and onions, brimstone
and molasses—”
“Stop, stop!” cried Bart. “What’s all that? You don’t mean to say
that you took all that?”
“Yes, all!” ejaculated. Jiggins, his face growing at once longer and
paler at the recollection of hiss sorrows.
“And you’re alive yet—all of you? Then you need never be afraid of
poisons. Yes my poor Jiggins, you have been poisoned; that’s a fact,
though not by clams.”
Mr. Long, who was present, had listened to all this in
consternation.
“And where’s Pat?” he asked. That young gentleman’s name was
Michael, but everybody called him Pat, and so did Mr. Long. “And
where’s Pat?”
“In bed yet, sir.”
“Poor Pat! Has he been dosed, too?”
“Yes, sir; but he was taken worse than any of us;” and with this
Jiggins went on to tell all about Pat and the raw clams.
“Dear, dear, dear!” cried Mr. Long. “He must have eaten a bushel,
and all raw. Dear, dear, dear! What did he think he was made of? O,
how is it possible for me to keep you all out of mischief? I go after
one half of you who are in peril, and come back to find the rest of
you half poisoned. But poor Pat—where is he? I must see him, for
we have to start for home to-night.”
“I’ll show you, sir,” said Jiggins; and he took him to the room
where Pat was. He was lying in bed, looking pale and exhausted. He
greeted Mr. Long with a faint smile, and the kind-hearted teacher did
his utmost to soothe the afflicted boy.
XIX.
Complaints of a disappointed Savant.—The humble Confession of
Pat.—A buried Treasure, and a great Search after it by Torchlight’.
"P AT,” said Mr. Long, kindly, “do you think you will be able to
start to-night?”
“To-night, sir?” said Pat, dolefully. “Yes, the recess is over. Our
time is up, and we must all be back to-morrow. We ought to have
been there Saturday night. Do you think you can come?”
“I suppose I’ll have to, sir.”
“If you’re too weak, or if it pains you to walk, we can carry you
down, you know.”
“What time are ye afther lavin’ at, sir?”
“About one o’clock.”
“O, thin, surely I’ll be betther by that time,” said Pat. “I’ll get a
wink of sleep, and wake up meself again.”.
“Do so, Pat. Is there anything I could get you?”
“No, sir, thank ye kindly. I don’t know of anything.”
Yes, they had to go back, for their time was up; yet Mr. Long was
in despair, not knowing what to do about the minerals. He was
confident that they were somewhere—but where? No one knew, and
he couldn’t imagine.
“It’s too bad,” he cried, as his indignation grew irrepressible. “It’s
too bad. Our expedition has been ill organized. I don’t blame
anybody, but we’ve certainly had very bad luck. With only a week we
have wasted or lost every day but one. Last Monday we were kept
all day and all night at the wharf.”
“Wal, Mr. Long,” said Captain Corbet, “I s’pose you’re kind o’
blamin’ me; but what could I do? Ef a man has a babby, mustn’t he
nuss it?”
“No, he musn’t,” said Mr. Long; “he must make his wife attend to
household matters, and keep his engagements.”
Captain Corbet stared with a look of horror and astonishment at
Mr. Long.
“Wal, sir,” he said, with modest firmness, “in my humble opinion,
sir, a babby is a babby, an’ flesh an’ blood is flesh an’ blood; an’ I
don’t care who says they ain’t. Ef you’d see that there babby, sir,” he
continued, warming up in a glow of fond parental feeling,—“ef you’d
a-seen that there babby, as I’ve seen him,—a crowin’, an’ a pullin’ of
my har, an’ a sayin’, Ga-ga-ga,—‘you’d—
“Mr. Simmons,” said Mr. Long, suddenly, “have you hunted for the
stones?”
“O, yes, everywhere.”
“And did you find nothing?”
“Nothing.”
“There it is,” resumed Mr. Long. “A whole week worse than lost.
We lost Monday. We started Tuesday, and sailed nearly all day. We
had about two hours’ work, and then the boat went adrift. All
Wednesday wo were wandering about the bay. Thursday came, and
we didn’t find the boys till the day was well gone, and then stopping
at O’Rafferty’s and coming here took up the remainder of the time.”
“Well, we had Friday to ourselves,” said Mr. Simmons, with a
pleasant smile. He was an amiable man, and always looked on the
bright side of things.
“Yes, we had,” said Mr. Long, “but unfortunately we accomplished
nothing. We had a long journey, and came back empty-handed.”
“At any rate, we had the time.”
“But that time was lost.”
“O, well,” said Mr. Simmons, “it was one of those days which
everybody must expect to have. We tried hard, but were
unsuccessful. I don’t, by any means, call such a day lost. We gave
ourselves up thoroughly to science.”
“Well, call it a well-spent day,” said Mr. Long, “and what of it? We
will count it in; but after that—what? Saturday came, and we had to
go after the boys again; now our time’s up, and to-night we must go
back again. We have had a week; and out of it we have been able to
spend, at the very utmost, only one day and two hours. Well. I don’t
know how it strikes you, but I call it hard.”
“It would, indeed, have been hard if things had turned out as we
feared,” said Mr. Simmons.
“O, of course I feel all that. I am only lamenting that these
accidents should have happened, and that, when we came for a
certain purpose, we should have been unable to carry it out. And
see how things have gone on. We are out of provisions, and have to
lay in a stock of meal, and molasses, and pork.”
“I’m sure, meal makes very good food,” said Mr. Simmons. “Hot
corn-cake is rather a delicacy, and molasses is very good to eat with
it.”
“After all, I don’t care anything about these things,” continued Mr.
Long. “What I do care about is the loss of the minerals.”
“O, they’re not lost.”
“Yes, they are. No one knows anything about them. No one has
seen them. No one can find them. They’re lost, Mr. Simmons,
beyond the possibility of redemption.”
“O, I hope not.”
“Well, I’m going to make a final search. Captain Pratt has asked
every man, woman, and child in the place, but no one knows
anything about them.. I’m now going to question every one over
again. I’ve asked Captain Corbet already. He knows nothing. Captain
Corbet, where’s the mate?”
“Sound asleep in the barn, sir.”
“Then I’ll go out and ask him.”
Captain Corbet went out with him, and after much trouble they
roused the sleeper, who, however, could tell them nothing whatever
about the stones.
Then Mr. Long asked all the boys in succession. He had asked
them once before, but he was determined to try it again. There was
no result. No. one knew anything about it. At last, all had been
examined but Pat. Mr. Long felt sorry for him, and would have left
him untroubled; but his intense desire to investigate thoroughly was
too strong, and’ so he resolved to ask him.
Pat was trying to get some sleep, and with very little success. Mr.
Long asked him kindly about his feelings, and spoke cheerfully to
him for a few moments. At length he asked him,—
“Pat, I had two baskets of specimens, and they’ve been lost. Do
you know anything about them?”
“Two baskets of what, sir?”
“Specimens.”
“Spicimins, sir?”
“Yes.”
“What are spicimins, sir?”
“Why, mineralogical specimens. Minerals, you know.”
“Minerals? Sorra a one o’ me knows what that same is,’ sir. I never
saw one in my life.”
“Never saw a mineral? Nonsense! What we were gathering on the
island—”
“Gatherin’? Was it minerals, then?” said Pat. “Is it anythin’ like o’—
like shrimps, sir?”
Mr. Long laughed. He knew Pat’s wonderful ignorance about some
things, but he was hardly prepared for this. As for Pat, the poor
fellow found he had made a mistake, and colored violently from
shame and vexation.
“Do you really mean to say that you don’t know what minerals
are?” asked Mr. Long.
“Sorra a bit of it thin, sir.”
“Well, they look like little stones. Didn’t you see us breaking little
pieces from the rocks?”
“I didn’t notice, sir.”
“That’s no way to do, Pat. You ought to keep your eyes open, or
you’ll never learn anything.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, then, these minerals looked like common little stones. They
were in two baskets. Each one was carefully wrapped in paper. Now
those two baskets of stones are missing, and I can’t find out
anything about them. I want you to try and remember if you’ve seen
anything of that kind, or if you’ve seen any little bits of paper that
may have been around them. Do you understand? Little stones, you
know.”
And Mr. Long smiled encouragingly, so to give Pat a chance to
collect his thoughts.
“Little stones?” faltered Pat, as there flashed over him an awful
suspicion that he had done an irreparable mischief to somebody, and
to Mr. Long in particular. “Little stones, sir?”
“Yes, Pat, little stones. Dirty little stones. You might have seen
them, and would suppose that many of them were worthless, unless
they were wrapped in paper and carefully packed.”
“Dirty little stones, sir?” said Pat, in an imbecile way.
“Yes,” said Mr. Long.
“And aich one wrapped in paper, sir?” said Pat, whose voice died
away into a mournful wail, while he cast an imploring glance at Mr.
Long.
“Yes..Tell me,” cried Mr. Long, “have you seen them?”
“I have, sir,” said Pat, dolefully.
“When? where? Where are they now? Where did you put them?”
“I—I—” He hesitated.
“Quick! It’s late. I want to get them. You brought them to the
house, I suppose; or did you put them on board of the vessel?”
“I—I—”
“Well, why don’t you tell me what you did with them?”
“O, sir, it’s heart-broken I am this minute, sir! It’s fairly dead wid
grafe I am, sir! You’ll niver forgive me! an’ I’m afraid to tell you, sir.”
“What? What’s all this? What have you been doing? What is it?”
said Mr. Long, sternly.
“No, sir, I thought it was a trick, sir, that the boys played on me,
sir; and I pitched them over the mud into the bank, sir.”
“You what!” cried Mr. Long, in an awful voice. Hereupon Pat, with
many sighs and tears, and entreaties for pardon, told him all. Mr.
Long heard him through without a word. Then he asked minutely
about the spot where they had been thrown. After this he rushed
from the house down to the point. The tide was down below that
place, leaving the mud flat uncovered. The sun was just setting. Mr.
Long stared wildly about.
There was not a trace of a Single specimen; for the heavy stones
had sunk in, and the soft ooze and slimy mud, closing over them,
had shut them from sight.
Mr. Long looked around in despair. He had hoped that he might
recover some of them, but was not prepared to see all traces of
them obliterated so completely. Besides, to add to his
disappointment, the sun set before he had begun anything like a
search; and the shadows of evening came on rapidly. What was he
to do? Could he thus give up the results of his expedition, and
consent to lose those precious specimens for which he had done so
much? The thought was intolerable. He would go back and
interrogate Pat afresh. It was possible that Pat had directed him to
the wrong place. It was scarcely possible that every stone could
have vanished so completely, if this were really the place where Pat
had thrown them.
Such were Mr. Long’s thoughts and hopes, under the stimulus of
which he at length retreated from the bank and returned to the
house. Thus far he had kept Pat’s performance a secret, out of
consideration for Pat himself; for he was not willing that so glaring a
case of dense and utter ignorance should be made public. But now
he was compelled to tell it to all of them, so as to get their
assistance in the search; so, after once more questioning Pat, and
getting from him fresh particulars about the place where he had
thrown the stones, and finding, to his dismay, that it was no other
than the very place where he had been, he went to summon the
rest’ of the boys.
Gathering them together, Mr. Long began to unfold to them the
fate of the long sought for, but still missing, stones. As he began, his
native generosity made him desirous of sparing poor Pat; but as he
proceeded, the sense of his own wrongs overcame the dictates of
generosity. He concealed nothing, he kept back nothing, he palliated
nothing. All was made known. Finally, he implored the assistance of
every one of them in finding the lost treasures.
Of course, after such an appeal, there was no chance for refusal;
and so they at once prepared to follow him. Bart insisted on
procuring torches, and his inventive genius readily suggested an
excellent mode of obtaining light. This was by stripping the
inflammable bark from the huge piles of birch firewood that lay near
the house; and folding these up in compact scroll-like sticks. A large
number of these were made; and with these, with lanterns, and with
pine knots, the whole band followed Mr. Long to the bank. Here they
took off their shoes and stockings, and prepared for their task.
The mud on the surface was very soft to the depth of several
inches, and into this they sank; but sinking thus far, they found a
hard clay bottom. Proceeding in this way, they all sought with
earnest scrutiny for signs of the buried stones. For some time
nothing could be found. At last, with a cry of delight, Bogud plunged
his hand into the mud, and drew out something, with which he
instantly hurried to Mr. Long.
“Here’s one of them!” said he.
He held out a lump, at which Mr. Long and all the rest eagerly
looked. It seemed more like a small lump of mud or clay than
anything else.
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