1873

* May 24: depart Bombay

* May 27: Mr. Lemtaavik is found dead in his bed, apparently the victim of a stroke ...

* May 28: arrive Columbo, Ceylon

* May 29: depart Columbo

* June 6: arrive Jakarta, Dutch East Indies

* June 7: depart Jakarta

* June 9: arrive Singapore

* June 14: board sailing vessel S.S. Trincomalee, bound for Bangkok

* June 16: arrival of the Cesarevitch in Singapore; the Trincomalee is attacked by pirates just after dawn, and in defeating them with magic, Miss Lee swamps the vessels and renders it a derelict. Late in the day, a small vessel headed south to Singapore comes alongside the Trincomalee, and agrees to fetch help.

* June 18: the tugboat La Serena takes the Trincomalee in tow, bound for Bangkok.

* June 20: departure of Pamiat Azove for Siam

* June 22: the Trincomalee arrives in Bangkok, Siam; the submarine is transported by barge to Bangkok, and the characters settle in (Mr. Parapthet at his home, Count Ostrowsky and Miss Lee at the Oriental Hotel (one of the world's finest, and it should be at £5 a night for a good suite).

Siam is in the pre-Monsoon "Hot Season", with temperatures ranging from 90° to 100° F every day; no rain falls.

* June 23: the Pamiat Azove arrives in Bangkok; the King receives the Cesarevitch; the Gad #1 is presented to the King, and the characters receive the Order of the Magenta Elephant (First Class); at dinner in the Grand Palace, Lady Ashburton-Parkes meets the Count and Mr. Parapthet (at the low end of the table). Lady Ashburton-Parkes is travelling with the Cesarevitch's party at the invitation of the Cesarevna (they were school friends).

After dinner, as the guests view the splendid grounds and decor of the Palace, two cannon shots are heard from the dock area. Upon investigation, a small cannon is found, which was fired at the Gad #1. A European and several Thais were seen running away from the cannon after the attack, which did no serious damage.

* June 24: Count Ostrowsky departs for Sarjooni in the afternoon, aboard the tugboat La Serena. Mr. Parapthet makes the acquaintance of a Conservative rabbi, and arranges for Hebrew lessons; he also resumes his "official" duties with the Ministry of Agriculture, Exotic Plants Section. The Russian royal party tours Bangkok.

* June 26: the Russians go upriver in steamers to shoot tigers and such near Lopburi ...

* June 27: Mr. Parapthet is attacked in the street by four Chinese tong members; although injured, he defeats them, and learns they were hired by a fat, balding farang. He is somewhat incapacitated for several weeks after this.

Ramadan for the Islamic year 1289 begins this day.

* June 28: the Russians return from the back-country. That night a terrific lightning storm hits Bangkok, and several persons are killed by the electrical disturbances. It is thought they are magical in origin, and may be related to a break-in at the Oriental Hotel for the purpose of searching Miss Lee's room.

Meanwhile, near French Indo-China (at Pointe de Camau), the tugboat La Serena is intercepted by a French revenue cutter, and taken to Saigon over Ostrowsky's protests.

* June 29: the Cesarevitch's party departs from Bangkok with all due pomp and circumstance (and a honey bear, two tiger cubs, etc.). Miss Lee is acupunctured; the Chinese doctor diagnoses her as having a severe case of magic overuse.

Heavy rains begin, announcing the start of the "Wet Monsoon" season in Siam. Winds are from the southwest, rains of at least 1/4 inch a day occur, and temperatures hover around 85° F. Many people think that the strange storm of the night before heralded the change of seasons.

* June 30: Count Ostrowsky departs Saigon for Sarjooni, on a small French steamer. Miss Lee is checked out of the Oriental Hotel by Mr. Parapthet; he arranges a small villa for her in the city, and pays her hotel bill of £40 (375 baht). Mr. MacFie begins feeding her on "gud Scots tucker."

* July 2: the Pamiat Azov stops for half a day in Brunei; a poor reception by the Sultan, and strict rules on female coverings, alcoholic consumption, and other Ramadan restrictions do not bring about a desire to linger.

* July 3: the Count arrives in Sarjooni, and begins preparations to receive the Cesarevitch.

* July 4: the Pamiat Azov reaches Sarjooni mid-day. Many grand activities, a banquet and ball ... Lady Ashburton-Parkes arranges an assignation with Count Ostrowsky at the Blue Patio of the Sultan's Palace: to the Count's vague distress, she makes some strongly-phrased comments about the "dingus."

* July 5: the Russian-Sarjooni Star Iron Company makes a dividend payment of several thousand pounds sterling (in gold) to the Count. Star iron is worth about £50 per pound (avdp) on the market (actually £4 10s ($22) per troy ounce). The Count, and Lady Ashburton-Parkes, make arrangements to charter an American clipper ship (the Charleston) lying in Tramur Harbor for a quick voyage back to Bangkok. Lady Ashburton-Parkes acquires a strange bird.

* July 7: the Pamiat Azov departs from Sarjooni, bound for Hue and Hong Kong (after a adjustment of the schedule). Lady Ashburton-Parkes takes her leave of the Cesarevna.

* July 9: the Charleston sets sail for Bangkok. The London Times and the Daily Mail advocate sending General "Chinese" Gordon to settle the Gold Coast.

* July 16: the Charleston drops anchor at the mouth of the Chao Praya River; Count Boris Ostrowsky and Lady Ashburton-Parkes board the narrow gauge railway and travel to Bangkok, where the Count looks up Mr. Parapthet and Miss Lee.

* July 19: Count Ostrowsky learns that his "exile" has been rescinded, dut to a good report by the Tsarevitch. Mr. Parapthet discovers that his watch dog has eaten a Templar.

* July 22: a huge banquet is thrown in Bangkok, at the Oriental Hotel, by Count Ostrowsky.

* July 23: a pair of German sailors briefly kidnap Mr. Parapthet. It is discovered that a French agent is behind this, and other attempts, on his safety. Lady Ashburton-Parkes gets much credit from the Italian embassy for the return of their stolen steam launch.

* July 25: the S.S. Gilderman, a British paddle-wheel steamer, leaves Bangkok with Count Ostrowsky, Lady Ashburton-Parks, Mr. Parapthet, and Miss Kaelin Lee aboard, bound for Singapore.

* July 28: the Gilderman arrives in Singapore.

* July 30: the party departs Singapore aboard the P&O liner Niatic, with stops in:

* August 13: Bombay, India ...; HM Government selects Major Gen. Garnet Wolseley to command the proposed Ashantee Expedition.

* August 25: Alexandria, Egypt ...

* August 29: Valetta, Malta ...

* September 2 : Gibraltar, and finally ...

* September 6: Southampton, England. The characters read news of a financial panic beginning in America.

* September 7: in London, Lady Ashburton-Parkes and Mr. Parapthet conclude the negotiations for the Osman Documents.

* September 8: Mr. Parapthet deposits his checks, and Lady Ashburton-Parkes presents the Documents to her Order.

* September 9: Ostrowsky, Parapthet, and Miss Lee travel to Liverpool on the LNWR.

* September 10: they arrive in Dublin, and set out for Miss Lee's home in county Mayo, by train, coach, and horseback. Lady Ashburton-Parkes returns to her family home.

* September 13: Kaelin Lee returns to her ancestral home, and is welcomed back by the people of her village, and some local faerie lords, and a huge feast.

* September 15: Count Ostrowsky and Mr. Parapthet take their leave of Kaelin Lee, and head east towards England. Napoleon IV is crowned Emperor of France.

* September 18: they arrive in Dublin, and take the ferry to Liverpool

* September 19: back in London ... Meanwhile, Lady Ashburton-Parkes has no doubt been arranging accomodation for her tiger cubs (no longer quite so small), her honey bear, and her "toucan." She travels to Holdernesse Hall, the estate of the Duke of Holdernesse, on the Yorkshire coast. There, she participates in arcane and boring Illuminati rituals.

* September 26: the conference of Bavarian Illuminants at Holdernesse Hall ends. Lady Ashburton-Parkes returns home.

* October 3: Lady Ashburton-Parkes is informed by her Order of the possible discovery of the Staff of the Western Isles at Coomassie, in the Ashanti kingdom of Africa. They direct her to try and retrieve it for the Order.

* October 4: Lady Alicia asks Count Ostrowsky to consider accompanying the Ashantee Expedition.

* October 8: Lady Ellen Martingale (b. 1824), widowed great aunt to Lady Alicia, arrives at Torrington Hall, to act as companion and duenna for Alicia in her travels.

* October 10: Lady Alicia begins learning the spells from Osman's "Scoll of Creation," with some danger to herself.

* October 14: Lady Alicia has learned the "Creation of Palaces" spell.

* October 17: Mr. Parapthet is named official Siamese observer to the Ashanti Expedition, with the (somewhat dubious) rank of Major in the Saimese Artillery. Count Ostrowsky meets with the Duke of Cambridge, to discuss the Duke's concerns about General Wolseley.

* October 19: Count Ostrowsky, "Major" Parapthet, and Lady Alicia arrive at Aldershot to meet the Expedition.

* October 20: the display of Military Contrivances takes place near the Royal Pavilion at Aldershot. "As entertainment, it takes some beating ..."

* October 25: the Expedition departs in the steamship Simoon, bound for the Gold Coast. "Major" Parapthet and Count Ostrowsky bid a fond farewell to Lady Alicia at Plymouth.

* October 27: Lady Alicia leaves for Baden, accompanied by Lady Ellen ...

* October 29: ... and arrives at the famous spa.

* November 6: Lady Alicia makes the first of her late-night visits by portal to the cabin of "Major" Parapthet aboard the Simoon.

* November 10: the Simoon arrives at Cape Coast Castle.

* November 11: led by Lt. Butler, Count Ostrowsky, "Major" Parapthet, and a few soldiers head inland to scout the Ashantee forces. The Tsar’s ‘name-day’.

* November 12: early in the morning, a missionary from West Dorking, England (Mr. Johnston, nee Alicia Ashburton-Parkes) wanders into the Fanti village where Lt. Butler's patrol is staying. Mr. Johnston attaches himself to the group ...

* November 13: Lt. Butler's patrol captures a Ashantee prisoner, and retreats towards the coast.

* November 14: General Wolseley summons the chiefs of the coastal Fanti, Kassoo, Ampeene, Accassi, and Essaman tribes to come to him, to assist the British.

* November 15: the patrol is picked up by the gunboat Beetle, and returned to Cape Coast Castle.

* November 16: the chief of the Kassoo tribe replies, "I have got smallpox today, but will come tomorrow." The chief of the Ampeene tribe has apparently sent back the head of the messenger sent to ask for his assistance. Mr. Johnston is sent by gunboat to Acra.

* November 17: the chief of the Essaman tribe replies, "come and get me." General Wolseley resolves to do just that. The mysterious African, "George," appears at Cape Coast Castle town as Count Ostrowsky's servant. Lt. Butler, Count Ostrowsky, Major Parapthet, "George" and a couple of Hausa soldiers travel west towards the Essaman tribal lands to observe their preparations. They observe, and 'break up,' a tribal magic ritual; a small whirlwind is an unintended consequence of Lt. Butler's magics.

* November 21: General Wolseley advises the newspaper correspondents that he is heading east, and then travels west at night from Elmina to attack Essaman.

* November 22: leading most of the Elmina garrison (and a company of Fanti under Lt. Col. Wood) out before dawn, General Wolseley marches to Essaman, and attacks by noon. The hostile natives are dispersed, and (after difficult marches in soft sand under the burning sun) several villages are attacked. In several small skirmishes, the Fanti perform poorly. Unfortunately, Lt. Col. McNeill is put out of action with a bad wound -- "An infernal scoundrel out there has shot me through the arm!"

* November 23: the column returns to Elmina, and Wolseley decides that the coastal tribes cannot be depended upon; the British Army must be summoned. A naval vessel is sent to Gibraltar (along with some of the wounded, including McNeill), where a telegram will summon the Regulars.

* November 26: General Wolseley falls ill with an "ardent fever," and is delirious for a week (coming close to death by the end of the month). He is taken aboard the "Simoon" for rest and treatment. His health will not be fully recovered until just after Christmas. Lt. Colonel Colley is temporarily in command of the Expedition.

* November 28 - 29: "Russell's Regiment" repulses an attack by the Ashantee army at Absakampra.

* November 30: a naval supply vessel arrives with Major Buller, the engineers, and lots of road-building supplies. Major Home begins building roads and bridges: two miles a day, eight bridges a day, with seven supply/telegraph/hospital stations along the 70 mile road to the border of Ashanteeland. Each station has huts for 400 men, and water purifier; two of them have a bakery and four have abattoirs.

* December 1: Lt. Butler leads another scouting expedition towards Ashanteeland (now that Major Buller is in overall command of the Intelligence department). He once again takes Major Parapthet, Count Ostrowsky, "George," a Siamese servant, and two Hausa soldiers; they are all (except George) disguised by Lt. Maurice's Masonic magics to resemble Ashantee warriors.

* December 7: at Gibraltar, the Regulars are summoned ...; Butler's scouting group crosses the Pra into Ashanteeland.

* December 9: during the day, Butler and his scouts stroll bravely into Coomassie, and observe the barbaric sights of that heathen town. In the evening, they sneak into the "high" town, locate the hostages (20 or so Europeans, and about 70 non-whites), free them in a short battle, and depart via a sorcerous Portal created by the surprisingly talented "George." The Portal takes them to the coast, only two miles from the Castle, where the wounded "George" bids them adieu and vanishes through another Portal. (A remarkable amount of Portals and other spells are cast this morning by Miss Alicia, most unknown to the world).

* December 10: early in the morning, Lt. Butler leads the rescued hostages to Cape Coast Castle, to the amazement and delight of all present. Major Wood's military road has already progressed twenty miles from the coast.

* December 12: Lady Alicia begins her return to England, under the care of Doctor von Zumpf-und-Zo-Furtzner.

* December 15: the fleet of transports and small warships departs Portsmouth, bound for the Gold Coast with 2,500 British soldiers. On the way, the men are given courses on how to stay healthy in the bush. Lady Alicia arrives at the Ashburton-Parkes estate at Torrington.

* December 16: while “observing” Wood’s regiment in training, Count Ostrowsky comes down with a strange disease -- probably the result of Ashantee magics.

* December 19: “George” appears in the tent of Major Parapthet, and upon being “mistaken” for an intruder, is soundly beaten by the Hausas. After the misunderstanding is put right, he speaks at length with Count Ostrowsky and Parapthet, and disappears again.

* December 20: Lady Alicia begins her gymnastic training at Torrington, under the tutelage of Frau Ursula Bottinger.

* December 21: “George” is transported by magical portal to a dungeon in the Duke of Holdernesse’s estate.

* before Christmas: General Wolseley comes to Cape Coast Castle to prepare for the invasion of Ashanteeland, and resumes command of the Expedition.

* December 25: Christmas day; Lady Alicia receives a glass dress and a puzzle ring from her grandfather.

* December 27: in a light buggy, drawn by six powerful Fanti, Gen. Wolseley sets out for Ashantiland on the road being build by Major Home.

* December 29: the Ashburton-Parkes depart Torrington, and return to London via private train.

* December 30: the transports arrive at Cape Coast Castle.

* December 31: the army is disembarked at Cape Coast. A native porter is assigned to every three soldiers, to help them carry their equipment (including veils, respirators, and "cholera belts." Each day, every soldier receives a dose of quinine in rum. In London, “George” is delivered to a rented warehouse, converted to a boxing practice-hall, and placed in the care of a coach, Mr. Ted Smith. Lady Alicia employs her magics to enter his mind, and has a short but painful introduction to the Sweet Science of boxing. A New Year’s Eve ball that night helps take her mind from this trouble.

1874

* January 1: the three Regular battalions of the Ashantee Expedition proceed north along Home's Road. General Wolseley, his staff, the Naval Brigade, the West Indians, observers, correspondents, and all cross the bridge over the Pra into Ashanteeland. Preparations begin for a vast camp to accomodate the coming army; the 200 foot long bridge was only finished the day before. Lady Alicia becomes a member of the German Gymnastic Society (26 Pancras Road, King’s Cross, London NW). New York City annexes the Bronx

* January 2: while looking for the French military observer, Major Parapthet finds a hidden boat and several huts, not more than 300 yards from the bridge over the Pra. Upon investigating further, he discovers an Ashantee scout hidden in the top of a tree over looking the road -- they exchange fire. The Ashantee is killed, but Parapthet’s right arm is shattered by a musket-ball. He is quickly taken to the medical tent, where Doctor Hazzard has his arm off in a trice. In London, Lady Alicia is presented to the Queen.

* January 5: The regular troops, led by the Black Watch and their pipers, begin crossing into Ashanteeland over the River Pra. A general mess and assembly is held that night; General Wolseley dispenses praise for the work done so far, and encouragement for the efforts to come.

* January 6: The officers of the Black Watch regiment hold a solemn conclave in private. Later that night, “George” returns to the Expedition, appearing with a blast of cold air in Major Parapthet’s tent.

* January 7: messengers from King Coffee arrive at Prahsu, and are placed in custody by General Wolseley. The King's threats and offers are not acceptable to the General, who determines to set forth within two weeks. The bulk of Wolseley's forces are now camped at Prahsu, at the bridgehead.

* January 9: Lt. Gifford is sent forward to convey the British reply in the negative to King Coffee’s message. Lt. Butler, along with Major Parapthet and Count Ostrowsky, shadow him in magical disguise, to warn of any ambuscade.

* January 11: Butler and his scouting group (disguised as Ashantees) speak with some Accassi tribesmen, a tributary group within Ashanteeland. It seems that they are upset that Wood’s Regiment has captured the chieftain’s wife, and a quantity of plantains. After departing, Butler sends a message back to Prahsu:

"My Dear Colonel, -- the Chief of Accassi's Queen has been carried off by your Hausas and her chastity is in danger. Express messengers have arrived to announce her detention at Prahsu when tending plantains. Please do what you can to save Her Majesty's honour -- or the plantains -- for I cannot make out which is rated the highest figure by the Chief. I am en route to Iribee. Yours in haste, W. Butler."

* January 12: Lt. Gifford meets with a group of Ashantee shamen and chieftains, near the village of Iribee. He delivers Wolseley’s reply to King Coffee’s message.

* January 13: battle between workers and police in NYC, hundreds injured; US troops land in Honolulu to “protect” the king.

* January 15: upon returning to Prahsu, the observers learn of a great “Beast” which has left tremendous footprints in the swamps between the Pra and the coast. Major Parapthet and Captain Ostrowsky begin to search for it ...

* January 17: ... and find it, mired in the swamp and surrounded by Ashantee warriors. The beast is revealed to be an enormous steam-powered conveyance, resembling a beetle. Using “George’s” magics, they contact the European crew within (led by Jack Preston, slightly famous American dwarf). The crew of the “Arachnomaton” is in no immediate danger, and the characters depart, with a promise to send assistance. Chang and Eng Bunker, Siamese twins, die in the United States. Armed Democrats seize the Texas state government, ending Radical Reconstruction.

* January 19: Parapthet, Ostrowsky, and “George” return to the bridgehead at Prahsu.

* January 20: The Ashantee Expedition sets forth from Prahsu, into Ashanteeland. Wood's Regiment, and Russell's Regiment, with Lord Gifford's Scouts, form the advance guard for the Black Watch (under Col. McLeod). The West India Regiment is largely guarding the bridgehead and the transport.

* January 21: the village of Adubrassie is attacked and captured along the route.

* January 24: the main force is at Fumana, 30 miles from Coomassie and Prahsu. Wolseley receives a conciliatory message from King Coffee, and replies with a demand for 50,000 ounces of gold, release of all prisoners and hostages, and submission of Ashantee hostages. The General decides to wait for one day only, as he is bent on reaching Coomassie and doing battle. The opera “Boris Gudonov” is first produced, in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

* January 31: the battle of Amoaful is fought and won, 35 miles from the Prahsu to Coomassie. A hard fight lasting most of a day, with 4 British killed and 194 wounded (of which most were from the two companies of the Black Watch regiment). The Expedition forms a large, ragged square, but in the jungle and extensive plantain groves it is difficult for units to maintain contact and the formation cannot be maintained. Wolseley says, before the fight: "Soldiers and sailors, remember that the black man holds you in superstitious awe. Be cool, fire low, and charge home." There are complaints by the Highlanders that they were fired upon by the Naval Brigade. Lt. Col. Wood is shot in the chest by a musket ball, and is expected to die by the surgeon.

When some Ashantees and a bizarre monster attack the HQ in the small village in the centre of the square, surgeons, wounded, guards, staff officers and war correspondents sieze weapons to beat them off. Captain Ostrowsky slays the beast in a wild melee (with the assistance of Mr. Stanley and Major Parapthet).

Perhaps 800 Ashantee are killed, but as they carried off their casualties estimates are unclear. Amoaful village itself is cleared by the Highlanders at dusk, and rings with their Scots cheers and wailing bagpipes.

That evening, the characters propose to General Wolseley that “George” can create a Gate to a location just outside of Coomassie, and the Expedition could then eliminate the Ashantee sorcerors, and take the town. The General eventually agrees.

The James Gang robs a train at Gads Hill, Missouri.

* February 1: just before dawn, the Black Watch and the Naval Brigade are led through a large Gate created by “George.” They form up just north of the Ashantee capital, and as the sun comes up the British attack. The village of the Ashantee shaman is quickly destroyed by the Templar-led Black Watch, and one of the city gates is briefly occupied. The capital is full of curious crowds, including many warriors retreating from the fight along the road.

Lt. Butler, “George,” Major Parapthet, Captain Ostrowsky, Msr. Traversant, and a young Black Watch officer all show a surprising amount of interest in the Summer Palace of the Ashantehene.

Meanwhile, large groups of marauding Ashantee have doubled back to attack the Expeditions supply lines between Amoaful and the Pra, among the Adansi Hills. The coastal Africans of the transport corps, terrified of the fierce Ashantee, flee and refuse for several days to bring up supplies. At mid-day, Wolseley sends back the rest of the West Indies Regiment to guard his supply lines. The Expedition has only a four day supply of full rations, and his staff estimates it might take a week to restore the line of communication.

Wolseley pulls most of his troops back from the Gate. The village of Becquah, near Amoaful, is attacked and captured by the British. In an evening meeting, the General decides to plunge boldly on -- with a secure supply line from Amoaful to Coomassie.

* February 2: The advance-guard is lightly engaged just north of Amoaful, at the village of Jarbinbah. Leaving the Expedition's heavy baggage, sick and wounded in an improvised fort near Amoaful, the British press on as a "flying column." After a 15 mile march (with many minor skirmishes and ambushes after the village of Adwabin), the village of Odahsu (on the river Ordah) is reached; here the Ashantee make a futile last stand, placing a stockade across the road. Wolseley's men storm the barricaded village, and then spend several hours defending it against Ashantee counterattacks. A storming party from the Black Watch regiment eventually punches through, and rushes down the road, barely overruning a number of well-placed Ashantee ambushes. This party in fact reaches Coomassie, passing in unhindered -- the Ashantee have again been taken entirely by surprise! The storming party secures a gatehouse, and sends runners back to the main force.

* February 3: after an early morning march of 5 miles, the Expedition (led by the Black Watch) reaches Coomassie from the south about 9:00 a.m.. Not a shot is fired ... most of the populace has fled during the last day or so. Much evidence of human sacrifice (thousands of skulls piled in the sacred grove), and interesting cultural achievements, is found. Alas, the king and his Golden Stool are not here. The royal palace is seized, and looting parties are sent around the city.

* February 4: Thirty wagons are loaded with the most valuable loot (to be auctioned off in England), and the rest of the town is burnt or blown up by the engineers. The weather seems to be worsening. “George” departs through a Gate for England ...

* February 12: the native regiment raised and led by Capt. John Glover from among the Volta natives enters Coomassie from the east.

* February 21: Benjamin Disraeli replaces William Gladstone as Prime Minister of England. The Oakland Daily Tribune begins publication.

* February 27: Baseball is played for the first time in England, at Lord’s Cricket Grounds, with English players and a couple of American coaches/advisers.

* February 30: Lt. Col. Wood is back on his feet, leading his native regiment ...

* March 4: the expedition departs from the Gold Coast. Of Wolseley's staff of 30 officers, 7 are dead, and many of the rest are wounded or sick. Among the nearly 3,000 Europeans involved in the war, 18 have been killed, 55 killed by disease or accident, 294 wounded, and 1,018 invalided home. The cost of the Expedition -- £800,000.

* March 8: Millard Fillmore, 13th President (1850-53) dies at age 74.

* March 10: Purdue University, in Indiana, admits its first students.

* March 19: the Expedition returns to Portsmouth. In due time, General Wolseley is granted an audience with the Queen, the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, and is made a Knight Commander of the Bath. Parliament gives him their thanks and a grant of £25,000, along with a permanent promotion to Major General. The City of London gives him a sword of honour, and both Oxford and Cambridge universities grant him honorary degrees.

Major Russell was mentioned in dispatches several times, is made a Brevet of Lieut-Colonel, and a Companion of the Bath.

Captain Ostrowsky is given a grant of £1,000 for his intrepid and brave actions, and is made a Knight of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.

Major Parapthet receives a sword of honour, and a grant of £500.

* March 21: US Grant's daughter Nellie marries in the White House

* March 22: Young Men's Hebrew Association founded in NYC

* April 05: "Die Fledermaus" 1st performed (Vienna)

* April 12: 22° F lowest temperature for this date in NYC

* April 18: Remains of David Livingstone interred in Westminster Abbey

* April 19: Barracks on Alcatraz Island destroyed in fire

* April 27: White League, paramilitary white supremacist organization, forms

* May 09: Victoria Embankment, in London opens

* May 13: Pope Pius IX encyclical "On Greek-Ruthenian rite"

* May 14: 1st admission charge at a football game, Harvard beats McGill 3-0

* May 16: 1st recorded dam disaster in US (Williamsburg, Mass.)

* May 20: Levi Strauss markets blue jeans with copper rivets, price $13.50 doz

* May 29: Modern constitution of Switzerland takes effect

* June 28: Freedmen's Bank closes

* June 30: the Anglo-French Dover Tunnel, begun in 1869, is completed, at a cost of 3 million pounds sterling. It runs for 30 miles from Dover to Calais, 200 feet below the seabottom. The opening ceremonies are attended by Queen Victoria, Emperor Napoleon IV, and hundreds of thousands of spectators.

* July 01: 1st US kidnapping for ransom, 4-year-old Charles Ross, $20,000

* July 04: Social Democratic Workmen's Party of North America formed

* July 10: Grand Duchess Marie (age 21), daughter of Tsar Alexander II, is married in Westminster to HRH Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (age 30) -- the Queen’s second son, and fourth child. They proceed by train (through the new Dover Tunnel) to Paris, and then on to Russia.

* July 12: Start of Sherlock Holmes’ first adventure, "The Gloria Scott." In Paris, a ball and dinner is held in honor of the marriage of Alfred and Marie.

* July 28: A grand reception is held in Saint Petersburg for the newly arrived Royal couple, the Duke of Edinburgh and his wife Marie.

* July 29: Major Walter Copton Wingfield patents a portable tennis court

* July 30: 1st baseball teams to play outside US, Boston-Phila in British Isles

* August 26: 16 blacks lynched in Tennessee

* September 2: marriage of Count Ostrowsky and Lady Alicia

* September 16: Lady Alicia attempts to learn “Shelter from the Storm” spell

* October 10: Fiji becomes a British possession; the anarchist attack on Count Ostrowsky’s train; Captain Calhoun is met.

* October 15: Count Gortikoff takes Capt. Calhoun to l’Elegance, a gambling club in Paris.

* October 17: an attempt is made by Continental Illuminates to kidnap the Ostrowskys while in Marseilles.

* October 19: the Ostrowskys leave for Russia

* October 23: the Ostrowskys arrive in St. Petersburg

* November 1: Boris and Alicia are married in an Orthodox ceremony

* November 04: Samuel J Tilden elected governor of NY

* November 07: 1st cartoon depicting elephant as Republican Party symbol, by T Nast

* November 08: Captain Calhoun joins the Ostrowskys in St. Petersburg

* November 14: the Ostrowskys, and Captain Calhoun, arrive at Khmelita

* November 16: the big hunt at Khmelita

* November 17: Emigrant ship Cospatrick catches fire & sinks off Auckland, NZ

* November 18: National Woman's Christian Temperance Union organizes in Cleveland

* November 23: Ostrowskys and Captain Calhoun return to St. Petersburg

* November 24: Joseph F Glidden patents barbed wire

* November 25: a grand party is thrown for the Ostrowskys

* November 27: Count Boris tests the Drzwiecki submersible

* December 01: Count Boris well again; hears about Americans interested in Capt. Calhouon

* December 04: Calhoun offends Maj. I.V. Pillinin of the 4th Warsaw Uhlans (second Lt. Latikoff)

* December 08: Jesse James gang takes a train at Muncie, Kansas

* December 09: Calhoun wins the duel

* December 13: the Ostrowskys leave for England

* December 15: 1st reigning king to visit the United States (of Hawaii) received by Pres. Grant

* December 15: 8° F lowest temperature for this date in NYC

* December 17: the Ostrowskys return to Rochford

* December 24: Pope Pius IX proclaims a jubilee for 1875

* December 28: Countess Alicia creates a gate from France to St. Petersburg

1875

* January 11: Ostrowskys and Captain Calhoun are in Vienna

* January 13: while attending a ball, Countess Alicia is contacted by Baron Vespel (of the Illuminati); bad men try to kill her, as well

* February 12: Captain Calhoun unveils the Sumter Cannonball; the Ostrowskys, Captain Beaumont, Mr. Inconnu, Lt. Butler, and Samuel Rushton plan to accompany him

* March 16: the Ostrowskys leave for Rome, to join Captain Calhoun

* March 17: the Sumter Cannonball sets off from London on its ‘round the world’ voyage

* March 19: the Sumter Cannonball departs Rome

* March 21: ... arrives Cairo ...

* March 23: ... departs Cairo ...

* March 23: ... arrives Paris ...

* March 25: … and takes part in a tragic race with the ‘Barclay’, another flying vessel. The Barclay is destroyed by a mysterious explosion. The Sumter Cannonball rescues many of the passengers and crew (largely by means of Countess Ostrowsky’s magics), but Captain Wolff perishes in the crash. A trunk, containing Wolff’s personal effects, is secured by Captain Calhoun for later investigation.

* April 01: Captain Calhoun announces he will be making a ‘round the world’ voyage

* April 08: the Sumter Cannonball departs England ...

* April 10: ... and arrives in Paris to a tumultuous welcome ...

* April 11: ... on to Rome, to even more clamorous acclaim ...

* April 13: ... the Holy Land, including the Dead Sea ...

* April 16: ... India, where the vessel tarries in Calcutta ...

* April 18: ... a brief jaunt to Nepal, testing the Sumter Cannonball’s liking for heights ...

* April 20: the Sumter Cannonball achieves the summit of Mount Everest. Count Ostrowsky, Captain Calhoun, Lt. Butler, and an Italian journalist all set foot briefly on the icy rocks.

* April 22: Yeti hunting. Also, the Ostrowskys obtain a red-faced panda.

* April 23: the Sumter Cannonball descends into the Valley of Shamballah, where they speak with the pundits, bagwandas, and mahatmas of an ancient monastery. The monks claim to have no link with the Theosophical movement; furthermore, they aver evil beings dwell deep below their monastery. These evil beings may be sending out ‘mental influence’ for fell purposes.

* April 24: the Sumter Cannonball returns to Calcutta, taking aboard a few passengers again.

* April 25: ... and arrives in Bangkok, where the Ostrowskys renew old friendships ...

* April 26: ... on to Singapore, for two days of dining (and re-’fuelling’) ...

* April 28: ... and arrive at Sarjoonie, where Rajah Willingford greets them warmly ...

* April 30: ... on the Manila ...

* May 2: ... and then to Hong Kong, for a two day stop ...

* May 5: ... and Shanghai, for another couple of days ...

* May 7: ... followed by a visit to Yokohama, in the land of Nippon ...

* May 9: ... which they depart, bound across the Pacific.

* May 12: The Sumter Cannonball calls at Hawai’i, and is entertained by the Queen (the King is absent, visiting America).

* May 14: The Sumter Cannonball arrives at San Francisco, and a rambunctious greeting. Champagne flows like water, the music is fast and so are the women ... Emperor Norton awards the “Order of the Rosy Sunset”, First Class, to Captain Calhoun, and lesser awards to other passengers and crew -- typically the “Golden Star”.

* May 16: a consortium of rich Californians, led by such men as Stanford, Crocker, Hopkins, etc., make an offer to buy the Sumter Cannonball, or more properly the secret of her creation, from Captain Calhoun. When he does not immediately accept, they propose to outbid whatever other buyers he might have contacted. Calhoun does not give them an immediate answer.

* May 17: the Sumter Cannonball departs from San Francisco.

* May 20: ... and arrives in New Orleans.

* May 22: Count Ostrowsky fights a duel with Msr. Trevill, and later in the day takes the submarine vessel Pioneer out for a test. The submarine does not perform quite as well as could be hoped, but the Count is fortunately unharmed (due, in part, to the magics of his wife). The Sumter Cannonball departs later that day, bound for Europe.

* May 28: the Sumter Cannonball arrives in Lisbon, its fuel nearly depleted.

* May 29: ... on to Madrid: another chance to be wined, dined, and speechified about

* May 30: The Sumter Cannonball arrives in London, for the official end of its ‘round the world’ voyage -- total time, 75 days. A great holiday results, with nearly half a million persons arriving at Greenwich to observe the ship’s arrival. Dinners, speeches, parades, balls, awards, interviews, parties, Royal appearances, and general publicity hound Captain Calhoun, his officers, and passengers. Countess Ostrowsky is asked endlessly how she survived such a harrowing voyage ...

* June 01: Captain Calhoun receives a silver medal from the Royal Geographic Society; bronze medals are awarded to the other persons who also completed the circumnavigation of the Earth.

* June 05: the Sumter Cannonball travels to Paris, for more parties, etc. The Ostrowskys remain in London.

* June 06: Countess Ostrowsky calls upon the Duke of Holdernesse, and convinces him to call off Mr. Inconnu.

* June 08: Calhoun and his ship arrive in Rome ... and are feted again.

* June 15: the endless rounds of parades, etc. finally diminish for the intrepid world travellers.

* June 18: Countess Ostrowsky approaches the Amazonia Order, interested in membership

* June 25: the pregnancy of Countess Ostrowsky begins ... child due March 1876.

* June 29: Captain Calhoun meets with the Black Watch Regiment’s officers; they agree to provide a section of men to accompany his planned ‘hollow-Earth’ expedition.

* July 03: the Ostrowskys travel to their Russian estate, Khmelita. Count Boris hires half-a-dozen Cossack warriors.

* July 04: Captain Calhoun begins two weeks of repairs and improvements to the Sumter Cannonball at his ‘secret’ Sicilian base

* July 10: the Ostrowskys begin the trip back to Rochford Manor ...

* July 16: ... arriving at Rochford today.

* July 28: Count Ostrowsky travels to Vienna to meet the Sumter Cannonball.

* July 29: the Sumter Cannonball arrives in Transbalkania, to pick up Professor Pfapf.

* July 31: the ‘Spy Dinner’ aboard the Sumter Cannonball ... guests include Count Ostrowsky, Gonch Sanjin (“a man of elegant leisure” aka Feodor Gitz, blacksheep son of a Transbalkanian noble), Miss Maria Ralston, Mohammed Ikba (an apricot brandy trader), Paolo Dandoli (claiming to be a crepe merchant, but actually Balthazar di Tommaso, Neapolitan rebel), Rev. P.R. Tillabit (British linguist and spy), Norberto Vlach (part of the local schemes), Tomas Boclij (a big, calm, honest goon whose plans are not known), three officers of the Black Watch, three filles-de-joie from Bunskjo’s finest pleasure palace, and a latecomer: John Wilkins, a Texian cowboy working for Otto Barth.

* Aug 01: the wedding of King Sergei and Princess Inga von Znk in Bunjsko, Transbalkania.

* Aug 05: Miss Ralston departs Transbalkania in pursuit of Lord Clairennet, an evil elf lord. Based on the statements of Feodor Gitz, she feels Clairennet is most likely in Egypt.

* Aug 08: the elopement of Otto Barth and Inga von Znk, with the assistance of the ‘Sumter Cannonball’.

* Aug 09: the Sumter Cannonball departs Milan, bound for Cairo and the mysterious East.

* Aug 10-13: ... with stops in Rome, Athens, Crete and Alexandria.

* Aug 14: the Sumter Cannonball arrives in Cairo.

* Aug 15: Miss Ralston is rescued from a 30 day jail sentence by Captain Calhoun.

* Aug 16: the Sumter Cannonball leaves Cairo, and heads east, with stops at ...

* Aug 17-21: ... Damascus, Baghdad, Oman, Karachi, Agra (to see the Taj Majal), and finally Darjeeling.

* Aug 22: the Sumter Cannonball travels into the Himalayas, to hidden Shamballah. The crew and passengers are received with all due ceremony.

* Aug 23-26: The Expedition decides not to climb down nearly a mile of rope ladders. Mr. Broward supervises the construction of a very tall hot air balloon by the natives; it should be able to carry 20 persons and their equipment down the Hole.

* Aug 27: the Expedition sets forth: Captain Calhoun, Miss Ralston, Count Ostrowsky, Orlando T. Mixwater, David McCoy, Igor, Father Gregor, 3 Cossacks, Lt. Campbell, and 9 Black Watch soldiers. At the bottom of the mile-deep shaft, six of the Black Watch are left to guard the balloon; the remaining fourteen persons set forth with three days of supplies.

They crawl down and around about 1000 feet of solidified magma chamber, and view the glorious ‘Underground Falls of Shamballah.’ Crossing a rope bridge, they encounter several ‘worked’ passages, and meet a very odd sloth. The sloth directs them towards a meeting with ... Tubon, an immensely fat, levitating example of the Saamiym, or ‘Fat Ones.’ Tubon attempts to convince them that his people are being persecuted by the ‘Yearly Ones’ the coneheads. No dice ... the expedition continues, and soon comes into a wide, long marshy cavern, filled with giant pale bugs and snapping plants. Safely traversing this, they come to wide underground meadows, where the “hell cattle” graze.

Turning a corner, they are greeted with a vista of the city of the Sunaynans, a race of graceful, athletic and accomplished people, with no hair and cone-shaped heads. They are met by some of the Sunaynans and led into their city, Lamsa, where contact with the central ‘mind-crystal’ allows for conversation. The expedition learns much of how the Inner World operates (at least from the viewpoint of the Sunaynans). The various ‘racial types’ among the Sunaynans -- Shuyukh, Halaabeans, Flugelrods, and Hulub -- are the result of cross-breeding with various ‘inferior’ humans (mostly from the Inner World) for many generations.

Captain Calhoun accepts the invitation of a Flugelrod maiden to crossbreed that evening.

* Aug 28: the expedition remains in Lamsa during this day, observing the fantastic Inner World sun passing by. Count Ostrowsky asks many questions of a practical, exploratory nature; the Cossacks remain afraid of ‘heretika faerie’ contamination; and Captain Calhoun investigates their use of ‘mind powers’ and being learning the use of their ‘Mental Shield’ ritual. As Captain Calhoun has been identified by the Sunaynans as the ‘least inferior’ of the expedition’s members, he is invited to crossbreed with several more maidens that next night.

* Aug 29: passing down the mighty terraces below Lamsa, the expedition sets forth for the city of the Pterramen. After a slight delay caused by mass blindness, they push on through the lush pines, ferns, and grasslands of the Inner World floor, all apparently survivials from the Triassic or Jurassic eras. A few large beasts trample by, but none bother the expedition in any notable way.

On the far side of the Inner World, the expedition meets the Pterramen, living in cliff dwellings and riding enormous flying reptiles. The Pterramen city, Galoss, has reasonably good relations with the people of Lamsa; and some of the Pterramen speak a little Senzar. In fact, the Pterramen seem to resemble the Flugelrod members of the Sunaynan population in features and coloration.

Count Ostrowsky and Captain Calhoun convey to the Pterramen that they have come from the Upper World, to destroy the Saamiym with Upper World weapons and magic. This is good news to the Pterramen; three cheers for the Upper World!

* Aug 30 - 31: As the Pterramen gird for war, the Upper World expedition members learn the skill of riding the great gliding saurian mounts provided for them; their instuctor, Milvar, pronounces them to be rapid learners. Captain Calhoun finishes practicing the ‘Mental Shield’ ritual, and feels confident it can be used to good effect. A final great feast, and offerings at the Pterramen temples, take place on the day before the forces of the Pterramen are to depart.

* September 1: in the morning, allies of the Pterramen (slightly different in appearance and language from the Flugelrod-like Pterramen, but still riding saurians) arrive at Galoss to join the attack. Captain Calhoun casts a great spell of ‘Mental Defense’ on everything in the Inner World except the Fat Ones, and the army sets forth ... about 400 natives, and the 14 members of the expedition. The flying army sets out to the west, for the city of the Saamiym about 100 miles away.

A brief attack (by mind-controlled saurians) on the flying army took place halfway to the city of the Fat Ones, causing only minimal losses.

Arriving near the city of the Saamiym, the expedition members notice a small volcano beyond it, across a curving lake. Captain Calhoun conducts a short magical ritual from saurian-back, and raises his hand -- to call down the wrath of some Old Testament ancestor upon the city of the Fat Ones! Amid thunder and lightning, a huge slab of rock detaches from the ‘ceiling’ and plummets, in a majestic 30 second fall, onto the city, obliterating it entirely. As it strikes the city, a great flash of light is emitted from beneath it, a rumbling shock is felt through the ground (the army having landed to observe the destruction), and the sun begins to rapidly dim! The Pterramen are suitably impressed by Captain Calhoun’s magical power.

A great crashing boom rolls over the army, followed by a wave of dust, smoke and flaming debris; some of the Pterramen are killed. The army leaves their frightened saurians under guard, and moves quickly (to the thrilling sound of a bagpipe) through the flaming, shattered jungle around the destroyed city, and up to the slopes of the volcano. As they climb the slopes, the sun is entirely extinguished (except for a few ruddily-glowing cracks in its surface), but the light of numerous forest fires, and the glow of the volcanic crater, provide sufficient light to move by.

A door used by the Fat Ones to enter the crater is blocked; but our heroes clamber over the rim of the crater itself, to observe some evil super-scientific act of sacrifice about to take place. Led by the expedition members, the army swarms into the lair of the Fat Ones leaders (in fact the maximum leader himself, Yabahaan, is present). Confronting the Saamiym leaders, men and Pterramen accuse them of evil deeds, and threaten them with immediate death. Yabahaan issues an angry retort, claiming that swift and utter destruction has already been prepared for his people’s enemies. Count Ostrowsky decides enough traditional climactic banter has occured, and slaughters Yabahaan; his minions last only a second longer, dying under the blades and bullets of the army.

Cries of dismay from the rear of the army alerts the Upper World people to the unhappy fact that the sun seemed to be headed straight for them (at the crater of the volcano). The army quickly ran and rolled away down the cindery slopes of the volcano, as the (smallish and dead) sun of the Inner World struck the crater with a resounding roar. Men and Pterramen fled to the sides of the Inner World nearby, as several minutes of magma-related cataclysm took place; a few more of the Pterramen perished.

The army soon returned to where their mounts had been left, and departed the unhealthy regions in haste. Camp was made to rest the saurians for a couple of hours, and then the army pushed on, returning to Galoss in the darkness. There were signs of damage from great earth shocks even here -- new waterfalls from the ‘ceiling’, old waterfalls dried up, great rock-falls present on the ‘floor’, and some damage to Galoss. The residents of Galoss, naturally concerned when the sun suddenly went out and massive earthquakes struck, became overjoyed by the return of the army. The members of the army took themselves to bed, somewhat concerned about the fate of the sun.

* September 2: With the return of the sun in the morning, the victory and safety of the Pterramen seems complete! Hurray! Honors and respect are heaped upon the Upper Worlders (especially the Wonder Weapon, Captain Calhoun). A few of the expedition members fly over to Lamsa to see what has happened there; they find that while the city is unharmed, a great torrent of ice-cold water now pours out from the passage which led the expedition down into the Inner World. Alas! The great crystal memory of Lamsa does know, however, of certain long-ago and rumored exits from the Inner World to the Upper World.

* September 9: After a week of being feted and feasted, the expedition realizes that it must return to the Upper World. Setting forth on their mounts, they receive a sad final salutation from the people of Galoss, and begin winging to the far west. With them is a single Pterraman, Ligan by name; he has confessed to Count Ostrowsky his terrible love for Miss Ralston, and his desire to accompany the expedition back to the surface world.

* September 11: While flying along the Inner World, an ancient temple or structure, probably erected by the ancestors of the Sunaynans, is discovered by the expedition. Exploring within, several small versions of the mind-crystals are found, and some are taken away by Captain Calhoun.

* September 14: Having flown over hundreds of miles of primitive terrain, and seen only the most bestial of civilizations, the expedition locates a small building of obviously Sunaynan architecture. Venturing within, they find a steeply slanting shaft. The shaft leads upwards almost 6,000 feet, and northwestwards about five miles. The expedition emerges in some deserted part of Afghanistan, near the Karakoram passes of the Hindu Kush -- truly an inhospitalbe region for non-natives. The saurians, having been forced to walk up the shaft, are also suffering from the cold, and from a lack of food.

Using magic, Captain Calhoun sends a message requesting help to Countess Ostrowsky, off at Rochford Manor in England (Attack of the Fifty Foot Boris). Within an hour, she arrives via magical Gate, and hears with some agitation the brief story of the expedition. She and her husband travel quickly to Siam by Gate, and consult with Mr. Parapthet; then, returning to the expedition in Afghanistan, they finally take the entire group to a barge on the Menam, south of Bangkok.

Eventually, most of the Expedition’s members are settled in a hotel at Bangkok’s harbor; Captain Calhoun and his men in a hotel in Bangkok itself; and the Ostrowskys, and Miss Ralston, return magically to England.

* September 15: Captain Calhoun sends a message to the Sumter Cannonball using magic, requesting that they travel to Bangkok.

* September 19: the Sumter Cannonball arrives in Bangkok.

* September 21: Captain Calhoun and the expedition put on a display of saurian aerobatics for the residents of Bangkok.

* October 20: the Sumter Cannonball returns to Europe.

* December 15: the Ostrowskys and Viscount Althorp are invited to Sir Simon Moleskyne's Irish estates for some post-holiday fun.

* December 27th: in the morning, the Queen departs Buckingham Palace for Balmoral.

* December 28th: the Queen arrives at Balmoral; Alexandrina awakens in a Whitechapel bordello. Count and Countess Ostrowsky, and Viscount Althorp, leave Rochford Manor for Sir Simon Moleskyne's estate in Ireland.

* December 29th: John Brown is dismissed from the Queen's service. The Ostrowskys, Viscount Althorp, and Sir Simon cross the Irish Sea ...

* December 30th: ... and arrive at Sir Simon's estate near Clonmel.

* December 31st: Alexandrina is taken from the bordello and sent to Holyhead in a private saloon carriage.

1876

* January 1st: The New Year's Honours List is released by the government. Alexandrina is taken to Dublin, Ireland on a packet boat, arriving mid-afternoon. She is then placed in a private saloon carriage, and sent on to Cork via the Great Southern and Western Railway; but escapes near Clonmel, and makes her way to Sir Simon's house. Many goons begin looking for Alexandrina.

* January 2nd: At about 2 a.m., John Brown is brought to Clonmel by magical means. Alexandrina, the Ostrowskys, Viscount Althorp, John Brown, and Sir Simon travel to Cork by train in the morning, and take rooms in the Harp Hotel. The news that Titus W. Blotter has been chosen for the title of "Earl of Melbourne" is learned. They beard Dr. Jones in his lair at the Victoria Hotel. After a stenuous interview, they travel to Dublin (5 hours) in railway saloon carriages, arriving at 9 p.m.

* January 3rd: the party boards the morning mail packet steamer Bluebell at 8 a.m., bound for Holyhead. About halfway through the 7 hour trip, the ship is attacked by the aerial pirate dirigible Jolly Roger; Captain Byng (the Pirate King) is persuaded to leave Alexandrina undisturbed. The ship reaches dock at 3 p.m., and the group boards a couple of private saloon cars attached to the "Irish Mail" for the trip to London (9 hours); they arrive at Euston Station about midnight, and take up residence in the Ostrowsky's home. It is learned that Titus W. Blotter is currently in Aberdeen, Scotland.

* January 4th: the party leaves London at about 4 a.m. on the Ostrowsky's private train, bound for Aberdeen (542 miles, 15 hours). They arrive in that Highland city (pop. 153,000) at 7 p.m., and install themselves in the same hotel as Blotter. He is apprehended at approximately 9 p.m., and all the group save Alexandrina and John Brown travel by Gate to a shuttered Highland hunting lodge (Invercauld Castle) near Braemar; Brown and Alexandrina travel by rail and pony trap (to arrive about dawn the next day); Brown will purchase on the way some amount of food and other neccessities.

* January 5th: by morning, fourteen people are at Invercauld Castle: Alexandrina, John Brown, Sir Simon, Viscount Althorp, Count and Countess Ostrowsky, Dr. Jones, Titus Blotter, Igor, three maids, and two valets. After a discussion over breakfast, Count Ostrowsky and Viscount Althorp travel in a pony trap the 30 miles to Stonehaven, on the coast south of Aberdeen, and spend the night in that small town.

* January 6th: Ostrowsky and Althorp catch the morning train from Stonehaven to Dundee (2 hour trip), and then the next express for London at 3 p.m.. Epiphany; the Twelfth Night Cake is cut in the Drury Lane Theatre. Brown finds a pair of reliable Highland guides to help with security at Invercauld, and buys a small horse-drawn carriage.

* January 7th: Ostrosky and Althorp arrive in London at 5 a.m. at King's Cross Station, and walk across the street to obtain rooms at the St. Pancras Hotel. After a few hours of sleep, and a quick wash, they obtain ragged clothes and approach the brothel at 55 Quicksand Street (near Brick Lane), about 10 a.m. There they find Dr. Sigismund Hartmann, and are shown the Mind Transfer Device -- contained in a "Blotter's Meat Pies -- Unforgettable Taste" cart. They convince the mad doctor Hartmann that they are in the employ of Mr. Blotter (as "Bob White" and "Nicholai ~~~"), and that he requires the infernal device to be sent to Scotland. Hartmann easily agrees, and Viscount Althorp obtains a Galvanic Automotive to pull the device to the King's Cross railway station. The device and automotive are loaded aboard a railway gondola, attached to a passenger train leaving at 3 p.m. A bit of lunch and gathering of personal effects, and the train leaves ...

* January 8th: Count Ostrowsky, Viscount Althorp, and Prof. Hartmann disembark from the train in Dundee at 1 a.m., and unload the Galvanic Automotive and the Mind Transfer Device. They begin the long trip along Scottish roads, in bad weather, through the Grampian Highlands, spending the next night in a small Highland inn.

* January 9th: Professor Hartmann and his 'captors' arrive at the Dee Valley, near Balmoral, in the late afternoon. They park the invisible pie wagon along the road, and join their 'friends' at Invercauld. Professor Hartmann is still unaware of the subterfuge being employed against him.

* January 10th (Monday): Professor Hartmann, fatigued by the trip from London, sleeps in until noon. A watch is kept on Balmoral, to detect the Royal carriages heading for Aberdeen.

* January 11th (Tuesday): the morning watch detects a convoy of carriages being formed up before Balmoral. Professor Hartmann, Viscount Althorp, Alexandrina, and Count Ostrowsky hurry in a carriage to the Mind Control Device; when the Royal carriage passes by, an exchange of minds is performed! Miss Slade and the Queen faint, and the Royal carriage returns to Balmoral. Mr. Brown rides to Balmoral in the early afternoon, and by 4 p.m. a set of carriages arrives to take the heroic adventurers to an audience with Her Majesty. All is revealed, the requirement for secrecy is revealed, John Brown is restored to the Queen's service, and the villains are sent to durance vile ...

* January 12th: the Queen leaves Balmoral, bound for Aberdeen. The Ostrowskys, Viscount Althorp, and Sir Simon travel there also. Certain debts are made good with hotels in the town. The salmon fishing season begins in Scotland.

* January 13th: the Royal Train, bearing the Queen to London, departs Aberdeen in the morning. The Ostrowskys depart Aberdeen in their private train, bound for Rochford Manor.

* January 14th (Friday): the opening of Parliament at 2 p.m.; Her Majesty, looking somewhat fatigued, delivers the Queen's speech.

* March 9-16th: Turkish soldiers massacre Bulgarians, causing huge controversy across Europe.

* March 10th: Alexander Graham Bell makes a telephone call.

* March 25th (Saturday): Alexander Ostrowsky is born at Rochford Manor.

* March 27th (Monday): beginning of the flat racing season with the Epsom Spring Races this week.

* April 8th (Saturday): the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.

* April 24th: the Ostrowskys begin travelling to Khemelita.

* May 1st (Monday): the London season begins. Cricket play begins at Lord's. The opening of the Royal Academy.

* May 2nd: the Ostrowskys arrive at Khemelita, and begin receiving their Russian relations.

* May 24th (Wednesday): the Queen's Birthday. Sir Simon Moleskyne is raised to the peerage as Baron Moleskyne.

* May 29th: the Ostrowskys leave Khemelita, bound for St. Petersburg.

* May 30th: Sultan Abdul Aziz of Turkey is deposed and commits suicide.

* June 1st: Ostrowskys in St. Petersburg for spring maneuvers.

* June 4th (Sunday): Whitsunday, and beginning of the Whitsun recess of Parliament.

* June 5th (Monday): Royal Ascot Week begins. Her Majesty and guests arrive at the course in semi-state.

* June 7th: Ostrowskys leave St. Petersburg for England.

* June 8th (Thursday): Gold Cup Day at Ascot (the Queen is in attendance again), famous for its display of new wardrobes by the ladies present.

* June 12th: the Military Tattoo is held at Aldershot.

* June 15th: the Ostrowskys arrive back at Rochford Manor in England.

* June 30th: Serbia declares war on Turkey.

* July 2nd: Montenegro declares war on Turkey.

* July 4th: the Centennial Exhibition is opened this day in Philadelphia. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Matilda Joslyn Gage present a "declaration of rights" to the acting U.S. vice president.

* July 5th (Wednesday): beginning of the Henley Regatta, an important social function lasting four days. The Ostrowskys, Viscount Althorp, Hon. Vyvyan Teef-Islip ("Mole"), and Alexander Bonaventure are all in attendance.

* July 25th: Viscount Althorp and Vyvyan Teef-Islip are dumped in a stream whilst driving an automotive. They become suspicious of Baron Teef, older brother of Vyvyan.

* July 28th: the Ostrowskys, Viscount Althorp, and Vyvyan Teef-Islip visit Teef Manor; they discover that Baron Teef is raising Sumatran Rat-Monkeys.

* July 30th: a search of the home of (the deceased) Professor Ormond Wedleycock uncovers the mysterious "Darien Oath", a mighty spell which could turn all of the sheep in Scotland into poisonous snakes for a year if triggered! "Les Habits Noir" are now the sworn enemies of the Ostrowskys, Viscount Althorp, and Mr. Bonaventure.

* August 2: The upcoming "Great Lincolnshire Handicap" is the subject of much attention in the press. It is to be run on August 5th-6th over a road course of 104 miles, with the following handicaps:

Pedestrians, 20 hours

Horses and other animals, ridden or drawing a carriage, 14 hours

Bicycles and other man-powered vehicles, 5 hours

Motorized two-wheeled cycles, 3 hours 15 minutes

Other motor vehicles, 3 hours

More than person may travel upon a vehicle (but no person may travel upon a vehicle who was not present aboard the vehicle at the start of the race), and participants may take up supplies and food at their pleasure; however, the "spirit of the event" forbids reliance upon the use of magic or external aids to a contestant's progress. The race will begin at 4 p.m. on the 5th, with the start of the pedestrian field; the horses will be started at 10 p.m. that evening; the bicyles at 7 a.m. on the 6th; motorized cycles at 8:45 a.m.; and other motor vehicles at 9 a.m.. Finishes after 10 p.m. on the 6th will not be recorded; the Prize Cup will go unawarded if no contestant finishes by that time. A field of varied entrants is expected to compete for a Prize Cup.

* August 5th: Start of the "Great Lincolnshire Handicap" race from Boston ...

* August 6th: ... to Grantham, where Mr. Daniel Hannay-Talmadge places first overall (riding a horse), Lt. Temembiere finishes second overall (also on a horse), and Mr. Morquardt of Michigan finishes third overall (upon a motor-bicycle). First place in the Road Engine division is taken by Viscount Althorp, driving his "Omega Zephyr"; Mr. Bent Boogerd, of Sweden, finishes first in the Pedestrian division; Mr. Wilhelm van Mildert is first in the Carriage division; and Mr. Gordon Bowe comes first among the Cyclists.