FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267  
268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   >>   >|  
ught to see other things." "He will do perfectly well; send the young gentleman to me, sir; but, first inform the officer of the watch that I have need of him." Bluewater was unusually fastidious in exercising his authority over those who had temporary superiors on the assigned duty of the ship; and he never sent an order to any of the watch, without causing it to pass through the officer of that watch. He waited but a minute before the boy appeared. "Have you a good gripe to-night, boy?" asked the rear-admiral, smiling; "or will it be both hands for yourself and none for the king? I want you on the fore-top-gallant-yard, for eight or ten minutes." "Well, sir, it's a plain road there, and one I've often travelled," returned the lad, cheerfully. "That I well know; you are certainly no skulk when duty is to be done. Go aloft then, and ascertain if the lights of any of Sir Gervaise's squadron are to be seen. You will remember that the Dover bears somewhere about south-west from us, and that she is still a long way to seaward. I should think all of Sir Gervaise's ships must be quite as far to windward as that point would bring them, but much further off. By looking sharp a point or half a point to windward of the Dover, you may possibly see the light of the Warspite, and then we shall get a correct idea of the bearings of all the rest of the division--" "Ay-ay-sir," interrupted the boy; "I think I understand exactly what you wish to know, Admiral Bluewater." "That is a natural gift at sixteen, my lord," returned the admiral, smiling; "but it may be improved a little, perhaps, by the experience of fifty. Now, it is possible Sir Gervaise may have gone about, as soon as the flood made; in which case he ought to bear nearly west of us, and you will also look in that direction. On the other hand, Sir Gervaise may have stretched so far over towards the French coast before night shut in, as to feel satisfied Monsieur de Vervillin is still to the eastward of him; in which case he would keep off a little, and may, at this moment, be nearly ahead of us. So that, under all the circumstances, you will sweep the horizon, from the weather-beam to the lee-bow, ranging forward. Am I understood, now, my lord?" "Yes, sir, I think you are," answered the boy, blushing at his own impetuosity. "You will excuse my indiscretion, Admiral Bluewater; but I _thought_ I understood all you desired, when I spoke so hastily." "No doubt
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267  
268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Gervaise

 

Bluewater

 

returned

 
smiling
 

admiral

 
understood
 

Admiral

 

windward

 

officer

 
experience

things

 

improved

 

sixteen

 

bearings

 

division

 

correct

 

Warspite

 
interrupted
 
natural
 
understand

perfectly

 

answered

 
forward
 

ranging

 

blushing

 

hastily

 

desired

 
thought
 

impetuosity

 

excuse


indiscretion

 

weather

 

horizon

 

satisfied

 

Monsieur

 

French

 

stretched

 
Vervillin
 

circumstances

 
moment

eastward

 

direction

 

minutes

 

assigned

 

cheerfully

 

travelled

 

gallant

 

waited

 

appeared

 

causing