FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28  
29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   >>   >|  
alf, which enclosure I was instructed to present to the gentleman addressed on joining the ship. I will not detain my readers by introducing them to the officers of the "Scourge;" my sojourn on board that ship was but a short one, so short, indeed, that I scarcely had time to become acquainted with them myself; and, as I never fell in with any of them again in after-life, what little it is necessary for the reader to know concerning them he will glean in the progress of the narrative. And now to resume the thread of my story. The "Scourge," when we left her, was standing out to sea under single- reefed topsails. The wind was about W.N.W., blowing strong, with frequent squalls of mingled rain and sleet. The sky was entirely obscured by dull, dirty, ragged-looking clouds, which hung so low that they seemed to touch our trucks as they swept rapidly along overhead. The sea under the shelter of the land was of course smooth, but as we drew rapidly off the shore (the brig proving to be a wonderfully fast little craft, to the intense satisfaction of all hands), we soon got into rougher water; and then to the original miseries of rain and cold were added the discomfort of frequent and copious showers of icy spray, which, coming in over the weather bow, flew right aft and out over the lee quarter, treating everybody, with the utmost impartiality, to a good drenching on its way. All hands, from the skipper downward, disregarding appearances, carefully enwrapped their carcases from head to foot in oilskin; and if anything had been needed to complete the all- pervading aspect of cold and wretchedness which the scene presented, it would have been found in contemplation of the wet and shiny appearance of the crew, each with a little stream of water trickling off the flap of his sou'-wester down his back, and with hair and whiskers blowing drenched and bedraggled about his pinched and purple visage. The crowning misery of all--sea-sickness--I was happily spared, and I was thus enabled to go about my duty without experiencing a wish that some kindly sea would wash me overboard and end my life and my wretchedness together; but, as it was, the circumstances attendant upon my first experience of active service were such as might well have damped the ardour of one even more enthusiastic than myself. My pride, or my obstinacy, however, were such, that having once put my hand to the plough, I was quite determined that nothing shor
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28  
29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
rapidly
 

wretchedness

 
frequent
 

blowing

 
Scourge
 
whiskers
 
contemplation
 

drenched

 

bedraggled

 

present


instructed

 

appearance

 

wester

 

trickling

 

enclosure

 

stream

 

presented

 

aspect

 

disregarding

 

downward


appearances

 

carefully

 

enwrapped

 

skipper

 
joining
 
drenching
 

carcases

 

complete

 

needed

 

pervading


pinched

 
gentleman
 
addressed
 

oilskin

 

misery

 

enthusiastic

 

ardour

 

damped

 

service

 
plough

determined
 
obstinacy
 

active

 

experience

 
enabled
 

spared

 

happily

 

visage

 

crowning

 
impartiality