FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66  
67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   >>   >|  
leave the harbour. Curiosity in their case was small. Every half-hour, launches puffed along to take back their pilots. The purlieus of Monte Video with their apparent but distant gaiety, even, were soon disregarded. Bicker and Meacock exchanged humorous history by the engine bunkers, in holiday mood. The steward, who had lost little time in putting out a fishline, leaned over the rail in meditation, not knowing that his misanthropic look was being almost to a line caught by Bicker behind him. Bicker also illustrated in dumb show the action of heaving the poor old man overboard. And, meanwhile, it was hot: no doubt of that! Presently the doleful patience of the steward was rewarded with a foolish-looking fish perhaps three pounds in weight, which was soon cut into sectors and salted. When towards seven in the evening the anchor was got up and the ship began to move up the River Plate to Buenos Aires, the scene was one to be remembered. Astern lay Monte Video with its lines of lights, and from its hill one great light glowed out momently; ahead lay the buoys of the channel, flashing first red and then white in reassuring alternation along our course; and the moon overhead, pale with a stratum of thin cloud, or lost at times behind echelons of stormier vapours, gave light enough to hint at the look of the shores. At first the captain, the mate and the anchor appeared the three forces acting on the ship, the anchor especially, which was loath to come aboard. At last it came, and the _Bonadventure_ went steadily up the river to the pipe of a rising wind. Hosea, well satisfied, sat down in his room with his "purser" to theorize in our wonted way. The beauty of the commonplace, it was; then we were considering the simplicity of seafaring men. They must be simple, he said, to have done what they had done, including Columbus. Seafaring in sailing ships, he described in the powerful phrase "fighting against your God"; a phrase which I suppose the early mariners in their piety might have applied to steamers. Those trim skiffs unknown of yore-- I condense Coleridge-- That fear no spite of wind or tide! Phillips joined us. "We're discussing nautical history, chief." Being assured that this really was so, Phillips said he was uncertain about the true story of the _Golden Hind's_ boatswain, but he felt certain about our not reaching Buenos Aires in the morning. If he were not a moral man, he would "bet you, si
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66  
67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Bicker

 

anchor

 

Phillips

 

phrase

 

Buenos

 
history
 

steward

 

satisfied

 

reaching

 

theorize


purser
 

Golden

 

simplicity

 

commonplace

 

beauty

 

boatswain

 

wonted

 
rising
 

acting

 

forces


shores

 

captain

 

appeared

 

aboard

 

steadily

 

morning

 
Bonadventure
 
simple
 

skiffs

 
unknown

condense

 

steamers

 

mariners

 
applied
 

discussing

 

joined

 

Coleridge

 

nautical

 
suppose
 

including


Columbus

 

Seafaring

 

uncertain

 

sailing

 

assured

 

fighting

 
powerful
 
seafaring
 

knowing

 

meditation