The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Battle and the Breeze, by R.M. Ballantyne

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Title: The Battle and the Breeze

Author: R.M. Ballantyne

Release Date: November 6, 2007 [EBook #23370]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BATTLE AND THE BREEZE ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

The Battle and the Breeze, by R.M. Ballantyne.

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In this shortish book we have a description of the Battle of the Nile,
in which the naval forces of Admiral Nelson fought and defeated the
French. The story is made more human by recounting tales of the life of
a British seaman, Bill Bowls, along with incidents involving his
friends Ben Bolter and Tom Riggles.

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THE BATTLE AND THE BREEZE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.

CHAPTER ONE.

TOUCHES ON OUR HERO'S EARLY LIFE, EXPERIENCES, AND ADVENTURES.

Bill Bowls was the most amiable, gentle, kindly, and modest fellow that
ever trod the deck of a man-of-war. He was also one of the most
lion-hearted men in the Navy.

When Bill was a baby--a round-faced, large-eyed, fat-legged baby, as
unlike to the bronzed, whiskered, strapping seaman who went by the name
of "Fighting Bill" as a jackdaw is to a marlinespike--when Bill was a
baby, his father used to say he was just cut out for a sailor; and he
was right, for the urchin was overflowing with vigour and muscular
energy. He was utterly reckless, and very earnest--we might almost say
_desperately_ earnest. Whatever he undertook to do he did "with a
will." He spoke with a will, listened with a will, laughed, yelled,
ate, slept, wrought, and fought with a will. In short, he was a
splendid little fellow, and therefore, as his father wisely said, was
just cut out for a sailor.

Bill seemed to hold the same opinion, for he took to the water quite
naturally from the very commencement of life. He laughed with glee when
his mother used to put him into the washtub, and howled with rage when
she took him out. Dancing bareheaded under heavy rain was his delight,
wading in ponds and