The Project Gutenberg EBook of Young Tom Bowling, by J.C. Hutcheson

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Title: Young Tom Bowling
The Boys of the British Navy

Author: J.C. Hutcheson

Illustrator: John B. Greene

Release Date: April 15, 2007 [EBook #21089]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK YOUNG TOM BOWLING ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Young Tom Bowling
The Boys of the British Navy

By J.C. Hutcheson
________________________________________________________________________
This book fills a gap about just how boy seamen were trained at the end
of the nineteenth century. From first to last it is very credible, and
also very readable. It was not very easy to transcribe, because the
boys we meet come from a variety of country places, and hence have a
variety of dialects. In particular one of the boys has a strong Irish
brogue, and another has an equally strong west Hampshire accent. It is
this boy, `Ugly', that comes to a very sad and noble end.

Our hero, Tom, is trained for a little over a year in "Saint Vincent",
after which he moves on to various postings in the Fleet. There is an
interesting period during which he is serving in a vessel that is taking
part in the British efforts to capture and punish slave-traders on the
African east coast.

It all rings true to me, because your reviewer has been in the Royal
Navy himself, and knows the way the Navy works.
________________________________________________________________________
YOUNG TOM BOWLING
THE BOYS OF THE BRITISH NAVY

BY J.C. HUTCHESON

CHAPTER ONE.

FATHER AND I "ARGUE THE POINT."

"Hullo, father!" I sang out, when we had got a little way out from the
pontoon and opened the mouth of the harbour, noticing, as I looked over
my shoulder to see how we were steering, a string of flags being run up
aboard the old _Saint Vincent_. "They're signalling away like mad this
morning all over the shop! First, atop of the dockyard semaphore; and
then the flagship and the old _Victory_, both of 'em, blaze out in
bunting; while now the _Saint Vincent_ joins in at the game of `follow-
my-leader.' I wonder what's up?"

"Lor' bless y