stations
afloat
—not
ashore
;
there
I had
considerably the advantage of him—as occasionally to call me "sir." I
always paid for this inadvertency, however, it usually putting a stop
to the communications for the time being. In one instance, he took
such prompt revenge for this implied admission of equality, as
literally to break off short in the discourse, and to order me, in his
sharpest key, to go aloft and send some studding-sails on deck, though
they all had to be sent aloft again, and set, in the course of the
same watch. But offended dignity is seldom considerate, and not always
consistent.
"A quiet night, Master Miles"—
this
the mate
could
call
me, as it implied superiority on his part—"A quiet night, Master
Miles," commenced Mr. Marble, "and a strong westerly current,
accordin' to Captain Robbins. Well, to my taste gooseberries are
better than currents, and
I'd
go about. That's my manner of
generalizing
."
"The captain, I suppose, sir, from that, is of a different opinion?"
"Why, yes, somewhatish,—though I don't think he knows himself exactly
what his own opinion is. This is the third v'y'ge I've sailed with the
old gentleman, and he is half his time in a fog or a current. Now,
it's his idee the ocean is full of Mississippi rivers, and if one
could only find the head of a stream, he might go round the world in
it. More particularly does he hold that there is no fear of the land
when in a current, as a stream never sets on shore. For my part, I
never want any better hand-lead than my nose."
"Nose, Mr. Marble?"
"Yes, nose, Master Miles. Haven't you remarked how far we smelt the
Injees, as we went through the islands?"
"It is true, sir, the Spice Islands, and all land, they say—"
"What the devil's that?" asked the mate, evidently startled at
something he
heard
, though he appeared to
smell
nothing,
unless indeed it might be a rat.
"It sounds like water washing on rocks, sir, as much as anything I
ever heard in my life!"
"Ready about!" shouted the mate. "Run down and call the captain,
Miles—hard a-lee—start everybody up, forward."
A scene of confusion followed, in the midst of which the captain,
second-mate, and the watch below, appeared on deck. Captain Robbins
took command, of course, and was in time to haul the after-yards, the
ship coming round slowly in so light a wind. Come round she did,
however, and, when her head was fairly to the southward and eastward,
the captain demanded an explanation. Mr. Marble did not feel disposed
to trust his nose any longer, but he invited the captain to use his
ears. This all hands did, and, if sounds could be trusted, we had a
pretty lot of breakers seemingly all around us.
"We surely can go out the way we came in, Mr. Marble?" said the
captain, anxiously.
"Yes, sir, if there were no
current
; but one never knows where
a bloody current will carry him in the dark."
"Stand by to let go the anchor!" cried the captain. "Let run and clew
up, forward and aft. Let go as soon as you're ready, Mr. Kite."
Luckily, we had kept a cable bent as we came through the Straits, and,
not knowing but we might touch at the Isle of France, it was still
bent, with the anchor fished. We had talked of stowing the latter
in-board, but, having land in sight, it was not done. In two minutes
it was a-cock-bill, and, in two more, let go. None knew whether we
should find a bottom; but Kite soon sang out to "snub," the anchor
being down, with only six fathoms out. The lead corroborated this, and
we had the comfortable assurance of being not only among breakers, but
just near the coast. The holding-ground, however, was reported good,
and we went to work and rolled up all our rags. In half an hour the
ship was snug, riding by the stream, with a strong current, or tide,
setting exactly north-east, or directly opposite to the captain's
theory. As soon as Mr. Marble had ascertained this fact, I overheard
him grumbling about something, of which I could distinctly understand
nothing but the
afloat
—not
ashore
;
there
I had
considerably the advantage of him—as occasionally to call me "sir." I
always paid for this inadvertency, however, it usually putting a stop
to the communications for the time being. In one instance, he took
such prompt revenge for this implied admission of equality, as
literally to break off short in the discourse, and to order me, in his
sharpest key, to go aloft and send some studding-sails on deck, though
they all had to be sent aloft again, and set, in the course of the
same watch. But offended dignity is seldom considerate, and not always
consistent.
"A quiet night, Master Miles"—
this
the mate
could
call
me, as it implied superiority on his part—"A quiet night, Master
Miles," commenced Mr. Marble, "and a strong westerly current,
accordin' to Captain Robbins. Well, to my taste gooseberries are
better than currents, and
I'd
go about. That's my manner of
generalizing
."
"The captain, I suppose, sir, from that, is of a different opinion?"
"Why, yes, somewhatish,—though I don't think he knows himself exactly
what his own opinion is. This is the third v'y'ge I've sailed with the
old gentleman, and he is half his time in a fog or a current. Now,
it's his idee the ocean is full of Mississippi rivers, and if one
could only find the head of a stream, he might go round the world in
it. More particularly does he hold that there is no fear of the land
when in a current, as a stream never sets on shore. For my part, I
never want any better hand-lead than my nose."
"Nose, Mr. Marble?"
"Yes, nose, Master Miles. Haven't you remarked how far we smelt the
Injees, as we went through the islands?"
"It is true, sir, the Spice Islands, and all land, they say—"
"What the devil's that?" asked the mate, evidently startled at
something he
heard
, though he appeared to
smell
nothing,
unless indeed it might be a rat.
"It sounds like water washing on rocks, sir, as much as anything I
ever heard in my life!"
"Ready about!" shouted the mate. "Run down and call the captain,
Miles—hard a-lee—start everybody up, forward."
A scene of confusion followed, in the midst of which the captain,
second-mate, and the watch below, appeared on deck. Captain Robbins
took command, of course, and was in time to haul the after-yards, the
ship coming round slowly in so light a wind. Come round she did,
however, and, when her head was fairly to the southward and eastward,
the captain demanded an explanation. Mr. Marble did not feel disposed
to trust his nose any longer, but he invited the captain to use his
ears. This all hands did, and, if sounds could be trusted, we had a
pretty lot of breakers seemingly all around us.
"We surely can go out the way we came in, Mr. Marble?" said the
captain, anxiously.
"Yes, sir, if there were no
current
; but one never knows where
a bloody current will carry him in the dark."
"Stand by to let go the anchor!" cried the captain. "Let run and clew
up, forward and aft. Let go as soon as you're ready, Mr. Kite."
Luckily, we had kept a cable bent as we came through the Straits, and,
not knowing but we might touch at the Isle of France, it was still
bent, with the anchor fished. We had talked of stowing the latter
in-board, but, having land in sight, it was not done. In two minutes
it was a-cock-bill, and, in two more, let go. None knew whether we
should find a bottom; but Kite soon sang out to "snub," the anchor
being down, with only six fathoms out. The lead corroborated this, and
we had the comfortable assurance of being not only among breakers, but
just near the coast. The holding-ground, however, was reported good,
and we went to work and rolled up all our rags. In half an hour the
ship was snug, riding by the stream, with a strong current, or tide,
setting exactly north-east, or directly opposite to the captain's
theory. As soon as Mr. Marble had ascertained this fact, I overheard
him grumbling about something, of which I could distinctly understand
nothing but the
Similar Books
