Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 7, 2025
We had hardly got steerage-way when I heard a commotion aft, a choking, angry voice, that sounded through the hubbub like Silver Tongue's, a quick, fierce, violent struggle, and then suddenly the companion hatch went shut with a bang. Even as it did so the fore-hatch followed with a crash, and everybody began to cheer.
Next moment the men were "tumbling up" the fore-hatch to the deck, where the watch had already sprung to the boat-tackles. "Where away?" sang out Captain Dunning who was among the first on deck. "Off the weather bow, sir, three points." "How far?" "About two miles. Thar she blows!" "Call all hands," shouted the captain.
It is not during a calm like this that we run risk, but when the gale begins to blow we cannot hear, and shall not, perhaps, see very well." As he spoke the hermit lifted the covering of the fore-hatch and took out a small sail which he asked Nigel to pass aft to the negro. "Close-reef it, Moses; we shall make use of the wind as long as possible. After that we will lay-to."
Scudamore, what was his name? You know." "Three fingers at five pounds apiece per annum as long as he lives!" Lieutenant Scudamore, look at me. Here you see me without an ear, damaged in the fore-hatch, and with the larboard bow stove in and how much do I get, though so much older?"
The Sea-gull continued tumbling about as before, now tossed to the top of one curling wave, now to that of another; while every now and then a fresh rush of water down the fore-hatch made the two boys dread more than ever that she would ere long go to the bottom.
For he dared not smoke; stewards, cooks, and sailors were all about him. In three days the bark's nose was as high as the seven-part tackle would bring it, with all men heaving who could find room at the windlass-brakes. Then they clapped a luff-tackle on the fall, and by heaving on this, nippering and fleeting up, they lifted the fore-hatch and forecastle scuttle out of water which was enough.
The fish-tackle was got up, fish-davit rigged out, and, after two or three hours of hard and cold work, both the anchors were ready for instant use, a couple of kedges got up, a hawser coiled away upon the fore-hatch, and the deep-sea-lead-line overhauled and made ready.
Sacred forever be the Areturion's fore-hatch alas! sea-moss is over it now and rusty forever the bolts that held together that old sea hearth-stone, about which we so often lounged. Nevertheless, ye lost and leaden hours, I will rail at ye while life lasts. Well: weeks, chronologically speaking, went by.
In the dim light of the den which they inhabited, five senseless figures and two shouting, swearing, singing madmen represented the crew of the Black Swan. They were placed under the fore-hatch, as their officers had been under the after one, and Kerouan was directed twice a day to give them food and drink. So at last we found that the Black Swan was entirely our own.
"Now," he said at last, "the fact about our second is this, in my opinion which ain't mine, but the whole of 'em he's no more'n a ship with a voice under the fore-hatch " I laughed at him as I asked, "And what's the matter with a ship like that? Why shouldn't there be a voice under the fore-hatch, Dan?"
Word Of The Day
Others Looking