United States or Norfolk Island ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Sparks skated from crupper to mane along the mule's back, and he gave a snort and a heave, and away they went." Chairman Presson, deep in his trouble, was disgusted by this levity, and growled under his breath. "If a fellow had been off ahead of the team with a bag of oats perhaps the pipe wouldn't have been needed," pursued the Duke, meditatively. "Anyway, gentlemen, I'll tell you what I'll do.
"The ship was rolling heavily in the trough of a Biscay sea, which, no matter how the wind, is a violent, troublesome heave of cross-forces. The upper canvas was carried away, or hanging in the buntlines. Some of the braces were adrift and the yards swinging.
"Then we being met friends all, let's have up a bottle and heave off on this here business without more ado," says Evans; and with that he seats himself in the Don's chair, pokes up the fire with his boots, and spits on the hearth. The Don graciously places a chair for Mr. Hopkins, rings the bell, and seats himself.
At other times, as the patrolman on the beat sauntered by in his authoritative blue stippled with its metal buttons, the old peddler's watching eyes would wander wistfully after the nonchalant figure. At such times a meditative and melancholy intentness would fix itself on the faded old face, and the stooping old shoulders would even unconsciously heave with a sigh.
"Ay, ay, sir, they see us, and mean to hit us too; but we are running across their fire, and that with a ten-knot breeze; but, when we heave in stays, and get in a line with their guns, we shall see, and it may be feel, more of their work than we do now; a thirty-two an't trained as easily as a fowling-piece or a ducking-gun."
Having only one arm an arm, it is true, with the biceps of a giant he could not clutch the rope in the ordinary way. But at each successive spring he dug his hook into the side of the vessel, and mounted with amazing rapidity, talking to himself all the time. "Avast, there!" he shouted, as with a final heave upon the hook dug into the gunwale he hoisted himself on deck.
The first error I made was in applying my apparatus of blocks and pulleys to a rope which was too weak, so that the very first heave I made broke it in two, and sent me staggering against the after-hatch, over which I tripped, and, striking against the main-boom, tumbled down the companion-ladder into the cabin. I was much bruised and somewhat stunned by this untoward accident.
"What lies are you telling, youngster?" he exclaimed, uttering a fearful oath. Then he shouted to the mate, who had gone forward to be out of his way. "Did I heave my quadrant at you?" "Yes, you did," answered the mate. "You made me break mine, too, and if we lose our lives you'll have them on your head." The captain made no reply. I think that the occurrence must have flashed on his mind.
But they either did not understand me, or did not believe me, for the answer was a blow from a cutlass, which, if I had not parried with my night glass, which it broke in pieces, might have effectually stopped my promotion. "Cut them down, boarders, down with them they are pirates," shouted I; "heave cold shot into their boat alongside all hands, Mr Rousemout," to the boatswain, "call all hands."
"Of course; for how could he go down head-foremost, without peaking his tail in the air?" "One lives and larns as long as one lives," observed my father. "Heave ahead again, old boy."
Word Of The Day