ship's-guard

Updated: July 1, 2025

There was a sudden announcement to our captain about a light being seen, a brief one-sided discussion, the whistle blowing for 'Stations, the rattle of arms as the Indian ship's-guard fell in. These all affected me with strange twinges of futile protest. Surely there was a time for all things, and this was the time for coffee and tobacco, not for disconcerting risks and detestable noises.

Arthur Shearly Cripps - Cinderella in the South: Twenty-Five South African Tales