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He was a personage in the county, as well as a dignitary of the Church. Every one in Devonshire knew the name of Froude, if only from "Parson Froude," no credit to his cloth, who appears as Parson Chowne in Blackmore's once popular novel, The Maid of Sker. But the Archdeacon was a man of blameless life, and not in the least like Parson Froude.
'Cotched one, I reckon, remarked Gill briefly, and hurried on deck followed by the two boys. The 'Maid of Sker' was the ordinary type of North Sea trawler, and so far as Ken and Roy could see, her fellow, whose name Gill told them was the 'Swan of Avon, was her double.
It fell short, but Roy saw it and with a great effort reached it. 'Hang on! roared Ken at the top of his voice. 'I'll pull you in. He had hardly began to haul when the end came. A shell bigger than any yet took the 'Maid of Sker' amidships. There was a fearful explosion, Ken felt himself hurled forward, and next moment the chill waters of the Dardanelles closed over his head.
Other works of Blackmore which will repay the reader are Clara Vaughan , his first novel, The Maid of Sker , Springhaven , Perlycross , and Tales from the Telling House ; but none of these, though he counted them his best work, has met with the same favor as Lorna Doone.
In such books, for example, as The Maid of Sker and Cripps the Carrier the idiosyncrasy is extraordinary: the quaint and piquant oddity of phrase and apophthegm is as vivid as Dickens, rather more real, and tinged somehow with a flavour of literature, even of poetry, which was Dickens's constant lack.
"Come, sit down, stranger; 'Sit down an' share a soldier's couch, a soldier's fare. Not as I'm a sojer," he hastened to explain, "but thet's how it is in ther book. Say, old woman, kint ye kinder sker up some coffee fer we uns leastwise whut us Confeds call coffee?" Without much difficulty I induced Mrs. Brennan to draw her chair once more to the table, and I sat down beside her.
But Gill had already run aft to assist. Low-voiced orders were heard, and the 'Maid of Sker' began to forge slowly ahead. 'I think they're going to tow it out of the channel, Ken said to Roy. 'That's what I believe they do. 'But I thought the beastly things exploded when you touched 'em, said Roy. 'Some do. That's the sort with steel whiskers on them.
'What ship is this? asked Ken, when the first pangs of hunger had been satisfied. "Maid o' Sker." Mine sweeper. Skipper, Seth Grimball, was the brief answer. Then, after a pause, 'Where did you blokes come from? Ken told him, or rather began to, for before he had finished, the steady beat of the engines suddenly slackened.
'That's no fish. Then raising himself as high as he could out of the water he sent a sharp cry for help pealing through the darkness. 'Hallo! Hallo! Who's that? Never had Ken been happier to hear the sound of a human voice. 'Three survivors from the "Maid of Sker," he answered. 'Our boat's upset. 'Hang on! came the quick reply. 'We'll have you out in a jiffy.