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twg_000012587500 | and also ran forward. The bow dipped at once, the good ship slid over with a plunge, and glided out upon the sea! A great shout or yell told that this had been noticed by their foes, who still rowed madly after them; but heedless of this, Erling backed water and waited for Glumm, who had made similar preparations, and | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587501 | was now close on the boom. His vessel went fairly on, and stuck halfway, as the other had done; but when she was balanced and about to turn over, there was a terrible rending sound in the hull, then a crash, and the Crane broke in two, throwing half of her crew into the sea on the inner side of | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587502 | the boom, and the other half outside. Well was it for them all then that the Swan had waited! She was at once backed towards the scene of disaster, and as many as possible were picked up. Among the rescued was Glumm, with Ada in his arms. But many were drowned, and a few stuck to the boom, refusing to | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587503 | let go, or to make any attempt to reach the Swan. Erling knew, however, that these were sure to be picked up by the King's ships, so he once more ordered the rowers to give way, and the vessel sprang forth on her voyage some time before the pursuers reached the boom. When these did so, most of them attempted | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587504 | to leap it as the fugitives had done--for none of the Norsemen there lacked spirit. Some, however, failed to get on to it at all, others got on a short way and stuck fast, while two or three ships broke their backs, as Glumm's had done, and threw their crews into the water--but not one got over. The men then | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587505 | leaped on the boom, and the sound of axes was heard as they laboured to cut it through, or to dash away its iron fastenings. It was, however, a thoroughly well-executed piece of work, and for a long time resisted their utmost efforts. When at length it did give way, and the King's ships passed through, the Swan was bey... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587506 | pursuit--far away on the horizon, with all sail set, and running before a stiff breeze, while the shades of evening were closing in around her! That night there was silence in the Norsemen's little ship as she ploughed her adventurous course over the northern sea, for the thoughts of all were very sad at being thus rud... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587507 | native land to seek a home where best they might in the wide world. Yet in the hearts of some of them there was also much happiness. Hilda's sanguine mind pictured many sweet and peaceful abodes, far from the haunts of warlike men. Alric was happy, because he was beginning, as he fondly hoped, a life of wild adventure.... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587508 | was Kettle Flatnose, for he was now sailing westward, and he knew that Ireland was somewhere in that direction. But Glumm the Gruff was perhaps the happiest of all on board, for, besides the delight of having at last got possession of his bride, he enjoyed, for the first time in his life, the pleasure of comforting a w... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587509 | distress! Ada's wild spirit was--we dare not say eradicated, but--thoroughly subdued at last. When she thought of her father she laid her head on Glumm's broad chest and wept bitterly. Thus did those Sea-kings sail away from and forsake the land of Norway. On their voyage westward they fell in with many ships from othe... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587510 | vikings like themselves, who had also left their native land to seek new homes in Shetland, Orkney, and the other isles north of Scotland, rather than submit to the yoke of Harald Haarfager. They joined company with these, and all sailed westward together. Among them was a man named Frode, who was celebrated for daring... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587511 | knowledge of the stars, and his power of navigating the unknown ocean of the west. To this man was assigned the direction of the fleet, and all submitted to his guidance; but the Sea-kings invariably assembled together in council when it was intended to decide, what they should do or to what part of the world they shou... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587512 | advice is," said Kettle Flatnose, the first time they assembled thus in council, "that we steer first to Ireland, where I can promise ye all a hearty welcome, for it is well known that the Irish are a hospitable people, and my father is a great man there." "I fall in with that," said Glumm, glancing at Ada, whose eyes | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587513 | had now become his guiding stars! "The advice is good," said Erling, "for, wherever we may finally come to an anchor, we will be none the worse of getting some provisions on the way." As Haldor, Ulf, Frode, and all the rest were of one mind on this point, the ships were steered to Ireland; and when they reached that | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587514 | country they put ashore in a small bay not far from Dublin, where was a log hut. To this Kettle went up with Erling and Glumm, and asked the man of the house how things were going on in Ireland. "As ill as can be in this district," said the man; "there is nothing but vengeance in the hearts of | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587515 | the people." "That is a bad state," said Kettle, with a look of anxiety; "what may be the cause of discontent? Is the old King hard on ye?" "Thou must have been long away to ask that. The old King is dead," said the man. At this Kettle uttered a great and bitter cry; but, restraining himself, asked eagerly if | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587516 | the old Queen were alive. The man replied that she was. Then Kettle asked how the King met his death. With a dark frown the man replied that Haabrok the Black had murdered him and seized the throne. On hearing this Kettle became pale, but was very calm, and listened attentively while the man went on to say that Haabrok | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587517 | was such a tyrant that the whole district was ready to start up as one man and dethrone him, if they had only someone who was fit to lead them. "That they shall not long want for," said Kettle. After some more earnest conversation he turned away, and went down to the shore. "Now, Erling and Glumm," said he, "we | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587518 | must do a little fighting before I can offer ye the hospitality I spoke of. Will ye aid me in a venture I have in my mind?" "That will we," they replied heartily. Kettle thereupon explained his views, and said that he had learned from the man that his wife was still alive and well, but in the hands of | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587519 | the king of the district, who was a regicide and a tyrant. It was then arranged that the Swan should be rowed quietly up towards the town, and the men landed in the night at a spot where they could be ready to answer the summons of Kettle, Erling, Glumm, and Ulf, who were to go up unattended to the | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587520 | King's house in Dublin, with no other arms than their short swords. On drawing near, these four found the hall of the King's house brilliantly lighted, for great festivities were going on there. No one interfered with them, because none guessed that so small a party would dare to go up half-armed for any other than pea... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587521 | went through the streets unmolested, and easily passed the guards, because Kettle plied them with a good deal of that which has since come to be known by the name of "blarney." When they got into the hall, Kettle went straight up to the high seat or throne on which Haabrok the Black was seated. "Ye are presumptuous kna... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587522 | the tyrant, eyeing the strangers sternly; "is it thus that ye have been taught to approach the King? What is your errand?" "For the matter of that, thou well-named villain," said Kettle, "our errand will but add to our presumption, for we have come to slay thee." With that Kettle whipped out his sword and cut off Haabr... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587523 | that it went rolling over the floor, while the body fell back and spouted blood all over the horrified court men! Instantly every man drew his sword; but Erling, Ulf, and Glumm leaped on the low platform of the throne, and presented such a bold front, that the bravest men there hesitated to attack them. At the same mom... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587524 | raised his sword and shouted, "If there be yet a true man in this hall who loves his country and reveres the memory of the good old King whom this dead dog slew, let him come hither. It is the voice of the King's son that calls!" "Sure, 'tis Kettle; I'd know his red head anywhere!" exclaimed a shrivelled old | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587525 | woman near the throne. "Aye, nurse, it is Kettle himself--come back again," he said, glancing towards the old woman with a kindly smile. A ringing cheer burst from the crowd and filled the hall; again and again it rose, as nearly all the men present rushed round the throne and waved their swords frantically over their ... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587526 | shake hands with the son of their old King. In the midst of the tumult a wild shriek was heard; and the crowd, opening up, allowed a beautiful dark-eyed woman to rush towards Kettle, with a stalwart boy of about five years of age clinging to her skirts. We need scarcely pause to say who these were, nor who the | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587527 | handsome matron was who afterwards went and clung round Kettle's neck, and heaped fervent blessings on the head of her long-lost son. It is sufficient to say that the feast of that night was not interrupted; that, on the contrary, it was prolonged into the morning, and extended into every loyal home in the city; and th... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587528 | his Norse friends right royally for several days, after which he sent them away laden with gifts and benedictions. They did not quit Ireland, however, until they had seen him happily and securely seated on the throne of Dublin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sailing northward, ... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587529 | Sea-kings had comfortably settled themselves. Here some of Haldor's people would fain have remained, but Frode, who was a man of enterprise, resolved to penetrate farther into the great unknown sea, to lands which rumour said did certainly exist there. Accordingly they left Shetland, and went on until they came to the ... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587530 | on landing they found that a few of the Sea-kings had taken up their abode there before them. "Now," said Frode, "it is my great desire to break new ground. Shall we go and search farther to the west for that new island which has been lately discovered by Ingoll?" To this Haldor and Ulf said they were agreed. Hilda | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587531 | plucked Erling by the sleeve, and whispered in his ear, after which he said that he too was agreed. Glumm glanced at Ada, who, with a little blush and smile, nodded. A nod was as good as a word to Glumm, so he also said he was agreed, and as no one else made objection, the ships' prows were again | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587532 | turned towards the setting sun. North-westward they sailed over the world of waters, until they came one fine morning in sight of land. As they drew near they saw that it was very beautiful, consisting partly of snow-capped mountains, with green fertile valleys here and there, and streams flowing through them. They ran... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587533 | and the country looked so peaceful, and withal so desirable, that it was at once resolved they should make this place their abode. Accordingly, while most of the men set themselves to work to land the goods, put up the tents, and make the women and children comfortable, a select band, well armed, prepared to go on an e... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587534 | the country, to ascertain whether or not it was inhabited. Before these set out, however, Christian the hermit stood up on a rising ground, and, raising his eyes and hands to heaven, prayed for God's blessing on their enterprise. Thereafter plots of land were marked out, houses were built, "Things" were held, a regular... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587535 | such it proved to be--was regularly taken possession of. The exploring party found that this was indeed the island which they were in search of. It had been discovered about the middle of the ninth century, and a settlement had been made on it by Ingoll in the year ; but the band of immigrants under Frode and Haldor wa... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587536 | by far the most important that had landed on it up to that time. In this manner, and under these circumstances, was Iceland colonised by expatriated Norsemen about the beginning of the tenth century! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good reader, our tale is told. Gladly would we ... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587537 | men, from first to last, are always fraught with interest and instruction; but this may not be. We have brought them, with the other chief actors in this little tale, to a happy point in their adventurous career, and there we feel that we ought to leave them in peace. Yet we would fain touch on one or two prominent | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587538 | points in their subsequent history before bidding them a final farewell. Let it be recorded, then, that many years after the date of the closing scene of our tale, there might have been seen in Iceland, at the head of a small bay, two pretty cottages, from the doors of which there was a magnificent view of as sweet a | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587539 | valley as ever filled the eye or gladdened the heart of man, with a distant glimpse of the great ocean beyond. On the sward before these cottages was assembled a large party of young men and maidens, the latter of whom were conspicuous for the sparkle of their blue eyes and the silky gloss of their fair hair, while the | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587540 | former were notable because of the great size and handsome proportions of their figures; some, however, of the men and maidens were dark and ruddy. The youths were engaged in putting the stone and throwing the hammer; the maidens looked on with interest--as maidens were wont to do on manly pastimes in days of old, and ... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587541 | unwilling to do occasionally, even in modern times. Around these romped a host of children of all ages, sizes, and shades. These were the descendants of Erling the Bold and Glumm the Gruff. The two families had, as it were, fused into one grand compound, which was quite natural, for their natures were diverse yet sympa... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587542 | Erling fair; and it is well known that black and white always go hand in hand, producing that sweet-toned grey, which Nature would seem to cherish with a love quite as powerful as the abhorrence with which she is supposed to regard a vacuum. Beside each other, leaning against a tree, and admiring the prowess of the you... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587543 | Erling and Glumm, old, it is true, and past the time when men delight to exercise their muscles, but straight and stalwart, and still noble specimens of manhood. The most interesting group, however, was to be seen seated on a rustic bench near the door. There, sometimes conversing gravely with a silver-haired old man a... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587544 | a quiet smile to caress the head of a child that had rushed from its playmates for a little to be fondled by the "old one"--sat Haldor the Fierce, with Christian the hermit on one side, and Ulf of Romsdal on the other. Their heads were pure white, and their frames somewhat bent, but health still mantled on the sunburnt | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587545 | cheeks, and sparkled in the eyes of the old Norse Sea-kings. Within the house might have been seen two exceedingly handsome matrons-- such as one may see in Norway at the present time--who called each other Hilda and Ada, and who vied with a younger Hilda and Ada in their attentions upon two frail but cheery old women ... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587546 | called "Granny Heff" and "Granny Ast". How very unlike--and yet how like--were these to the Herfrida and Astrid of former days! Between the old dames there sat on a low stool a man of gigantic proportions, who had scarcely reached middle age, and who was still overflowing with the fun and fire of youth. He employed him... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587547 | and "chaffing" the two old women, and he was such an exact counterpart of what Erling the Bold was at the age of thirty, that his own mother was constantly getting confused, and had to be reminded that he was _Alric_, and not Erling! Alric's wife, a daughter of Glumm, was with the young people on the lawn, and his | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587548 | six riotous children were among the chief tormentors of old Haldor. Ingeborg was there too, sharp as ever, but not quite so sour. She was not a spinster. There were few spinsters in those days! She had married a man of the neighbouring valley, whom she loved to distraction, and whom she led the life of a dog! But it | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587549 | was her nature to be cross-grained. She could not help it, and the poor man appeared to grow fonder of her the more she worried him! As for Ivor the Old and Finn the One-eyed, they, with most of their contemporaries, had long been gathered to their fathers, and their bones reposed on the grassy slopes of Laxriverdale. ... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587550 | the other personages of our tale, we have only space to remark that King Harald Haarfager succeeded in his wish to obtain the undivided sovereignty of Norway, but he failed to perpetuate the change; for the kingdom was, after his death, redivided amongst his sons. The last heard of Hake the berserk was, that he had bee... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587551 | midst of a great battle to have both his legs cut off at one sweep, and that he died fighting on his stumps! Jarl Rongvold was burnt by King Harald's sons, but his stout son, Rolf Ganger, left his native land, and conquered Normandy, whence his celebrated descendant, William the Conqueror, came across the Channel and c... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587552 | is perhaps more of Norse blood in your veins than you wot of, reader, whether you be English or Scotch; for those sturdy sea rovers invaded our lands from north, south, east, and west many a time in days gone by, and held it in possession for centuries at a time, leaving a lasting and beneficial impress on our customs | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587553 | and characters. We have good reason to regard their memory with respect and gratitude, despite their faults and sins, for much of what is good and true in our laws and social customs, much manly and vigorous in the British Constitution, of our intense love of freedom and fairplay, are pith, pluck, enterprise, and sense... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587554 | Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England FIGHTING THE WHALES, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE. CHAPTER ONE. IN TROUBLE, TO BEGIN WITH. There are few things in this world that have filled me with so much astonishment as the fact that man can kill a whale! That a fish, more than sixty feet long, and thirty feet round the body; with... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587555 | bulk of three hundred fat oxen rolled into one; with the strength of many hundreds of horses; able to swim at a rate that would carry it right round the world in twenty-three days; that can smash a boat to atoms with one slap of its tail, and stave in the planks of a ship with one blow of its | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587556 | thick skull;--that such a monster can be caught and killed by man, is most wonderful to hear of, but I can tell from experience that it is much more wonderful to see. There is a wise saying which I have often thought much upon. It is this: "Knowledge is power." Man is but a feeble creature, and if he had | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587557 | to depend on his own bodily strength alone, he could make no head against even the ordinary brutes in this world. But the knowledge which has been given to him by his Maker has clothed man with great power, so that he is more than a match for the fiercest beast in the forest, or the largest fish in the | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587558 | sea. Yet, with all his knowledge, with all his experience, and all his power, the killing of a great old sperm whale costs man a long, tough battle, sometimes it even costs him his life. It is a long time now since I took to fighting the whales. I have been at it, man and boy, for nigh forty years, | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587559 | and many a wonderful sight have I seen; many a desperate battle have I fought in the fisheries of the North and South Seas. Sometimes, when I sit in the chimney-corner of a winter evening, smoking my pipe with my old messmate Tom Lokins, I stare into the fire, and think of the days gone by, till I forget where | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587560 | I am, and go on thinking so hard that the flames seem to turn into melting fires, and the bars of the grate into dead fish, and the smoke into sails and rigging, and I go to work cutting up the blubber and stirring the oil-pots, or pulling the bow-oar and driving the harpoon at such a rate that I | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587561 | can't help giving a shout, which causes Tom to start and cry:-- "Hallo! Bob," (my name is Bob Ledbury, you see). "Hallo! Bob, wot's the matter?" To which I reply, "Tom, can it all be true?" "Can _wot_ be true?" says he, with a stare of surprise--for Tom is getting into his dotage now. And then I chuckle and tell | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587562 | him I was only thinking of old times, and so he falls to smoking again, and I to staring at the fire, and thinking as hard as ever. The way in which I was first led to go after the whales was curious. This is how it happened. About forty years ago, when I was a boy of nearly fifteen | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587563 | years of age, I lived with my mother in one of the seaport towns of England. There was great distress in the town at that time, and many of the hands were out of work. My employer, a blacksmith, had just died, and for more than six weeks I had not been able to get employment or to earn a | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587564 | farthing. This caused me great distress, for my father had died without leaving a penny in the world, and my mother depended on me entirely. The money I had saved out of my wages was soon spent, and one morning when I sat down to breakfast, my mother looked across the table and said, in a thoughtful voice-- "Robert, de... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587565 | this meal has cost us our last halfpenny." My mother was old and frail, and her voice very gentle; she was the most trustful, uncomplaining woman I ever knew. I looked up quickly into her face as she spoke. "All the money gone, mother?" "Ay, all. It will be hard for you to go without your dinner, Robert, dear." "It | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587566 | will be harder for you, mother," I cried, striking the table with my fist; then a lump rose in my throat and almost choked me. I could not utter another word. It was with difficulty I managed to eat the little food that was before me. After breakfast I rose hastily and rushed out of the house, determined that I | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587567 | would get my mother her dinner, even if I should have to beg for it. But I must confess that a sick feeling came over me when I thought of begging. Hurrying along the crowded streets without knowing very well what I meant to do, I at last came to an abrupt halt at the end of the pier. Here | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587568 | I went up to several people and offered my services in a wild sort of way. They must have thought that I was drunk, for nearly all of them said gruffly that they did not want me. Dinner time drew near, but no one had given me a job, and no wonder, for the way in which I tried to | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587569 | my heel, I walked away without uttering a word. "Hallo!" shouted a gruff voice just as I was moving away. I turned and observed that the shout was uttered by a broad rough-looking jack-tar, a man of about two or three and thirty, who had been sitting all the forenoon on an old cask smoking his pipe and basking in | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587570 | and, in case you didn't know it, I thought I'd tell ye." I burst into a fit of laughter. "Well, I believe you're not far wrong, but I'm better now." "Ah, that's right," said the sailor, with an approving nod of his head, "always confess when you're in the wrong. Now, younker, let me give you a bit of advice. | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587571 | this was said quite won my heart, so I sat down on the old cask, and told the sailor all my sorrows. "Boy," said he, when I had finished, "I'll put you in the way o' helpin' your mother. I can get you a berth in my ship, if you're willin' to take a trip to the whale-fishery of the | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587572 | South Seas." "And who will look after my mother when I'm away?" said I. The sailor looked perplexed at the question. "Ah, that's a puzzler," he replied, knocking the ashes out of his pipe. "Will you take me to your mother's house, lad?" "Willingly," said I, and, jumping up, I led the way. As we turned to go, I observed | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587573 | that the old gentleman with the gold-headed cane was leaning over the rail of the pier at a short distance from us. A feeling of anger instantly rose within me, and I exclaimed, loud enough for him to hear-- "I do believe that stingy old chap has been listening to every word we've been saying!" I thought I observed a | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587574 | frown on the sailor's brow as I said this, but he made no remark, and in a few minutes we were walking rapidly through the streets. My companion stopped at one of those stores so common in seaport towns, where one can buy almost anything, from a tallow candle to a brass cannon. Here he purchased a pound of tea, | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587575 | a pound of sugar, a pound of butter, and a small loaf,--all of which he thrust into the huge pockets of his coat. He had evidently no idea of proportion or of household affairs. It was a simple, easy way of settling the matter, to get a pound of everything. In a short time we reached our house, a very | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587576 | old one, in a poor neighbourhood, and entered my mother's room. She was sitting at the table when we went in, with a large Bible before her, and a pair of horn-spectacles on her nose. I could see that she had been out gathering coals and cinders during my absence, for a good fire burned in the grate, and the | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587577 | kettle was singing cheerily thereon. "I've brought a friend to see you, mother," said I. "Good-day, mistress," said the sailor bluntly, sitting down on a stool near the fire. "You seem to be goin' to have your tea." "I expect to have it soon," replied my mother. "Indeed!" said I, in surprise. "Have you anything in the ... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587578 | water, my son." "Has anybody brought you anything, then, since I went out?" "Nobody." "Why, then, mistress," broke in the seaman, "how can you expect to have your tea so soon?" My mother took off her spectacles, looked calmly in the man's face, laid her hand on the Bible, and said, "Because I have been a widow woman th... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587579 | years, and never once in all that time have I gone a single day without a meal. When the usual hour came I put on my kettle to boil, for this Word tells me that `the Lord will provide.' I _expect_ my tea to-night." The sailor's face expressed puzzled astonishment at these words, and he continued to regard my mother | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587580 | with a look of wonder as he drew forth his supplies of food, and laid them on the table. In a short time we were all enjoying a cup of tea, and talking about the whale-fishery, and the difficulty of my going away while my mother was dependent on me. At last the sailor rose to leave us. Taking a | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587581 | five-pound note from his pocket, he laid it on the table and said-- "Mistress, this is all I have in the world, but I've got neither family nor friends, and I'm bound for the South Seas in six days; so, if you'll take it, you're welcome to it, and if your son Bob can manage to cast loose from you | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587582 | without leaving you to sink, I'll take him aboard the ship that I sail in. He'll always find me at the Bull and Griffin, in the High Street, or at the end o' the pier." While the sailor was speaking, I observed a figure standing in a dark corner of the room near the door, and, on looking more closely, | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587583 | I found that it was the old gentleman with the nose like his cane-knob. Seeing that he was observed, he came forward and said-- "I trust that you will forgive my coming here without invitation; but I happened to overhear part of the conversation between your son and this seaman, and I am willing to help you over your l... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587584 | difficulty, if you will allow me." The old gentleman said this in a very quick, abrupt way, and looked as if he were afraid his offer might be refused. He was much heated, with climbing our long stair no doubt, and as he stood in the middle of the room, puffing and wiping his bald head with a handkerchief, my | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587585 | mother rose hastily and offered him a chair. "You are very kind, sir," she said; "do sit down, sir. I'm sure I don't know why you should take so much trouble. But, dear me, you are very warm; will you take a cup of tea to cool you?" "Thank you, thank you. With much pleasure, unless, indeed, your son objects | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587586 | to a `_stingy old chap_' sitting beside him." I blushed when he repeated my words, and attempted to make some apology; but the old gentleman stopped me by commencing to explain his intentions in short, rapid sentences. To make a long story short, he offered to look after my mother while I was away, and, to prove his si... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587587 | down five shillings, and said he would call with that sum every week as long as I was absent. My mother, after some trouble, agreed to let me go, and, before that evening closed, everything was arranged, and the gentleman, leaving his address, went away. The sailor had been so much filled with surprise at the suddennes... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587588 | that he could scarcely speak. Immediately after the departure of the old gentleman, he said, "Well, good-bye, mistress, good-bye, Bob," and throwing on his hat in a careless way, left the room. "Stop," I shouted after him, when he had got about half-way down stair. "Hallo! wot's wrong now?" "Nothing, I only forgot to a... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587589 | bellowed, in the hoarse voice of a regular boatswain, "w'ich wos my father's name before me." So saying, he departed, whistling "Rule Britannia" with all his might. Thus the matter was settled. Six days afterwards, I rigged myself out in a blue jacket, white ducks, and a straw hat, and went to sea. CHAPTER TWO. AT SEA.... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587590 | days on the ocean were so miserable that I oftentimes repented of having left my native land. I was, as my new friend Tom Lokins said, as sick as a dog. But in course of time I grew well, and began to rejoice in the cool fresh breezes and the great rolling billows of the sea. Many and many a | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587591 | time I used to creep out to the end of the bowsprit, when the weather was calm, and sit with my legs dangling over the deep blue water, and my eyes fixed on the great masses of rolling clouds in the sky, thinking of the new course of life I had just begun. At such times the thought of my | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587592 | mother was sure to come into my mind, and I thought of her parting words, "Put your trust in the Lord, Robert, and read His Word." I resolved to try to obey her, but this I found was no easy matter, for the sailors were a rough lot of fellows, who cared little for the Bible. But, I must say, | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587593 | they were a hearty, good-natured set, and much better, upon the whole, than many a ship's crew that I afterwards sailed with. We were fortunate in having fair winds this voyage, and soon found ourselves on the other side of the _line_, as we jack-tars call the Equator. Of course the crew did not forget the old custom o... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587594 | all the men who had never crossed the line before. Our captain was a jolly old man, and uncommonly fond of "sky-larking." He gave us leave to do what we liked the day we crossed the line; so, as there were a number of wild spirits among us, we broke through all the ordinary rules, or, rather, we added on | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587595 | new rules to them. The old hands had kept the matter quiet from us greenhorns, so that, although we knew they were going to do some sort of mischief, we didn't exactly understand what it was to be. About noon of that day I was called on deck and told that old father Neptune was coming aboard, and we were | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587596 | to be ready to receive him. A minute after, I saw a tremendous monster come up over the side of the ship and jump on the deck. He was crowned with sea-weed, and painted in a wonderful fashion; his clothes were dripping wet, as if he had just come from the bottom of the sea. After him came another monster | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587597 | with a petticoat made of sailcloth, and a tippet of a bit of old tarpaulin. This was Neptune's wife, and these two carried on the most remarkable antics I ever saw. I laughed heartily, and soon discovered, from the tones of their voices, which of my shipmates Neptune and his wife were. But my mirth was quickly stopped ... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587598 | was suddenly seized by several men, and my face was covered over with a horrible mixture of tar and grease! Six of us youngsters were treated in this way; then the lather was scraped off with a piece of old hoop-iron, and, after being thus shaved, buckets of cold water were thrown over us. At last, after a prosperous v... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
twg_000012587599 | we arrived at our fishing-ground in the South Seas, and a feeling of excitement and expectation began to show itself among the men, insomuch that our very eyes seemed brighter than usual. One night those of us who had just been relieved from watch on deck, were sitting on the lockers down below telling ghost stories. I... | 60 | gutenberg | unknown |
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