The herald., 1897-08-22

the ship. We all watched her. She was
beautiful and had a weakness. We
loved her no less for that We admired
her qualities aloud, we boasted of them
to one another, as though they had
been our own, and the consciousness of
her only fault we kept buried in the
silence of our profound affection. Our
hearts went out to the old man when
he pressed her hard so as to make her
hold her own, hold to every inch gained
to windward; when he made her, under
reefed sails, leap obliquely at enormous
waves.
The thirty-second day out of Bombay
began unauspiciously. In the morning
a sea smashed one of the galley doors.
We dashed in through lots of steam
and found the cook very wet and indig-
nant with the ship. "She's getting
worse every day. She's trying to drown
me in front of my own stove!" He was
very angry. We pacified him, and the
carpenter, though washed away twice
from there, managed to repair the door
Through that accident our dinner was
not ready till late, but it didn't matter
in the end because Knowles, who went
to fetch it, got knocked down by a sea
and the dinner went over the side. Cap
tain Allistoun, looking more hard and
thin Tipped than ever, hung on to full
topsails and foresail, and would not no.
tice that the ship, asked to do too much
appeared to lose heart altogether fol
the first time since we knew her. She
refused to rise, and bored her way sui
lenly through the seas. Twice running
as though she had been blind or weary
Of life, she put her nose deliberately
into a big wave that swept the decks
from end to end.
AS the boatswain observed with mark
ed annoyance, while we were splashing
about in a body to try and save a
worthless wash-tub, EVERY blooming
thing in the ship is going overheard this
afternoon"
Venerable Sullivan broke his habitual
silence and said with glance aloft,
"The old mans in temper with the
weather, but it's no good bein' angry
with the winds of heaven"
Jimmy had shut his door, of course.
We knew he was dry and comfortable
within his little cabin, and in our alb
surd way were pleased one moment, ex-
asperated the next, by that certitude.
Donkin skulked shamelessly, uneasy
and miserable.
He grumbled, I'm perishin' with
cold houtside in bloomin' wet rags, an
that ere black sojer sits dry on a
blamed chest full of bloomin' clothes:
blank his black soul!"
We took no notice of him; we hardly
gave a thought to Jimmy and his bosom
friend. There was no leisure for idle
probing of hearts. Sails blew adrift.
Things broke loose. Cold and wet, we
were washed about the deck while try
ing to repair damages. The ship tossed
about, shaken furiously, like toy in
the hand of a lunatic. Just at sunset
there was a rush to shorten sail before
the menace of a sombre hail cloud
The hard gust of wind came brutal like
the blow of a fist. The ship relieved of
her canvas in time received it pluckily.
She yielded reluctantly to the violent
onset; then, coming up with stately
and irresistible motion. brought her
spars to windward in the teeth of the
screeching squall. Out of the abyssmal
darkness Of the black cloud overhead
white hail streamed on her, ratified on
the rigging, leaped in handfuls off the
yards, rebounded on the deck, round
and cleaning in the murky turmoil like
shower of pearls. 1t passed away.
For moment livid sun shot horizon