CHAPTER XLV.

PUBLISHING POETRY IN A MAN-OF-WAR.

A day or two after our arrival in Rio, a rather amusing incident occurred to a particular acquaintance of mine, young Lemsford, the gun-deck bard.

The great guns of an armed ship have blocks of wood, called _tompions_, painted black, inserted in their muzzles, to keep out the spray of the sea. These tompions slip in and out very handily, like covers to butter firkins.

By advice of a friend, Lemsford, alarmed for the fate of his box of poetry, had latterly made use of a particular gun on the main-deck, in the tube of which he thrust his manuscripts, by simply crawling partly out of the porthole, removing the tompion, inserting his papers, tightly rolled, and making all snug again.

Breakfast over, he and I were reclining in the main-top--where, by permission of my noble master, Jack Chase, I had invited him--when, of a sudden, we heard a cannonading. It was our own ship.

"Ah!" said a top-man, "returning the shore salute they gave us yesterday."

"O Lord!" cried Lemsford, "my _Songs of the Sirens!_" and he ran down the rigging to the batteries; but just as he touched the gun-deck, gun No. 20--his literary strong-box--went off with a terrific report.

"Well, my after-guard Virgil," said Jack Chase to him, as he slowly returned up the rigging, "did you get it? You need not answer; I see you were too late. But never mind, my boy: no printer could do the business for you better. That's the way to publish, White-Jacket," turning to me--"fire it right into 'em; every canto a twenty-four-pound shot; _hull_ the blockheads, whether they will or no. And mind you, Lemsford, when your shot does the most execution, your hear the least from the foe. A killed man cannot even lisp." What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Who was the gun-deck bard?
2. What kind of incident happened to him?
3. How long after their arrival did it occur?
4. Where did he hide his papers?
5. Which particular gun?
6. Why was he hiding them?
7. Where were they relaxing?
8. After what meal?
9. Who allowed Lemsford to be invited to the main-top?
10. What was the reason for the canon fire?
11. According to whom?
Answer: 1. Lemsford
2. amusing
3. A day or two
4. tube of a gun
5. main-deck
6. alarmed for the fate of his poetry
7. main-top
8. Breakfast
9. I had
10. returning the shore salute
11. a top-man

(CNN)Now comes the hard part for Maria Sharapova. Having reached the Australian Open final, she'll have to overcome longtime nemesis Serena Williams.

To utter that Sharapova is the underdog Saturday is like saying Roger Federer is a decent player. World No. 1 Williams leads the second-ranked Sharapova 16-2 in their rivalry -- but has won 15 matches in a row.

During that streak, she has conceded three sets to the Russian.

If that's not enough, Williams has never lost a semifinal or final in Melbourne, her record improving to 11-0 after topping fellow American Madison Keys 7-6 (5) 6-2 Thursday in the semifinals.

Sharapova, meanwhile, has failed to win a major outside Roland Garros in seven years.

But all the imposing statistics don't appear to be fazing the ever steely Sharapova, who last downed Williams at the year-end championships in 2004.

"I think my confidence should be pretty high going into a final of a grand slam no matter who I'm facing, and whether I've had a terrible record against someone, it doesn't matter," Sharapova, a 6-3 6-2 winner over compatriot Ekaterina Makarova Thursday, told reporters.

"I got there for a reason. I belong in that spot. I will do everything I can to get the title."

Some would say, too, that Sharapova has fate on her side.

She was almost knocked out in the second round, needing to save a pair of match points against qualifier Alexandra Panova. And only last year Li Na took advantage of her second chance in Melbourne, fending off a match point in the third round before going on to capture a second grand slam title a week later. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Who has reached the Australian Open Final?
2. Who will she have to overcome?
3. Have they been rivals for a long time?
4. Who is number 1 in the world?
5. Who is ranked second?
6. How many matches has Williams won against Sharapova?
7. How many in a row?
8. How many has she lost against Sharapova?
9. How many sets has she conceded?
10. What nationality is Sharapova?
11. Where has Williams never lost a final?
12. Who did she beat to make her record 11-0?
13. What has Sharapova failed to do?
14. What would some say she has on her side?
15. Who did Sharapova beat on Thursday?
16. What will she do to get the title?
17. What year did she last beat Williams?
18. What round was she nearly knocked out?
19. Against who?
20. What happened only last year?
Answer: 1. Maria Sharapova
2. Serena Williams
3. yes
4. Serena Williams
5. second
6. 16
7. 15
8. Two
9. Three
10. Russian
11. Melbourne
12. Madison Keys
13. failed to win a major outside Roland Garros in seven years
14. fate
15. Ekaterina Makarova
16. everything she can
17. 2004
18. in the second round
19. Alexandra Panova
20. Li Na took advantage of her second chance in Melbourne

William III (; 4 November 1650 8 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 1672, and King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until his death. It is a coincidence that his regnal number (III) was the same for both Orange and England. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II. He is sometimes informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy".

William inherited the principality of Orange from his father, William II, who died a week before William's birth. His mother Mary, Princess Royal, was the daughter of King Charles I of England. In 1677, he married his fifteen-year-old first cousin, Mary, the daughter of his maternal uncle James, Duke of York.

A Protestant, William participated in several wars against the powerful Catholic king of France, Louis XIV, in coalition with Protestant and Catholic powers in Europe. Many Protestants heralded him as a champion of their faith. In 1685, his Catholic father-in-law, James, Duke of York, became king of England, Ireland and Scotland. James's reign was unpopular with the Protestant majority in Britain. William, supported by a group of influential British political and religious leaders, invaded England in what became known as the "Glorious Revolution". On 5 November 1688, he landed at the southern English port of Brixham. James was deposed and William and Mary became joint sovereigns in his place. They reigned together until her death on 28 December 1694, after which William ruled as sole monarch. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Was William III a Catholic?
2. What religion was he?
3. How did Protestants view him?
4. Did he have any Catholic relatives?
5. What religion was his father in law?
6. When was William III born?
7. Did he die in the spring?
8. Was he 51 years old when he died?
9. What was he the Prince of?
10. What was his regnal number in England?
11. What about in Orange?
12. And in Scotland?
13. What do the Irish in the north call him?
Answer:
1. No
2. A protestant
3. hearalded him as a champion of their faith
4. unknown
5. unknown
6. November 4 1650
7. No
8. NO
9. Prince of Orange
10. III
11. III
12. II
13. King Billy