This was a rare treat, and I, being
the last at the galley, had it put in my charge to carry down for
the mess. I got along very well as far as the hatchway, and was just
getting down the steps, when a heavy sea, lifting the stern out of
water, and passing forward, dropping it down again, threw the steps
from their place, and I came down into the steerage a little faster
than I meant to, with the kid on top of me, and the whole precious
mess scattered over the floor. Whatever your feelings may be, you must
make a joke of everything at sea; and if you were to fall from aloft
and be caught in the belly of a sail, and thus saved from instant
death, it would not do to look at all disturbed, or to make a
serious matter of it.
Friday, Nov. 14th. We were now well to the westward of the Cape, and
were changing our course to the northward as much as we dared, since
the strong south-west winds, which prevailed then, carried us in
towards Patagonia. At two, P. M., we saw a sail on our larboard
beam, and at four we made it out to be a large ship steering our
course, under single-reefed topsails. We at that time had shaken the
reefs out of our topsails, as the wind was lighter, and set the main
top-gallant sail.
Pages:
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62