FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115  
116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   >>   >|  
g where dangers lie pretty quickly, and we old sea-going folk don't like to be taken unawares." "What would it do then if a touch of hurricane did come?" "Perhaps take our masts short off by the board before we could let everything go. Not nice to have half our canvas stripped away. You haven't been at sea so long as I have, squire." "No, of course not," said Jack impatiently. "But I say, why don't you get up steam?" "Because we want to keep our coal for an emergency, or when we want to get on." "Well, we want to get on now." The captain smiled. "Go and ask your father what he thinks." "Yes; come with me." The captain humoured him, and they walked aft to where the awning cast its grateful shade. "Here, father, hadn't we better have the steam up and get on?" "I hardly think so, Jack. What do you say, captain; will the calm last?" "Only till sundown, sir; then I think we shall have a nice soft breeze again." "Then I say no, Jack," said Sir John. "We're quite hot enough, and it does not seem fair to the men to send them down making roaring fires when there is so little need." "You'd be getting brown on both sides at once, Jack," said the doctor. "Look yonder; fish rising. What do you say to having a try?" "Yes," said Jack eagerly, "let's get up the lines. Hi, Mr Bartlett, come on." The mate had taken the captain's place, and was superintending the lowering of the studding-sails. "Yes, all right, Bartlett," cried the captain, "I'll see to that;" and giving the lad a friendly nod, he went forward, the mate coming aft. "Look! Fish!" cried Jack. "What had we better do, Mr Bartlett?" "Yes; send out some light lines floating in the current," said the doctor. "No, I don't think we should do much that way. More likely to get something from close in under the bows with the grains," replied the mate thoughtfully. "But what I should do would be to lower a boat and gently scull her toward one of those shoals; we might do something then." "That's the way," cried Jack. "Here, hi! Lenny, we want you." The big black-bearded fellow looked inquiringly at the captain, who nodded, and the man came aft, while Jack and the doctor went below, the former in a hurry, the latter with a good deal of deliberation. The mate and the man then proceeded to lower the light gig and cast off the falls, leaving her hanging by the painter. "Strong tackle and bright artificial baits, Jack, my
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115  
116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
captain
 

Bartlett

 

doctor

 
father
 

floating

 

current

 

eagerly

 

superintending

 

yonder

 

rising


lowering

 
studding
 

friendly

 
forward
 
coming
 

giving

 

deliberation

 

nodded

 

proceeded

 

bright


artificial

 

tackle

 

Strong

 

leaving

 

hanging

 
painter
 

inquiringly

 

looked

 

thoughtfully

 

replied


gently

 

grains

 
bearded
 

fellow

 

shoals

 

squire

 

impatiently

 

canvas

 

stripped

 

Because


smiled
 
emergency
 

unawares

 

quickly

 

dangers

 
pretty
 

hurricane

 
Perhaps
 
thinks
 

making