The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of a Ship, by R.M. Ballantyne

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Title: The Life of a Ship

Author: R.M. Ballantyne

Release Date: June 7, 2007 [EBook #21745]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE OF A SHIP ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

The Life of a Ship from the Launch to the Wreck, by R.M. Ballantyne.

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A story for pre-teens, in which a small boy, Davy, is taken to a
shipyard to watch the building of a new sailing-vessel, the "Fair
Nancy". Eventually Davy is allowed to sail on board of her as a
boy-seaman. He is sea-sick at first, but soon recovers and learns how
to climb the rigging to help with the sails. They encounter a
hurricane, which knocks the ship over, and they lose the ship's boats.
A raft is made, but only a few people can get away on it, including the
captain's wife. The ship drifts helpless until she is wrecked on a
hostile shore. There is only one chance for the men, and that would be
if someone could swim ashore with a rope and fasten it, so that each
member of the crew can be brought ashore with a travelling block and
harness. This works, and no lives are lost. They walk out of the
wilderness till they come to a village, from which they make their way
to Quebec, and thence back to England.

I find it rather a depressing story, but the intention of the book,
presumably, is to interest young people in a life at sea.

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THE LIFE OF A SHIP FROM THE LAUNCH TO THE WRECK, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.

CHAPTER ONE.

THE LIFE OF A SHIP FROM THE LAUNCH TO THE WRECK.

SONG OF THE SAILOR BOY.

Oh! I love the great blue ocean,
I love the whistling breeze,
When the gallant ship sweeps lightly
Across the surging seas.
I watched my first ship building;
I saw her timbers rise,
Until her masts were towering
Up in the bright blue skies.

I heard the cheers ascending,
I saw her kiss the foam,
When first her hull went plunging
Into her ocean home.
Her flags were gaily streami