FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   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   >>   >|  
eaving the port for which we were bound far astern. The farther we got from the land, the heavier the sea became. At length the tossing and tumbling to which the old schooner was exposed began to tell on her hull, the seams opening and letting in the water at an unpleasant rate. The pumps and buckets were therefore set agoing, and we all turned-to, labouring at one or the other; but in spite of all our efforts there appeared a great probability that the _Great Alexander_ would go to the bottom. Happily, however, the gale abated in time to prevent that catastrophe. Once more we hauled our wind and stood back, steering, however, for the northern entrance to the harbour, as our skipper intended to touch at Hickory Bluff, near the mouth of Pease Creek, instead of Punta Rassa, as he at first proposed doing. On standing in, however, we ran on one of the many oyster-banks which exist between the islands. As the tide was falling, we in vain endeavoured to haul off the schooner, which bumped pretty severely for some time,--an operation not likely to improve her seaworthy qualities. At last we were left almost high and dry,--the only advantage we gained from this being the power of collecting an ample supply of very fine oysters. "Ah!" exclaimed Lejoillie as he popped one after another down his throat, "this is indeed a fine country, and might maintain a population as dense as that of China with the abundance of food its shores and surrounding seas afford." "What are we to do next?" asked Carlos, when we had finished our oysters. "Wait till the tide rises, and then, if we can keep the craft afloat, make for Hickory Bluff, where I guess we shall have to put her on shore and try to patch her up," answered the skipper. "And how long will it take to perform that operation?" inquired Lejoillie. "Maybe a week, or maybe a month," was the answer. "I guess we shall have to put a new bottom into her, for most of her planks are as rotten as touchwood." This was not pleasant information, as we had still some miles to sail; but we were thankful that we had made the long stretch from Key West without going to the bottom. At last we did get off, and by dint of hard pumping and baling the _Great Alexander_ was kept above water until we reached the neighbourhood of Hickory Bluff, on the northern shore of Pease Creek, when, the wind being favourable for the purpose, we ran the craft at high-water right up on the sandy beach j
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Hickory

 

bottom

 

Alexander

 
northern
 
skipper
 

Lejoillie

 
operation
 

oysters

 

schooner

 

afloat


farther
 

answered

 

astern

 

shores

 

surrounding

 
afford
 

population

 

abundance

 

eaving

 
heavier

finished

 
maintain
 

Carlos

 

pumping

 

baling

 

purpose

 

favourable

 
reached
 

neighbourhood

 

stretch


answer

 

country

 

perform

 

inquired

 

thankful

 

information

 

pleasant

 

planks

 

rotten

 

touchwood


throat

 

buckets

 

agoing

 

intended

 

standing

 

letting

 
oyster
 

unpleasant

 

proposed

 

harbour