The Project Gutenberg EBook of My First Cruise, by W.H.G. Kingston

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Title: My First Cruise
and Other stories

Author: W.H.G. Kingston

Illustrator: Anonymous

Release Date: October 19, 2007 [EBook #23068]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY FIRST CRUISE ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

My First Cruise, and other stories, by W.H.G. Kingston.

________________________________________________________________________

There are four stories here, but it is not clear whether they are all by
Kingston. The first one, which gives the book its name, certainly is,
and possibly the third, "The Enchanted Gate".

The first story is a sort of diary or blog written by a young midshipman
on his first voyage to sea, to his brother who was still at school.
There are all the usual incidents, including swimming exercises.

The other stories are well outside the Kingston style, but are certainly
amusing and worth reading. The book is quite short.

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MY FIRST CRUISE, AND OTHER STORIES, BY W.H.G. KINGSTON.

STORY ONE, CHAPTER 1.

NOTES FROM PRINGLE RUSHFORTH'S SEA LOG.

A LETTER TO BROTHER HARRY, AT ETON.

It has become a reality, dear Harry. I feel very strange--a curious
sensation in the throat, just as if I was going to cry, and yet it is
exactly what I have been longing for. You know better than any one how
I had set my heart on going to sea, and yet I thought that I should
never manage it. But, after all, here I am, really and truly a
midshipman; at least a volunteer of the first class, as we are called
now. The first time I put on my uniform, with my gold-band cap and
dirk, I could not help every now and then looking at the gold lace on my
collar and the buttons with the anchor and crown, and very pretty and
nice they looked; and I do believe that this half-reconciled poor mamma,
and Fanny, and Mary, and dear little Emily to my going when they saw me
with them on. I'll tell you how it all happened. Uncle Tom came to
stay with us. He had been at the Hall a week when, the very day before
I wa