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Article THE FIRST CRUISE OF THE " VIXEN." ← Page 11 of 23 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The First Cruise Of The " Vixen."
quickly it Avas executed ; the vessel spun round on her heel , and claAved off the shore on a starboard tack . " Admirable , " shouted Tom , " there is no rig like a cutter for creeping off a lee-shore . " I did not exactly know what that meant ; but I agreed that the cutter xvas a Avonderful thing . Another stretch took us to
the coast , which xvas anxiously examined by Mr . Boom . " The Arnoya River , " saicl he , " must be hereabouts ; that headland on our starboard-quarter is Pmiche , ancl yonder mountain inland is Mount Junto . The tide is hi gh by this time , and there should be water enough to take us OA'er the bar . " Here Boom applied the glass to his eyeand examined the coast
, toAvards AA'hich we Avere careering obliquely . " Port your helm , " he cried suddenly , " port it is , " replied the helmsman , ancl sure enough port it Ax * as , for m txx * enty minutes , flying like a mad creature before the storm xvhich hacl noxv throxvn off all disguise , the Vixen dashed betxi'een two IOAV headlands that form the mouth of the river Arnoyaancl leaping the barglided
, , smoothly up the smooth waters of the mlet . " Egad , Peter , you xvere right , " exclaimed Tom , as at that moment a distant peal of thunder muttered along the xvestern horizon .
" NOAX * , gentlemen , " observed Mr . Boom , " this sou-Avester has set in for just three clays . I knoxv that xvind as Avell as if Ave had been brought up together ; if you Avill take my advice you Avill take a run ashore . There ' s a toxx'ii over there , sou-east by south , called OA'I CIOS ; from there to Lisbon is about fifty miles overland . We can ride here till the Aveather bates , and
carry tlie Vixen into the Tagus to meet you . " AVe agreed that Boom had hit on a good idea , so , bundling a feAV necessaries into the boat , Ax e Avere soon speeding up the river , with directions to land at the spot where the high road from Coimbra to Lisbon crossed the stream . From this place half an horn ' s Avalk brought us to Oxidos . It AA'as nearly
eleven o'clock at ni ght as Ave entered the tOAvn , as it was called , but xvhich , in the darkness , xve could never have identified as such , hacl it not been for the smell . Having knocked at the only house in xvhich xve discovered a light , xve found to our satisfaction that it was the grand posada . Our delight xvas somexx'hat diminished b y the intelligence that there xvas not a
room to be hacl . What xvas to be clone ?—xve had not time to discuss that , for a fexv gigantic drops of rain heralded the storm , which in a moment burst over us . Fin , AVIIO managed to scrape together a little Spanish , made the little roly-poly host comprehend our difficulty , xvhen , after much palaver , xve xvere offered
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The First Cruise Of The " Vixen."
quickly it Avas executed ; the vessel spun round on her heel , and claAved off the shore on a starboard tack . " Admirable , " shouted Tom , " there is no rig like a cutter for creeping off a lee-shore . " I did not exactly know what that meant ; but I agreed that the cutter xvas a Avonderful thing . Another stretch took us to
the coast , which xvas anxiously examined by Mr . Boom . " The Arnoya River , " saicl he , " must be hereabouts ; that headland on our starboard-quarter is Pmiche , ancl yonder mountain inland is Mount Junto . The tide is hi gh by this time , and there should be water enough to take us OA'er the bar . " Here Boom applied the glass to his eyeand examined the coast
, toAvards AA'hich we Avere careering obliquely . " Port your helm , " he cried suddenly , " port it is , " replied the helmsman , ancl sure enough port it Ax * as , for m txx * enty minutes , flying like a mad creature before the storm xvhich hacl noxv throxvn off all disguise , the Vixen dashed betxi'een two IOAV headlands that form the mouth of the river Arnoyaancl leaping the barglided
, , smoothly up the smooth waters of the mlet . " Egad , Peter , you xvere right , " exclaimed Tom , as at that moment a distant peal of thunder muttered along the xvestern horizon .
" NOAX * , gentlemen , " observed Mr . Boom , " this sou-Avester has set in for just three clays . I knoxv that xvind as Avell as if Ave had been brought up together ; if you Avill take my advice you Avill take a run ashore . There ' s a toxx'ii over there , sou-east by south , called OA'I CIOS ; from there to Lisbon is about fifty miles overland . We can ride here till the Aveather bates , and
carry tlie Vixen into the Tagus to meet you . " AVe agreed that Boom had hit on a good idea , so , bundling a feAV necessaries into the boat , Ax e Avere soon speeding up the river , with directions to land at the spot where the high road from Coimbra to Lisbon crossed the stream . From this place half an horn ' s Avalk brought us to Oxidos . It AA'as nearly
eleven o'clock at ni ght as Ave entered the tOAvn , as it was called , but xvhich , in the darkness , xve could never have identified as such , hacl it not been for the smell . Having knocked at the only house in xvhich xve discovered a light , xve found to our satisfaction that it was the grand posada . Our delight xvas somexx'hat diminished b y the intelligence that there xvas not a
room to be hacl . What xvas to be clone ?—xve had not time to discuss that , for a fexv gigantic drops of rain heralded the storm , which in a moment burst over us . Fin , AVIIO managed to scrape together a little Spanish , made the little roly-poly host comprehend our difficulty , xvhen , after much palaver , xve xvere offered