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Article NOTES OE A YACHT'S CETJISE TO BALAKLA.VA... ← Page 5 of 7 →
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Notes Oe A Yacht's Cetjise To Balakla.Va...
" WelJ , Sir Arthur , " I asked , mustering a scrap of sea phraseology from my memory of Marryat , " how ' s her head ?" " Sou ' -west , " he replied ; " so in spite of the pace T don't think we
are making much w ay . " " It is a side wind , " said Miss P , holding down her broadbrimmed hat with a most nautical contrivance of cord . " And Captain Kidd told me just now we were running for the coast of Africa . Did you not , captain ? " beckoning him to her . " Bless your little heart , " returned that mariner , who had known
her from a child , " no ; we'll go about presently , and if there isn't a fresh hand at the bellows , we'll make Pantallaria the day after to-morrow . " " Tour to-morrows are very uncertain periods of time I know , " she returned , laughing . " Pray , " said the colonel , " shall we not catch a glimpse of Sardinia ?"
" We ' re too far south , I ' m afraid , " replied Sir Arthur . 2 Qth . —The journal of days at sea , even when passing pleasantly as ours , would present a terrible monotony ; and those logs are most acceptable to readers which treat of life in port , or coasting foreign shores . Nevertheless the days fly past agreeably enough . The Hon . Titzurse is better , and joined us at dinner to-day , looking very pale , and much fallen from his high estate of dandyhood . The ladies sing duets , which the little German , who really seems a capital fellow , converts occasionally into trios . He speaks quaint , but very intelligible English ; but as his views generally are
theoretical and moonshiny , he falls into constant arguments with our skipper , who is the most matter-of-fact practical man I ever met . Their discussions , and the colonel ' s sensible accounts of adventures amid Indian jungles , thread-paper verses , occasional readings aloud , and star-gazing of a fine night , help us on w ^ ell till bedtime . In the morning the ladies pretend to work or try to read ; we smoke a cigar , watch the captain take his observation , and try to
learn the difference between " easing" the sheets , and hauling them aft , from him . I think we shall all be pleased to put into Malta . ' 28 th . —We were summoned on deck shortly after breakfast to see Pantallaria , which had just hove in sight . It is a broken blue line of peaked rock . "Wind southward and westward . Herr Midler and the Captain in great force . The Honourable Charles Augustus , having conquered sea-sickness , lias fallen into profound sentimentalisrn , for which the fair widow laughs at him unmercifully .
30 th . —Made Malta during the night , and at sunrise stood into the entrance of the great harbour . I scrambled hastily on the deck , which I found still wet and uncomfortable from the morning ' s operations , and turned to gazo eagerly at the filmed Valetta . It rose from the blue water , in the golden light of a lovely morning , first in rough rocks , then long lines of massive fortifications bristling with cannon , ¦ —then grand solid buildings , tier over tier , all surmounted by spires and domes , with the great castle of St . Elmo to the right , and Fort
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Notes Oe A Yacht's Cetjise To Balakla.Va...
" WelJ , Sir Arthur , " I asked , mustering a scrap of sea phraseology from my memory of Marryat , " how ' s her head ?" " Sou ' -west , " he replied ; " so in spite of the pace T don't think we
are making much w ay . " " It is a side wind , " said Miss P , holding down her broadbrimmed hat with a most nautical contrivance of cord . " And Captain Kidd told me just now we were running for the coast of Africa . Did you not , captain ? " beckoning him to her . " Bless your little heart , " returned that mariner , who had known
her from a child , " no ; we'll go about presently , and if there isn't a fresh hand at the bellows , we'll make Pantallaria the day after to-morrow . " " Tour to-morrows are very uncertain periods of time I know , " she returned , laughing . " Pray , " said the colonel , " shall we not catch a glimpse of Sardinia ?"
" We ' re too far south , I ' m afraid , " replied Sir Arthur . 2 Qth . —The journal of days at sea , even when passing pleasantly as ours , would present a terrible monotony ; and those logs are most acceptable to readers which treat of life in port , or coasting foreign shores . Nevertheless the days fly past agreeably enough . The Hon . Titzurse is better , and joined us at dinner to-day , looking very pale , and much fallen from his high estate of dandyhood . The ladies sing duets , which the little German , who really seems a capital fellow , converts occasionally into trios . He speaks quaint , but very intelligible English ; but as his views generally are
theoretical and moonshiny , he falls into constant arguments with our skipper , who is the most matter-of-fact practical man I ever met . Their discussions , and the colonel ' s sensible accounts of adventures amid Indian jungles , thread-paper verses , occasional readings aloud , and star-gazing of a fine night , help us on w ^ ell till bedtime . In the morning the ladies pretend to work or try to read ; we smoke a cigar , watch the captain take his observation , and try to
learn the difference between " easing" the sheets , and hauling them aft , from him . I think we shall all be pleased to put into Malta . ' 28 th . —We were summoned on deck shortly after breakfast to see Pantallaria , which had just hove in sight . It is a broken blue line of peaked rock . "Wind southward and westward . Herr Midler and the Captain in great force . The Honourable Charles Augustus , having conquered sea-sickness , lias fallen into profound sentimentalisrn , for which the fair widow laughs at him unmercifully .
30 th . —Made Malta during the night , and at sunrise stood into the entrance of the great harbour . I scrambled hastily on the deck , which I found still wet and uncomfortable from the morning ' s operations , and turned to gazo eagerly at the filmed Valetta . It rose from the blue water , in the golden light of a lovely morning , first in rough rocks , then long lines of massive fortifications bristling with cannon , ¦ —then grand solid buildings , tier over tier , all surmounted by spires and domes , with the great castle of St . Elmo to the right , and Fort