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looking at the compass and sails , and the round haystack-like island that rose broad on * our weather bow ;— " if we have to tack again , we ' re lost . "
Between the island of Redonda and the mainland the water was shallow , and shoals abounded . " She's as high , now , sir , as she'll go , " answered the helmsman ; " and the island 's away there , flat on the weather bow . " The captain mused for some time , undecided as to the best plan
of operations . I was standing by , and wondered why the helmsman spoke so significantly , and what could be his hidden meaning . In fact the whole affair was shrouded in mystery to my mind . At last the captain came to a decision , hastened somewhat by a glance behind , which showed the Furious emerging from the mouth of the harbour .
" W ell , I ve nothing else remaining ; I accept your conditions , "Williams . Here , Jackson !"~ "Ay , ay , sir ! " answered Jackson , the other English seaman , coming aft from the forecastle . " Come and take the helm . Now , Williams , jump up here , and
con the brig ! " To con is to pilot the vessel , by giving directions to the helmsman . Williams sprang on the rails , holding on by one of the backstays . The captain stood by him , and I placed myself close behind them .
" Well , sir , " began Williams , " then I shall have her as / soon as- — starboard a little!—we get down to—Port !—Mangaratiba ? " The interruptions , in his speech are the directions to the helmsman . " Yes , " returned the captain , " I'll place you in command at once , and then you can go over to the coast in your own vessel . " " We have her fittings , I suppose , sir ?—No higher , keep her off a bit !"
" Tes , all safe . By the way , you must give us the bearings for this passage before you go . " While we dodged about among shoals , reefs , and other disagreeable obstacles , Williams began to relate to the captain , whgt I need not retail , the landmarks by which you were to get safely through this passage . We flew through it at a wonderful pace , though many of the reefs were now and then visible beneath the foaming water . Every
moment a wave would break and retire , showing us a shoal within an inch of our sides , its sharp knife-like edge threatening to cut our planks clean away . But Williams held on steadily , undismayed . While we were in the worst part , the Furious , seeing the speed at which we were going , and judging that we were in a difficult part , pitched some shot at us , hoping to flurry the pilot , and make us run
on shore . Williams left his exalted position , and chose one where he could see equally well , without being so conspicuous . When we got clear of the shoals , we hauled out , and stood straight out to sea , with the Furious in full chase after us , steaming and sailing , every now and then peppering at us from its longest gun , whose range we had speedily cleared . Wp sopn gained an offing ; and when night
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
looking at the compass and sails , and the round haystack-like island that rose broad on * our weather bow ;— " if we have to tack again , we ' re lost . "
Between the island of Redonda and the mainland the water was shallow , and shoals abounded . " She's as high , now , sir , as she'll go , " answered the helmsman ; " and the island 's away there , flat on the weather bow . " The captain mused for some time , undecided as to the best plan
of operations . I was standing by , and wondered why the helmsman spoke so significantly , and what could be his hidden meaning . In fact the whole affair was shrouded in mystery to my mind . At last the captain came to a decision , hastened somewhat by a glance behind , which showed the Furious emerging from the mouth of the harbour .
" W ell , I ve nothing else remaining ; I accept your conditions , "Williams . Here , Jackson !"~ "Ay , ay , sir ! " answered Jackson , the other English seaman , coming aft from the forecastle . " Come and take the helm . Now , Williams , jump up here , and
con the brig ! " To con is to pilot the vessel , by giving directions to the helmsman . Williams sprang on the rails , holding on by one of the backstays . The captain stood by him , and I placed myself close behind them .
" Well , sir , " began Williams , " then I shall have her as / soon as- — starboard a little!—we get down to—Port !—Mangaratiba ? " The interruptions , in his speech are the directions to the helmsman . " Yes , " returned the captain , " I'll place you in command at once , and then you can go over to the coast in your own vessel . " " We have her fittings , I suppose , sir ?—No higher , keep her off a bit !"
" Tes , all safe . By the way , you must give us the bearings for this passage before you go . " While we dodged about among shoals , reefs , and other disagreeable obstacles , Williams began to relate to the captain , whgt I need not retail , the landmarks by which you were to get safely through this passage . We flew through it at a wonderful pace , though many of the reefs were now and then visible beneath the foaming water . Every
moment a wave would break and retire , showing us a shoal within an inch of our sides , its sharp knife-like edge threatening to cut our planks clean away . But Williams held on steadily , undismayed . While we were in the worst part , the Furious , seeing the speed at which we were going , and judging that we were in a difficult part , pitched some shot at us , hoping to flurry the pilot , and make us run
on shore . Williams left his exalted position , and chose one where he could see equally well , without being so conspicuous . When we got clear of the shoals , we hauled out , and stood straight out to sea , with the Furious in full chase after us , steaming and sailing , every now and then peppering at us from its longest gun , whose range we had speedily cleared . Wp sopn gained an offing ; and when night