American boys afloat : $b or, Cruising in the OrientOptic, Oliver
General
American boys afloat : $b or, Cruising in the Orient
Optic, Oliver
Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction
"She is keeping the lookout with Louis," replied the captain with a
significant smile. "The steward will call her."
"I will call her myself," replied the lady as she went forward, where
she found Blanche looking through a spy-glass at the shores of Greece
under the direction of Louis, who held the end of the glass. "Come to
dinner with the starboard watch, Miss Blanche."
"I don't want any dinner yet, Mrs. Belgrave, for I wish to find the hut
of the hermit of whom Captain Ringgold told us this morning."
"You will not find it here, for the hermit lived on Cape Malea," said
the lady with a merry laugh. "Besides, they don't keep a restaurant on
board the Maud, and have 'meals at all hours.'"
"But the port watch must have meals at all hours; and I have already
accepted an invitation to dine with Mr. Woolridge, the distinguished
first officer of the Maud, and the equally distinguished deck-hand
without any handle to his name whom you call Louis, and I call Mr.
Belgrave."
The young lady had her own way, and dined with the port watch to the
great satisfaction of the young millionaire deck-hand. The dinner was
late on account of the extra preparations made for the guests, and did
not conform to the usual hours. The dinner was very creditable to the
skill of Pitts; and Miss Blanche enjoyed it quite as much as Louis,
though it was doubtless a very tame affair to Morris, who was not
elevated to the seventh heaven by the circumstances.
The Maud sped on her course, and was in the middle of the gulf with the
Greek name when the port watch finished the dinner, and Louis returned
to his post on the forecastle; but the young lady seemed to prefer this
part of the deck, and accompanied him. The captain and Felix returned
to the standing-room when they were relieved, for they had served out
of course on account of the lateness of the dinner hour.
"I suppose you begin to feel at home here, Flix," said the captain as
they seated themselves opposite Mrs. Belgrave. "I believe you have
always claimed to be a Greek, though you were born in America."
"Is it a Grake? Upon me worrud I am a Grake from Kilkenny," replied
Felix; Mrs. Belgrave, who had known him from his childhood, always
laughed when he spoke the Milesian dialect, and he used half a dozen
different ones.
"Can you give us the Greek name of this island on the starboard hand to
which we are coming?"
"Av coorse Oi kin; sure it's Sayraygo."
"I was not aware that you knew any Greek, Felix," added Mrs. Belgrave.
"Nayther do I know the Grake these haythins shpake out here. It's only
the pure Grake, as it comes from Kilkenny, that Oi know."
"But what is the name of the island we are coming to, Captain Scott?"
asked the lady.
"Flix told you correctly, only he pronounced it in Greek. It is Cerigo."
"That's jist what Oi say, Sayraygo!" exclaimed Felix. "Sorra one uv 'em
out here knows how to shpake Grake."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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