Dogs -- Fiction; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Seafaring life -- Fiction
Snarleyyow went up to his master, and rubbed his cold nose against his
hand, and then, for the first time, it occurred to Vanslyperken, that in
his hurry to leave the vessel he had left the dog to the mercy of his
enemies. During the time that Vanslyperken waited for the report of the
lights, he passed over in his mind the untoward events which had taken
place--the loss of the widow's good-will, the loss of Corporal Van
Spitter, who was adrift in the Zuyder Zee, the loss of five thousand
pounds through the dog, and strange to say, what vexed him more, the
loss of the dog's eye; and when he thought of all these things, his
heart was elated, and he rejoiced in the death of Smallbones, and no
longer felt any compunction. But a light is coming aft, and
Vanslyperken is waiting the anticipated report. It is a solitary
purser's dip, as they are termed at sea, emitting but feeble rays; and
Vanslyperken's eyes are directed to the door of the cabin to see who
carries it. To his horror, his dismay, it is brought in by the drowned
Smallbones, who, with a cadaverous, and, as he supposes, unearthly face
and vacant look, drawls out, "It's a-blowed out twice, sir, with the
wind."
Vanslyperken started up, with his eyes glaring and fixed. There could
be no mistake. It was the apparition of the murdered lad, and he fell
back in a state of unconsciousness.
"You've a-got it this time," said Smallbones, chuckling as he bent over
the body of the lieutenant with his purser's dip, and perceived that he
was in a state of insensibility.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account