The Letters of Charles Dickens. Vol. 1, 1833-1856Dickens, Charles
General
The Letters of Charles Dickens. Vol. 1, 1833-1856
Dickens, Charles
Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 -- Correspondence; Novelists, English -- 19th century -- Correspondence
The captain was a capital fellow, but I led him, facetiously, such a
life all day, that I got almost everything altered at night. Emerson
Tennent, with the greatest kindness, turned his son out of his state
room (who, indeed, volunteered to go in the most amiable manner), and I
got a good bed there. The store-room down by the hold was opened for Egg
and Collins, and they slept with the moist sugar, the cheese in cut, the
spices, the cruets, the apples and pears--in a perfect chandler's shop;
in company with what the ----'s would call a "hold gent"--who had been
so horribly wet through overnight that his condition frightened the
authorities--a cat, and the steward--who dozed in an arm-chair, and all
night long fell headforemost, once in every five minutes, on Egg, who
slept on the counter or dresser. Last night I had the steward's own
cabin, opening on deck, all to myself. It had been previously occupied
by some desolate lady, who went ashore at Civita Vecchia. There was
little or no sea, thank Heaven, all the trip; but the rain was heavier
than any I have ever seen, and the lightning very constant and vivid. We
were, with the crew, some two hundred people; with boats, at the utmost
stretch, for one hundred, perhaps. I could not help thinking what would
happen if we met with any accident; the crew being chiefly Maltese, and
evidently fellows who would cut off alone in the largest boat on the
least alarm. The speed (it being the crack express ship for the India
mail) very high; also the running through all the narrow rocky channels.
Thank God, however, here we are. Though the more sensible and
experienced part of the passengers agreed with me this morning that it
was not a thing to try often. We had an excellent table after the first
day, the best wines and so forth, and the captain and I swore eternal
friendship. Ditto the first officer and the majority of the passengers.
We got into the bay about seven this morning, but could not land until
noon. We towed from Civita Vecchia the entire Greek navy, I believe,
consisting of a little brig-of-war, with great guns, fitted as a
steamer, but disabled by having burst the bottom of her boiler in her
first run. She was just big enough to carry the captain and a crew of
six or so, but the captain was so covered with buttons and gold that
there never would have been room for him on board to put these valuables
away if he hadn't worn them, which he consequently did, all night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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