They walked through the bazaars and the skipper showed them most of the
sights that were interesting. Everything was new to them: the bright
coloured garments, the waving tropical trees, with their huge leaves,
the almost naked natives and rickshaw runners. It was difficult to tell
the women from the men. Outside the town swarms of dark-eyed naked
children surrounded them, clamouring for coins, no matter how small, and
showering blessings upon their path, in quaint broken English, as they
walked along.
They strolled about for the greater part of the night, and in the early
morning returned to the ship.
"They turn night into day here," said Jack, "and no wonder, for it must
be unpleasantly hot in the burning sun."
"You are right, it is," replied Job, "but you'll find it a lot hotter
where you are going to, and if you tackle Barry Tuxford's pearling
business you'll be as near to a certain place as it is possible to get
in this world."
"A nice look-out, anyway," replied Jack, "but we shall not back down."
After leaving Colombo a couple of days there were signs of a storm, and
Captain Seagrave knew what that meant in this latitude. Once he had
given up all hope of saving the "Golden Land," but she pulled through,
although it was a narrow squeak. He had no desire for another such
experience. Anxiously he scanned the sky, and saw great black masses
rolling and chasing each other like angry billows. There was a peculiar
moaning sound in the air like spirits in torment; he had heard it
before, and dreaded it. The heat was oppressive, and Jack thought the
ship was as hot as an oven. He, too, watched the sky, but was not aware
of the danger. He saw the skipper on the bridge and went towards it.
"There's something brewing up there," said Job shouting down to him.
"Rough weather, eh?"
"Yes, we're in for it."
"We have had no occasion to grumble so far," replied Jack, "and we can
hardly expect to get through without some kind of a rough and tumble."
Blacker and blacker grew the clouds, and the roaring sound increased in
volume.
"Better get below," roared Job, "or hold hard on to something."
Jack caught hold of the rail near him, and steadied himself. He had no
intention of going below and was curiously anxious to see a storm at
sea. As he looked up at Captain Seagrave, and saw his face, he felt
there was a man who could be trusted, who would never lose his courage,
and he commenced to understand why the "old tub" had weathered so many
storms. The skipper might be a rough man, unpolished, but his heart was
in the right place, his nerves true as steel, and the desire to do his
duty strong within him. Such men as these, Jack thought, have made
England the nation she is, and raised her merchant vessels and ocean
steamers to the highest pitch. Ashore Captain Seagrave might cause
smiles to cross the faces of men who were as mere pigmies compared to
him now.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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