The Voyages of the "Ranger" and "Crusader": And what befell their Passengers and Crews.Kingston, William Henry Giles
General
The Voyages of the "Ranger" and "Crusader": And what befell their Passengers and Crews.
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Seafaring life -- Juvenile fiction
One was a tiger and the other a black seal. Now they separated, now
they dashed at each other, just like savage dogs, not uttering the
slightest sound all the time. Now they sank below the surface, now rose
again, tearing away at each other as before.
"I shouldn't be surprised that one of them was the big fellow you called
Tippo Sahib, who attacked you the other day, Paul," said Willy.
"May be, sir," answered Lizard. "But see, there's another on the rocks.
That's master Tippo, I suspect. He looks as if he was watching for us,
and I shouldn't be surprised if he was to give chase."
Willy laughed at the notion; but directly afterwards the old lion
plunged into the water, and his snout was seen within a few seconds
rising close to the oars. Harry ordered the men to pull on, as he did
not wish to expend any shot on the animal. Tippo, however, seizing the
blade of Paul's oar, held it so tightly that he nearly hauled it out of
his hands. Not till he had received several blows on the nose from the
other oars would he let go.
"Why, he has nearly bitten my oar in two," cried Paul.
"Better that than your leg," observed Willy.
"That's Tippo; I have no doubt about him," cried Paul. "He means
mischief."
The sea-lion, however, was kept at bay by the oars, while the boatswain
stood up in the stern with a club, ready to give him a blow should he
come nearer. After swimming round the boat for some time, he seemed to
consider that he could gain nothing by a battle with the four-legged
strange creature, as he doubtless considered the boat, and so leisurely
swam back to the rocks he had left, up which he scrambled, and sat
watching the cutter as she continued her course along the shore.
A breeze at last sprang up, and sail being set she ran down to the mouth
of the harbour. On the northern shore, near the eastern entrance, was a
point rising for a hundred feet or more above the water. Here the party
landed, and Harry and the boatswain agreed that it was the best station
on which their flagstaff could be planted. From its summit they could
look over the whole of the southern island; while the flag would be
visible far out at sea, beyond the western entrance of the harbour. The
flagstaff was accordingly landed, and as all hands were required to set
it up, and the boat could not be left alone, she was hauled up on the
beach. But as they had only wooden spades to work with, some time was
occupied in digging the hole in which to plant the flagstaff. It was at
length got up, and stayed by four shrouds. The flag was hoisted and
flew out to the breeze.
"That will show that some one is not far off," observed Mr Bollard.
"But should a vessel send her boat on shore, the people may not know
where to find us."
"I have been thinking of that," said Harry, "and will leave a bottle
with a paper in it directing them to the settlement."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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