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
He fancied in his troubled dreams
that he saw their ship tempest-tossed. Now her masts and yards were
shattered. Onward she drove towards a rocky shore. He was there
himself; he stretched out his arms, imploring them to keep at a
distance. Still on came the ship; her destruction seemed inevitable.
Wildly he waved his arms--he shrieked loudly. A dreadful crash was
heard--the ship was split into a thousand fragments. He awoke. That
loud crash rang in his ears; he sprang from his hammock, and rushed on
deck. One of the jury-masts had gone.
Morning was breaking, the faint grey light exhibiting the destruction
which had taken place, and the wild leaden-coloured sea, which rose in
foaming billows around, now leaping here, now there, threatening
destruction to the ship. At the same moment the boatswain's whistle
sounded shrilly, calling all hands on deck. While one party was
endeavouring to secure the jury-mast which had been carried away,
another was employed in fothering a sail: this, filled with oakum, was
lowered over the bows and drawn under the keel, where it was hoped the
water rushing in would suck it into the leaks, and thus contribute to
stop them. It seemed, however, to have but little effect.
"We must try another sail," said the commander. The sail was prepared,
and, like the first, with great difficulty dragged under the ship's
bottom. The seamen employed in the work were drenched to the skin by
the heavy seas which frequently broke over the hapless ship; still they
persevered, no one flinching from the work. Harry Shafto attracted the
notice of the commander by his activity. Willy Dicey imitated him to
the best of his power. Although not so strong as a man, by his
intelligence and comprehension of what was to be done he was able to
direct others, and thus rendered good service.
"I say, Dicey," exclaimed Peter Patch, who was standing near him, "do
you think really the ship will go down? I feel awfully queer. I wish
that I'd followed your advice about some things long ago. I should like
to say my prayers, but I don't know how to begin, and there isn't time
for it now."
"That's it," answered Willy. "Had you said them morning and night, and
not have been afraid of our messmates laughing at you, you would have
known how to say them even while you are hard at work. I don't think
God would be well pleased if we all were to knock off, and go down on
our knees to pray and ask Him for help while we were neglecting to help
ourselves."
"I must work now, at all events," said Peter.
"Of course you must," answered Willy, "or praying would be mockery; but
you can pray out of your heart while you are pulling and hauling, or
while you are running along the deck with a message."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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