Picked up Adrift: Illustrated — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Picked up Adrift: Illustrated
John Stuart Mill · en
By that time Bruce was ready with his part of the business. The teapot
was brought forward, and the tea set to draw. Then a few slices of
very superior ham were placed over the coals and broiled. While Bruce
attended to this, Bart soaked some pilot biscuit in water till they were
quite soft, after which he fried them in butter on the stove. He then
proceeded to try his hand at a Welsh rarebit. He cut up some thin slices
of cheese, added butter, and then allowed it all to liquefy over the
fire. Having accomplished this, the two adventurers conveyed their
things to the quarter-deck, and sat down to breakfast.
Even had they been less hungry they would have enjoyed that breakfast.
True, they had no milk in their tea, but they had long since grown
accustomed, on board the Antelope, to dispense with that. The tea was of
a very superior quality, the fried biscuit was most savory, the broiled
ham was a great success, and the Welsh rarebit was pronounced delicious.
Already they had turned occasional glances over the water, and had seen
the Antelope, lying apparently three or four miles away, in the same
place where they had left her. Now, after they had satisfied their
appetites, they began to look at her more closely, and to discuss the
time of their return. They felt anxious to go back as soon as possible,
but decided that they might as well postpone it until they were
thoroughly rested.
It was evident to the boys that the ship which they had boarded had
been deserted very hastily, and they thought that her company must have
boarded some other ship. In this way only could they account for the
numerous things which had been left behind. Among these was a very
good spy-glass. Bruce had seen this while preparing breakfast, and had
brought it on deck with the other things. As they now sat on the deck
after breakfast, they amused themselves for some time with looking at
the Antelope. They could see several figures on the deck, but could
not distinguish one from another. They tried to tell by watching
their movements who each one might be. A solitary figure, that stood
motionless at the stern, they were certain was Captain Corbet, while
another figure, which indulged in rather eccentric movements, seemed to
be Solomon. The rest could not be guessed at.
They had already found out the name of the ship. They saw it in many
places, on a row of buckets that hung in front of the cabin, on the
captain’s gig, on the cook’s galley; they saw it engraved on a brass
plate on the cabin door, on the capstan, and on the spy-glass; and this
name, which they thus saw in so many places, was,--
PETREL, LIVERPOOL.