A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 29: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

26 A QUEER RACE. does sometimes indulge in profane swearing, the royal navy possesses not a better man nor a braver officer.” ‘Next followed a series of unimportant entries, such ‘‘ Church parade and divine service.” ‘In the sick-bay, reading the Bible to Bill Thompson, A. B., who fell yesterday from one of the yard-arms, and lies a-dying, poor fellow.” ‘‘TPined with the captain, the second luff, and two of the young gentlemen.” | ‘This day a flying-fish came through my port-hole. One of the ship’s boys caught him, and the cook made an excellent dish of him for the gunroom mess. It seemed a shame to kill the creature who sought our hospitality and protection, for he was doubtless escaping from some enemy of tlie sea or the air.” And so on, and soon. All this did not occupy much space, yet, owing to the reverend gentleman’s crabbed fist, the faded ink, and the thumb-marks of the two Bol- sovers, it took long to read; and in order not to miss any- thing, I had made up my mind to read every word thatit wis possible to decipher. At length my patience and perseverance received their reward. ‘he diary became gradually less tedious and monotonous. There was astorm in which the Hecate suffered some damage, and the diarist (who does not. seem to have been particularly courageous) underwent consid- er:ble anxiety and discomfort; and a man fell overboard, and, after an exciting attempt to rescue him, was drowned, Then the Hecate chases a vessel which Cap- tain Barnaby suspects to be a French privateer; but. re- méembering how imperative are his orders to make with all speed his cruising-ground, he resumes his course after folowing her a few hours. For the same reason he shows a clean pair of heels to a French frigate, greatly to the disgust of his crew, for though she is of superior size, they ure quite sure they could have bested her. The chaplain, on the other hand, warmly commends the cap- taiu’s prudence, observing that ‘‘ discretion in a com- mander is to the full as essential as valor.” ihe region of the gulf reached, everybody is on the watch; there is always a lookout at the mast-head, the Officers are continually sweeping the horizon with their Gom Cc JOO <q (E(0) m