The Argosy — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

The Cruse of the Reserve Squadron. 53 his bed of down. “But in point of fact,” I said recently to a friend, with the gravity of a sexton, ‘‘it is easy enough to avoid them, for at Tangiers it is full moon all the year round.” ‘‘ Indeed,” cried he, in faith and amazement, “‘how do they manage that? And why can’t we have itsoin England?” And then doubt began to dawn upon him. With the exception of Mr. Edward Jago, the brother of Captain Trelawny Jago, I was the only civilian, the only guest on board the Defence. ‘Thus he and I were, in this respect, fellow sympathisers ; could keep each other in countenance ; make mutual notes and com- parisons of all we should do, all we should reform, the weak points we should strengthen, the unnecessary discipline we should relax, we Sets OS chy al 7 cate Te = N aK re a ets ¥ ee —— \\ aa ahs ie SS , vie a a ——— AN ip, nN At ei ey Pe i ) PORTLAND BREAKWATER. the rapidity with which we should promote, the thousand-and-one comforts and luxuries we should organise for the happiness of the members of the British Navy—if only we were at the head of the Department. Perhaps, too, it was ‘this ‘‘fellow feeling” that in all our subsequent days and occasional excursions, caused Mr, Jago to add so much to my pleasure, and to the liveliness of the whole cruise. The following was to be our programme; and for all we then knew to the contrary, we should steadily keep to it. Sailing from Portland, we should gradually lose sight of the coast of England, and presently entering the Bay of Biscay, make for Arosa Bay. Here we were to remain several days, and then proceed to Gibraltar. After a stay of eight or nine days at Gibraltar we were to return homewards and put into Cadiz. ‘This would give some of us an opportunity of visiting Seville, famous for its orange groves and its beautiful women. From Cadiz we were to go on to Vigo; and thence steam leisurely back to Portland, reaching the latter on the 24th July; the whole cruise occupying rather more than five weeks. COMIiCOoOoks. conn