Category: Adventure

Crown and Anchor Under the Pen'ant

"Hullo, Dad!" I cried out, stopping abruptly in front of the red granite coloured Reform Club, down the marble steps of which a queer-looking old gentleman was slowly descending. "Who is that funny old fellow there? He's just like that `old clo'' man we saw at the corner of th...

Chapters

21. Chapter 21

When I went up on deck that morning I could hardly believe my eyes, on seeing that the storm and all its wild surroundings had miraculously disappeared; for, the sun was shining...

2. Chapter 2

I had been fidgeting all the time the old gentleman was speaking squeezing Dad's hand in order to attract his attention and make him tell me who his old friend was; but, for the...

5. Chapter 5

"Letter for yer, sir, yezsir," said my friend the cock-eyed waiter a week or two later, while we were at luncheon, bringing in a long, official-looking document on a salver, whi...

4. Chapter 4

Next morning, ere I seemed to have been asleep five minutes, it came upon my dreams so suddenly, I was awakened by a terrible din of drumming and bugling from the adjacent barra...

9. Chapter 9

Fortunately, though, as I fell, my outstretched hands, clutching wildly in the air, came in contact with the identical rope whose sudden descent from the gangway above had been...

11. Chapter 11

"Rouse out, port watch and idlers! Rouse out! rouse out!" hoarsely shouted out the boatswain's mates along the lower deck; and this call, mingled with the shrill piping wail of...

6. Chapter 6

"In bows!" cried the coxswain of the cutter as we neared the starboard side of the old hulk to which the _Candahar_ was lashed; and, the next minute, when close up to the foot o...

15. Chapter 15

At Eight Bells, or four o'clock in the ordinary parlance of landsmen, Mr Bitpin was relieved by the first lieutenant, who then came on deck with the rest of the starboard watch...

18. Chapter 18

"Where away, my man?" shouted Commander Nesbitt, who, at the same moment, came up on the poop and was scanning the horizon on his own account. "How does she bear, eh?"

13. Chapter 13

"Ah! my little friend, here you are, I see, in your proper place," said Commander Nesbitt kindly to me, on my ranging myself by his side on the poop, where he was standing with...

20. Chapter 20

"You ought to thank God, Mr Jellaby, with all your heart that you have not gone down in her," he said in a grave and impressive tone, looking him full in the face. "It is far to...

3. Chapter 3

"`Sharp's the word and quick the motion,' eh, Jack?" said my father, using his favourite phrase, when the post next morning brought him a letter from the Admiralty in an oblong...

12. Chapter 12

"Well!" exclaimed little Tommy Mills, a little later, when he and I, with young Morgan, the mate and Ned Anstruther, on being relieved by the starboard watch, all went down to t...

7. Chapter 7

Passing across the gangway with Commander Nesbitt to the hulk, which served as a sort of floating hotel for all of us while the _Candahar_ was preparing for sea, officers and me...

14. Chapter 14

Meanwhile, the first lieutenant and boatswain were busy forward with the forecastle hands, seeing to the catting and fishing of the anchor; and, as soon as our port bower was pr...

24. Chapter 24

"Cape smoke?" said I, inquiringly, to Mr Stormcock, who happened to come up the hatchway on to the main deck as the doctor was thus cross-examining the ex-corporal of marines ou...

22. Chapter 22

"I can quite believe you, senor," said Captain Farmer on his return after a very brief interval, resuming the thread of the discourse as if no interruption had occurred. "Pray c...

16. Chapter 16

"Confound those mounseers," I heard Mr Stormcock say to the master as I came out from Captain Farmer's cabin. "I wonder what they want to stop us for now, just as we were gettin...

19. Chapter 19

"Not quite yet, but pretty nearly so," he replied, feeling the man's pulse again and then putting his hand to his heart. "I do wish Jellaby would come out of that cabin; for, I...

17. Chapter 17

"Sentry, let go the life-buoy!" cried out Commander Nesbitt at once to the marine guard on duty on the poop, as the shout reached his ears; and then, facing round again forward,...

8. Chapter 8

"I suppose," said I, after we had cast anchor, to Larkyns, who had kindly noticed me the first day I came aboard and had been very friendly with me since, patronising me in the...

1. Chapter 1

"Hullo, Dad!" I cried out, stopping abruptly in front of the red granite coloured Reform Club, down the marble steps of which a queer-looking old gentleman was slowly descending...

27. Chapter 27

"Ay!" replied Mr Gilham, who was equally impatient to go to the rescue of our poor comrades, and, if not able to help them, to fall beside them, the lieutenant speaking in a hoa...

23. Chapter 23

We only stopped at Madeira long enough to get a few purser's stores to add to the supply with which the generosity of Don Ferdinando had already provided us. We also took in som...

31. Chapter 31

We could not talk together, for the very good reason that our mouths were gagged, nor could we see each other now, poor consolation as that would have been; although possibly a...

10. Chapter 10

For a couple of days longer, we were as busy as bees, taking in our boats and spare spars and other gear, besides filling up our stock of provisions and water and completing wit...

28. Chapter 28

Nor did the sympathy of the American commodore cease here; for the boats of the _Toeywan_ helped to pick up many of our wounded fellows who were struggling in the water, while a...

26. Chapter 26

Towards the middle of April, to proceed with my regular yarn, within two months of the time fixed for the ratification of this paper treaty, our new chief arrived at Singapore;...

32. Chapter 32

As we got further up the countryside, we saw numbers of gardens full of peach trees, the fruit of which was plentiful enough, with an occasional poplar grove, the usual decorati...

34. Chapter 34

It was getting on for the expiration of the fourth year of our commission, when we had finished this tour and we paid a last visit to Hong Kong, before going on to Singapore to...

33. Chapter 33

"Hullo, Bamboo Jack!" cried Larkyns, as I came up the side of our old ship again after a tedious voyage down the Peiho in one of the gunboats, accompanied by Ned Anstruther, my...

25. Chapter 25

"What a rum place!" cried Larkyns, when the ship was safely moored and Captain Farmer had gone off in his gig to pay his respects to the admiral, whose flagship lay hard by, all...

30. Chapter 30

During the interval that had elapsed since our defeat in front of the Taku Forts, to proceed now to more stirring events, the English and French Governments had been organising...

29. Chapter 29

In the meantime, the fleet sailed away from the scene of action, after honourably burying the dead and destroying our sunken vessels; so that the Chinese, who had a weak habit a...

35. Chapter 35

It was a fine, bright day, in the early part of October, that we hove the ship to for soundings, our observations then showing us that we were near Scilly and closing the land;...