On Board the Esmeralda Martin Leigh's Log - A Sea Story

The skipper was right in his prognostication about the weather; for, during the next few days, we experienced a terrible gale from the south- west, snow falling without intermis...

True to our compact, not a word of our conspiracy was breathed to a soul in the school; and the eventful day approached at last, if not "big with the fate of Caesar and of Rome,...

Jorrocks's cry to put the helm up was instantly obeyed by the man at the wheel, who jammed it hard-a-port with all his strength. The hands belonging to the watch on duty, at the...

"Well, this is a nice mess we're in!" said Tom, after a moment's pause, during which we stared blankly at each other in front of the fire, which we had approached as soon as our...

Jorrocks had no option but, first, to proceed to pinion us, and then tie us separately to the windlass, using us as kindly as he could in the operation and with a sympathising e...

The wind had dropped to a calm, as I've mentioned, just before this; but the sea was still running high, with those heavy waves that get up in a moment in the lower latitudes as...

I awoke from a confused dream of having a quarrel with Aunt Matilda at Tapioca Villa about taking the tea-tray up to the parlour, and, in my passion at being condemned to exerci...

"Say, Cap', we'll have to strip her first," suggested Jorrocks, when it was thus decided to carry out the contemplated measure for the relief of the ship--"if we don't do that,...

At noon on our second day out, running right before the north-east by east wind all the while and making but little southing, with our royals and studding-sails set, and everyth...

"Maircy on us!" exclaimed Mr Macdougall, who at that moment was just gingerly passing down the standard compass to Jorrocks, the boatswain, standing up in the stern-sheets of th...

"Aye, aye, it's me sure enough," replied my old ally of the _Saucy Sall_, shaking hands with great heartiness, as if he were really glad to see me again under such altered circu...

"Sure an' you must bear in mind, messmates," commenced Pat, coming outside his galley and leaning against the side in free-and-easy fashion, "when I wint aboord that vessel in N...

"Hullo, steady there--belay that!" exclaimed Captain Billings, half-way up the poop ladder, which he was ascending hastily, two steps at a time, "Mr--Mr Macdougall--Martin Leigh...

Of course, as you may suppose, I offered no reply to this characteristic introductory address of Dr Hellyer, although the allusion he made to Aunt Matilda's treachery in trying...

As two or three others, late like ourselves, were scrambling into their places when Tom and myself took our seats, while the old woman who had opened the door for me was bustlin...

I don't know why, excepting that the words had a kindly ring about them, in spite of the almost brusque quaintness of the address, that touched me keenly in the depressed state...

"She's loading at Cardiff--cargo o' steam coals, I b'lieve, for some o' them Pee-ruvian men-o'-war out there," explained Sam, presently, when the first excitement occasioned by...

It was crammed full, from floor to ceiling, with all sorts of curios, brought from foreign parts, evidently by the worthy owner of the dwelling, when returning home after his ma...

A wild cry went up to Heaven as we struggled for dear life in the water, battling with the under-tow of the in-rolling waves, which tried to drag us down in their angry clutches...

After the first shock of surprise at the alarming intelligence--the most awful that can be circulated on board a ship, and one that fills up the seaman's cup of horrors to the b...

She was a fine-looking barque--as Sam had explained to me beforehand, when first telling me the news of his having secured a berth for me aboard her--with a good forecastle and...

It is strange what trifling events--little things apparently in themselves--seem to have the power of shaping our different destinies, and colouring, so to speak, the whole cour...

My journey "down the line" was a momentous matter to me in more ways than one; for, independently of the fact of its being the first opportunity I had ever had of riding in a ra...

"What, laddie, is it you really?" he exclaimed, peering into my face with his own, which, usually as florid as a peony, was now all white with emotion; while his lips trembled n...