Everything worked
admirably, and about 2 P.M., in came the fault. There is no doubt
the cable was broken by coral fishers; twice they have had it up to
their own knowledge.
'Many men have been ashore to-day and have come back tipsy, and the
whole ship is in a state of quarrel from top to bottom, and they
will gossip just within my hearing. And we have had, moreover,
three French gentlemen and a French lady to dinner, and I had to
act host and try to manage the mixtures to their taste. The good-
natured little Frenchwoman was most amusing; when I asked her if
she would have some apple tart - "MON DIEU," with heroic
resignation, "JE VEUX BIEN"; or a little PLOMBODDING - "MAIS CE QUE
VOUS VOUDREZ, MONSIEUR!"
'S. S. ELBA, somewhere not far from Bona: Oct. 19.
'Yesterday [after three previous days of useless grappling] was
destined to be very eventful. We began dredging at daybreak and
hooked at once every time in rocks; but by capital luck, just as we
were deciding it was no use to continue in that place, we hooked
the cable: up it came, was tested, and lo! another complete break,
a quarter of a mile off.
Pages:
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208