FOLLEN
It is the pleasant twilight hour, and Frank and Harry Chilton are in
their accustomed seat by their mother's side in the old sofa, that
same comfortable old sofa, which might have listened to many
pleasant and interesting stories that will never be told.
Mother, said Frank, you have often promised us that some time you
would tell us about your travels in Europe. This is a good stormy
evening, and no one will come in to interrupt you; so please, dear
Mother, tell us all you can remember.
It is now, boys, five years since my return from Europe. Much that I
did and saw while there I forget. However, as I have been lately
looking over my hasty journal, I will see what I can remember.
On the first of August I set sail in the steamer Caledonia for
England. At four o'clock in the afternoon, we were out of sight of
land; one by one, we had taken leave of every object which could be
seen from the departing vessel; and now nothing was visible to us
but the sky, the ocean meeting it in its wide, unbroken circle the
sun gradually sinking in the west, and our small but only house, the
ship. How strange, how sublime the scene was! so lonely, so
magnificent, so solemn! At last the sun set, gilding the clouds, and
looking, to my tearful eyes, as if that too said farewell! Then the
moon appeared; and the long, indefinite line of light from where her
rays first touched the waters to our ship, and the dancing of the
waves as they crossed it, catching the light as they passed, were so
beautiful that I was unwilling to leave the deck when the hour for
rest arrived.
The wind was against us, and we did not get on very fast; but I
enjoyed the novel scene the next day, and passed all my time on
deck, watching the sailors and the passengers, and noticing the
difference between Englishmen and Americans.
On Sunday it was very cold, and the wind, still contrary, rose
higher and higher; it was impossible to set any sail, but I still
kept on deck, and thus avoided sickness. Soon after breakfast I saw
a white foam rising in different places occasionally, and was told
that it was whales spouting; I saw a great number, and enjoyed it
highly. Presently some one called out, "An iceberg!" and, far off
against the sky, I saw this floating wonder. It was very beautiful;
such a dazzling white, so calm and majestic, and so lonely; it was
shaped, as I thought, like an old cathedral, but others thought like
a sleeping lion, taking what I called the ruined tower for his head
and mane.
Soon after this, the man on the lookout cried, "Steamship America;"
and in a few moments more we saw her coming swiftly towards us with
her sails all set, for the wind was fair for her. Captain Leitch
then told me that he should stop his vessel and send a boat on
board, and that he would send a letter by it if I would write one
quickly; to others he said the same thing. In a moment the deck was
cleared, and in a few more moments all had returned with their
letters; and never was there a more beautiful sight than these two
fine steamers manoeuvring to stop at a respectful distance from each
other; then our little boat was lowered, and O, how pretty it was to
see her dancing over the rough waves to the other steamer! We sent
to the America the sad news of the loss of the Kestrel. After what
seemed to us a long time, the boat returned and brought papers, &c.,
but no important news; and in a few moments the two steamers
courtesied to each other, and each went on her way.
After six days, the waves had risen to a terrible height; the wind
was all but a gale; the ocean, as far as one could see, was one
roaring foam; one after another the angry billows rose to the height
of twenty or thirty feet, and rolled on, curling over their green
sides, and then broke with a voice of thunder against our vessel.
I crawled out of the cabin, assisted by two gentlemen, and from the
lower deck saw the sublime commotion over the bulwarks, when the
ship rolled over on the side where I was sitting. The sea broke over
our vessel repeatedly; it went over the top of the smoke pipe, and
struck the fore-topsail in the middle but did, not hurt either of
them. The fourth officer was washed out of his berth by a sea when
he was asleep. One of the paddles broke, but in a very short time
was replaced. One of the wheels was often entirely out of water, but
no harm was done us by any of these disasters; and on we went safe
through the troubled waters.
At night, when we were planning how we should secure ourselves from
rolling about the cabin, there came a sudden lurch of the ship, and
every thing movable was sent SLAM BANG on one side of the cabin; and
such a crash of crockery in the pantry! A few minutes after came a
sound as if we had struck a rock. "What is that?" I asked of the
stewardess.
"Only a sea, ma'am," she replied. In my heart I hoped we should not
have another such box on the ear.
We had a horrid night, but the next day it grew quieter, though it
was still rough, and the wind ahead. Soon after, it grew fair, and
the captain promised us that on Monday, before twelve o'clock, we
should see Ireland; and sure enough it was so. I was on deck again
just at twelve; the sun came out of the clouds, and the mate took an
observation.
