Download or read book A Ship of Solace written by Elinor Mordaunt and published by Theclassics.Us. This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1911 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XVI "The night came on a hurricane, the sea was mountains rolling, Barnes Buntline turned his quid, and said to Billy Bowline, 'A strong sou'wester's blowing, Billy; can't you hear it roar now? Lord help 'em, how I pities all unhappy folks on shore now.'" Old Song. The wind has for several days been petulant and uncertain, blowing first from this direction, then from that, and seeming to gather strength at each change. Three days back there was a choppy swell from the south, with a south by east wind blowing, and lightning flashing from the north. At midday the royals had, alas! to be furled, and then the top-gallants and outer jib. Next day the wind shifted again to east by north, this time in a fair fury, so that the main-sail had to be furled. To-day, till noon, the wind was eastnorth-east, with sudden squalls and rain. At noon it backed to the north with such sudden force that outer jib and foretop-mast staysail were split. "Let 'em go!" said the Captain in a sort of joyous rage; "I'll be hanged if I take in more." And almost as he spoke the wind veered again with a slap to the north-west, and a great hole was ripped in the fore lower topsail. As the evening came on, both wind and sea got worse, and two men were put on at the wheel, as the ship was swinging a couple of points on each side of her course. The worse the weather got, the more cheerful everybody seemed, though now it was blowing with a vengeance, and at last the Captain had to have her hove to under the lower topsails. The seas were pouring in a torrent over the weather bulwarks, and men kept getting washed down into the scuppers and crawling out like drowned rats, panting for breath and blinded with water, to the immense amusement of their companions. The poor...