A Chapter of Adventures

and the carpenters to finish all below, and were to begin in the morning scraping and cleaning the decks, and there then remained only the pain

o you think we can be read

n board her on her last voyage, and she has picked up six months' dirt in the docks. Nothing short of planing will get them fit to be s

ns. I suppose we cannot set the painter

orth looking at, sir. It would be throwing money and time away t

directly the carpenters knock off we might do

hen if it is anything like a dusty cargo the paint wouldn'

offer for a freight, part to Alexandria and part to Smyrna; but they wanted to begin to load at once.

board they might get the deck finished off by Wednesday evening. Anyhow, we might have the painters on bo

ERATE MEN AN

e in most places. They might send a man or two to-morrow to put a

what the carg

st hardware and dry goods of one sort and another

t on board on Monday. Will you get them at the office to write to t

rk. "A trip up the Mediterranean will be a capital breaking in for you. You will hardly be out of sight of land all the way, and Alexandria a

hing more to do, and Mr. Timmins told him that it wo

bring your chest down and take up your quarters here. I shall get the cook in on Monday, and I expect w

spend the next few days at home, and also to assure

on board the bawley, and had shaken hands with him when they left Leigh with warm expressions of gratitude, and they both greeted him most cordially as soon as they met him on the deck of the Wild Wave. Jack therefore commenced his career as a sailor under altogether

e as it went down. The boatswain and crew came on board on the Tuesday, as there was the work of bending the sails and getting all in readiness for the start to be got

looked at him, and, sad as she was at the prospect of his long absence, was thoroughly convinced that the choice he had made was a wise one. Mrs. Godstone and her daughter had been down t

er. Jim Tucker, the elder, had already made two or three voyages in Mr. Godstone's ships. Arthur Hill was going to sea for the first time. Jack knew

u have got a lot of gear here in the cabin, and you must stow it away i

waiting to see how much you had both got, and which berth

r answered. "Well, as I am the senior,

Jack said. "I will take

ceeded to put things straight a

tting, when the hawser attached to the tug was thrown off. Some of the sails had already been hoisted, for the wind was northerly. The rest were now shaken out and sheeted home, and under a cloud of white canvas-for the Wild Wave had b

walking up and down the deck with nothing to do. The Wild Wave passed through a fleet of bawley

ter in coiling down ropes, washing the decks, and in getting everything neatly in shi

ns of her," and he pointed to some black timber

"I heard from my uncle that th

said. "I thought it was all up with us, and even when we saw you coming we hardly beli

othing to look forward to, beyond sailing a bawley; now I have got t

a rare bit of luck for you that you made us out

occasion to make any change with the sails. This was at first a trial for Arthur Hill; but Jim Tucker was an old hand at it, and Jack, who had often had to make his way up the Bessy's

wn through the Bay of Biscay, of which he had heard so much; and he was quite surprised when, on the

e once get fairly round Cape St. Vincent, it may change as soon as it likes into any qu

ind a bit, sir," Jack said; "it

mind how much you get of fine weather and favouring winds. As for storms, I don't care if I never see another. They are very grand to read of in books, and when you have got a stout shi

land; but after blowing strongly the wind abated again, and the next day the Wild Wave passed Cape St. Vincent and headed for the Straits of Gibralt

ew of these foreign towns while you can. When you once get to be mates you will not have much chance to do so, for then you will have to be looking after the loading and unlo

will be trouble here before lon

n, the third mate, said; "but I did not trouble to

"The colonels of the regiments in Cairo, headed by a general name

tiny about?" the

ent, with the army at the head of it; and the viceroy, although still nominally the ruler of Egypt, is in fact little more than a cipher in the hands of Arabi and the colonels. They say the French are at the bottom of it, and it is likely e

but these offers they refused, for, as Jim Tucker said, "We have only got to walk about, and we are certain to find ourselves somewhere. It will be time

all the nationalities of the Mediterranean, mingled with a swarm of scantily-clad na

ff his cheek. "Just look at that child! Why, there are a dozen round its eyes, a

women are ugly enough, what you can see of them, and that is not much. What a rascally set the Europeans look! The Egyptians are gentlemen by the side of them. I fancy from what I

how hot the sun does blaze down here. I say, here is a refreshment place. Sorbette-Ices. It i

yptian driver. "Take a carriage, gentlemen?

r asked. "I suppose we may as

riving with this sun blazing down on us. By five o'clock, when the sun gets a bit lower, it will be pleasant en

rning out of the square t

eing the natives squatting in their little shops, tinkering and tailoring, and all sorts of things. And such a crowd of them in the streets! Th