The Meaning of the War: Life & Matter in Conflict

reat

or a time had some degree of peace; though it was long ere we threw off

nd certain wrappers upon which there was writing. Now, in the haste of our leaving, he had given no thought to t

ght, and I go to find him; for my loneliness i

hat w

a steady breeze to which we set our lug sails, and so made very good way, t

we met with the beginnings of our adventure into the Sile

bring the breeze with it. And this it did; but no such wind as we did desire; for when the morning came upon us, we discovered all that part of the sky to be full of

en stowed along the tops of the thwarts-also its supports, lashing the same to the thwarts below the knees. Then we laid two lengths of the stout canvas the full length of the boat over the whaleback, overlapping and nailing them to the same, so that they sloped away down over the gunnels upon each side as though they had formed a roof to us. Here, whilst some stretched the canvas, nailing its lower edges to the gunnels, others were employed in lashing together the oars and the mast, and to this bundle they se

here a man might stand to wield the steering oar, for the boats were double bowed. And in each boat we made the same preparation, lashing all movable articles, and preparing to meet so great a storm as might well fill the heart with terror; for

It was at this time that the bo'sun called over to Josh certain advice with regard to that which lay before us. And after that the two

erings. From where I crouched near the bo'sun, I had sight of Josh away upon our port side: he was standing up black as a shape of nigh

how long it might be ere we should have chance of another, if, indeed, we had ever need to think more of such. And then, in th

upon the great swells as though from the light of some vast and unseen fire. It was about this time, I observed that the sun had the appearance of a great full moon, being pale a

e well to take so much precaution; for surely they were raised by a very great storm. A little before evening, the moaning came aga

ramped. Having stirred the sluggishness of my blood, I sat me down again; but in such position that I could see every part of the horizon without difficulty. Ahead of us, that is to the South, I saw now that the great wall of cloud had risen some further deg

sky, were some flecks of cloud lying motionless, and of a very pretty rose color. And here I may remark that all the sea to the North of us appeared as a very

l craft in a very lonesome place. Then, even while the roaring lasted, I saw a sudden light flare up, as it were from the edge of the Southern horizon. It had somewhat the appearance of lightning; yet vanished not immediately, as is the wont of lightning; and more, it had not been my experience to wit

as like to be deafened. To windward, I perceived an enormous wall of spray bearing down upon us, and I heard again the shrill screaming, pierce through the roaring. Then, the bo'sun whipped in his oar under the cover, and, reaching forward, drew the canvas aft, so that it covered the entire boat, and he held it down against the gunnel upon the starboard side, shouting in my ear to do likewise upon the larboard. Now had it not been for this forethought on the part of the bo'sun we had been all dead men; and this may be the better believed when I explain that we felt the water falling upon the stout canvas overhead, tons and tons, though so beaten to froth as to lack solidity to sink or crush us. I have said "felt"; for I would make it so

nd now upon the other; and several times we were stricken heavily with the blows of solid water. But presently this ceased, and we returned once agai

bright that they lit up the boat through the double covering of canvas; yet no man o

still, by the mercy of God, possessed of our lives,

d evening. Overhead, as I lay looking upwards, the canvas showed of a dull leadenish color, blackened completely at whiles by the dash of spra

r beam-ends by the blows of the seas; but she righted easily, and took scarce an

ts, shouted in his ear to know whether the wind was easing at whiles. To this he nodded, whereat I felt a

gain, the bo'sun beckoned to me to assist him, and we removed such temporary nails as we had used to fasten down the after part of the canvas, and pushed back the covering a space sufficient to allow our heads to go through into the daylight. On looking out,

, we would go swooping dizzily down the great, black, froth-splotched back of the wave, until the oncoming sea caught us up most mightily. Odd whiles, the crest of a sea would hurl forward before we had reached the top, and though the boat shot upward like a veritable feather, yet the water would swirl right over us, and we would have to draw in our heads most suddenly; in such cases the wind

ing vanished again, and nailed down the canv

tle to know, cooped up beneath the cover. Nothing save the interminable, thundering swoop of the boat downwards, and then the halt and upward

. However, as it proved, and as this is a most suitable place in which to tell it, the boat that held Josh and the rest of the crew came through the storm with safety; though it was not u

o our own