Part 42 (1/2)
”Have you got Ben snatchblock as”He ht he was right, so he has subsided into the ht the craft round myself, but I intend to look out for a Cowes man as first mate and pilot, as I wish to have no anxieties, and be able to send the vessel anywhere I wish, without going in her I propose engaging a couple of good men as master and mate, if they are to be found at this season of the year Most of the well-knownJack and Terence, with their belongings, went down to the pier, where the _Stella's_ boat, with the young Alick, aiting to receive theave the word to shove off in a very officer-like way, and the blades dropping flat on the water, scarcely side the yacht Even to Jack's critical eye she was as neat and trihly comfortable, wholesome vessel, as are angway to hand in his guests, ere soon seated in easy caht
The anchor was hove up The vessel's head, under her jib and foresail, payed round before a light air fro hoisted, she stood aith several other yachts, which got under way at the sa to the ard The sky was blue and clear, and the sun shone brightly on the glittering water, just rippled over by the breeze, on the polished sides of the yacht, on the burnished brass work, and on the sails white as snow
As the _Stella's_ squaresail was set, she ran by several of the yachts, showing that, although a co on board was perfect The men in their white duck trousers, blue shi+rts, their hats having a band on which the naold letters, the decks without a spot, the ropes neatly flemished down, the bulwarks of a pale sal-pins, and other brass work burnished to a nicety, all betokened a thoroughly well-ordered yacht, Murray hilided by the wooded heights of Binsted
The royal doreen laas passed, Cowes Point rounded, and its harbour opened out full of yachts of every size and rig, so under way Its club house and picturesque villas, aht laere seen close on the port side; while on the opposite shore, at the uished Calshot Castle, once the residence of a general well known in the Peninsular War, the predecessor in the command of the British army of Sir Arthur Wellesley Beyond Calshot rose the tower of Eaglehurst, and to the west of it, reaching to the shore, the outskirts of the New Forest Then further on could be seen the town of Lyh mud flats, with Jack-in-the-basket at its e of Newton, peeping out a far beyond it, extending to the extre street and sturdy little castle at one end, a church tower rising in itsresidences, perched on the hillside; and to the west of it, its for forts, scientifically placed on heights coht, at the end of a long spit of sand, were the red light-houses, and the castle, and newly erected batteries of Hurst, such as no hostile fleet would dare to encounter; outside of which could be distinguished, by the broken water, the dangerous shoal of the shi+ngles, well e black buoys
”How beautiful and curious those cliffs are coloured!” exclai to a bay in the Isle of Wight shore, a short distance inside the white Needle rocks
”That is Alum Bay,” answered Captain Murray ”The cliffs are composed of fine sand of different colours, as you see You shall land there some day, ill come down on purpose; and you can collect speci a picture, and you may try who can produce the prettiest landscape with theht, continuing to the very end of the island, where the white Needle rocks ran out into the blue waters The most northern one had been scarped so as to forht-house had been built, instead of one on the dohich, frequently shrouded byfrom the ard The Needle rocks were soon rounded, while the tide was still ebbing, and Scratchel's Bay was opened out, its perpendicular cliff rising sheer out of the water several hundred feet The pilot Murray had engaged narrated how once upon a tiht ran in on the rocks, and the crew and passengers escaped over the fallenup thebroke the white rocks looked as if sprinkled over by lady-birds, as the soldiers in their red jackets attempted to make their way to the summit
The yacht stood on until Christchurch Head was passed, and Bourneroves, and Studland Bay, and the pretty little town of Swanage appeared, when she hauled her wind to save the tide back, as with a light breeze she would require every inch of it to reach Ryde before nightfall
The ladies, who had never sailed down the Solent before, were delighted with the scenery Even the three captains, who had so often coe, declared that they enjoyed the views more than they had ever done before The sea was so s up for luncheon, while before dinner-tiht
It was the first of several pleasant trips the three old friends with their young people took on board the _Stella_ The captains declared that they felt like boys again, and that it was the happiest time in their lives They had picnics at Alum Bay, Netley Abbey, on the shores of Southampton Water; they pulled up Beaulieu River in the boats, and several tiht
Adair received a letter fro a hopeful account of his prospects
”What do you say to a trip round to Dublin to congratulate him if he succeeds, or to console the poor fellow if he fails?” said Murray ”You will come, I am sure, and I dare say Jack will have no objection to the trip”
Both Adair and Jack were perfectly ready to accept the invitation Mrs Rogers expressed her readiness, and Lucy undertook to remain at Ryde to look after the children It was finally settled that the eldest Miss Murray and Miss Rogers should go with the yacht, with, of course, young Alick, while the rest reed that the _Stella_ should sail as soon as a grand review of the fleet, which was about to take place, was over The revieas in honour of a visit paid to the Queen by the Sultan of Turkey and the Pasha of Egypt, or rather to exhibit Britannia's ht and power to the two Eastern potentates
Murray had invited several friends of his own, as well as of Jack's and Adair's, to see the fleet As soon as they were on board, the _Stella_ got under way, andsail ran down the two lines, the one coates, relics of days gone by, consisting of the _Victory_, the _Duke of Wellington_, the _Donegal_, the _Revenge_, the _Saint Vincent_, the _Royal George_, the _Saint George_, the _Dauntless_, and land's glory, but which were probably three or four tiht oftheir predecessors In the other line were cupola or turret-shi+ps; iron-clads, with four or five huge guns, arates, and screw corvettes, and raun-boats innue beetles turned on their backs, each with a single gun capable of dealing destruction on the proudest of the ancient line-of-battle shi+ps
The fleet getting under way stood to the eastward, when they for the port line, the iron-clads the starboard The _Stella_, having stood back to Spithead, saw theradually e froentlemen; it will probably be the last time you will see the ancient and modern fleets of Great Britain placed in juxtaposition All those nificent three-deckers will be cut down into turret-shi+ps, as the _Royal Sovereign_ has been treated, or be broken up as useless, unable to contend with the sh as he spoke, adding, ”I cannot help wishi+ng at tis had remained as they were, and that smoke-jacks and iron-clads, and rams and torpedoes, and other diabolical inventions had never been thought of; but we must take them as they are and make the best use of them in our power In the next naval henever it takes place, there will be some extraordinary naval events to be recorded Instead of stately shi+ps and light frigates, with their white canvas reaching to the skies, the ocean will be covered with low black onists, others ra their vile torpedoes beneath an eneuns; not a feing up and foundering with all hands on board”
”You do not draw a pleasant picture of the battles of the future,”
observed Adair, laughing ”My idea is that if the British fleet is kept up as it should be, no ene south-westerly gale kept the _Stella_ in Cowes harbour for so to continue fine, she sailed with a northerly breeze down Channel By this tiot so well accustomed to the yacht that they felt theood supply of books, and a box from Mudie's was added to the store, with creature coh we are somewhat closer packed than we should be on board a line-of-battle shi+p, Ithe time,” exclaimed Adair
”Lucy, I suspect, will be well content if you are satisfied with indulging your nautical propensities in this way, instead of going afloat for three or four long years,” observed Julia
”It's as well not to think about the future If the Lords of the Ad the coive up the service, I must accept their offer However, at present, as they do not knohere to find me, I am not likely to hear about the matter, even should they offer me a shi+p, so let's be happy while we can, and drive dull care away”
The fine weather continued until the _Stella_ had got to the ard of the Eddystone, when it came on to blow pretty hard fro into Falmouth for the sake of the ladies
”Will there be any danger if we continue the voyage?” asked his wife
”Not the slightest; at the uth wethe Lizard, once round it there will be a fair wind for us,” was the answer