Masterman Ready | Page 5

of the Pacific: perhaps we ought
not to forget two shepherd's dogs, belonging to Mr. Seagrave, and a
little terrier, which was a great favourite of Captain Osborn, to whom
she belonged.
It was not until the fourth day from its commencement that the gale
abated, and then it gradually subsided until it was nearly a calm. The
men who had been watching night after night during the gale now
brought all their clothes which had been drenched by the rain and spray,
and hung them up in the rigging to dry: the sails, also, which had been
furled, and had been saturated by the wet, were now loosened and
spread out that they might not be mildewed. The wind blew mild and

soft, the sea had gone down, and the ship was running through the
water at the speed of about four miles an hour. Mrs. Seagrave, wrapped
up in a cloak, was seated upon one of the arm-chests near the stern of
the ship, her husband and children were all with her enjoying the fine
weather, when Captain Osborn, who had been taking an observation of
the sun with his sextant, came up to them.
"Well, Master Tommy, you are very glad that the gale is over?"
"I didn't care," replied Tommy, "only I spilt all my soup. But Juno
tumbled off her chair, and rolled away with the baby, till papa picked
them both up."
"It was a mercy that poor Albert was not killed," observed Mrs.
Seagrave.
"And so he might have been, if Juno had not thought only of him and
nothing at all about herself," replied Mr. Seagrave.
"That's very true, sir," replied Captain Osborn. "She saved the child,
and, I fear, hurt herself."
"I thump my head very hard," said Juno, smiling.
"Yes, and it's lucky that you have a good thick woolly coat over it,"
replied Captain Osborn, laughing.
"It is 12 o'clock by the sun, sir," said Mackintosh, the first mate, to the
captain.
"Then bring me up the latitude, Mr. Mackintosh, while I work out the
longitude from the sights which I took this morning. In five minutes,
Mr. Seagrave, I shall be ready to prick off over our place on the chart."
"Here are the dogs come up on deck," said William; "I dare say they are
as glad of the fine weather as we are. Come here, Romulus! Here,
Remus! - Remus!"
"Well, sir," said Ready, who was standing by them with his quadrant in

his hand, "I should like to ask you a question. Those dogs of yours have
two very odd names which I never heard before. Who were Romulus
and Remus?"
"Romulus and Remus," replied Mr. Seagrave, "were the names of two
shepherds, brothers, who in ancient days founded the city of Rome,
which eventually became the largest and most celebrated empire in the
world. They were the first kings of Rome, and reigned together. History
says that Remus affronted Romulus by leaping over a wall he had
raised, and Romulus, in his anger, took away his life; but the history of
early days is not to be depended upon."
"No, nor the brothers either, it appears," replied Ready; "however, it is
the old story - two of a trade can never agree. One sometimes hears of
Rome now - is that the same place?"
"Yes," replied William, "it is the remains of the old city."
"Well, one lives and learns," said Ready. "I have learnt something
to-day, which everyone will to the last day of his life, if he will only
ask questions. I'm an old man, and perhaps don't know much, except in
the seafaring way; but I should have known much less if I did not ask
for information, and was not ashamed to acknowledge my ignorance;
that's the way to learn, Master William."
"Very good advice, Ready, - and, William, I hope you will profit by it,"
said Mr. Seagrave; "never be ashamed to ask the meaning of what you
do not understand."
"I always do, papa. Do I not ask you questions, Ready?"
"Yes, you do, and very clever questions for a boy of your age; and I
only wish that I could answer them better than I can sometimes."
"I should like to go down now, my dear," said Mrs. Seagrave; "perhaps
Ready will see the baby down safe."
"That I will, ma'am," said Ready, putting his quadrant on the capstan:

"now, Juno, give me the child, and go down first; - backwards, you
stupid girl! how often do I tell you that? Some day or another you will
come down with a run."
"And break my head," said Juno.
"Yes, or break your arm; and then who is to hold the child?"
As soon as they were all down in the