Masterman Ready | Page 8

that now and then
an albatross would drop down at some distance from the stern of the

vessel, and, as he swam lazily along with his wings half-furled, pick up
the fragments of food which had been thrown over the side.
"What great bird is that, Ready?" inquired William.
"It is an albatross, the largest sea-bird we have. Their wings are very
long. I have seen them shot, and they have measured eleven feet from
the tip of one wing to the tip of the other when the wings have been
spread out."
"It is the first one that I have seen," said William.
"Because you seldom meet them north of the Cape, sir: people do say
that they go to sleep on the wing, balancing themselves high up in the
air."
"Papa," said William, turning to Mr. Seagrave, who stood by, "why is it
that one bird can swim and another cannot? You recollect when
Tommy drove the hens into the large pond, they flounced about, and
their feathers became wet, and would support them no longer, and then
they were drowned. Now, how does a sea-bird contrive to remain so
long on the water?"
"Because a sea-bird, William, is provided with a sort of oil on purpose
to anoint the outside of its feathers, and this oil prevents the water from
penetrating them. Have you not observed the ducks on shore dressing
their feathers with their bills? They were then using this oil to make
their feathers waterproof."
"How odd!"
"Don't say how odd, William; that is not an expression to use when we
talk of the wonderful provisions made by the Almighty hand, who
neglects not the meanest of his creatures - say rather, how wonderful!"
"That's very true, sir," observed Ready; "but still you must not be too
hard upon Master William, for I have heard many a grownup man make
use of the same expression."

On the third day of the calm, the barometer fell so low as to induce
Captain Osborn to believe that they should have a severe gale, and
every preparation was made to meet it, should it come on. Nor was he
mistaken: towards midnight the clouds gathered up fast, and as they
gathered up in thick piles, heaped one over the other, the lightning
darted through them in every direction; and as the clouds rose up, so
did the wind, but at first only in heavy gusts, and then lulling again to a
calm.
"Ready," said Captain Osborn, "how do you think we shall have the
wind?"
"Why, Captain Osborn, to tell you the truth, I don't think it will be
steady to one point long. It may at first blow hard from the north, but
it's my idea it will shift soon to some other quarter, and blow still
harder."
"What think you, Mackintosh?"
"We'll have plenty of it, and a long steady gale, that's my notion; and
the sooner we ship the dead lights the better."
Mr. Seagrave, with William, happened to be standing by at the time of
this conversation, and at the term dead lights Willie's face expressed
some anxiety. Ready perceived it, and said--
"That's a foolish name they give to the shutters which go over the cabin
windows to prevent the water from breaking into the cabin when a
vessel sails before the wind; you know we had them on the last time
that we had a gale."
"But, Ready," said Captain Osborn, "why do you think that we shall
have a shift of wind?"
"Well, I don't know; perhaps I was wrong," replied the old man, "and
Mr. Mackintosh is right: the wind does seem to come steady from the
north-east, that's certain;" and Ready walked away to the binnacle, and
looked at the compass. Mr. Seagrave and William then went below, and

Mr. Mackintosh went forward to give his orders. As soon as they were
all gone, Ready went up again to Captain Osborn and said:
"Captain Osborn, it's not for me to contradict Mr. Mackintosh, but
that's of little consequence in a time like this: I should have held to my
opinion, had it not been that the gentleman passenger and his son were
standing by, but now, as the coast is clear, I tell you that we shall have
something worse than a gale of wind. I have been in these latitudes
before, and I am an old seaman, as you know. There's something in the
air, and there has been something during the last three days of calm,
which reminds me too well of what I have seen here before; and I am
sure that we shall have little better than a hurricane, as far as wind goes
- and worse in one point, that it will last much longer than hurricanes