The Life of a Ship from the Launch to the Wreck | Page 3

to the
water's edge; for you can fancy how difficult it would be to drag such a
great thing into the water by main force. In order to make her slip more
easily, the "ways," down which she slides, are covered with grease.
Very soon the crowds of people stood in silence, expecting the great
event of the day; and, as the moment drew nigh, the band, which had
been playing all morning, suddenly stopped. Davy became very
anxious, because he was so little that he could not see in the crowd; but,
observing a post near at hand, he struggled towards it and climbed to
the top of it. Here he saw famously. The workmen had begun to knock
away the props; there was just one remaining. At this moment a lady
stepped forward with a bottle of wine in her hand to christen the ship.
This she did by breaking the bottle against the cutwater; just at that
instant she began to move. Another second and the Fair Nancy rushed
down the incline, plunged heavily into the water like some awful
sea-monster, and floated out upon her ocean home amid the deafening
cheers of the people, especially of little Davy, who sat on the top of the
post waving his red cap and shouting with delight.
After the launch Davy and all the people returned home, and the Fair
Nancy was towed to the "shear-hulk" to have her masts put in. The
shear-hulk is a large ship in which is placed machinery for lifting masts

into other ships. Every one who has looked at the thick masts of a large
vessel, must see at a glance that they could never be put there by any
number of men. Machinery is used to do it, and the shear-hulk contains
that machinery; so that when a ship has to get her masts put up she is
dragged alongside of this vessel. In the meantime Davy renewed his
prayer to his father to let him go to sea, and at last the old man
consented. His mother cried a good deal at first, and hoped that Davy
would not think of it; but his father said that it would do him good, and
if he became tired of it after the first voyage he could give it up. Davy
was overjoyed at this, and went immediately to his friend the fisherman,
Ben Block, who was very much delighted too, and took him to a shop
to buy clothes and a sea-chest for the voyage.
"You see, lad," said Ben, "the ship is bound for Quebec with a mixed
cargo, and is to come back loaded with timber; and as the season is
coming on, you'll need to get ready quick."
"That I shall," replied Davy, as they entered a shop. "Ho! shopman,
give me a straw hat, and a blue jacket, and a pair o' duck trousers,
and--"
"Stop! stop!" cried Ben, "you're sailing too fast. Take in a reef, my lad."
Ben meant by this that he was to proceed a little slower. "You'll want a
`sou'-wester,'" (an oilskin hat), "and a `dread-nought,'" (a thick, heavy
coat), "and things o' that sort."
After Davy had bought all he wanted, and ordered a sea-chest, he went
home to his mother, who was very sad at the thought of parting with
him. When the day of departure came she gave him a great deal of good
advice, which Davy promised, with tears in his eyes, to remember.
Then she gave him a little Bible and a kiss, and sent him away. His
father took him to the beach, where the ship's boat was waiting for him;
and, as the old man took off his cap, and raising his eyes to heaven,
prayed for a blessing on his little son, Davy, with watery eyes, looked
around at the big ships floating on the water, and, for the first time,
wished that he was not going to sea.
In a few minutes he was on board the "outward-bound" ship. This is

what we say of ships when they are going out to sea; when they return
from a voyage we say that they are "homeward-bound." The Fair
Nancy was a noble ship, and as she hoisted her snow-white sails to a
strong wind, (a stiff breeze, as Ben Block called it), she looked like a
white cloud. The cloud seemed to grow smaller and smaller as Davy's
father and mother watched it from the shore; then it became like a little
white spot on the faraway sea; then it passed over the line where the
water meets the sky, and they saw it no more!
After Davy had cried a great deal, and wished very often that he had
not been so determined to leave home,