He said such extraordinary things about being ill-used, and worked
hard, and never having an hour to amuse himself, that I am desirous
of convincing him that it is quite possible (with God's assistance)
not only to bear all this, without thinking it a shame, as George
termed it, but even to praise God for the troubles and trials which
may fall to your lot; and I also wish to inform him, that there
_are_ some boys more patient and grateful than himself. But I see,
by the color mounting to his cheeks, that my boy is sorry for his
past behavior; nevertheless, I will continue my story. And now for
the _incident_, as I presume you will call it, Emma.
"We were about a week's voyage from Jamaica. The wind was favorable,
but light, the sky clear, the sun directly overhead;--we were all
beginning to feel the effects of a warm climate; the sailors were
loosely clad in canvass trousers, striped shirts, and straw hats,
and went lazily about their work;--the ship moved as lazily through
the rippling waves;--the man at the helm drew his hat over his eyes,
to shade them from the glare of the sun, and lounged listlessly upon
the wheel;--the captain was below taking a nap, to the great relief
of men and boys;--some of the passengers were sitting on the poop,
under an awning, drowsily perusing a book or old newspaper; some
leaning on the taffrail, watching the many-colored dolphin, and
those beautiful, but spiteful, little creatures, the Portuguese
men-of-war, which look so splendid as they sail gently on the smooth
surface of the blue ocean, every little ripple causing a change of
color in their transparent sails.
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