They've just told me from the life-
boat its five miles, and, as your steamer is two miles long, we're right
in our reckoning all around; but I don't care if it's twenty-five,
I'm going to make it."
"Quarter to nine.--Boyton takes supper, lights a cigar and paddles
perseveringly along, although he has now been close on eighteen hours in
the water. Bravo heart! He is now paddling more strongly than he was in
the morning. The three miles shrink, at last into two and three
quarters and about this time the one sensational incident of this voyage
happens.
"Captain Boyton's own words best describe the episode: 'About an hour
before I got on land, I heard a tremendous blowing behind me. It
startled me for the moment, for I guessed it was a shark. I instantly
drew out my knife, but while I was in the act of doing this, a second
snort came closer to my head. I out with my knife and instantly threw
myself into a standing position, ready to strike if I had been
attacked; but simultaneously with this movement of mine a tremendous
black thing leaped completely over me and darted away like
lightning. It was a porpoise.'
"The Earnest slowly steaming, Captain Dane casting the lead every few
minutes, creeps so near to the towering South Foreland by 2 A.
Pages:
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264