The Gentleman - A Romance of the Sea

Alfred Ollivant

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• Publié par: ostie
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 62
• Langue: English

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The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Gentleman, by Alfred Ollivant #2 in our series by Alfred Ollivant Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the header without written permission. Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. **Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** **eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** *****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** Title: The Gentleman A Romance of the Sea Author: Alfred Ollivant Release Date: June, 2005 [EBook #8396] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on July 26, 2003] Edition: 10 Language: English *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GENTLEMAN *** Produced by Suzanne Shell, William Flis, Jerry Fairbanks, Mary Musser, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. THE GENTLEMAN A ROMANCE OF THE SEA BY ALFRED OLLIVANT AUTHOR OF "BOB, SON OF BATTLE" AND "REDBOAT CAPTAIN" 1908 TO THE NAVYCONTENTS JULY 1805 BOOK I THE LITTLE TREMENDOUS I THE DEATH OF BLACK DIAMOND Chap. I. THE MAN ON THE GREY II. THE GALLOPING GENT III. THE GUNNER OF THE SLOOP IV. OLD DING-DONG V. REUBEN BONIFACE'S STORY VI. THE LUGGER KITE VII. THE MAN IN THE LUGGER VIII. THE SCENT-BOTTLE II MAGNIFICENT ARRY IX. THE TWO PRIVATEERS X. THE MAIN-DECK XI. COMMODORE MOUCHE XII. BOARDERS XIII. AFTER THE FIGHT III UNDER THE CLIFF XIV. SUNDAY EVENING XV. THE VOICE FROM THE POWDER-MAGAZINE XVI. MAGNIFICENT ARRY GOES ALOFT XVII. THE GRAVE OF THE LITTLE TREMENDOUS XVIII. OLD DING-DONG'S REVENGE XIX. OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND BOOK II BEACHY HEAD I THE GAP GANG XX. THE LAST OF A BRITISH SEAMAN. XXI. KIT STARTS ON HIS MISSION XXII. FAT GEORGE & CO XXIII. THE CLIMB XXIV. THE CLIMB II THE MAN ON THE CLIFF XXV. THE GENTLEMAN BOWSXXVI. THE DEAD WOMAN XXVII. THE HOLLOW IN THE COOMBE XXVIII. ON THE TOP OF THE WORLD III ABERCROMBY'S BLACK COCK XXIX. THE FLAG OF HIS COUNTRY XXX. AN OLD SONG XXXI. THE MAN WITH THE SWORD XXXII. THE BROKEN SQUARE XXXIII. FIGHTING FITZ XXXIV. THE FACE ON THE WALL IV THE GARRISON XXXV. THE SOLDIER'S MOTHER XXXVI. THE FIGHTING MAN XXXVII. THE SAINT XXXVIII. THE SIMPLETON XXXIX. THE FLAP OF A FLAG. V THE BOARDING OF THE PRIVATEER XL. THE SWIM IN THE DARK XLI. PIGGY, THE PRIVATEERSMAN XLII. THE MAN IN THE BOAT XLIII. A BLACK BORDERER TO THE RESCUE BOOK III FORT FLINT I BESIEGED XLIV. THE ENGLISHMAN XLV. THE PARSON AT HOME XLVI. THE PARSON'S STORY XLVII. THE DESPATCH-BAG XLVIII. THE DOXIE'S DAUGHTER II THE SALLY XLIX. MAKING READY L. IN THE DRAIN LI. VOICES OF THE LOST LII. HARE AND HOUND LIII. OLD TOADIE LIV. THE PARSON'S AGONY LV. PRETTY POLLY-KISS-ME-QUICK LVI. THE RACE FOR THE COTTAGEIII THE SHADOW OF THE WOMAN LVII. THE PARLEY LVIII. THE PLANK CAPONIER LIX. MISS BLOSSOM LX. THE TWO PRAYERS LXI. KNAPP'S RETURN LXII. THE PARSON MUSES IV THE GENTLEMAN'S LAST CARD LXIII. NELSON'S TOPSAILS LXIV. RUMBLINGS OF THUNDER LXV. THE DOINGS IN THE CREEK LXVI. BUGLES LXVII. THE ACE OF TRUMPS V THE FORLORN HOPE LXVIII. THE BLESSING LXIX. THE PARSON'S SORTIE LXX. THE LAST OF OLD FAITHFUL LXXI. ON THE SHINGLE-BANK LXXII. THE RACE FOR THE LUGGER LXXIII. NOBLESSE OBLIGE BOOK IV NELSON I H.M.S. MEDUSA LXXIV. NATURE, THE COMFORTER LXXV. ON THE DECK OF THE MEDUSA LXXVI. IN THE CABIN OF THE MEDUSA LXXVII. THE MEDUSA GOES ABOUT LXXVIII. NELSON'S HEART LXXIX. IN THE CABIN AGAIN LXXX. THE MEDUSA DIPS HER ENSIGN II KNAPP'S STORY LXXXI. THE RETURN LXXXII. BACK TO THE DOOR LXXXIII. PIPER PRAYS LXXXIV. IN THE COTTAGE III THE WISH AT EVENING LXXXV. THE SANCTUARY LXXXVI. TWILIGHTLXXXVI. TWILIGHT LXXXVII. HIS CAUSE LXXXVIII. THE ADVENTURER LXXXIX. THE LAST POST SEPTEMBER 1805 The introductory poem appeared originally in the Pall Mall Magazine, and is re-published by permission of the Editor.OUR SEA The Sea! the Sea! Our own home-land, the Sea! 'Tis, as it always was, and still, please God, will be, When we are gone, Our own, Possessing it for Thee, Ours, ours, and ours alone, The Anglo-Saxon Sea. The stripped, moon-shining, naked-bosomed Sea. No jerry-building here; No scenes that once were dear Beneath man's tawdry touch to disappear; Always the same, the Sea, Th' unstable-steadfast Sea. 'Tis, as it always was, and still, please God, will be, When we are gone, Our own, Vice-regents under Thee, Ours, ours, and ours alone, The Anglo-Saxon Sea. The mighty-furrowed, moody-minded Sea. New suns and moons arise; Perish old dynasties; For ever rise and die the centuries; Only remains the Sea, Our right of way, the Sea. 'Tis, as it always was, and still, phase God, will be, When we are gone, Our own, Our heritage from Thee, Ours, ours, and ours alone, The Anglo-Saxon Sea. Our good, grey, faithful, Saxon-loving Sea._JULY 1805 "Succeed, and you command the Irish Expedition," said the squat fellow. "My Emperor!" replied the tall cavalry-man, saluted, and clanked away in the gloom. * * * * * A sweet evening, very fresh, the tide crashing at the foot of the cliff. In the twilight, above Boulogne, a man was standing, hands behind him. The moon lay on the water, making a broad white road that led from his feet across the flowing darkness West. The dusk was falling. About him the earth grew dark; above him all was purity and pale stars. Only the tumble of the tide, white-lipped on the beach beneath, stirred the silence; while one little dodging ship, black in the wake of the moon, told of some dare-devil British sloop, bluffing the batteries upon the cliff. The rustle of the water beneath, its crashing rhythm and hiss as of breath intaken swiftly, soothed him. He fell into a waking dream. It seemed to his wide eyes that the sea rose, heavenward as a wall; its foot set in foam, its summit on a level with his face. Against it a silver ladder leaned. He had but to mount that ladder to pluck the island-jewel, the desire of his heart these many years. He reached a hand into the night as though to realise his wish; and even as he did so, the sloop barked. A mortar hard by boomed; the sea splashed; the sloop scudded seaward, laughing; and the dreamer awoke. Behind him, hutted on the cliffs, lay the Army of England: [Footnote: The Army of England was Napoleon's name for the Army of Invasion.] such a sword, now two years a-tempering, as even he, the Great Swordsman, had never wielded. Beneath him in the dimming basin huddled 3000 gun-vessels, waiting their call. Before him, across the moon-white waste, under the North star, lay that stubborn little land of Bibles and evening bells, of smoky cities, and hedge-rows fragrant with dog-rose and honeysuckle, of apple-cheeked children, greedy fighting-men, and still-eyed women who became the mothers of indomitable seamen—that storm-beaten land which for so long now, turn he where he would, had risen before him, Angel of the Flaming Sword, and waved him back. Between him and it ran a narrow lane of sea, the moon-road white across it: so narrow he could almost leap it; so broad that now after years of trying he was baffled still. Could his Admirals only stop the Westward end of that narrow lane for six hours, that he and his two-hundred- thousand might take the moon-road unmolested, he was Master of the World. But—they could not. In his hand, fiercely crumpled, lay the despatch that told him Villeneuve was back in Vigo, shepherded home again. And by whom? That little one-eyed one-armed seaman, who for ten years now had stood between him and his destiny. One man, the man of Aboukir Bay. [Footnote: On August 1, 1798, Nelson destroyed the French fleet in Aboukir Bay at the Battle of the Nile.]BOOK I THE LITTLE TREMENDOUS