Part 30 (1/2)
”And noe shall have breakfast,” I said ”But first you ot out a heavy shi+rt, new frooods I knew the kind, so thick and so close of texture that it could resist the rain and not be soaked through after hours of wetting When she had slipped this on over her head, I exchanged the boy's cap she wore for a h to cover her hair, and, when the flap was turned down, to co Her face was of the sort that cannot but look well under all circu could destroy its exquisite oval, its well-nigh classic lines, its delicately stencilled brows, its large brown eyes, clear-seeing and caler than usual, struck us just then The boat was caught as it obliquely crossed the crest of a wave It went over suddenly, burying its gunwale level with the sea and shi+pping a bucketful or so of water I was opening a can of tongue at theto the sheet and cast it off just in time The sail flapped and fluttered, and the boat paid off A few ain, when I returned to the preparation of breakfast
”It does very well, it sees nautical,” she said, nodding her head with grave approval atcontrivance
”But it will serve only e are sailing by the wind,” I explained ”When running more freely, with the wind astern abeam, or on the quarter, it will be necessary for me to steer”
”I must say I don't understand your technicalities,” she said, ”but I do your conclusion, and I don't like it You cannot steer night and day and for ever So I shall expect, after breakfast, to receive my first lesson And then you shall lie down and sleep We'll stand watches just as they do on shi+ps”
”I don't see how I a for ht when you trusted yourself to me that I had had no experience whatever with small boats This is the first tiether, sir And since you've had a night's start you shall teach me what you have learned And now, breakfast My! this air does give one an appetite!”
”No coffee,” I said regretfully, passing her buttered sea-biscuits and a slice of canned tongue ”And there will be no tea, no soups, nothing hot, till we have made land somewhere, somehow”
After the simple breakfast, capped with a cup of cold water, Maud took her lesson in steering In teaching her I learned quite a deal e already acquired by sailing the Ghost and by watching the boat-steerers sail the small boats She was an apt pupil, and soon learned to keep the course, to luff in the puffs and to cast off the sheet in an erown tired, apparently, of the task, she relinquished the oar to me I had folded up the blankets, but she now proceeded to spread thely, she said:
”Now, sir, to bed And you shall sleep until luncheon Till dinner-tiement on the Ghost
What could I do? She insisted, and said, ”Please, please,” whereupon I turned the oar over to her and obeyed I experienced a positive sensuous delight as I crawled into the bed she had made with her hands The calm and control which were so much a part of her seemed to have been communicated to the blankets, so that I are of a soft dreaminess and content, and of an oval face and brown eyes fraround now of grey cloud, now of grey sea, and then I are that I had been asleep
I looked at my watch It was one o'clock I had slept seven hours! And she had been steering seven hours! When I took the steering-oar I had first to unbend her crath had been exhausted, and she was unable even to o the sheet while I helped her to the nest of blankets and chafed her hands and arms
”I am so tired,” she said, with a quick intake of the breath and a sigh, drooping her head wearily
But she straightened it the next moment ”Now don't scold, don't you dare scold,” she cried with ry,” I answered seriously; ”for I assure you I ary”
”N-no,” she considered ”It looks only reproachful”
”Then it is an honest face, for it looks what I feel You were not fair to yourself, nor to ain?”
She looked penitent ”I'll be good,” she said, as a naughty child ht say it ”I promise-”
”To obey as a sailor would obey his captain?”
”Yes,” she answered ”It was stupid ofelse,” I ventured
”Readily”