The Cruise of the Snark by Jack London
page 39 of 260 (15%)
page 39 of 260 (15%)
![]() | ![]() |
|
winds up his letter with: "Although not wishing to offend, it would
be madness to take any woman outside the bay even, in such a craft." And yet, at the moment of writing this, Charmian is in her state- room at the typewriter, Martin is cooking dinner, Tochigi is setting the table, Roscoe and Bert are caulking the deck, and the Snark is steering herself some five knots an hour in a rattling good sea--and the Snark is not padded, either. "Seeing a piece in the paper about your intended trip, would like to know if you would like a good crew, as there is six of us boys all good sailor men, with good discharges from the Navy and Merchant Service, all true Americans, all between the ages of 20 and 22, and at present are employed as riggers at the Union Iron Works, and would like very much to sail with you."--It was letters like this that made me regret the boat was not larger. And here writes the one woman in all the world--outside of Charmian- -for the cruise: "If you have not succeeded in getting a cook I would like very much to take the trip in that capacity. I am a woman of fifty, healthy and capable, and can do the work for the small company that compose the crew of the Snark. I am a very good cook and a very good sailor and something of a traveller, and the length of the voyage, if of ten years' duration, would suit me better than one. References, etc." Some day, when I have made a lot of money, I'm going to build a big ship, with room in it for a thousand volunteers. They will have to do all the work of navigating that boat around the world, or they'll stay at home. I believe that they'll work the boat around the |
|