The Cruise of the Dry Dock by T. S. Stribling
page 17 of 256 (06%)
page 17 of 256 (06%)
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tropic seas. His imagination readily conjured up a kaleidoscope of
incidents--cannibal proas, shark fights, sea serpents, typhoons, mutinies, what not. And at every turn of the tug's propeller all this bright dashing world of adventure drew nearer and nearer. For some reason he recalled what the bystander on the dock had said--"Everything is unreasonable at sea," and he laughed aloud. As a sort of gloomy echo of his laugh, his ear caught a groan from the other side of the paint barrels. With the utmost surprise and curiosity, he straightened up and moved silently around the pile. Then he saw the tall Englishman leaning across the bridge rail, face in hands, staring at the line of land silhouetted in black between the brazen sky and the reflecting water. Smith's whole attitude was so suggestive of trouble that Madden moved forward in generous sympathy. The Englishman heard the movement, straightened, looked around; his long face wore a look of suffering in the colored light. "Sorry you're so blue, old man," sympathized the American, making a guess at the cause of his bad spirits. "Let's have a turn around this old tub and forget homesickness." "Home!" echoed Caradoc gruffly. "It's--it's all England I'm leaving. It's England and honor and--" he stiffened suddenly and snarled out: "Do you think I climbed away up here on this bridge hunting your company?" Leonard was utterly nonplussed by this shift. "I'm sure I meant no |
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