Rollo on the Atlantic

art

the pier had the effect of producing

Rollo, quite alarmed. "The pier is sailin

ier is not sailing away. We

ook of bewildered astonishment. Then she ad

orge would certainly come back; and

have to get out of this ship at all till we get to Liverpool; and we shall find father at Liverpool. He will come on board

people which had assembled there seemed to be pressing on toward the end of the pier, accompanying the ship, as it were, in its motion, as it glided smoothly away. As they thus crowded forward, all those who had opportunity to do so climbed up upon boxes and b

d by and other personal greetings, on the decks and in the cabins of the ship, before she leaves the pier. Then, secondly, the company of passengers, as a whole, give a good by to the whole company of visitors, who have come to see the ship s

now getting quite out into the stream, and was turning rapidly down the river. This change in the direction in which the steamer was going carried the pier and all the people that were upon it entirely out of the children's view and they saw themselves gliding rapidly along the shore of the river, which was formed of a long line of piers, with forests of masts surmounting them, and long ranges of stores and warehouses beyond. Nearer to the steamer, on the water of the river, and on either hand, were to be seen sloops, ships

's farewell to the city. Of course, for a ship to speak to a city, a very loud voice is required. So they provide her with a gun. In fact, a great steamer proceeding to sea may be considered as, in some respects, like a mighty animal. The

errified at the

wish they would not fire any

o. "In fact, I am sure they will not, for they hav

ying moored to her pier, waiting for her own sailing day. Now, as the Pacific passed by this other steamer, the men on board of the latter, having previously made every thing ready for the ceremony, fired two guns as a salute to her, by way of bidding her farewell and wishing her a good voyage. Of course, it was proper to respon

up and down over the waves made by the steamboat swell to the man-of-war riding proudly at anchor in the stream, are seen on every hand. The shores, too, present enchanting pictures of rich and romantic beauty. There are villas and cottages, and smooth grassy l

r the middle of the deck, around what seemed to be a sort of skylight. These settees were all firmly secured to their places with strong cords, by means of which they were tied by the legs to some of the fixtures of the skylights. In obedience to this suggestion, the children went and took their places upon a settee. Jane carried the cage, containing Tiger, which sh

to do next," said Jane, mournfully,

"and so I am going to fol

as a sort of universal direction for

u see other

t in this or in any other

o nothing. In the mean time, however, he amused himself in watching the ships and steamers which he saw sailing to and fro a

ON THE P

ain word. Sometimes it was port, sometimes it was starboard, and sometimes it was steady. Rollo observed that it was always one or the other of those three words. And what was still more curious, Rollo observed that, whenever the man on the paddle box called out the word, the officer on the deck, who kept walking about ther

eman, "you are rather young to

ll, sir,"

," said the gentleman. "We shal

said Rollo,

leman. "There he is,

Rollo. "I thought the pil

directions how to steer. He does not steer himself. Th

the deck, with a row of panes of glass, like a long narrow window, in front of it. Through this window Rollo could se

ts of the vessels which are coming and going. When he wishes the helm to be put to the right, he calls out Starboard! When he wish

is lofty lookout on the pad

the command, in order to pass i

ay of making it sure to the officer that

em, on hearing these commands, called out, not very loud, but still in such a manner as that all aroun

ngers around. Even the stern and morose-looking count

entleman, "and you will see her change her course in o

ed the effect with great

gave orders how to stee

ould be studied and known thoroughly by some one who is all the time upon the spot. The men who do this are called pilots. The pilots of each port form a company, and have established rules and regulations for governing all their proceedings. They go out to the mouth of the harbor in small vessels called pilot boats, where they wait, both in sunshine and storm, for ships to come in. When a ship approaches the coast and sees one of these pilot boats, it makes a signal for a pilot to co

to a pilot boat and go back

he passengers can send letters back

I?" ask

man. "Write your letter,

p and envelopes in it. This was an apparatus that he always carried with him when he trave

ncle G

e have found a good seat, an

ectionat

Hol

ght. So he finished his writing, and then folded his note and put it in its envelope. He sealed the envelope with a wafer, which he took out of a compartment of his pocket book. He then addressed

rsmen rowed it along. When it came to the side of the ship a sailor threw a rope to it, and it was held fast by means of the rope until the pilot got on board. The rope was then cast off, and the boat moved away. The engine was now put in motion again, and the great paddle wheels of the ship began to

ction, "now he will go up to the city safe, and I am

gan to give the necessary orders for the vigorous prosecution of the voyage. The sails were spread, the engines were put into