Rollo on the Atlantic

engers'

were seated on the next settee. The morning was very pleasant. The sun was shining, the air was soft and balmy, and the surface of the water was smooth. There was so little wind that the sails were all furled-for, in the case of a steamer at sea, the wind, even if it is fair, cannot help to impel the ship at all, unless it moves faste

me were seated upon a settee that was placed there against the side of the paddle box, and others were standing around them. They were nearly all smoking, and, as they smoked, they were talking and laughing very merrily. Hilbert was among them, and he seemed to be listening very eagerly

. He said that sometimes at sea a steamer came across a wrecked vessel, or one that was disabled, while yet there were some seamen or passengers still alive on board. These men would generally be seen clinging to the decks, or lashed to the rigging. In such cases the sea was often in so frightful a commotion that no boat could live in it; and there was consequently no way to get the unfortunate mariners off their vessel but by thro

small line across the ship. Then the sailors on board the wrecked vessel would seize it, and by means of it would draw the end of a strong line over, and thus effect the means of making their escape. It was, however, a very dreadful alternative, after all; for the rope forming this fearful bridge would

been walking with him up and down the deck came and sat down on one of the settees. Very soon,

you to give me h

ed his father; "what do yo

a pound, or nearly five dollars; and half a sovereign is, of course

ther, make haste," he added, with many impatient

he asked these questions, he put his hand in h

want a ticket. The tickets are half a sovereign apiece, and the one who gets the right one w

t it? O, no, Hibby; I can't let you have any money for that. And besides, these lotteries, a

id Hilbert, "you

his companion, the gentleman who was sitting with hi

e, he has

ch his rejoinder had produced. In fact, he co

the gentleman. "He'll find some way to spend t

e half sovereign, and he, receivi

, and loses sight of the Highlands of Neversink, which is the land that remains longest in view, the mariners that guide her have then more than two thousand miles to go, across a stormy and trackless ocean, with nothing whatever but the sun and stars, and their own calculations of their motion, to guide them. Now, unless at the end of t

lower one in the winter. The place of the sun, too, in the sky, is different according as the observer is more to the northward or southward. For inasmuch as the sun, to the inhabitants of northern latitudes, always passes through the southern part of the sky, if one person stands at a place one

rpose, he makes a calculation, and finds out the exact latitude of the ship; that is, where she is, in respect to north and south. There are other observations and calculations by which he determines the longitude; that is, where the ship is in respect to east and west. When both these are determined, he can find the precise place on the chart where the vessel is, and so-inasmuch as he had ascertained by the same means where she was the day before-he can easily calculate how far she has come during the twenty-four hou

e result, when it is determined, the c

de, 44

ude, 1

ance

rom the first two items, whereabouts on the ocean they are; and from the last they

the sun could always be seen when the hour arrived for making the observation; but this is not the fact. The sky is often obscured by clouds for many days in succession; and, in fact, it sometimes happens that the c

loaded at one edge so as to float upright in the water-has a long line attached to it, which line is wound upon a light windlass called a reel. The line, except a small portion of it at the beginning is marked off in

two handles, one at each end of the reel, by which the man who serves it can hold it up over his head, and let the line run off from it. Besides the two men who hold the log and the reel, there is a third, who has a minute glass i

NG TH

e, floating edge upwards. The man who holds the reel lifts it up high, so that the line can run off easily as the ship moves

ur

g. He accordingly instantly changes the position of the glass, and holds it perpendicularly, and imm

to

stop the line, and begin to draw it in. They observe how many knots have run out, and

line, which brings the log in also at the end of it. This line comes in very hard, for the friction of so long a cord, dragged so swiftly through the water, is very great. It generally takes four or five men to pull the line in. These men walk along the deck, one behind the other, with the line over their shoulders; and at f

the ship has come during the whole period. As he knows, too, exactly how far the pilot has been steering by the compass all this time, he has both the direction in which the ship has been sailing, and the di

me since yesterday. Whereas, by the latter method, his measurements determine directly how far, and in what direction, the ship has come; and then he calculates from these where she now is. Each method has its advantages. The former, that by observation, is the most sure and exact; but then it is not always practicable, for it may be cloudy. On the other hand, the latter-that i

hing about Hilbert and Rollo. Now, before going any farther, I wish to warn all such readers, that they will not be able to comprehend at all clearly the complicated difficulties which Hilbert and the others got into in respect to the lottery without understanding all that has been explained in the preceding pages of this chapter. I advise them, therefore, if they have skipped any of it, to go back and read it

immediately afterward. The lottery which the men were making related to the number of miles which the ship would have made during the twenty-four hours. The men were just making up the list of subscribers to the tickets when Hilbe

r name, Bob

on," said

the Colonel, writing do

ptuously, "not Bobby Livin

Colonel; "it's all the sam

numbers, it was considered unnecessary to write it. When the numbers were written thus upon the cards, the cards themselves were all put into a cap[B] and shaken up, and then every one who had paid a half sovereign drew out one, the colonel holding the hat up high all the time, so that no one could see which number he drew. This operation was performed in the midst of jokes and gibes and loud shouts of laughter, which made the whole scene a very merry one. When Hilbert came to draw, the merriment was redoubled. Some called on the Colonel t

ing was completed, began to compare them and talk about them, and to propose bargains to one another for buying and selling them, or exchanging them. In these negotiations each man was endeavoring to outwit and circumvent his friend, in hopes of buying his ticket for a moderate

Rollo. He said he verily believed that he had got the exact ticket

appen to go only 267 miles, then I shall have

o caper about the deck in

who just then came up to him and asked to see his ticket. Hilbe

a careless tone, "I'll give you twelve shillings for it. That is two shillings over what you paid for it-nearly half a d

aid Hilbert, t

lo, shaking his head. "I do

Colonel again; "I believe I will

s if accidentally, and began to talk about his ticket. He said that all the tickets under 270 were selling at a low price, as almost every body believed that the ship's run would be more than that; but s

e thing, why it is wrong, if there were time and space for it here. But this is not necessary, as every man has a feeling in his own conscience that there is a wrong in such transactions. It is only bad characters, in general, that seek such amusements. When others adventure in them a little, they make apologies for it. They say they are not in the habit of betting, or of venturing in lotteries, or that they don't approve of it-but will do it this once. Then, when people lose their money, the chagrin which they feel is alwa

ne man, however, who decided to take a ticket against considerable opposition that was made to it by the moral sentiments of his heart. This was Maria's brother. He had been confined

y were going on with a lottery near the paddle boxe

"Chauncy, that

said Mr

es, we ought to do our part to as

roduce a half sovereign, too. He also subscribed himself, and then drew both the tickets. He gave one of them to Mr. Chauncy, and the other h

es next to where Hilbert and Rollo had just gone to take a seat. Mr. Chauncy wa

ticket in this l

ert; "mine is 26

e." As he said this, however, he took his ticket ou

wrong side upward,

prize. We shall not go 299 miles. I would n

cy, "nor would I exc

u think there is any chance

very reason I like my ticket. If I had yours

repeated

aid Mr.

afraid?" asked Hilb

don't let any thing go in there but honest money. I don't know who I could give it to. Besides, I should not like

her he nor Hilbert suspected for a moment that there was any mistake in reading it; for, not having paid

ng. "We have had fine weather, and have been coming on fast. The best thing for me to d

r," sai

mind to give i

ollo; "I would ra

I know what I will do with it. Do you remember an Irishwoman that

Rollo; "she

her it is a ticket in a lottery, and it may possibly draw a

r," sai

had better sell the ticket for two shillings, if she gets a ch

by repeating Mr. Chauncy's advice-that she should sell the ticket, if she could get a chance to sell it for as much as two shillings. The woman, having been at sea before, understood something about such lotteries, and seemed to be quite pleased to get a ticket. She

him; and then, rising from his seat, he wal