Well, dat is 63° 40'
west I suppose. And it rises a few miles to the eastward of that barn,
sometimes out of a fog bank, and sometimes out o' the water; well that
is 44° 40' north, which is all but east I suppose. Now, if we steer
west we will see our barn, but steering east is being lost at sea, for
in time you would be behind de sun.'
"Well, we didn't sleep much dat night, you may depend, but we prayed a
great deal, and we talked a great deal, and I was so cussed scared I
did not know what to do. Well, morning came and still no land, and I
began to get diablement feared again. Every two or tree minutes I run
up de riggin' and look out, but couldn't see notin'. At last I went
down to my trunk, for I had bottle there for my rheumatics too, only
no nasty stuff in it, that the boys didn't know of, and I took very
long draught, I was so scared; and then I went on deck and up de
riggin' again.
"'Boys,' sais I, 'there's the barn. That's 63° 40' west. I tole you
so.' Well, when I came down I went on my knees, and I vowed as long as
I lived I would hug as tight and close as ever I could."
"Your wife?" sais I.
"Pooh, no," said he, turning round contemptuously towards her; "hug
her, eh! why, she has got the rheumatiz, and her tongue is in mourning
for her teeth. No, hug the shore, man, hug it so close as posseeble,
and nevare lose sight of land for fear of being lost at sea.
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