But she, dear lady, when I had finished
with stories of monsters, only hinted at a basket of provisions they
had brought along, enough to last a week, for I had told them about my
wretched steward.
The more the _Spray_ tried to make these young ladies seasick, the
more they all clapped their hands and said, "How lovely it is!" and
"How beautifully she skims over the sea!" and "How beautiful our
island appears from the distance!" and they still cried, "Go on!" We
were fifteen miles or more at sea before they ceased the eager cry,
"Go on!" Then the sloop swung round, I still hoping to be back to Port
Louis in time to keep my appointment. The _Spray_ reached the island
quickly, and flew along the coast fast enough; but I made a mistake in
steering along the coast on the way home, for as we came abreast of
Tombo Bay it enchanted my crew. "Oh, let's anchor here!" they cried.
To this no sailor in the world would have said nay. The sloop came to
anchor, ten minutes later, as they wished, and a young man on the
cliff abreast, waving his hat, cried, "_Vive la Spray!_" My passengers
said, "Aunty, mayn't we have a swim in the surf along the shore?" Just
then the harbor-master's launch hove in sight, coming out to meet us;
but it was too late to get the sloop into Port Louis that night. The
launch was in time, however, to land my fair crew for a swim; but they
were determined not to desert the ship. Meanwhile I prepared a roof
for the night on deck with the sails, and a Bengali man-servant
arranged the evening meal.
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