Literary Lapses

"I have," hiccoughed the skipper, eyeing the bottle, and added with a brutal laugh that "he could weather the roughest gale that ever wind did blow." A whole Gaelic society, he said, wouldn't fizz on him. Draining a final glass of grog, he rose from his chair, said grace, and staggered on deck. All the time the wind blew colder and louder. The billows frothed like yeast. It was a yeast wind. The evening wore on. Old Henry shuffled about the cabin in nervous misery. The skipper's daughter sat quietly at the table selecting verses from a Biblical clock to amuse the ship's bosun, who was suffering from toothache. At about ten Longfellow went to his bunk, requesting the girl to remain up in his cabin. For half an hour all was quiet, save the roaring of the winter wind. Then the girl heard the old gentleman start up in bed. "What's that bell, what's that bell?" he gasped. A minute later he emerged from his cabin wearing a cork jacket and trousers over his pyjamas. "Sissy," he said, "go up and ask your pop who rang that bell." The obedient child returned. "Please, Mr. Longfellow," she said, "pa says there weren't no bell." The old man sank into a chair and remained with his head buried in his hands. "Say," he exclaimed presently, "someone's firing guns and there's a glimmering light somewhere. You'd better go upstairs again." Again the child returned. "The crew are guessing at an acrostic, and occasionally they get a glimmering of it."