And I, For My Part, Had Thought Of
Complaining To The Company Of This Atrocious Violation Of The Rules
Of Their Prospectus; But We Were Perpetually Coming To Anchor In
Various Ports, At Which Intervals Of Peace And Good-Humour Were
Restored To Us.
On the 3rd of October our cable rushed with a huge rattle into the
blue sea before Jaffa, at
A distance of considerably more than a
mile off the town, which lay before us very clear, with the flags
of the consuls flaring in the bright sky and making a cheerful and
hospitable show. The houses a great heap of sun-baked stones,
surmounted here and there by minarets and countless little
whitewashed domes; a few date-trees spread out their fan-like heads
over these dull-looking buildings; long sands stretched away on
either side, with low purple hills behind them; we could see specks
of camels crawling over these yellow plains; and those persons who
were about to land had the leisure to behold the sea-spray flashing
over the sands, and over a heap of black rocks which lie before the
entry to the town. The swell is very great, the passage between
the rocks narrow, and the danger sometimes considerable. So the
guide began to entertain the ladies and other passengers in the
huge country boat which brought us from the steamer with an
agreeable story of a lieutenant and eight seamen of one of Her
Majesty's ships, who were upset, dashed to pieces, and drowned upon
these rocks, through which two men and two boys, with a very
moderate portion of clothing, each standing and pulling half an
oar - there were but two oars between them, and another by way of
rudder - were endeavouring to guide us.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 138 of 240
Words from 37486 to 37781
of 65663
