Page:Man Who Laughs (Estes and Lauriat 1869) v1.djvu/124

96 "Heavy enough!"

"It is an old round shot of our war-hooker, 'La Casse de Par-Grand.

"Which was in the Armada?"

"Yes."

"And which carried six hundred soldiers, fifty sailors, and twenty-five guns?"

"Shipwreck knows it."

"How did you compute the resistance of the water to the shot?"

"By means of a German scale."

"Have you taken into account the resistance of the rope supporting the shot to the waves?"

"Yes."

"What was the result?"

"The resistance of the water was one hundred and seventy pounds."

"That's to say, she is running four French leagues an hour."

"And three Dutch leagues."

"But that is the difference merely of the vessel's way and the rate at which the sea is running?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Whither are you steering?"

"For a creek I know, between Loyola and St. Sebastian."

"Make the latitude of the harbour's mouth as soon as possible."

"Yes, as near as I can."

"Beware of gusts and currents. The first cause the second."

"Yes: the traitors!"

"No abuse! The sea understands. Insult nothing; be satisfied with watching."

"I have watched, and I am still watching. Just now