Page:Works of Jules Verne - Parke - Vol 7.djvu/33

Rh "How fortunate that you thought of making your tour in the Great Eastern!"

"It was not chance at all, my dear fellow. I read in the newspaper that you were one of the passengers; and as we have not met for some years now, I came on board, in order to make the passage with you."

"Have you come from India?"

"Yes, by the Godavery, which arrived at Liverpool the day before yesterday."

"And you are traveling, Fabian?" I asked, noticing his pale, sad face.

"To divert my mind, if I can," interrupted Captain MacElwin, warmly pressing my hand.

left me, to look for his cabin, which, according to the ticket he held in his hand, was number seventy-three of the grand saloon series. At this moment large volumes of smoke curled from the chimneys; the steam hissed with a deafening noise through the escape-pipes, and fell in a fine rain over the deck; a noisy eddying of water announced that the engines were at work. We were at last going to start.

First of all the anchor had to be raised. The Great Eastern swung round with the tide; all was now clear, and Captain Anderson was obliged to choose this moment to set sail, for the width of the Great Eastern did not allow of her turning round in the Mersey. He was more master of his ship and more certain of guiding her skillfully in the midst of the numerous boats always plying on the river when stemming the rapid current than when driven by the ebb-tide; the least collision with this gigantic body would have proved disastrous.

To weigh anchor tinder these circumstances required considerable exertion, for the pressure of the tide stretched the chains by which the ship was moored, and besides this, a strong southwester blew with full force on her hull, so that it required powerful engines to hoist the heavy anchors from their muddy beds. An anchor-boat, intended