Item Condition: Used; Very Good
Name (ownership) has been cut out from a cover (blank) page
.…YOUTH
THIS could have occurred nowhere but in Eng-
land, where men and sea interpenetrate, so to
speak-the sea entering into the life of most men,
and the men knowing something or everything
about the sea, in the way of amusement, of travel,
or of bread-winning.
We were sitting round a mahogany table that
reflected the bottle, the claret-glasses, and our
There was a
faces as we leaned on our elbows.
director of companies, an accountant, a lawyer,
Marlow, and myself. The director had been a
Conway boy, the accountant had served four
years at sea, the lawyera fine crusted Tory,
High Churchman, the best of old fellows, the soul
of honour had been chief oficer in the P. & 0.
service in the good old days when mail-boats
were square-rigged at least on two masts, and
used to come down the China Sea before a fair
monsoon with stun'-sails set alow and aloft. We
all began life in the merchant service. Between
the five of us there was the strong bond of the sea,
and also the fellowship of the craft, which no
amount of enthusiasm for yachting, cruising, and
9 ….