It is the pleasant twilight hour, and Frank and Harry Chilton are intheir accustomed seat by their mother's side in the old sofa, that samecomfortable old sofa, which might have listened to many pleasant andinteresting stories that will never be told.
Mother, said Frank, you have often promised us that some time you wouldtell us about your travels in Europe. This is a good stormy evening,and no one will come in to interrupt you; so please, dear Mother, tellus all you can remember.
It is now, boys, five years since my return from Europe. Much that Idid and saw while there I forget. However, as I have been latelylooking over my hasty journal, I will see what I can remember.
On the first of August I set sail in the steamer Caledonia for England.At four o'clock in the afternoon, we were out of sight of land; one byone, we had taken leave of every object which could be seen from thedeparting vessel; and now nothing was visible to us but the sky, theocean meeting it in its wide, unbroken circle the sun gradually sinkingin the west, and our small but only house, the ship. How strange, howsublime the scene was! so lonely, so magnificent, so solemn! At lastthe sun set, gilding the clouds, and looking, to my tearful eyes, as ifthat too said farewell! Then the moon appeared; and the long,indefinite line of light from where her rays first touched the watersto our ship, and the dancing of the waves as they crossed it, catchingthe light as they passed, were so beautiful that I was unwilling toleave the deck when the hour for rest arrived.
The wind was against us, and we did not get on very fast; but I enjoyedthe novel scene the next day, and passed all my time on deck, watchingthe sailors and the passengers, and noticing the difference betweenEnglishmen and Americans.
On Sunday it was very cold, and the wind, still contrary, rose higherand higher; it was impossible to set any sail, but I still kept ondeck, and thus avoided sickness. Soon after breakfast I saw a whitefoam rising in different places occasionally, and was told that it waswhales spouting; I saw a great number, and enjoyed it highly. Presentlysome one called out, "An iceberg!" and, far off against the sky, I sawthis floating wonder. It was very beautiful; such a dazzling white, socalm and majestic, and so lonely; it was shaped, as I thought, like anold cathedral, but others thought like a sleeping lion, taking what Icalled the ruined tower for his head and mane.
Soon after this, the man on the lookout cried, "Steamship America;" andin a few moments more we saw her coming swiftly towards us with hersails all set, for the wind was fair for her. Captain Leitch then toldme that he should stop his vessel and send a boat on board, and that hewould send a letter by it if I would write one quickly; to others hesaid the same thing. In a moment the deck was cleared, and in a fewmore moments all had returned with their letters; and never was there amore beautiful sight than these two fine steamers manoeuvring to stopat a respectful distance from each other; then our little boat waslowered, and O, how pretty it was to see her dancing over the roughwaves to the other steamer! We sent to the America the sad news of theloss of the Kestrel. After what seemed to us a long time, the boatreturned and brou