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"I am sure I could not do that," said Rollo. "And I should not think that any body but a monkey could do it, or a spider."
In fact, the lines of rigging, as seen from the place where Rollo and Jane were seated, looked so fine, and the men appeared so small, that the whole spectacle naturally reminded one of a gigantic spider's web, with black spiders of curious forms ascending and descending upon them, so easily and adroitly did the men pass to and fro and up and down, attaching new lines to new points, and then running off with them, as a spider would do with her thread, wherever they were required. But after all, in respect to the power of running about among lines and rigging, the spider is superior to man. She can not only run up and down far more easily and readily wherever she wishes to go, but she can make new attachments with a touch, and make them strong enough to bear her own weight and all other strains that come upon them; while the sailor, as Rollo and Jane observed on this occasion, was obliged in his fastenings to wind his ropes round and round, and tie them into complicated knots, and then secure the ends with "spun yarn."
While Rollo and Jane were watching the sailors, they saw them unfurl one after another of the sails, and spread them to the wind; for the wind was now fair, and it was fresh enough to assist the engines considerably in propelling the ship through the water. Still, as the ship was going the same way with the wind, the breeze was scarcely felt upon the deck. The air was mild and balmy, and the surface of the sea was comparatively smooth, so that the voyage was beginning very prosperously. Rollo looked all around the horizon, but he could see no land in any direction. There was not even a ship in sight; nothing but one wide and boundless waste of waters.
"I should think that there would be some other ships going to England to-day," he said, "besides ours."
Jane did not know what to think on such a subject, and so she did not reply.
"Let us watch for whales," said Rollo. "Perhaps we shall see a whale. You watch the water all along on that side, and I will on this side; and if you see any whale spout, tell me."
So they both kept watch for some time, but neither of them saw any spouting. Jane gave one alarm, having seen some large, black-looking monsters rise to the surface not far from them on one side of the ship. She called out eagerly to Rollo to look. He did so, but he said that they were not whales; they were porpoises. He had seen porpoises often before, in bays and harbors.
Just then the bell near the helmsman's window struck again, though in a manner a little different from before; for after the two pairs of strokes which had been heard before there came a single stroke, making five in all, thus:-
Ding-ding! Ding-ding! Ding.
Immediately afterward the sound was repeated in the forward part of the ship, as it had been before.
Ding-ding! Ding-ding! Ding,
"I wonder what that means," said Rollo.
Just then an officer of the ship, in his walk up and down the deck, passed near to where Rollo was sitting, and Rollo instinctively determined to ask him.
"Will you please tell me, sir, what that striking means?"
"It's five bells," said the man; and so walked on.
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CHAPTER VI. A CONVERSATION.
Rollo at first felt quite disappointed that the officer seemed so little disposed to give him information; but immediately after the officer had gone another man came by, one of the passengers, as Rollo supposed, who proved to be more communicative. He wore a glazed cap and a very shaggy greatcoat. He sat down by the side of Jennie, Rollo being on the other side, and said,-
"He does not seem inclined to tell you much about the bells, does he, Rollo?"
"No, sir," replied Rollo; "but how did you know that my name was Rollo?"
"O, I heard about you down in the cabin," replied the stranger; "and about you too, Jennie, and your beautiful little kitten. But I will explain the meaning of the bells to you. I know all about them. I belong on board this ship. I am the surgeon."
"Are you?" said Rollo. "I did not know that there was any surgeon in the ship."
"Yes," replied the gentleman. "It is quite necessary to have a surgeon. Sometimes the seamen get hurt, and require attendance; and then sometimes there are cases of sickness among the passengers. I have got quite a little apothecary's shop in my state room. I will show it to you by and by. But now about the bells.
"You must know," continued the surgeon, "that people strike the time at sea in a very different manner from that which is customary on land. In the first place, they have a man to strike it; they cannot have a clock."
"I do not see why not," said Rollo.
"Because at sea," rejoined the surgeon, "the time changes every day, and no clock going regularly can keep it. Time depends upon the sun, and when the ship is going east she goes to meet the sun; and it becomes noon, that is, midday, earlier. When the ship is going west, she goes away from the sun, and then it becomes noon later. Thus noon has to be fixed every day anew, and a clock going regularly all the time would be continually getting wrong. Then, besides the rolling and pitching of the ship would derange the motion of the weights and pendulum of the clock. In fact, I don't believe that a clock could be made to go at all-unless, indeed, it were hung on gimbals."
"What are gimbals?" asked Rollo.
"They are a pair of rings," replied the surgeon, "one within the other, and each mounted on pivots in such a manner that any thing hung within the inner ring will swing any way freely. The lamps down in the cabin are hung on gimbals."
"Yes," said Rollo, "I saw them."
"Then, besides," continued the surgeon, "if the men strike the bells themselves, the sound, coming regularly every half hour, proves that they are at their posts and attending to their duties. So that, even if a machine could be invented to strike the time on board ship ever so truly, I do not think they would like to adopt it.
"Another difference in striking the time on board ship," continued the surgeon, "is, that they strike it by half hours instead of by hours. Scarcely any of the ship's company have watches. In fact, watches are of very little use at sea, the time is so continually changing from day to day. The sailors, therefore, and nearly all on board, depend wholly on the bells; and it is necessary, accordingly, that they should be struck often. Every two bells, therefore, means an hour; and a single bell at the end means half an hour. Now, I will strike the bells for you, and you may tell me what o'clock it is. We begin after twelve o'clock.
"Ding!"
"Half past twelve," said Rollo.
"Ding-ding!" said the surgeon again, imitating the sound of the bell with his voice.
"One o'clock," said Rollo.
"Ding-ding! Ding!" said the surgeon.
"Half past one o'clock."
"Ding-ding! Ding-ding!"
"Two o'clock!"
"Ding-ding! Ding-ding! Ding!"
"Half past two."
"Ding-ding! Ding-ding! Ding-ding!"
"Three!"
"Ding-ding! Ding-ding! Ding-ding! Ding!"
"Half past three."
"Ding-ding! Ding-ding! Ding-ding! Ding-ding!"
"Four o'clock."