Middy and Ensign

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Middy and Ensign, by G. Manville Fenn This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Middy and Ensign Author: G. Manville Fenn Illustrator: G.D. Rowlandson Release Date: May 8, 2007 [EBook #21355] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MIDDY AND ENSIGN *** Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England G. Manville Fenn "Middy and Ensign" Chapter One. On Board The “Startler”. The close of a hot day on board Her Majesty’s ship “Startler,” whose engines kept up a regular pulsation as the screw-propeller churned the water astern into golden and orange foam. The dappled sky and the rippled sea were a blaze of colour; crimson, scarlet, burnished copper, orange chrome, dead, and flashing gold,—all were there, on cloud edge and wave slope, mingled with purples, and greens, and blues, as the sun slowly descended to his rest. There had been a general disposition all day long to lie under awnings, and pant “like tired dogs,” so Bob Roberts the midshipman said; but now officers and men, in the lightest of garments, were eagerly looking for the cool evening breeze, and leaning over the bulwarks, gazing at the wondrous sunset sky and gorgeous sea.