Swell Life at Sea Author:Unknown Author Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: AQUATIC EXPEDITION Gibraltar To Barcelona. SOME years since;—no matter how many, bat it was in the month of May—I found myself (located, as the Yankees say... more ») for four-and-twenty hours at the Ragged Staff Guard at Gibraltar, and, during my tour of duty, was visited by my friend B , who mentioned his having obtained twelve months' leave of absence, and his intention of proceeding in his yacht to Carthagena, and thence through France to England, provided any officer would accompany him to whom might be intrusted the charge of the craft on her homeward voyage. Yachting and boating are favorite pastimes with the military denizens of the Rock, and they who possess a taste for aquatic pursuits, have ample inducement to gratify their predilection, for the scene on a calm summer's evening, when the noble bay reflects on its unruffled surface the numerous vessels resting on its bosom, and the lofty Rock, with its batteries, houses, orange trees, geraniums and acacias, with the distant mountains of Spain and Africa, are bathed in the light of a brilliant sunset, is sufficient to win to exertion even the most indolent and apathetic. When, on the other hand, strong south-westerlybreezes or the more dangerous "Levanter" prevail, gigs manned by adventurous spirits may be seen poised on the crests or descending into the trough of the accompanying heavy sea, whilst here and there trim little yachts, staggering under a press of canvas, the flag of England fluttering from their peaks, proclaim their owners sons of that nation whose " March is on the mountain wave, whose home ia on the deep." Of that gallant and warm-hearted band who were then the chief promoters of boating parties, of pic-nics, and of fun and merriment of every kind, but few now remain. Some, chafing at a life of in...« less