Читать книгу Ralph Osborn, Midshipman at Annapolis. A Story of Life at the U.S. Naval Academy онлайн

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One morning late in June while Ralph was looking at the gear that belayed at the fore fife-rail, Bollup came up to him and said: “Hello, Os, what’s that you’ve got in your hands?”

“This is the main to’ bowline. I remember your saying the first day I was aboard the Santee that Himski’s name was as long as the main to’ bowline.”

Bollup grinned. “It pretty nearly is,” he remarked. “How does she reeve? I’m rusty on that particular piece of hemp.”

“Look up at the main topsail; you see we are braced high up in the wind. Now the leech of the sail is pulled forward by the main to’ bowline. Don’t you see that line running forward from that bridle on the leech of the sail? Follow it along with your eye and you’ll see it leads right under the fore top. It runs through a block hooked under the top, and then down to this fife-rail. It’s a long lead, Bollup.”

“Of course it is,” returned Bollup, “if it is as long as Himski’s name. By the way, Os, what was all the row about this morning?”

“Oh, that miserable Coleman told me to stand on my head in a slop bucket, and I told him I wouldn’t do it. Then he tried to jump me, and asked me if I didn’t intend to obey a third classman’s order. I told him I wouldn’t obey that order, I didn’t care who gave it. He then got wrathy and struck me in the face. Well, I punched him a few times good and hard; of course he’s a baby and had no show with me, but he deserved all he got. Then ‘Gruff’ Smith rushed up mad as could be. ‘Why don’t you take a man of your size?’ he shouted. ‘What are you hammering a kid like Coleman for?’ I said: ‘Mr. Smith, Mr. Coleman told me to stand on my head in this slop bucket and I told him I wouldn’t do it for a third classman or for anybody else, and I won’t. He then struck me in the face and got hit back.’ Well, Bollup, you should have seen old ‘Gruff.’ He said to Coleman: ‘You miserable idiot, if you——’”