Aug 11
fellas
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from Russia
seen from China
seen from Bulgaria
seen from Malaysia
seen from Denmark
seen from Germany
fellas
fellas
Stephen and Jack
Dragged along by his pinky.
"A strong impression: but how to convey it when you are no great hand with a pen? In the lamplight he stared at he gash in his forearm, fresh blood still oozing through the bandage, and reflected; all at once it occurred to him that of course he had not the slightest wish to convey it; nor anything like it. As far as dear Sophie was concerned life at sea was to be — why, not exactly an eternal picnic, but something not altogether unlike; occasional hardships, to be sure (shortage of coffee, fresh milk, vegetables), and guns going off now and then, and a clash of swords, but without any real people getting hurt: those that happened to die did so instantly, from wounds that could not be seen; they were only figures in the casualty list."
HMS Surprise, chapter 2
"Certainly he had heard of Homer, and had indeed looked into Mr Pope's version of his tale; but for aught he could make out, the fellow was no seaman. Admittedly Ulysses had no chronometer, and probably no sextant neither; but with no more than log, lead and lookout an officer-like commander would have found his way home from Troy a d—d sight quicker than that. Hanging about in port and philandering, that was what it amounted to, the vice of navies from the time of Noah to that of Nelson. And as for that tale of all his foremast hands being turned into swine, so that he could not win his anchor or make sail, why, he might tell that to the Marines. Besides, he behaved like a very mere scrub to Queen Dido—though on second thought perhaps that was the other cove, the pious Anchises. But it was all one: they were six of one and half a dozen of the other, neither seamen nor gentlemen, and both of 'em God d—d bores into the bargain."
Jack Aubrey on Homer
(Treason's Harbour, Chapter 9)
This scene from The Mauritinus Command lives rent free in my head.
Stephen: I’m the messenger please kiss me.