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The Battle and the Breeze, by R.M. Ballantyne
The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Battle and the Breeze, by R.M. Ballantyne 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: The Battle and the Breeze
Author: R.M. Ballantyne
Release Date: November 6, 2007 [EBook #23370]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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The Battle and the Breeze, by R.M. Ballantyne.
CHAPTER ONE.
TOUCHES ON OUR HERO'S EARLY LIFE, EXPERIENCES, AND ADVENTURES.
Bill Bowls was the most amiable, gentle, kindly, and modest fellow that ever trod the deck of a man-of-war. He was also one of the most lion-hearted men in the Navy.
When Bill was a baby--a round-faced, large-eyed, fat-legged baby, as unlike to the bronzed, whiskered, strapping seaman who went by the name of "Fighting Bill" as a jackdaw is to a marlinespike--when Bill was a baby, his father used to say he was just cut out for a sailor; and he was right, for the urchin was overflowing with vigour and muscular energy. He was utterly reckless, and very earnest--we might almost say desperately earnest. Whatever he undertook to do he did "with a will." He spoke with a will, listened with a will, laughed, yelled, ate, slept, wrought, and fought with a will. In short,