Series 03: John Brady Nash letters, January 1914-December 1915 - Page 584
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[Page 584]
A little too warm is this october morning and noon on the Mediterranean Sea. Our good ship makes a fairly strong breeze as she ploughs her way through the salt water, were the wind behind us it is probably that heat would be more severe. We are travelling north and in ordinary course we should pass close to the island of Crete (Candy), but in these days of the underwater craft the roads followed have to be varied. Our ships Captain, a little Welsh man, just said that he did not keep a look out man in the crows nest in these waters, but he did so in the North Sea because there the danger from Submarines was much greater.
2 p.m: How differ barren of life is the surface of this portion of the worlds waters? Vastly otherwise than that which one sees in Southern lattitudes. Here ones two eyes survey the moving silver blue waves in search of something as a contrast to their rolling. Nothing. But, yes, away to the north a sea bird keeping close to the water, yes another, just number enough to bespeak the presence of representatives of the feathered tribe. How other then are the Southern lattitudes? Of these I have some knowledge. Where the great Albatross is never absent from the wake of a ship, waiting as a scavenger for what the cook may cast off from the galley. Graceful birds with ample spread of wings, swooping gracefully from port to starboard hour after hour, patience in excellsis. The Reward! The sea surface is coloured. The cook has emptied his scrap bucket over board. Wings fold, the webbed feet pitter patter on the wave, the body sinks gracefully snugly to rest on the heaving billow, the hugh beak snaps at the refuse, & he gets