As a boy, in those early days before the invention of the steamboat, Alfred Bulltop loved to climb the rocks of his native Maine, climb the highest peaks and look out to the open sea. He wanted to be the first to see on the horizon the white sails of ships returning home from distant India, China or Boston. And when he saw a black cloud, he shouted:
- There will be a storm!
That’s why they called him: “There Will Be a Storm.”
Little Will Storm quickly realized that the higher he climbed, the farther he would see. And he realized something else: if you grow higher than the rocks, you won’t have to climb over sharp stones to admire the distant sea. And he decided to grow up big.
When he was ten years old, he was six feet tall, which means a little less than two meters, or, as sailors usually measure, one fathom.
Will Storm grew so big that it was time for him to find some work for himself. Well, which one? What kind of job could a person dream about most?
in the world loves to look at the open sea and foretell a storm? Of course, join the ship as a cabin boy.
So Alfred did, hiring himself to the captain of the Pretty Susie as a cabin boy. He had to keep order in the captain's cabin and run errands during the long voyage from his native Maine to the island of Madagascar and back.
Will Storm definitely did everything that was required of him, and even something more. For example, he looked over the horizon. The one who stood at the helm was completely unable to see the horizon, behind which treacherous icebergs and pirates usually hid. So Alfred decided to grow up a little more so that he could see everything that was happening even beyond the horizon. And he achieved his goal.
By the end of the first voyage, Will Burya had learned a lot, so that he could already be considered a real sailor. Then he went to the captain of a large ship called the Starfish and offered his services.
The captain looked at Alfred carefully and said:
“Well, you’re a tall guy and you look like a real sailor.” What's your name?
— Alfred Bulltop. There will be a storm.
So the captain wrote in the ship’s log: “There will be a storm, A.B.”
The captain was right when he accepted Alfred into the team. There will be a Storm and he really turned out to be the right sailor. Top class! Since then, it has become a custom to call experienced sailors class AB. You probably heard?
The Starfish was heading for Cork in Ireland and was carrying a cargo of timber. This vessel turned out to be a little too small for Alfred, because he continued to grow. But he coped with his job perfectly, and so did she, until something unexpected happened. In the middle of the North Sea, the Starfish suddenly stopped moving. One would have thought that giant reefs had suddenly risen from the bottom of the ocean and were holding her, not allowing her to go further. But in those latitudes there were no reefs, and the wind filled the sails to capacity, but still the Starfish did not move. What kind of miracles?
No one was afraid that the ship would sink. It was made of durable wood and did not leak. And the cargo was carrying a suitable load - mast timber. But the captain and the whole crew were in alarm, because they had run out of biscuits and black treacle, and they were so hungry.
Then There Will Be a Storm decided to find out what was the matter. Not afraid of the whales and sharks that surrounded the ship on all sides, he jumped straight from the side into the sea and disappeared into the waves. For half an hour there was some kind of fuss and struggle under the water, air bubbles floated up, the sea seethed and foamed.
And suddenly the depths of the sea opened up, and from there came out, all wet, There Will Be a Storm. He was in such a hurry that he did not have time to use the ladder, but flew straight onto the deck. And at the same moment, the “Starfish” was easily carried along by the waves.
The captain and the whole crew were dying of curiosity: what kept them in this place? Having caught his breath, Will Storm told them. It turned out that a huge octopus had attached itself to the keel of the ship. With four legs he held onto the ship, and with the other four he held onto the seabed, like a four-pronged anchor.
- How did you unhook it? - the captain was surprised.
“Very simple,” answered There Will Be a Storm. - First of all - one! — I put a flashlight under his eye. Then - once! - under the other. The octopus freed two legs to defend itself, then I - one! - and tied them with a double naval tie.
He meant a double sea knot, which is used to tie sheets tightly.
- I tied the remaining two legs to him with a bleached knot - once and again! I tied the two legs with which it was moored to the bottom with a reef knot. That's a total of six legs, do you think? Then I tore his seventh leg off the sand, twisted it like a lisse halyard, and threw it over the eighth leg in a loop. Everything is very simple, only the last knot took me a lot of time, because the octopus was quite tired of all this mess with knots and resisted me. I was delayed a little. But now, be
We are sure he will not disturb us, at least for a while, unless someone decides to lend him his sharp marlin to cut my knots. I certainly won’t give it to him myself!
Nobody doubted this. Will Storm never parted with his two-foot marlin and always kept it in his belt. He couldn’t do without it, he himself said: well, you won’t find a better toothpick!
Nothing else noteworthy happened during this voyage, except that the Storm would grow a little more. He decided to grow up so that he could catch whales right from the side of the ship. And when the Starfish returned to its home port, Will Storm decommissioned the ship and signed on to the whaling ship Davy Jones. Finally, he had real work to do!
But disappointment awaited him. When the lookout shouted: “The fountain is gushing!”, which meant, “A whale is visible ahead!” - Immediately the whole crew rushed to their boats and in pursuit of the whale. And There Will Be a Storm did not fit in the small boat and therefore missed all the fun.
But he didn’t grow up big just to lose out on it. When the whale was caught, he brought the ship close to it, leaned over the high side of the Davy Jones, grabbed the whale by the tail and lifted it onto the deck in one fell swoop.
After this there will be a Storm and made an interesting proposal to the captain:
- Let me harpoon it right from the deck next time we see a whale. And it’s more fun for me, and the crew won’t have to bother with the boats.
The captain readily agreed.
- The fountain is flowing! - the lookout shouted again. Storm will be ready to throw. Davy Jones was
about a quarter of a mile from the whale, and then he swung and sent the harpoon into the sea. Well, the poor little boat shook when the harpoon entered the whale!
Everyone decided that the job was done. But that was not the case. The whale began to swim away quickly, and here's why: it turns out there will be
Storm overdid it and threw the harpoon with too much force. So the harpoon pierced the whale right through and continued to pull the line behind it, like a needle and thread.
After this failure, Will Storm threw the harpoon much more carefully and never made such a mistake again. And he also adapted the boat - they poured shark meat soup into it, seasoned with whale oil.
Each time Will Storm went on his next voyage on a new ship, because the previous one was already too cramped for him. But then the day came when he did not find a large enough ship, and he had to stay on the shore. This was a terrible blow for him. Will Storm grieved for a long time and, to console himself, he started himself a farm.
But is this a consolation? No storms, no storms. He could easily pull a plow alone instead of with a team of eight oxen. So what? Is this comparable to working at sea, when he alone pulled the ship against hurricane winds?
One day Will Storm heard that a new ship was being built, larger than all that had been before, and it would be called “War Horse”.
Soon the ship was ready. Whiter than sea foam, it stood in a roadstead near Boston, waiting to be equipped and equipped with sails. The best craftsmen were invited to sew sails for him. And the panels required for them were so long that they would stretch from New England to the Sahara Desert.
When the War Horse put on sails, Will Storm was the first to board it, after the captain, of course. And he went to inspect the ship. He began at the bow—this was early Monday morning—and finished his cursory inspection on Wednesday afternoon at the stern. On the way, he counted seventeen masts, so tall that he could not see the tip of them, but they could be folded - that’s how they were built, otherwise they would interfere with the moon when the ship sailed under it.
In those places where lifeboats are usually supposed to hang, sailing schooners were lashed
normal size. This was very convenient from two points of view, as the captain explained. Firstly, they could carry out rescue service, and secondly, they could transport cargo from the “War Horse” to the shore and back, because the “War Horse” was so large that it did not fit in any port in the world and stopped at a roadstead on the high seas.
But the most surprising thing was the stables.
Yes, yes, a stable with horses. And she was on the deck. There will be a storm I have never seen anything like this.
However, after traveling around the ship, he guessed what they were for. Without horses, the sailors simply would not have been able to cope when they had to quickly go around the long deck.
Will Storm was very pleased with the inspection of the “War Horse”. Finally, a ship was found just for it.
It's time to set out on the maiden voyage. An anchor the size of Black Mountain was chosen, and 719 sailors flew up to the yards to raise the sails.
A week later, as the ship was sailing, Will Storm began to worry about the fate of the crew. Only 193 sailors came to the table, and the rest did not have time to descend from the yards during the lunch break, and Will Storm was afraid that they would starve there.
But the captain calmed him down. He said that each mast has its own galley where lunch, dinner and breakfast are prepared. Moreover, there are not only tables, but also beds.
This is the ship! It was something to be proud of, and Will Storm was proud. He even agreed to sometimes stand at the helm, and when his watch ended, he was relieved by twenty-seven AB-class sailors.
In a word, Will Storm was pleased with everything, except for one thing: the “War Horse” turned out to be too stable, and not even the most furious hurricane was able to cause the pitching that was dear to his heart, neither side nor pitch, what a shame!
But one day a thrice-furious hurricane blew in, it blew into the tail and mane and drove the “War Horse” no less than straight into the North Sea, right between England and Norway. But even there he did not want to leave him in
peace. The only way back to the Atlantic was through the English Channel, or, as it is more commonly called, the English Channel.
The captain put his best sailor on the ship at the helm, and yet the anxiety did not let him go. Will Storm be able to guide the huge white ship through the narrow strait between France and England? Will they be able to slip through?
Will Storm assured the captain that they would slip through if all 719 sailors on the team began to soap the sides of the “War Horse.” The captain gave the order, and the sailors got down to business. And the soap helped! The War Horse slipped across the narrow English Channel with ease, barely brushing against the sheer cliffs at Dover. That is why the shores of southern England near Dover remain white to this day.
When the "War Horse" entered the open ocean, the hurricane truly showed its temper. He suddenly blew in the opposite direction and drove the “War Horse” across the entire Atlantic Ocean and further across the Sargasso Sea, where no winds had ever blown.
Will Storm very carefully guided the ship past Florida and Cuba, and the hurricane did not lag behind, it literally followed on their heels. The War Horse had already crossed the Gulf of Mexico, and beyond the horizon Will Storm could discern the green jungle of Panama.
He was puzzled: where should he now turn the ship to get away from his annoying pursuer? And suddenly, far, far beyond the Panamanian jungle, he saw a new strip of water.
He instantly made a decision - there was still no other choice: he added sail and flew forward at full speed. "War Horse" crossed the jungle and entered the Pacific Ocean.
Looking around, Will Storm noticed that the deep furrow that the keel of the “War Horse” had drawn was already filled with water and ships were sailing along it, a whole chain of ships.
This is how War Horse paved the Panama Canal.
This is what he was like, the famous Will Storm, four fathoms tall. He sailed the largest ship in the world and created the largest shipping canal.
The saltiest of all sailors on all the seas of the earth.
Every AB class sailor knows and remembers Alfred Bulltop Will Storm and is proud of him.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru