Explore "The Coral Island" by R.M. Ballantyne on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
The voyage -- The island, and a consultation in which danger is scouted as a thing unworthy of consideration -- Rats and cats -- The native teacher -- Awful revelations -- Wonderful effects of Christianity.
Our voyage during the next two weeks was most interesting and prosperous. The breeze continued generally fair, and at all times enabled us to lie our course; for being, as I have said before, clipper-built, the pirate schooner could lie very close to the wind, and made little leeway. We had no difficulty now in managing our sails, for Jack was heavy and powerful, while Peterkin was active as a kitten. Still, however, we were a very insufficient crew for such a vessel, and if anyone had proposed to us to make such a voyage in it before we had been forced to go through so many hardships from necessity, we would have turned away with pity from the individual making such proposal as from a madman. I pondered this a good deal, and at last concluded that men do not know how much they are capable of doing till they try, and that we should never give way to despair in any undertaking, however difficult it may seem: -- always supposing, however, that our cause is a good one, and that we can ask the divine blessing on it.