William Clark Russell

William Dampier (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Excerpt: 'THE BUCCANEERS-NAVIGATION IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY-FEATURES OF THE VOCATIONAL LIFE OF THE EARLY MARINER In or about the middle of the seventeenth century the island of San Domingo, or Hispaniola as it was then called, was haunted and overrun by a singular community of savage, surly, fierce, and filthy men. They were chiefly composed of French colonists, whose ranks had from time to time been enlarged by liberal contributions from the slums and alleys of more than one European city and town. These people went dressed in shirts and pantaloons of coarse linen cloth, which they steeped in the blood of the animals they slaughtered. They wore round caps, boots of hogskin drawn over their naked feet, and belts of raw hide, in which they stuck their sabres and knives. They also armed themselves with firelocks which threw a couple of balls, each weighing two ounces. The places where they dried and salted their meat were called boucans, and from this term they came to be styled bucaniers, or buccaneers, as we spell it. They were hunters by trade, and savages [Pg 2] in their habits. They chased and slaughtered horned cattle and trafficked with the flesh, and their favourite food was raw marrow from the bones of the beasts which they shot. They ate and slept on the ground, their table was a stone, their bolster the trunk of a tree, and their roof the hot and sparkling heavens of the Antilles.'

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: OTB eBook publishing
• Seitenzahl: 157
• Erscheinungstermin: 14. April 2020
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9783968650951
• Artikelnr.: 59333198

Autorenporträt

William Clark Russell (1844-1911) was a prolific English writer, renowned for his nautical novels which effectively captured the thrill and hardship of the sea. Born to an illustrious family with maritime interests, Russell's deep-rooted connection to the ocean was reflected in his literary works. Embarking on a seafaring life at the age of thirteen, he gathered the vast experiential knowledge that would later serve as the bedrock of his writing career. After leaving the navy, he turned to journalism and subsequently authored a sequence of sea tales, which both entertained and educated readers about life aboard ships in the late 19th century. Russell's unique literary style combined high-seas adventure with a profound understanding of human nature, making his stories both gripping and introspective. His work stood out for its richly-drawn characters and detailed portrayals of shipboard life, set against the drama of the ocean. Among his notable books is 'William Dampier,' which chronicles the true adventures of the eponymous English buccaneer and explorer, known for his circumnavigation of the globe. Beyond merely narrating exploits, Russell's accounts were distinguished by their authenticity and emotional depth, emblematic of his position as an author with unparalleled maritime knowledge. His contribution to the adventure novel genre has earned him a distinguished place among Victorian writers, leaving a legacy that continues to engage readers and scholars alike.