"They do not exhibit her when she is in English waters, but I think they do when she is abroad."
"All ready to moor ship, Mr. Terrill," said Paul, as the Young America gave the signal.
The Josephine ran up to a point near the ship, and within a couple of cables' length of the royal squadron let go her anchor. Port officers came on board, and explained the harbor regulations; among them, one whose duty it was to determine the amount due the pilot. This official "hooked" the vessel, or measured her draught. As the Josephine drew about ten feet of water, the charge was one hundred and ninety-eight francs.
Everything was made snug on board; the ropes were carefully coiled, and all the running rigging hauled taut; for, lying near the queen's yacht, Paul desired to have the vessel present her best appearance. The work of the day was ended, and the students were at liberty to observe the strange scenes around them. There was the city of Antwerp, but it was not much different from any other city. The Scheldt formed a crescent in front of the town, and there was a multitude of vessels lying at the quays, as the space on the shore is called. The river is about fifteen hundred feet wide, and deep enough to float a ship of the line. The city is very strongly fortified, on both sides of the river.
"Here we are, for a week or two," said Pelham to the first lieutenant, after all the ship's duty had been performed.
"I suppose so," replied Terrill. "It seems to me just as though we had been sailing down hill ever since we came into the river. Hark!"
It was just six o'clock, and the chime of bells on the great Cathedral played a silver-toned melody which was almost enchanting.
"I should not object to hearing that every hour," said Pelham, when the tune was finished. "Do they play the same tune over again?"
"I'm sure I don't know," replied Terrill.
"They have a different tune for each hour of the day, and play the entire music of an opera," interposed Dr. Winstock. "They give a short strain at the quarter hour, and a longer one at the half hour."