This, and the creaking and groaning of
the vessel, had something solemn about it; but some minor sounds were
neither so grand nor so philosophically borne by either Papa or myself.
One of the most persevering of these arose from my carelessness in
having forgotten to bolt the door of a cupboard which I made use of, in
our cabin, the consequence of which was that, with every lurch of the
vessel, the door gave a violent slam, and our lamp having been put out
at midnight, as it invariably was, we were in total darkness, and
without the means of ascertaining whether the irritating noise
proceeded, as we suspected, from the cupboard door, or from one of the
doors having been left open in the passage adjoining our cabin. It would
have been dangerous to have got up in the dark, and with a violent
lurching of the vessel, to discover the real cause of this wearisome
noise. I had a strong feeling of self-reproach in my own mind at having
brought such a calamity on poor Papa, when it could have been avoided if
I had been a little more careful before going to bed. On, therefore,
the noise went, for the rest of that night, with great
regularity--slam--slam--slam--defying every attempt to obtain even five
minutes of sleep. With the first gleam of dawn I plainly saw that our
own peccant door was the cause, and I was able by that time, with some
caution, to rise and secure the bolt, and thus relieve ourselves, and
probably our neighbours, from the weary sound.
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