That they considered the capture of the young woman important was evident from the long and earnest interview the commander of the
fleet held with her when she was brought to him.
In the middle of the afternoon we sighted the scarlet and yellow towers of Helium, and a short time later a great
fleet of Zodangan battleships rose from the camps of the besiegers without the city, and advanced to meet us.
The United States was by far the stronger of the two powers upon the sea, but the bulk of the American
fleet was still in the Pacific.
They had seen me cut the cables, and thought my design was only to let the ships run adrift or fall foul on each other: but when they perceived the whole
fleet moving in order, and saw me pulling at the end, they set up such a scream of grief and despair as it is almost impossible to describe or conceive.
To speak with severe technicality, a ship or a
fleet is "brought up" - the complementary words unpronounced and unwritten being, of course, "to an anchor." Less technically, but not less correctly, the word "anchored," with its characteristic appearance and resolute sound, ought to be good enough for the newspapers of the greatest maritime country in the world.
Fleets and soldiers were often sent from England to assist the colonists in their warlike undertakings.
Hooja must have been as much mystified as we were as to the identity of the strange
fleet; but when he saw me waving to them he evidently guessed that they were friendly to us, so he urged his men to redouble their efforts to reach us before the felucca cut him off.
There I saw and observed how the opportunity of capturing the whole Turkish
fleet in harbour was lost; for all the marines and janizzaries that belonged to it made sure that they were about to be attacked inside the very harbour, and had their kits and pasamaques, or shoes, ready to flee at once on shore without waiting to be assailed, in so great fear did they stand of our
fleet.
Men had met one another before, dory-fishing in the fog, and there is no place for gossip like the Bank
fleet. They all seemed to know about Harvey's rescue, and asked if he were worth his salt yet.
It was generally conceived to be meant, of the Spanish
fleet that came in '88: for that the king of Spain's surname, as they say, is Norway.
It being known that a
fleet of Spanish treasure-ships would pass the Azores, islands in the mid- Atlantic, a
fleet of English ships under Lord Thomas Howard was sent to attack them.
We have heard much of the
fleets of Britain, and the time may come, if we are wise, when the
fleets of America may engage attention.