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Hearts of three

Chapter 3: Back to Back Against the Mainmast
By Jack London
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AdventureAmerican LiteratureNovelsRomance

About This Book

A briskly episodic adventure assembled from motion-picture scenarios, this narrative follows daring protagonists on a globe-trotting quest that blends perilous escapes, treasure-hunt intrigue, and romantic complications. Scenes shift rapidly from crisis to crisis, favoring momentum, spectacle, and serialized suspense over interior psychological detail. The prose emphasizes visual set pieces, action-driven plotting, and occasional comic moments, with moral choices presented plainly amid shifting alliances. Its structure and pacing reflect cinematic origins, delivering continuous incident and surprise intended primarily to entertain.

Back to Back Against the Mainmast

Do ye seek for fun and fortune?
Listen, rovers, now to me!
Look ye for them on the ocean:
Ye shall find them on the sea.
Chorus:
Roaring wind and deep blue water!
We’re the jolly devils who,
Back to back against the mainmast,
Held at bay the entire crew.
Bring the dagger, bring the pistols!
We will have our own to-day!
Let the cannon smash the bulwarks!
Let the cutlass clear the way!
Chorus:
Roaring wind and deep blue water!
We’re the jolly devils who,
Back to back against the mainmast,
Held at bay the entire crew.
Here’s to rum and here’s to plunder!
Here’s to all the gales that blow!
Let the seamen cry for mercy!
Let the blood of captains flow!
Chorus:
Roaring wind and deep blue water!
We’re the jolly devils who,
Back to back against the mainmast,
Held at bay the entire crew.
Here’s to ships that we have taken!
They have seen which men were best.
We have lifted maids and cargo,
And the sharks have had the rest.
Chorus:
Roaring wind and deep blue water!
We’re the jolly devils who,
Back to back against the mainmast,
Held at bay the entire crew.
—George Sterling.
HEARTS OF THREE