The Maid of Sker · Chapter
XXVI: Braunton Burrows explained
Davy recounts the voyage from Sker to Devonshire aboard the ketch, navigating past Sker House and across the Bristol Channel.
What happens
Davy recounts the voyage from Sker to Devonshire aboard the ketch, navigating past Sker House and across the Bristol Channel. He reflects on leaving Bardie behind, observes the unfamiliar landscape of Braunton Burrows, and asserts his authority over the crew, disciplining the boy Bang. The chapter ends with the ship entering the rivers Tawe and Torridge, and Davy's mixed impressions of Devonshire and its people.
Themes in this chapter
Maritime Life and Adventure
The chapter is centered on the voyage, navigation, and the challenges of coastal shipping, emphasizing Davy's seamanship.
Social Class and Identity
Davy asserts his authority as mate over the crew, reflecting class and rank dynamics aboard the ship.
Superstition and Religion
Ike's tales of giants, spectres, and eight-legged creatures on Braunton Burrows introduce superstitious beliefs.
Characters to notice
- Davy Llewellyn
Davy serves as mate and helmsman, reflecting on his departure from Bardie and asserting discipline over the crew.
- Bardie
Davy thinks of Bardie with regret, recalling her habit of watching ships and her promised fried pudding.
- Captain Bethel Jose
Captain Fuzzy is the skipper, a skilled cook, and remains taciturn during the voyage.
- Isaac Hutchings
Old Ike is the mate, who tells Davy superstitious tales about Braunton Burrows and later provides local knowledge.
- Bang
The boy Bang is disciplined by Davy for insolence, then later becomes grateful.
Key passages
“And I kept so close in shore, because one of the things that vexed me most in all this sudden departure, was to run away without proper ceremony from Bardie.”
Davy stayed near the coast because he was upset about leaving Bardie without a proper goodbye.
Shows Davy's attachment to Bardie and regret at their abrupt parting.
“I began to think—though I would not say it, through patriotic unwillingness—that the people who lived in such land as this could well afford to hold their tongues, and hearken our talk with pleasure.”
Davy privately admits that Devonshire's landscape is beautiful, but he won't say so openly out of loyalty to his own country.
Highlights Davy's pride and reluctant admiration for Devonshire.
“I gave him a cuff of an earnest nature, such as he rarely obtained, perhaps, and well calculated to be of timely service to him.”
Davy struck the boy Bang firmly, believing it would teach him discipline.
Illustrates Davy's authoritarian approach to maintaining order on the ship.