ADVENTURES OF NILS
211
with cannon, and which had high fore and aft, and their masts weighed down with a network of sails and There were small island-boats with ropes. bristled
structures
rowing-benches along the sides; there were
undecked cannon sloops and richly gilded frigates, which were models of the ones the kings had used on their travels. Finally, there were also the heavy, broad armourplated ships with towers and cannon on deck such as are in use nowadays and narrow, shining torpedo boats which resembled ;
long, slender fishes.
When all
big,
this,
the boy was carried around among he was awed. "Fancy that such
splendid ships have been built here in "
Sweden he thought to himself. He had plenty of time to see !
to be seen in there; for
all
that
was
when the bronze man
saw the models, he forgot everything else. He examined them all, from the first to the And Rosenbom, last, and asked about them. the boatswain on the Dristigheten, told as much as he knew of the ships' builders, and of those who had manned them; and of the