The Mate Sprang To The Wheel, And The Man,
Regaining His Feet, Seized The Spokes, And They Hove The Wheel
Up
just in time to save her from broaching to; though nearly half
the studding-sail went under water; and
As she came to, the boom
stood up at an angle of forty five degrees. She had evidently
more on her than she could bear; yet it was in vain to try to
take it in - the clewline was not strong enough; and they were
thinking of cutting away, when another wide yaw and a come-to,
snapped the guys, and the swinging boom came in, with a crash,
against the lower rigging. The outhaul block gave way, and the
topmast studding-sail boom bent in a manner which I never before
supposed a stick could bend. I had my eye on it when the guys
parted, and it made one spring and buckled up so as to form nearly
a half circle, and sprang out again to its shape.
The clewline gave way at the first pull; the cleat to which the
halyards were belayed was wrenched off, and the sail blew round
the spritsail yards and head guys, which gave us a bad job to
get it in.
A half hour served to clear all away, and she was suffered to drive
on with her topmast studding-sail set, it being as much as she could
stagger under.
During all this day and the next night, we went on under the same
sail, the gale blowing with undiminished force; two men at the wheel
all the time; watch and watch, and nothing to do but to steer and
look out for the ship, and be blown along; - until the noon of the
next day -
Sunday, July 24th, when we were in latitude 50° 27' S., longitude
62° 13' W., having made four degrees of latitude in the last
twenty-four hours. Being now to northward of the Falkland Islands,
the ship was kept off, north-east, for the equator; and with her
head for the equator, and Cape Horn over her taffrail, she went
gloriously on; every heave of the sea leaving the Cape astern,
and every hour bringing us nearer to home, and to warm weather.
Many a time, when blocked up in the ice, with everything dismal
and discouraging about us, had we said, - if we were only fairly
round, and standing north on the other side, we should ask for
no more: - and now we had it all, with a clear sea, and as much
wind as a sailor could pray for. If the best part of the voyage
is the last part, surely we had all now that we could wish.
Every one was in the highest spirits, and the ship seemed as
glad as any of us at getting out of her confinement. At each
change of the watch, those coming on deck asked those going
below - "How does she go along?" and got for answer, the rate,
and the customary addition - "Aye! and the Boston girls have had hold
of the tow-rope all the watch, and can't haul half the slack in!"
Each day the sun rose higher in the horizon, and the nights grew
shorter; and at coming on deck each morning, there was a sensible
change in the temperature. The ice, too, began to melt from off
the rigging and spars, and, except a little which remained in the
tops and round the hounds of the lower masts, was soon gone. As we
left the gale behind us, the reefs were shaken out of the topsails,
and sail made as fast as she could bear it; and every time all hands
were sent to the halyards, a song was called for, and we hoisted
away with a will.
Sail after sail was added, as we drew into fine weather; and in
one week after leaving Cape Horn, the long topgallant masts were
got up, topgallant and royal yards crossed, and the ship restored
to her fair proportions.
The Southern Cross we saw no more after the first night; the
Magellan Clouds settled lower and lower in the horizon; and so
great was our change of latitude each succeeding night, that we
sank some constellation in the south, and raised another in the
northern horizon.
Sunday, July 31st. At noon we were in lat. 36° 41' S., long.
38° 08' W.; having traversed the distance of two thousand miles,
allowing for changes of course, in nine days. A thousand miles
in four days and a half! - This is equal to steam.
Soon after eight o'clock, the appearance of the ship gave evidence
that this was the first Sunday we had yet had in fine weather.
As the sun came up clear, with the promise of a fair, warm day,
and, as usual on Sunday, there was no work going on, all hands
turned-to upon clearing out the forecastle. The wet and soiled
clothes which had accumulated there during the past month, were
brought up on deck; the chests moved; brooms, buckets of water,
swabs, scrubbing-brushes, and scrapers carried down, and applied,
until the forecastle floor was as white as chalk, and everything
neat and in order. The bedding from the berths was then spread on
deck, and dried, and aired; the deck-tub filled with water; and a
grand washing begun of all the clothes which were brought up.
Shirts, frocks, drawers, trowsers, jackets, stockings, of every
shape and color, wet and dirty - many of them mouldy from having
been lying a long time wet in a foul corner - these were all washed
and scrubbed out, and finally towed overboard for half an hour;
and then made fast in the rigging to dry. Wet boots and shoes
were spread out to dry in sunny places on deck; and the whole
ship looked like a back yard on a washing day. After we had
done with our clothes, we began upon our own persons.
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