Every one was
on the alert, and even the two sick men turned out to lend a hand
at the halyards.
The wind was now due south-west, and blowing
a gale to which a vessel close hauled could have shown no more
than a single close-reefed sail; but as we were going before it,
we could carry on.
Accordingly, hands were sent aloft, and a reef shaken out of the
top-sails, and the reefed foresail set. When we came to masthead
the topsail yards, with all hands at the halyards, we struck up
"Cheerily, men," with a chorus which might have been heard half-way
to Staten Land. Under her increased sail, the ship drove on through
the water. Yet she could bear it well; and the captain sang out from
the quarter-deck - "Another reef out of that fore-topsail, and give
it to her!" Two hands sprang aloft; the frozen reef-points and
earings were cast adrift, the halyards manned, and the sail gave
out her increased canvas to the gale. All hands were kept on
deck to watch the effect of the change. It was as much as she
could well carry, and with a heavy sea astern, it took two men
at the wheel to steer her. She flung the foam from her bows;
the spray breaking aft as far as the gangway. She was going at
a prodigious rate.
Still, everything held. Preventer braces were reeved and hauled
taught; tackles got upon the backstays; and each thing done to
keep all snug and strong. The captain walked the deck at a rapid
stride, looked aloft at the sails, and then to windward; the mate
stood in the gangway, rubbing his hands, and talking aloud to the
ship - "Hurrah, old bucket! the Boston girls have got hold of the
tow-rope!" and the like; and we were on the forecastle, looking
to see how the spars stood it, and guessing the rate at which
she was going, - when the captain called out - "Mr. Brown, get up
the topmast studding-sail! What she can't carry she may drag!"
The mate looked a moment; but he would let no one be before him
in daring.
He sprang forward - "Hurrah, men! rig out the topmast studding-sail
boom! Lay aloft, and I'll send the rigging up to you!" - We sprang
aloft into the top; lowered a girt-line down, by which we hauled
up the rigging; rove the tacks and halyards; ran out the boom and
lashed it fast, and sent down the lower halyards, as a preventer.
It was a clear starlight night, cold and blowing; but everybody
worked with a will. Some, indeed, looked as though they thought
the "old man" was mad, but no one said a word. We had had a new
topmast studding-sail made with a reef in it, - a thing hardly
ever heard of, and which the sailors had ridiculed a good deal,
saying that when it was time to reef a studding-sail, it was time
to take it in.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 258 of 324
Words from 134757 to 135274
of 170236
