We Got The Topsails Set, And The Fragments Of The
Jib Stowed Away, And The Fore-Topmast Staysail Set In Its Place,
When The Great Mainsail Gaped Open, And The Sail Ripped From Head
To Foot.
"Lay up on that main-yard and furl the sail, before it
blows to tatters!" shouted the captain; and in a moment, we were
up, gathering the remains of it upon the yard.
We got it wrapped,
round the yard, and passed gaskets over it as snugly as possible,
and were just on deck again, when, with another loud rent,
which was heard throughout the ship, the fore-topsail, which had
been double-reefed, split in two, athwartships, just below the
reefband, from earing to earing. Here again it was down yard,
haul out reef-tackles, and lay out upon the yard for reefing.
By hauling the reef-tackles chock-a-block, we took the strain
from the other earings, and passing the close-reef earing,
and knotting the points carefully, we succeeded in setting
the sail, close-reefed.
We had but just got the rigging coiled up, and were waiting to
hear "go below the watch!" when the main royal worked loose from
the gaskets, and blew directly out to leeward, flapping, and shaking
the mast like a wand. Here was a job for somebody. The royal must
come in or be cut adrift, or the mast would be snapped short off.
All the light hands in the starboard watch were sent up, one after
another, but they could do nothing with it.
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