The Violence Of The Wind, And The Hail And Sleet,
Driving Nearly Horizontally Across The Ocean, Seemed Actually
To Pin Us Down To The Rigging.
It was hard work making head
against them.
One after another, we got out upon the yards.
And here we had work to do; for our new sails, which had hardly
been bent long enough to get the starch out of them, were as stiff
as boards, and the new earings and reef-points, stiffened with the
sleet, knotted like pieces of iron wire. Having only our round
jackets and straw hats on, we were soon wet through, and it was
every moment growing colder. Our hands were soon stiffened and
numbed, which, added to the stiffness of everything else, kept us
a good while on the yard. After we had got the sail hauled upon
the yard, we had to wait a long time for the weather earing to
be passed; but there was no fault to be found, for French John
was at the earing, and a better sailor never laid out on a yard;
so we leaned over the yard, and beat our hands upon the sail to
keep them from freezing. At length the word came - "Haul out
to leeward," - and we seized the reef-points and hauled the band
taught for the lee earing. "Taught band - Knot away," and we got
the first reef fast, and were just going to lay down, when - "Two
reefs - two reefs!" shouted the mate, and we had a second reef to
take, in the same way.
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