Bad Weather And Hard Work At Sea Can Be Borne Up Against Very
Well, If One Only Has Spirit And Health; But There Is Nothing
Brings A Man Down, At Such A Time, Like Bodily Pain And Want
Of Sleep.
There was, however, too much to do to allow time to think;
for the gale of yesterday, and the
Heavy seas we met with a
few days before, while we had yet ten degrees more southing to
make, had convinced the captain that we had something before us
which was not to be trifled with, and orders were given to send
down the long top-gallant masts. The top-gallant and royal yards
were accordingly struck, the flying jib-boom rigged in, and the
top-gallant masts sent down on deck, and all lashed together by
the side of the long-boat.
The rigging was then sent down and coiled away below, and everything
was made snug aloft. There was not a sailor in the ship who was not
rejoiced to see these sticks come down; for, so long as the yards
were aloft, on the least sign of a lull, the top-gallant sails were
loosed, and then we had to furl them again in a snow-squall, and shin
up and down single ropes caked with ice, and send royal yards down in
the teeth of a gale coming right from the south pole. It was an
interesting sight, too, to see our noble ship, dismantled of all
her top-hamper of long tapering masts and yards, and boom pointed
with spear-head, which ornamented her in port; and all that canvas,
which a few days before had covered her like a cloud, from the
truck to the water's edge, spreading far out beyond her hull on
either side, now gone; and she, stripped, like a wrestler for
the fight.
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