Accordingly, When The Wheel Was Relieved At
Eight O'clock, The Order Was Given To Keep Her Due North, And All
Hands were turned up to square away the yards and make sail.
In a moment, the news ran through the
Ship that the captain was
keeping her off, with her nose straight for Boston, and Cape Horn
over her taffrail. It was a moment of enthusiasm. 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.
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