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.
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