They Were
Always Amusing From Their Improbability, And, Indeed, He Never
Expected To Be Believed, But Spun Them Merely For Amusement;
And As He Had Some Humor And A Good Supply Of Man-Of-War Slang
And Sailor's Salt Phrases, He Always Made Fun.
Next to him in
age and experience, and, of course, in standing in the watch,
was an Englishman, named Harris, of whom I shall have more to
say hereafter.
Then, came two or three Americans, who had been
the common run of European and South American voyages, and one who
had been in a "spouter," and, of course, had all the whaling stories
to himself. Last of all, was a broad-backed, thick-headed boy from
Cape Cod, who had been in mackerel schooners, and was making his
first voyage in a square-rigged vessel. He was born in Hingham,
and of course was called "Bucketmaker." The other watch was composed of
about the same number. A tall, fine-looking Frenchman, with coal-black
whiskers and curly hair, a first-rate seaman, and named John, (one name
is enough for a sailor,) was the head man of the watch. Then came two
Americans (one of whom had been a dissipated young man of property
and family, and was reduced to duck trowsers and monthly wages,)
a German, an English lad, named Ben, who belonged on the mizen
topsail yard with me, and was a good sailor for his years, and two
Boston boys just from the public schools. The carpenter sometimes
mustered in the starboard watch, and was an old sea-dog, a Swede
by birth, and accounted the best helmsman in the ship. This was
our ship's company, beside cook and steward, who were blacks,
three mates, and the captain.
The second day out, the wind drew ahead, and we had to beat up
the coast; so that, in tacking ship, I could see the regulations
of the vessel. Instead of going wherever was most convenient,
and running from place to place, wherever work was to be done,
each man had his station. A regular tacking and wearing bill
was made out. The chief mate commanded on the forecastle, and had
charge of the head sails and the forward part of the ship. Two of
the best men in the ship - the sailmaker from our watch, and John,
the Frenchman, from the other, worked the forecastle. The third
mate commanded in the waist, and, with the carpenter and one man,
worked the main tack and bowlines; the cook, ex-officio, the fore
sheet, and the steward the main. The second mate had charge of
the after yards, and let go the lee fore and main braces. I was
stationed at the weather cross-jack braces; three other light
hands at the lee; one boy at the spanker-sheet and guy; a man
and a boy at the main topsail, top-gallant, and royal braces;
and all the rest of the crew - men and boys - tallied on to the
main brace. Every one here knew his station, must be there when
all hands were called to put the ship about, and was answerable
for every rope committed to him. Each man's rope must be let
go and hauled in at the order, properly made fast, and neatly
coiled away when the ship was about. As soon as all hands are at
their stations, the captain, who stands on the weather side of the
quarter-deck, makes a sign to the man at the wheel to put it down,
and calls out "Helm's a lee'!" "Helm's a lee'!" answers the mate on
the forecastle, and the head sheets are let go. "Raise tacks and
sheets!" says the captain; "tacks and sheets!" is passed forward,
and the fore tack and main sheet are let go. The next thing is to
haul taught for a swing. The weather cross-jack braces and the lee
main braces are each belayed together upon two pins, and ready to
be let go; and the opposite braces hauled taught. "Main topsail
haul!" shouts the captain; the braces are let go; and if he has
taken his time well, the yards swing round like a top; but if he
is too late, or too soon, it is like drawing teeth. The after
yards are then braced up and belayed, the main sheet hauled aft,
the spanker eased over to leeward, and the men from the braces
stand by the head yards. "Let go and haul!" says the captain;
the second mate lets go the weather fore braces, and the men haul
in to leeward. The mate, on the forecastle, looks out for the
head yards. "Well, the fore topsail yard!" "Top-gallant yard's
well!" "Royal yard too much! Haul into windward! So! well that!"
"Well all!" Then the starboard watch board the main tack, and the
larboard watch lay forward and board the fore tack and haul down
the jib sheet, clapping a tackle upon it, if it blows very fresh.
The after yards are then trimmed, the captain generally looking
out for them himself. "Well the cross-jack yard!" "Small pull the
main top-gallant yard!" "Well that!" "Well the mizen top-gallant
yard!" "Cross-jack yards all well!" "Well all aft!" "Haul taught
to windward!" Everything being now trimmed and in order, each man
coils up the rigging at his own station, and the order is given - "Go
below the watch!"
During the last twenty-four hours of the passage, we beat off and
on the land, making a tack about once in four hours, so that I
had a sufficient opportunity to observe the working of the ship;
and certainly, it took no more men to brace about this ship's
lower yards, which were more than fifty feet square, than it did
those of the Pilgrim, which were not much more than half the size;
so much depends upon the manner in which the braces run, and the
state of the blocks; and Captain Wilson, of the Ayacucho, who was
afterwards a passenger with us, upon a trip to windward, said he
had no doubt that our ship worked two men lighter than his brig.
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