This morning, at four o'clock, went below,
San Pedro point being about two leagues ahead, and the ship going
on under studding-sails. In about an hour we were waked up by the
hauling of the chain about decks, and in a few minutes "All hands
ahoy!" was called; and we were all at work, hauling in and making
up the studding-sails, overhauling the chain forward, and getting
the anchors ready. "The Pilgrim is there at anchor," said some
one, as we were running about decks; and taking a moment's look
over the rail, I saw my old friend, deeply laden, lying at anchor
inside of the kelp. In coming to anchor, as well as in tacking,
each one had his station and duty. The light sails were clewed
up and furled, the courses hauled up and the jibs down; then came
the topsails in the buntlines, and the anchor let go. As soon as
she was well at anchor, all hands lay aloft to furl the topsails;
and this, I soon found, was a great matter on board this ship;
for every sailor knows that a vessel is judged of, a good deal,
by the furl of her sails. The third mate, a sailmaker, and the
larboard watch went upon the fore topsail yard; the second mate,
carpenter, and the starboard watch upon the main; and myself
and the English lad, and the two Boston boys, and the young
Cape-Cod man, furled the mizen topsail. This sail belonged
to us altogether, to reef and to furl, and not a man was allowed
to come upon our yard. The mate took us under his special care,
frequently making us furl the sail over, three or four times,
until we got the bunt up to a perfect cone, and the whole sail
without a wrinkle. As soon as each sail was hauled up and the
bunt made, the jigger was bent on to the slack of the buntlines,
and the bunt triced up, on deck. The mate then took his place
between the knightheads to "twig" the fore, on the windlass to
twig the main, and at the foot of the mainmast, for the mizen;
and if anything was wrong, - too much bunt on one side, clews too
taught or too slack, or any sail abaft the yard, - the whole must be
dropped again. When all was right, the bunts were triced well up,
the yard-arm gaskets passed, so as not to leave a wrinkle forward
of the yard - short gaskets with turns close together.
From the moment of letting go the anchor, when the captain ceases
his care of things, the chief mate is the great man. With a voice
like a young lion, he was hallooing and bawling, in all directions,
making everything fly, and, at the same time, doing everything well.
He was quite a contrast to the worthy, quiet, unobtrusive mate of the
Pilgrim; not so estimable a man, perhaps, but a far better mate
of a vessel; and the entire change in Captain T - - -'s conduct,
since he took command of the ship, was owing, no doubt, in a
great measure, to this fact. If the chief officer wants force,
discipline slackens, everything gets out of joint, the captain
interferes continually; that makes a difficulty between them,
which encourages the crew, and the whole ends in a three-sided
quarrel. But Mr. Brown (the mate of the Alert) wanted no help
from anybody; took everything into his own hands; and was more
likely to encroach upon the authority of the master, than to
need any spurring. Captain T - - - gave his directions to the
mate in private, and, except in coming to anchor, getting under
weigh, tacking, reefing topsails, and other "all-hands-work,"
seldom appeared in person. This is the proper state of things,
and while this lasts, and there is a good understanding aft,
everything will go on well.
Having furled all the sails, the royal yards were next to be sent
down. The English lad and myself sent down the main, which was
larger than the Pilgrim's main top-gallant yard; two more light
hands, the fore; and one boy, the mizen. This order, we always
kept while on the coast; sending them up and down every time we
came in and went out of port. They were all tripped and lowered
together, the main on the starboard side, and the fore and mizen,
to port. No sooner was she all snug, than tackles were got up
on the yards and stays, and the long-boat and pinnace hove out.
The swinging booms were then guyed out, and the boats made fast
by geswarps, and everything in harbor style. After breakfast,
the hatches were taken off, and all got ready to receive hides
from the Pilgrim. All day, boats were passing and repassing,
until we had taken her hides from her, and left her in ballast
trim. These hides made but little show in our hold, though they
had loaded the Pilgrim down to the water's edge. This changing
of the hides settled the question of the destination of the two
vessels, which had been one of some speculation to us. We were
to remain in the leeward ports, while the Pilgrim was to sail,
the next morning, for San Francisco. After we had knocked off
work, and cleared up decks for the night, my friend S - - - came
on board, and spent an hour with me in our berth between decks.
The Pilgrim's crew envied me my place on board the ship, and seemed
to think that I had got a little to windward of them; especially in
the matter of going home first. S - - - was determined to go home on
the Alert, by begging or buying; if Captain T - - - would not let
him come on other terms, he would purchase an exchange with some
one of the crew. The prospect of another year after the Alert
should sail, was rather "too much of the monkey." About seven
o'clock, the mate came down into the steerage, in fine trim for fun,
roused the boys out of the berth, turned up the carpenter with his
fiddle, sent the steward with lights to put in the between-decks,
and set all hands to dancing.
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