Having Nothing On But Shirt,
Trowsers, And Hat, The Common Sea-Rig Of Warm Weather, I Had
No Stripping To
Do, and began my descent, by taking hold of the
rope in each hand, and slipping down, sometimes with hands
And
feet round the rope, and sometimes breasting off with one hand
and foot against the precipice, and holding on to the rope with
the other. In this way I descended until I came to a place which
shelved in, and in which the hides were lodged. Keeping hold of
the rope with one hand, I scrambled in, and by the other hand
and feet succeeded in dislodging all the hides, and continued on
my way. Just below this place, the precipice projected again,
and going over the projection, I could see nothing below me but
the sea and the rocks upon which it broke, and a few gulls flying
in mid-air. I got down in safety, pretty well covered with dirt;
and for my pains was told, "What a d - d fool you were to risk your
life for a half a dozen hides!"
While we were carrying the hides to the boat, I perceived, what I
had been too busy to observe before, that heavy black clouds were
rolling up from seaward, a strong swell heaving in, and every sign
of a south-easter. The captain hurried everything. The hides were
pitched into the boats; and, with some difficulty, and by wading
nearly up to our armpits, we got the boats through the surf, and began
pulling aboard. Our gig's crew towed the pinnace astern of the gig,
and the launch was towed by six men in the jolly-boat. The ship was
lying three miles off, pitching at her anchor, and the farther we
pulled, the heavier grew the swell. Our boat stood nearly up and
down several times; the pinnace parted her towline, and we expected
every moment to see the launch swamped. We at length got alongside,
our boats half full of water; and now came the greatest difficulty
of all, - unloading the boats, in a heavy sea, which pitched them
about so that it was almost impossible to stand in them; raising
them sometimes even with the rail, and again dropping them below
the bends. With great difficulty, we got all the hides aboard and
stowed under hatches, the yard and stay tackles hooked on, and the
launch and pinnace hoisted, checked, and griped. The quarter-boats
were then hoisted up, and we began heaving in on the chain.
Getting the anchor was no easy work in such a sea, but as we
were not coming back to this port, the captain determined not
to slip. The ship's head pitched into the sea, and the water
rushed through the hawse-holes, and the chain surged so as almost
to unship the barrel of the windlass. "Hove short, sir!" said
the mate. "Aye, aye! Weather-bit your chain and loose the
topsails! Make sail on her, men - with a will!" A few moments
served to loose the topsails, which were furled with reefs,
to sheet them home, and hoist them up. "Bear a hand!" was the
order of the day; and every one saw the necessity of it, for the
gale was already upon us. The ship broke out her own anchor,
which we catted and fished, after a fashion, and stood off from
the lee-shore against a heavy head sea, under reefed topsails,
fore-topmast staysail and spanker. The fore course was given
to her, which helped her a little; but as she hardly held her
own against the sea which was settling her leeward - "Board the
main tack!" shouted the captain; when the tack was carried forward
and taken to the windlass, and all hands called to the handspikes.
The great sail bellied out horizontally as though it would lift up
the main stay; the blocks rattled and flew about; but the force of
machinery was too much for her. "Heave ho! Heave and pawl! Yo,
heave, hearty, ho!" and, in time with the song, by the force of
twenty strong arms, the windlass came slowly round, pawl after pawl,
and the weather clew of the sail was brought down to the waterways.
The starboard watch hauled aft the sheet, and the ship tore through
the water like a mad horse, quivering and shaking at every joint,
and dashing from its head the foam, which flew off at every blow,
yards and yards to leeward. A half hour of such sailing served our
turn, when the clews of the sail were hauled up, the sail furled,
and the ship, eased of her press, went more quietly on her way.
Soon after, the foresail was reefed, and we mizen-top men were
sent up to take another reef in the mizen topsail. This was the
first time I had taken a weather earing, and I felt not a little
proud to sit, astride of the weather yard-arm, pass the earing,
and sing out "Haul out to leeward!" From this time until we got
to Boston, the mate never suffered any one but our own gang to
go upon the mizen topsail yard, either for reefing or furling,
and the young English lad and myself generally took the earings
between us.
Having cleared the point and got well out to sea, we squared away
the yards, made more sail, and stood on, nearly before the wind,
for San Pedro. It blew strong, with some rain, nearly all night,
but fell calm toward morning, and the gale having gone over,
we came-to, -
Thursday, Oct. 22d, at San Pedro, in the old south-easter berth,
a league from shore, with a slip-rope on the cable, reefs in the
topsails, and rope-yarns for gaskets. Here we lay ten days,
with the usual boating, hide-carrying, rolling of cargo up the
steep hill, walking barefooted over stones, and getting drenched
in salt water.
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