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The anchor-watch was set, and by the time that I had taken a bath and changed my clothes the dinner-hour had arrived, and we all gathered round the "hospitable board" which Briggs and his satellites had prepared for us.
There were three men on board, and one boy with myself; they called him Lawrence. I forget his other name, for I aint seen him for many a year. Well, the men had all turned in for'ards, and we two were left to wait for the captain, who had gone ashore; and after he came back, to take our spells at an anchor-watch till daylight, when we were to trip, and be off to the Dogger.
Mulford off; then we can come back to the brig, and get on board ourselves, and let the mate sail away in the boat by himself. On this plan nobody will run, and no wages be mulcted." "But dat take time and an anchor-watch last but two hour, surposin' even dat'ey puts all t'ree of us in de same watch."
This, however, was not done until the return of daylight enabled us to see what we were about. The dead having been got rid of, and our own wounded attended to, all hands turned in to secure a little very necessary rest, the deck being left in charge of an anchor-watch consisting of Messrs.
The examination was satisfactory, on all points but one; that of the holding-ground; and we returned to the vessel, having taken good care to trust ourselves in neither the wind nor the current. An anchor-watch was set, with a mate on deck, four hours and four hours, and all hands turned in. I had the morning watch.
We, cook and stewards, will be called on to keep an anchor-watch, if the brig fetches up, as I heard the captain tell the Spanish gentleman he thought she would; and then we can take the boat that's in the water and go and have a hunt for the maty." The two blacks looked at Tier earnestly; then they turned their heads to look at each other.
At 4.30 we let go the anchor again, and all hands, except the regular "anchor-watch," bolted below to their bunks again like so many rabbits. It was very comfortable, cutting-in a sperm whale in harbour, after the dire difficulty of performing the same operation in a seaway.
Instead of having a watch on deck and a watch below, as at sea, all hands are at work together, except at meal times, from daylight till dark; and at night an "anchor-watch" is kept, which consists of only two at a time; the whole crew taking turns.
My men have got a notion that your people intend to break up this schooner for fuel, should they not keep an anchor-watch aboard her." "Anchor-watch!" repeated Roswell, smiling. "It is well named if there ever was an anchor-watch, you keep it here: for no ground-tackle will ever hold like this." "We still think the schooner may be got off," Daggett said, regarding his companion inquiringly.
I had been asleep about two hours, when I was awakened by a light touch, and, starting up, found that it was one of the anchor-watch, who was saying "Better go below, sir, I think, because it looks as though it was goin' to rain. And Bill and me, sir, we thinks as you ought to know that we fancies we've heard the dip o' paddles occasionally round about the ship within the last ten minutes."
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