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"Strip your old tub down to a flying balloon-jib and a marline-spike, and ballast the Ark with elephants until every inch of her reeked with ivory and peanuts, and she'd outfoot you on every leg, in a cyclone or a zephyr.
At the firing of the gun on board the Sea Foam, they ran up their jibs and got a good start. The wind was west, a lively breeze, but not heavy. Each yacht carried her large gaff-topsail and the balloon-jib. The course was about forty miles, the return from the rock being a beat dead to windward. Robert and Donald each did his best, and the Maud came in twelve minutes ahead of the Skylark.
But she was provided with an abundance of "kites," including an immense gaff-topsail, which extended on poles far above the topmast head, and far beyond the peak, a balloon-jib, a jib-topsail, and a three-cornered studding-sail. The balloon-jib, or the jib-topsail, was bent on with snap-hooks when it was needed, for only one was used at the same time.
The party went down the bay as far as Seal Harbor; but the wind was rather light for her, and she had no opportunity to show her sailing qualities, though with her gaff-topsail and the balloon-jib, she walked by everything afloat that day. "I am entirely satisfied with her, Don John," said Mr. Rodman, as the Maud approached the city on her return. "I think she will sail well."
Now, here he is, rigging me out with a balloon-jib and stays'ls" he pointed a quivering finger at the paper that Mr. Gammon was nursing "and sendin' me off on a tack that will pile me up on Fool Rocks. Everybody can say it of me, then that I'm stickin' my nose in. Because there ain't any witches, and never was any witches." "Ain't witches?" squealed Mr. Gammon. "Why, you "
They turned in time to see a schooner come up into the wind all standing. She was clothed in canvas from head to foot, with a balloon-jib and staysail added, and made her position less than a hundred yards away. Schofield gazed at the schooner curiously. Then he leaned forward, his eyes alight. There were certain points about her that were familiar.
"Strip your old tub down to a flying balloon-jib and a marline-spike, and ballast the Ark with elephants until every inch of her reeked with ivory and peanuts, and she'd outfoot you on every leg, in a cyclone or a zephyr.
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