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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!"
He then sprang aloft, and telling Walter to stand from under, with a few strokes brought the gaff, the cross-jack, and mizzen-topsail yards down on deck, while he at the same time cleared the mass of the running rigging, preserving the most perfect coolness and exhibiting the most wonderful activity. He soon collected ample materials for the purpose he had in view.
"With all my heart," he answered; and he getting a boat's ensign and I a union-jack from the signal locker, we ran aloft with them before any one saw what we were about. We agreed, however, that they would look best at each end of the cross-jack, and accordingly, quick as lightning, we lashed them there.
The order was given to fire; being so close every shot was poured into their hulls, down came the Frenchman’s mizzen-mast, and after our second broadside the Spaniard’s fore and cross-jack yards.
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.
The watch at once ran to their respective stations, Tom Jerrold and I with a couple of others attending to the cross-jack yard. "All ready forrud?" "Aye, aye, sorr," shouted back Tim Rooney from the forecastle, "all ready forrud." "Helms a-lee!" The head sheets were let go as the captain roared out this order, the jib flattening as the vessel went into stays.
The Augusta Ramsay had all the sails that the Industry had and, besides those sails, she had the sails that belong on the mizzenmast: the cross-jack and the mizzentopsail and the mizzentopgallantsail and the mizzenroyal and the mizzenskysail and all the mizzenstaysails. But the Industry couldn't set those sails on the mizzenmast, because she didn't have any mizzenmast.
"Ah! I thought so," said the god of the sea. "His royal highness should take a leaf out of my book: never allow it to be doubtful who is commanding officer." "And pray what might your majesty's specific be, to cure a bad wife?" said the captain. "Three feet of the cross-jack brace every morning before breakfast, for a quarter of an hour, and half an hour on a Sunday."
I ought to have said that, before we left the ship, Grey and I had presented to us the two small flags we had nailed to the cross-jack yard in the action with the Aigle. At the last stage we agreed that we would do something to astonish the natives, so we ordered an open barouche, which we saw in the yard, with four horses.
The mate then hailed the yards "All ready forward?" "All ready the cross-jack yards?" etc., etc., and "Aye, aye, sir!" being returned from each, the word was given to let go; and in the twinkling of an eye, the ship, which had shown nothing but her bare yards, was covered with her loose canvas, from the royal-mast-heads to the decks.
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