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The majestic birds rose slowly from the water, one following the other, and made towards the Canning. "I'll let fly at them" cried Meliboeus, in an intense whisper, "luff up! hard-a-lee!" The helm was jammed down, and the sheet hauled in; the boat luffed into the wind, and became stationary, only bobbing upon the waves, whilst her sails shivered and rattled in the breeze.
"Hard-a-lee! Look out for your heads," he shouted; and when the sail had swung over he continued: "I come up through here one night two years ago, in a boat that belonged to Dave Rodigrass, I was bringing her up from Little Duck Island, for him.
The danger seemed too imminent for the observances of nautical etiquette, and Trysail railed aloud that the ship must be thrown aback, or she was lost. "Hard-a-lee!" shouted Ludlow, in the strong voice of authority. "Up with every thing tacks and sheets! main-top-sail haul!" The ship seemed as conscious of her danger as any on her decks.
Put your helm hard down and shout 'Hard-a-lee! You see, there is nothing simpler. You keep her off now, and six months hence you let her luff." "That's an idea!" said Bearwarden. "Our orbit could be enough like that of a comet to cross the orbits of both Venus and Mars; and the climatic extremes would not be inconvenient.
Cricket turned, reluctantly, and at the same moment Will called "Hard-a-lee!" as the boom swung over, and the boat obeyed her helm, and came round. Cricket was still facing outward, and, as the boat keeled, she suddenly lost her balance, grasped at the mast which she had let go, missed it, and disappeared over the bows with a great splash.
"Hard-a-lee!" shouted Jasper, letting fly the jib-sheet with his own hands, when the cutter came swiftly up to the breeze, with all her canvas flapping, or was running into the wind's eye, as seamen term it, until the light craft was a hundred feet to windward of her former position.
This was language that required no interpreter. It was a mandate that must be obeyed. The helm was ordered "hard-a-lee," the foresail hauled up, and the topsail laid to the mast. The armed brig hoisted British colors, and her boat was soon alongside the Dolphin. An officer sprang on board, followed by several sailors.
They were now beating along shore, close to Long Cove of the mainland, which must then have lain placid in the lee of Naked Point. At the cry of "Hard-a-lee!" sung out in terror when the breakers were fair under the bow the ship came about and fell off towards the open sea.
Hard-a-lee!" as the boom swung around and they changed their course. Hilda, not realizing what this meant, did not duck her head in time, and consequently got a smart rap. Her hat was knocked off, but, being Hilda's, it did not go in the water. She never had any accidents. "You must duck, instanter, when you hear me call," said Will.
"Now see here: first I give the proper order, as if somebody else was giving it to me, and I was the man at the wheel: 'Hard-a-lee, do you observe; now look, I put the helm down as far as I can jam it, there; look now, how that turns the boat and brings her up into the wind, you see the sails begin to shiver, the wind is blowing right in your faces now; now we have turned nearly round; the boat, you see, has come up on an even keel, level, you know; now look out sharp for your heads there, the boom is going to jibe over to the other side; there, don't you see we've turned round, that house over there near the beach that was almost ahead of us is now behind us.
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