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I had never been on the sea either, and almost as soon as we shot clear of the shore and were lifted on to the big waves, I began to feel dizzy, and dropped my oar, with the result that it slipped through the rollocks and was washed away. Martin saw what had happened as we swung round to his rowing, but when I expected him to scold me, he only said: "Never mind, shipmate!
"The starboard cutter will float, sir; her gunwale is all torn away, but there are rollocks enough to pull." "Let her be cleared away and lowered down, Mr Hippesley. Send for the second lieutenant." "I believe he's not on deck sir," replied the first lieutenant. "Not much hurt, I hope?" "A splinter, I was told, sir." "Where's Mr Weymss, the third lieutenant?
The sentry walked to the edge of the rock and looked down; but not distinguishing any thing, and hearing no further noise, returned to his post. For some little while Newton would not allow them to move: the oars were then carefully lifted over the gunnel, and their clothes laid in the rollocks, to muffle the sound; the boat was pushed from the landing-place into the middle of the narrow inlet.
Try it." "Let me try it let's see how weak it is," cried Zack, reaching over to Valentine. "Don't you go a-shoving of your oar into another man's rollocks," said Mat, dexterously knocking Zack's spoon out of his hand just as it touched Mr. Blyth's tumbler. "You stick to your grog; I'll stick to my grog; and he'll stick to Squaw's Mixture."
The single word "Hurrah!" burst from our throats with all the power of our lungs, and we bent to our oars till we well-nigh tore the rollocks out of the boat. "Hold hard! stern all!" roared the mate, as we went flying down to leeward, and almost ran over the hen-coop, to which a human form was seen to be clinging with the tenacity of a drowning man.
As he drew near to it he was astonished to hear the rattle of oars working in rollocks and a man's voice say: "Steady, here is the place, praise the Saints! Now, then, out passengers and let us be gone."
He explained the mystery as simply as possible, and also why he was at such pains to keep at a safe distance from the walls. "You see those things sticking out from the side of the boat into which I put my oars? They are called `rollocks, and when you are coming up stream through a lock you have to be careful indeed not to let them catch under any of the beams.