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Hence, to secure approval from their women critics, these sailor men and apprentice lads would strain every faculty to have sails stowed in a cloth, that is, stowed so that not a wrinkle could be seen anywhere. The youngest apprentice furled the royals and staysails, two other boys the topgallant sails, and all the crew, except the master, the larger square sails.
She immediately shot into the wind, all aback, and it took them fully five minutes to box her off again, when seeing, I suppose, that they could not now possibly escape us her people clewed up her courses, hauled down topgallant sails and staysails, until they had reduced their canvas to what it had been when we first sighted her, hoisted French colours, and bore up for us.
"Sir," stepping hurriedly out of his pantry, in order to hear more distinctly. "Under what sail are we?" "Topgallant sails, sir." "How's her head?" "West-south-west, sir." "Delicious! Any news of the rover?" "Hull down to leeward, sir, and on our quarter. "Staggering along, eh?" "Quite like a disguised person, sir." "Better still.
He had heard also that the men liked to see monarchical display, and that is why he adopted it so naturally. The third day after leaving Malta the forecastle hands were congregated on the topgallant forecastle during the dogwatch from six to eight. The discussion was of an animated character.
But the Varuna had been mortally hurt and was sinking fast. To quote the words of Commodore Boggs: "In fifteen minutes from the time the Varuna was struck by the Stonewall Jackson, she was on the bottom, with only her topgallant forecastle out of the water." But those were exceedingly lively minutes for the Varuna and the other craft in her neighborhood.
I thought rapidly, and an idea occurred to me which caused me to close my glass, re-sling it, and slide down to the cross-trees. "Up you go again, Dixon, and keep your eye on that vessel, reporting any noticeable thing about her that may happen to catch your eye," said I. And swinging myself on to the topgallant backstay, I slid rapidly down to the deck.
The very thought of such a result now apparently certain once more raised their spirits to the highest pitch. They did not count on being able to "swarm" up a piece of slender cord of nearly fifty yards in length a feat that would have baffled the most agile tar that ever "slung the monkey" from a topgallant stay.
I won't trust the crew on deck till the last minute." With the assistance of the man Bob had relieved at the wheel, they soon had the topgallant sails, which had been furled, chock-a-block. "It will be a narrow squeak," muttered the captain, as he glanced at the icebergs, whose tops seemed quite close, though the bases were yet some distance from the schooner.
The river here is so narrow, and yet of so even a depth, that, in turning, our dolphin striker was buried in the foliage on the one bank and our stern almost touching the opposite one. The town is seemingly built on a well-drained swamp or marsh, and consequently lies very low, in fact, from our topgallant forecastle we could command a pretty general view of the whole of it.
Down came the shattered spar and the torn sail clear of everything, and fell into the foaming, hissing waters, through which the frigate was forcing her way. The topgallant mast stood uninjured. Ellis the next minute was beside me on the deck. "Thank you, Ellis; you did that work nobly," I said to him. "I think that no one in future will venture to taunt you for your Bible-reading propensities."
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