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With the appearance of the sun above the horizon the clouds gradually disappeared, the wind dropped, the surface of the ocean became like heaving oil; and the Aurora, losing steerage-way, rolled almost gunwale-to, with her canvas flapping loudly and monotonously against her masts. "A small topsail-schooner!" muttered George.
I sailed out of Boston to South America, in a topsail-schooner, with an old fellow by the name of Eaton, just the strangest old scamp you ever dreamed of. I suppose by rights he ought to have been in the hospital; he certainly was the nearest to crazy and not be it.
As soon as this was the case, they had a look round for the strange sail, and made her out a topsail-schooner about a mile and a half distant. George saw that there was still a chance for them, so they out oars and pulled vigorously.
"I wonder what she can be; I cannot remember having seen any such craft in the fleet. Ritson," to the carpenter who had charge of the deck, "do you remember having seen a topsail-schooner among the fleet?" "No, sir; can't say as I do," answered Ritson.
But he had come back, as all his people had always said that he would! He had come back, there was the topsail-schooner that was bringing him home so swiftly now. Another hour and the schooner's name can be deciphered quite easily L'Inconstant, and that of the polacca Le Saint-Esprit .
Anyone with an eye for sea-going craft can distinguish that topsail-schooner there, well ahead of the rest of the tiny fleet, skimming the water with swift grace, and immediately behind her the three-masted polacca hm! have we not seen her in these waters before? and the two graceful feluccas whose lateen sails look so like the outspread wings of a bird!
I tell you, you've been dreaming. Then, as he got his head about to the level of the top of the companion-way, and out of the reach of any spare belaying-pin that might come that way, says he, 'I've just come in from the end of the flyin'-jib-boom, and there was no vessel in sight, except one topsail-schooner, with the watch all asleep, so it can't be her that hailed you.
"All right," the young man called. "It's Detective Hickey. Drive on!" The lash leaped out over the roof cr-rack! and the horse, presumably convinced that no speed other than a dead-run would ever again be demanded of it, tore frantically down the Avenue, the hansom rocking like a topsail-schooner in a heavy gale.
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