Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 4, 2025
The Captain, after bowing his head with great reverence, stared all round the circle, beginning with Mr Toots, and ending with the Instrument-maker; then gravely said: 'Sol Gills! The observation as I'm a-going to make is calc'lated to blow every stitch of sail as you can carry, clean out of the bolt-ropes, and bring you on your beam ends with a lurch.
For we'd no sooner weathered Cape Yucatan than there fell upon us two o' the most awful gales that mortal man can pictur', pretty nigh all our canvas was blowed clean out of the bolt-ropes, some o' the ships was dismasted, the sea well, I don't know what I can compare it to, unless 'tis to mountains, it runned so high; and as for the poor little Judith, 'twas only by the mercy o' God and Cap'n Drake's fine seamanship that she didn't go straight to the bottom.
At the same moment the foresail blew clean out of the bolt-ropes; and all those we could muster fit for duty had not strength sufficient to go aloft to set another.
We were within half-a-day's sail of Guernsey, and were expecting to get in there next morning, when a heavy gale sprang up from the north-west, and before we could take the canvas off the ship for we were very short-handed every yard of it was blown out of the bolt-ropes. We were in a bad way, for we were already too much to the southward.
They hurried forward, every now and then getting a glimpse of her as they reached some elevation overlooking the sea. They met several natives, who seemed to sympathise in their anxiety, and accompanied them towards the harbour. The ship heeled over to the blast. Still her canvas stood. Every moment, however, they expected to see it blown from the bolt-ropes.
The words were heard distinctly as they were uttered by the commandant of the fort. We expected the next instant to be sent to the bottom of the Scheld, when a sudden blast filled our sails, almost tearing them from the bolt-ropes, and sending us gliding rapidly through the water.
Once more we ran before it, due south, at the mercy of the wind. I was on deck with the rest, watching the one rag of sail we could venture to set, and waiting to supply its place with another, if it blew out of the bolt-ropes, when the mate came close to me, and shouted in my ear through the thunder of the storm: 'She has come to her senses in the cabin, and has asked for her husband.
The captain stood aft, his eye apparently watching earnestly every spar and rope aloft, to see how they stood the increasing strain. Away we now flew, the water hissing under our bows, and the spray leaping up on either side, and streaming over us in thick showers. The white canvas bulged, and tugged, and tugged, till I thought it would carry the masts away, and fly out of the bolt-ropes.
The foresail stood the strain for just an instant, and then it split to ribbons, and was torn from the bolt-ropes as cleanly as though the work had been done with a knife.
Once I was awakened by a tremendous noise outside something like a gun going off. I afterwards found it had been occasioned by the mainsail being blown away to sea, right out of the bolt-ropes, the fastenings of which were immediately outside my cabin window. When I went on deck the wind was still blowing hard, and one had to hold on to ropes or cleats to be able to stand.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking