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Updated: June 1, 2025
The carpenter sprang to the main royal halliards and let them run; a man forward dropped the serving-mallet that he was using, and did the same with the fore royal halliards; and while two other hands started the sheets and began to drag upon the clewlines, a third shambled aft and helped the carpenter to clew up the main royal.
"Leggo them buntlines an' clewlines, my hearties, an' haul home that sheet." The ship lay in the wind, shivering. Mr. Gibney was here, there, everywhere. One minute he was dashing along the deck with a leading line, the next he was laying out aloft. He ordered himself to do a thing and then, with the pent-up energy of a thousand devils, he did it.
By-and-by an order is given "Aye, aye, sir!" from the forecastle; rigging is heaved down on deck; the noise of a sail is heard fluttering aloft, and the short, quick cry which sailors make when hauling upon clewlines. "Here comes his fore-top-gallant sail in!" We are wide awake, and know all that's going on as well as if we were on deck.
Hands by the topgallant clewlines peak and throat haulyards jib down haul rise tacks and sheets let go clew up settle away the main gaff there!"
"Man the topsail clewlines, and buntlines, and the weather topsail braces," shouted Haven, the first lieutenant who always handled the ship when all hands were called. "Stand by the lee braces, bowlines, and halyards." The clewlines are ropes fastened to the corners of the topsail, passing through blocks on the topsail yard, and leading down to the deck through the lubber's hole.
The sheets and halliards were let go in a twinkling before we left the deck and the topsails dropped on the caps, as well as the jib downhaul manned and the spanker brailed up, so as to prevent our being forced farther upon the shoal; and, while we were shinning up the rigging, the clewlines and buntlines were hauled by the watch below, which got in all the slack of the sails preparatory to our passing the gaskets when we got aloft, thus enabling us to furl all the canvas, and make everything snug in less time than I take to tell of it.
In an instant, up started the topmen in pursuit, as it seemed, of the middies in a sort of `follow my leader' chase; and ere the vibration of the commander's voice had ceased to tremble in the air, the active fellows were spread out along the footropes of the yards, loosing the lanyards of the gaskets and casting them off, while the deck-men let go the buntlines and clewlines and other running gear.
"Anything wrong, Sir?" I asked. "No o!" he said. "Nothing! I banged my knee." And yet now, I believe he was lying. For, that same watch, I was to hear men giving just such cries; but, God knows, they had reason enough. Hands That Plucked Directly we reached the deck, the Second Mate gave the order: "Mizzen t'gallant clewlines and buntlines," and led the way up on to the poop.
"Overhaul your clewlines!" shouts the mate. "Aye-aye, sir, all clear!" "Taut leech! belay! Well the lee brace; haul taut to windward!" and the royals are set. What would the captain of any sailing-vessel of our time say to that? He would say, "The man that wrote that didn't learn his trade out of a book, he has been there!"
This latter had only been hauled up by the clewlines and buntlines when sail was shortened, so as to be available to be dropped and sheeted home at a moment's notice in any sudden emergency when it might be necessary to get way on the ship to prevent her running foul of some giant iceberg that was trying to overtake her.
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