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The wind brought the foot of the sail over the top of the yard and knocked Tom clean off the foot-rope. Williams and I both saw it happen." "But there's no wind to do such a thing; you're talking nonsense!" It seemed to me that there was as much of bewilderment as anything else in his voice; yet I could tell that he was suspicious though, of what, I doubted whether he himself could have told.
Tom had reached the sail, and was standing on the foot-rope, close in to the bunt. He was bending over the yard, and reaching down for the slack of the sail. And then, as I looked, I saw the belly of the royal tossed up and down abruptly, as though a sudden heavy gust of wind had caught it. "I'm blimed !" Williams began, with a sort of excited expectation.
In the first place," continued the captain, jerking at his line, and then beginning to count on his fingers "There is the 'man- rope; then come the 'bucket-rope, the 'tiller-rope, the 'bolt- rope, the 'foot-rope, the 'top-rope, and the 'limber-rope. I have followed the seas, now, more than half a century, and never yet heard of a 'cable-rope, from any one who could hand, reef, and steer."
The other had his feet on the foot-rope, and his chest rested on the yard. They made a good deal of jovial noise when they were aroused, with the obvious intention of making it appear that they were very much alive.
"It's ther foot-rope, Sir-r-r!" he drew out the last word into a sort of gasp. The Second Mate bent quickly, with the lantern. I craned round the after side of the top-mast, and looked. "What is the matter, Mr. Tulipson?" I heard the Old Man singing out.
Now, however, he had slid both feet back on to the foot-rope, and was lying on his belly, over the yard, with the flare held a little below the head of the sail. It was thus, with the light being on the foreside of the sail, that I saw a small hole a little below the foot-rope, through which a ray of the light shone.
Of course, these are only suppositions. And then, close upon this, there were further developments. The End of Williams As I have said, there was a lot of talk, among the crowd of us forrard, about Tom's strange accident. None of the men knew that Williams and I had seen it happen. Stubbins gave it as his opinion that Tom had been sleepy, and missed the foot-rope.
He made out that a Siwash was fumbling at the down-haul made fast near his side, and when the man's shadowy figure rose up against the whiteness of the foam he made a jump forward. Then he was on the bowsprit, lying upon it while he felt for the foot-rope slung beneath.
Then he made out that a Siwash was fumbling at the down-haul made fast near his side, and when his companion's shadowy figure rose up against the whiteness of the foam he made a jump forward. Then he was on the bowsprit, lying upon it while he felt for the foot-rope slung beneath.
The word is used to signify any line of men standing directly behind one another. In ordinary two-deep formations a file consists of two men, one in the front rank and one in the rear rank. To strengthen or mend a mast by fastening strips of wood or iron along a weak or broken place. Foot-rope. A rope stretched under a yard arm for sailors to stand on while reefing or furling sails. Fore-cap.
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