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Updated: June 17, 2025
The pleasant race of sailor men, of shell-backs, such as those who swung the yards and tallied on to the halliards of the Ariadne, may or may not have become extinct, and given place to a breed of sea-going mechanics, who protect their feet by means of rubber boots when washing decks down in the morning. In any case, I met none of the old salted variety among the Oronta's multitudinous crew.
"We've sprung the mainmast, I fear," exclaimed Harry, and he called the men aft to lower the mainsail, while he and I sprang to the peak and throat halliards to let them go. On examining the mast we found that it was so badly sprung that it would be impossible again to set sail on it without the risk of carrying it away. It seemed a wonder that it had not gone altogether.
Bidding the women sit quite quiet, we let go main and jib halliards and got the sails inboard no easy task under the circumstances. The water was not very deep, less than three feet, and every moment was decreasing in depth as the tide rushed out.
"I suppose not, my lad," said the mate; "but I will take the helm, at all events, and you can stand by the halliards. We must take a reef in our sail, if it comes on to blow much harder." The wind, however, did not greatly increase, and they stood on. The lightning continued to flash and the thunder to roar, but the sea remained calm.
But happily Captain Pomery's defiance was thrown away. A minute later the leading gunboat ran up a small bundle on her main signal halliards, and shook out the green flag of Corsica. "You can let the gun lie," said I to my monks. "These are friends." "They are my countrymen," said the Princess at my elbow. "That they are friends is less certain."
One morning, the wind having fallen considerably lighter during the preceding night, as soon as breakfast was over I roused up our square- headed topsail, with the intention of setting it in the room of the small one. But when I proceeded to take the latter in, I found that the halliards were somehow jammed aloft, and I shinned up to clear them.
In obedience to this, we made our way out on the foot-ropes, Mick securing the weather earring, when we began knotting the points and reefing in earnest; after which, the topsail halliards were manned below and the yards run up again.
Without more ado, Farrar, calling on me to give him a hand, eased down the halliards and began to close reef the mainsail. "Hold on," said the Celebrity, "who told you to do that?" "I am very sure you didn't," Farrar returned, as he hauled out a reef earing. Here a few drops of rain on the deck warned the ladies to retire to the cabin.
While he fumbled with the halliards, a storm of musketry burst and swept the quarter-deck. He flung up both hands, spun round upon his heel, and pitched backwards at the helmsman's feet, and the loosened ensign dropped slowly and fell across him, as if to cover his shame. Instantly the firing ceased.
It was at once carried indoors, and, the lower end being fixed in a beam of the ceiling of the upper story, was run through the trap which led to the roof. Here, under the direction of Mr Ferris, who had some nautical knowledge, it was stayed up by ropes to the corners of the house, halliards having previously been rove through the sheave at its summit. The difficulty was to obtain a flag.
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