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Updated: June 17, 2025
She had now got up very respectable jury-masts, with topgallants for topsails, and appeared to be well under command. When she was within three miles of the harbour she lowered the jolly-boat, the only one she had left, and it pulled in-shore with a flag of truce hoisted at the bows.
"So far, all goes well, gentlemen," observed the vice-admiral to the group around him on the poop; "and we will now try to count the enemy, to make certain he, too, has no stragglers out to pick up waifs. Greenly, try that glass; it is set for the night, and your eyes are the best we have. Be particular in looking for the fellow under jury-masts."
It is true, he had some of the usual expedients of seamen at his command, and the people were immediately set about them; but, in consequence of the principal spars having gone so near the decks, it became exceedingly difficult to rig jury-masts.
At length he remained longer than he had before done at the window, earnestly looking through his glass. "She'll be lost to a certainty if they don't succeed in getting up jury-masts," he exclaimed. "No chance of that either, she's driving right ashore. She'll anchor, but the ground will not hold her. I must get some of our fellows to go off to her with me.
Jury-masts were then rigged, upon which sufficient sail was set to give the ship steering way, when we hoped to make a harbour where we might refit, and effect necessary repairs. We were now anxious to reach some port where new masts and rigging might be obtained, as our progress under jury-masts, which carried only a limited spread of canvas, was necessarily slow.
The fire of the enemy now became hotter than ever, when Gerald, who had gone aloft, shouted, "Two ships in sight to the northward!" "What are they like?" asked Owen. "One looks to me as if one were under jury-masts; the other's all ataunto," answered Gerald. "I trust so," ejaculated Owen; "if so, they must be the Thisbe and Druid."
"At all events, in the mean time we will do our best," remarked Owen; and, without taking further notice of the stranger, he continued working away with his officers and men. At length her jury-masts were got up, with yards across, and the main-topgallantsail, and such other sails as they could carry were set on them.
"That is more than any one on board can say," said Wenlock; "but we must do all that men can do, and leave the rest to Him who rules the sea!" All hands were now engaged in getting the ship to rights. Scarcely however had jury-masts been set up, than signs of another storm appeared in the sky. "I like not the look of the weather," observed the captain.
Hughes meantime, having rigged jury-masts to the "Monmouth," had gone to Trincomalee, where his squadron refitted and the sick were landed for treatment; but it is evident, as has before been mentioned, that the English had not held the port long enough to make an arsenal or supply port, for he says, "I will be able to remast the 'Monmouth' from the spare stores on board the several ships."
I had my masts shot away, and I rigged jury-masts: I made sail on them, and was getting fairly into port, when the little martinet very cruelly threw my ship on her beam-ends on a dead lee-shore, a dark night, and blowing a hurricane, and told me to get her out of that scrape if I could.
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