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Updated: May 24, 2025
Mr. Kennedy requested me to register the height of the thermometer during my stay at the Bay. The whole of the party left at the camp were very weak, Luff being the weakest man that proceeded with the party to Cape York. Before leaving Mr. Kennedy told me that he expected to meet with some difficulties for the first few days, from the nature of the country he had seen from the hill.
"They have a fresh breeze just now," observed Captain Wilson to the first lieutenant. "Yes, sir, and it's coming down fast." "Hands by the royal halyards, there." The Aurora careened with the canvas to the rapidly increasing breeze. "Top-gallant sheet and halyards." "Luff you may, quarter-master; luff, I tell you. A small pull of that weather maintop-gallant brace that will do," said the master.
Nothing could have been more adroitly managed, for before the frigate came head to wind, she stuck fast upon the shoal, to which the words "Luff, luff!" had no doubt been intended to direct her. A boat was now observed to proceed from the brig to the town.
In a moment after I could hear the captain sing out, loud even above the howling of the wind and rushing of the water, "There it comes at last put your helm hard a port down with it, Paul, down with it, man luff, and shake the wind out of her sails, or over we goes, clean and for ever. Everything was jammed, nothing could be let go, nor was there an axe at hand to make short work with the sheets and haulyards; and for a second or two I thought it was all over, the water rushing half way up her decks, and bubbling into the companion through the crevices; but at length the lively little craft came gaily to the wind, shaking her plumage like a wild duck; the sails were got in, all to the foresail, which was set with the bonnet off, and then she lay to like a seagull, without shipping a drop of water.
In the course of the meal he made several very complimentary remarks as to the appearance of the Daphne, and finally when I suppose he saw that he had thus completely won poor Austin's heart he very politely expressed his extreme desire to take a look through the ship, a desire which the first luff with equal politeness assured him it would give him great pleasure to gratify.
"There were plenty of busy eyes looking out for the prize, and it was not long before we discovered them on the weather bow. By keeping our luff we were quickly up to them. "The commander was by this time called, and now came a difficulty. With the heavy sea there was running, it was a work not free from danger to lower a boat.
Five minutes later we were speeding gaily away, with the wind over our starboard quarter and the sheets eased well off, the gig, with her finer lines and lighter freight, revealing so marked a superiority in speed over the longboat, in the light weather and smooth water with which we were just then favoured, that she was compelled to luff and shake the wind out of her sails at frequent intervals to enable us to keep pace with her.
"Luff! mind your luff, sir!" cried the pilot, in a stern voice, to the man at the helm; "luff you can; on no account go to leeward of the slaver!" Both Wilder and the publican started, as if they found something alarming in the name of the vessel just alluded to; and the former pointed to the skiff, as he said,
The vessel yielded to this immense addition of force, and bowed before it like a reed bending to a breeze. But the success of the measure was announced by a joyful cry from the stranger, that seemed to burst from his inmost soul. "She feels it! she springs her luff! observe," he said, "the light opens from the hummock already: if she will only bear her canvas we shall go clear."
The House rose at half-past eleven, and at ten minutes to twelve Lieutenant Denis Castellan, came into the smoking-room of the Keppel's Head Hotel, Portsmouth, with a copy of the last edition of the Southern Evening News in his hand, and said to Captain Erskine: "It's all right, my boy. It's war, and you've got the Ithuriel. Your own ship, too. Designer, creator, captain; and I'm your First Luff."
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