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The captain, who stood upon the weather-hammock rails, holding by the main-rigging, ordered the helm amidships, looked full at the sails, and then at the cable, which grew broad upon the weather bow, and held the ship from nearing the shore. At last he cried, "Cut away the cable!"
Johnson made a detour on his way to the main-rigging, and muttered: "Say the word, sir, and I 'll chance it. No jury'd convict." "No, no; go aloft, Johnson. I'm all right," answered Breen, as he bent over the distasteful task. Johnson climbed the rigging to the main-royalyard, which he was to scrape for reoiling, and had no sooner reached it than he sang out: "Sail oh! Dead ahead, sir.
"Is safe; " calmly said the Skimmer, appearing in the rattlings of the main-rigging, which was still untouched by the fire "Cut off all! I stay to brace the mizen-top-sail more firmly aback." The duty was done, and for a moment the fine figure of the free-trader was seen standing on the edge of the burning ship, looking with regret at the glowing mass.
The captain, who stood upon the weather hammock-rails, holding by the main-rigging, ordered the helm a-midships, looked full at the sails, and then at the cable, which grew broad upon the weather-bow, and held the ship from nearing the shore. At last he cried, "Cut away the cable!"
The whole ship's company and officers were assembled, some on the booms, others in the boats; while the main-rigging was crowded half way up to the cat-harpings.
The cracking of the spar came next; and the whole fell, like a tree that had been snapped at its foundation. "Does she fall off?" called Wilder, to the observant seaman at the wheel. "She yielded a little, sir; but this new squall is bringing her up again." "Shall I cut?" shouted Earing from the main-rigging, whither he had leaped, like a tiger who had bounded on his prey. "Cut."
I did not see it myself, but my assistants, first one and then the other, deserted me for a few moments to run amidships and look at what was going on. The shark, a sixteen-footer, was hoisted up against the main-rigging.
"No quarter, my friends!" cried Monsieur de Fontanges, who darted on board of the pirate vessel at the head of some men near the main-rigging, while Newton and the remainder, equally active, poured down upon his quarter.
But it did not long remain so, for in about five minutes the mate came on deck with his sextant in his hand, and suspending the instrument very carefully from his neck by a piece of stout marline, he at once made his way up the main-rigging, and finally settled himself comfortably in the cross-trees, facing aft, and bringing the telescope of the sextant at once to bear upon an object which seemed to lie about a couple of points on the lee quarter.
"Make fast, and come down at once, lads," he shouted; "down with you, for your lives; the canvas must take care of itself now." Startled by the anxious sharpness of the hail, the men hurriedly knotted the gaskets, just as they were, and scuttled in off the yard like so many frightened squirrels. They were all in the main-rigging when the hurricane burst upon the ship.
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