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Cut it away at once, and let us get her upon an even keel again if we can." Mr Bowles hurried forward, and as soon as he became visible to the men clustered about the main-rigging he made a sign to them to cut.
She was a good sized brig, and the ensign, with the stars and stripes, which flew out at her peak, showed that she hailed from the United States. We had a signal of distress flying, in addition to the British ensign. "Hillo! what are you?" sung out a man in her main-rigging. "A prize to His Britannic Majesty's brig of war Opossum," answered Waller. "What are you?"
The poor fellows on board stood ready to leap on our deck had she touched us; but she just grazed by, her main-rigging for an instant catching in ours. A few strokes of an axe cut her clear, and before any of her crew could reach us she was driven onward. In another instant the wind catching her side, she turned completely over. There was a wild shriek of despair from her hapless crew.
He tried to work, but fell down; so they lashed him to the main-rigging in the hot sun, and there left him, daring any of us to release him, or to take him even a drop of water. I wonder that treatment did not kill him.
"Ay, ay; oh, yesh," was the response from the other vessel; and as it came floating down upon the wind the stranger took a broad sheer to port, showing herself to be a large lugger, and shot very neatly alongside the Aurora, the grappling-irons being cleverly hove into the barque's fore and main-rigging, as the two vessels touched.
The second lieutenant went up the main-rigging, and pointed with his hand to about two points before the beam. "Do you see two hillocks inland?" "Yes, sir," replied the second lieutenant. "Then it is so," observed the captain to the master, "and if we weather it we shall have more sea-room. Keep her full, and let her go through the water; do you hear, quarter-master?" "Ay, ay, sir."
In a short time another brig was seen approaching under a perfect cloud of sail, an unmistakably English gun-brig this time, however. Sweeping up on the port quarter of George's prize, an officer sprang into the main-rigging, and hailed "Brig ahoy! What brig is that?" "The Jeune Virginie, French privateer," answered George.
When at last it was safely shipped, and the tackles cast off, the size of this small portion of a full-grown cachalot's body could be realized, not before. It was hauled from the gangway by tackles, and securely lashed to the rail running round beneath the top of the bulwarks for that purpose the "lash-rail" where the top of it towered up as high as the third ratline of the main-rigging.
"Mr. Todd," called the captain, "come down here port main-rigging." The mate came quickly, as he always did when he heard the prefix to his name. It was used only in emergencies. "What soundings did you get at the lead when we were blowing out?" asked the captain. "What water did you have when you sang out 'a quarter six' and 'a quarter less six'?" "N-n-one, capt'n. There warn't any bottom.
Several of the crew fled from the waist to the poop, and others of them sprang into the main-rigging. Daughtry, one hand on the rail, with his free arm clasped the Ancient Mariner around the waist. All held. The whale struck the Mary Turner just aft of the fore-shroud. A score of things, which no eye could take in simultaneously, happened.
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