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Updated: May 7, 2025
Mr Costigan," to the first lieutenant "make sail, if you please." "Oi, oi, sorr," answered that worthy in a rich Hibernian brogue. "Let go and overhaul the fore and main clewgarnets; board the fore and main tacks and aft wid the sheets. Fore and main topmast-staysail and jib halliards, hoist away. Sheet home and set the fore and main-topgallant- sails, and be smart about it.
Presently the man came aft, and reported that the captain was waving his hat from the taffrail. "We had better get up the main-topgallant sail, Brown, and run up to her," Bob said. The sail was soon hoisted and, in a quarter of an hour, they were alongside the brig. "That craft sails like a witch," Captain Lockett said, as they came abreast of him. "Yes, sir, she seems very fast."
I said something of the kind to Barney, and he laughed. "Oh yes, sir," he said. "It's like going aloft when you're young. I remember the first time I went up to the main-topgallant mast-head, I said to myself, `On'y let me once get down safe, and you'll never ketch me up here again; while now one goes up and does what one has to do without thinking about it, and Hear that?"
It was impossible to so effectually enwrap her as had been the case with the child, but I did the best I could with a strip of the tarpaulin over her head and shoulders, well secured round her body with a length of the main-topgallant brace, and then, lashing her firmly to my own body, I took my place in the bosun's chair, wrapping my arms tightly round my quaking companion, and then taking a firm grip upon the lanyards of the chair.
Having brought the pumps to suck, the next task of the men on board the Umhloti was to clear away and send down on deck the wreck of the fore and main-topgallant masts, with all attached, a couple of hands being at the same time deputed to give the store-room an overhaul to ascertain whether the contents had been damaged or not by water.
While the work was going on the fearful rolling caused first the main-topgallant sail to go, and then the topsail, with the yards and all belonging to it. The forestay snapped, the mainsail split, and the lower yards and foremast were damaged.
I pointed the gun myself; and only fancy! knocked away his mizzen-topmast, which brought down his main-topgallant- mast with it; and there he is now in a pretty mess. My eye! that was a close one," he added, as a twelve-pound shot sung close over our heads, without hitting anything however.
Mackintosh, the first mate, rallied the men, and contrived to fix a block and strap to the still smoking stump of the foremast; a rope was rove through the block, and the main-topgallant sail hoisted, so that the vessel might run faster before the gale, and answer her helm better than she did.
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