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Updated: May 16, 2025
"No. 290" ran rapidly before the S.W. gale up the Irish Channel, and past the Isle of Man and Ailsa Crag, till as the columns of the Giant's Causeway began to loom dimly through the driving rain she rounded to, laid her maintopsail to the mast, and sent a boat on shore with the pilot and Captain Bullock, who up to this time had been in command of the vessel.
At once the Lunardi collapsed and became manageable; and having roped it to a ring-bolt astern, the crew fell to their oars. My teeth were chattering. These operations of salvage had taken time, and it took us a further unconscionable time to cover the distance between us and the brig as she lay hove-to, her maintopsail aback and her headsails drawing.
First part, Calm and light Airs; remainder, very strong gales and Squally, with Showers of rain, which at length brought us under our two Courses, and close-reefed Maintopsail. Wind calm, North-West and West-South-West; course North 26 degrees 15 minutes West; distance 88 miles; latitude 41 degrees 4 minutes South, longitude 109 degrees 52 minutes West. Monday, 27th.
"Back your maintopsail, sir, and hoist a light at the peak; I shall send a boat on board of you. Boatswain's mate, pipe away the crew of the jolly-boat." We also hove to, and were in the act of lowering down the boat, when the officer rattled out "Keep all fast with the boat; I can't comprehend that chap's manoeuvres for the soul of me. He has not hove to."
Wind North-West, West, and South; course North 74 degrees West; distance 97 miles; latitude 48 degrees 0 minutes South, longitude 94 degrees 25 minutes West. Friday, 17th. Strong Gales and Cloudy the most part of this day. Split the Maintopsail and unbent it, and bent another.
All was white as snow about us, and the whiteness gave a ghastly light in the gloom. I could now make out the maintopsail, dimly, from where I stood, and the outline of the hull forward. Evidently the fore lower topsail was holding still. Jackson, who was tall and strong, and who was an American by adoption, was put to the lee wheel, as his knowledge of English made him quick to obey.
A curious result of the gale was a huge knot into which a strip of the maintopsail, the clew line, and chain sheet had twisted themselves in a hundred involutions, defying any attempt at extrication except by aid of the knife. During this tremendous storm the Alabama behaved splendidly, proving herself as fine a sea-boat as ever swam.
Alas! for the Stars and Stripes, the Azzopadi was not hull down on the horizon ere the once-renowned Yankee clipper Challenger lay humbly, with her maintopsail to the mast, in the very place in which her countryman had just been performing a similar penance, claiming, as the British-owned Queen of Beauty, a similar immunity.
Under foresail and maintopsail we glided silently under the shadow of the encircling hills into this landlocked mill-pond, and within a stone's throw of the nearest house the sails were suddenly clewed up, and with a quivering of the ship and a rattle of chain cable our anchor dropped into the soil of Asia.
Now, it happened that Mr W , who had an eye like a hawk, when he cast his eyes aloft, observed that the bunt of the maintopsail was not exactly so well stowed as it ought to be on board of a man-of-war; which is not to be wondered at, when it is recollected that the midshipmen had been very busy enlarging it to make a pantry.
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