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Updated: June 26, 2025
Some three days subsequently to my going on board her, with a complete new rig-out, bag, baggage, and all, the Mermaid sailed for the Straits; if sailing it can be called in a ship going by steam alone, and which had not a royal-yard to cross, or any other spars to speak of aloft for that matter, the cruiser being rigged to carry fore-and-aft sail in case of emergency should her engines break down.
However, he did everything that a seaman could do, sending a hand aloft to the royal-yard to keep a look-out as soon as the ship had been got upon a wind, and making short boards to windward the first one of a quarter of an hour's duration, and the others of half-an-hour each, so as to thoroughly cover the ground previously passed over as long as the daylight lasted.
"If they do," observed Talcott, laughing, "we can retreat to the cross-trees, and thence to the royal-yard." Marble looked inquisitive, but, at the same time, he looked knowing. "I understand," he said, with a nod; "three people with six sets of ears is it not so, Miles?" "Precisely; though you only do them credit by halves, for you should have added to this inventory forty tongues."
Our lower masts being short, and our yards very square, the sail had a head of nearly fifty feet, and a short leach, made still shorter by the deep reef which was in it, which brought the clew away out on the quarters of the yard, and made a bunt nearly as square as the mizen royal-yard.
For I knew that, if the Bangalore was a clipper, so too was the Francesca; and if her people once caught sight of so much as the heads of our royals from their own royal-yard, they would chase us as long as there was the slightest hope of overhauling us.
Active as a cat, Ned soon reached the royal-yard, upon which he composedly seated himself, preparatory to bringing his telescope to bear upon the stranger. A little manoeuvring sufficed him to find her; but she was so far away quite fifteen miles that he could make out nothing beyond the fact that she was apparently a ship of about the same size as the Flying Cloud.
The royal-yard forms a cross with the mast, and falling from that lofty cross in a line-of-battle ship is almost like falling from the cross of St. Paul's; almost like falling as Lucifer from the well-spring of morning down to the Phlegethon of night.
He had just completed his observations and calculations when the look-out aloft reported land on the port bow. Williams went aloft to take a look at the reported land for himself, and invited Ned to accompany him. The journey to the royal-yard was soon accomplished, and the land was seen.
What I was chiefly afraid of was that the consorts of the galley for I was confident that she had consorts somewhere or other were close enough at hand to hear the sound of firing; and to make certain upon this point I shinned up to the royal-yard and had a good look round, and I was greatly relieved to find that there was nothing in sight.
Take you all round, and round it is, you 're a rum 'un, my lad the queerest little jigger that ever lay out on a royal-yard." Jack might have been a little offended at Spike's compliments, but he was certainly not sorry to find him so good-natured, after all that had passed.
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