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Updated: June 14, 2025
Every instant, as I kept looking aloft, I expected to hear some dreadful crash, and to see the topmasts come tumbling down over our heads; but though the top-gallant-masts bent and writhed like fishing-rods with a heavy fish at the end of the line, they were too well set up by the rigging to yield, even with the enormous pressure put on them. Captain Bruno called Silva to him again.
As soon as the sails were taken in we brought the ship to the wind, lowered the lower yards, and got the top-gallant-masts upon deck, which eased the ship very much. Monday 21. We remained lying to till eight the next morning when we bore away under a reefed fore-sail.
The ship lay nearly over upon her beam-ends; the spars and rigging snapped and cracked; and her top-gallant-masts bent like whip-sticks. ``Clew up the fore and main top-gallant-sails! shouted the captain, and all hands sprang to the clew-lines.
A ``spouter'' we knew her to be, as soon as we saw her, by her cranes and boats, and by her stump top-gallant-masts, and a certain slovenly look to the sails, rigging, spars, and hull; and when we got on board, we found everything to correspond, spouter fashion.
The look of Wilder followed her own; and when he answered it was with a sincerity that was well calculated to carry conviction in its tones. "On the faith which a gentleman owes to all your sex, Madam, what I have already told you I still continue to believe." "The gammonings and the top-gallant-masts!"
He had hardly been on board long enough for them to know much about him, but he had taken hold strong, as soon as he took command, shifting the top-gallant-masts, and unreeving all the studding-sail gear and half the running rigging, the very first day.
The third was a large ship, with top-gallant-masts housed, and sails unbent, and looking as rusty and worn as two years' "hide-droghing" could make her. This was the Lagoda. As we drew near, carried rapidly along by the current, we overhauled our chain, and clewed up the topsails.
Accordingly, having picked out a good berth in the stream, with a smooth beach opposite for a landing-place, and within two cables' length of our hide-house, we moored ship, unbent the sails, sent down the top-gallant-yards and the studding-sail booms, and housed the top-gallant-masts.
During the absence of the boats, the top-gallant-masts had been sent down, and topmasts lowered; but the ship was now careening over 46 degrees, and full of water. All hopes of getting her off were therefore, for the present, abandoned; and we commenced removing every thing that could be taken out of her in the boats.
Here they are comfortably housed and provided for; sheltered from all weathers and secured from all calamities. For I can hardly credit a story I have heard, that sometimes, in heavy gales, ships lying in the very middle of the docks have lost their top-gallant-masts.
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