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Updated: June 20, 2025
I found him leaning over the gunnels of the wind'ard nest of dories when I went on deck, gazing out on a sea that was no longer oily-smooth, though smooth enough, too, what was to be seen of it, under the stars of a winter night. I stood on the break and likewise looked about me.
"Winter time, yes." "First I'd single-reef the mains'l. Then I'd hold her up a little not too much me being skipper would be to the wheel myself and then I'd give the order, 'Dories to the rail! and then, when everything was all right when I'd be satisfied we wouldn't foul the next vessel's trawls I'd call out, 'Over with your wind'ard dory!"
Now these two, the governor and the French naval officer, were honest men. "That is so," they said. "He is quite right quite right," and looked at Miller, and Miller, with his eyes like door-knobs, looks at me. And I gives him a wink with my wind'ard eye and he near blew up.
The very gulls themselves were asleep; only the fores'l, swaying to a short sheet, would roll part way to wind'ard and back to loo'ard, but quiet as could be even then, except for the little tapping noises of the reef-points when in and out the belly of the canvas would puff full up and let down again to what little wind was stirring. It was a perfect, calm night, but no calm day was to follow.
Jam your helm hard-a-port, you Dick! hard over with it, man; that's your sort. Now, sway away upon these here mizzen halliards; down with your fore-lug; ease up the fore-sheet there, for'ard; up with the mizzen, lads; bowse it well up; that's well; belay. Haul your fore-sheet over to wind'ard, and make fast. There! that's capital. Now let's see what we can do to these here shrouds."
Lashed to the wind'ard buoy I was by a length of roding line, to my knees in water the better part of the time, and busy enough with the bailing. There was no steady looking to wind'ard, such was the weight of the bullets of water which the wild wind drove off the sea crests; but a flying glance now and again kept me in the run of it.
"Should you think me silly, Diana, if I told you " "Yes, I should!" she answered so suddenly that I started and the wet potato shot from my grasp. "I fancy it'll rain to-night, Jessamy," said the Tinker, glancing up at the heavens. "Brother, I'm pretty sure of it," answered Jessamy, "I noticed the clouds bankin' up to wind'ard. We'd best rig up t' other tent "
I'd call that out to the dory as it went sliding by the quarter the vessel, of course, 'd be sailing all the time and next, 'Wind'ard dory to the rail! And then, when we'd gone ahead enough, again, 'Let go your looard dory! and then, 'Looard dory to the rail! Let go your wind'ard dory! Let go your looard dory! and so till they were all over the side."
We picked up our nearest buoy, with its white-and-black flag floating high to mark it, and as we did, to wind'ard of us we could see, for five miles it might be, the twisted lines of the dories stretching. Rising to the top of a sea we could see them, sometimes one and sometimes another, lifting and falling, and the vessel lifting and falling to wind'ard of them all.
If he himself possessed such an enchanting vessel well, he could use her to much profit. There was a way. He said that so slyly that I had to ask him what that way was. He winked. "I deal in wines what way can it be?" And, of course, I winked back to show that I was a deep one too. It's wonderful what things a man c'n get up to wind'ard of you after he's half filled you up.
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