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Updated: June 13, 2025
Luff, or you will be over him! It is Ned, sir." "Luff!" said the skipper. "Man the main-braces, some of you, and stand by to heave the main-yard aback." Captain Blyth then sprang upon a hen-coop, and peered eagerly out ahead. "I see him!" he eagerly exclaimed at last. "Back your main-topsail. Luff, my lad; luff and shake her!
All the braces were taken from the main deck pin-rails and geared and arranged so that they may be worked from the tops of the houses. Thus, the fore-braces run to the top of the forecastle, the main-braces to the top of the 'midship-house, and the mizzen-braces to the poop. It is evident that they expect our main deck frequently to be filled with water.
I say, mate, just let go the weather main-braces and bowlines, and square the yards, for it's better to be as humble as possible, now that we can't help ourselves; and do you and the boatswain go down below, for they cut right and left, these fellows. They do pay a little more civility to pilots, as they aren't belonging to the ship."
"Fore and main-braces, lads; port your helm, my man," to the helmsman "and let her come up `full and by; round in upon the port-braces, fore and aft; board the fore and main-tacks; aft with the sheets, cheerily, my lads; if we are smart we may get out of gun-shot before they can repair that damage. Well there of all.
The moon, dim at first, showed brighter and brighter as the last shreds of a flying cloud drove away from before it. In vain I looked for any land. "Main-braces! all of you! jump!" Mr. Pike shouted, himself leading the rush along the poop. And the men really rushed. Not in all the months I had observed them had I seen such swiftness of energy. I made my way to the wheel, where Tom Spink stood.
"Aft here, some hands," I cried, "and lay the mainyard aback. Let go the port main-braces!" The captain came running toward me. "By the living God!" I cried in a fury, grasping the heavy brass belaying-pin, "if you come within a foot of me, Captain Coxon, I'll dash your brains out!" My attitude, my enraged face and menacing gesture, produced the desired effect.
Mellaire went for'ard with his watch to handle the fore-and main-braces. It was a pretty manoeuvre, a play of leverages, by which they cased the force of the wind on the after part of the Elsinore and used the force of the wind on the for'ard part. Captain West gave no orders whatever, and, to all intents, was quite oblivious of what was being done.
As we were willing to accede to his proposition, he handed us over to his clerks in the royal imperial post-bureau, who, having received a round sum of florins, filled in and sanded an important document, which being delivered to us conveyed the satisfactory information that we four individuals, whose ages, personal appearance and social position the head-official had magnanimously passed over with a compassionate flourish, were, on this fourteenth day of June, 1871, to be conveyed to the town of Bruneck in the caleche No. 1990; which said vehicle would be duly furnished with cloth or leather cushions, one foot-carpet, two lamps, main-braces, axletree, etc., including one portion of grease.
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