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Updated: June 17, 2025
If she takes us, we shall have our throats cut, or be carried into slavery." "We will fight her, and beat her," cried the men, and they gave utterance to a loud cheer. "Brace round the main-yard, then," cried the captain, and the ship stood on close-hauled, ready to tack, so that if possible we might gain the weather-gauge.
The foremast was gone, the main-yard sprung, the rigging hanging in elf-locks, the hull shot through and through in twenty places, the deck strewn with the bodies of nine good men, beside sixteen wounded down below; while the pitiless sun, right above their heads, poured down a flood of fire upon a sea of glass.
Back the main-yard there! Boat ahoy! Stand by to come close alongside, now! Careful, careful! come, Bildad, boy say your last. Luck to ye, Starbuck luck to ye, Mr. Stubb luck to ye, Mr. Flask good-bye and good luck to ye all and this day three years I'll have a hot supper smoking for ye in old Nantucket. Hurrah and away!"
"She is a line-of-battle ship, I think," said Mr Evans to Captain Falkner, "and from the way she is rolling I fear she is in a bad condition." The blast which had carried away the frigate's main-yard appeared to be the last effort of the hurricane. The wind began to subside almost as rapidly as it commenced.
Still she was struck 240 times, and became almost a wreck, her hull showing gaping wounds, her main-yard cut in two places, every spar more or less damaged, two shot-holes in the head of the mainmast, and her rigging hanging in shreds; the ship also having twice caught fire, once when a shell fell in her maintop and set fire to the mainsail, and another having burst in the port side and set fire to the hammock-nettings.
I found that he was severely hurt, partly from the fire, and also from the blows he had received. At first, apparently, he had not been aware how seriously he had been injured. "We must build a raft, lads," he answered at length. "See! Here is the main-yard alongside of us, with the main-sail and plenty of rope hanging on to it.
The chase then showed Hamburgh colours and returned the fire; and a running fight was maintained for three hours, when, just as the lugger was doubling the Point of Warroch, they observed that the main-yard was shot in the slings, and that the vessel was disabled.
Well I recollect the mingled disappointment and admiration of the Preventive men, as a fresh set of salvors appeared in view, in the form of a boat's crew of Clovelly fishermen; how we watched breathlessly the little black speck crawling and struggling up in the teeth of the gale, under the shelter of the land, till, when the ship had rounded a point into smoother water, she seized on her like some tiny spider on a huge unwieldy fly; and then how one still smaller black speck showed aloft on the main-yard, and another and then the desperate efforts to get the topsail set and how we saw it tear out of their hands again, and again, and again, and almost fancied we could hear the thunder of its flappings above the roar of the gale, and the mountains of surf which made the rocks ring beneath our feet; and how we stood silent, shuddering, expecting every moment to see whirled into the sea from the plunging yards one of those same tiny black specks, in each one of which was a living human soul, with sad women praying for him at home!
This topmast will do to bear the strain of the spare main-yard, unless there come another gale, and by reefing the new mainsail we shall be able to make something out of it. The topgallant-mast will fit of course above, and we may make out, by keeping a little free, to carry the sail: at need, we may possibly coax the contrivance into carrying a studding-sail also.
Wrecks, engagements, ships on fire, ships passing lighthouses on iron-bound coasts, ships blowing up, ships going down, ships running ashore, men lying out upon the main-yard in a gale of wind, sailors and ships in every variety of peril, constitute the illustrations of fact. Nothing can be done in the fanciful way, without a thumping boy upon a scaly dolphin. How goes the night now? Past one.
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