The dove we secretly worshipped.
With utmost confidence in our little craft, inspired by many thrilling
events, we now carried sail, blow high, blow low, till at times she
reeled along with a bone in her mouth quite to the mind of her mariners.
Thinking one day that she might carry more sail on the mast already
bending hopefully forward, and acting upon the liberal thought of sail,
we made a wide mistake, for the mainmast went by the board, under the
extra press and the foremast tripped over the bows. Then spars, booms,
and sails swung alongside like the broken wings of a bird, but were
grappled, however, and brought aboard without much loss of time. The
broken mast was then secured and strengthened by "fishes" or splints
after the manner in which doctors fish a broken limb.
Both of the masts were very soon refitted and again made to carry sail,
all they could stand; and we were again bowling along as before. We made
that day a hundred and seventy-five miles, one of our best days' work.
I protest here that my wife should not have cried "More sail! more
sail!" when as it has been seen the canoe had on all the sail that she
could carry.
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