"Go below the watch," said
the mate; but here was a dispute which watch it should be, which the
mate soon however settled by sending his watch below, saying that we
should have our turn the next time we got under weigh. We remained
on deck till the expiration of the watch, the wind blowing very
fresh and the rain coming down in torrents. When the watch came up, we
wore ship, and stood on the other tack, in towards land. When we
came up again, which was at four in the morning, it was very dark, and
there was not much wind, but it was raining as I thought I had never
seen it rain before. We had on oilcloth suits and south-wester caps,
and had nothing to do but to stand bolt upright and let it pour down
upon us. There are no umbrellas, and no sheds to go under at sea.
While we were standing about on deck, we saw the little brig
drifting by us, hove to under her fore topsoil double reefed; and
she glided by like a phantom. Not a word was spoken, and we saw no one
on deck but the man at the wheel. Toward morning the captain put his
head out of the companion-way and told the second mate, who
commanded our watch, to look out for a change of wind, which usually
followed a calm and heavy rain; and it was well that he did; for in
a few minutes it fell dead calm, the vessel lost her steerage-way, and
the rain ceased.
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