This sail belonged
to us altogether, to reef and to furl, and not a man was allowed to
come upon our yard. The mate took us under his special care,
frequently making us furl the sail over, three or four times, until we
got the bunt up to a perfect cone, and the whole sail without a
wrinkle. As soon as each sail was hauled up and the bunt made, the
jigger was bent on to the slack of the buntlines, and the bunt
traced up, on deck. The mate then took his place between the
knightheads to "twig" the fore, on the windlass to twig the main,
and at the foot of the mainmast, for the mizen; and if anything was
wrong,- too much bunt on one side, clews too taught or too slack, or
any sail abaft the yard,- the whole must be dropped again. When all
was right, the bunts were triced well up, the yard-arm gaskets passed,
so as not to leave a wrinkle forward of the yard- short gaskets with
turns close together.
From the moment of letting go the anchor, when the captain ceases
his care of things, the chief mate is the great man. With a voice like
a young lion, he was hallooing and bawling, in all directions,
making everything fly, and, at the same time, doing everything well.
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