During
these seventy-two hours we had nothing to do, but to turn in and
out, four hours on deck, and four below, eat, sleep, and keep watch.
The watches were only varied by taking the helm in turn, and now and
then, by one of the sails, which were furled, blowing out of the
gaskets, and getting adrift, which sent us up on the yards; and by
getting tackles on different parts of the rigging, which were slack.
Once, the wheel-rope parted, which might have been fatal to us, had
not the chief mate sprung instantly with a relieving tackle to
windward, and kept the tiller up, till a new one could be rove. On the
morning of the twentieth, at daybreak, the gale had evidently done its
worst, and had somewhat abated; so much so, that all hands were called
to bend new sails, although it was still blowing as hard as two common
gales. One at a time, and with great difficulty and labor, the old
sails were unbent and sent down by the bunt-lines, and three new
topsails, made for the homeward passage round Cape Horn, and which had
never been bent, were got up from the sailroom, and under the care
of the sailmaker, were fitted for bending, and sent up by the halyards
into the tops, and, with stops and frapping lines, were bent to the
yards, close-reefed, sheeted home, and hoisted.
Pages:
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398