The decks were
standing nearly at an angle of forty-five degrees, and the ship
going like a mad steed through the water, the whole forward part of
her in a smother of foam. The halyards were let go and the yard clewed
down, and the sheets started, and in a few minutes the sails smothered
and kept in by clewlines and buntlines.- "Furl 'em, sir?" asked the
mate.- "Let go the topsail halyards, fore and aft!" shouted the
captain, in answer, at the top of his voice. Down came the topsail
yards, the reef-tackles were manned and hauled out, and we climbed
up to windward, and sprang into the weather rigging. The violence of
the wind, and the hail and sleet, driving nearly horizontally across
the ocean, seemed actually to pin us down to the rigging. It was
hard work making head against them. One after another, we got out upon
the yards. And here we had work to do; for our new sails, which had
hardly been bent long enough to get the starch out of them, were as
stiff as boards, and the new earings and reef-points, stiffened with
the sleet, knotted like pieces of iron wire. Having only our round
jackets and straw hats on, we were soon wet through, and it was
every moment growing colder.
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