Our hands were soon stiffened and numbed,
which, added to the stiffness of everything else, kept us a good while
on the yard. After we had got the sail hauled upon the yard, we had to
wait a long time for the weather earing to be passed; but there was no
fault to be found, for French John was at the earing, and a better
sailor never laid out on a yard; so we leaned over the yard, and
beat our hands upon the sail to keep them from freezing. At length the
word came- "Haul out to leeward,"- and we seized the reef-points and
hauled the band taught for the lee earing. "Taught band- Knot away,"
and we got the first reef fast, and were just going to lay down, when-
"Two reefs- two reefs!" shouted the mate, and we had a second reef
to take, in the same way. When this was fast, we laid down on deck,
manned the halyards to leeward, nearly up to our knees in water, set
the topsail, and then laid aloft on the main topsail yard, and
reefed that sail in the same manner; for, as I have before stated,
we were a good deal reduced in numbers, and, to make it worse, the
carpenter, only two days before, cut his leg with an axe, so that he
could not go aloft.
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