Frequently we were
obliged to leave off altogether and take to beating our hands upon
the sail, to keep them from freezing. After some time,- which seemed
forever,- we got the weather side stowed after a fashion, and went
over to leeward for another trial. This was still worse, for the body
of the sail had been blown over to leeward, and as the yard was
a-cock-bill by the lying over of the vessel, we had to light it all up
to windward. When the yard-arms were furled, the bunt was all adrift
again, which made more work for us. We got all secure at last, but
we had been nearly an hour and a half upon the yard, and it seemed
an age. It just struck five bells when we went up, and eight were
struck soon after we came down. This may seem slow work, but
considering the state of everything, and that we had only five men
to a sail with just half as many square yards of canvas in it as the
mainsail of the Independence, sixty-gun ship, which musters seven
hundred men at her quarters, it is not wonderful that we were no
quicker about it. We were glad enough to get on deck, and still
more, to go below. The oldest sailor in the watch said, as he went
down,- "I shall never forget that main yard;- it beats all my going a
fishing.
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