Toward sundown the wind came off in flaws, sometimes blowing very
stiff, so that the pilot took in the royals, and then it died away;
when, in order to get us in before the tide became too strong, the
royals were set again. As this kept us running up and down the rigging
all the time, one hand was sent aloft at each mast-head, to stand-by
to loose and furl the sails, at the moment of the order. I took my
place at the fore, and loosed and furled the royal five times
between Rainsford Island and the Castle. At one tack we ran so near to
Rainsford Island, that, looking down from the royal yard, the
island, with its hospital buildings, nice gravelled walks, and green
plats, seemed to he directly under our yard-arms. So close is the
channel to some of these islands, that we ran the end of our
flying-jib-boom over one of the out-works of the fortifications on
George's Island; and had had an opportunity of seeing the advantages
of that point as a fortified place; for, in working up the channel, we
presented a fair stem and stern, for raking, from the batteries, three
or four times. One gun might have knocked us to pieces.
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