Within two hours, the wind had gradually increased until it blew a gale: the foresail was taken in, the mainsail close-reefed, and the saucy boat flew along before it like a gull, the following seas just kissing the edge of her taffrail, as she slipped away before them. Our pilot, the owner of the craft, was a careful and steady old Bristol-man, but somewhat nervous and timid: his regular crew consisted of two fine white boys, apprentices, and a couple of stout slaves: we had, in addition, taken on board an old apprentice of the pilot's, who as we started had volunteered to accompany his once master. This was a droll subject, a regular long-sided dare-devil of a South Carolinian: he was full three sheets in the wind when we sailed, and managed to keep the steam up by the contributions liberally proffered during our short season of festivity. As the gale freshened this fellow showed out; when a sail was to be handed or a reef taken in, he was a crew in himself; one of the coolest and smartest fellows I ever met, but somewhat profane in his humour, and rather hard upon the nerves of the chief: few of his sayings will bear repetition; but the exaggeration of his figures of speech, the wild fantastic spirit of reckless humour by which he was governed, I shall not lose sight of; during the night I supplied him with cigars, and with his oddness wore away the time. One little bit of dialogue will describe this wild man of the water better than any words of mine. We had already taken in two reefs when the pilot gave directions "Stand by to lower away the peak." "Ay, ay," sang out his _aide_, as he sprang nimbly to the foot of the mast; adding, "but what the devil are you going to do now, stranger?" "Bear a hand!" cried the senior, "take in another reef!" "What! you're afear'd little Wash-the-water goes through it too fast, are you, old man?" "To be sure: I don't want to get off the bar before daylight." "Don't you? Why then you must tie her fast to a stump, my friend; for if you let her go ahead, she'll make the light long afore you can see your way across the bar, between the white water." "The wind between now and then may slack a little," urged the senior, looking back over the seas now rolling very high, as though he wished the time was come. "Well, that's a cur'ous kind o' guess you've made, any way, old stranger," laughed his tormentor, clapping his foot against the companion, and taking the pull of a giant on the reef-tackle as he spoke. "If you ever know'd where to look for the fag-ind of a north-easter at this time o' year, it's more nor you ever larn'd me to do, and that I do say wasn't doin' your honest duty by me. I'd lay a pistreen this breeze would last the Washy, to the south'ard o' the Tortugas, and well you know it too."