_Reef-points_ are the little ropes which may be observed hanging in successive rows on all sails, by means of which _parts_ of the sails are gathered in and tied round the yards, thus reducing their size in stormy weather. Hence such nautical expressions as "taking in a reef," or a "double reef," and "close reefing,"--which last implies that a sail is to be reduced to its smallest possible dimensions. The only further reduction possible would be folding it up altogether, close to the yard, which would be called "furling" it, and which would render it altogether ineffective. In order to furl or reef sails, the men have to ascend the masts, and _lay-out_ upon the yards. It is very dangerous work in stormy weather. Many a poor fellow, while reefing sails in a dark tempestuous night, has been blown from the yard into the sea, and never heard of more. All the yards of a ship, except the three largest, can be hoisted and lowered by means of _halyards_. The top-gallant masts can also be lowered, but the lower-masts, of course, are fixtures. The _bowsprit_ of a ship is a mast which projects out horizontally, or at an angle, from the bow. It is sometimes in two or three pieces, sometimes only in one. To it are attached the _jib-sail_ and the _flying-jib_, besides a variety of ropes and stays which are connected with and support the fore-mast. The _cat heads_ are two short beams which project from the bows on either side, and support the ship's anchors. _Miscellaneous_.--The openings in the decks are called _hatches_; the stair-cases which descend to the cabins are called _companions_. The pulleys by which sails, etcetera, are hoisted, are named _blocks_. _Braces_ are the ropes by which sails are fixed tightly in any position. Hauling a rope _taut_, means hauling it tight. The _weather_ side of a ship means the side which happens to be presented to the wind; the _lee_ side, that which is away from the wind, and, therefore, sheltered. The _starboard_ side means the right side, the _larboard_ signifies the left; but as the two words resemble each other, the word _port_ is always used for larboard to prevent mistakes in shouting orders. _Heaving the lead_ is the act of throwing a heavy leaden plummet, with a line attached, into the sea to ascertain its depth. It is thrown from the _chains_ as far as possible ahead of the ship, so that it may reach the bottom and be perpendicularly beneath the man who heaves it when the ship comes up to the spot where it entered the water. A peculiar and musical cry is given forth by the heaver of the lead each time he throws it. The forecastle is the habitat of the ordinary sailors, and is usually in nautical parlance termed the _foge-s'l_.