Most of what we have just described applies more or less to every ship; but this will be seen in future chapters. Meanwhile, we would seriously recommend all those who have found this chapter a dry one to turn back to the heading entitled "Rigging a Ship," and from that point read it all over again with earnest attention. CHAPTER TEN. COASTING VESSELS. The coasting-trade of the British Islands is replete with danger, yet it is carried on with the utmost vigour; and there are always plenty of "hands," as seamen are called when spoken of in connection with ships, to man the vessels. The traffic in which they are engaged is the transporting of the goods peculiar to one part of our island, to another part where they are in demand. In describing these vessels, we shall begin with the smallest. SLOOPS. Like all other vessels, sloops vary in size, but none of them attain to great magnitude. As a class, they are the smallest decked vessels we have. From 40 to 100 tons burden is a very common size. A sloop of 40 tons burden is what we ordinarily call a _little_ ship, and one of 100 tons is by no means a big one. The hull of such a vessel being intended exclusively to carry cargo, very little space is allowed for the crew. The cabins of the smaller-sized sloops are seldom high enough to permit of an ordinary man standing erect. They are usually capable of affording accommodation to two in the cabin, and three or four in the forecastle,--and such accommodation is by no means ample. The class to which vessels belong is determined chiefly by the number of their masts and by the arrangement and the form of their sails. The distinctive peculiarity of the sloop is, that it has but one mast; and its rig is, nautically speaking, _fore-and-aft_--that is to say, the sails are spread with their surfaces parallel to the sides of the vessel, _not_ stretched upon yards _across_ the vessel. The term "fore-and-aft" is derived from the _forward_ part and the _after_ part of the ship. _Fore-and-aft_ sails, then, are such as are spread upon yards which point fore and aft, not across the ship. We conceive this elaborate explanation to be necessary for some readers, and, therefore, don't apologise for making it. A ship whose sails are spread across the hull is said to be _square-rigged_. Sometimes, however, a sloop carries one and even two square sails.