But in spite of his objurgations the mates could not obey. They ran about the flooded waist of the ship, shouting futile instructions to the demoralized crew to do this or that--and their orders were curiously similar, though inapplicable. Then, in spite of the captain's mighty heavings on the wheel, the ship broached to, spilling the topsails first, next the courses. The first slatted back against the masts, then forward against the strain of the bolt-ropes, started rents here and there, and in three minutes were in rags and shreds, while the yards, with slackened weather-braces, swung and banged about in a manner to send the crew from under. They flocked to the break of the poop, the two mates among them. "Come aft here to me, you two hell-fired farmers!" bellowed the captain, and the two came. "D--n your wretched, miserable hearts and souls, if it wasn't for the law I'd slaughter you both! Look at my ship! Just look at her, now! Call yourself competent mates? Someone must have told you that. Take this wheel! Take it, both of you, and steer! Get this ship dead before the wind and keep her so! You can't shorten sail, but you can steer, and steer you will, straight and true, or I'll put you 'fore the mast!" They gripped the spokes meekly, Smith to starboard, Jones to port, and with the aid of the shivered mizzentopsail got the ship before it, and steered--beautifully, with no sign or word from one to assist the other. Neither took charge, as is usual with two men at the wheel. Their movements were simultaneous and harmonious, with no conflicting judgments of pressure or release. They steered as one man with the strength of two; and Captain Brown glared at them awhile, then, unable to criticise, went forward among his men to secure his wabbly upper topsailyards. He tautened the braces; then, as all the downhauls had parted at or near the splices of the upper blocks, sent the whipped ends aloft to be rove off and knotted. But the first man up the fore had hardly reached the futtock rigging, when he sang out: "Land ho! Land dead ahead! Breakers under the bow, sir! It's a reef--a barrier reef. Hard a-port, sir, for God's sake!" "Port your wheel!" yelled the captain from amidships. "Hard over! Port main-braces, all of you!"