Short stories, American; United States -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
"'What d'ye stand on?' he'd say to the mate arter screwin' his eye to
the glass and tryin' to make it out; and when the mate would tell him,
he'd say, 'I believe that agrees with me; just take a squint at my
instrument; my eyesight ain't just as good as it used for to be, and I
don't quite make it out.' Then the mate would read him off his
instrument, and arter he'd made it eight bells he'd go down and work
it up and prick her off. The fourteenth day out we made the light on
Fastnet Rock, off Cape Clear, and went bowlin' along the coast,
passin' Tuskar next day, and swingin' her off up channel and round
Hollyhead past the Skerries and takin' a pilot off P'int Lynas. It
were a sight worth seein' for to watch the old man handle her in
takin' a pilot. The wind were fresh from west-nor'west, and we passed
the Skerries with all three royals set and lower topmast and
to'gallan' stunsails on the port side. As soon as ever we passed the
rocks we kep' off for Lynas, and as soon as the stunsails got by the
lee they was hauled in. Then with the wind about two p'ints on the
starboard quarter we went bilin' along for the boat which we seen
standin' off shore just to the east'ard of the P'int. There were a
pretty bubble of a sea on, and afore we gits to him he goes about
standin' in to the bay and givin' sheet. We follers along arter him,
goin' two feet to his one, still carryin' all three royals, with hands
at halliards and clewlines. Just afore we gits to him the old man
sings out, 'Clew up the royals, haul down the flyin' jib, haul up the
crochick and mainsail.' By this time we was well under the land and in
smooth water. Keepin' his eye onto the pilot-boat, which were a couple
of p'ints onto our weather bow, the old man no sooner seen her come to
than he sings out, 'Hard up the helm!' And as we swung off afore the
wind we runned up the foresail and laid the head-yards square; then
mannin' the port main braces we let the to'gallan' yards run down on
the caps and let her come to ag'in, and so nicely had the old man
calculated the distance that as she come to the wind she shot up
alongside of the pilot-boat, stoppin' just abreast of her and not over
twenty foot away.
"'That was well done, Mr. Mate,' said the pilot, as he come over the
side; 'some of these galoots makes us chase 'em half a day afore we
can board 'em. Fill away the head-yards, put your helm up, run up the
flyin' jib, brail up the spanker check in the arter yards,' and as she
swung off he comes aft to the wheel where I was a-steerin', and says,
'Keep her east-sou'east, my man; giv' us a chew of terbacker.' We
soon had the muslin piled onto her ag'in, and sure enough, as old
Wiggins had said, the sixteenth day out he walked the pierhead in
Liverpool.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account