Dana, Richard Henry, 1815-1882; Sailors; Seafaring life; Voyages and travels
Fortunately, no great harm was done. Her jib-boom passed between
our fore and main masts, carrying away some of our rigging, and
breaking down the rail. She lost her martingale. This brought us
up, and, as they paid out chain, we swung clear of them, and let
go the other anchor; but this had as bad luck as the first, for,
before any one perceived it, we were drifting down upon the
Loriotte. The captain now gave out his orders rapidly and
fiercely, sheeting home the topsails, and backing and filling the
sails, in hope of starting or clearing the anchors; but it was all
in vain, and he sat down on the rail, taking it very leisurely,
and calling out to Captain Nye that he was coming to pay him a
visit. We drifted fairly into the Loriotte, her larboard bow into
our starboard quarter, carrying away a part of our starboard
quarter railing, and breaking off her larboard bumpkin, and one or
two stanchions above the deck. We saw our handsome sailor,
Jackson, on the forecastle, with the Sandwich-Islanders, working
away to get us clear. After paying out chain, we swung clear, but
our anchors were, no doubt, afoul of hers. We manned the windlass,
and hove, and hove away, but to no purpose. Sometimes we got a
little upon the cable, but a good surge would take it all back
again. We now began to drift down toward the Ayacucho; when her
boat put off, and brought her commander, Captain Wilson, on board.
He was a short, active, well-built man, about fifty years of age;
and being some twenty years older than our captain, and a thorough
seaman, he did not hesitate to give his advice, and, from giving
advice, he gradually came to taking the command; ordering us when
to heave and when to pawl, and backing and filling the topsails,
setting and taking in jib and trysail, whenever he thought best.
Our captain gave a few orders, but as Wilson generally
countermanded them, saying, in an easy, fatherly kind of way, ``O
no! Captain Thompson, you don't want the jib on her,'' or ``It
isn't time yet to heave!'' he soon gave it up. We had no
objections to this state of things, for Wilson was a kind man, and
had an encouraging and pleasant way of speaking to us, which made
everything go easily. After two or three hours of constant labor
at the windlass, heaving and yo-ho-ing with all our might, we
brought up an anchor, with the Loriotte's small bower fast to it.
Having cleared this, and let it go, and cleared our hawse, we got
our other anchor, which had dragged half over the harbor. ``Now,''
said Wilson, ``I'll find you a good berth''; and, setting both the
topsails, he carried us down, and brought us to anchor, in
handsome style, directly abreast of the hide-house which we were
to use. Having done this, he took his leave, while we furled the
sails, and got our breakfast, which was welcome to us, for we had
worked hard, and eaten nothing since yesterday afternoon, and it
was nearly twelve o'clock. After breakfast, and until night, we
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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