of the men
climbing out and seeming to cling with their feet to the bobstay until
little by little they had got the edge right beneath the stay. Then
while their mates at the corners helped at the lines, they passed down
the sail right into the sea till they had lowered it to its full extent
and they could do no more, save once or twice when they hung down from
the stay and gave the canvas, which was slowly growing saturated, a
thrust or two with the foot where it seemed disposed to hitch against
the brig's keel.

And now the skipper took his post upon the bowsprit and gave his orders
by word or sign to the men who governed the movement of the great square
of canvas by means of the lines attached to the corners, the two at the
fore corners of the sail getting outside the bulwarks, barefooted, to
walk along the streak, and hauling just as much as was necessary to drag
the sail right beneath the keel, their two messmates preparing to
follow, and under the captain's guidance keeping all square and exact in
the effort to get the keel to act as the dividing line to mark the
oblong into two exact portions.

It was very slow work, for the canvas was stiff and moved unwillingly
downward beneath the keel; but after a time it began to yield to the
steady drag of the ropes upon the two fore corners, and, once started,
progress began to be faster. For, so to speak, the brig began to help,
sailing as it were gently more and more over the canvas, till at the end
of about half-an-hour it was in the position at which the skipper had
aimed, having while below in the hold pretty well marked down the
position of the two holes made by the shot from the fort. These were
about amidships, some few feet, as far as he could make out, on either
side of the keel, one naturally being much higher than the other in the
diagonal course taken by the heavy ball.

At last he called to his men to halt, and took off his cap, to stand
thinking, the position now being that the sail was drawn right under the
brig, and the sailors at the four corners were holding on tight to
prevent the vessel from sailing clear.

So far not a word had been uttered by the Frenchmen, all of whom had
stood clear or mounted the rigging or deck-house, so as to give the
Englishmen ample room; but now in the silence Rodd advanced to the
skipper eagerly, to say--

"Are you sure you have got the canvas well over the holes?"

Captain Chubb made no reply, but stood with his c