or straight line made by men drawn up side by side.

RANK AND FILE. This word includes corporals as well as privates, all
below sergeants. (_See_ FILE.)

RANSACK, TO. To pillage; but to ransack the hold is merely to overhaul
its contents.

RANSOM. Money paid for the liberty of a war-prisoner, a city, or for the
restoration of a captured vessel: formerly much practised at sea. It
then fell into disuse, but was revived for a time in the seventeenth
century. At length the greater maritime powers prohibited the offering
or accepting such ransoms. By English law, all such securities shall be
absolutely void; and he who enters into any such contract shall forfeit
L500 on conviction. A privateer taking ransom forfeits her letters of
marque, and her commander is punishable with a heavy penalty and
imprisonment.

RAPER. An old term for a rope-maker.

RAP-FULL. Applies to a ship on a wind, when "keep her rap-full!" means,
do not come too close to the wind, or lift a wrinkle of the sail.

RAPID. A slope, down which water runs with more than ordinary rapidity,
but not enough to be called a "fall;" and sometimes navigable by boats.

RAPPAREE. A smuggler, or one who lives on forced hospitality.

RASE. An archaism for a channel of the sea, and not a mispronunciation
of _race_ (which see).

RASEE. A line-of-battle ship with her upper works taken off, or reduced
a deck, to lighten her; some of the old contract-built ships of the
line, yclept "Forty Thieves," were thus converted into heavy frigates,
as the _Duncan_, _America_, _Warspite_, &c.

RASH. A disease which attacks trees that have ceased to grow.

RASING. Marking timber by the _rasing-knife_, which has a peculiar blade
hooked at its point, as well as a centre-pin to describe circles.

RASING-IRON. A tool for clearing the pitch and oakum out of the seams,
previous to their being caulked afresh.

RAT. A term for one who changes his party for interest: from rats
deserting vessels about to sink. These mischievous vermin are said to
have increased after the economical expulsion of cats from our
dockyards. Thus, in the petition from the ships-in-ordinary, to be
allowed to go to sea, even to carry passengers, we read:--

"Tho' it was hemigrants or sodgers--
Anything afore them rats,
Which now they is our only lodgers;
For well they knows, the artful dodgers,
The Board won't stand th' expense of cats."

Injury done by rats is not included in a p