me thickness throughout the joint. The stem
and stern posts are scarfed to the keel.

SCARPHS OF THE KEEL. The joints, when a keel is made of several pieces.
(_See_ SCARPH.)

SCARRAG. Manx or Erse for a skate or ray-fish.

SCAT. A west of England term for a passing shower.

SCAUR. _See_ SCAR.

SCAW. A promontory or isthmus.

SCAWBERK. An archaism for scabbard.

SCEITHMAN. An old statute term signifying _pirate_.

'SCENDING [from _ascend_]. The contrary motion to pitching. (_See_
SEND.)

SCENOGRAPHY. Representation of ships or forts in some kind of
perspective.

SCHEDAR. The lucida of the ancient constellation Cassiopeia, and one of
the nautical stars.

SCHEMER. One who has charge of the hold of a North Sea ship.

SCHNAPS. An ardent spirit, like Schiedam hollands, impregnated with
narcotic ingredients; a destructive drink in common use along the shores
of the northern seas.

SCHOCK. A commercial measure of 60 cask staves. (_See_ RING.)

SCHOOL. A term applied to a shoal of any of the cetacean animals.

SCHOONER. Strictly, a small craft with two masts and no tops, but the
name is also applied to fore-and-aft vessels of various classes. There
are two-topsail schooners both fore and aft, main-topsail schooners,
with two square top-sails; fore-topsail schooners with one square
top-sail. Ballahou schooners, whose fore-mast rakes forward; and we
also have three-masted vessels called schooners.

SCHOUT. A water-bailiff in many northern European ports, who
superintends the police for seamen.

SCHRIVAN. An old term for a ship's clerk.

SCHULL. _See_ SCHOOL.

SCHUYT. A Dutch vessel, galliot rigged, used in the river trade of
Holland.

SCIMETAR. An eastern sabre, with a broad, very re-curved blade.

SCOBS. The scoria made at the armourer's forge.

SCONCE. A petty fort. Also, the head; whence Shakspeare's pun in making
Dromio talk of having his sconce ensconced. Also, the Anglo-Saxon for a
dangerous candle-holder, made to let into the sides or posts in a ship's
hold. Also, _sconce of the magazine_, a close safe lantern.

SCOODYN. An old word to express the burring which forms on vessels'
bottoms, when foul.

SCOOP. A long spoon-shaped piece of wood to throw water, when washing a
ship's sides in the morning. _Scooping_ is the same as _baling_ a boat.

SCOPE. The riding scope of a vessel's cable should be at least three
times the depth of water under her, but it must vary with the amount of
wind and n