of the two.

Now, our plan was this. A ship, when hove-to, drifts along on a course
as nearly as possible at right angles to the direction of the wind,
which, in this case, was blowing due east. We therefore proposed to
work the _Mercury_ up toward the northern end of the lagoon, until, when
brought round and hove-to, she should have room to drive slowly to the
southward without going ashore on the fringing reef which projected into
the lagoon an average distance of a mile from the island. Then, while
she was thus drawing to the southward--the available distance being
about seven miles, or maybe a trifle more--we were to make the attempt
to hoist in the longboat by means of yard tackles, and stow her on the
main hatch. The hatches were already on and battened down. To get the
chocks into place to receive the boat was but the work of a few minutes;
and then came the business of rousing out the yard tackles and getting
them aloft. I knew where to lay my hand upon them, and soon had them
ready for sending aloft; but by the time that we had got thus far the
ship had drawn well over toward the southern end of the barrier reef,
and it was time to heave about. We therefore tacked ship again, the old
hooker working in much more lively fashion this time, because we were
now within the influence of the true breeze. Then, with Grace Hartley
still at the wheel, Gurney and Saunders went aloft and got the tackles
up on the fore and main yards, also the stay purchases; and we were then
ready to begin the actual work itself. The boat was next hauled
alongside the starboard gangway, in readiness to be hooked on; when, the
ship being by this time as far to the northward as it was prudent to go,
we tacked, and hove-to on the port tack.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

THE CATACLYSM.

No sooner was the ship round and hove-to, with her fore topsail aback,
than Gurney and Saunders slid down into the longboat and hooked on the
tackles, which I stood by on deck to haul taut. Then by means of a
snatch-block, the watch-tackle, and the winch, we proceeded to lift
first the bows and then the stern out of the water, a foot or so at a
time. It was slow, tedious work; but we were greatly assisted by the
light of the moon, which was by this time well above the horizon; and by
working as though for our lives we at length managed to get the boat
well above the level of the bulwarks, to transfer her weight from the
yards to the stay tackles, and to