French, to shorten sail.

The Englishmen were on deck in a moment, but the blacks came up
stretching their arms and yawning.

"Lower away with the throat and peak halyards!" shouted Rayner.

Oliver and the two English sailors hastened to obey the order.

"Brail up the foresail. Be smart, lads! Aloft with you and furl the
foretopsail, or it will be blown out of the bolt-ropes!"

The mainsail was quickly got down. The black crew were pulling and
hauling at the brails of the headsails, when a fierce blast struck the
vessel. She heeled over to it.

Rayner immediately put up the helm; but before the vessel had answered
to it, she heeled over till the water rushed over the deck. Then there
came a clap like thunder, and the main-topsail, split across, was blown
out of the bolt-ropes.

"Square away the foreyard!" shouted Rayner.

The vessel, righting, flew off before the fierce gale, the water rushing
and foaming round her sides. Astern, the whole ocean seemed a mass of
tumultuous foam-covered waves.

The sky was as black as ink. To bring the vessel to the wind was
impossible. All that could be done was to run directly before the gale,
and even then it seemed that at any moment the fast rising seas might
break over her stern and sweep her decks.

The schooner, however, by continuing her course, was running on
destruction, unless some port could be found under her lee to afford her
shelter; but even then there was a great risk of being captured by the
enemy, who would not pay much attention to a flag of truce, or believe
that she came for the object of landing the Frenchmen. Besides which,
as the vessel was a prize, it would be thought perfectly right to detain
her.

Dawn broke; for an instant a fiery-red line appeared in the eastern
horizon, but was quickly obscured. The increasing light, however,
enabled the crew to carry on work which could not otherwise have been
performed.

Rayner and Oliver resolved that they must, at all risks, try to heave
the schooner to while there was yet sea-room; and, should the weather
moderate, beat off shore until the gale was over and a boat could land
the people with safety on the beach. The first thing to be done was to
strike the maintopmast. Peek took the helm, while the rest went aloft.

It was no easy matter to get out the fid--the pin which secured the heel
of the topmast in the cross-trees--but after considerable exertions,
with a fearful risk of being jerke