t.
The yard at length came down safe, and after it the fore and mizzen
royal yards were sent down. All hands were then sent aloft, and for an
hour or two we were hard at work, making the booms well fast, unreeving
the studding sail and royal and skysail gear, getting rolling-ropes on
the yard, setting up the weather breast-backstays, and making other
preparations for a storm. It was a fine night for a gale, just cool and
bracing enough for quick work, without being cold, and as bright as day.
It was sport to have a gale in such weather as this. Yet it blew like a
hurricane. The wind seemed to come with a spite, an edge to it, which
threatened to scrape us off the yards. The force of the wind was greater
than I had ever felt it before; but darkness, cold, and wet are the
worst parts of a storm to a sailor.

Having got on deck again, we looked round to see what time of night it
was, and whose watch. In a few minutes the man at the wheel struck four
bells, and we found that the other watch was out and our own half out.
Accordingly the starboard watch went below, and left the ship to us for
a couple of hours, yet with orders to stand by for a call.

Hardly had they got below before away went the foretopmast staysail,
blown to ribands. This was a small sail, which we could manage in the
watch, so that we were not obliged to call up the other watch. We laid
upon the bowsprit, where we were under water half the time, and took in
the fragments of the sail; and as she must have some headsail on her,
prepared to bend another staysail. We got the new one out into the
nettings; seized on the tack, sheets, and halyards, and the hanks;
manned the halyards, cut adrift the frapping-lines, and hoisted away;
but before it was half-way up the stay it was blown all to pieces. When
we belayed the halyards, there was nothing left but the bolt-rope. Now
large eyes began to show themselves in the foresail; and knowing that it
must soon go, the mate ordered us upon the yard to furl it. Being
unwilling to call up the watch, who had been on deck all night, he
roused out the carpenter, sailmaker, cook, and steward, and with their
help we manned the foreyard, and after nearly half an hour's struggle,
mastered the sail and got it well furled round the yard. The force of
the wind had never been greater than at this moment. In going up the
rigging it seemed absolutely to pin us down to the shrouds; and on the
yard there was no such thing as turning a