, a cuff, or a kick, ordered
upon some piece of "dirty work."

Once, however, I was not ordered "alow," but "aloft;" once I was allowed
to have my fill of climbing.

Snatching an interval when I thought both mate and master were asleep, I
had gone up to the maintop.

Every one who has looked upon a full-rigged ship must have noticed some
distance up the main-mast a frame-wood or platform, like a little
scaffold. A similar construction may be observed on the fore and
mizen-mast, if the ship be a large one. This platform is called the
"top," and its principal object is to extend the ladder-like ropes,
called "shrouds," that reach from its outer edge to the head of the mast
next above, which latter is the topmast. It must here be observed that
the "masts" of a ship, as understood by landsmen, are each divided into
a number of pieces in the reckoning of a sailor. For instance, in a
ship or barque there are three which are called respectively the main,
fore, and mizen-masts--the main-mast being near the middle of the ship,
the fore-mast forward, towards the bows, and the mizen-mast "aft," near
the stern or poop. But each one of these is divided into several
pieces, which pieces have distinct names in the sailor's vocabulary.
Thus, the "main-mast," to a sailor, is not the whole of that long
straight stick which rises up out of the middle of a ship's deck, and
points like a spire to the sky. On the contrary, the main-mast
terminates a little above the platform just mentioned, and which, from
that circumstance, is designed the "maintop." Another mast, quite
distinct from this, and made out of a separate piece of timber there
begins, and runs up for nearly an equal length, but of course more
slender than the main-mast itself, which latter supports it. This
second is called the "main-topmast." Above that a third is elevated,
supported upon the topmast head by cheeks, trestles, and crosstrees.
This is shorter and more slender than the main-topmast, and is named the
"main-topgallant-mast," and above this again, the "main-royal-mast" is
similarly raised--though it is only in the largest and best rigged
vessels that a "royal-mast" is used. The "main-royal-mast" terminates
the structure, and its top, or head, is usually crowned with a flat
circular piece of wood, called the "main-truck," which is the most
elevated point in the ship. The fore and mizen-masts are similarly
divided, though the latter is much shorter than ei