The mate waved
his hand to him to say that that would do for the present. The man,
however, prepared the sail ready for hoisting, rolling it up tightly and
winding a cord round and round it; then he hooked the head on to the
traveller on the mast, and lay down at its foot, holding the halliard in
readiness to hoist it. The water was still perfectly smooth, and the boat
flew straight before the wind without any tendency to broach to. Stephen,
after the stroke-oar had gone forward, crept aft until he was beside the
mate, and there lay for a time, feeling half-stupefied by the tremendous
roar of the cyclone.

Captain Pinder was, as every good officer should be, most particular about
his boats, and always had them built specially from his own design. They
were broader than usual, and had a flat floor and a deep keel, thus they
were extremely buoyant, their lines resembling those of the surf-boats on
the west coasts of India and Africa, while their deep keels enabled them
to sail close to the wind. The men chafed sometimes when, on their way to
shore, they found themselves passed by the narrow boats of other ships;
but the captain was perfectly indifferent to this, and used to say to
other skippers who laughed at him for what they called his "walnut
shells":

"A boat is not made for racing; she is made to carry her crew in a heavy
sea. My boats will live where yours would be swamped in five minutes, and
with their great beam they will carry all sail, while you would not dare
show a shred of canvas. It makes no difference to me whether I get to
shore five minutes earlier or later; properly handled, the smallest of my
boats ought to weather any ordinary gale, while the long-boat would be as
safe to cross the Atlantic in as the _Tiger_ herself, though I don't say
that she would be as comfortable."

The crew, every one of whom had many a time grumbled at the contrast
between their beamy craft and the smart gigs of most other ships, now felt
the advantage. The boat sped lightly along, raising her head higher and
higher out of the water whenever a fresh blast of wind added to her speed,
and, save for the sound of the rushing water against the sides, might have
been at rest, for any motion that could be perceived. In half an hour the
sea began to get up; as soon as it did so the mate made a signal to the
man at the halliards, and the sail was drawn up. Tightly as it was rolled,
the difference was at once perceptible, and the boa