ch the sea-birds flying round the ship. Then back to the bridge,
and woe betide him if he falls on the way, for then it all has to be done
over again.

Pennell, who sleeps under the chart table on the bridge, is also fed and
inquires anxiously whether there are any stars showing. If there are he
is up immediately to get an observation, and then retires below to work
it out and to tabulate the endless masses of figures which go to make up
the results of his magnetic observations--dip, horizontal force and total
force of the magnetic needle.

A squall strikes the ship. Two blasts of the whistle fetches the watch
out, and "Stand by topsail halyards," "In inner jib," sends one hand to
one halyard, the midshipman of the watch to the other, and the rest on to
foc'stle and to the jib downhaul. Down comes the jib and the man standing
by the fore topsail halyard, which is on the weather side of the galley,
is drenched by the crests of two big seas which come over the rail.

But he has little time to worry about things like this, for the wind is
increasing and "Let go topsail halyards" comes through the megaphone from
the bridge, and he wants all his wits to let go the halyard from the
belaying-pins and jump clear of the rope tearing through the block as the
topsail yard comes sliding down the mast.

"Clew up" is the next order, and then "All hands furl fore and main upper
topsails," and up we go out on to the yard. Luckily the dawn is just
turning the sea grey and the ratlines begin to show up in relief. It is
far harder for the first and middle watches, who have to go aloft in
complete darkness. Once on the yard you are flattened against it by the
wind. The order to take in sail always fetches Pennell out of his
chart-house to come and take a hand.

The two sodden sails safely furled--luckily they are small ones--the men
reach the deck to find that the wind has shifted a little farther aft and
they are to brace round. This finished, it is broad daylight, and the men
set to work to coil up preparatory to washing decks--not that this would
seem very necessary. Certainly there is no hose wanted this morning, and
a general kind of tidying up and coiling down ropes is more what is done.

The two stewards, Hooper, who is to land with the Main Party, and Neale,
who will remain with the Ship's Party, turn out at six and rouse the
afterguard for the pumps, a daily evolution, and soon an unholy din may
be heard coming up from the wa