se to leeward, not intentionally, but with alcoholic
recklessness. The elderly stout man of the watch felt that it was no
ordinary occasion, and grunted out that he was b---- well going to lash
himself to the haulyards, as he felt wearied. The lee yardarm man
managed to crawl in on the foot-rope, got into the maintop, and fell
asleep there, while the gradual cessation of speech from the champions
to windward indicated that they also slept. The second officer and the
helmsman conferred as to what had best be done, and concluded not to
risk startling any of them out of their drunken unconsciousness by
shouting, lest they should loose their hold and be smashed to pieces or
fall into the sea; but as the watch was drawing to a close it was
suggested by the sailor who was at the helm that he should go up aloft,
and make his way noiselessly to the weather yardarm, for the two men
who were there stood in the greatest danger. When he got to them he
found both had partially secured themselves, though the least lurch of
their bodies would certainly have placed them in a more perilous
position. The young sailor's task was both delicate and difficult, but
he managed it so well that no harm came to them. One of the men, as is
the practice when reefing, was straddle legs on the yardarm, and had a
turn of a rope round him. The other had his feet on the foot-rope, and
his chest rested on the yard. They made a good deal of jovial noise
when they were aroused, with the obvious intention of making it appear
that they were very much alive. The stout man, who was in the slings of
the mast, and the first to succumb, was rudely awakened by the
rollicking yardarm man slapping him sharply on the back and shouting at
him, "what the h---- he meant by sleeping there and risking his own
and other people's lives?"

The phlegmatic gentleman grumbled out: "What business is that of
yours?"

"Why," retorted the younger seaman, "you old scanamaran, you ought to
be put in irons for the remainder of the voyage, and have your wages
stopped into the bargain."

This was rather high-class audaciousness on the part of a young rascal
who had just been rescued from a worse position while committing the
same offence. The task of getting them round was nothing compared to
that of getting them humoured into a sufficiently sober condition so
that no mishap would befall them in the process of coming down the
rigging. It is a perfect marvel how Providence protects pe