ward of the mast, rises vertically out of it. This piece
is fastened to a huge log of oak, 16 ft. long, 38 in. broad, and 14 in.
deep in the middle, marked _f_ (Figs. 25 and 26), which rests on a
sole-piece about 4 in. thick. The sole-piece is countersunk over the
beams. The large log is called by Mr. Colin Archer the "fish," partly
because its ends are fashioned to represent the tails of two whales, and
partly because the mast partners of modern ships, which take the place
of this heavy piece, are to this day called _Fisken_ in Norway. The fish
contains a slot (_h_) nearly 6 ft. long, and the same width as the mast,
12-1/2 in. The mast goes through the forward end of the slot, and when
it is in use the slot is filled up with a heavy slab. When the mast is
lowered for going into action, or when going against a head-wind, the
slab is removed, and the fore-stay slacked off, thus permitting the mast
to fall aft. The sail used was a solitary square one. The rudder
resembles a short oar. It is hung by a rope passing through a perforated
conical chock on the starboard side of the ship. There is an iron
eyebolt near the bottom edge, through which a rope probably passed for
the purpose of raising the rudder when not in use. The rudder was worked
by means of a tiller fitted into the socket at the upper end.

Unfortunately, the two extreme ends of the ship have decayed away, so
that it is not possible to determine with accuracy what was the
appearance of the bow and stern. It is, however, probable, from the
direction taken by the planking towards the ends, that the vessel
possessed very considerable sheer. As may be seen from the plan, the
character of the lines was extremely fine, and it is probable that the
boat was capable of high speed. The remains of the ropes which have been
discovered prove that they were made from the bark of trees.

This vessel may be considered as a connecting link between the ancient
and mediaeval types of ships. Her proportions and scantlings prove that
her builders had a large experience of shipbuilding, that they fully
understood how to work their material and to adapt it properly to the
duty it had to fulfil, and also that they understood the art, which was
subsequently lost, to be revived only in modern times, of shaping the
underwater portion of the hull so as to reduce the resistance to the
passage of the vessel through the water. The only part of the structural
design to which any serious excep