as the others do?" replied De Forrest, the fourth
lieutenant, who had the deck with the second part of the port watch.
"I have your station bill."

"What's that?"

"It is a card on which all your duties are explained. Here it is,"
added De Forrest, producing the station bill. "You are No. 71; all the
even numbers belong to the starboard watch, and all the odd numbers to
the port."

These cards were all printed; for among the various amusements
provided for the students, a couple of octavo Novelty presses, with
a sufficient supply of type and other printing material had been
furnished. All the blanks for use in the ship were printed on board,
and the Oceanic Enterprise, a weekly Journal, had been regularly
issued during the voyage across the Atlantic, though a gale of wind,
which disturbed the equilibrium of the press and the printers, had
delayed its publication a couple of days on one occasion.

Clyde read the station bill which was handed to him by the officer,
but it would have been just as intelligible to him if it had been in
Runic character.

"'Reefing, main-topsail, and main-topsail halyards,'" said Clyde,
reading from the card. "What does all that mean?"

"You mind only what you have to do yourself, and not trouble your head
about orders that have nothing to do with your work; for the orders
come as thick as snow flakes at Christmas. When all hands are called
to reef topsails, you are one of them, of course. When any thing is
said about topsails, or topsail-halyards, you are the man."

"Good; I understand that, and I shall make a sailor, I know," added
Clyde.

"I hope you will. The order will come to 'settle away the topsail
halyards.' Be ready to help then."

"But I don't know the topsail halyards from a pint of soup."

"Here they are," added the lieutenant, conducting his pupil to the
rail, and pointing out the main-topsail halyards. "Then, when the
officer says, 'Aloft, top-men,' you will run up the main rigging here,
and the midshipman in the top will tell you what to do. At the word,
you will lay out on the yard, and do as the others do. At the words,
'Lay down from aloft,' you will come on deck, and hoist up the
main-topsail. Nearly all your duty is connected with the main-topsail.
In tacking, you will go to the clew-garnets."

"What are they?"

"These ropes, by which the corners of the mainsail are hauled up,"
answered De Forrest, pointing out the clew-garnets. "You will also
let go the m