"The reduced peace complement of the crew made it necessary that
they should work watch-and-watch, and one part of his system was,
that the watch on deck, assisted by the idlers, should be in the
habit of making themselves equal to every call of duty, without
trespassing on the rest of those whose turn it was to be below. I
remember relieving the deck one night after eight o'clock, when the
captain was carrying on the duty, and shortening sail upon the
quick approach of a severe gale, and being an old sailor for my
age, being then sixteen, he ordered me to the mizentop, to close
reef and furl the mizen-topsail; and this being done, from the
increase of the gale, we had before twelve o'clock to take in
successively every reef, furl most of the sails, and strike the
topgallant-masts and other spars, to make the ship snug; the
midshipmen being on the yards as well as the men, and the captain,
when the gale became severe, at their elbow. In close reefing the
main-topsail, there was much difficulty in clewing up the sail for
the purpose of making it quiet, and the captain issued his orders
accordingly from the quarter-deck, and sent us aloft. On gaining
the topsail-yard, the most active and daring of our party hesitated
to go upon it, as the sail was flapping about violently, making it
a service of great danger. A voice was heard amidst the roaring of
the gale from the extreme end of the yard-arm, calling upon us to
exert ourselves to save the sail, which would otherwise beat to
pieces. A man said, 'Why, that's the captain--how the ---- did he
get there!' The fact was, that the instant he had given us orders
to go aloft, he laid down his speaking trumpet, and clambered like
a cat by the rigging over the backs of the seamen, and before they
reached the maintop, he was at the topmast-head, and from thence by
the topsail-lift, a single rope, he reached the situation he was
in. I could mention numberless instances of this kind, but will
proceed to relate a few others fresh in my recollection. On our
arrival at St. John's Newfoundland, we anchored in the narrow
entrance in the evening; and many officers would have been
satisfied to have remained there until the morning, as we could
reach our anchorage only by the tedious and laborious operation of
layi