ther vessels, sloops vary in size, but none of them attain to
great magnitude. As a class, they are the smallest decked vessels we
have. From 40 to 100 tons burden is a very common size. A sloop of 40
tons burden is what we ordinarily call a _little_ ship, and one of 100
tons is by no means a big one. The hull of such a vessel being intended
exclusively to carry cargo, very little space is allowed for the crew.
The cabins of the smaller-sized sloops are seldom high enough to permit
of an ordinary man standing erect. They are usually capable of
affording accommodation to two in the cabin, and three or four in the
forecastle,--and such accommodation is by no means ample. The class to
which vessels belong is determined chiefly by the number of their masts
and by the arrangement and the form of their sails.

The distinctive peculiarity of the sloop is, that it has but one mast;
and its rig is, nautically speaking, _fore-and-aft_--that is to say, the
sails are spread with their surfaces parallel to the sides of the
vessel, _not_ stretched upon yards _across_ the vessel. The term
"fore-and-aft" is derived from the _forward_ part and the _after_ part
of the ship. _Fore-and-aft_ sails, then, are such as are spread upon
yards which point fore and aft, not across the ship. We conceive this
elaborate explanation to be necessary for some readers, and, therefore,
don't apologise for making it. A ship whose sails are spread across the
hull is said to be _square-rigged_. Sometimes, however, a sloop carries
one and even two square sails.

The masts, yards, and sails of a sloop are as follows:--As has been
already said, one of the distinctive peculiarities of a sloop is, that
it has only _one_ mast. This mast is sometimes formed of one _stick_,
sometimes of two; the second, or top-mast, being fastened to the top of
the lower mast by _cross-trees_ and _cap_, in such a way that it may be
hoisted or lowered at pleasure. A sloop has usually four sails,--a
mainsail, fore-sail, gaff, and jib. The _main-sail_ is behind the lower
mast. It reaches from within a few feet of the deck to the top of the
lower mast, and spreads out upon two yards towards the stern or after
part of the ship, over which it projects a few feet. The lower yard of
the main-sail is called the boom, and the upper the main-sail yard.
This is by far the largest sail in the sloop. Above it is spread the
_gaff_, which is comparatively a small sail, and is used