Two Years Before the Mast - III

(Wiki) (movie - 1946) (Audiobook)

Two Years Before The Mast - III (Pages 20 - 26)

Sea Tales - Sundays At Sea

This day was spent like all pleasant Sundays at sea. The decks are washed down, the rigging coiled up, and everything put in order ; and, throughout the day, only one watch is kept on deck at a time. The men are all dressed in their best white duck trousers, and red or checked shirts, and have nothing to do but to make the necessary changes in the sails. They employ themselves in reading, talking, smoking, and mending their clothes. If the weather is pleasant, they bring their work and their books upon deck, and sit down upon the forecastle and windlass.

This is the only day on which these privileges are allowed them. When Monday comes, they put on their tarry trousers again, and prepare for six days of labor. To enhance the value of Sunday to the crew, they are allowed on that day a pudding, or, as it is called, a " duff." This is nothing more than flour boiled with water, and eaten with molasses. It is very heavy, dark, and clammy, yet it is looked upon as a luxury, and really forms an agreeable variety with salt beef and pork. Many a rascally captain has made up with his crew, for hard usage, by allowing them duff twice a week on the passage home. On board some vessels Sunday is made a day of instruction and of religious exercises; but we had a crew of swearers, from the captain to the smallest boy ; and a day of rest, and of something like quiet, social enjoy ment, was all that we could expect.

[Tarry trousers refers to the sailor's practice of waterproofing their trousers with tar. This may be among the reasons sailors were referred to as "tars," a term used since 1676.  The term "Jack Tar" has been in use since the 1780s.]

Sea Tales - Running From Pirates

September 22d, when, upon coming on deck at seven bells in the morning, we found the other watch aloft throwing water upon the sails ; and, looking astern, we saw a small clipper-built brig with a black hull heading directly after us. We went to work immediately, and put all the canvas upon the brig which we could get upon her, rigging out oars for extra studding-sail yards, and continued wetting down the sails by buckets of water whipped up to the mast-head, until about nine o'clock, when there came on a drizzling rain. The vessel continued in pursuit, changing her course as we changed ours, to keep before the wind. The captain, who watched her with his glass, said that she was armed, and full of men, and showed no colors. 

We continued running dead before the wind, knowing that we sailed better so, and that clippers are fastest on the wind. We had also another advantage. The wind was light, and we spread more canvas than she did, having royals and sky-sails fore and aft, and ten studding-sails ; while she, being an hermaphrodite brig, had only a gaff topsail aft. Early in the morning she was overhauling us a little, but after the rain came on and the wind grew lighter, we began to leave her astern. 

All hands remained on deck throughout the day, and we got our fire-arms in order ; but we were too few to have done anything with her, if she had proved to be what we feared. Fortunately there was no moon, and the night which followed was exceedingly dark, so that, by putting out all the lights on board and altering our course four points, we hoped to get out of her reach. We removed the light in the binnacle, and steered by the stars, and kept perfect silence through the night. At daybreak there was no sign of anything in the horizon, and we kept the vessel off to her course.

Sea Tales - Reefing in Gale Winds

(* This word " lay," which is in such general use on board ship, being used in giving orders instead of " go," as " Lay forward! " " Lay aft!" " Lay aloft ! " &c, I do not understand to be the neuter verb lie, mispronounced, but to be the active verb lay, with the objective case understood; as, "Lay yourselves forward!" "Lay yourselves aft ! " &c. At all events, lay is an active verb at sea, and means go.)

We met with nothing remarkable until we were in the latitude of the river La Plata. Here there are violent gales from the southwest, called Pamperos, which are very destructive to the shipping in the river, and are felt for many leagues at sea. They are usually preceded by lightning. 

The captain told the mates to keep a bright lookout, and if they saw lightning at the southwest, to take in sail at once. We got the first touch of one during my watch on deck. I was walking in the lee gang way, and thought that I saw lightning on the lee bow. I told the second mate, who came over and looked out for some time. It was very black in the southwest, and in about ten minutes we saw a distinct flash. The wind, which had been southeast, had now left us, and it was dead calm. 

We sprang aloft immediately and furled the royals and top-gallant-sails, and took in the flying jib, hauled up the mainsail and trysail, squared the after yards [?], and awaited the attack. 

A huge mist capped with black clouds came driving towards us, extending over that portion of the horizon, and covering the stars, which shone brightly in the other part of the heavens. of hail and rain, which almost took our breath from us. The hardiest was obliged to turn his back. 

We let the halyards run, and fortunately were not taken aback. The little vessel " paid off "[?] from the wind, and ran on for some time directly before it, tearing through the water with everything flying. 

Having called all hands, we close-reefed the topsails and trysail, furled the courses and jib, set the fore-topmast staysail, and brought her up nearly to her course, with the weather braces hauled in a little, to ease her. 

This was the first blow I had met, which could really be called a gale. We had reefed our topsails in the Gulf Stream, and I thought it something serious, but an older sailor would have thought nothing of it. As I had now become used to the vessel and to my duty, I was of some service on a yard, and could knot my reef-point as well as anybody. I obeyed the order to lay aloft with the rest, and found the reefing a very exciting scene ; for one watch reefed the fore-topsail, and the other the main, and every one did his utmost to get his topsail hoisted first. 

We had a great advantage over the larboard watch, because the chief mate never goes aloft, while our new second mate used to jump into the rigging as soon as we began to haul out the reef- tackle, and have the weather earing passed before there was a man upon the yard. In this way we were almost always able to raise the cry of " Haul out to leeward " before them ; and, having knotted our points, would slide down the shrouds and back-stays, and sing out at the topsail halyards, to let it be known that we were ahead of them. 

Reefing is the most exciting part of a sailor's duty. All hands are engaged upon it, and after the halyards are let go, there is no time to be lost, — no " sogering," or hanging back, then. If one is not quick enough, another runs over him. 

The first on the yard goes to the weather earing, the second to the lee, and the next two to the " dog's ears " ; while the others lay along into the bunt, just giving each other elbow-room. 

In reefing, the yard-arms (the extremes of the yards) are the posts of honor ; but in furling, the strongest and most experienced stand in the slings (or middle of the yard) to make up the bunt. If the second mate is a smart fellow, he will never let any one take either of these posts from him ; but if he is wanting either in seamanship, strength, or activity, some better man will get the bunt and earings from him, which immediately brings him into disrepute. 

We remained for the rest of the night, and through out the next day, under the same close sail, for it continued to blow very fresh ; and though we had no more hail, yet there was a soaking rain, and it was quite cold and uncomfortable ; the more so, because we were not prepared for cold weather, but had on our thin clothes. We were glad to get a watch below, and put on our thick clothing, boots, and southwesters. Towards sundown the gale moderated a little, and it began to clear off in the southwest. We shook our reefs out, one by one, and before midnight had top-gallant sails upon her. We had now made up our minds for Cape Horn and cold weather, and entered upon the necessary preparations.