“Well, lad, I allow we’ve got what you might call a leetle more’n half a full breeze, with the chances that there’ll be greater weight to the wind before mornin’.”
“Was it so bad that, out of all the crew, none could come down here to relieve us a few moments?” I asked, irritably, for there was in my mind a sense of being needlessly neglected.
“Not exactly that, lad; but we’d no sooner snugged her down in good shape, when a Britisher heaves in sight. Nothin’ would satisfy the old man but that we must shake two reefs out of the topsails, an’ set the maintopgallantsail. It wasn’t what you might call easy work, an’, accordin’ to my thinkin’, we’re likely to carry away another spar before midnight.”
“And you’ve been at that work all day?” Simon cried, incredulously.
“Well, it amounts to that, for we’ve humped ourselves lively since the word was given to shorten sail, which didn’t come till nigh on to noon. The old man racked his brains all the mornin’ to find somethin’ to keep us busy, an’ you can make up your mind that there was no sodgerin’ while he stumped the quarter-deck, lookin’ sour enough to shame vinegar.”
“Why weren’t the prisoners taken on deck for exercise?”
“That’s a question the captain may best answer. All I can say is, that every man Jack of us has been on the clean jump since you came below. If the old man thinks he can work last night’s business out of our heads, he’s makin’ a big mistake. The port watch had no more’n got below than they fell to jawin’ about it livelier than ever. Josh Seabury says there’s a chance to save our lives if the America’s course is changed right soon.”
“You’ll hardly see the ship heading for home while there’s a Britisher in sight, and I should think the men would be ashamed to speak of such a possibility,” Simon cried, stoutly, and it was no more than right for him to say whatsoever he might by way of defending his father.
“Well, the Britisher is in sight, an’ that’s about all you can say,” Tim Stubbs replied, reflectively. “We’ve picked up somethin’ this time that ain’t to be overhauled in short order. It’s a question in my mind which craft is the best sailer. Both of ’em has the same rig, an’ it’s a toss-up whether we’re gainin’ ground or fallin’ astern.”
“Are we carrying much sail?” Simon asked.