As the portion of the floating mast that was inboard now rose out of the water as far as the main-top, a party of the men with Moggridge scrambled on to it and began cutting away the various cross ropes, halliards, clew-lines, and so on, that held it to the fore and mizzen spars. The yards had now floated too, although the upper portion of the mainmast bearing their weight, as it slewed over, pressed on the starboard bulwarks, remaining in that position from the calmness of the sea, which had not motion enough to drift it away.
“If only a slight breeze would spring up now, so as to rouse a little more swell, we’d float clear of this wreck,” observed Mr Marline. “Half the weight of the mast still tends to keep the ship down to leeward.”
“Ah, we don’t want it rough yet,” said the captain. “The foremast is the main thing to get rid of now; and, unless the sea keeps still, we’ll never manage to cut that away, for it is still more under water than the mainmast was.”
“I forgot that,” replied the mate; and then, both went along the bulwarks forwards to where Jackson was beginning operations at the other spar.
If the mainmast had proved stubborn and unyielding, this was twenty times more so, the great difficulty being that there was no vantage-ground to be had, in the shape of a firm footing, from whence to ply the axe.
“It’s no use, sir,” said Jackson, when the captain had come abreast of the spot where he was standing, in the fore-rigging, trying vainly to reach the mast below. “I can’t even touch the timber, much less make a blow at it!”
“Well, all that can be done,” replied Captain Miles, “is to lighten it as much as possible. Cut away what rigging you are able to lay hands on, and if the sea gets up in the night it may work free.”
“All right, sir,” said Jackson; so, he and the gang with him went to work with a will, slashing here and there at the cordage connecting the mast with the port side of the ship.
Meanwhile, Jake had been very busy, proving himself quite as useful as the rest.
Swimming like a fish he had gone into the sea near the wreck of the mainmast; and, with that long knife of his, which had done so much damage to the sharks, he began cutting away the fastenings of the topgallant-yard, although leaving the lee-braces intact, so that the spar could be hauled in by and by.