"The main-topgallant-sail (43)," replied Matt Randolph, clipping the words in sailor fashion.
The captain pointed again.
"The mizzen-royal" (67).
This exercise was continued until the students were entirely at home with the sails. Then the principal pointed to the end of the spanker-gaff.
"This corner of the spanker is called the peak, as it is in any fore-and-aft square-sail. The flag is called the ensign, and the lines by which it is set are the signal halyards. The rope with a block in the middle of it is the weather-spanker vang, the lee-vang is on the other side, and they are used to hold the gaff in place. You observe a rope leading from the mizzen-cross-trees to the spanker-gaff, and from that to the mizzen-mast-head, and back and forth again. This is the spanker-halyards, by which this sail is hoisted. This word applies to all ropes by which sails are hoisted, whether attached to a spar, or to the canvas direct. Now, with what would you hoist the flying jib?"
"With the flying-jib halyards," replied Dick Short.
"When the topsails are set, the yards are hoisted up by halyards. Now, I think we are done with this drawing, and we will take another," continued the principal; and he removed it, and pointed to a new one. "This is a picture of the fore-topsail of a ship, with all the rigging that belongs to it, as well as the two yards by means of which it is set. What is the upper yard called?"
"The fore-topsail-yard," answered Fred Grafton.
"On this yard are the jackstays, which was a rope hauled taut, in old times, and secured to the wood. But in modern times the jackstays are made of wood or iron. However they are made, the sail is secured to the yard by them. You perceive that the yard is held to the fore-topmast by a band of iron over the mast, so that the cross-spar may slip easily up and down. The halyards are forward of the mast, and pass over a sheave in the head of a topmast. The yard is hoisted by men standing on the deck. The two ropes which run from the mast to the ends of the yard are the lifts by which one end may be raised and the other lowered, which is termed cock-billing the yard. The lines that run down to the middle of the sail are the bunt-lines, and are used to haul up to the yard the bunt, or body, of the sail, when it is clewed up. The double lines that extend from the middle of the yard down to the corners of the sail are the clew-lines, and are employed in hauling up the corners, or clews, of the topsail. The ropes or chains, as may be, which lead from the corners of the topsail to the end of the topsail-yard below are the sheets.
"Nautical language is very exacting on some of these points. For example, we clew up a topsail, but we haul up a course. The clew-lines of a topsail become clew-garnets when applied to a course.