Cringle and cross-tree

by Oliver Optic

It was the second dog watch, and the mate was not on deck. I ate my supper with the crew; and at eight bells, the port watch, to which I belonged, came on duty. We had made an arrangement among ourselves for the tricks at the wheel; and Gorro, a Spaniard, took the first turn. The weather, which had thus far been very favorable, now gave indications of a change. The wind came on squally and heavy, and at four bells, when the captain came on deck, he ordered the light sails to be furled.

"Lay aloft, Phil, and furl the main royal," said the mate. "Welsh, the fore royal."

"Ay, ay, sir," I replied.

I hastened up the main-rigging, my head still shaking from the effects of the blow I had received. The bark was rolling heavily in the sea, and the violent gusts of wind made her very unsteady. Not a sail had been disturbed since we left New York harbor. I had never done any work aloft, and had never even seen a royal furled. Fortunately the night was dark, and the mate could not see in what manner I did my work. But I had learned my lesson, so far as it could be learned by word of mouth.

The royal yard, on such a night as that, was a perilous place for an inexperienced hand; but I was not to be daunted by any danger. The halyard was let go, and the sail clewed up. I made up the bunt, and passed the gasket around the sail. Probably every part of the job was not done in a thoroughly seaman-like manner; but the sail was secure, and the mate did not go aloft to see how it was done. When the royal was furled, I went down, passing the two men who had been sent up to furl the main top-gallant sail. I paused on the cross-trees to rest myself a little, and to look out upon the white-capped billows of the dark ocean.

I had just furled a royal, and I felt like a sailor; I should have felt more like one if my head had not snapped so violently. The mast to which I clung was swaying up and down, as the bark rolled in the billows, and I felt that I had really entered upon the sea swashes of a sailor.

The wind increased in fury every moment; and though the furling of the light sails eased the vessel for a time, she soon labored heavily again. Two men were required at the wheel, and the swash of the sea came over the bulwarks in tons. At eight bells all hands were called. The courses had been hauled up, and now a reef was put in the fore and main topsails. But the bark still held her course to the south-east. It was a rough night, and all hands remained on deck till eight bells in the morning, when the weather began to moderate. I was wet to the skin, and shivered with cold. I had not been allowed to close my eyes, and I felt that the life of a sailor, even without a brutal mate, was a severe one.

When the gale subsided, the port watch had the deck, and it was not till after breakfast that I could get a nap. I slept my four hours; but in the afternoon all hands were required to work upon rigging and chafing-gear, as though they had had their regular sleep the night before. Mr. Waterford was uglier than ever, for he had been on duty with the crew. He sent me with a green hand to slush down the fore-top mast—a kind of work which, by the courtesies of the service, should not be imposed upon an able seaman, as he chose to regard me. I did not complain, but did the job faithfully.

I will not detail the trials and hardships to which I was subjected by the malice of the mate. Three weeks passed by, and we saw nothing of the Straits of Gibraltar. By this time, through a very severe experience, I had learned my duty. I knew every rope in the ship; and, if I was not an able seaman, I could do nearly everything that was required of one. Mr. Waterford had not again assaulted me with a weapon, but he had labored to make me as uncomfortable as possible. I saw very little of Captain Farraday, for the reason that he was drunk in the cabin the greater portion of the time. The two passengers, both of whom were Spaniards, came on deck every day; but I think that neither of them ever stepped forward of the mainmast.

There had been a great deal of discussion among the more intelligent men of the crew in regard to the destination of the bark. We could not see how she was ever to make the Straits of Gibraltar by heading to the south-east. The bark was a very fast sailer, and though she had encountered two gales, she had generally had favorable weather. I insisted that we were at least a thousand miles south of the latitude of the straits. The intense heat of the sun, when the wind was light, as well as his more vertical position, satisfied me on this point.