"It is the mainmast."
"The mainmast! Then, where is the foremast?" demanded Archie, with a good deal of faith in his argumentative question.
"She don't happen to have any."
"Then, what's the sense of calling it the mainmast when she has no other mast?"
"Excuse me, Archie, but you remind me of the Dutchman," laughed Thad. "'Do you know der reason wot we call our boy Hans for?' They could not guess the reason, and the father explained. 'Der reason wot we call our boy Hans for, is dot's his name.' With your permission, Archie, we will call this stick the mainmast, for the same reason. If it is not the right name, it is neither Captain Frazar's fault, nor mine."
"I accept the amendment; and c c is the mainmast," added Archie.
"Now we are happy! This mast is placed at about one-third of the length of the boat from the bow; though, of course, this distance sometimes varies a little," continued Thad. "What is the spar above it, Syl?"
"The topmast."
"The main-topmast, if you please, as Hans' father would call it. But, when there is only one mast, we often cut it short, and call it simply the mast, or the topmast. Understood! The mast, including the topmast, may be one stick, as is the case in the Goldwing, or it may be two. The topmast is marked d d."
