"Tight as a cocoa-nut."
"Up with you, then! There is a bit of a breeze blowing. Let us swing the mainyards and get way upon the ship. They are waiting to see her settle before they up sail. It is dark enough to act. Hurrah, now!"
He came up through the forecastle and followed me on to the main-deck.
Though not yet dark, the shadow of the evening made it difficult to distinguish faces even a short distance off. There was a pretty little wind up aloft rounding the royals and top-gallant sails, and flattening the sails on the mainyards well against the masts.
I stopped a second to look over the bulwarks, and found that the boats still remained at about three cable-lengths from the ship. They had slipped the mast in the long-boat; but I noticed that the two boats lay side by side, four men in the quarter-boat, and the rest in the long-boat, and that they were handing out some of the stores which had been stowed in the quarter-boat, to lighten her.
"We must lose no time, Mr. Royle," exclaimed the boatswain. "How many hands can we muster?"
"That'll do. We can swing the mainyard. Who's the third?—the steward? Let's have him out."
I ran to the cuddy and called the steward. He came out of the pantry.
"On to the poop with you!" I cried. "Right aft you'll find the bo'sun there. Miss Robertson!"