Hence, to use the sounding-rod properly, one must not only possess good sense, but exercise very great judgment.
I held the lamp close to the sounding-pipe, and the boatswain carefully dried the rod on his coat preparatory to dropping it.
He then let it fall some distance down the tube, keeping it, however, well above the bottom, until the ship, midway in a roll, stood for a moment on a level keel.
He instantly dropped the rod, and hauling it up quickly, remarked that we had got the true soundings this time.
He held the rod to the light, and I found it a fraction over nine inches.
"That's what it is, anyways," said he, putting down the rod.
"An increase of three inches since the afternoon."
"Well, there's nothen to alarm us in that, is there, Mr. Royle?" he exclaimed. "Perhaps its one o' my plugs as wants hammerin'."
"No, they're as tight as a new kettle," I answered. "I have just come from examining them."
"Well, all we've got to do is to pump the ship out; and, if we can, make the pumps suck all right. That 'll show us if anything's wrong."