And trouble we had already begun to anticipate.
The captain had several times found fault with the
mate, in presence of the crew; and hints had been
dropped that all was not right between them.
When this is the case, and the captain suspects that
his chief officer is too easy and familiar with the
crew, he begins to interfere in all the duties, and
to draw the reins more taut, and the crew have to
suffer.
This night, after sundown, it looked black at the
southward and eastward, and we were told to keep a
bright lookout. Expecting to be called, we turned
in early. Waking up about midnight, I found a
man who had just come down from his watch striking
a light. He said that it was beginning to puff
from the southeast, that the sea was rolling in, and
he had called the captain; and as he threw himself
down on his chest with all his clothes on, I knew that
he expected to be called. I felt the vessel pitching
at her anchor, and the chain surging and snapping,
and lay awake, prepared for an instant summons.
In a few minutes it came,— three knocks
on the scuttle, and ``All hands ahoy! bear-a-hand[1]
up and make sail.’’ We sprang for our
clothes, and were about half dressed, when the mate
called out, down the scuttle, ``Tumble up here, men!
tumble up! before she drags her anchor.’’
We were on deck in an instant. ``Lay aloft and loose
the topsails!’’ shouted the captain, as
soon as the first man showed himself. Springing
into the rigging, I saw that the Ayacucho’s
topsails were loosed, and heard her crew singing out
at the sheets as they were hauling them home.
This had probably started our captain; as ``Old Wilson’’
(the captain of the Ayacucho) had been many years
on the coast, and knew the signs of the weather.
We soon had the topsails loosed; and one hand remaining,
as usual, in each top, to overhaul the rigging and
light the sail out, the rest of us came down to man
the sheets. While sheeting home, we saw the Ayacucho
standing athwart our hawse, sharp upon the wind, cutting
through the head seas like a knife, with her raking
masts, and her sharp bows running up like the head
of a greyhound. It was a beautiful sight.
She was like a bird which had been frightened and
had spread her wings in flight. After our topsails
had been sheeted home, the head yards braced aback,
the fore-topmast staysail hoisted, and the buoys streamed,
and all ready forward for slipping, we went aft and
manned the slip-rope which came through the stern
port with a turn round the timberheads. ``All ready
forward?’’ asked the captain. ``Aye, aye,
sir; all ready,’’ answered the mate. ``Let
go!’’ ``All gone, sir’’; and
the chain cable grated over the windlass and through
the hawse-hole, and the little vessel’s head
swinging off from the wind under the force of her
backed head sails brought the strain upon the slip-rope.
``Let go aft!’’ Instantly all was gone,
and we were under way. As soon as she was well
off from the wind, we filled away the head yards,
braced all up sharp, set the foresail and trysail,
and left our anchorage well astern, giving the point
a good berth. ``Nye’s off too,’’
said the captain to the mate; and, looking astern,
we could just see the little hermaphrodite brig under
sail, standing after us.
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