Every One Here Knew His Station, Must Be There When
All Hands Were Called To Put The Ship About, And Was Answerable
For Every Rope Committed To Him.
Each man's rope must be let
go and hauled in at the order, properly made fast, and neatly
coiled away when the ship was about.
As soon as all hands are at
their stations, the captain, who stands on the weather side of the
quarter-deck, makes a sign to the man at the wheel to put it down,
and calls out "Helm's a lee'!" "Helm's a lee'!" answers the mate on
the forecastle, and the head sheets are let go. "Raise tacks and
sheets!" says the captain; "tacks and sheets!" is passed forward,
and the fore tack and main sheet are let go. The next thing is to
haul taught for a swing. The weather cross-jack braces and the lee
main braces are each belayed together upon two pins, and ready to
be let go; and the opposite braces hauled taught. "Main topsail
haul!" shouts the captain; the braces are let go; and if he has
taken his time well, the yards swing round like a top; but if he
is too late, or too soon, it is like drawing teeth. The after
yards are then braced up and belayed, the main sheet hauled aft,
the spanker eased over to leeward, and the men from the braces
stand by the head yards. "Let go and haul!" says the captain;
the second mate lets go the weather fore braces, and the men haul
in to leeward.
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