At Sundown
The Clothes Were All Taken Down From The Rigging - Clean And Dry - And
Stowed Neatly Away In Our
Chests; and our southwesters, thick boots,
guernsey frocks, and other accompaniments of bad weather, put out
of the way, we
Hoped, for the rest of the voyage, as we expected
to come upon the coast early in the autumn.
Notwithstanding all that has been said about the beauty of a
ship under full sail, there are very few who have ever seen
a ship, literally, under all her sail. A ship coming in or
going out of port, with her ordinary sails, and perhaps two of
three studding-sails, is commonly said to be under full sail;
but a ship never has all her sail upon her, except when she has
a light, steady breeze, very nearly, but not quite, dead aft,
and so regular that it can be trusted, and is likely to last
for some time. Then, with all her sails, light and heavy, and
studding-sails, on each side, alow and aloft, she is the most
glorious moving object in the world. Such a sight, very few,
even some who have been at sea a great deal, have ever beheld;
for from the deck of your own vessel you cannot see her, as you
would a separate object.
One night, while we were in these tropics, I went out to the end
of the flying-jib-boom, upon some duty, and, having finished it,
turned round, and lay over the boom for a long time, admiring the
beauty of the sight before me.
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