250 EXTRACTS FROM A LANDSMAn's LOG. 



SO on coming down I told one of the boys to lash it 

 on the main stay just abaft the windlass. Having 

 stood by while the youngster was doing this, I went 

 below and turned into my berth over the cable tier ; 

 not being required on deck again, unless all hands 

 should be called, until four in the morning. 



I have been at sea, man and boy, for twenty 

 years, yet never saw smarter service than 1 thought 

 myself in that night. The breeze seemed to freshen 

 and we sent down the main-top-gallant yard and then 

 the mast, the fore one had been on the booms for a 

 fortnight. Then it blew a whole gale of wind ; the 

 sails one after another were taken in, until we brought 

 her too, under the bare try-sail, and in sheeting this 

 home I thought my grego got adrift and went over- 

 board to leeward. When the middle watch was 

 relieved, there had only been a squall about four 

 bells, but the grego was gone sure enough ; and a 

 strange story they told me of how it happened. 



The watch, except the man at the helm and another 

 looking out forw^ard, went aloft in the squall to reef 

 the main top sail ; but before they left the deck a 

 rough voice called down for them to get another pull 

 at the reef tackle, swearing as how the starboard 

 earring was not up by a fathom. Getting on the 

 yard, they found a swarthy fellow with large whiskers 

 leaning across it with the earring in his hand, swear- 

 ing all the while about the reef tackle, and how cold 

 it was : although he had on a Flushing trowsers and 

 jacket, with my grego over all. What made it 

 stranger, the hand next him on the yard could see, 

 for he was without shoes, that his left foot held the 

 man rope as in a clenched fist. Our people tried to 



get into conversation, by observing how hard it 



had blown lately ; but he only swore in return that 

 the earring had parted — and slipped away just as 

 the man at the helm saw some one in a grego sliding 

 down the back-stay. On replacing the stranded 

 rope, they discovered who had been there ; it was 

 burnt half through in the marks of his fingers. This 



