VESSELS IN DISTRESS. 49 



merchant vessels, one of whom had lost her main- 

 topmast; a second, her foretopgallant mast; and the 

 third a whole suite of sails. A fourth vessel, that 

 we saw to windward in distress, with several vessels 

 around her, appeared from her heavy rolling to be 

 water-logged. During the night she fired rockets 

 and blue-lights. All these vessels, as we ascertained, 

 had met these casualties in the squall that we expe- 

 rienced. It is customary with merchant vessels to 

 hang on to their canvass until the very last minute, 

 and, as in nine cases out of ten these ships go short- 

 handed, the consequence is, that when a heavy squall 

 breaks upon them, something must go before they 

 get their sails stowed. If asked their reason for 

 crowding sail in such a manner, they will answer you 

 with a shrug of the shoulders, that " Time is money ;" 

 but it is not so with a whaleship, except when home- 

 ward bound — then everything that a ship will drag or 

 carry is packed on to her to make her keep pace with 

 the impatient spirits aboard. When on the whaling- 

 ground, however, the ship is allowed to glide along 

 under easy sail, royal yards, studding-sail booms, and, 

 if in boisterous latitudes, the foretopgallant mast is 

 sent down, and the flying jib-boom is sent in, so that 

 if bad weather comes on suddenly, the little canvass 

 spread makes her easy to handle. Another advantage 

 the whaler possesses, she has thirty-four or five men to 

 handle a vessel of three or four hundred tons, whereas 

 a merchant sliip of the same size would not have more 

 than a dozen ; hence the great proportionate dis- 

 parity between the accidents to whalemen and mer- 

 chantmen. The whaler is better manned, and is not 

 drove under by a press of sail, whilst the latter is 

 5 D 



