THE WAY TO MAKE SAILORS. 48 



wny or a threat to send some of them aleit, 

 " with a rope's end after them, to expedite them 

 on their passage," made thei* misery soin- 

 plete. 



As the wind died av/ay however, and the sea 

 calmed down, they recovered to some extent, and 

 made the best of their way down below again, 

 where they almost without exception kept their 

 berths for a couple of days, declaring that even to 

 look up at the masts swinging about, with the 

 motion of the ship, made them dizzy and deathly 

 sick. 



" As for getting up there," said one, pointing to 

 the masthead, and speaking with great earnest- 

 ness, " that is entirely out of the question ; I am 

 not fool enough to try it." 



With what dismay, therefore, did they hear, on 

 the third day out, the word passed below, for all 

 the green hands to come on deck, to practice run- 

 ning up the rigging. With doleful groans, and 

 dolorous countenances they most solemnly asserted 

 the utter impossibility of such an undertaking on 

 their part, and the certainty of their falling before 

 they got six feet above deck. 



" There's no such word as can't, at sea," was 

 the mate's reply, as he apportioned them, a certain 

 number to take each rigging, and then, making 

 some show of a stout rope's end, ordered them to 

 start. 



" How far up must we go ? " asked one with gr eat 

 'nterest, evidently with the intention of puling 

 4 



