"WORKING UP" A CREW. 293 



course, as ,vas indeed often done on this voyage 

 the vessel not swerving a hair's breadth, some- 

 times for an hour. 



But the slightest inattention was sure to be 

 followed by a " now then, where are you off to 

 now?" from the skipper; an unwelcome reminder 

 that she was off her course. 



Thus it came about that shortly the trick at 

 the wheel was regarded as the worst of each one's 

 labor, while the man who found it so convenient 

 to sleep and eat and walk about under or in the 

 immediate vicinity of the compass was rightly 

 thought a tyrant. 



This was only one way in which the exacting 

 spirit of our Scotch skipper showed itself. His 

 vessel was a clipper : 



" She can sail," said he, "and it is my pleasure to 

 have every thing done that will facilitate her speed." 



So every morning at daylight, and every day 

 at noon, and every evening, and sometimes (if he 

 happened to be awake) at midnight, tacks, sheets, 

 halyards, braces and bowlines were swayed home, 

 thus keeping one watch on deck half an hour 

 longer than necessary, besides forcing all hands to 

 a labor which every one knew was not at all 

 necessary. For so taut were the ropes sometimes, 

 that it was actually necessary to ease them off 

 again during the succeeding watch only however, 

 to be again swayed home when the watches were 

 ebanged. 



