no ALL AFLOAT 



requires luffing, that is, bringing her head so 

 close to the wind that it will strike her at the 

 acutest angle possible without losing its pres- 

 sure in the right direction altogether. The 

 officer of the watch keeps one eye to windward, 

 makes up his mind what sail he '11 shorten, 

 and then yells an order that pierces the wind 

 like a shot, ' Stand by your royal halliards 1 ' 

 As the squall swoops down and the ship heels 

 over to it he yells again, ' Let go your royal 

 halliards, clew 'em up and make 'em fast 1 ' 

 Down come the yards, with hoarse roaring 

 from the thrashing canvas. But then, if no 

 second squall is coming, the mate will cut the 

 clewing short with a stentorian ' Masthead the 

 yards again ! ' on which the watch lay on 

 to the halliards and haul Ahay ! Aheigh! 

 Aho oh! Up she goes ! 



The labour is lightened, as hand labour 

 always has been lightened, by singing to the 

 rhythm of the work. The seaman's working 

 songs are chanties, a kind of homespun poetry 

 which, once heard to its rolling music and the 

 sound of wind and wave, will always bring 

 back the very savour of the sea wherever it is 

 heard again. There are thousands of chanties 

 in scores of languages, which, like the men who 

 sing them, have met and mingled all round the 



