256 



RECREA T10X. 



century costumes, would relieve 

 each other at regular intervals, and 

 take their meals and their grog in 

 the systematic way oi sailors. I 

 had no part in it, though I saw it 

 all. as a matter of course, without 

 surprise or question. 



As we proceeded I noticed the 

 temperature grew much lower. 

 The air was no longer sott and 

 balmy. The winds became irregu- 

 lar in force and variable in direc- 

 tion. The ship was not under the 

 same sail for any great length 

 of time. Sometimes she would be 

 free under every stitch of canvas, 

 even topsail and topgallant stud- 

 dingsails ; at others she would 

 be braced up short, under courses 

 and reefed topsails only. By these 

 signs I came to the conclusion that 

 we were well out of the Gulf 

 Stream, and must be approaching 

 the coast of America. Ma' opinion 

 was confirmed by finding it snow- 

 ins* when I came on deck one morn- 



ing. 



All that dav there were snow 

 squalls from the Northwest. The 

 next day it was intensely cold, the 

 mercury falling several degrees be- 

 low freezing point. Spray froze in 

 the rio-o-ino- and on the deck until 

 the ship looked like an iceberg. I 

 knew from this that the coast must 

 be near, but we saw no land. 



On the third dav the wind was 

 Northeast and the snow fell stead- 

 ily. The ship rolled heavily in a 

 tremendous sea. Although she 

 was almost before the wind she 

 carried onlv reefed main and fore- 

 topsail and cap jib. I could see 

 the sailors were anxious about ap- 

 proaching the coast in such weath- 

 er, and a lookout was posted in the 

 foretop. It was of little avail, how- 

 ever, for in that driving storm ob- 

 jects 2 ship lengths distant were 

 invisible. As the day wore on the 

 violence of the storm increased 

 rather than diminished, and the 

 sea rose proportionately. The ice 



on the decks and in the rigging 

 was so thick that few if any of the 



blocks would render, and the ship 

 was last becoming unmanageable. 

 Early in the afternoon the light be- 

 gan to lade, and soon after 4 o'clock 

 it was quite dark. It would have 

 been death to come in with the 

 shore under such circumstances. 

 The order was given to lav the 

 ship to. 



" Ease your helm, let go your 

 weather braces and haul aft on 

 your lee." 



Slowly, in that awful sea. the 

 ship began to round to, but not a 

 yard moved. The blocks were so 

 covered with ice that not one would 

 render, even with the combined ef- 

 forts of all hands at the braces. 



As the ship came into the trough 

 of the sea, the vards being still 

 squared, the 5 reefed topsails be- 

 gan to rlap violently in the fierce 

 storm. A puff a little stronger 

 than usual burst the main and miz- 

 zen topsails into ribbons and sent 

 them scurrying off to leeward like 

 a flock of sea Sfulls eager to reach 

 the dismal stormbound coast before 

 the ship. Relieved of all her after 

 sail the vessel paid oft again before 

 the wind and ran on her former 

 course. 



The crew made another attempt 

 to bring her to. The mizzen and 

 main topsail vards were lowered 

 on their caps and secured, the large 

 halyard blocks having been kept 

 more or less free from ice by the 

 slight working of the heavy vards. 

 The foretopsail yet remained, and 

 to bring the ship to the wind with 

 that sail drawing was simply im- 

 possible. To furl the frozen canvas 

 was equally so. A number of men 

 sprang into the rigging to cast 

 away the foretopsail. Soon the 

 sail, released from its holding, fol- 

 lowed its fellows out of sight in the 

 foam and snow to leeward. Re- 

 lieved of her headsail the ship 

 slowly began to mind her helm 



