24 A YEAR WITH A WHALER 



repetition. Men sprang aloft. Loosened sails 

 were soon rolling down and fluttering from every 

 spar. The sailors began pulling on halyards and 

 yo-hoing on sheets. Throughout the work of 

 setting sail, the green hands were " at sea " in a 

 double sense. The bustle and apparent confu- 

 sion of the scene seemed to savor of bedlam broke 

 loose. The orders were Greek to them. They 

 stood about, bewildered and helpless. When- 

 ever they tried to help the sailors they invariably 

 snarled things up and were roundly abused for 

 their pains. One might fancy they could at least 

 have helped pull on a rope. They couldn't even 

 do that. Pulling on a rope, sailor-fashion, is in 

 itself an art. 



Finally all the sails were sheeted home. Ropes 

 were coiled up and hung neatly on belaying pins. 

 A fresh breeze set all the snowy canvas drawing 

 and the brig, all snug and shipshape, went ca- 

 reering southward. 



At the outset of the voyage, the crew consisted 

 of twenty-four men. Fourteen men were in the 

 forecastle. The after-crew comprised the cap- 

 tain, mate, second mate, third mate, two boat- 



