Two Years Before the Mast
sails, and, in an instant, every one sprung into the rigging, up the
shrouds, and out on the yards, scrambling by one another,--the first up
the best fellow,--cast off the yard-arm gaskets and bunt gaskets, and
one man remained on each yard, holding the bunt jigger with a turn
round the tye, all ready to let go, while the rest laid down to man the
sheets and halyards. The mate then hailed the yards--"All ready
forward?"--"All ready the cross-jack yards?" etc., etc., and "Aye, aye,
sir!" being returned from each, the word was given to let go; and in
the twinkling of an eye, the ship, which had shown nothing but her bare
yards, was covered with her loose canvas, from the royal-mast-heads to
the decks. Every one then laid down, except one man in each top, to
overhaul the rigging, and the topsails were hoisted and sheeted home;
all three yards going to the mast-head at once, the larboard watch
hoisting the fore, the starboard watch the main, and five light hands,
(of whom I was one,) picked from the two watches, the mizen. The yards
were then trimmed, the anchor weighed, the cat-block hooked on, the
fall stretched out, manned by "all hands and the cook," and the anchor
brought to the head with "cheerily men!" in full chorus. The ship
being now under weigh, the light sails were set, one after another, and
she was under full sail, before she had passed the sandy point. The
fore royal, which fell to my lot, (being in the mate's watch,) was more
than twice as large as that of the Pilgrim, and, though I could handle
the brig's easily, I found my hands full, with this, especially as
there were no jacks to the ship; everything being for neatness, and
nothing left for Jack to hold on by, but his eyelids.
As soon as we were beyond the point, and all sail out, the order was
given, "Go below the watch!" and the crew said that, ever since they
had been on the coast, they had had "watch and watch," while going from
port to port; and, in fact, everything showed that, though strict
discipline was kept, and the utmost was required of every man, in the
way of his duty, yet, on the whole, there was very good usage on board.
Each one knew that he must be a man, and show himself smart when at his
duty, yet every one was satisfied with the usage; and a contented crew,
agreeing with one another, and finding no fault, was a contrast indeed
with the small, hard-used, dissatisfied, grumbling, desponding crew of
the Pilgrim.
It being the turn of our watch to go below, the men went to work,
mending their clothes, and doing other little things for themselves;
and I, having got my wardrobe in complete order at San Diego, had
nothing to do but to read. I accordingly overhauled the chests of the
crew, but found nothing that suited me exactly, until one of the men
said he had a book which "told all about a great highway-man," at the
bottom of his chest, and producing it, I found, to my surprise and joy,
that it was nothing else than Bulwer's Paul Clifford. This, I seized
immediately, and going to my hammock, lay there, swinging and reading,
until the watch was out. The between-decks were clear, the hatchways
open, and a cool breeze blowing through them, the ship under easy way,
and everything comfortable. I had just got well into the story, when
eight bells were struck, and we were all ordered to dinner. After
dinner came our watch on deck for four hours, and, at four o'clock, I
went below again, turned into my hammock, and read until the dog watch.
As no lights were allowed after eight o'clock, there was no reading in
the night watch. Having light winds and calms, we were three days on
the passage, and each watch below, during the daytime, I spent in the
same manner, until I had finished my book. I shall never forget the
enjoyment I derived from it. To come across anything with the
slightest claims to literary merit, was so unusual, that this was a
perfect feast to me. The brilliancy of the book, the succession of
capital hits, lively and characteristic sketches, kept me in a constant
state of pleasing sensations. It was far too good for a sailor. I
could not expect such fine times to last long.
While on deck, the regular work of the ship went on. The sailmaker and
carpenter worked between decks, and the crew had their work to do upon
the rigging, drawing yarns, making spun-yarn, etc., as usual in
merchantmen. The night watches were much more pleasant than on board
the Pilgrim. There, there were so few in a watch, that, one being at
the wheel, and another on the look-out, there was no one left to talk
with; but here, we had seven in a watch, so that we had long yarns, in
abundance. After two or three night watches, I became quite well
acquainted with all the larboard watch. The sailmaker was the head man
of the watch, and was generally considered the most experienced seaman
on board. He was a thoroughbred old man-of-war's-man, had been to sea
twenty-two years, in all kinds of vessels--men-of-war, privateers,
slavers, and merchantmen;--everything except whalers, which a thorough
sailor despises, and will always steer clear of, if he can. He had, of
course, been in all parts of the world, and was remarkable for drawing
a long bow. His yarns frequently stretched through a watch, and kept
all hands awake. They were always amusing from their improbability,
and, indeed, he never expected to be believed, but spun them merely for
amusement; and as he had some humor and a good supply of man-of-war
slang and sailor's salt phrases, he always made fun. Next to him in
age and experience, and, of course, in standing in the watch, was an
Englishman, named Harris, of whom I shall have more to say hereafter.
Then, came two or three Americans, who had been the common run of
European and South American voyages, and one who had been in a
"spouter," and, of course, had all the whaling stories to himself.
Last of all, was a broad-backed, thick-headed boy from Cape Cod, who
had been in mackerel schooners, and was making his first voyage in a
square-rigged vessel. He was born in Hingham, and of course was called
"Bucketmaker." The other watch was composed of about the same number.
A tall, fine-looking Frenchman, with coal-black whiskers and curly
hair, a first-rate seaman, and named John, (one name is enough for a
sailor,) was the head man of the watch. Then came two Americans (one
of whom had been a dissipated young man of property and family, and was
reduced to duck trowsers and monthly wages,) a German, an English lad,
named Ben, who belonged on the mizen topsail yard with me, and was a
good sailor for his years, and two Boston boys just from the public
schools. The carpenter sometimes mustered in the starboard watch, and
was an old sea-dog, a Swede by birth, and accounted the best helmsman
in the ship. This was our ship's company, beside cook and steward, who
were blacks, three mates, and the captain.
The second day out, the wind drew ahead, and we had to beat up the
coast; so that, in tacking ship, I could see the regulations of the
vessel. Instead of going wherever was most convenient, and running
from place to place, wherever work was to be done, each man had his
station. A regular tacking and wearing bill was made out. The chief
mate commanded on the forecastle, and had charge of the head sails and
the forward part of the ship. Two of the best men in the ship--the
sailmaker from our watch, and John, the Frenchman, from the other,
worked the forecastle. The third mate commanded in the waist, and,
with the carpenter and one man, worked the main tack and bowlines; the
cook, ex-officio, the fore sheet, and the steward the main. The second
mate had charge of the after yards, and let go the lee fore and main
braces. I was stationed at the weather cross-jack braces; three other
light hands at the lee; one boy at the spanker-sheet and guy; a man and
a boy at the main topsail, top-gallant, and royal braces; and all the
rest of the crew--men and boys--tallied on to the main brace. Every
one here knew his station, must be there when all hands were called to
put the ship about, and was answerable for every rope committed to him.
Each man's rope must be let go and hauled in at the order, properly
made fast, and neatly coiled away when the ship was about. As soon as
all hands are at their stations, the captain, who stands on the weather
side of the quarter-deck, makes a sign to the man at the wheel to put
it down, and calls out "Helm's a lee'!" "Helm's a lee'!" answers the
mate on the forecastle, and the head sheets are let go. "Raise tacks
and sheets!" says the captain; "tacks and sheets!" is passed forward,
and the fore tack and main sheet are let go. The next thing is to haul
taut for a swing. The weather cross-jack braces and the lee main
braces are each belayed together upon two pins, and ready to be let go;
and the opposite braces hauled taut. "Main topsail haul!" shouts the
captain; the braces are let go; and if he has taken his time well, the
yards swing round like a top; but if he is too late, or too soon, it is
like drawing teeth. The after yards are then braced up and belayed,
the main sheet hauled aft, the spanker eased over to leeward, and the
men from the braces stand by the head yards. "Let go and haul!" says
the captain; the second mate lets go the weather fore braces, and the
men haul in to leeward. The mate, on the forecastle, looks out for the
head yards. "Well, the fore topsail yard!" "Top-gallant yard's well!"
"Royal yard too much! Haul into windward! So! well that!" "Well all!"
Then the starboard watch board the main tack, and the larboard watch
lay forward and board the fore tack and haul down the jib sheet,
clapping a tackle upon it, if it blows very fresh. The after yards are
then trimmed, the captain generally looking out for them himself.
"Well the cross-jack yard!" "Small pull the main top-gallant yard!"
"Well that!" "Well the mizen top-gallant yard!" "Cross-jack yards all
well!" "Well all aft!" "Haul taut to windward!" Everything being
now trimmed and in order, each man coils up the rigging at his own
station, and the order is given--"Go below the watch!"
During the last twenty-four hours of the passage, we beat off and on
the land, making a tack about once in four hours, so that I had a
sufficient opportunity to observe the working of the ship; and
certainly, it took no more men to brace about this ship's lower yards,
which were more than fifty feet square, than it did those of the
Pilgrim, which were not much more than half the size; so much depends
upon the manner in which the braces run, and the state of the blocks;
and Captain Wilson, of the Ayacucho, who was afterwards a passenger
with us, upon a trip to windward, said he had no doubt that our ship
worked two men lighter than his brig.
Friday, Sept. 11th. This morning, at four o'clock, went below, San
Pedro point being about two leagues ahead, and the ship going on under
studding-sails. In about an hour we were waked up by the hauling of
the chain about decks, and in a few minutes "All hands ahoy!" was
called; and we were all at work, hauling in and making up the
studding-sails, overhauling the chain forward, and getting the anchors
ready. "The Pilgrim is there at anchor," said some one, as we were
running about decks; and taking a moment's look over the rail, I saw my
old friend, deeply laden, lying at anchor inside of the kelp. In
coming to anchor, as well as in tacking, each one had his station and
duty. The light sails were clewed up and furled, the courses hauled up
and the jibs down; then came the topsails in the buntlines, and the
anchor let go. As soon as she was well at anchor, all hands lay aloft
to furl the topsails; and this, I soon found, was a great matter on