Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-06-24

/ ecutlye OIncer, ana Lnen, HIT1ng the
trumpet to his lips, he called out with
powerful voice: Lay aloft and loose
the topgallant sails! Mae the topgal-
liant sheets and halyardsv'
The crew, both watches being on
! deck, were busy with the various du-
ties rendered necessary by the depar-
! ture of q ship upon a long cruise, and
i were occupied here and there with the
different details of work to be done
| when a ship gets under. way. Some of
/ Them their tasks accomplished for the
moment, were standing on the fore
castle or peering through the gun
| ports gazing at the city, with the tall
| spire of Christ church and the more
| substantial elevation of the building
/ even then beginning to be known as
| independence hall rising in the back
| ground beyond the shipping and over
| the other buildings which they were SO
| rapidly leaving. In an instant the
| quiet deck became scene Of quick
| activity, as the men left their tasks
/ and sprang to their appointed stations.
/ The long coils Of rope were thrown
upon the deck and seized by the groups
/ of seamen detailed for the purpose,
| while the rigging shook under the
! quick steps Of the alert topmen spring
| ing up the ratlines, swarming over the
! tops and laying out on the yards,
| without a thought Of the giddy eleva-
| ton in their intense rivalry each to be
| first.
/ "The main royal also, Mr.. Seymour"
/ continued the captain. 81 think she
will bear it. IT'S a new and good
! stick"
faye, aye, sir. Main topgallant yard
there"
"Sir?"
"Aloft, one of you, and loose the
royal as we'll"
AYE, aye, sir"
After a few moments Of quick work
/ the officers OF the various masts in
dicated their readiness for the next
order by saying in rapid succession:
"All ready the fore, sir"
"All ready the main, sir
"All ready the mizzen, sir"
Handsomely, now, and all together.
I want those Frenchmen there to see
how smartly we can do this said the
captain in reply, addressing Seymour
in tone perfectly audible over the
ship.
'Let fall! Lay in! Sheet home!
Hoist away! Tend the braces thereF
shouted the first lieutenant.
Amid the creaking of blocks, the
straining of cordage and the lusty
heaving Of the men, with the shrill
pipes Of the boatswain and his mates
for an accompaniment, the sheets were
hauled home on the yards, the yards
rose on their respective masts, and the
light sails, the braces being hauled
taut, bellied out in the strong breeze,
/ adding materially to the speed of the
ship.
clay down from aloftY' cried the
lieutenant when all was over
/ AYE, that will do" remarked the
captain. eve go better already. l am
most anxious to get clear Of the capes
before nightfall. Call the men aft
and request the officers to come up to
the quarter deck. I wish to speak to
/ them"
faye, aye, sir Mr.. Wilton said the
young officer, turning to young mid
/ shipman standing on the lee side of
the deck, "step below and ask the Of
| ficers there and those forward to
come on deck. Bentley" he called to
the boatswain, ''call all hands aft"
faye, aye, sir"
Again the shrill whistling Of the pipes
was heard, followed by the deep tones
/ of Bentley which rolled and tumbled
1 along the decks Of the ship in the MS
! ual long drawn, monotonous cry which
i could be heard above the roar of the
/ wind or the rush of the water or the
straining of the timhers, from the
\ truck to the keelson, "All hands lay
aft, to the quarter deck"
The captain, standing upon the poop
/ deck, was not at first glance particu-
larly imposing figure. He was small
in stature, scarcely five and half feet
high at best, with his natural height
diminished, as is often the case with
sailors, by slight bending Of the
back and STOPPING Of the shoulders;
yet he possessed a well knit vigorous
and not ungraceful figure, whose care
less poise and the ease with which he
maintained his position, with his
hands claspcd behind his back, in spite
of the rather heavy roll and pitch of
the ship in the very strong breeze, in,
Dictated long familiarity with the sea.
The officers, gathered in little knot
on the lee side of the quarter deck,
A. several midshipmen among them, were
worthy of the crew and the command
err.
'Men" said the captain, in clear
firm voice, removing his cooked hat
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