It seems to me it's blowing harder than it was."
"Then we will prepare for the worst, Watkins; get the trysail up
on deck. When you are ready we will bring her up into the wind and
set it. That's the comfort of a yawl, Jack; one can always lie to
without any bother, and one hasn't got such a tremendous boom to
handle."
The trysail was soon on deck, and then the Seabird was brought up
into the wind, the weather foresheet hauled aft, the mizzen sheeted
almost fore and aft, and the Seabird lay, head to wind, rising and
falling with a gentle motion, in strong contrast to her impetuous
rushes when under sail.
"She would ride out anything like that," her owner said. "Last time
we came through the Bay on our way from Gib. we were caught in a
gale strong enough to blow the hair off one's head, and we lay to
for nearly three days, and didn't ship a bucket of water all the
time. Now let us lend a hand to get the mainsail stowed."
Ten minutes' work and it was securely fastened and its cover on;
two reefs were put in the trysail. Two hands went to each of the
halliards, while, as the sail rose, Tom Virtue fastened the toggles
round the mast.
"All ready, Watkins?"
"All ready, sir."
"Slack off the weather foresheet, then, and haul aft the leeward.
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