While yet the shades, on Time's eternal scale, Deep midnight now involves the livid skies, The windlass is a sort of large roller, used to wind in the cable, or heave up the anchor. It is turned about vertically by a number of long bars or levers; in which operation, it is prevented from recoiling, by the pauls. The nervous crew their sweeping oars extend, With winning postures, now the wanton sails His glaring orb emits a sanguine blaze. The natives, while the ship departs the land, stream. The wales, that close above in contrast shone, means of ropes, extending from her fore part to one or more of the boats rowing before her. Studding-sails are long, narrow sails, which are only used in fine weather and fair winds, on the outside of the larger square sails. Stay-sails are three-cornered sails, which are hoisted up on the stays, when the wind crosses the ship's course either directly or obliquely. The operation of taking the sun's azimuth, in order to discover the eastern or western variation of the mag. netic needle. The wales, here alluded to, are an assemblage of strong planks which envelope the lower part of the ship's side, wherein they are broader and thicker than the rest, and appear somewhat like a range of hoops, which sepa † Towing is the operation of drawing a ship forward, by rates the bottom froin the upper works. Th' eternal empire of the main to keep, view! Th' immortal shield from Neptune she received, There, on the watch, sagacious of his prey, CANTO II. ARGUMENT. A Reflection on leaving the land. The gale continues. water spout. Beauty of a dying dolphin. The ship's progress along the shore. Wind strengthens. The sails reduced. A shoal of porpoises. Last appearance of Cape Spado. Sea rises. A squall. The sails further diminished. Mainsail split. Ship bears away before the wind. Again hauls upon the wind. Another mainsail fitted to the yard. The gale still increases. Topsails furled. Top-gallant yards sent down. Sea enlarges. Sunset. Courses reefed. Four seaman lost off the lee main yard-arm. Anxiety of the pilots from their dangerous situation. Resolute behaviour of the sailors. The ship labours in great distress. The artillery thrown overboard. Dismal appearance of the weather. Very high and dangerons sea. Severe fatigue of the crew. Consultation and resolution of the officers. Speech and advice of Albert to the crew. Necessary disposition to veer before the wind. Disappointment in the proposed effect. New dispositions equally unsuccessful. The mizen mast cut away. The scene lies in the sea, between Cape Freschin, in Candia, and the ADIEU, ye pleasures of the rural scene, Hope lifts his heart, before whose vivid ray Distress recedes, and danger melts away. Already Britain's parent cliffs arise, And in idea greet his longing eyes! Each amorous sailor too, with heart elate, Dwells on the beauties of his gentle mate. E'en they th' impressive dart of Love can feel, Whose stubborn souls are sheathed in triple steel. Nor less o'erjoy'd, perhaps with equal truth, Each faithful maid expects th' approaching youth. In distant bosoms equal ardours glow; And mutual passions mutual joy bestow.Tall Ida's summit now more distant grew, And Jove's high hill was rising on the view; When, from the left approaching, they descry A liquid column, towering, shoot on high: The foaming base an angry whirlwind sweeps, Where curling billows rouse the fearful deeps: Still round and round the fluid vortex flies, Scattering dun night and horror through the skies. The swift volution and th' enormous train Let sages versed in Nature's lore explain! The horrid apparition still draws nigh, And white with foam the whirling surges fly; The guns were primed-the vessel northward veers, Till her black battery on the column bears. veer, Dark clouds incumbent on their wings appear. In front they view the consecrated grove Of Cypress, sacred once to Cretan Jove. The thirsty canvass, all around supplied, Still drinks unquench'd the full aërial tide; And now, approaching near the lofty stern, A shoal of sportive dolphins they discern. From burnish'd scales they beam'd refulgent rays, Till all the glowing ocean seems to blaze. Soon to the sport of death the crew repair, Dart the long lance, or spread the baited snare. One in redoubling mazes wheels along, And glides, unhappy! near the triple prong. Rodmond, unerring, o'er his head suspends The barbed steel, and every turn attends. Unerring aim'd the missile weapon flew, And, plunging, struck the fated victim through. Th' upturning points his ponderous bulk sustain ; On deck he struggles with convulsive pain. But while his heart the fatal javelin thrills And flitting life escapes in sanguine rills, What radiant changes strike th' astonished sight! What glowing hues of mingled shade and light! Not equal beauties gild the lucid west, With parting beams all o'er profusely drest; Not lovelier colours paint the vernal dawn, When orient dews impearl th' enamell'd lawn, Than from his sides in bright suffusion flow, That now with gold empyreal seem'd to glow; Now in pellucid sapphires meet the view, And emulate the soft celestial hue; Now beam a flaming crimson on the eye; The wondrous magnet, guides the wayward prow.— But see! in confluence borne before the blast, Four hours the sun his high meridian throne 'Scud is a name given by seamen to the lowest clouds, which are driven with great rapidity along the atmo sphere, in squally or tempestuous weather. t When the wind crosses a ship's course, either directly or obliquely, that side of the ship upon which it acts, is called the weather side: and the opposite one, which is then pressed downwards, is called the lee side. Hence all the rigging and furniture of the ship are, at this time, distinguished by the side, on which they are situ ated; as the lee cannon, the lee braces, the weather braces, &c. The topsails are large square sails, of the second degree in height and magnitude. Reefs are certain divisions or spaces by which the principal sails are reduced when the wind increases; and again enlarged proportionably, when its force abates. The haliards and top-bow-linest soon are gone, While the rent canvass flutter'd in the wind, Clue-lines are ropes used to truss up the clues, or lower corners of the principal sails to their respective yards, particularly when the sail is to be close reefed or farled.-Reef-tackles are ropes employed to facilitate the operation of reefing, by confining the extremities of the reef close up to the yard, so that the interval becomes slack, and is therefore easily rolled up and fastened to the yard by the points employed for this purpose. $ Earings are small cords, by which the upper corners of the principal sails, and also the extremities of the reefs, are fastened to the yard-arms. The mizen is a large sail of an oblong figure, extended upon the mizen mast. 1 Clue garnets are employed for the same purposes on the mainsail and foresail, as the clue-lines are upon all other square sails. See note, above. ** It is necessary in this place to remark that the sheets, which are universally mistaken by the English poets and their readers for the sails themselves, are no other than the ropes used to extend the clues or lower corners of the sails to which they are attached. To the mainsail and foresail there is a sheet and a tack on each side; the latter of which is a thick rope, serving to confine the weather clue of the sail down to the ship's side, whilst the former draws out of the lee-clue or lower corner on the opposite side. Tacks are only used in a side wind. The helm is said to be a weather, when the bar by which it is managed is turned to the side of the ship next the wind. #Timoneer, (from timonnier, Fr.) the helmsman or steersman. Each motion watches of the doubtful chase, Obliquely wheeling through the liquid space; So, govern'd by the steersman's glowing hands, The regent helm her motion still commands. But now the transient squall to leeward past, Again she rallies to the sullen blast. The helm to starboard* turns-with wings inclined, The sidelong canvass clasps the faithless wind, The mizen draws; she springs aloof once more, While the fore-staysailt balances before. The fore-sail braced obliquely to the wind, They near the prow th' extended tack confined; Then on the leeward sheet the seamen bend, And haul the bow-line to the bowsprit end. To topsails next they haste-the bunt-lines gone, The clue-lines through their wheel'd machinery run. On either side below the sheets are mann'd: Again the fluttering sails their skirts expand, Once more the topsails, though with humbler plume, Mounting aloft their ancient post resume. Again the bow-lines and the yards are braced, And all th' entangled cords in order placed. The sail, by whirlwinds thus so lately rent, In tatter'd ruins fluttering, is unbent. With brails refix another soon prepared, Ascending, spreads along beneath the yard. To each yard-arm the head ropell they extend, And soon their earings and the roebins¶ bend. That task perform'd, they first the braces** slack, Then to its station drag th' unwilling tack; And, while the lee clue-garnet's lower'd away, Taught aft the sheet they tally and belay.†† Now to the north, from Afric's burning shore, A troop of porpoises their course explore; In curling wreaths they gambol on the tide, Now bound aloft, now down the billow glide. Their tracks awhile the hoary waves retain, That burn in sparkling trails along the main. These fleetest coursers of the finny race, When threat'ning clouds th' etherial vault deface, Their rout to leeward still sagacious form, To shun the fury of th' approaching storm. The helm being turned to starboard, or to the right side of the ship, directs the prow to the left, or to port, and vice versa. Hence the helm being put a starboard, when the ship is running northward, directs her prow towards the west. †This sail, which is with more propriety called the fore-topmast-staysail, is a triangular sail, that runs upon the fore-topmast-stay, over the bowsprit. It is used to command the fore part of the ship, and counterbalance the sails extended towards the stern. See also the last note of this Canto. A yard is said to be braced when it is turned about the mast horizontally, either to the right or left; the ropes employed in this service are accordingly called braces. § The ropes used to truss up a sail to the yard or mast whereto it is attached are, in a general sense, called brails. I The head-rope is a cord to which the upper part of the sail is sewed. Rope-bands, pronounced roebins, are small cords used to fasten the upper edge of any sail to its respective yard. ** Because the lee-brace confines the yard so that the tack will not come down to its place till the braces are cast loose. tt Taught implies stiff, tense, or extended straight; and tally is a phrase particularly applied to the operation of hauling aft the sheets, or drawing them towards the ship's stern. To belay is to fasten. Fair Candia now no more beneath her lee Protects the vessel from th' insulting sea: Round her broad arms, impatient of control, Roused from their secret deeps, the billows roll. Sunk were the bulwarks of the friendly shore, And all the scene an hostile aspect wore. The flattering wind, that late, with promised aid, From Candia's bay th' unwilling ship betray'd, No longer fawns beneath the fair disguise, But like a ruffian on his quarry flies.Tost on the tide she feels the tempest blow, And dreads the vengeance of so fell a foe. As the proud horse, with costly trappings gay, Exulting, prances to the bloody fray, Spurning the ground, he glories in his might, But reels tumultuous in the shock of fight: Even so caparison'd in gaudy pride, The bounding vessel dances on the tideFierce, and more fierce the southern demon blew, And more incensed the roaring waters grew: The ship no longer can her topsails spread, And every hope of fairer skies is fled. Bow-lines and haliards are relax'd again, Clue-lines haul'd down, and sheets let fly amain; Clued up each top-sail, and by braces squared, The seamen climb aloft on either yard; They furl'd the sail, and pointed to the wind The yard, by rolling tackles* then confined. While o'er the ship the gallant boatswain flies: Like a hoarse mastiff through the storm he cries: Prompt to direct th' unskilful still appears; Th' expert he praises, and the fearful cheers. Now some to strike top-gallant yards attend ;+ Some travellers up the weather-backstays send; At each mast-head the top-ropes|| others bend. The youngest sailors from the yards above Their parrels, lifts,** and braces soon remove : Then topt an-end, and to travellers tied, [slide. Charged with their sails, they down the backstays The yards secure along the boomstt reclined, While some the flying cords aloft confined. The rolling tackle is an assemblage of pulleys, used to confine the yard to the weather-side of the mast, and prevent the former from rubbing against the latter by the fluctuating motion of the ship in a turbulent sea. † It is usual to send down the top-gallant yards on the approach of a storm. They are the highest yards that are rigged in a ship. Travellers are slender iron rings, encircling the backstays, and used to facilitate the hoisting or lowering of the top-gallant yards, by confining them to the backstays, in their ascent or descent, so as to prevent them from swinging about by the agitation of the vessel. $ Backstays are long ropes extending from the right and left side of the ship to the top-mast heads, which they are intended to secure, by counteracting the effort of the wind upon the sails. Top-ropes are the cords by which the top-gallant yards are hoisted up from the deck, or lowered again in stormy weather. The parrel, which is usually a movable band of rope, is employed to confine the yard to its respective mast. ** Lifts are ropes extending from the head of any mast to the extremities of its particular yard, to support the weight of the latter; to retain it in balance; or to raise one yard-arm higher than the other, which is accordingly called topping. tt The booms, in this place, imply any masts or yards lying on deck in reserve, to supply the place of others hich may be carried away by distress of weather, &c. Their sails reduced, and all the rigging clear, The ship no longer can her courses* bear: The watchful seaman, whose sagacious eye The lee clue-garnet and the bunt-lines ply. The courses are generally understood to be the main sail, foresail, and inizen, which are the largest and lowest sails of their several masts; the term is, however, sometimes taken in a larger sense. † It has been remarked before in note **, p. 19, col. 1, that the tack is always fastened to windward; accordingly, as soon as it is cast loose, and the clue-garnet hauled up, the weather clue of the sail immediately mounts to the yard; and this operation must be carefully performed in a storm, to prevent the sail from splitting or being torn to pieces by shivering. It is necessary to pull in the weather-brace whenever the sheet is cast off, to preserve the sail from shaking violently. |