in the building and
repairing of ships in the royal dockyards.

MAST-HEAD. The upper part of a mast above the rigging.

MAST-HEADING. A well-known marine punishment, said to give midshipmen
the best time for reading. A court-martial, as a substitute, punishes
the parents as well as the thoughtless youth.

MAST-HEAD MEN. The men stationed aloft to keep a look-out.

MAST-HEAD PENDANTS. _See_ PENDANT.

MAST-HIGH. A figurative expression of height.

MAST-HOLES. The apertures in the deck-partners for stepping the masts.

MAST-HOOPS. The iron hoops on made or built masts.

MAST-HOUSE. In dockyards, where masts are made.

MASTIC. An excellent cement latterly introduced into ship-building,
instead of putty and other appliances, to protect the heads of bolts.

MAST-ROPE [Anglo-Saxon _maest-rap_]. That which is used for sending masts
up or down.

MASULAH OR MASSOOLAH BOATS. Madras boats, of which the planks are sewed
together with coir yarn, crossing the stitches over a wadding of coir or
straw, which presses on the joints, and prevents much leakage. The
vessel is thus rendered pliable, and yields to the shock on taking the
ground in the surf, which at times runs from 10 to 16 feet high. They
are rowed by twelve men, in double banks, with oars formed by an oval
piece of board lashed to the end of a rough piece of wood. They are
guided by one man with a long steer-oar, who stamps and yells with
excitement as he urges the men to pull when a rolling surf is coming up
astern. These boats are from 30 to 35 feet in length, 10 to 11 feet in
breadth, and 7 to 8 feet in depth.

MAT. To prevent chafing, a thick mat is woven from strands of old rope,
spun yarn, or foxes, containing each a greater or lesser number of
rope-yarns, in proportion to the intended mat to be made. The largest
and strongest kinds are called _paunch-mats_. The _thrum-mat_ is
precisely similar to the present cocoa-nut fibre door-mats. Where it is
possible, rounding is now used instead of mats, it being neater and
holding less water.

MATCH. A wager of emulation by rowing, sailing, man[oe]uvring, &c.
(_See_ QUICK MATCH.)--_Slow match_, used by artillerymen, is a very
loose rope steeped in a solution of nitre, and burns at the rate of
about one inch an hour, and is either used alone, or for lighting the
port-fires, by which guns are yet fired for salutes on shore.

MATCHLOCK. A musket fired with a match fixed on the cock opening the
pan; long out of use