fere with its firing.

BAZAR, OR BAZAAR. A market or market-place. An oriental term.

BAZARAS. A large flat-bottomed pleasure-boat of the Ganges, moved with
both sails and oars.

BEACH. A littoral margin, or line of coast along the sea-shore, composed
of sand, gravel, shingle, broken shells, or a mixture of them all: any
gently sloping part of the coast alternately dry and covered by the
tide. The same as _strand_.

BEACH, TO. Sudden landing--to run a boat on the shore, to land a person
with intent to desert him--an old buccaneer custom. To land a boat on a
beach before a dangerous sea, this demands practical skill, for which
the Dover and Deal men are famed.

BEACH-COMBERS. Loiterers around a bay or harbour.

BEACH-COMBING. Loafing about a port to filch small things.

BEACH-FLEA. A small crustacean (_Talitra_) frequenting sandy shores.

BEACH-GRASS. _Alga marina_ thrown up by the surf or tide.

BEACHING A VESSEL. _See under_ VOLUNTARY STRANDING. Also, the act of
running a vessel up on the beach for various purposes where there is no
other accommodation.

BEACH-MAN. A person on the coast of Africa who acts as interpreter to
shipmasters, and assists them in conducting the trade.

BEACH-MASTER. A superior officer, captain, appointed to superintend
disembarkation of an attacking force, who holds plenary powers, and
generally leads the storming party. His acts when in the heat of action,
if he summarily shoot a coward, are unquestioned--poor Falconer, to wit!

BEACH-MEN. A name applied to boatmen and those who land people through a
heavy surf.

BEACH-RANGERS. Men hanging about sea-ports, who have been turned out of
vessels for bad conduct.

BEACH-TRAMPERS. A name applied to the coast-guard.

BEACON. [Anglo-Saxon, _beacn_.] A post or stake erected over a shoal or
sand-bank, as a warning to seamen to keep at a distance; also a
signal-mark placed on the top of hills, eminences, or buildings near the
shore for the safe guidance of shipping.

BEACONAGE. A payment levied for the maintenance of beacons.

BEAFT. Often used by east-country men for abaft.

BEAK, OR BEAK-HEAD. A piece of brass like a beak, fixed at the head of
the ancient galleys, with which they pierced their enemies. Pisaeus is
said to have first added the rostrum or beak-head. Later it was a small
platform at the fore part of the upper deck, but the term is now applied
to that part without the ship before the forecastle, or knee of the
head, w