ded. It was a tie;
the Galways had about a minute start, but the Limericks finished only a
minute behind. Murphy and Hennesey nippered the falls at the pinrail,
and belayed when they slacked.

"It goes, Hennesey," said Murphy, wiping the perspiration from his
brow. "By puttin' wan gang agin' the other, maybe we won't need to show
the bricks."

"Yes," replied Hennesey, "that's all right; but I oncet heard an old,
wise skipper say that any farmer can make sail, but it takes a sailor
to take it in. What'll we do if it comes on to blow?"

"That's the least o' your troubles, and mine, Tim Hennesey. Put yer
trust in Jasus and loose that mizzentopsail, while I get 'em to steady
the braces."

But the demoralized first mate had so far aroused himself as to attend
to the loosing of the mizzentopsail and topgallantsail; so Murphy with
a little cajolery and ridicule induced the crew to sheet home and
tauten the braces, then mustered them aft to the mizzentopsail halyards
and asked them if they could, the whole lazy two dozen of them,
masthead that yard by hand, without the aid of the capstan. They
noisily averred that they could, and they did, nearly parting the
halyards when the yard could go no higher. The chain-sheets they could
not break, hard as they tried.

"It's not according to seamanship, Hennesey," said Murphy, "to man yer
halyards before ye sheet home; but--any way at all with this bunch. Now
git up to the foreto'gallant and the royal, while I take the main. The
poor mate's done his stunt on the mizzen."

And so, by doing the seamanly work themselves and putting ropes into
the hands of the crew, the mate and the two boatswains got sail on the
ship, even to the jib-topsail and the mainroyal staysail. Captain
Williams discreetly remained in the background, only asserting himself
once, when he knocked an Irishman off the poop. For this indiscretion
he was menaced by violent death, and only saved himself by an appeal to
Murphy, respect for whose diplomacy was fast overcoming Captain
Williams's dislike of him.

"What do ye think?" stormed Murphy, as he faced the angry men at the
break of the poop. "Whin ye came over in the steamer did they allow ye
up in the bridge, or aft o' the engine-room hatch? Stay forrard where
ye belong, and don't git presumptions, just 'cause ye've been a year in
a free country. Yer goin' back to Ireland now, to eat praties and drink
water. There's no whisky on this boat, and no mate three ti