atswain was too good a seaman for that. The very instant the
reflection crossed my mind that he would be too late, for the whole
thing happened in the "wink of an eye," he raised his right hand high in
the air, standing up to his full height on the bulwarks, while holding
on to the ratlines of the foreshrouds--thus allowing his body to act as
a sort of additional headsail to aid the fore-topmast staysail, which,
as I've said before, was the only rag the ship had on her, in forcing
her bows round.

Captain Billings was watching Jorrocks even more intently than I; and,
without a second's delay, the moment the latter gave the signal that the
critical point for action had arrived, he roared out in a voice of
thunder, "Hard up with the helm, hard up, my men, for your lives!"

Mr Macdougall and the two seamen who were standing on either side of
the wheel, clutching hold of the spokes and holding on to them with all
their might, shifted it round almost as quickly as the skipper's order
was given. But they had to put all their strength into the task to
overcome the resistance of the dead weight of the hull, aided as that
was by the mountain of water pressing it back upon them and thus
resisting their efforts to shift the helm over to port.

For a brief space of time, hardly an instant though it seemed an
eternity, the ship appeared somewhat sluggish to respond to the movement
of the rudder, hanging in stays and settling down into the great valley
of water that loomed on our lee; but the next moment a glad cry of
relief burst from all as she answered her helm, a wavering motion of her
bows denoting this being then perceptible.

"Now, men, look alive," cried the skipper. "Cast-off those lee braces
here; haul round to windward sharp, and square the yards!"

These orders were executed as rapidly as they were given, the hands
being ready at the braces, and only waiting for the word of command to
ease the yards round. When these were squared, however, the fore-
topmast staysail fluttered and filled with a jerk that made the foremast
crack and tremble, the vibration shaking the ship to her centre and
penetrating even as far as to the deck beneath our feet as we stood
awaiting the issue of the operation--the very planks "creeping" with the
concussion caused by this and the bows meeting the send of the sea.

But the power of the little staysail forward, and the effect of the
exposed surface of the boatswain's body in the riggin