y from all those
perils and hardships with which the seaman's life is ordinarily
environed; wherein life is one long day of ineffable peace and rest and
tranquillity; and from whence every disagreeable influence is
permanently banished.

I was abruptly aroused from my fanciful musings by the sound of the
ship's bell, four strokes upon which proclaimed the end of the first
dog-watch. The momentary bustle of calling the watch immediately
followed, in the midst of which came the customary orders to reef
topsails. Simultaneously with the appearance of the larboard watch,
Captain Pigot issued from his cabin and, ascending the poop ladder, made
his way aft to the taffrail, from which position he was able to command
a view of the proceedings on each topsail-yard. The royals and
topgallant-sails were very smartly clewed up and furled; and, as the
topsail halyards were let run, I saw the skipper pull out his watch and,
noting the time by it, hold it face upwards in his hand.

"Soho!" thought I, "that does not look very much as though the first
lieutenant's remonstrance had produced any beneficial effect; there's
trouble in store for some of those unfortunates on the yards if they are
not exceptionally lively."

The hands themselves, who had not failed to mark the skipper's actions,
seemed to think so too, and they set about their work with the activity
of wild-cats. But "the more hurry the less speed" is an old adage; and
so it proved in the present case, the men on the mizzen topsail-yard
managing so to bungle matters that when, on the expiration of two and a
half minutes--the outside limit of time allowed by the skipper for
reefing a topsail--Captain Pigot closed his watch with a snap and
replaced it smartly in his pocket, several of the reef-points still
remained to be tied.

"Now," thought I, "look out for squalls." And as the thought passed
through my mind the squall came, in the shape of a hail from the skipper
himself.

"Mizzen topsail-yard, there!" he shouted, "what are you about, you lazy
lubbers? Do you intend to spend the remainder of the watch in reefing
that topsail? Wake up, and put some life into your motions, for (and
here came an oath) I'll flog the last man off the yard."

The work was completed ere he had finished speaking, and the men began
hurriedly and in some little confusion to lay in off the yard. There
was a decided scramble for the topmast rigging, each man naturally
striving to be off