face. "On deck, thaar!"

Tom Bullover raised his right fist, to show that he caught the hail; but
it was impossible for him to answer back in the very teeth of the gale.

"We must try an' lay her to," continued the skipper. "Hev ye got a
tarpaulin, or airy sort o' rag ye ken stick in the fore-riggin'?" Tom
nodded his head, understanding what the captain meant in a jiffey; and,
with the help of two or three others, a piece of fearnought, that lay in
the bottom of the long-boat, was quickly bundled out on the deck and
dragged forwards, the men bending on a rope's-end to a cringle worked in
one corner of the stuff, so as to hoist it up by.

"Over to port! Over to port!" roared the skipper, seeing them making
for the lee side of the ship. "I'm goin' to try an' bring her to on
thet tack, d'ye haar?"

Another nod from the carpenter showed that he heard and appreciated the
command, he and the group with him by great exertions tricing up the
piece of fearnought into the fore-shrouds on the side indicated,
spreading the cloth out and lashing it outside the rigging.

"Now, men," cried Captain Snaggs, "some o' ye aft hyar! Look sharp an'
man the cro'jack braces."

"Dat vas goot," I heard Mr Jan Steenbock say behind me, his voice
coming right into my ear; "dat vas ze very tings!"

The skipper heard him, too.

"I guess ye're worth yer salt, an' knows what's what!" he screamed back,
with his face shoved into that of the second-mate, so that he should
catch the words. "Stand by to cast off the clewlines agen, an' slack
out the weather sheet, if we wants it!"

"Aye, aye!" roared Jan Steenbock, in answer, jumping to the belaying
pins, to cast off the ropes as ordered. "I vas dere!"

And so was I, too, following his example, ready to bear a hand when the
necessity arose.

"Send another hand or two hyar aft, to the wheel!" now yelled out the
captain, on seeing that Tom Bullover had marshalled the watch on the
deck below at the crossjack braces, ready to ease off on the weather
side, and haul in gradually to leeward--so that the yard should not be
jerked round suddenly, and risk carrying away the mizzen-top mast and
all its hamper with the shock; and, finally, with a motion of his arm,
which those at the wheel readily understood, he ordered the helm to be
put down.

It was a critical moment.

The ship seemed a trifle stubborn, and would not obey the rudder, lying
sluggishly in the trough of the sea for a while, but