‘The main brace, men. Haul! haul anyhow! Lay on your backs and haul!’he screeched, half drowned down there. We did not believe we could move the main yard, but the strongest and the less discouraged tried to execute the order. Others assisted half-heartedly. Singleton's eyes blazed suddenly as he took a fresh grip of the spokes. Captain Allistoun fought his way up to the windward. -- ‘Haul men! Try to move it! Haul, and help the ship.’ His hard face worked suffused and furious. ‘Is she going off, Singleton?’ He cried. --‘Not a move yet, sir,’ croaked the old seaman in a horribly hoarse voice. -- ‘Watch the helm, Singleton.’spluttered the master. ‘Haul men! Have you no more strength than rats? Haul, and earn your salt.’ Mr. Creighton, on his back, with a swollen leg and a face as white as a piece of paper, blinked his eyes, his bluish lips twitched. In the wild scramble men grabbed at him, crawled over his hurt leg, knelt on his chest. He kept perfectly still, setting his teeth without a moan, without a sigh. The master's ardour, the cries of that silent man inspired us. We hauled and hung in bunches on the rope. We heard him say with violence to Donkin, who sprawled abjectly on his stomach, -- ‘I will brain you with this belaying pin if you don't catch hold of the brace,’ and that victim of men's injustice, cowardly and cheeky, whimpered; -- ‘Are you going ter murder hus now?’ While, with sudden desperation he grabbed the rope. Men sighed, shouted, hissed meaningless words, groaned. The yards moved, came slowly square against the wind, that hummed loudly Page 64on the yard-arms. -- ‘Going off, sir,’ shouted Singleton, ‘she's just started.’ -- ‘Catch a turn with that brace. Catch a turn!’ clamoured the master. Mr. Creighton, nearly suffocated and unable to move, made a mighty effort, and with his left hand managed to nip the rope. -- ‘All fast!’ cried someone. He closed his eyes as if going off into a swoon, while huddled together about the brace we watched with scared looks what the ship would do now.
She went off slowly as though she had been weary and disheartened like the men she carried. She paid off very gradually, making us hold our breath till we choked, and as soon as she had brought the wind abaft the beam she started to move, and fluttered our hearts. It was awful to see her, nearly overturned, begin to gather way and drag her submerged side through the water. The dead-eyes of the rigging churned the breaking seas.
