Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 2).djvu/534

 tacking, wearing, reefing topsails, etc., and in every kind of "all-hands work," when the master is on deck, the chief mate's place, as we have said, is forward. In the evolution of tacking ship, the master, finding that the ship will not "lay her course," instructs him to "see all clear for stays," or "ready about." The chief mate then goes forward, orders all hands to their stations, and sees everything clear and ready on the forecastle. The master asks, "All ready forward?" and being answered, "Ay, ay, sir," motions to the man at the helm to put the wheel down, and calls out, "Helm's alee," to which the mate, in order to let the master know he is heard and understood, responds, "Helm's alee," and sees that the head sheets are let go. The master then gives the order to "raise tacks and sheets," which is executed by the mates and the men with them, loosening all the ropes which confine the corners of the lower sails, in order that they may be more readily shifted to the other side. When the ship has turned her head directly to windward, the order is given by the master to "brace about," turn round all the yards on the main and mizen-masts; the mate attending to the foretack, letting go the bowlines and braces on one side, and as expeditiously drawing them in on the other side, so as to wheel the yards about the masts; the lower corner of the mainsail is then, by means of its tack, pulled down to its station at the chess-tree; and all the after sails are at the same time adjusted to stand upon the other board. Finally, when the ship has fallen off five or six points, the master exclaims, "Let go and haul;" then the sails on the foremast are with great rapidity wheeled about by