Page:Twenty years before the mast - Charles Erskine, 1896.djvu/305

 Sunday morning scrubbed decks and bent a new spanker. At eight bells — eight o’clock — as the watch were going below, the weather threatening, the order was  given to shorten sail. We furled the mainsail, took bonnet off the jib, close-reefed the topsails, and reefed  the spanker. We passed a most miserable Sunday, having plenty of work to do.

February 10 and 11. Lying to under close-reefed foretop-sails and stay-sails.

The morning of the 14th was fine. In the afternoon saw land at a great distance to leeward, which proved to  be the Azores, or Western Islands. Several sail in sight. For several days the weather continued fair, the wind light. We finished repairing our to’-gallant masts, sent them up, crossed our to’-gallant, royal, and sky-sail  yards, and set the sails, with studding sails on either side. The wind being fair, we made rapid progress. The Rainbow kept her crew busy night and day, Sundays included. There is always a great deal of necessary work to be done aboard of a new ship on her first voyage,  but on the Rainbow there appeared to be a large amount  of unnecessary labor demanded.

One night the mid-watch had just gone below to turn in when it was called back on deck to take a pull at the  weather braces. This was extra work, and unnecessary, and one of the watch began to growl. The captain ordered him aft. The man said he had no business aft. The captain then threatened to put him in irons. The man remained obstinate, however, and the captain, with  the assistance of the steward, seized the sailor, and, after  considerable difficulty, executed his threat.