Notwithstanding the diminutive surface that was exposed,
the surges given by this bit of canvass, as soon as the clews were
eased off sufficiently to allow the cloth to jerk, shook the vessel's
hull. It was a miracle that we saved the mast, or that we got the
cloth rolled up at all. At one time, I thought it would be necessary
to cut it from the yard. Fortunately the gale was steady, this day
proving bright and clear, like that which had preceded.
The men aloft made several attempts to hail the deck, but the wind
blew too heavily to suffer them to be heard. Talcott had gone on the
yard himself, and I saw him gesticulating, in a way to indicate there
was something ahead. The seas were running so high that it was not
easy to obtain much of a look at the horizon; but, by getting into the
mizen-rigging, I had a glimpse of a vessel's spars, to the eastward of
us, and directly on our course. It was a ship under bare poles,
running as nearly before us as she could, but making most fearful
yaws; sometimes sheering away off to starboard, in a way to threaten
her with broaching-to; then taking a yaw to port, in which I could see
all three of her masts, with their yards pointed nearly at us. I got
but one glimpse of her hull, as it rose on a sea, at the same instant
with the Dawn, and it actually appeared as if about to be blown away,
though I took the stranger to be a vessel at least as large as we were
ourselves.
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