Science proved a prophet. Just at seven bells, in one moment like a
thunderbolt from the sky, a heavy squall struck the ship. Under a less
careful captain her lee-ports would have been open, and she might have
gone to the bottom like a bullet
"Let go the main sheet!" roared Sharpe hastily to a hand he had placed
there on purpose. He let go, and there was the sail flapping like
thunder, and the sheet lashing everything in the most dangerous way. Dodd
was on deck in a moment "Helm hard up! Hands shorten sail!"
(Pipe.) "All hands furl sail, ahoy!"
Up tumbled the crew, went cheerily to work, and by three bells in the
middle watch had hauled up what was left of the shivered mainsail, and
hove the ship to under close-reefed main topsail and storm stay-sails;
and so the voyage was suspended.
A heavy sea got up under a scourging wind, that rose and rose, till the
_Agra_, under the pressure of that single sail treble reefed, heeled over
so as to dip her lee channels. This went on till the waves rolled so
high, and the squalls were so bitter, that sheets of water were actually
torn off their crests and launched incessantly on deck, not only
drenching Dodd and his officers, which they did not mind, but threatening
to flood the ship.
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