"
Mr. Grey and his twelve men left the cabin: and hey! for the main top.
The men let the officer lead them as far as Jacob's ladder, and then
hurrah for the lee yard-arm! That was where all wanted to be, and but one
could be. Grey was as anxious as the rest; but officers of his rank
seldom go aloft, and soon fall out of their catlike habits. He had done
about six ratlines, when, instead of going hand over head, he spread his
arms to seize a shroud on each side of him: by this he weakened his
leverage, and the wind just then came fiercer, caught him, and flattened
him against the rigging as tight as if Nature had caught up a mountain
for a hammer and nailed him with a cedar; he was spread-eagled. The men
accepted him at once as a new patent ratline with a fine resisting power:
they went up him, and bounded three ordinary ratlines at a go off all his
promontories, especially his shoulders and his head, receiving his
compliments in the shape of hearty curses. They gained the top and lay
out on the yard with their hair flying like streamers: and who got the
place of honour but Thompson, the jolly fore-topman who couldn't stand
smoked pea-soup.
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