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Elisha Cuthbert Photos Books: Martin Eden The Pickwick Papers The Sea Wolf |
over matter and attained to
the truest comradeship that may fall to man and woman.
"And its slack off the sheets for Japan!" I cried gaily. "A fair
wind and a flowing sheet, you know, or however it goes."
Lashing the wheel I ran forward, eased the fore and mainsheets,
took in on the boom-tackles and trimmed everything for the
quartering breeze which was ours. It was a fresh breeze, very
fresh, but I resolved to run as long as I dared. Unfortunately,
when running free, it is impossible to lash the wheel, so I faced
an all-night watch. Maud insisted on relieving me, but proved that
she had not the strength to steer in a heavy sea, even if she could
have gained the wisdom on such short notice. She appeared quite
heart-broken over the discovery, but recovered her spirits by
coiling down tackles and halyards and all stray ropes. Then there
were meals to be cooked in the galley, beds to make, Wolf Larsen to
be attended upon, and she finished the day with a grand house-
cleaning attack upon the cabin and steerage.
All night I steered, without relief, the wind slowly and steadily
increasing and the sea rising. At five in the morning Maud brought
me hot coffee and biscuits she had baked, and at seven a
substantial and piping hot breakfast put new lift into me.
Throughout the day, and as slowly and steadily as ever, the wind
increased. It impressed one with its sullen determination to blow,
and blow harder, and keep on blowing. And still the Ghost foamed
along, racing off the miles till I was certain she was making at
least eleven knots. It was too good to lose, but by nightfall I
was exhausted. Though in splendid physical trim, a thirty-six-hour
trick at the wheel was the limit of my endurance. Besides, Maud
begged me to heave to, and I knew, if the wind and sea increased at
the same rate during the night, that it would soon be impossible to
heave to. So, as twilight deepened, gladly and at the same time
reluctantly, I brought the Ghost up on the wind.
But I had not reckoned upon the colossal task the reefing of three
sails meant for one man. While running away from the wind I had
not appreciated its force, but when we ceased to run I learned to
my sorrow, and well-nigh to my despair, how fiercely it was really
blowing. The wind balked my every effort, ripping the canvas out
of my hands and in an instant undoing what I had gained by ten
minutes of severest struggle. At eight oclock I had succeeded
only in putting the second reef into the foresail. At eleven
oclock I was no farther along. Blood dripped from every finger-
end, while the nails were broken to the quick. From pain and sheer
exhaustion I wept in the darkness, secretly, so that Maud should
not know.
Then, in desperation, I abandoned the attempt to reef the mainsail
and resolved to try the experiment of heaving to under the close-
reefed foresail. Three hours more were required to gasket the
mainsail and jib, and at two in the morning, nearly dead, the life
almost buffeted and worked out of me, I had barely sufficient
consciousness to know the experiment was a success. The close-
reefed foresail worked. The Ghost clung on close to the wind and
betrayed no inclination to fall off broadside to the trough.
I was famished, but Maud tried vainly to get me to eat. I dozed
with my mouth full of food. I would fall asleep in the act of
carrying food to my mouth and waken in torment to find the act yet
uncompleted. So sleepily helpless was I that she was compelled to
hold me in my chair to prevent my being flung to the floor by the
violent pitching of the schooner.
Of the passage from the galley to the cabin I knew nothing. It was
a sleep-walker Maud guided and supported. In fact, I was aware of
nothing till I awoke, how long after I could not imagine, in my
bunk with my boots off. It was dark. I was stiff and lame, and
cried out with pain when the bed-clothes touched my poor finger-
ends.
Morning had evidently not come, so I closed my eyes and went to
sleep The Sea Wolf page 141 The Sea Wolf page 143 |