If three vessels communicate at sea, the weather and middle ones back their main topsails, and the lee one her fore; then, in case of necessity, the weather one fills her after yards and shoots ahead, the middle one throws all aback and drops astern, and the lee one shivers her after sails and falls off.

SOUNDING.The marks upon the lead-lines have been given previously, at page 5. To sound with the handlead, a man stands in the weather main channels with a breast-rope secured to the rigging, and throws the lead forward, while the vessel has headway on. If the depth corresponds with the marks upon the line, as if it is 5, 7, or 10 fathoms, he calls out, "By the mark five!" &c. If it is a depth the fathoms of which have no mark upon the line, as 6, 8, ɔr 9, he calls out, "By the deep six!" &c. If he judges the depth to be a quarter or a half more than a particular fathom, as, for instance, 5, he calls out "And a quarter," or, "And a half, five!" &c. If it is 5 and three

quarters, he would say, "Quarter less six!" and so on. To SOUND BY THE DEEP-SEA-LEAD.-Have the line coiled down in a tub or rack, clear for running, abreast of the main rigging. Carry the end of the line forward on the weather side, outside of everything, to the cat-head or the spritsail yard-arm, and bend it to the lead, which must be armed with tallow. One man holds the lead for heaving, and the others range themselves along the side, at intervals, each with a coil of the line in his hand. An officer, generally the chief mate, should stand by to get the depth. All being ready, the word is given, "Stand by! Heave!" As soon as the man heaves the lead, he calls out "Watch, ho! Watch!" and each man, as the last fake of the coil goes out of his hand, repeats, "Watch, ho! Watch!" The line then runs out until it brings up by the lead's being on bottom, or until there is enough out to show that there is no bottom to be reached. The officer notes the depth by the line, which is then snatched, and the men haul it aboard, and coil it away fair. If the lead has been on the bottom, the arming of tallow will bring up some of it; by which the character of the soundings may be ascertained. The soundings, however, cannot be taken until the vessel's

For this purpose,

way has been stopped or deadened. before heaving the lead, either luff up and keep all skaking, or brace aback the main or mizen topsail, or both, according to your headway, keeping the head-yards full. If you are going free with studding-sails set, you may clew up the lower and boom end the topmast studding-sails, bring her up to the wind, and keep the sails lifting, without getting them aback.

It has been laid down as a rule, that if the vessel sags much to leeward, as when under short sail in a gale of wind, pass the line from the weather side round the stern, clear of everything, and heave the lead from the lee side; otherwise she would leave the lead too far to windward for measurement, or for recovering it again. But in this mode there is great danger of the line getting caught on the bottom or at the rudder-heel. It must be very deep water if a vessel cannot be managed so as to get soundings to windward.

HEAVING THE LOG.-One man holds the log-reel, upon which the log-line is wound, another holds the glass, and the officer squares the chip; and, having coiled up a little of the stray line, he throws the chip overboard astern, or from the lee-quarter. As he throws the chip, he calls out, "Watch!" To which the man with the glass answers, "Watch." As soon as the mark for the stray line goes off the reel, he calls out, "Turn!" and the man turns the glass, answering, Turn," or "Done." The instant the sand has run out, he calls "Out!" or 66 Stop!" and the officer stops the line and notes the marks. It is then wound up again on the reel.

CHAPTER XV.

COMING TO ANCHOR.

Getting ready for port. Coming to anchor-close-hauled-free. Mooring. Flying moor. Clearing hawse. To anchor with a slip-rope. Slipping a cable. Coming-to at a slipped cable.

GETTING READY FOR PORT.-Get your anchors off the bows, and let them hang by the cat-stoppers and shankpainters. Bend your cables and overhaul a few ranges forward of the windlass, according to the depth of the anchorage and the strength of the tide or wind, and range the remainder that you expect to use along the decks, abaft the windlass. Have the boats ready for lowering, and a spare hawser, with some stout rope for kedging or warping, at hand, coiled on the hatches.

COMING TO ANCHOR.-If you have the wind free and all sail set, take in your studding sails, make them up and stow them away, rig in the booms and coil away the gear, and have all ready in good season. You may then, as you draw in toward the anchorage, take in your royals and flying jib, furling the royals if you have time. The topgallant sails are next taken in, and the foresail hauled up. The topgallant sails may be furled or not, according to the strength of the wind and the number of hands. If you are before the wind, your mainsail will be hauled up, or, if the sheet is aft, haul up the lee clew-garnet. Get your ship under her topsails, jib and spanker. When near the ground, clew up the fore and main topsails, put the helm down, haul down the jib and flatten in the spanker. If you have too much headway, back the mizen topsail. Cock-bill your anchor and stream the buoy. When she has lost her headway, let go the anchor. Let hands stand by to give her chain, as she needs it.

If you come into anchoring ground close-hauled, haul in the weather fore and main braces, and clew up. If the wind is light, you may square the fore and main yards

before clewing up. This will deaden her way. If the wind is fresh, it would make it difficult to clew up the sails. Haul down the jib, and come to by the spanker, or mizen topsail and spanker. If the wind is light, she may need the mizen topsail; if not, it may be taken in, and she may be brought to by the spanker. If she has too much headway, or there is a tide setting her in, throw all aback.

MOORING. A vessel is said to be moored when she rides with more than one anchor, in different directions. The common method of mooring is, when you have come to with one anchor, to pay out chain and let her drop astern until you have out double the scope you intend to ride by. Then let go your other anchor. Slack up the cable of the latter anchor, and heave in on that of the first, until you have the same scope to each anchor. You may also moor by lowering the anchor and lashing it to the stern of the longboat, and coiling away the full scope in the bottom of the boat. You may then pull off and pick out your own berth, and let go.

If you wish to drop your second anchor in any other place than directly to leeward of the first, you may, without using your long-boat, warp the vessel over the berth intended for your second anchor.

You should always moor so that you may ride with an open hawse in the direction from which you are liable to the strongest winds. If you have chain cables, you may moor with both cables bent to a swivel just clear of the hawse-hole, one chain coming in-board. In moderate

weather, and where you are not in a strong tide-way, it will generally be sufficient to let go one anchor, since, if you have out a good scope of chain, you will ride by the bight of it, and it will require a very heavy blow to bring a strain upon the anchor.

In mooring, you should always have a shackle near the hawse-hole, for clearing hawse. If it is just abaft the windlass, it will be convenient in case you wish to slip your cable.

A FLYING MOOR, sometimes called a RUNNING MOOR.Have both anchors ready for letting go, with double the scope of chain you intend to ride by ranged for the weather

anchor, and the riding scope of the lee-chain. There are two ways of making a flying moor. One is to clew up everything and let go the first anchor while she has sufficient headway to run out the whole double range. When it is all out, or just before, luff sharp up, brace aback to stop her way, and let go the other anchor. Then heave in on the first and light out on the second, until there is the same scope to each. This mode is almost impracticable in a merchant vessel, where there is but one deck, and where the chain may have to be paid out over a windlass, since the headway would in most cases be soon stopped.

The other mode is, to lay all flat aback, and the moment the headway ceases, let go your first anchor, paying out chain as she drops astern, until double your riding scope is out. Then let go your second anchor and heave in on the first.

CLEARING HAWSE.-When a vessel is moored, she may swing so as to get a foul hawse; that is, so as to bring one cable across the other. If one cable lies over the other, it is called a cross. When they make another cross, it is

The

called an elbow. Three crosses make a round turn. turns may be kept out of a cable by tending the vessel when she swings, and casting her stern one side or the other, by the helm, jib and spanker. To clear hawse, trice the slack cable up by a line or a whip purchase and hook, below the turns. Lash the two cables together just below the lowest turn. Pass a line round the cable from outside, following each turn, and in through the hawse-hole of the slackcable, and bend it to the shackle. Unshackle and bend a line to the end. Rouse the cable out through the hawsehole, slacking up on the end line, and tricing up if necessary. Take out the turns by the first line passed in, and haul in again on the end line. Shackle the chain again, heave taut, and cast off the lashings.

TO ANCHOR WITH A SLIP-ROPE.-This is necessary when you are lying in an open roadstead, where you must stand out to sea upon a gale coming up, without taking time to get your anchor. You must ride at one anchor. Having come to, take a hawser round from the quarter on the same side with your anchor, outside of everything, and bend its