The sea was still fearful, and Captain Truck found
himself obliged to keep off from his course, in order to avoid the danger
of having his decks swept.
The racing with the crest of the waves, however, was quite done, for the
seas soon cease to comb and break, after the force of the wind
is expended.
At no time is the motion of the vessel more unpleasant, or, indeed, more
dangerous, than in the interval that occurs between the ceasing of a
violent gale, and the springing up of a new wind. The ship is
unmanageable, and falling into the troughs of the sea, the waves break in
upon her decks, often doing serious injury, while the spars and rigging
are put to the severest trial by the sudden and violent surges which they
have to withstand. Of all this Captain Truck was fully aware, and when he
was summoned to breakfast he gave many cautions to Mr. Leach before
quitting the deck.
"I do not like the new shrouds we got up in London," he said, "for the
rope has stretched in this gale in a way to throw too much strain on the
old rigging; so see all ready for taking a fresh drag on them, as soon as
the people have breakfasted. Mind and keep her out of the trough, sir, and
watch every roller that you find comes tumbling upon us."
After repeating these injunctions in different ways, looking to windward
some time, and aloft five or six minutes, Captain Truck finally went
below, to pass judgment on Mr.
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