"Now, lads, get her canvas off her."

"All down, captain!"

"Every stitch.

"Andrews, do you and two others get down into the sail locker and
bring up the storm jib, the small foresail, trysail, and storm
mizzen. If it is a tornado, we shan't want to show much sail to
it."

"If we are going to have a tornado, captain, I should recommend
that you get the mainsail loose from the hoops, put the cover on,
roll it up tightly to the gaff and lash it to the bulwarks on one
side, and get the boom off and lash it on the other side."

"That will be a very good plan. The lower we get the weight the
better."

When this was done, the topmast was also sent down and lashed by
the sail. The barrels, which were now all empty, were lowered down
into the saloon, while the trysail was fastened to the hoops ready
for hoisting, and all the reefs tied up. A triangular mizzen was
then hoisted, and a storm jib.

"We won't get up the foresail at present," the captain said. "I
have reefed it right down, sir, but I won't hoist it until we have
got the first blow over."