was built for the samples and the lighter goods to be kept in,
and as a place for the general business. In the mean time we were
employed in working upon the rigging. Everything was set up taught,
the lower rigging rattled down, or rather rattled up, (according
to the modern fashion,) an abundance of spun-yarn and seizing-stuff
made, and finally, the whole standing-rigging, fore and aft, was
tarred down. This was my first essay at this latter business,
and I had enough of it; for nearly all of it came upon my friend
S----- and myself. The men were needed at the other work, and
M-----, the other young man who came out with us, was laid up with
the rheumatism in his feet, and the boy was rather too young and
small for the business; and as the winds were light and regular,
he was kept during most of the daytime at the helm; so that nearly
all the tarring came upon us. We put on short duck frocks, and
taking a small bucket of tar and a bunch of oakum in our hands we
went aloft, one at the main royal-mast-head and the other at the fore,
and began tarring down. This is an important operation, and is usually
done about once in six months in vessels upon a long voyage. It was
done in our vessel several times afterwards, but by the whole crew
at once, and finished off in a day; but at this time, as most of it
came upon two of us, and we were new at the business, it took us
several days. In this operation they always begin at the mast-head
and work down, tarring the shrouds, back-stays, standing parts of
the lifts, the ties, runners, etc., and go out to the yard-arms,
and come in, tarring, as they come, the lifts and foot-ropes.
Tarring the stays is more difficult, and is done by an operation
which the sailors call "riding down." A long piece of rope--
top-gallant-studding-sail halyards, or something of the kind--
is taken up to the mast-head from which the stay leads, and rove
through a block for a girt-line, or, as the sailors usually call it,