While he spoke, the wind came fresher and fresher, and now and then a
damp puff and lull, that were too significant tokens for a seaman to
disregard. Captain Ratlin jumped upon the inner braces of the taffrail,
and shading his eyes with his hands for a moment, looked steadily to
windward, then glanced at his well-filled sails as though he was loth to
lose even a minute of such a fair wind. He delayed, however, but a
second, when jumping down to the deck again, he issued his orders in
those brief but significant tones of voice, which at the same time
imparts promptness and confidence in a waiting crew on shipboard.

"In studd'nsails, gaff-topsails, fore royal and top-gallantsails, with a
will, men, cheerily, cheerily O!"

These were tones that the crew of the "Sea Witch" were no strangers to,
and sounds they loved, for they betokened a thorough and complete
feeling of confidence between commander and men, and they worked with
spirit.

"Lay aft here, and brail the spanker up!" continued the captain,
promptly.

"Ay, ay, sir!" was the response of a half dozen ready hands, as they
sprang to do his bidding.

The vessel was thus, by the consummation of these orders, quickly
reduced to her mainsail, foresail, and foretopsail, while she flew
before the on-coming gale at the rate of seventeen or eighteen knots an
hour, being actually much faster than the sea. It was now evident to
every one on board that a severe gale of wind was gathering, and its
force was momentarily more powerfully exercised upon the vessel.