glancing over the side to mark her headway.

"Any rig becomes the 'Sea Witch,'" answered the officer, with evident
pride.

"That is true," returned the captain. "Luff, sir, luff a bit, so, well,"
he continued to the man at the helm; "we will have all of her weatherly
points that site will give."

"The wind is rather more unsteady than it was an hour past," said Mr.
Faulkner.

"Rather puffy, and twice I thought it would haul right about, but here
we have it still from the north'rd and east'rd," replied the captain.

"Here it is again," added the mate, as the wind hauled once more.

The immediate object of the change in the vessel's rig, which we have
described, was at once apparent, enabling the vessel to lie nearer the
wind in her course, as well its giving her increased velocity by
bringing more canvass to draw than a square rig could do when close
hauled. But a shrewd observer would have been led to ask, what other
reason, save that of disguise, could have been the actuating motive in
thus giving to the "Sea Witch" a double character in her rig? For though
temporary and somewhat important advantage could at times be thus
gained, as we have seen, yet such an object alone would not have
warranted the increased outlay that was necessarily incurred, to say
nothing of the imperative necessity of a vessel's being very strongly
manned in order to enable her to thus change her entire aspect with any
ordinary degree of celerity, and as had just been accomplished.