He was the more careful not to
shake the nerve of his amateur assistants. He stood
there with a face like a torch; but he gave his orders
with APLOMB, and indeed, now the ship was under
weigh, supposed his difficulties over.
The lower topsails and courses were then set, and the
brig began to walk the water like a thing of life, her
fore-foot discoursing music, the birds flying and
crying over her spars. Bit by bit the passage began to
open and the blue sea to show between the flanking
breakers on the reef; bit by bit, on the starboard bow,
the low land of the islet began to heave closer aboard.
The yards were braced up, the spanker sheet hauled aft
again; the brig was close hauled, lay down to her work
like a thing in earnest, and had soon drawn near to the
point of advantage, where she might stay and lie out of
the lagoon in a single tack.
Wicks took the wheel himself, swelling with success.
He kept the brig full to give her heels, and began to
bark his orders: "Ready about. Helm's a-lee. Tacks
and sheets. Mainsail haul.
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