Companion. A skylight admitting light to the lower deck. —Keyes ↩
Mahon soger. Probably Turkish loafer. —Keyes ↩
Chronometer or … sextant. A chronometer is an extremely accurate timepiece which keeps Greenwich time, used in determining a ship’s longitude at sea. A sextant is an instrument whereby latitude is determined by measuring the sun’s height above the horizon at noon. By the sextant the exact moment of noon is determined. The difference between this time and that recorded by the chronometer serves for calculating the distance west from Greenwich, i.e. the longitude. —Keyes ↩
Landfall. In nautical language, the sighting of land. —Keyes ↩
Quarter. The side of a vessel; toward the rear. —Keyes ↩
Reef point. One of the numerous small ropes used in reducing the dimensions of a sail. —Keyes ↩
This word “lay,” which is in such general use on board ship, being used in giving orders instead of “go”; as “Lay forward!” “Lay aft!” “Lay aloft!” etc., I do not understand to be the neuter verb, lie, mispronounced, but to be the active verb lay, with the objective case understood; as “Lay yourselves forwards!” “Lay yourselves aft!” etc. ↩
Southwester. A waterproof hat with a wide brim or extension behind for protecting the wearer’s neck. —Keyes ↩
Haul down and clew up. Haul down and make fast. —Keyes ↩
Bow-ports. Openings at the bow. —Keyes ↩
Hawsehole. A hole in the bow through which the anchor chain passes. —Keyes ↩
Knightheads. A pair of heavy upright timbers placed on either side of the bowsprit as a support. —Keyes ↩
Lee scuppers. Gutters bordering the lee side of the deck. —Keyes ↩
Grog. A mixture of spirits and water, without sweetening. —Keyes ↩
Grampuses. A variety of large dolphin. —Keyes ↩
Heave … to. To bring to a standstill. —Keyes ↩
Starbowlines. Men of the starboard watch. —Keyes ↩
Kid. A small tub or wooden bowl for sailors’ rations. —Keyes ↩
Hove flat aback. Brought to a standstill. —Keyes ↩
Advance. A small payment on account of wages made when a sailor agrees to ship for a given voyage. —Keyes ↩
“Flying Dutchman.” A legendary spectral ship whose captain, a blasphemous Dutchman, having vowed that he would sail round Cape Horn against the wind, is compelled to sail his vessel until the day of judgment. —Keyes ↩
Fore peak. The narrow, forward hold of a vessel. —Keyes ↩
“Alerta.” “On guard!” —Keyes ↩
Classic island. The island of Juan Fernandez, off the coast of Chile, was, during four years, the solitary abode of Alexander Selkirk (1676–1723), a Scotch sailor whose adventures are supposed to have suggested Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. —Keyes ↩
Presidio. Fortress. —Keyes ↩
Ground apples. Probably artichokes. —Keyes ↩
Lord Anson. Lord George Anson, 1697–1762, an English admiral and navigator. —Keyes ↩
Botany Bay. A British convict colony in Australia during the latter part of the eighteenth century. —Keyes ↩
Paseo. Pleasure trip; stroll. —Keyes ↩
Padre. Priest. —Keyes ↩
Capitán. Commander of the garrison. —Keyes ↩
Off and on. Part of the time pointing toward the shore; part of the time away from, as the ship tacked back and forth while waiting. —Keyes ↩
Filled away. Let the wind fill the sails. —Keyes ↩
Tarpaulin. Waterproof canvas: in this case sailor’s waterproof hat. —Keyes ↩
Rigging. The rigging of a ship consists of the cordage of the masts, yards, etc. The lower rigging is that of lower masts and yards. Standing rigging is that which is more or less permanently in place. Running rigging is that used in the raising and lowering of the yards. —Keyes ↩
Rattled down. To fasten with light lines. —Keyes ↩
Riding down. Freed of its nautical terms, the passage means that the sailor slides down the stay by means of a swing formed from one end of a rope. The other end, having been given a twist around the stay, is passed through a pulley block attached to the masthead, and thence carried to a man on deck, who thus controls his companion’s progress down the stay. —Keyes ↩
Truck. A disk at the top of a mast. —Keyes ↩
Haze is a word of frequent use on board ship, and never, I believe, used elsewhere. It is very expressive to a sailor, and means to punish by hard work. Let an officer once say, “I’ll haze you,” and your fate is fixed. You will be “worked up,” if you are not a better man than he is. ↩
Steerage The forward part of the ship below the main deck. In the present instance undoubtedly allotted to the author and his companion as a mark of special distinction. —Keyes ↩
Mess. Eat with. —Keyes ↩
Bay of Sir Francis Drake. San Francisco Bay. —Keyes ↩
Bent … buoys. Attached the anchor cables to floats, by means of which they might readily be recovered, and devised a quickly loosened fastening which should enable the ship temporarily to leave her moorings without laborious hoisting of anchors. —Keyes ↩
Yardarm gaskets … rope yarns. Substituted easily broken yarn for the rope generally used in securing a furled sail. These measures were taken to insure speedy departure from a dangerous
