The sail flapped once with a jerk that seemed to tear our hearts
out through our teeth, and instantly changed into a bunch of fluttering
narrow ribbons that tied themselves into knots and became quiet along
the yard. Captain Allistoun struggled, managed to stand up with his
face near the deck, upon which men swung on the ends of ropes, like nest
robbers upon a cliff. One of his feet was on somebody's chest; his
face was purple; his lips moved. He yelled also; he yelled, bending
down:--"No! No!" Mr. Baker, one leg over the binnacle-stand, roared
out:--"Did you say no? Not cut?" He shook his head madly. "No! No!"
Between his legs the crawling carpenter heard, collapsed at once,
and lay full length in the angle of the skylight. Voices took up the
shout--"No! No!" Then all became still. They waited for the ship to turn
over altogether, and shake them out into the sea; and upon the terrific
noise of wind and sea not a murmur of remonstrance came out from those
men, who each would have given ever so many years of life to see "them
damned sticks go overboard!" They all believed it their only chance; but
a little hard-faced man shook his grey head and shouted "No!" without
giving them as much as a glance.
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