above, the masts of the vessel would at that moment alone have been visible, the whole hull must have been submerged. But the Falcon was strong, the mass of water had not broken through her decks: just as she had met the first wave she met this, not in the least on one quarter or the other, so we escaped broaching-to, a probable occurrence in the presence of such monster waves, and one that would of course have ensured our loss. In another second, as I opened my eyes after the stunning effect of the deluge of water, I saw the bulwarks rise above the sea, then the little vessel gave herself a sort of shake of relief and the water soon poured out through her scuppers, this being facilitated by the comparatively calm sea that always succeeds to exceptionally high waves. The cook, I observed, had held on tightly, and had not been washed overboard. Then the companion-hatch slid back and my two other Italian hands came up, with faces pallid; when they heard the shock of the mass of water on deck, they fancied that they distinctly felt the vessel going down, and were sure she was foundering. They said that after the first shock it suddenly became quite dark in the cabin and all was silent, while little jets of water were spurting in, as if under great pressure, through every little leak between the planks of the deck above them.'
When sailing with the wind abeam, the sheets are eased off so that the sails just fill and draw well, without shaking at the luff. If a steep sea rolls up,
