"You have a square mainsail in the craft, I suppose?" here inquired I, by way of taking Matthew off the old man a little.
"Why, I don't know; maybe the old man has had it cut up to make trousers: but there used to be one when I was in her, and such an omni-po-tent tearer,--it had a hoist to heaven, it sheeted home to h--ll, outspread the eternal universe, and would ha' dragged a frigate seventeen knots through a sea o' treacle, by the living jingo! Why, I've seen it afore now raise the leetle hooker clean out o' water, and tail off, with her hanging on, like the boat to a balloon."
With the least possible sail we continued to slip along at a slapping rate, and long before daylight made the light at the entrance of the Savannah river: had our pilots known this bar as familiarly as they did that of Charleston, we might have run in; as it was, we hove-to in a very heavy sea for upwards of two hours, and the Washington behaved under these circumstances to admiration; she lay-to like a sea-bird, now floating buoyant upon the foamy crest of the great seas, then sliding down their sides into the trough where they would threaten to enclose her.
The senior pilot never quitted the little square hole sunk over the run, wherein he stood to steer, although sometimes, when she rolled to windward and made a dip, the green seas would make a rush over her quarter, and sweep the deck a foot deep; luckily there was nothing to hold the water; but for fourteen hours the old man's hand never left the tiller.
Soon after daylight we once more filled-away, and brought the little jewel of a boat snugly by-the-wind, hauling in for the bar, although not without some ugly doubts; for Matthew and the old man could not agree, and the sea all along in-shore looked plaguy white and ugly as we neared the low land: however, in we flew, having breakers on either hand, over near to be pleasant, and in a few minutes, entering the river close by the wreck of a large brig, were in comparative security.
Our counsel was even now divided about the true channel, until one of the boys, who had made a couple of trading trips up to the city, took it upon his own responsibility to read the buoys and landmarks as far as he knew them. Keeping the lead constantly going, we quietly jogged up the river with a stiff breeze; the country bleak and bare, a region of half-redeemed swamp and lagoon: being in smooth water, our party all turned out; stores were rummaged, and a good breakfast provided upon the deck of the boat so recently swept by the green seas: the past was forgotten, the sun shone out, and again the glee and merry song floated through the air of morning.