They could ascend _without_ ratlines to the very tops of the slanting masts, and take in or unloose the sails.

I could not repress a shudder on seeing these poor creatures hanging betwixt earth and heaven, so far above me that they appeared like dwarfs.
They work with one hand, while they cling to the mast with the other.

I do not think that a better, or a more active, agile, and temperate race of sailors exists than these.

Their fare consists of bread or ship-biscuit in the morning, with sometimes a raw cucumber, a piece of cheese, or a handful of dates in addition.

For dinner they have the same diet, and for supper they have a dish of warm beans, or a kind of broth or pilau.