The bar has been sawn three-quarters of the way through with a fine saw, and, of course, it went as soon as she began to dip her bowsprit well into it in the race.

You see, whoever has done it has poured some acid into it, and darkened the copper, partly perhaps to prevent the colour of the freshly-cut metal from being noticed, and partly to give it the appearance, after it was broken, of being an old cut." "It cannot have been that, sir, for we were out in quite as rough a sea as this last week, and the bowsprit would have gone then if this cut had been there.

Besides, we should have been sure to have noticed it when we went round her to polish up her sides." "I don't know about that, Hawkins.

You see, the cut is from below, and it is only two or three inches above the waterline.

It might very well have been there without being noticed.