CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
RIGHTING THE SHIP.
"Now, men!" cried out Captain Miles, when our excitement had calmed down a little, "we've got the axe; but, the next thing we have to do is to use it, so as to release the ship as soon as we can.

I think, my lads, I ought to have the first turn." So saying, taking the axe from Jake, he made a slash at the end of the hawser which had been rigged up over the head of the foremast, when, the strands being cut through after a couple of heavy strokes, the rope parted, curling up like a whip and flying up in the air with a pretty sharp report.
"Now, Mr Marline, it's your turn," said the captain, having thus set an example in commencing the work; and then, the first mate, nothing loth, attacked the main-shrouds, severing them clear to the chain-plates, when he handed over the axe to Jackson, who also did wonders with the weapon towards clearing away the heavy rigging that had so long resisted the efforts of the men with their clasp-knives.
The sea by this time was quite calm, thus greatly facilitating our labour; but, from our not having had any food for two days, all hands were very weak, and it took them a much longer time to free the ship of all her rope hamper and cordage than they would have achieved the task in if they had possessed their proper strength.

It was, therefore, quite late on in the afternoon when the rigging on the port side was all detached, although Jake had recovered the axe at noon, and we had set to work immediately afterwards.
This, however, was only a preliminary to the real labour that lay before us--that of cutting away the masts, a much more serious matter.
The ship, it must be recollected, was lying completely over on her starboard side, with all her spars extended horizontally flat along the surface of the sea, which washed up to the hatches; so that, even amidships, the water was too deep for the men to have stood on the deck, even if they could have found foothold; there.

Away ahead, the bows were completely submerged right up to the fore-chains, the ocean swell washing right through the _Josephine_ fore and aft, right up to the poop.
Luckily, however, the upper portion of the mainmast bitts projected out of the water, so, Jackson, climbing down on to these and supporting himself as well as he could by balancing his body with his feet | extended outwards straddle-ways, commenced to slash away at the mast here; while the rest of the men, under Mr Marline's directions, proceeded to clear away the rigging and unreeve those ropes which they were able to reach, in order to leave the spar clear for Jackson to work upon it freely.
It was a terribly tough job, though, the young seaman having to waste a part of each blow in the water that covered the foot of the mast.

This neutralised his efforts, but he could not help it, for the axe splashed in the sea before touching the wood.
After a short spell, Jackson, quite feeble from hunger and exhaustion, had to give in, when Moggridge took his place, chopping vigorously at the mast as long as he was able.