"There's a big flaw close under the slings of the foreyard.

It won't stand the pressure of that foresail ag'in it much longer, Cap'; and it'll be safe to carry away presently." "Then we must relieve it before that happens," said the skipper, giving orders for us to furl the foresail and hoist the fore-topmast staysail in its place, for that would serve to keep control of the helm, he thought.

The ship required some headsail, and this would not try the damaged mast so severely as the foresail had done, with its wide extent of canvas.
By the time all these different manoeuvres had been essayed and effected it was broad daylight.

It was a fine morning, too, although the wind was still blowing a hurricane and the sea was fearfully high and choppy, for there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the heavens, while the sun was shining down with almost tropical heat; but, in spite of its looking so bright, we hadn't done with the nor'-wester yet.
Towards mid-day, when we found from observation that we were in latitude 27 degrees North and longitude 18 degrees West--nearly abreast of the island of Palma in the Canaries, and a terrible distance to the eastward of our position on the previous day, thus showing all the leeway we had lost--the wind increased so much in strength that it blew now with even greater force than at its first onset the evening before on the breaking out of the gale.
This was not all, either.
The heavy waves that dashed against the ship as she headed them, broke upon her bows with such fury that it seemed every moment as if they would beat in the timbers; while, every now and then, some billow mightier than its fellows would force her head away, making her fall off, and then, the succeeding sea would take her broadside on, hurling tons of broken water on her decks that would have soon filled her had not the hatches been battened down, which precaution had been taken when we first reduced sail.
The situation became serious on this being repeated several times during the afternoon, for there was great danger of the vessel being any moment thrown on her beam ends, when there would certainly be a clean sweep made of everything on board and the _Esmeralda_ be speedily converted into a floating wreck! Captain Billings accordingly called a council of his officers, I standing by and listening to what Mr Macdougall and Jorrocks advised should be done in the emergency.

These both, however, came to the same opinion as the skipper, that scudding would be the best course to pursue under the circumstances--although, like him, they were well aware that the difficulty which faced us all consisted, not so much in running before the wind, as in managing to get the vessel's head round so as to do it without broaching or letting her to.
Still, the manoeuvre had to be tried as a last resource.
"I don't see that anything else can be done," said Captain Billings, with a more anxious look on his face than I had ever noticed there before.