This latter he made boiling hot and poured over the oakum, hanging it to dry by the cook's fire; and while he was doing this I arranged with the cook to have a bucket of tallow and whiting mixed ready for use when required, so that then all necessary would be to warm it up.
I was just going aft again when "Herrick" was shouted, and I turned, to see Barkins and Smith coming after me.

But Mr Reardon heard the hail, and came striding after us.
"You leave Mr Herrick to the business he is on, young gentlemen, and attend to your own," he cried.

"Go on, Mr Herrick.

This is no time for gossiping." I hurried off, and began my next task, that of selecting twenty men without beards; and there was no difficulty, for I soon picked sixteen and four big lads, upon whose heads the ship's barber was set to work to cut the hair pretty short, the men submitting with an excellent grace, Jack being ready enough to engage in anything fresh, and such as would relieve the monotony of shipboard life.
They were ready enough to ask questions, but I had nothing to tell; and the preparations went merrily on, but not without my having learned that we were steaming right away out of sight of land.
But long before we had reached this pitch, I found that orders had been given, and the men were busy up aloft, lowering down the main-topgallant mast, and then laying the maintop mast all askew, as if it were snapped off at the top.

After which the yards were altered from their perfect symmetry to hang anyhow, as if the ship were commanded by a careless captain.