We should have to try anyway; so we rolled up and lashed the foot of
that huge sail as firmly as we could, and, having done that, all four of
us clapped on to the main-halyard purchase and slowly raised the big
yard about three feet. What canvas was now free lashed about
ferociously, giving us stern way.
"Stand by your main sheets," I yelled. "Stand by to ease and haul your
tiller hard a-starboard."
Dobson and Wiggins dashed aft to obey, and, as the rudder was put over,
our bows began to pay off from the gale, and, doing so, the full force
of it broke on the beam; that scrap of sail filled, and bore us over
until our bows were buried in the sea.
"Midships the helm!" I shouted, and watched to see how the dhow would
behave. A squall struck her, and a wave of great height, leaping over
us, surged on board--solid water. The dhow heeled over till we could
not stand, and those lashings round the foot of the sail gave way like
pistol shots, one after the other; the whole of that huge sail shot out
like a balloon, and we gave a tremendous lurch.
Where the bows had been was now a churning mass of water; the lee
gunwale and the foot of the lee shrouds were out of sight; I was up to
my waist in water; one of the Arabs was washed overboard, and the
nakhoda would have been had he not been lashed to that ringbolt.
I struggled to the main sheet, yelling to Dobson to ease it, but it was
under water and had jammed; no one could get at it.