We bowed, and immediately the whole party stepped forth into the air, and formed a circle on the quarterdeck round the capstan. Every thing was silent--presently the old man said a low murmuring prayer of thanksgiving--there was another solemn pause--when all at once they chanted the following magnificent lines of the cvii. Psalm, so beautifully fitted to our situation:--
"They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; "These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. "For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. "They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. "They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. "Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. "He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. "Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness."
I once more wished them a good voyage. Lanyard was by this seated in the boat, and stepping to the gangway, I turned in act to descend the ship's side, with a hold of the manrope in one hand. I found the whole group had followed me, and stood round in a semicircle; even my glorious little fellow was there, sound asleep in his mother's arms; and as the lantern cast its dim light on their mild countenances, and lit up their figures, and the clear pale moon shed a flood of silver light over all, I descended into the boat, and standing up in the stern sheets, again wished them a prosperous voyage. We now shoved off, as for myself, with a softened heart, and fitter to have died, I hope, than I was when the sun set.
Presently the lights on board were extinguished, and I could no longer see the figures of my friends; but still the low murmur of their voices was borne towards me on the gentle breeze, until a loud "yo, heave oh," echoed amongst the sails, and drowned them; while a rattling and cheeping of the gear, and the hollow thumping of the men's feet on the deck, and the groaning of the mainyard against the mast, as it was being braced round, indicated that the tall ship had once more bore up on her moonlight course.