The Sailor's Word-Book Part 121

HALSTER. A west-country term for a man who draws a barge along by a rope.

HALT! The military word of command to stop marching, or any other evolution. A halt includes the period of such discontinuance.

HALVE-NET. A standing net used in the north to prevent fishes from returning with the falling tide.

HALYARDS. _See_ HALLIARDS.

HAMACS. Columbus found that the inhabitants of the Bahama Islands had for beds nets of cotton suspended at each end, which they called _hamacs_, a name since adopted universally amongst seamen. (_See_ HAMMOCK.)

HAMBER, OR HAMBRO'-LINE. Small line used for seizings, las.h.i.+ngs, &c.

HAMMACOE. Beam battens. (_See_ HAMMOCK-BATTENS.)

HAMMER. The s.h.i.+pwright's hammer is a well-known tool for driving nails and clenching bolts, differing from hammers in general.

HAMMER, OF A GUN-LOCK. Formerly the steel covering of the pan from which the flint of the c.o.c.k struck sparks on to the priming; but now the c.o.c.k itself, by its hammer action on the cap or other percussion priming, discharges the piece. Whether the hammer will be superseded by the needle remains to be determined.

HAMMER-HEADED SHARK. The _Zygaena malleus_, a strange, ugly shark. The eyes are situated at the extremities of the hammer-shaped head. They seldom take bait or annoy human beings. They are for the most part inert, live near the surf edge, and are frequently found washed up on sandy beaches. Chiefly found on the coasts of Barbary.

HAMMERING. A heavy cannonade at close quarters.

HAMMOCK. A swinging sea-bed, the undisputed invention of Alcibiades; but the modern name is derived from the Caribs. (_See_ HAMACS.) At present the hammock consists of a piece of canvas, 6 feet long and 4 feet wide, gathered together at the two ends by means of clews, formed by a grommet and knittles, whence the _head-clue_ and _foot-clue_: the hammock is hung horizontally under the deck, and forms a receptacle for the bed on which the seamen sleep. There are usually allowed from 14 to 20 inches between hammock and hammock in a s.h.i.+p of war. In preparing for action, the hammocks, together with their contents, are all firmly corded, taken upon deck, and fixed in various nettings, so as to form a barricade against musket-b.a.l.l.s. (_See_ ENGAGEMENT.)

HAMMOCK-BATTENS OR RACKS. Cleats or battens nailed to the sides of a vessel's beams, from which to suspend the seamen's hammocks.

HAMMOCK-BERTHING. Forecastle-men forward, and thence pa.s.sing aft, foretop-men, maintop-men, mizentop-men, waisters, after-guard, and boys.

Quartermasters in the tiers.

HAMMOCK-CLOTHS. To protect them from wet while stowed in the nettings on deck.

HAMMOCK GANT-LINES. Lines extended from the jib-boom end around the s.h.i.+p, triced up to the lower yard-arms, for drying scrubbed hammocks.

HAMMOCK-NETTINGS. Take their distinguis.h.i.+ng names according to their location in the s.h.i.+p, as forecastle, waist, quarter-deck.

HAMMOCK-RACKS. _See_ HAMMOCK-BATTENS.

HAMPER. Things, which, though necessary, are in the way in times of gale or service. (_See_ TOP-HAMPER.)

HAMPERED. Perplexed and troubled.

HAMRON. An archaic term, meaning the hold of a s.h.i.+p.

HANCES. Spandrels; the falls or descents of fife-rails. Also, the breakings of the rudder abaft. (_See_ HAUNCH.)

HAND. A phrase often used for the word man, as, "a hand to the lead,"

"clap more hands on," &c.--_To hand a sail_, is to furl it.--_To lend a hand_, to a.s.sist.--_Bear a hand_, make haste.--_Hand in the leech_, a call in furling sails. To comprehend this it must be understood that the leech, or outer border of the sail, if left to belly or fill with wind, would set at naught all the powers of the men. It is therefore necessary, as Falconer has it, "the tempest to disarm;" so by handing in this leech-rope before the yard, the canvas is easily folded in, and the gasket pa.s.sed round.

HAND-GRENADE. A small sh.e.l.l for throwing by hand. (_See_ GRENADE.)

HAND-GUN. An old term for small arms in the times of Henry VII. and VIII.

HANDLa.s.s. A west-country term for a small kind of windla.s.s.

HANDLE. The t.i.tle prefixed to a person's name.--_To handle a s.h.i.+p well_, is to work her in a seamanlike manner.

HAND-LEAD. A small lead used in the channels, or chains, when approaching land, and for sounding in rivers or harbours under 20 fathoms. (_See_ LEAD.)

HANDLES OF A GUN. The dolphins.

HAND-LINE. A line bent to the hand-lead, measured at certain intervals with what are called _marks_ and _deeps_ from 2 and 3 fathoms to 20.

HAND MAST-PIECE. The smaller hand mast-spars.

HAND MAST-SPAR. A round mast; those from Riga are commonly over 70 feet long by 20 inches diameter.

HANDMAID. An old denomination for a tender; thus, in Drake's expedition to Cadiz, two of Her Majesty's pinnaces were appointed to attend his squadron as handmaids.

HAND-OVER-HAND. Hauling rapidly upon any rope, by the men pa.s.sing their hands alternately one before the other, or one above the other if they are hoisting. A sailor is said to go hand-over-hand if he lifts his own weight and ascends a single rope without the help of his legs.

Hand-over-hand also implies rapidly; as, we are coming up with the chase hand-over-hand.

HAND-PUMP. The common movable pump for obtaining fresh water, &c., from tanks or casks.

HAND-SAW. The smallest of the saws used by s.h.i.+pwrights, and used by one hand.

HAND-SCREW. A handy kind of single jack-screw.

HANDSOMELY. Signifies steadily or leisurely; as, "lower away handsomely," when required to be done gradually and carefully. The term "handsomely" repeated, implies "have a care; not so fast; tenderly."

HANDSPIKE. A lever made of tough ash, and used to heave round the windla.s.s in order to draw up the anchor from the bottom, or move any heavy articles, particularly in merchant s.h.i.+ps. The handle is round, but the other end is square, conforming to the shape of the holes in the windla.s.s. (_See_ GUNNER'S HANDSPIKE.)

HANDS REEF TOP-SAILS! The order to reef by all hands, instead of the watch, or watch and idlers.

HAND-TIGHT. A rope hauled as taut as it can be by hand only.

HAND-UNDER-HAND. Descending a rope by the converse of hand-over-hand ascent.

HANDY-BILLY. A small jigger purchase, used particularly in tops or the holds, for a.s.sisting in hoisting when weak-handed. A watch-tackle.

(_See_ JIGGER.)

HANDY-s.h.i.+P. One that steers easily, and can be worked with the watch; or as some seamen would express it, "work herself."

HANG. In timber, opposed to _sny_ (which see).--_To hang._ Said of a mast that inclines; _it hangs forward_, if too much stayed; _hangs aft_, if it requires staying.--_To hang the mast._ By some temporary means, until the mast-rope be fleeted.--_To hang on a rope or tackle-fall_, is to hold it fast without belaying; also to pull forcibly with the whole weight.--_To hang aback._ To be slack on duty.

HANGER. The old word for the Persian dagger, and latterly for a short curved sword.

HANG-FIRE. When the priming burns without igniting the cartridge, or the charge does not rapidly ignite after pulling the trigger. Figuratively, _to hang fire_, is to hesitate or flinch.

HANGING. A word expressive of anything declining in the middle part below a straight line, as the hanging of a deck or a sheer. Also, when a s.h.i.+p is difficult to be removed from the stocks, or in manuvre.