The topsails of the Young America had three reef bands, or strips of canvas sewed crosswise over them, in which were the reef points, or strings by which the sail is tied up when reefed.  When the first or highest row of reef points was used, the sail was single reefed; when the second was used, it was double reefed; and when the third row was used, it was close reefed.  On each side of the sail, at the end of each reef band, was a cringle, or eye, in which the reef pendent was fastened.  The reef tackle consists of a rope passing from the eye, at the end of the reef band, through a block at the extremity of the yard, thence to the mast, and down to the deck.  Hauling on this rope draws the required portion of the sail up to the yard in readiness to be reefed.

The reef tackles were hauled out, and the buntlines hauled up to bring the sail where it could be easily handled.  When the sail is to be reefed, the seamen have to a “lay out” on the yards, and tie up the sail.  To enable them to do this with safety, there are horses, or foot-ropes, extending from the slings, or middle of the spar, to the yard-arms.  This rope hangs below the yard, the middle parts being supported by stirrups.  When a man is to “lay out,” he throws his breast across the yard with his feet on the horse.  The man at the “weather earing,” or eye for the reef pendent, has to sit astride the yard, and pull the sail towards him.

The foot-rope sometimes slips through the eyes in the stirrups when only one hand goes out upon it, which does, or may, place him in a dangerous position.  During the preceding day, when the barometer indicated a change of weather, Mr. Lowington had sent the old boatswain aloft to “mouse the horses,” in anticipation of the manoeuvre which the boys were now compelled to perform at midnight, in a gale of wind.  Mousing the horses was merely fastening the foot-ropes to the eyes of the stirrups, so that they could not slip through, and thus throw the entire slack of the horse under one boy, by which he sank down so low that his neck was even with the spar.

At the foot of each mast there is a contrivance for securing ropes, called the fife-rail.  It is full of belaying pins, to which are secured the sheets, halyards, buntlines, clewlines, lifts, braces, reef tackle, and other ropes leading down from aloft.  Looking at the mast, it seems to be surrounded by a perfect wilderness of ropes, without order or arrangement, whose uses no ordinary mortal could comprehend.  There were other ropes leading down from aloft, which were fastened at the sheer-poles and under the rail.  Now, it is necessary that every sailor should be able to put his hand on the right rope in the darkest night; and when the order to haul out the buntlines was given in the gloom and the gale, those to whom this duty was assigned could have closed their eyes and found the right lines.

“Aloft, topman!” continued the first lieutenant, when the topsails were in readiness for reefing.