Not a sign of the long voyage, of the storms, of the glowing heat she has suffered, must be visible.

Then begins an incessant hammering, planing, and sawing; every flaw, every crack or injury is made good, and, to wind up, the whole vessel is painted afresh.

The worst of all, however, is the hammering when the cracks in the deck are being repaired and filled up with pitch.

This is almost unbearable.
But enough of annoyances.

I have described them merely to prepare, in some degree, those who have never been to sea.