She has an enormous yard, much longer than herself, on which is bent the high peaked mainsail.

She carries a gaff-top-sail, fore-staysail, jib and flying-jib, and can rig out all sorts of light sails when she is before the wind.

She is a good sea boat, but slow and clumsy, and needs a strong crew to handle her.
The two boys who sat in the fishing boat alongside the martingane on that dark night had no idea that all sea-going vessels were not called ships; but there was something mysteriously attractive to them in the black hull, the high tapering yard, and the shadowy rigging.

They were certainly not imaginative boys, but they could not help wondering where the great dark thing had been and whither she might be going.

They did not know what going to sea meant, nor what real deep-sea vessels were like, and they even fancied that this one might have been to America.
But they understood well enough that they were to make no noise, and they kept their reflections to themselves, silently holding on to the end of the rope as they sat in their places.
They did not wait very long.