The Sailor's Word-Book Part 145

"Fishes love soote smell; also it is trewe Thei love not old kydles as thei doe the newe."

KYLE. A bay, or arm of the sea, on our northern sh.o.r.es, as the Kyles of Bute, &c.

KYNTALL. An old form of _quintal_ (which see).

L.

L. The three L's were formerly vaunted by seamen who despised the use of nautical astronomy; viz. lead, lat.i.tude, and look-out, all of them admirable in their way. Dr. or Captain Halley added the fourth L--the greatly desired longitude.

LAAS. An obsolete term for an illegal net or snare.

LABARUM. A standard in early days.

LABBER, TO. To struggle in water, as a fish when caught. To splash.

LABOUR. In the relative mechanical efforts of the human body labouring in various posture, 682-1/3 have been given for the rowing effort, 476 for the effort at a winch, and 209-1/3 for the effort at a pump.

LABOURING. The act of a ship's working, pitching, or rolling heavily, in a turbulent sea, by which the masts, and even the hull, are greatly endangered.

LABOURSOME. Said of a ship which is subject to roll and pitch violently in a heavy sea, either from some defect in her construction, or improper stowage of her hold.

LACE, TO. To apply a bonnet by lacing it to a sail. Also, to beat or punish with a rattan or rope's-end. Also, the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of uniforms.

LACHES. In law, loose practice, or where parties let matters sleep for above seven years, when by applying to the admiralty court they might have compelled the production of an account.

LACING. Rope or cord used to lace a sail to a gaff, or a bonnet to a sail. Also, one of the princ.i.p.al pieces that compose the knee of the head, running up as high as the top of the hair-bracket. Also, a piece of compa.s.s or knee timber, fayed to the back of the figure-head and the knee of the head, and bolted to each.

LACUSTRINE. Belonging or referring to a lake.

LADDER. The _accommodation ladder_ is a sort of light staircase occasionally fixed on the gangway. It is furnished with rails and man-ropes; the lower end of it is kept at a proper distance from the ship's side by iron bars or braces to render it more convenient. (_See_ GANGWAY.)--_Forecastle-ladder_ and _hold-ladder_, for getting into or out of those parts of a ship.--_Jacob's ladder_, abaft top-gallant masts, where no ratlines are provided.--_Quarter_ or _stern ladders_.

Two ladders of rope, suspended from the right and left side of a ship's stern, whereby to get into the boats which are moored astern.

LADDER-WAYS. The hatchways, scuttles or other openings in the decks, wherein the ladders are placed.

LADE. Anglo-Saxon _laedan_, to pour out. The mouth of a channel or drain.

To _lade_ a boat, is to throw water out.

LADE-GORN, OR LADE-PAIL. A bucket with a long handle to lade water with.

LADEN. The state of a ship when charged with materials equal to her capacity. If the goods be heavy, her burden is determined by weight; but if light, she carries as much as she can conveniently stow. A ton in measure is estimated at 2000 lbs. in weight; a vessel of 200 tons ought therefore to carry a weight equal to 400,000 lbs.; but if she cannot float high enough with as great a quant.i.ty of it as her hold will contain, then a diminution of it becomes necessary. Vessels carry heavy goods by the ton of 20 cwt., but lighter goods by a ton of cubic feet, which varies according to the custom of the port; in London it is 40, in India from 50 to 52, depending on the goods. Vessels can carry (not safely) twice their tonnage.

LADEN IN BULK. A cargo neither in casks, bales, nor cases, but lying loose in the hold, only defended from wet by mats and dunnage. Such are usually cargoes of salt, corn, &c.

LADIA. An unwieldy boat in Russia, for transporting the produce of the interior.

LADIE'S LADDER. Shrouds rattled too closely.

LADING. A vessel's cargo.

LADLE, FOR A GUN. An instrument for charging with loose powder; formed of a cylindrical sheet of copper-tube fitted to the end of a long staff.--_Paying-ladle._ An iron ladle with a long channelled spout opposite to the handle; it is used to pour melted pitch into the seams.

LADRON. A term for thief, adopted from the Spanish.

LADRONE SHIP. Literally a pirate, but it is the usual epithet applied by the Chinese to a man-of-war.

LADY OF THE GUN-ROOM. A gunner's mate, who takes charge of the after-scuttle, where gunners' stores are kept.

LAGAN, OR LAGAM. Anglo-Saxon _liggan_. A term in derelict law for goods which are sunk, with a buoy attached, that they may be recovered. Also, things found at the bottom of the sea. Ponderous articles which sink with the ship in wreck.

LAGGERS. On ca.n.a.ls, men who lie on their backs on the top of the lading, and pushing against the bridges and tunnels pa.s.s the boats through.

Also, a transported convict; a lazy fellow.--_To lag._ To loiter.

LAGGIN. The end of the stave outside a cask or tub.

LAGOON. An inland broad expanse of salt water, usually shallow, and connected with the sea by one or more channels, or washes over the reef.

LAGOON ISLANDS. Those produced by coral animals; they are of various shapes, belted with coral, frequently with channels by which ships may enter, and lie safely inside. They are often studded with the cocoa-nut palm. (_See_ ATOLLS.)

LAGUNES. The shallows which extend round Venice; their depth between the city and the mainland is 3 to 6 feet in general; they are occasioned by the quant.i.ties of sand carried down by the rivers which descend from the Alps, and fall into the Adriatic along its north-western sh.o.r.es.

LAG-WOOD. The larger sticks from the head of an oak-tree when felled.

LAID. A fisherman's name for the pollack. Also, a term in rope-making, the twist being the lay; single-laid, is one strand; hawser-laid, three strands twisted into a rope; cablet-laid, three ropes laid together; this is also termed water-laid.

LAID ABACK. _See_ ABACK.

LAID TO. A term used sometimes for _hove to_, but when a vessel lays to the sails are kept full. As in a gale of wind, under staysails, or close reefs, &c.

LAID UP. A vessel dismantled and moored in a harbour, either for want of employment, or as unfit for further service.

LAKE. A large inland expanse of water, with or without communication with the sea. A lake, strictly considered, has no visible affluent or effluent; but many of the loughs of Ireland, and lochs of Scotland, partake of the nature of havens or gulfs. Moreover, some lakes have affluents without outlets, and others have an outlet without any visible affluent; therein differing from lagoons and ponds. The water of lakes entirely encompa.s.sed by land is sometimes _salt_; that communicating with the sea by means of rivers is fresh.

LAKE-LAWYER. A voracious fish in the lakes of America, called also the _mud-fish_.

LAMANTIN. A name used by the early voyagers for the manatee.

LAMB'S-WOOL SKY. A collection of white orbicular ma.s.ses of cloud.

LAMBUSTING. A starting with a rope's-end.

LAMPER-EEL. A common corruption of _lamprey_.

LAMPREY. An eel-like cyclostomous fish, belonging to the genus _Petromyzon_. There are several species, some marine, others fluviatile.