Two of the seamen were engaged in coiling down a hand-lead line; the rest of the men on deck were devoting their attention to the now departing canvas boat. ❋ Edward S. [Illustrator] Hodgson (1917)
"Try the hand-lead," Dick ordered him, as he changed his course, since he was apparently heading for the beach. ❋ Harold Bindloss (1905)
It was Mr. Goodfellow who worked the hand-lead, under Captain ❋ Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (1903)
Therefore, a massive chain like a small ship's cable was brought forward, and in a very ingenious way, by means of a tiny buoy and a hand-lead, passed round the body, one end brought through a ring in the other, and hauled upon until it fitted tight round the "small" or part of the whale next the broad spread of the tail. ❋ Frank T. Bullen (1886)
They had had the precaution to provide themselves with a hand-lead; and as soon as the channel was reached a very complete set of soundings, from end to end and over its entire width, was taken under Ned's supervision. ❋ Harry Collingwood (1886)
Here, with the assistance of the hand-lead, I found a minimum depth of two fathoms; but the bottom was very uneven, and in a few places I found as much as five fathoms of water. ❋ Harry Collingwood (1886)
I meantime had got hold of the hand-lead, and hove it ahead. ❋ William Henry Giles Kingston (1847)
It was the more necessary to moor the ship in some such situation, as we found from six to seven fathoms water by dropping the hand-lead down close to her bow and quarter on the outer side. ❋ William Edward Parry (1822)
I stood up in the stern-sheets, and made constant casts with the hand-lead, with a short line, however, as the boat went foaming through the water. ❋ James Fenimore Cooper (1820)
One thing was, however, certain, which was, that we were in much shallower water than we had any idea of; and the master, much alarmed, desired the quarter-master to go into the chains and see if he could get soundings with the hand-lead while the men were hauling in the deep sea-line. ❋ Frederick Marryat (1820)
"` I will show you, my lads, how to fish, 'he said, with a bland smile, and thereon he ordered three boarding-pikes to be brought, to each of which he had about four feet of rope yarn secured, with a hand-lead at the end. ❋ William Henry Giles Kingston (1847)
For my part, I never want any better hand-lead than my nose. " ❋ James Fenimore Cooper (1820)
