But he carried all sail till the rotten main-sheet parted at the boom, and when he came up in the wind to lower the sail the main throat halyard refused to unreeve. ❋ A. W. Dimock (N/A)
Lower them down and let the falls unreeve, so that they will go adrift. ❋ Morgan Robertson (1888)
Now, then, unreeve y'r halyards! all clear there! pass the end for'd outside the rigging! outside! you fools! ❋ Frank Norris (1886)
He could not only splice a broken "fall," and repair the sheaves and friction-rollers in a hoisting-block, but whenever the rigging got tangled aloft he could spring up the derrick like a cat and unreeve the rope in an instant. ❋ Francis Hopkinson Smith (1876)
"You can unreeve the tops'l halyards," replied the captain, quietly. ❋ Unknown (1859)
At last, as I had repeatedly warned him, the mate singled him out one morning, and commanded him to mount to the main-truck, and unreeve the short signal halyards. ❋ Herman Melville (1855)
"The rope has swollen, sir, and the pendants won't unreeve," cried the middy in agony. ❋ Charles Reade (1849)
Do you, Walter, make a rope fast round the bits; unreeve the fore halliards, they will suit best, and are new and strong. ❋ William Henry Giles Kingston (1847)
On examining it he found that he could unreeve some of the rope. ❋ William Henry Giles Kingston (1847)
We had first to unreeve all the ropes, and unbend all the sails. ❋ William Henry Giles Kingston (1847)
I was busy in helping to unreeve the stay, when I was seized with sudden and violent cramps. ❋ James Fenimore Cooper (1820)
"D'ye hear there, Miles -- away aloft and unreeve them fore-top-gallant halyards, and send an end down to haul up this new rope, to reeve a fresh set." ❋ James Fenimore Cooper (1820)
"Give it to them; drive them from their yards, boys; scatter them with your grape -- unreeve their rigging!" ❋ James Fenimore Cooper (1820)
Luckily, however, the upper portion of the mainmast bitts projected out of the water, so, Jackson, climbing down on to these and supporting himself as well as he could by balancing his body with his feet | extended outwards straddle-ways, commenced to slash away at the mast here; while the rest of the men, under Mr Marline's directions, proceeded to clear away the rigging and unreeve those ropes which they were able to reach, in order to leave the spar clear for Jackson to work upon it freely. ❋ J. [Illustrator] Schonberg (N/A)
We bustled things, and after tantalising delays with the rope got Bowers and some others on the floe, then lowered the sledges packed; three men, including Crean and myself, slid down last on the Alpine rope -- doubled and taken round an ash stave, so that we were able to unreeve the end and recover the rope -- we recovered also most of the old Alpine rope, all except a piece buried in snow on the sea ice and dragged down under the slush, just like the _Discovery_ boats; I could not have supposed this could happen in so short a time. ❋ Robert Falcon Scott (1890)
