- description
- # CHAPTER XVI. AT DEAD OF NIGHT HE IS SENT UP TO LOOSE THE MAIN-SKYSAIL
## Overview
This is the sixteenth chapter of the novel "Redburn: His First Voyage." It details the narrator's experience of being sent aloft at night to loose the main-skysail, the highest sail on a ship. The chapter spans from line 3045 to 3165 of the source text.
## Context
This chapter is part of the novel "[Redburn: His First Voyage](arke:01KG8AJ9CVDS15WWAP46A9M4XP)," a work by Herman Melville. The novel was extracted from the file "[redburn.txt](arke:01KG89J1GP71YDJ60P8SRH97MF)" and is included within the larger "[Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW)" collection. This chapter follows "CHAPTER XV. THE MELANCHOLY STATE OF HIS WARDROBE" and precedes "CHAPTER XVII. THE COOK AND STEWARD."
## Contents
The chapter describes the narrator's apprehension and awe as he climbs to the highest point of the ship in the dark to perform the task of loosing the main-skysail. He reflects on the extreme height, the vastness of the sea below, and the feeling of isolation. The narrative also includes an interaction with a Dutch sailor named Max, who encourages the narrator and offers some commentary on the sailor's life and the narrator's appearance. The chapter is divided into two chunks, detailing the ascent, the view from the skysail yard, and the subsequent actions.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:49:11.518Z
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- description_title
- CHAPTER XVI. AT DEAD OF NIGHT HE IS SENT UP TO LOOSE THE MAIN-SKYSAIL
- end_line
- 3165
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:38.127Z
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- 3045
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- title
- CHAPTER XVI. AT DEAD OF NIGHT HE IS SENT UP TO LOOSE THE MAIN-SKYSAIL