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} 166 THOMPSON'S COAST PILOT. Slack-water, the interval between the flux and reflux of the tide, when no motion is perceptible in the water. Slatch is applied to the period of a transitory breeze. To slin the cable, to let it run quite out, when there is not time to weigh the anchor. To sue, to turn any cylindrical. piece of timber about its axis, without removing it; thus, to slue a mast or boom, is to turn it in its cap or boom- iron. Also, to turn any package or cask round. Sound, to try the depth of water. Sounding-line, a line to sound with, which is marked in the following manner :--Black leather at 2 and 8 fathoms; white at 5; red at 7; black at 10; white at 13 (some seamen use black at 10 and 18); white at 15 as at 5; red at 17 as at 7; two knots at 10 fathoms, and an additional knot at every ten fathoms, with a single knot midway between each 10 fathoms, to mark the line at every 5 fathoms. , To spill the mizzen, to let go the sheet and peak it up. To spill, to discharge the wind out of the cavity or belly of a sail, wher it is drawn up in the brails, in order to furl or reef it. Spilling-lines are ropes contrived to keep the sails from being blown away, when they 'are clewed up in blowing weather. Splice, to make two ends of ropes fast together by untwisting them, and then putting the strands of one piece with the strands of the other. Split, the state of a sail rent by the violence of the wind. Spoon-drift, a sort of showery sprinkling of the sea water swept from the surface of the waves in a tempest, and flying like a vapor before the wind. Spray, the sprinkling of a sea, driven occasionally from the top of 3 wave, and not continual as a spoon-drift. To spring a mast, yard, etc., to crack a mast, yard, etc., by means of straining in blowing weather, so that it is rendered unsafe for use.-- 70 spring a leak. When a leak fitst commences, a ship is said to spring a leak. To spring the luff. A ship is said to spring her luff, when she yields to the effort of the helm, by sailing nearer to the wind than before. Spring-stays are rather smaller than the stays, and placed above them, and intended to answer the purpose of the stay, if it should be shot away, ete. ; Spring-tides are the tides at new and full moon, which flow highest and ebb lowest. : Spurling-line is a line that goes round a small barrel abaft the barrel of the wheel, and, coming to the front beam of the poop-deck, moves the tell- tale with the turning of the wheel, and keeps it always in such a position as to show the position of the tiller. Spur-shoes are large pieces of timber which come abaft the pump-well. Squall, a sudden, violent blast of wind, : :