“All except the top and forecastle men walked in well trained tactics to the music of the drum and fife around the capstan; and while the boatswain's mates piped loudly the signal to unfurl the sails, the top men scaled the shrouds and laid out upon the yards—loosed the main sails, the quartermaster stood prepared to cun*, and in five minutes the anchor was catted—the canvass sheeted home, and the gallant ship under a press of sail.”
[The Voyages and Five Years Captivity in Algiers, Pfeiffer, Rupp, 1836]

*The interweb/wiki dictionary universe is conflicted on this word but one route is: Alternative form of conn (“direct or steer a ship”.) From the obsolete spelling cond.

Fwiw: It's some type of pilot's task and the old world instrument and symbol of office was the sounding pole or contus.