, 1880-05-03

dead calm, rising and falling like a
lifcless monster upon the long heavy
swells. I Immediately ordered the
ship to be stripped of her canvass.
The top-gallant masts had already been
sent on deck, thus relieving the ship
ef all her lefty spars. I asked my
mate if he thought there would bo any
use of leaving any sail set.
" No." said he, should say not.
If the blow comes as think it will, a
sail would be of no more use than q
shirt"
That was my mind, too, and my order
for furling all sail was obeyed. Then
had life lines rove, and after this we
waited for the storm. But we mad not
to wait long.
"Do you see that?" whispered Hun
ter, at the same time pointing to the
southwark and eastward.
had seen it and it was long line Of
rumbliug sound, like the distant re-
verberatlens of a cannon. Our ship
lay nearly stern to, and I waited the
coming of the gale with breathless
anxiety.
And it came. 1t roared like thunder
over the foaming waves, and the spray
was rained upon us in torrents. The
ship gave one plunge, and for few
moments thought she would go US
der bat she finally struggled up, and
throwing off her load Of water, she
started on before the wind. examined
the compass and found the wind to
hn., .,Sf hx
east. had one source ST copafOrt, and
that was that l lad plenty of sea-room.
I threw the leg after the ship had got
full headway, but it was impossible to
make anything from it /; for the mad sea
that had leaped up before the gale
=" brought the log home," SO that the
reel would hardly turn save by fits and
starts.
All night long the gale continued
with unabated fury, and toward morn
ing it became evident that we must
throw over most of our cargo or else
set some sail, fer the seas were ROW
very high and were beginning to run
faster than the ship went, and saw
that should she be overtaken by s, me
of the imMense mountains of waters
they would surely swamp u.s. ordered
the foresall to be set, it having been
already donble reefed before it was
fGrled. By care in easing away the
buntlines and clew garnets and ia
hauling down the sheets, we got the
sail safely set but this would not an
swer long. The seas were now so high
that they took the wind from tho sail
all of half the time, and it soon became
evident that we must set one of the top
sails. felt sure that the ship would
scud the easiest under the foretopsail,
and accordingly I had that set.
1t Was now morning. and the wind
had lest 4 Il whit of Its fury. tried
many times to heave the log, but it
would ''coMe home" with the seas.
Once, however, managed to run off
six kNots, and knew We were going
faster thas that-we were going ten, at
least. Noon came, aud the gale was
still us IN all its power. l began to
have some fears tkat we should not
weather it, for the foretopsaiI had more
strain upon it than l liked. 1 feared it
would give way. knew if that should
go our chance of safety would be small,
for had seen enough of the ship in
gales to know that under the main top
sail she would be- apt to yaw and
broach-to. l had some stout, excellent
seamen, and it was to their faithfulness
and experience at the helm that we in a
great measure owed our salvation, for
even the slightest mistake or mishap at
the helm might have proved fatal at
once.
Our course was now northwest by
west, and we had run very nearly that
for the last twenty-four hours and yet
l could not tell how far we had run
[ could guess, and that was all. [ set
it at two hundred miles, but the mate
said it was more.
Night came again, and the gale was
still blowing furiously, and when 1
went down to my cabin that night
prayed. At midnight went on deck,
but the mate would not go below. The
men had become fear-stricken, for the
ship was Low wrenched and loosened
fearfaliy, and I found it necessary to
keep the pumps going all the time.
l went back to my cabin at one
O'Clock and sat down to my chart. I
made as close reckoning as I could of
our sailing distance, and knew that 1
had the course true. I then placed my
parallel upon the chart, and at tho first
look my lips started apart with an ut
terance of horror, and my eyes glared
wildly. My rule struck the island of
st. Elmo. and if nay mate was correct
in his estimate of our velocity, we could
not be over Fifty miles distant from the
island, and, what added to the danger,
| was not fully sure of our position
even SO far as the course was concerned,
for [ knew there was considerable
current in this section of the Pacific,
setting tc the westward, and hence, l
knew not how to steer in order to avoid
tI,n 20 Il iclana oauod Hmm t1r dcu-..