The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-07-12
A sQUALI IN THE GULF.

Midnight off Cape Sable! The sky
full Of stars, lighting up the deck
and the sea. Some angel had put an
old sail in a corner of the quarters
decs, which answered for both mat
tress and blanket, and I lay upon
and under it, smoking my pipe and
asking questions of the man at the
wheel about the Gull Stream and
the B .hamas, all OF which he pa
tiently answered until eight bells
struck, and he turned in and an
other man took his place. Then L
talked with him till my second pipe
was finished, and once more Went
below to sleep till daylight, having
had already five hours of good sleep.
Two hours later, as l afterward
found by my watch, l was awakened
by commotion on deck. There
was a rafting of spsrs, q trampling
of feet and great bowling OF the
wind. The schooner pitched and
rolled so violently l could hardly
brace myself in the bunk. Two
hours before it had been clear ana
calm as an August night; so
/ lost no time about get
ting on deck to see what had
turned up. AS soon as my head
bobbed up through the companion.
way the wind nearly carried it
away. All the stars had disap>
pesred, and the night was as dark
as pitch. The cap ain himself was
at the wheel. Even in the shei>
tered corner of the quarter deck,
where the sail lay, there was such 8
wind it was out of the question to
stay there, and / cronched down in
the lee of the cabin and asked the
captain what was the matter.
"Squall coming" said he.
There never can have baeI d
blacker night. But for the pale
light from the pinnacle could not
have seen the captain, though he
was not three feet away from me-
He was whtrling the wheel at a
great rate, and shifting the air in a
peculiar way that | certainly never
shall forget, as though he smeIIed
the approaching storm.
SIS there gJing to be rain withil3"
l asked him, and a fash of sharp
lightning and terrific peal OF. thun
der interrupted his reply.
(5niff, sniff } "D0n't know.
There's going to be wind, anyhow,
and that's what we're looking after I"
Round went the wheel; sniff.
sniff, went the captain. S ga of the
coming squall increased. the wind
grew stronger every minute.
"Call the starboard wstchp the
captain shouted (sniff, sniff /; and an
Instant later somebody was making
a terrific racket up for Gard, yelling
IAN hands on Geckl"
then followed 8 series Of ordeFs
thst have never been correctly re-
ported by any writer; the order for
preparing the ship for storm.
FenimOre Cooper and Clark Russell
have both tried their hands &C
and neither get them right-at least
60 I've heard old mariners say. So,
with these eminent failures In mind,
[ will not undertake to give the
sea terms, but just translate them
into such lingo as can be understood
by lsndsman.
Fold up that outer jib, if you
please" said the captain, and iG was
done.
CHOW the next one, gentlemen,
and please do it hastily"
E'Let this large sail com pleteiy
down and fasten it securely in place.
Now tie both those rows of strings
in the other sail. Make everything
secure and tight, if you please, gen.
tlemen. (Sniff, sniff.) Fasten down
the covering Of the hatchway, 80
that no water may enter the hold.
Delay there, blast your eyes,"
When these orders had been
faithfully carried out, the schooner
was scudding bs1ore the wind, to use
a nautical term, under double
reefed fores'l, making better time
than she had an hour before with
all her sails set. But the squaIl
never came. There was something
of a blow, but it was over in an
hour, and the stars cams out again
When this hap ed, sand saw
that / was no longer needed, /
turned in-for the third time.
What q scene Of ruin and desolation
met me in the cabinI This wind
had tossed up a pretty heavy sea,
and the schooner Jumped liks mad,
Our lady passengers who were
unable TO suppress their feel
ings, were kneeling ever basins,
crying, singing, praying and
shouting for the cabin boy. They had
not beeu aroused to what they con-
sidsred the danger OF their posi- ion,
l think, till the b!o7 was all over
and the statboard watch had been
sent back to bed. One of them
seized me as I went down The COM
pani0n- way, anu wanted to know
whether we were in ma:h danger.
The others, fortunately, were 900 sick
to talk, or thsre would have been 6