The sun., 1889-11-10


! craft to be sure--I should be very well satis-
ned to 60 on sailing about in this fashion In
these latitudes under those glorious stars and
upon these warm and gentle seas until she
tired. In its serene moonllt moods the ocean
possesses an Incompatible and amazing magic
OF spiritnalizinR The veriest commonplace
glows into poetic beauty under the mYste-
rious, vitalizinR. enrichinR influence I have
seen girl whom no exaggerated courtesy
could have pronounced comely by daylight,
show like an angel on the deck OF a yacht on a
hushed and radiant night when the air has
been brimmlDR to the stars with tho soft haze
OF moonlight, and whom the sea has resemhled
carpet OF black silk softly waving. The moon
is witch. and her pencils Of light are charged
with magic qualities. In tho soft golden efful-
gence my compnnion's face would sometimes
grow phantasmal q dream Of eirllsh loveliness,
the radiance Of her hair and skin blending with
the rich illusive light till would sometimes
think II should glance away from her and
then look again. should find her fairy coun-
tenance melted-a romantic confession that
tells tho story OF my heartl Yes, was far
gone: no need to deny II. Our association was
intimate to degree that no companionshlp
ashore could approach. Wilfrid left us alone
together Tor hour after hour, and there was
nobody to intrude upon us. Finn clearly un-
derstood what was happening. and sour old
Crimp was always careful to leave us one aide
Of the deck to ourselves.
But there was now to happen violent
ohange-a transformation OF peaceful. amor
GUS conditions Of the right kind to alright ro-
nance and to drive the spirit of poetry COVER
ing out OF sight.
We were in latitude about eight degrees
north; the longitude do not remember The
night had been very quiet but thick; hero aud
there q star that was mere lustrelesss blur In
the void, and thewater black and sluggish as
liquid pitch without CLEAN in it The atmos-
phere had been 30 sultry that could get no
rest The yacht dipped drearily from side to
side. shaking thunder out Of her canvas and
sending a sound, like low sobbing wall. Off
her sides into the midnight gloom. This pre-
vented me from opening the scuttle, and I
lay half stified. occasionally driven on deck by
sense OF suffocation. though it was like pass
ing from one hot troom 10 another in q Turkish
bath. There was barometer in the cabin Just
under the clock In the skylight: every time
Quilted my berth I peeped at 1t, and every
time looked observed that the mercury had
settled somewhat, very gradual, but o very
steady fall. That foul weather was at hand 1
could not doubt. but 1t was hard to imagine
the character 1t would take down among
these equatorial parallels where one hardly
looks for gales Of wind, or cyclonic outbursts.
or the rushing tempest red with lightning OF
high latitudes; though every man who has
crossed the line will know that the ocean is as
full OF the unexpected thereabouts as In all
other parts of the globe.
/ somehow have a clearer recollection OF
that night than OF the time that followed. or
indeed of any other passage Of hours during
this queer sea ramble am writing about. 1t
UNA frat tha intolarahla hoat than the unaD.
durably monotonous lifeless rolling OF the
yacht, with its regular accompaniment Of the
yearninR wash Of recoiling waters, tho cease
less and irritating clicking Of cabin doors upon
their hooks the idle beating Of canvas above
hollowly penetrating the deck with a mulfled
echo as OF fconstant sullen explosions. the creak
ing and straining to right and to left and above
and below. a hot smell of paint and varnish and
upholstery mingled with some sort of inde
Unable marine odor; kind of faint scent OF
rotting seaweed, such as will sometimes rise
of the breast OF the sluggish deep when stormy
weather is at hand. believe drank not less
than one dozen bottles of seltzer water In the
small hours. was half dead OF thirst. and
routed out the steward and obliged him to
supply me with plentiful stock OF this re-
freshment, But the more 1 drank the hotter I
got and no shipwrecked eye ever more CRATE
fully saluted the gray OF dawn than did mine.
when. wakening from q half hour OF feverish
sleep, beheld the light OF morning lying weak
and lead coored on the glass OF the portfolio.
An uglier tumble Of sky never beheld when
sent my first look up to 1t from the companion
ladder. 1t was as though some hundreds and
thousands OF factory chimneys had been vom-
iting up their black fumes throughout the |
night, the bodies Of yapor coming together |
over our mastheads and compacting there
4 lfw~Il
thickenings dimming into dusky browns; and |
here and there q sallow lump OF gloom OF the
kind OF yellowish tinge to make one thinA Of
fire and thunder. The confines OF this ghastly
storm laden pail drooped to the sea within
three miles OF the yacht. 30 that the horizon
seemed within cannon shot-a merging and
mingling of stationary shadows whose stirless-
ness was rendered the more portentous by the
sulky pease-soup colored welter OF the ocean
washing into the shrouded distance and van
shing there. All hands were on the alert.
What was to come Finn told me he could not
tell. but he was ready for It, His maintopmRst
was struck-that is. sent down on deck; he had
also sent down the topgallantyard. Every
stitch OF canvas was furled. saving the close
-eefed gafH-foresail and the reefed stay-fore-
sail. Extra lashings secured everything that
was movable. Much to my satisfaction. OBJ
iown below. There was not breath OF wind
IS yet and the yacht looked most fororn and
naked. as though indeed she were fresh from
urious tussle as she rolled burying her sides
ipon the southerly swell that was growing
heavier and heavier hour by hour.
We were at breakfast whom the first OF the
Wind took us. 1t came along moaning at first,
With small dying away, and then longer
vail as it poured. hot as the breath OF fur
lace blast between our masts. This was fol-
owed by some 1--WE minutes of breathless
alm. during which the yacht fell of into the
rough again; then. having my eye upon
abin window, 1 bawled out There 1t comes"
eeing the flying white line of 1t like cloud
4 desert sand sweeping through the even-
ng dusk and before the words were we'll out
+ my mouth the yacht was down to 1t. bowed
o her bulwark rail- every blessed article on the
reakfast table fetching away with hideous
rash upon the deck, with the figures OF the
wo stewards reeling to leeward. myself grip
ing the table. Wifrid depending wholly for
upport upon his fixed chair and Miss Jen-