Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-05-12

~N away, The S, tenn,
the last few days had been growing
warmer and warmer, and they we're now
near the twentieth parallel of north lati-
tude, and about on the sixty-sixth me-
ridian west from Greenwich. Since pas
sing bet Hat,eras and the Bermudas
they had had fair weather, with light
airs between the south and east
But to-day there had been no breeze what
ever, and the head had been oppressive.
The surface of the sea looked oily, and lay
quite fiat, without any percsptible hesve
or swell. Masses of drift weed were pass.
ed occasionally, strung out in long lengths
as If drawn by invieible currents Some
times cocoanut or an orange would feat
past, silent heralds of the islands near 81
hand. The course the steamer was steer
irg was taking her toward the group OF
little islands between the greater and Lesser
Antilles, of which St. Thomas is one. 1t
WAS there that they were to make their
fret landing.
The officer had pointed toward the
southwest, or o few points off the star
board bow. Percy could see nothing re
markable there; but Valentine, who was
familiar with the sea, at once fixed his
eyes upen a small dark cloud, low down
on the water, the popularity of which
was that it changed its shape with great
rapidity, and without am apparent cause.
One moment it looked like
hand, with the fingers extended; then it
WAS like hat, the crown Of which grew
larger and larger until it presented the
aspect OF a pointed foolscap. Then the
cap suddenly inverted itself, and stood on
its sp9x; then the foolscsp divided down
the center, and took the form Of huge
bird with wings pointed upwards.
''That ia rather Odd," muttered Valen-
tine, intently watching the proteau little
cloud. az have seen hurricane begin
that way. I hope i will give us g wide
berth. This is bad place to be caught by
a tornado, with that string of islands right
ahead of us"
''It must be a couple of hundred miles
to the nearest OF them" said Percy. I'VE
are safe enough This steamer can stand
anything"
There comes the captain" observed
Valentine, without noticing Percy's re-
mark.
In fact the captain emerged from his
cabin and mounted the bridge; he cast
glance at the cloud and then gave some
orders in low tone. They were followed
by an immediate activity on the part of the
watch on deck. The sailors moved rapidly
about, aud So, med to be occupied in stow
ing under matches or otherwise making
fast various barrels, cases and other loose
objects that had hitherto been kept on
deck. Meanwhile the captain had
got out a telescope and was con-
templating the cloud through II
with great earnestness. Presently he
passed the glass to the officer who stood by
him on the bridge, and who also took a
careful observation; then they conversed
together in an undertOne and occasionally
issued a new order to the crew. Their
we're no sails set Oa the steamer, but the
sheets and halliards were hauled taut end
securely Delayed, and everything was
made fast and battened down in such
way that nothing short of hurricane
could dislodge it.
1.-THE old man understands his bust
ness" remarked Valentine, and l fancy
he thinks that it msy need all he knows
to pull us through. Look at the cloud
nOW.n
Valentine again turned his eyes toward
the southwest. The small cloud had sud
denly become very much larger, and was
now seen to be connected with mass of
dark vapor that was rapidly crowdipe
upon that section of the horizon, and OF
which it was the pioneer. This vapor
was of an extraordinary darkness, or
rather blackness; il had not the blue
shade that is often seen in storm clouds,
but was of the hue of the densest factory
smoke, with yellow and greenish
streaks upon it here and there. The rim
or upper margin of the oncomirg blackness
continued TO advance with such astonish
ing rapidity that after only few mo-
ments it had blotted itself upon all that
quarter of the horizon, and now seemed
to have embodied the forerunning cloud,
or 10 have incorporated itself with II.
Looking more closely at it, it's edges
and surface appeared wildly CON-
noted fakes and shreds of vapor, like
black fleece, being torn off from the
general mass and whlrled around, or
snatched in various directions, so swiftly
that the eye could scarcely fellow their
movements. The green and yellow
streaks were multiplied and other col
org were represented Until the inky
surface assumed sn aspect of hideOus iri-
descence. Meanwhile the northern and
eastern, portions Of the sky and sea re-
manned unchanged in their sultry calm,
except that, the light of the setting sun
being cut off, their aspect had strange
feverish ghastliness, unlike the tints OF
nature. A hot, faint air drew past the
vessel in the direction of the black canopy,
as if it were sucked thither by some ma
lign attraction. Presently the ears of the
observers began to be conscious OF singu-
lar minor sound, somewhat resembling
that produced by the wind on a tele-
graph wire, only infinitely more hollow,
deep and reverberating. 1t resounded all
over the level surface of the pallid sea, and
appeared to be echoed back from the
horizon and the vault above, as If
the heavens were a metallic
inclosing dome. 1t sang and resounded
and roared, but still with an inner sound,
as if that which uttered it were still afar,
or walled eff by some obstacle that it had
not vet overcome. Everything else was
deathly still; the plssh of the foam against
the vessels bows and under her stern was
the only other sound, but that seemed alb
normally loud.
The captains voice on the bridge broke
ont with startling distinctness, though he
smoke not above his customary pitch.
He gave the order to put the vessel
about. Immediately she began to swing
round on her course, describing semi
circular sweep with her stern; and in
few minutes she lay with the cloud at her
hack and her bows pointed towards the
nnclouded regions of the northeast. Her
nropellor still moved, but slowly; she was