Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-10-06


weather.
"lt's difficult to know what this
swell means, sir" answered. Either
II comes in advance Of gale or 1t fol-
lows gale.
"In advance" he said. III you are
going to turn In, keep your clothes on.
There was a laundering gale In the sun
this afternoon. and II you clap your
nose over the ships side you'll smell 1t
coming"
The captain went on deck and Ilaid
down to get little sleep before the
storm, which felt was approaching,
should arrive. Twas awakened by one
of the hands striking eight bells, and
at once tumblcd up and got on deck.
The night was darker than 1t was
when had gone TO my cabin; no star
was now visible; an inky blackness
ovcrsprcad the confines Of the deep,
and inspired sense Of calm that was
brcathless, suilocating, insupportablc
The heavy swell still rose and sunk the
vessel, washing her sides TO the height
of the bulwarks, and making the rud-
der kick furiously.
The moment Coxon saw me he told
me to go forward and set all hands TO
close-rcpf the forc-top-sail. i did his
bidding, calling out the order rs went
stumbling and sprawling along tho
main-dcck, and letting go the halliards
to wake up the men, after
cropping for them. Indeed, II was
ptch.dark forward. | might have
been stOnc-blind for any thing could
see, barring the thin rays Of the fore
castle lamp glimmcring family upon n
few objects amldships.
Owing TO tins darkness, IL was
worse job TO reef the top-sails than had
It been blowing hurricane in day
light. IL was quarter to one before
both sails were reefcd. and then the
watch that had been on deck since
eight O'Clock turned in.
Here were we now under almost bare
poles, in dead calm and yet, had the
skipper ordered both the fore and miz-
zen top-sails TO bc furled, he would
not have been doing more than was
justified by the extraordinary charac-
ter OF the night-the strange and mon
slrOus sub-swell OF the ocean, the
opacity Of the heavens, the sinister and
phenomenal breathlcssnoss and heat Of
the atmosphere.
The captain, who was on the star
board side of the wheel, called me over
TO him.
care the decks clcar2"
"All clear, sir"
"FOrctop-sail sheetsP'
"Rcady for running, sir"
Flows her head, nowP" TO thom
at the helm.
"Nor west half NORTH
keep n brisk lookout 20 tho south
ard, SIR he said to me; land sing out
ii you see the sky clearing"
saw him, by the bnnaclc-light, put
his finger in his mouth and hold IL up.
But there was no other air 10 be felt
than the short rush first one way, then
another. as the ship rolled.
"Stand by the starhoard braccsm
suddenly roarcd the skipper; and the
men. awake to n sense Of n great and
perhaps pcrilous change close ut hand.
came stumbling and stumbling along
the deck.
A wonderful panorama was now be-
ing rapidly unfolded in the south.
All down there the sky was clearing
rs il by magic, and the stars shining;
but rs | watched, great flying wrcaths,
like mighty volumes Of smoke pouring
out of gigantic factory chimncys, came
rushing over and Obscuring them,
though always leaving few brightly
burning in foreground which adj
yancpd with astonishing rapidly to-
ward the ship. 10 right aud left Of this
point Of the horizon the sky cleared
only TO be ObsCurCd afrCsh by the ilying
= .iii' "' ''','t' wy o",''''n p"u2.'
,''',.'S WIN Nv sup ou.Nooii w i,i-
',,'. '",, VI i nLt P'i,rls' ~, sun nIi nov
"II,5 80 "''o'o t,'o aT ft, Wy
U"' "u' uio , Io''''g mn,l s ,nn
,t' mn ''""S w S't NV ", tnl
W ,., ~, f. iuH 'p.l'las, VI us npProuch
" "" W. Ivy ul'a.nless; nv"'lns sur,
iI'o VI w scH "rounu US anu an
",,''''' ','',' 'l,o u''cI staS la''oh VI lne
".l' I',1uu,eu nll el'eGt on NY niihI;
"tnn,s n,, ""u emu ' ~ ,ho " IT,
,yLich NJ, ,,nrJs nouiJ o,i,o o,nras'
sion an nn,ntinn 10 Son eiiLo al ~
mems, that nos oinns, tcrrnr AMI we,
i"r, , ' I,,i, ~, '' 80 I y
tinglinp curiositv.
a., snon = ,,ai, =. m, doso,.;h;nu
tray,is maj &C. iii ororhaoJ ,hn &c
,vos tirst cI,nrob and ,ban n,ossod m,
viii wbirlira, ' cio " hoSnro ,ho u;u NJ
strurE ms. tLr white surface NJ tho son
Clearly liucJ ike tho surf mon n beach
WAS uipinlv sccn bv ms. oven when tbo
water nil orouuJ wns sin mrut,Iod.
and Then. with n PROLONGED and neni.
ing VOL, tlI, r,ir nnI Inc snrnv il WA.
iush}ng ont of the sca were upon us. In
n moment orr docks were soaking-
The mnsts crcakcd, and every STROUD
" " ,'' N