Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-21
CHAPTER XIV.
The Water-SDOut.


was soon sensible of the comfort of
white clothing. when cOntraSted with
dark wooden or broadclOth. as the lat
ter absorbs. and the former repels,
the rays OF the sun.
Marc Hislop illustrated this to me
by igniting paper with burning
glass whenever the focus was brought
to bear upon dark places. such as
printed letters. they were instantly
consumed
We ran along the coast of HiSpanio
la, and saw the wavy ridges of its
mountains hat tower into the clouds:
We sighted Tortuga, rocky island COW
cred with palm trees and sandalwood,
but surrounded by reefs and shoals:
and, rounding Cape st. Nicholas. stood
to the southwark between the great is
lands of Jamaica and Cuba. but with
out seeing either of them at that
time.
For three days we had dark and
cloudy weather
About 8 o'clock D. m. on the 24th of
January small speck. which appeared
to the westward on our weather beam.
grew rapidly into a gloomy cloud, and
swiftly, as if on the wings of a de-
stroying angel, it traversed the thick
ening air and the agitated sea. which
darkened beneath it's shadow and so
this speck came on. until it grew an
awful thunder-cloud
Bear a hand fore and aft Hurry
my lads,-make all snug before the
tempest breaks were the cheering or
ders of Weston. Hislop and Lambourne
as the brig was prepared to encounter
heavy sQual
The rain soon fell in torrents. i'm
peding the men at their work of close
reefing. furling and slowing away some
Of the heavier canvas. and in tightly
Delaying the running rigging, for when
loose ropes are flying about in tenn
pest and cracking in mems faces like
coach whips. they become sufficiently
bewildering TO impede the working OF
the ship.
Uder the lower edge OF the approach
Ing cloud, when abou: twelve miles
distant, we beheld an object which
filled us with wonder and awe
1t was tremendous spout. or col
umn, of water. connected with the
cloud above and the sea below (the
sea, from which a circular wind had
sucked it upwa-d), that was now visi-
BILE.
This column was like solid mass of.
white breakers. approaching with in
credible speed over waves that began
TO rise liz short and pyramidal peaks.
Hislop was too busy Chewing I'D
canvas, sending yards down from
aloft, Delaying and ordering. and sc
lost a famous opportunity for expati-
Hting no doubt he would have done
ON the theory Of these spouts. for
this phenomenon filled us with the
greatest alarm, lest il might swoOp
down upon the Eugene. dismast and
destroy her like childs toy ship
Atomic FL Cubano being the most
powerful and muscular man on board,
was ordered 10 the wheel.
Across the sea this column seemed
to pass with the cloud. boiling. fOaming
and with the sound of mighty cas-
Cade pouring into deep valley, but
yet maintaining a position quite per-
pendicular. Around its base the waves
seemed in dreadful commotion, rising
and falling, seething and glittering in
the lightning which shot at times from
the gloomy bosom of the cloud that
fioated over them
AS this terrible phenomenon APP
preached from the westward. Captain
Weston conceived that We might es-
cape its influence by altering the brig's
course. and so passing it. | have
heard of water-spOuts being dissipated
by the effect of heavily shotted guns,
but We had no such appliances-at
least we had no shot on board
The breeze, which was blowing fresh
and had not as yet become a gale (to
us at least, yeered nOrthwesterly: so
We shook the reefs out of our topsails
and trimmed sharp by the wind.
"Luff, luff-keep your luff-keep her
to-" were the incessant orders of Wes-
ton, and the Eugene few through the
water like race horse; held by the
powerful hands of Antonio. she never
waved an inch, and by especial Previ-
dence she got to the windward of that
dreadful phenomenon, which passed
us, cloud and all. about six miles
asterp. when. as it changed color from
grayish green to white. 1t presented a
scene so sublime and terrible that
"the boldest held his breath for a
time" and Antonio, who was blanched
white with terror. though he had fire.
quently seen such spouts as these in
his native seas. assured me, with chat
tering teeth, that he had never be-
held Que OF such magnitude. and it
was long before he could be certain of
our safety, and ceased to mutter:
20 mala ventura-mala ventura
Literally. bad luck)
From white the water-spout became
dusky purple, when CLEAN OF the sun
fell on it. and the waves at it's base
gittered in all the colors OF the rain
bow
Thank heaven, that is past" said
Weston
"Ay sir" said old Roberts the man