The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1899-12-21
CHAPTER VI


Weston found that for more than fifty
hours the Eugene had been going sew
eral miles to the southeast of her due
course.
The compass was Immediately over
hauled by Hislop, who found that the
standard Of the needle was loose.
On that night there commenced
long course of head winds and foul
weather. during which the compass
never worked properly, and the cap
tain and mate found. by the solar OBJ
servation, that we had drifted so far
to leeward as to be somewhere between
the parallels Of IS degrees and % de-
grees 35 minutes north.
Tattooed Tom and old Roberts, the
man-o'-wa: 's-man, were superstitious
enough to give me the entire blame of
all this, in consequence of having fired
one day at some of Mother Carys
chickens; an action, they averred,
which never failed to give the craft OF
the perpetratGr a head wind for the
remainder Of her voyage-if she ever
finished it at ALL
IF this foul weather holds for an
other day." said Weston, as he trod the
deck with a sulkiness quite profession
al under the circumstances, 1--WE shall
see land sooner than wished"
"Landr l reiterated, frightening at
the idea more than he relished.
Yes, some part of the Canaries-
Santa Cruz de la Palma, most likely;
but we shall have very rough weather
before another sun rises. know we'll
the signs, Mr.. Rodney Don't you see
what is brewing yonder, Hislop?- he
said in low voice to his mate.
you say just what old Roberts, Tat
tooed Tom, and | were observing for
ward" replied Hlslop. I'VE have not
all of us seen a hurricane off the west
coast Of Africa, a tornado in the
Windward Isles, and regular roaring
| pampero off the Rio de la Plata with
out learning something-eh, captain?'
Il hope not! so remember that this
| gloomy weather, with the wind lulling
away and then coming again in hot
/ gusts with a moaning sound-in my
part of England we name it the call
ing of the sea'-are always signs Of a
coming squall."
AS the night closed in, the canvas on
the brig was reduced, the royals were
struck and the yards sent on deck;
the dead lights were shipped on the
| stern windows; the quarter boat was
| hoisted within the taffrail, and there
1ochoJ hnp nd 90 4b =.
creasing tokens of coming tempest
and ere midnight it came with ven
geance.
The sky at first was all deep, dark
blue, wonderfully dark for that region
and the stars. especially the planets
shone with singular clearness and
beauty; but in the northwest quarter
Of the heavens we could see the coming
blast
From the horizon to the zenith, there
arose with terrible rapidity a mighty
bank of sable cloud, forming a vast
and gloomy arch, at the base of which
a pale and phosphorescent light seem
ed to play upon the heaying sea.
This light frightened and sunk al.
ternately. Now it would shoot down.
ward with a lurid glare, steadily ant
brilliantly, under the flying vapor, anC
then 1t died away with an opal tint.
Sheet lightning of a pale and CHASTITY
green, extending over ten or twelve
points of the horizon, flashed and play
ed upon it. Then we heard the rusl
OF rain, as if a great lake had beer
falling from a vast hight into the sea
and the next the roar of the mighty
blast; while furrowing up the ocean il
its passage, the tempest came swoop
ing down upon us and around us in
species of whirlwind.
Bravely the Eugene met It, for he
captain and men handled her nobly.
She had her topgallant sails furleC
her courses up, the topsals lowered
upon the cap, and the reef tackles clos
} out; but she swayed fearfully whel
careening beneath the hot breath O
the mighty blast and riding over thos
1 black mountains of water. which ii
. fierce succession it impelled towar
her. High she went over a slopin
sheet of foam one moment, and tn
next saw her plunging into a deer
! black valley of that midnight sea; S
deep that the wind seemed to pass owe
us, the canvas tapped to the mast an
! we only caught its weight and powe
= when riding quickly on the crest Of tn
next mighty roller
Meanwhile the green-forked light
! ming flashed so brightly that &
! times we could see every rope in tn
vessel, our own blanched and pal
faces, as we held on by ring bolts an
: Delaying pins to save ourselves froi
being washed overheard by the blinC
!. ing sheets OF mingled foam and raj
that deluged the deck, over which tn
sea was also breaking heavily ever
instant.
8 Each time the Eugene rose in hi
: buoyancy. her decks vert half full
G water and the long boat amidshiI
g filled so fast that man with buck,
: could scarce keep ii baled.
Y Following the whirlwind. we wei
: round FIVE times in thirty five minute
T with the afterwards squared and II
e headyards braced sharp up.
q Then the black mass of sulphurol
:. cloud in which we were envelope