The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-04-24
CHAPTER XIV.
The Water-gpout

iNiS VI lne comfort of
white clothing, when contrasted with
oarK wooden or %broadcloth. as the lat
ter absorbs, and the former renels
enc rays of the sun.
Marc Hislop illustrated this to me
by lgniting paper with a 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 wayy ridges OF its
mountains that tower into the clouds:
we sighted Tortuga, a 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
u seeing either of them at that
time.
For three days we had dark and
cloudy weather.
About 3 o'clock p. m. on the oath of
January a 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, 1t traversed the thick
ening air and the agitated sea. which
darkened beneath its 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 breaksi' were the cheering or
ders of Weston. Hislop and Lambourne
as the brig was prepared to encounter
a heavy squat.
The rain soon fell in torrents. i'm
peding the men at their work OF close
reefng, furling and slowing away some
OF the heavier canvas. and in tightly
Delaying the running rigging, for when
loose ropes are flying about in a tenn
pest, and cracking in mems faces like
coach-whips, they become sufficiently
b%ewildering to impede the working OF
the ship.
Uder the lower edge Of the approach
ing cloud, when about twelve miles
distant, we beheld an object which
filled us with wonder and awe.
1t vas a 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 upward, that was now visi-
BILE.
This column was like a solid mass of
white breakers, approaching with in
credible speed over waves that began
to rise in short and pyramidal peaks.
Hislop was too busy Glowing up
canvas, sending yards down from
aloft, Delaying and ordering, and SO
lost a famous opportunity for expati-
ating-as no doubt he would have done
on the theory OF these spouts, for
this phenomenon filed us with the
greatest alarm. lest it might swoop
down upon the Eugene, dismast and
destroy her like a child's toy ship.
Atomic Ell Cubano. being the most
powerful and muscular man on board,
was ordered to the wheel.
Across the sea this column seemed
to pass with the cloud, boiling, foaming
and with the sound of a mighty cas-
cade pouring into a 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
foated " them.
AS this terrible phenomenon APP
preached from the westward, Captain
weston conceived that we might es-
cape its influence by altering the briggs
course. and so passing it. have
heard of w~ater-spouts being d~issipated
by the effect of heavily shotted guns,
but we had no such a~ppliances-at
least we had no shot on board.
The breeze, which was blowing fresh
and had not as yet become a gale ito
ms at least). veered northwesterly; so
we shook the reefs out of our topsails
and trimmed sharp by the wind.
"Luff, luff-keep your luf-keep her
~ were the incessant orders Of Wes-
IN. and the Eugene flew through the
water like a race horse; held by the
nowerful hands of Antonio. she never
waved an inch, and by especial Provi-
dence she got to the windward OF that
dreadful phenomenon. which passed
nc cloud and all. about six miles
astern. when. as it changed color from
~ravish green to white, it presented a
scsne so sublime and terrible thar
"tb. boldest held his breath LOT
time" and Antonio, who was oianene'
white with terror. though he naa ire
cuently seen such spouts as these IL
Nc native e assured me, with cnat-
,sr,ng teeth, that he had never Do
S.,d one of such magnitude and !,
w.s long before he could be certain %
our safety, and ceased to mutter; ;.
90 mala ventura-mala venture
literally. bad luck) no.ame
From white the water-spout became
snstv nurple. when a CLEAN OF the sun
som on n. and the waves at It's oase
r,,ttered in all the colors OF the rai'
bow. ,ostr ss,u
Weston. A. nan