rapture at the brilliancy of the starry sky above
me. Light skiffs of feathery cloud would now and then flit past, and
a peculiar hissing sound of the sea told, at the same time, that the
breeze was freshening. But old Tom had done his duty in mentioning this
once, and thus having disburthened his conscience, he closehauled his
mainsail, shifted the ballast a little to midships, and, putting up the
collar of his pilot-coat, screwed himself tighter into the corner beside
the tiller, and chewed his quid in quietness. The boy slept soundly in
the bow, and I, lulled by the motion and the plashing waves, fell into a
dreamy stupor, like a pleasant sleep. The pitching of the boat continued
to increase, and twice or thrice struck by a heavy sea, she lay over,
till the white waves came tumbling in over her gunwale. I heard Tom call
to his boy something about the head-sail, but for the life of me I
could not or would not arouse myself from a train of thought that I was
following.

'She's a stout boat to stand this,' said Tom, as he rounded her off at a
coming wave, which, even thus escaped, splashed over us like a cataract.
'I know many a bigger craft wouldn't hold up her canvas under such a
gale.'

'Here it comes, father. Here's a squall!' cried the boy; and with a
crash like thunder, the wind struck the sail, and laid the boat half
under.

'She'd float if she was full of water,' said the old man, as the craft
'righted.'

'But maybe the spars wouldn't stand,' said the boy anxiously.

''Tis what I 'm thinking,' rejoined the father. 'There's a shake in the
mast, below the caps.'

'Tell him it's better to bear up, and go before it,' whispered the lad,
with a gesture towards where I was lying.

'Troth, it's little he'd care,' said the other; 'besides, he's never
plazed to be woke up.'

'Here it comes again!' cried the boy. But this time the squall swept
past ahead of us, and the craft only reeled to the swollen waves, as
they tore by.

'We 'd better go about, sir,' said Tom to me; 'there's a heavy sea
outside, and it's blowing hard now.'

'And there's a split in the mast as long as my arm,' cried the boy.

'I thought she'd live through any sea, Tom!' said I, laughing, for it
was his constant boast that no weather could harm her.

'There goes the spar!' shouted he, while with a loud snap the mast gave
way, and fell with a crash over the side. The boat immediately came head
to wind, and sea after sea broke upon her bo