on my brow--a dark line of ripples appeared to the
east, gaining rapidly on us--my breathless remark to Adrian, was followed
by the flapping of the canvas, as the adverse wind struck it, and our boat
lurched--swift as speech, the web of the storm thickened over head, the
sun went down red, the dark sea was strewed with foam, and our skiff rose
and fell in its encreasing furrows.

Behold us now in our frail tenement, hemmed in by hungry, roaring waves,
buffeted by winds. In the inky east two vast clouds, sailing contrary ways,
met; the lightning leapt forth, and the hoarse thunder muttered. Again in
the south, the clouds replied, and the forked stream of fire running along
the black sky, shewed us the appalling piles of clouds, now met and
obliterated by the heaving waves. Great God! And we alone--we three--
alone--alone--sole dwellers on the sea and on the earth, we three must
perish! The vast universe, its myriad worlds, and the plains of boundless
earth which we had left--the extent of shoreless sea around--contracted
to my view--they and all that they contained, shrunk up to one point,
even to our tossing bark, freighted with glorious humanity.

A convulsion of despair crossed the love-beaming face of Adrian, while with
set teeth he murmured, "Yet they shall be saved!" Clara, visited by an
human pang, pale and trembling, crept near him--he looked on her with an
encouraging smile--"Do you fear, sweet girl? O, do not fear, we shall
soon be on shore!"

The darkness prevented me from seeing the changes of her countenance; but
her voice was clear and sweet, as she replied, "Why should I fear? neither
sea nor storm can harm us, if mighty destiny or the ruler of destiny does
not permit. And then the stinging fear of surviving either of you, is not
here--one death will clasp us undivided."

Meanwhile we took in all our sails, save a gib; and, as soon as we might
without danger, changed our course, running with the wind for the Italian
shore. Dark night mixed everything; we hardly discerned the white crests of
the murderous surges, except when lightning made brief noon, and drank the
darkness, shewing us our danger, and restoring us to double night. We were
all silent, except when Adrian, as steersman, made an encouraging
observation. Our little shell obeyed the rudder miraculously well, and ran
along on the top of the waves, as if she had been an offspring of the sea,
and the angry mother sheltered her endangered child.