es' Hall.

This particular gale, however, began to get a little too strong. We
had a sail or two set to steady the ship: on the second night one
split with a crack like a cannon; and was tied up in an instant,
cordage and strips, into inextricable knots.

The next night I was woke by a slap which shook the Neva from stem
to stern, and made her stagger and writhe like a live thing struck
across the loins. Then a dull rush of water which there was no
mistaking. We had shipped a green sea. Well, I could not bale it
out again; and there was plenty of room for it on board. So, after
ascertaining that R--- was not frightened, I went back to my berth
and slept again, somewhat wondering that the roll of the screw was
all but silent.

Next morning we found that a sea had walked in over the bridge,
breaking it, and washing off it the first officer and the look-out
man--luckily they fell into a sail and not overboard; put out the
galley-fires, so that we got a cold breakfast; and eased the ship;
for the shock turned the indicator in the engine-room to 'Ease her.'
The engineer, thinking that the captain had given the order, obeyed
it. The captain turned out into the wet to know who had eased his
ship, and then returned to bed, wisely remarking, that the ship knew
her own business best; and as she had chosen to ease the engines
herself, eased she should be, his orders being 'not to prosecute a
voyage so as to endanger the lives of the passengers or the property
of the Company.'

So we went on easily for sixteen hours, the wise captain judging--
and his judgment proved true--that the centre of the storm was
crossing our course ahead; and that if we waited, it would pass us.
So, as he expected, we came after a day or two into an almost
windless sea, where smooth mountainous waves, the relics of the
storm, were weltering aimlessly up and down under a dark sad sky.

Soon we began to sight ship after ship, and found ourselves on the
great south-western high-road of the Atlantic; and found ourselves,
too, nearing Niflheim day by day. Colder and colder grew the wind,
lower the sun, darker the cloud-world overhead; and we went on deck
each morning, with some additional garment on, sorely against our
wills. Only on the very day on which we sighted land, we had one of
those treacherously beautiful days which occur, now and then, in an
English February, mild, still, and shining, if not with keen