and shut it very quickly. After the
commotion was all over I got on deck. Very much to my joy, the starboard
bulwarks had been carried away. My friend the second mate had nothing to
say about bad steering after that.

CHAPTER VI

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

That night we were compelled to heave to, for the waves were almost
sinking us. At two o'clock in the morning my chum was to relieve me at
the wheel. He was rather slow about doing it, too, as it was very
comfortable for him in the galley. I was about played out holding the
helm hard down, there being no steerage-way, as we were drifting to the
leeward. Our object was to keep the vessel head on to the seas as nearly
as possible, so as to ride over them as they came along. So much guano
had been taken from the forehold that it caused the brig to settle by
the stern and raise the forward part up, consequently every time the bow
dipped into a wave the water which came over would rush aft on the deck,
strike the taffrail, and give the man at the wheel a good shower-bath.
That happened every few minutes. Between drenchings we had the cold
wind for a variety. The ship's clock was in the cabin skylight, visible
to the helmsman, whose duty it was to strike the bell one stroke for
every half hour. At four bells he was to be relieved; at eight bells the
watches would change; thus it would be four hours on deck and four hours
below until we arrived in port. Now I had been watching the clock very
anxiously for two hours, my whole body stiff and numb with the cold and
wet. Nearly a half hour after the right time, my friend Jimmy very
reluctantly made his appearance. I waited until he had hold of the wheel
and then I chided him in very impolite language. When I had said
everything that I could think of to hurt his feelings I stopped. In the
meantime I was holding on to a rope and sharing the shower-baths with
him. It helped to loosen my jaws, at any rate, even if it did no other
good.

The cook's galley is a small house built on deck, in size about four by
six feet, with a sliding door on each side, the one to windward being
always kept shut except in very fine weather. Now I was hustling along
as fast as my stiff joints would allow me to get into the galley. There,
at least, I would be sheltered from the cold winds. I had got inside and
was turning to close the door, when I saw a sight which simply paralyzed
me. A large full-rigged ship with squared yards, all sails set, eve