does not run too close to us."

"She has seen us, no doubt, sir," said Krantz.

After a few minutes the typhoon again raged, and the atmosphere was of
a murky gloom. It seemed as if some heavy fog had been hurled along
by the furious wind; nothing was to be distinguished except the white
foam of the sea, and that not the distance of half a cable's length,
where it was lost in one dark gray mist. The storm-staysail yielding
to the force of the wind, was rent into strips, and flogged and
cracked with a noise even louder than the gale. The furious blast
again blew over, and the mist cleared up a little.

"Ship on the weather beam close aboard of us," cried one of the men.

Krantz and Philip sprung upon the gunwale, and beheld the large ship
bearing right down upon them, not three cables' length distant.

"Helm up! she does not see us, and she will be aboard of us!" cried
Philip. "Helm up, I say, hard up, quick!"

The helm was put up, as the men, perceiving their imminent danger,
climbed upon the guns to look if the vessel altered her course; but
no--down she came, and the head-sails of the _Utrecht_ having been
carried away, to their horror they perceived that she would not answer
her helm and pay off as they required.

"Ship, ahoy!" roared Philip through his trumpet--but the gale drove
the sound back.

"Ship, ahoy!" cried Krantz on the gunwale, waving his hat. It was
useless--down she came, with the waters foaming under her bows, and
was now within pistol-shot of the _Utrecht_.

"Ship, ahoy!" roared all the sailors, with a shout that must have been
heard: it was not attended to; down came the vessel upon them, and now
her cutwater was within ten yards of the _Utrecht_. The men of the
_Utrecht_, who expected that their vessel would be severed in half by
the concussion, climbed upon the weather gunwale, all ready to catch
at the ropes of the other vessel and climb on board of her. Amine who
had been surprised at the noise on deck, had come out and had taken
Philip by the arm.

"Trust to me--the shock"--said Philip. He said no more; the cutwater
of the stranger touched their sides; one general cry was raised by the
sailors of the _Utrecht_, they sprang to catch at the rigging of
the other vessel's bowsprit which was now pointed between their
masts--they caught at nothing--nothing--there was no shock--no
concussion of the two vessels--the stranger appeared to cleave through
them--her hull passed along in silence--