Oh, the horrors of that night! Who can say at what angles I did not
incline? Now, as we swooped up a wave I stood on my head, next moment I
shivered and shuddered in mid-air. Then with a wild plunge I found
myself feet downward, and as I sunk my heart and all that appertained to
it seemed to remain where they had been. Now I was rolling obliquely
down the cabin on to the top of wretches as miserable as myself. Now I
was rolling back, and they pouring on to the top of me. The one thought
in my mind was--which way are we going next? and mixed up with it
occasionally came the aspiration--would it were to the bottom! Above it
all was the incessant thunder of the waves on the decks above and the
wild wheezing of the engines as they met the shrieking wind.

But I will not dwell on the scene. Once during the night I thought of
Michael McCrane, and hoped he was even as I was at that moment. If he
was, no dog was ever in such a plight!

At last the early dawn struggled through the deadlights.

"At last," I groaned, "we shall soon be in the Lough!"

"Where are we?" said a plaintive voice from the midst of the heap which
for the last few hours had regularly rolled on the top of me whenever we
lurched to larboard.

"Off the Isle of Man," was the reply. "Shouldn't wonder if we get a bit
of a sea going past, too."

Off the Isle of Man! Only half way, and a bit of a sea expected as we
went past!

I closed my eyes, and wished our bank might break before morning!
Whether the "bit of sea" came up to expectations or not I know not. I
was in no condition to criticise even my own movements. I believe that
as time went on I became gradually amalgamated with the larger roiling
heap of fellow-sufferers on the floor, and during the last hour or so of
our misery rolled in concert with them. But I should be sorry to state
positively that it was so.

All I know is that about a hundred years after we had passed the Isle of
Man I became suddenly awake to the consciousness that something
tremendous had happened. Had we struck in mid-ocean? had the masts
above us gone by the board? were we sinking? or what?

On careful reflection I decided we were doing neither, and that the
cause of my agitation was that the last wave but one had gone past the
ship without breaking over her. And out of the next dozen waves we
scrambled over I counted at least five which let us off in a similar
manner!

Oh, the rapture of the discovery! I