and wrenched asunder as
it were, their summits wreathed with masses of foam, which curled over
as they advanced against the wind, and breaking into fragments, blew off
in masses of snowy whiteness to leeward. I scarcely thought that a
fabric formed by human hands could have sustained the rude shocks we
encountered till the ship was got on her course, and we were able to
scud before the gale. Often the sea rose up like a dead wall, and
seemed as if it must fall over our deck and send us to the bottom. The
scene was trying in the daytime, but still more so when darkness covered
the face of the deep, and it needed confidence in the qualities of our
ship, and yet greater in God's protecting power, not to feel overcome
with dread. There was a grandeur in the spectacle which kept me on
deck, and it was not till after the steward had frequently summoned me
to supper that I could tear myself from it. Curious was the change to
the well-lighted, handsome cabin, with the supper things securely placed
between fiddles and puddings [Note 1.] on the swing table. The first
mate had charge of the deck. Stubbs was busily employed fortifying his
nerves. "You now know, Pusser, what a gale off the Cape is," he
observed, looking up with his mouth half full of beef and biscuit.

"Yes, indeed," said I. "Fine weather, too, for your friend the
_Dutchman_ to be cruising."

"Ay, and likely enough we shall see him, too," he answered. "It was
just such a night as this, some five years back, that we fell in with
him off here; and our consort, as sound a ship as ever left the Thames,
with all hands, was lost. It's my belief that he put a boat aboard her
by one of his tricks." I saw Captain Hassall and Irby exchange glances.
Stubbs was getting on his favourite subject.

"Well, now, I've doubled this Cape a dozen times or more, and have never
yet once set eyes on this Dutch friend of yours, Benjie," exclaimed
O'Carroll. "Mind you call me if we sight his craft; I should like to
`ya, ya' a little with him, and just ask him where he comes from, and
what he's about, and maybe if I put the question in a civil way I'll get
a civil answer." By-the-bye, Captain Hassall and I had been so well
pleased with O'Carroll, and so satisfied as to his thorough knowledge of
the regions we were about to visit and the language of the people, that
we had retained him on board as supernumerary mate.

"Don't you go and speak to him now, if you value the safet