lso sent down and lashed by
the sail. The barrels, which were now all empty, were lowered down
into the saloon, while the trysail was fastened to the hoops ready
for hoisting, and all the reefs tied up. A triangular mizzen was
then hoisted, and a storm jib.

"We won't get up the foresail at present," the captain said. "I
have reefed it right down, sir, but I won't hoist it until we have
got the first blow over."

"You had better see that everything is well secured on deck, and if
I were you I would put the jib in stops. We can break it out when
we like; but from all accounts the first burst of these tornadoes
is terrible. I should leave the mizzen on her; that will bring her
head up to it, whichever way it comes, and she will lie to under
that and the jib."

"Yes, sir; but it is likely enough that we shall have to sail. I
have been reading about the tornadoes. I picked up a book at Cowes
the day we sailed, when I saw that you were ordering the charts of
these seas, and have learnt what is the proper thing to do. The
wind is from the southeast at present, which means that the centre
of the hurricane lies to the southwest.

"If the wind comes more from the east, as long as we can sail we
are to head northwest or else lie to on the port tack. If it shifts
more to the south, we are to lie to on the starboard tack."

"That sounds all right, Hawkins. It is very easy to describe what
ought to be done, but it is not so easy to do it, when you are in a
gale that is almost strong enough to take her mast out of her. I
will tell you what I would do. I would break up a couple of those
casks, and nail the staves over the skylights, and then nail
tarpaulins over them. I have no fear whatever about her weathering
the gale, but I expect that for a bit we shall be more under water
than above it.

"I see Perry is getting the two anchors below; that will help to
ease her. At any rate she will be in good fighting trim. I think we
began none too soon. There is a thick mist over the sky, and it
looks as dark as pitch ahead."

"There is only one thing more, sir," and the captain shouted:

"All hands get the boats on deck, and see that they are lashed
firmly.

"Will you see to getting in the davits out of the sockets, Purvis,
and getting them below?

"I ought to have done that before," he went on, apologetically,
"but I did not think of it. However, with such a strong crew it
won't take five minutes, and we have got that and some