serve for that seen on most days in fine weather: on one side the
spun-yarn winches were going, manufacturing spun-yarn out of old junk--a
never-ending source of employment; Mr Pincott and his mates were busily
at work building a boat on the other; the sail-maker and his gang were
repairing some of the sails, and making light ones for the gentle
breezes of the Pacific; while Fleming and his crew were laying up rope,
and the rest of the watch were knotting yarns, making sinnet, wad-bags,
wads, chafing gear of all descriptions, such as worming, parcelling,
roundings, spun-yarn, rope-yarn, marline, seizing, stuffs, and service
of all kinds; the names of which things alone are, I suspect, sufficient
to puzzle a landsman, so I will say no more about them. Aft were
Captain Frankland, with one of the mates and Gerard and I, taking
observations of the sun,--an employment in which, as I began to
understand it, I felt great interest. It struck me that, as far as I
saw, Captain Frankland took very little concern about the ship. He
seldom spoke a word to any of the crew, and only occasionally on points
of duty while on deck, to the mates. I soon found, however, that no man
could more effectually exert himself, when his exertions were required.
Hitherto there had been nothing to call forth his energies. With light
winds and calm seas, he had better employment in his cabin. That very
day a change came over the even tenor of our lives; scarcely were our
sextants stowed away, when, as the captain was walking the deck, I saw
him frequently turn his glance to the westward. There, over the land,
in a moment it seemed, arose a bank of clouds, which every instant grew
denser and denser, and came rushing toward us across the sky.

"All hands shorten sail!" shouted Captain Frankland, stopping suddenly
in his walk. Quick as the word, the work in which everybody was engaged
was stowed away, and up jumped the crew, all life and activity. Away
they flew aloft--royals were sent down, top-gallant-sails were furled,
and the yards were braced so as to take the wind on the starboard-tack.
We had had the wind from the north-east, but it now fell almost a dead
calm, and the lower sails began to flap idly against the masts; and
under our topsails we waited the coming of the squall. It did not long
delay; on it came in its majestic fury. On one side of us the whole sky
was covered with a dense mass of threatening clouds, while the sea below
appe