er.

CHAPTER II.

IN ROUGH WEATHER.

It was the first of November when the _Francis_ got off, and Captain
Reefwell warned his passengers that they might expect a rather rough
voyage, as they were sure to have a storm or two in crossing at that
time of year. Eric protested that he would not mind; he was not afraid
of a storm. Indeed, he wanted to see one really good storm at sea,
such as he had often read about.

But he changed his tune when the _Francis_ began to pitch and toss in
the chops of the English Channel, and with pale face and piteous voice
he asked the major "if a real storm were worse than this." A few days
later, however, when he got his sea-legs all right, and the _Francis_
was bowling merrily over the broad Atlantic before a favouring breeze,
his courage came back to him, and he felt ready for anything.

The _Francis_ was not more than a week out before the captain's
prediction began to be fulfilled. One storm succeeded another with but
little rest between, the wind blowing from all quarters in turn.
Driven hither and thither before it, the _Francis_ struggled gallantly
toward her destination. So long as he was out in mid-Atlantic Captain
Reefwell seemed quite indifferent to the boisterous weather. He told
his passengers that he was sorry for the many discomforts they were
forced to endure, but otherwise showed no concern. He was a daring
sailor, and had crossed the ocean a score of times before. As they
approached the American side, however, and the storm still continued,
he grew very anxious, as his troubled countenance and moody manner
plainly showed. The truth was that he had been driven out of his
course, and had lost his reckoning, owing to sun and stars alike having
been invisible for so many days. He had no clear idea of his distance
from the coast, and unless he could soon secure a satisfactory
observation the _Francis_ would be in a perilous plight.

The first of December was marked by a storm more violent than any which
had come before, followed by a dense fog which swathed the ship in
appalling gloom. The captain evidently regarded this fog as a very
grave addition to his difficulties. He hardly left the quarter-deck,
and his face grew haggard and his eyes bloodshot with being constantly
on the look-out. Realizing that a crisis was at hand, and determined
to know the worst, Major Maunsell made bold to ask the captain to tell
him the real state of affairs. Captain Ree