eath all around, with no moon. Not a star
to be seen; when, all at once, the whole horizon glowed with a living
fire, lighting up the ocean in front of us, and reflecting upwards and
outwards from the snow-covered peaks on the background of water beyond
the beach. The wave-tossed surface of the sea changed to a bright
vermilion tint, making it look like a lake of raging flames. Through
the crimson sky, streaks of brighter light shot across at intervals from
right to left, and back again from left to right, in coruscations of
darting sparks that would ever and anon form themselves into crosses and
diamonds of different shapes; while, in the middle of this wonderful
transformation scene, the wind blew with immense force, howling over sea
and land with a wild shriek and deep diapason, accompanied by blinding
showers of hail and sleet and snow, that made us all creep under the
folds of the canvas of our tent for shelter.

"What is this? What does it mean?" I asked Captain Billings, who
seemed the only one of us unmoved by the unwonted sight, that had as
much terror as grandeur about it.

"It is what is called an Austral aurora--the _aurora Australis_, as
scientific men term it; though, how it is caused and what it is
occasioned by, I'm sure I can't explain to you, my lad. All I know is
this, that it is never seen in the vicinity of Cape Horn without a stiff
gale and rough weather following in its track; so we had better all of
us look out for squalls!"

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

"ALL THE WAY ROUND."

The skipper was right in his prognostication about the weather; for,
during the next few days, we experienced a terrible gale from the south-
west, snow falling without intermission all the time, and making huge
drifts to the windward of the island, while even in sheltered places it
was over four feet deep, with the pile continually increasing as the
flakes drove down in one steady stream.

Of course, it was bitterly cold, but, knowing what sort of climate the
vicinity of Cape Horn rejoiced in, Captain Billings, before abandoning
the ship, had ordered the men to bring all their warm clothes with them,
he himself adding to the stock with all the spare blankets he could find
in the cabin; and now, although these things were amongst the stores of
the long-boat when she capsized, they fortunately escaped being thrown
into the sea and lost on her "turning the turtle," for they were
securely fastened below the thwarts,