ound, and were about to bear up through the Silver
Kay Passage, when, toward the end of the afternoon watch, the wind
suddenly dropped, and by sun-down it had fallen stark calm.

The air turned close and hot as the breath of an oven, and as the
evening wore on a heavy bank of black cloud worked up from to leeward
and slowly overspread the sky, gradually settling down until the vapour
appeared to touch our mast-heads.

Hawsepipe, a master's-mate, who was acting as master, had been very
fidgety for some time, and at last, "What do you think all this means,
Mr Chester?" said he.

"I scarcely know _what_ to make of it," I replied. "I have never seen
anything quite like it before. It looks more like an impending thunder-
storm than anything else; but it _may_ be something very different, and
I was about to give the order to shorten sail when you spoke."

"I really think we had better," he returned. "I see no sign of wind as
yet, certainly; still, as we are in no hurry, it would be just as well
to be prepared for anything and everything that can possibly happen.
What sail shall we get her under?"

"Well, being, as you remark, in no sort of hurry, I think we will make
our precautions as complete as possible by stowing everything except the
fore-trysail and staysail. Let the men commence with the mainsail, as
it is the largest and least manageable sail in a breeze."

"All hands, shorten sail!" sang out Hawsepipe.

The boatswain's pipe sounded, his gruff voice reiterated the order, and
the men, who had been grouped together on the forecastle discussing the
singular appearance of the weather, sprang to their stations.

"Main and peak halliards let go! Man the main-tack tricing-line and
down with the throat of the sail; round-in upon the mainsheet! Now,
then, is there no one to attend to the peak downhaul? That's right.
Now roll up the sail snugly and put the coat on. In with the whole of
your square canvas forward. Royal, topgallant, and topsail halliards
and sheets let go; man the clewlines, and clew them up cheerily, my
lads. Haul down and stow both jibs. Lay aloft there! and see that you
stow your canvas snugly, although it _is_ too dark at present for me to
see what you are about." Thus Mr Hawsepipe, in as authoritative a tone
as though he were the first luff of a 120-gun ship.

Sail was shortened in considerably less time than it has taken to write
the above description; for though this was the first cru