destructive discharge, had set in, the green and baleful glare of the
livid lightning illuminating the scene until it became almost as light
as day; while the crashing roll of the thunder was absolutely
continuous, and so deafening that I felt stunned and stupefied by it.
There was no rain, neither was there any wind, properly speaking, the
dead calm being only interrupted now and then by a momentary gust of
wind, hot as the blasting breath of a furnace, which passed over us and
was gone almost before we had time to realise its presence. These
fitful and transient gusts of wind came from all quarters of the
compass. I had never before experienced weather of at all a similar
character, nor had Simpson, the quarter-master, and we were equally
puzzled as to what to expect. The heavens were black as ink, and the
clouds, rendered visible by the unearthly bluish-green glare of the
lightning, were seen to be writhing and working like tortured serpents;
but there was nothing to indicate a probable breeze.

There was plenty of work to be done, the clearing away of the wreck
being our first task. Simpson and I accordingly armed ourselves with a
tomahawk each, and went forward to make a commencement. Simpson began
at the jibboom-end, cutting away the stays attached thereto, and working
his way in, while I made an attack upon the shrouds and backstays. Our
intention was to cut away everything in the first instance, in case of
bad weather coming on, and afterwards to save as much of the wreck as we
could.

I had scarcely begun my task when I fancied I smelt a smell of burning,
but for the first minute or so I paid little attention to it, as the air
had been for a long time pervaded by a strong choking sulphurous odour.
I had struck but a few strokes with my tomahawk however, when a very
strong whiff assailed my nostrils, and at the same instant a thin wreath
of smoke appeared hovering over the fore-scuttle. Dropping my tomahawk,
I darted toward the opening, and, looking down, found the place full of
smoke, which appeared to be prevented from rising by the peculiar
condition of the atmosphere.

"Lay in, Simpson," I shouted to the quarter-master; "the ship is on
fire!"

The old fellow, with his arm raised in the act of striking at the jib-
stay, turned, and, catching sight of the smoke, bundled inboard in a
trice. We descended to the forecastle together, and found it so full of
dense pungent smoke that it was impossible