ugh now, at all events until the
sea rises; and even then I don't feel particular duberous. This
schooner is as fine a sea-boat as ever was launched; and I'd sooner take
my chance of riding out a gale in her than in some seventy-fours I've
known."

"Yes," I replied, "I think we shall be all right now. I wonder whether
we have sustained any damage aloft?"

"Impossible to say yet, sir," returned Tompion. "We shall know soon
enough, however. But it was a marcy as them yards was sent down on deck
and the topmasts housed; if they'd been on end it would have made more
than extra leverage enough to have capsized us. It's to be hoped we've
plenty of sea-room ahead of us, sir."

I satisfied his mind upon that point, and the gunner then went forward
to see whether the men were all right, returning shortly afterwards with
the satisfactory intelligence that they were.

The sea rose with frightful rapidity, notwithstanding that the wind in
its furious career caught the crests of the waves as they rose and swept
them through the air in a drenching, blinding torrent of scud-water; and
in an hour from the bursting of the hurricane we found ourselves exposed
to a new danger, that of being pooped and swamped by the mountainous
seas which came rushing after us, towering high above our taffrail and
momentarily threatening to break on board.

I turned to Tompion, who was standing abaft near the helmsman.

"Tompion," said I, "we must get some canvas of some sort upon the ship
or we shall be overrun by the sea. Do you think we might venture to set
the foresail, close reefed?"

"Lord bless you, Mr Lascelles," was the reply, "the canvas ain't wove
that'd stand a single minute before such a howlin' gale as this here;
it'd be blown clean out of the gaskets if we was to cast a single one of
'em loose; indeed, I shouldn't be a bit surprised to find half the sails
blown away from the spars as it is, when we get light enough to see how
the little barkie has come out of the scrimmage. Still, if so be as you
thinks fit to give the order, we--"

"Look out! hold on everybody fore and aft! here it comes!" I shouted,
interrupting Tompion; for at that moment I caught sight of an enormous
wave rushing after us with its gleaming white phosphorescent crest
towering a dozen feet above our taffrail, and curling over in such a
manner that I saw it must inevitably break on board. I had just time to
spring to the foot of the mainmast and grasp a r