y, when the last gleam of light was vanishing from
the sky, Kennedy beckoned Briscoe to him and said:

"Well, Mr Briscoe, what d'ye think all that grand show away to the
west'ard means? Mr Leigh here, who has been in these parts before,
says he belaives we're in for a hurricane."

"Hurricane be hanged!" retorted Briscoe, who always seemed to find a
peculiar pleasure in belittling any opinion that I might express. "What
we are in for is a thunderstorm that will make some of ye sit up and
take notice. I guess it will bring with it some pretty considerable
squalls, so it will be a good plan to stow a few of them flyin' kites of
ours. They're doin' no good anyway, and will only thrash themselves
threadbare if we leave 'em abroad."

"That's so, and I guess you'd better see about it at once, Mr Briscoe,"
remarked Mrs Vansittart, emerging from the companion at that moment.
She had apparently heard Briscoe's last words as she came up the
companion way. "I've just been looking up the weather remarks in the
_Indian Ocean Directory_," she continued; "and from what it says I guess
there's a hurricane brewing, Mr Kennedy, so--"

"Why," interrupted Kennedy, "that's what Mr Leigh here says. But Mr
Briscoe, who ought to know something about the Indian Ocean, says no,
it's only going to be a thunderstorm, probably accompanied by heavy
squalls."

"And do you know the Indian Ocean, Mr Leigh? Have you ever been here
before?" demanded the skipper.

"Several times, madam," I answered. "And once I was caught in a
hurricane which dismasted us. The appearance of the sky then was very
much what it was this evening, while the barometer behaved pretty
similarly to what ours has been doing."

"Then that settles it," exclaimed Mrs Vansittart. "There are two to
one--the _Indian Ocean Directory_ and Mr Leigh against you, Mr
Briscoe; and I guess we'll prepare for the hurricane. Stow all the
light canvas; stow everything, in fact, except the fore and main
topsails and the fore-topmast staysail; then we shall be ready for
anything that comes--eh, Mr Leigh?"

"Assuredly much better prepared than we are at the present moment," I
said. "But if I may be permitted to offer a suggestion--"

"You may, Mr Leigh," replied the skipper. "Yes; go ahead. What do you
advise?"

"Well, madam," I said, "since you are good enough to give me leave, I
would advise that the staysail be stowed also, the topsail yards lowered
to the caps,"--we carrie