ound his vessel "crossing the line"; that is, passing over the
imaginary circle which marks the equator. Bob enjoyed his life on
board the ship more than ever, now that the tropics were reached.
The usual pranks were indulged in by the sailors when Father
Neptune came aboard the day the line was crossed, and Bob came in
for not a little horse-play. But he did not mind it, and in turn
he played several jokes on the sailors and was not rebuked. It was
a time of freedom from restraint.

Continuing on south, the _Eagle_ passed from the hot region, and
once more was in the temperate zone. But now the weather, which
had been fine for several weeks, began to show signs of a change.

"We'll soon be in for a troublesome time," said the captain as he
sat in the main cabin one night, looking over some charts.

"How?" asked Bob.

"We're approaching the Horn. To navigate the Straits of Magellan
is no small matter. There are always more or less storms in that
region, and I wish I was well through it."

"Then we're liable to have a hard passage?" "More than likely."

The captain's fears were verified. A few days later, when they
were within a hundred miles of the dreaded Straits, it began to
blow. There was a steady increase to the wind, and Captain Spark
wore an anxious look as he paced the quarterdeck.

Still there seemed to be nothing more than a heavy blow, and Bob
was beginning to hope they might get through with less trouble than
the commander anticipated. The captain had decided to try the
passage of the Straits rather than to actually go around Cape Horn.

But it was not to be. The next day, toward evening, when they were
preparing to navigate the difficult passage, there came a veritable
hurricane.

Fortunately Captain Spark had in a measure anticipated it, and had
taken in sail, bending on some heavy storm canvas which, small as
it was, sent the ship ahead at a terrific pace.

As night came on the _Eagle_ was seen to be in a mass of swirling,
tumbling waves which seemed anxious to overpower the stanch craft.

Mr. Tarbill was in a great fright. He tried to stay in his cabin,
but when the ship began to pitch and toss he could not stand it.
So donning a life-preserver, he came on deck. Here he was much in
the way, for the sailors had to be constantly rushing here and
there, making ropes fast and attending to their duties. To add to
the discomforts of the situation, it began to rain in torrents.

"Oh,