he
sun, and the barometer began to fall, as I heard the navigating officer
say to the commodore, whom he passed on his way on deck from the
wardroom below, a storm broke over us!

The next moment, the whistles of the boatswain's mates were ringing
through the ship, with the customary hoarse hail down the hatchways--

"Watch, shorten sail!"

Then, as we tumbled up to our stations, it became a case of let go and
clew up.

"Topmen, aloft!" sang out the commodore from the break of the poop, in
sharp, piercing accents that rose above the whistle of the wind through
the rigging and the dull roar of the sea, which had assumed now a leaden
appearance, instead of the bright blue which it boasted the moment
before, while its surface began to work into short choppy waves that
tossed their crests like horses champing the bit. "Take in the
to'gallants and royals!"

Up we all raced aloft; but no sooner had these sails been furled and we
reached the deck than the commodore was at us again.

"Watch, reef tops'ls!" he shouted even louder than before. "Away
aloft--take in one reef!"

Mick and I scrambled up, almost out of breath, into the mizzen-top;
which we hardly reached before we heard the commodore give the next
order necessary to enable us to take in the reef--

"Weather tops'l braces, round in! Lower the tops'ls!"

Next followed our own especial order--

"Trice up and lay out!"

In obedience to this, we made our way out on the foot-ropes, Mick
securing the weather earring, when we began knotting the points and
reefing in earnest; after which, the topsail halliards were manned below
and the yards run up again.

The wind now shifted from the northward to the north-east, coming on to
blow pretty hard; so the courses were clewed up and furled and the jib
hauled down, the ship presently running under her close-reefed topsails
and fore-topmast staysail.

By Six Bells, however, the storm had increased to such an extent, that,
after trying what treble-reefing would do, we had to take in our
topsails altogether, laying-to under storm staysails and easy steam, the
engine-fires had been lit and the screw lowered on the first break of
the storm, so as to keep the ship-head to wind and provide for any
eventuality that might come.

The sea at this time was a terrible sight, the big billows racing madly
past us and jostling each other, tossing their spray and spent water
right over the main-yard; while, anon, the corvette w