res of life,
but just then it seemed as if I should never laugh or sing or be merry
again.

The first day or two on the _Aguila_ did not tend to make me more
cheerful, though the skipper did what he could to make us comfortable.
We slept in a dirty little box, which was really the mate's cabin, and
had our meals, or at least Jose had, at the captain's table.

By degrees, however, my sickness wore off, and on the fourth morning I
began to take an interest in things. By this time the land was out of
sight; for miles and miles the blue water lay around us--an
interminable stretch. There was not a sail to be seen, and the utter
loneliness impressed me with a feeling of awe.

Jose was as ignorant of seafaring matters as myself; but the captain
said we were making a good voyage, and with that we were content. A
stiff breeze blew the schooner along merrily, the blue sky was flecked
only by the softest white clouds, and the swish, swish of the water
against the vessel's sides sounded pleasantly in our ears. I began to
think there were worse ways of earning a living than by going to sea.

That same evening I turned in early, leaving Jose on deck, but I was
still awake when he entered the cabin.

"There's an ugly storm brewing," said he, kicking off his boots, "and I
don't think the skipper much likes the prospect of it. He has all
hands at work taking in the sails and getting things ready generally.
Rather a lucky thing for us that the _Aguila_ is a stout boat. Listen!
That's the first blast!" as the schooner staggered and reeled.

Above us we heard the captain shouting orders, the answering cries of
the sailors, and the groaning of the timbers, as if the ship were a
living being stretched on a rack. Slipping out of my bunk and dressing
quickly, I held on to a bar to steady myself.

"Let us go on deck before they batten down the hatches," said Jose,
putting on his boots again. "I've no mind to stay in this hole. If
the ship sinks, we shall be drowned like rats in a trap."

He climbed the steps, and I followed, shuddering at the picture his
words had conjured up. The scene was grand, but wild and awful in the
extreme. I hardly dared to watch the great waves thundering along as
if seeking to devour our tiny craft. Now the schooner hung poised for
a moment on the edge of a mountainous wave; the next instant it seemed
to be dashing headlong into a fathomless, black abyss. The wind tore
on with a fierce shriek,