tend the jib. Those boys are so busy
examining the fish that we will not interrupt them."

"No, sir," I said, "we are ready for anything."

"Oh no, Bob," replied the Captain, "go on with your studies. There is
nothing to do just now. Walter, you may steer by the shore. But I
don't like this slackening of the breeze, and it is drawing more to the
south-west; we shall have it right ahead soon. The sun looks ugly, too.
That murky red face foretells a row of some kind."

"I hope that we shall get the _Youth_ safe at her moorings before night
comes, or a storm either--shall we not?" asked Harry.

"We'll hope so," answered Captain Mugford, who pulled out his pipe and
filled it hard, continuing, "Who'll hand me out a light from the cuddy?"
I went in and struck one, and brought him a match, blazing famously.
"Thank, you," he said. "Drake--just," (puff puff)--"just shake--oh!
there goes that light!" I quickly brought him another--"just shake
out--that--that--" (puff, puff). He had it all right now, the smoke
coming in vast volumes; so he replaced his hat and removed the pipe from
his teeth for a moment to complete the order--

"Drake, just shake that reef out of the mainsail."

"All right, sir!" said Drake. I helped him; but in half an hour the
wind, as the Captain had foretold, was ahead, and not strong enough to
fill the sails.

Fifteen or sixteen miles we were from home, with every indication that a
heavy squall was to follow the calm settling down upon us. The dancing
white caps of the morning had died away in a quiet, sullen sea, which
only a land-swell moved. The sun had gone down to within a half-hour's
distance of the horizon, shining on the distant western cliffs, whose
variety, boldness, and ruggedness were magnified in outline and
intensified in colouring by the heavy, yellowish-red glare which fell on
them, and the sun's rays shot out in long forks, piercing the dark blue
of the sea at all points in the western semicircle of our view. The
atmosphere had grown warm--very warm for a September afternoon.

We boys felt something portentous in the scene. The Captain grew
uncomfortable, too, no longer laughing heartily or joining in our talk.
He kept his eyes on the sky, and smoked pipe after pipe.

Even Ugly ceased napping beside Walter, and, uttering a whining yawn, as
if sleepy but uneasy, walked forward to the idle foresail, and stood
there with extended nose to smell out, if he could, what was w