windward, while the air
was thick with spindrift and scudwater. The foresail had been taken in
during the middle watch; and the brig was now under close-reefed
topsails and fore-topmast staysail only, under which canvas she was
making a bare three knots in the hour, leaving behind her a short wake
that streamed out broad on her weather quarter. So unpleasant were the
conditions that, except for brief intervals during the fore and
afternoon, Miss Trevor remained below, whiling away the time as best she
might with a book; disregarding Sailor's importunate invitations to
accompany him on deck.

Meanwhile the gale was steadily increasing, and between five and six
bells in the afternoon watch the main-topsail suddenly split with a loud
report, and immediately blew out of the bolt-ropes; with the result
that, despite the utmost efforts of the helmsman, the brig at once fell
off into the trough of the sea. Hearing the report, and the subsequent
commotion on deck, Leslie, who had been snatching a little rest in his
cabin, dashed up on deck and, taking in the position of affairs at a
glance, gave orders for the fore topsail to be at once clewed up, and
the spanker to be set; which being done, brought the brig once more to
the wind, and extricated her from her dangerous situation. Then he
ordered a new main-topsail to be at once brought on deck and bent;
having no fancy for leaving the brig all night under such low and
ineffective canvas as the spanker--a sail that, with the heavy sea then
running, was half the time becalmed.

By the time that the remains of the burst main-topsail had been unbent,
and the new sail brought on deck, it was eight bells, and all hands were
set to work to bend the sail. This, under the existing weather
conditions--with the wind blowing at almost hurricane strength, and the
brig flung like a cork from trough to crest of the mountainous,
furious-running sea, with wild weather rolls as the seas swept away from
under her, succeeded by sickening rolls to leeward that at times laid
her almost on her beam-ends as she climbed the lee slope of the next
on-coming sea--was a long, difficult, and perilous job for the hands
aloft; and Leslie heaved a sigh of relief when at length, having bent
and close-reefed the sail, the little party laid in off the yard, and
descended to the deck to assist in sheeting it home. This delicate job
was happily accomplished without mishap; and, the trysail being brailed
in a