tion of a second seemed to set
the entire visible firmament ablaze, and caused every detail of the
brig's hull and equipment to imprint a clear and perfectly distinct
picture of itself upon the retina. They all listened for thunder, but
none came. Suddenly, however, a few heavy drops of rain pattered upon
the deck, and an instant later down came a perfect deluge with the sound
of millions of small shot roaring and rattling on the deck and hissing
into the sea. The rain ceased as suddenly as it had come, as suddenly
as the flow of water is stopped by the turning of a tap; and for about a
quarter of an hour nothing further happened. Then the sheet lightning
began to quiver and flicker among the clouds once more; and presently
the pall immediately overhead was rent apart by a terrific flash of
sun-bright lightning that struck straight down and seemed to hit the
water only a few yards from the brig. Simultaneously with the flash
came a crackling crash of thunder of absolutely appalling intensity; and
before its echoes had died away another flash, and another, and another,
tore athwart the heavens; until within the space of less than a minute
the entire vault of heaven was ablaze with flickering and flashing
lightnings, steel blue, baleful green, rosy red, and dazzling white,
accompanied by a continuous crash and roar of thunder that was both
deafening and terrifying. This tremendous manifestation continued for
about ten minutes, when down came the rain again, in an even fiercer
deluge than before; and in the very midst of it, while the thunder still
crashed and boomed overhead, and the rain descended in such sheets and
masses that everybody gasped for breath, as though drowning, away came
the wind with a howling scream that in an instant drowned even the sound
of the thunder. It struck the brig flat aback; and had she happened to
have had any of her square canvas set she must undoubtedly have
foundered stern first. As it was, Leslie, who happened to be the only
man near the wheel, sprang to it and put the helm hard over, causing her
to pay off as she gathered stern-way, and thus saving the craft. But
even as he stood there, in the very act of putting the helm over, a
crash reached his ears out of the midst of the terrific hubbub; he was
conscious of receiving a violent blow on the head; and then he knew no
more.

When Leslie again recovered consciousness, his first distinct sensation
was that of racking, sickening,