t is it?" said the captain, quickly. "Come on deck, sir. It's
rushing upon us like a great wall. Hear it?"

Doctor Kingsmead turned his face for a moment towards the door, to hear
a peculiar dull distant roar, different from any sound with which he was
familiar. Then the door swung to, and he was bending over his young
patient again, thinking of nothing else, hearing no more for a few
moments, till the door was pushed open again, and the rough, ruddy
bronze face of Bostock appeared in the full light of the swinging lamp.

"Beg pardon, sir," said the man, hoarsely. "Just going on dooty, and
mayn't have another chance, as things looks bad."

"What do you mean?" said the doctor, starting.

"Just wanted to have one more look at the dear lad, sir."

"But what do you mean by things looking bad?"

"Haven't you seen, sir? Well, you can hear."

The doctor could hear, for at that moment something struck the vessel a
tremendous blow, which made her shiver, and then all was turmoil and
confusion as rain, wind, and spray swept the decks, and the steamer
careened over and lay for a time upon her beam-ends.

"Come down and tell me if the storm gets worse," said the doctor, with
his lips to the man's ear.

"Right, sir; but it can't be much worse till the sea gets up. It's
blown flat just now."

The man gave a lingering look at the insensible boy, and then crept
through the door, passing out quickly as if to keep some of the din from
entering the cabin.

The doctor bent over his patient again, and then leaned forward to
unscrew the fastening of the circular pane of glass which formed the
port-hole.

But he opened it only a few inches and then clapped it to and fastened
it again to keep out the rush of wind and spray which entered with a
wild shriek and rocked the lamp to and fro, threatening to put it out.

He returned to his seat and watched, paying no heed whatever to the
terrific roar of the storm nor the quivering of the great vessel, which
was evidently being driven at great speed dead in the teeth of the
storm, though really making very little progress.

And then hours went by, with the doctor as insensible to the progress of
the terrific hurricane as the boy he watched. There were plenty of
passengers below, but no one came near, and the two within that
dimly-lit cabin seemed to be the only living beings on board, so
perfectly uninterrupted did they remain.

This did not trouble the doctor in the least,