thoroughly disagreeable one to suffer.

When Dr Cuff made his report, the captain was highly indignant. "He
would sooner see the ship go down, or all the people rot with fever,
than put back,--that was not his way," was the answer he was reported to
have made.

"Awful is the responsibility that man has taken on his shoulders!"
observed Dr Cuff to Mr Henley.

I have scarcely spoken of Waller, our third mate. He was a rough,
uneducated young man; not much, even, of a practical sailor; and Mr
Grimes soon made a complete, though not a willing tool of him. He was
like Caliban under Prospero,--he grumbled, but could not help himself.
After knocking about with heavy, contrary winds, somewhere in the
latitude of Cape Ushant, and running a great risk of being driven up
either the Irish Channel or on to the English coast, we at length shaped
a course across the Bay of Biscay. That bay, famed for turbulent seas,
did not lose its character with us. What a dark mass of troubled waters
were around us! how gloomy the sky overhead! I could not help fancying
that disasters were about to overtake us; and, indeed, the aspect of
affairs on board was sufficiently discouraging. I never, indeed, had
before felt so low-spirited. The second mate predicted shipwreck; the
doctor, pestilence and death. What else was to happen I could not tell.
Several sharp showers fell, then suddenly the sun burst forth from
behind some dark clouds with resplendent beauty, spreading over, with a
sheet of silver, a wide extent of the raging sea, along which flitted
the sombre shadows from masses of clouds, casting an occasional gloom,
but leaving the ocean once more to roll on in glorious brightness.

After all, I thought to myself, the evil anticipated may pass away like
the clouds; I was wrong to have desponded.

"You admire this, my lad," said Dr Cuff, in a kind way, as he came up
to take a short turn on deck after attending to his laborious duties
below. "The sea presents changeful scenes and extraordinary beauties,
of which those who live always on shore have little conception. You
will find yourself, I hope, amply repaid in the life you have chosen, by
the numberless objects of interest you will meet with in your voyages.
It is a grievous pity that lads are so often sent to sea with so small
an amount of education that they cannot appreciate the advantages they
enjoy, or make use of the opportunities which are presented to them of
acquiring