l. At the same time, the sea was lashed into white
foam, and the blinding spray flew over us in bitter fury.

"Take in the topsails!" roared the captain. But his voice was drowned
in the shriek of the gale. The men were saved the risk of going out on
the yards, however, for in a few moments more all the sails, except the
storm-trysail, were burst and blown to ribbons.

We now tried to put the ship's head to the wind and "lay to", by which
landsmen will understand that we tried to face the storm, and remain
stationary. But the gale was so fierce that this was impossible. The
last rag of sail was blown away, and then there was nothing left for us
but to show our stern to the gale, and "scud under bare poles".

The great danger now was that we might be "pooped", which means that a
huge wave might curl over our stern, fall with terrible fury on our
deck, and sink us.

Many and many a good ship has gone down in this way; but we were
mercifully spared. As our safety depended very much on good steering,
the captain himself took the wheel, and managed the ship so well, that
we weathered the gale without damage, further than the loss of a few
sails and light spars. For two days the storm howled furiously, the
sky and sea were like ink, with sheets of rain and foam driving through
the air, and raging billows tossing our ship about like a cork.

During all this time my shipmates were quiet and grave, but active and
full of energy, so that every order was at once obeyed without noise or
confusion. Every man watched the slightest motion of the captain. We
all felt that everything depended on him.

As for me, I gave up all hope of being saved. It seemed impossible to
me that anything that man could build could withstand so terrible a
storm. I do not pretend to say that I was not afraid. The near
prospect of a violent death caused my heart to sink more than once; but
my feelings did not unman me. I did my duty quietly, but quickly, like
the rest; and when I had no work to do, I stood holding on to the
weather stanchions, looking at the raging sea, and thinking of my
mother, and of the words of kindness and counsel she had so often
bestowed upon me in vain.

The storm ceased almost as quickly as it began, and although the sea
did not all at once stop the heavings of its angry bosom, the wind fell
entirely in the course of a few hours, the dark clouds broke up into
great masses that were piled up high into the sky, a