o allow us to heave the schooner
to before the sea should acquire height and weight enough to render the
operation dangerous, for now every mile that we ran was carrying us just
so much farther from our destination. But as time went on the gale,
instead of moderating, seemed to increase in strength, until I began to
wonder how much longer hemp and pine and canvas could endure the
terrific strain to which our foremast, its rigging, and the reefed
foresail were exposed. Still, although the mast was bowed forward in a
curve that seemed to have approached perilously near to breaking-point,
and although the shrouds and backstays were strained until they were
hard as iron bars, everything was, so far, holding splendidly, and the
schooner was rushing along at a speed which I was firmly persuaded she
had never before approached.

At length, after I had been at the wheel nearly three hours, Cunningham
insisted on relieving me: and, to speak truth, I was more than glad to
accept his offer, for notwithstanding that it was by that time blowing
harder than ever, and that the wind continued to scoop up the water in
such vast quantities that the air was thick with salt rain, a high and
unpleasantly steep sea had gradually risen, chasing the schooner and
constantly threatening to poop her, or broach her to, so that at length,
in order to escape the one fate or the other, it became necessary to
keep the wheel perpetually in motion, now to port and anon to starboard;
and a couple of hours of that kind of work, combined with the heavy
strain upon one's nerves, is enough pretty well to tire out the
strongest--moreover, I was drenched to the skin. Therefore I gladly
made way for Cunningham, and, having first gone forward and directed
Murdock to go aft and stand by the wheel, so that he might be at hand in
the event of Cunningham needing any assistance, I returned aft--finding
it necessary, by the way, to go down on my hands and knees and literally
crawl along the deck, in order to make headway against the buffeting of
the wind--and went below to my cabin, where I proceeded to strip off my
wet clothes and subject myself to a vigorous towelling preparatory to
donning a dry rig and my mackintosh.

Taking my time over the operation, I had proceeded so far as to have
donned a dry undervest and a pair of thin duck trousers; and, having
rolled the legs of these up to my knees, was in the act of unhooking my
long mackintosh coat from its peg, w