e a
glance round, you'll soon see the reason why!"

The first mate made no reply to this save to follow out the captain's
suggestion of looking over the side; and what he saw there did not
appear to give him any excuse for controverting the skipper's words;
for, the clouds had now spread over the horizon--except to the
southward, where it was still clear, and from which a short sharp gust
of wind came every now and then, filling out the loose folds of the
courses, and then, as it died away, letting them flap against the masts
with a heavy dull sound as of distant thunder, an occasional streak of
pale lightning darting across the sky to the north-west, where the
heavens were most obscured, as if to bear out the illusion.

"We're in for it now, for certain," said Captain Billings presently,
noticing a faint stir in the air above amidst the whizzing clouds, the
upper strata of which were going in a contrary direction to that in
which the vane pointed, which was still to the south-east. "Boatswain,
rouse out the watch below!"

Jorrocks thereupon immediately went forward towards the fo'c's'le,
knocking with a marlinspike three times on the deck, and shouting out
the well-known hail that every sailor knows but too well.

"Tumble up there! All hands shorten sail!"

The men, who had hardly shifted their clothes and turned in, after being
relieved by the port watch at eight bells, came tumbling up on deck
hurriedly, and the skipper at once ordered the topsail and foresail to
be reefed, spanker to be brailed up, and the main course furled; while
the vessel was kept with her head to the southward, that is, as well as
the cross sea and the fitful gusts of wind would allow, under her jib,
fore and main-topsails and forecourse.

Presently there was an ominous hum in the surrounding atmosphere, when
the waves calmed down as if by magic; and then, a large rent disclosed
itself in the sombre curtain of cloud to the north-west, the heavy
masses of vapour that had been previously piling themselves along the
horizon there and spreading up to the zenith falling back again and
scurrying away in a retrograde direction, like skirmishers on a battle-
field driven-in on to their supports by a rush of cavalry trying to cut
them off.

"Here it comes!" shouted out Captain Billings, ordering the hands at the
same time to "stand by" the braces and topsail halliards; and, almost
ere the crew could get to their respective posts, the clouds ha